"Careful, young miss! Are you alright?"

The voice echoed near her ear.

Familiar.

Her head throbbed.

Who is beating drums inside my skull…?

Scarlet forced her eyes open.

Blurred shapes slowly came into focus.

A man was holding her by the shoulders, preventing her from falling.

When she saw his face—

Her breath hitched.

David.

Her father's most loyal subordinate.

The man who had protected her countless times in her previous life.

The man who later died for her.

And she—

She had been too blind, too naïve to even appreciate him, to let him die in vain.

Tears welled up in her eyes.

David panicked immediately.

"Y-Young miss, please don't cry. Sir and Madam will be sad if they see you like this."

Scarlet's body stiffened.

She looked past him.

They were standing in a graveyard.

Two freshly maintained tombstones stood in front of her.

Her parents.

Her chest tightened violently.

So this is the day. His parents are dead and she came to pay them a visit. This visit changed her life in the previous lifetime .

The day she visited their graves before the wolves began circling her inheritance.

Without warning, 

she threw herself forward and hugged David tightly.

He froze for a second before gently patting her back.

"It's alright, young miss… Your grandfather has asked for your presence."

Of course he did.

The "interview."The "decision." of what will happen to her.

The day they would measure her worth like merchandise. 

Scarlet clenched her fists.

So this is the time you chose, Samael?

You couldn't send me back half a year earlier? I could've saved them… my parents could've lived longer for me.

But no.

That devil had chosen this exact point.

Which meant—

This was the starting line.

__

The Vesper Mansion

The car ride was silent.

When they arrived, the mansion stood just as it had in her previous life.

Grand. Elegant.Cold.

Inside, the so-called "beloved relatives" were already gathered.

Uncles. Aunts. Cousins.

All wearing carefully crafted expressions of concern.

Scarlet almost laughed.

Hyenas in designer clothes.

Her grandfather sat at the center.

In front of him, a single chair had been placed.

Like a trial.

"Sit," he said.

She did.

He didn't waste time. He gets to the point straight.

"What do you want to do now?" he asked calmly. "Study abroad? Stay here? Live overseas permanently? Or remain in this country?"

His gaze was sharp.

Testing.Measuring. yet a softness that he hide from scarlet.

Scarlet leaned back slightly.

Trying to scare me?

I've already faced death.

She lifted her chin.

"Grandfather," she said clearly, "I want to inherit my father's legacy."

The room exploded in whispers.

"What is she saying?"

"She's just a child!"

"Inherit? Does she even understand what that means?"

Panic flashed across several faces who were preparing to dig her parents grave to fill their pockets.

Scarlet memorized each reaction.

Grandfather did not speak immediately.

He simply stared at her.

"Do you even know what your father's legacy was?" he asked coldly. "Or are these just empty words?"

The words were sharp.

But Scarlet knew—

He was testing her.

Because the superior beast never attacks directly.

It waits.

In front of the wolves cloth hyenas their relatives..

Scarlet met his gaze without flinching.

Her eyes were steady.

Unreadable.

For a brief moment—

Even her grandfather couldn't see through her.

He sighed softly.

"You can still live a normal life," he said. "Go abroad. Stay away from this mess. Or live here quietly."

Scarlet's voice turned firm.

"I've had enough of a normal life."

Silence.

"My decision is final."

Grandfather studied her for a long time.

Then—

"Everyone else, leave."

The relatives froze but obeyed.

Soon, only Scarlet, David, and her grandfather remained.

The old man's tone softened slightly.

"What happened, child?"

Scarlet was momentarily stunned.

He noticed.

Just from her change in demeanor.

She looked away.

"Many things happened," she said quietly. "But you won't believe me. So… for now, please let me do what I want."

Her voice softened slightly.

A small crack of vulnerability.

She knew his weak spot.

He had always had a soft heart for her.

He sighed again.

"But you will not refuse the security I provide."

Scarlet smiled faintly.

"As long as it's within limits, I don't mind."

He nodded.

She stood, walked over, and hugged him briefly.

Then she turned to leave.

As she passed the mansion gates—

Her expression darkened.

A faint smirk curved her lips.

"Let's begin."

David followed silently behind her.

__

Home

She returned to the house where she once lived with her parents.

It felt empty now.

No warmth.

No laughter.

Only silence.

Her nails dug into her palm.

I want to destroy them.

The urge to act immediately surged inside her.

But—

She needed power first.

She took out her phone.

On the second ring, it was answered.

"Kiddo? What's wrong you called everything okay?" her grandfather's voice came through. "If you're feeling lonely, come back. Don't bottle things up."

Scarlet inhaled slowly.

"Teach me everything you know," she said steadily. "Be my master."

There was a pause.

"It's not that I don't want to," he replied. "But I already accepted my friend's grandson as my disciple. I only take one, this is the rule."

Scarlet's voice trembled deliberately.

"So you won't break your rule for your own granddaughter?"

A soft sniff.

Silence.

A long sigh.

"One day, you'll be the death of me."

Her playful act vanished instantly.

"Don't say things like that," she said quietly.

There was something heavy in her tone.

He cleared his throat.

"My training will not be easy."

"That's fine."

"You will arrive at 6 AM sharp. Being late will not be tolerated — even if you are my granddaughter."

Scarlet's lips curved faintly.

"Yes, Master."

The call ended.

She lowered the phone.

Her eyes slowly hardened.

Twenty-one.

That was when her revenge would begin.

Until then—

She would sharpen herself.

And when the time came—

The wolves would realize

They had raised a predator.