The following day, the weight of the previous night's confrontation still hung heavily on Alice. She sat in her room, feeling down and dejected, lost in her thoughts. Seeing her in such a state, Mary, her devoted guardian, decided it was time to reveal the truth about her birth.

Mary sat beside Alice, her voice gentle and reassuring as she recounted the story. "You know, Alice," she began, "your mother, Daisy, loved you more than anything in this world. Before she passed, she made a promise to your father, Charles, to protect you. She entrusted me to be your guardian and to ensure your safety and happiness."

Alice's eyes lit up with a glimmer of hope as she absorbed the truth about her mother's love and the promise that had been made to protect her. It was a revelation that filled her with newfound optimism about her life and her place within the Volta family.

To lift Alice's spirits, Mary led her to the mansion's garden, where a special pink rose bush thrived. It was a rose planted by her mother while Alice was still in her womb, a symbol of love and hope. As Alice admired the delicate blooms, a sense of connection to her mother washed over her.

However, Emily had been watching from a distance, hidden behind the shadows. Envy and malice festered within her as she saw Alice's happiness. When Alice left the garden, Emily couldn't resist the opportunity to seize the pink rose for herself.

That evening, during dinner, a single rose was placed in a vase in the center of the dining hall. Alice immediately recognized it as the same rose she had seen in the garden that morning. Anger surged within her as she demanded to know who had plucked the flower.

Emily, unfazed and lethargic, responded nonchalantly, claiming that both her father and stepmother had concerns about the issue. As Alice's frustration boiled over, something within her snapped. Her eyes, once a deep black, began to transform, turning a fierce shade of red. Her veins pulsed with a daunting surge of witch and vampiric powers, creating a palpable aura of fear that sent shockwaves through the dining room.

Terrified by the display of Alice's powers, everyone at the table fell silent. Charles, alarmed and worried, immediately ordered Mary to take Alice back to her room. Mary complied, guiding Alice away from the dining hall, though not without suffering minor harm from the unleashed powers.

The incident had shaken the entire household, revealing the immense and uncontrolled potential within Alice, and it left a lingering sense of unease in its wake.

As Alice was taken back to her room, her supernatural powers subsided, leaving her emotionally shattered. She couldn't fathom why these uncontrollable outbursts kept happening to her, and despair engulfed her fragile heart.

In the aftermath of the startling display of Alice's powers, Beatrice and Emily were left in a state of shock and terror. It was the first time they had witnessed the extent of Alice's supernatural abilities, and it sent shivers down their spines.

Beatrice, driven by her ambition and fear of Alice's powers, was determined to find a way to remove the young hybrid from the Volta family. She knew that Alice posed a significant threat to her own plans to take control of the Volta’s business. Her mind raced with ideas on how to drive Alice out.

One such idea that came to her was to attempt an exorcism on Alice, even though there was no evidence that she was possessed. Beatrice believed that such an ordeal would not only make Alice uncomfortable, but also provide an opportunity to keep her in check for a while.

She sought a private conversation with Charles in his bedroom, her eyes filled with tears and her voice trembling as she approached him. With a soft and fragile tone, she admitted that she had wronged Alice and now wanted to make amends by taking care of her.

Charles, taken in by Beatrice's seemingly innocent plea, agreed to her request. He couldn't resist the image of a vulnerable woman before him, and he was willing to do anything to heal the growing rift in their family.

As their conversation continued, Beatrice asked Charles if they had ever considered performing an exorcism on Alice to ensure that she was not possessed by evil spirits. Charles hesitated, expressing concerns about the effect such a ritual might have on the young girl.

Seeing this as her opportunity, Beatrice skilfully offered to assist with the exorcism. At first, Charles resisted, but Beatrice's manipulative nature and cunning persuasion wore him down. She knew exactly how to exploit his weaknesses and fears, and with her clever words, she convinced him to accept the idea of an exorcism.

With a heavy heart, Charles consented to Beatrice's plan, unaware of the true intentions that lay behind her proposal. The fragile balance within the Volta family had tilted further, and the path ahead was fraught with uncertainty and danger.