Chapter 2: Chapter 2

"Why do you look so startled, aunt Jia?" Seraphina asked in her melodious yet childish voice while locking her calm but predatory gaze on a trembling woman who was covering her mouth with her two gloved hands shakily.

Not long ago, this woman, Jia, was sitting haughtily while enjoying a glass of wine with a contented smile blooming on her striking red lips that were painted celebratorily. However, when she heard the anguished plea of that disgusting man instead of the soft helpless cries of a young girl as she expected, a chill run down her spine causing her to loosen her hand, and the shattering sound of glass echoed inside the room. She could not hear Seraphina's words that were said lightly much like a whisper but, nonetheless, when the loud thump of the heavy body falling lifelessly reached her ears, accompanied by the shaking of the floor, she was alarmed to the point of rising from her seat as her heart thumped violently inside her chest.

"My mother was an extremely intelligent woman. However, for you, she became a fool. I always wondered why but now I understand." The little girl said sentence by sentence while gazing at the hateful woman.

A tight-fitted dress that hugs the body, a deep cleavage that's on the verge of spilling out, a cheap perfume that agitates my nose, and heavy make-up that tries to hide the wrinkled skin. No matter how I look, you are nothing but an ungrateful shallow woman. But, still, my mother adored you dearly... all because of that deep orange hair that resembles sunset and light amber eyes that remind autumn. After all, how could she not do so when you look just like a fox beast, her kind that was exterminated entirely leaving only herself alone?

"What, what did you do?" the sickening voice brought her back from her thoughts.

"Exactly what you think," Seraphina said calmly before continuing,

"Now, aunt Jia, care to give me an explanation? Though no explanation can get you out alive from this room, still, I could let you have an intact corpse unlike Baron Teivel depending on your answer."

Seraphina's words were the last leniency she was bestowing on this poisonous woman who caused her gut-wrenching scars that never faded both physically and mentally. Even though she wished to let her suffer a long painful death of being eaten alive chomp by chomp by wild dogs like how her father dealt with this mad woman in her last life, she still wished to show mercy in consideration of the affection her mother had. However, when Jia saw that young but, nevertheless, ethereal girl who had the serene composure of someone who stood above all like an immortal, she was crazed as the burning jealousy, inferiority, and obsession swallowed her entirely.

"Rosaline! Rosaline! ROSALINE! ALWAYS HER!" she shouted madly.

"Why can she act all high and mighty when I have to grovel at the feet of some old men?! Why does she receive love and respect when I get disdain and humiliation?! Why can she have a man like the grand duke when I had to become a mistress of an old dying man who can't even deal with his shit by himself?! WHY?! WHY?! WHY?!" she shouted hysterically with crazed eyes and bitter tears.

"That's why you sold me here? To relinquish your fucking inferiority?!" Seraphina asked back burning with rage.

Everything that I have gone through. Everything that I have had to bear. My childhood. My youth. My life! It was all ruined just to satisfy some twisted emotions of a mad woman, she thought ridiculously.

"Now I see why my father ended your pathetic life like that. You deserved it. Too bad, in this life, it won't be any better because you met a devil from hell," she took the long thick iron rod hanging next to the fireplace and directly smashed it into the head of the delirious woman.

Seraphina's hit was not heavy enough to kill the woman as she cannot have her dying blissfully with a single strike. She dragged the unconscious woman through the empty corridor until she reached the kitchen, where the backdoor, which the servants used to frequent when carrying heavy ingredients, was located along with the cart that was used in moving vegetables.

It's convenient that the incompetent bastard is too poor to hire full-time servants, Seraphina thought while putting the unconscious woman inside the cart. She found two big dirty table clothes that who knows when were washed last and used one to cover the cart while the using the other as a cloak to hide her hair, face, and bloody clothes.

In the stillness of a silent night, a little child pulled a cart that is bigger than her body without much difficulty. Very few who were awake did not even bother to meddle in her affairs after witnessing such a bizarre scenario because, in this area, it was common to see such an occurrence. In fact, they were even aware of where she was heading after witnessing the fresh blood dripping from the cart. In this poor-stricken area where anyone but the debt-ridden and criminals occupy, there is one specific alley where the real nightmare happens, a place where people who have nothing left but their lives live while feeding on anything and everything, including, one another. Due to its nature, many people, including the nobles, ditched the dead bodies that they never wished to be found in the outside world here, because even the bones would be hard to find afterward. And, that was exactly where Seraphina was headed.

She did not enter the alley but simply left the cart in the mouth of that hell-like place and took a decent amount of distance before throwing a pebble into it and waiting patiently. Fortunately, she did not have to stand out on this cold winter night too long as three skin-and-bone-looking men came out from the darkness and pulled the cart away after seeing the 'contents.'

One day you will wake up under the filthiest of all, being defiled until your organs ache. One day you will wake up from excruciating pain as a chomp of you gets taken like a stock-up for winter. Or, you might very well experience both at the same time.

With this, I will consider the debt paid, aunt Jia.

Seraphina stalked through the shadows and steadily left this dangerous place before the dawn came approaching. Though she could handle herself against a fat drunkard and a thin woman, she still would not stand a chance against an experienced fighter, a group of criminals, or, worse, the beast men. She did not stop until she could no longer see the Baron's land and, finally, took a break to think over her situation carefully.

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In my previous life, I was brought here a month after my mother's death when I was barely over six and spent two years locked up until brother Ihan found me. I'll meet him if I wait for him near the gambling site that he was investigating but it will take two whole years and, above all, there is no guarantee that I wouldn't encounter another Baron Teivel or, worse, die. However, traveling alone also seems rather impossible. Currently, I'm near the southern border of the empire but my family is located at the northern border. Chances of me, a six-year-old penniless but pretty child, crossing the empire unharmed could prove nearly non-existent than the prior. Also, the man in the memory, ugh, let's think about him later since he won't be dying anytime soon. Right now, finding a place to stay is the prime concern. Think, Seraphina. A noble house that does not have bad blood with the house Callenso.

"Ugh! Where can I find such family when there is none?!" she shouted frustratedly.

Especially, here, the south, is the worst. In my previous life, the families here would have eaten my flesh and drunk my blood if given the chance. Well, it's understandable since I've killed the father of the empress. Wait! The Empress!

"Why are you so stupid, Seraphina? How can you forget about the empress?!" she wanted to curse herself.

The Crevaria Empire is not the strongest country on the continent. However, the other countries have always been hesitant to start a war because of the legend of its founding and the exceptional knights it had. As the legend goes, the royal bloodline of Crevaria has received a blessing of a dragon because the first emperor defeated a dragon. As proof of his extraordinary victory, the royal descendants were to possess eyes redder than the finest rubies just like that of the dragon. As for the exceptional knights, amongst the many, empress Natalia Heroux, a warrior from Khans' Land, is the one who is loved and respected by all.

Unfortunately, in the winter of the year 613, she was killed on her way back to the capital of Crevaria from Khans' Land. Everyone believed that the child she was carrying at the time was dead as its body was never found. Moreover, when the empress died, the political tension reached its peak and the firstborn prince, Reyan Crevaria, was sent as a hostage to the Ruleless Land, where the scattered clans and tribes of both humans and beast men who were infamous for their brutality were located. The second child born from the empress, princess Aine Crevaria, was exiled to the abandoned palace to mourn for her mother, elder brother, and younger sibling whom she never had the chance to hold. Simply put, it was the tragedy of the imperial family.

There was a song about the incident. Remember the details! Remember! She urged herself while circling on her spot.

"The year 613...the spring was nearing...at the Forest of Lyle...even the sky was mourning...it snowed for three nights and four days...three nights and four days," she mumbled with her eyes closed while trying to remember any useful information.

Seraphina started running as if her life depended on it as soon as she opened her bright golden eyes. She did not stop even when her lungs were burning fiercely and her heart was beating wildly as if going to jump out through her throat. In her mind, she was desperately chanting for the empress, whom she had met never before, to be safe and sound and that she was not late to change the tragic fate that was destined for a great woman whom everyone loved and respected. However, with each step she took, her heart chilled along with it, and the closer she went, the more certain it became that she, indeed, was late. And, when she finally reached the entrance to the forest, she fell to her knees due to the overwhelming sense of disappointment, grief, and loss.

Everything. Everything. It's all white. Her heart ached as the agony drowned her wholly. With all her heart she hoped for the opposite but, despite her endless prayer, the Forest of Lyle was painted white with heavy snow that has yet to melt. The endless trees that towered in the sky were no longer naked as thick layers of blinding fluffy snow adorned them entirely. The land under her knees that was finally budding life after the thaw, hid again in its shyness, below the powdered snow that feels soft to the touch. Nevertheless, it was a breathtakingly beautiful picture that she had rarely come across in her past life.

"I thought I could finally atone for my sins. Life must be paid with one. I took away your daughter's, empress Natalia. In this life, I will never do the same, but, still, I wished to save you." She whispered while slowly rising to her feet and started walking into the forest.

She was wandering aimlessly while trying to calm down the emotions that could burst again anytime soon with nothing but the scrunching sound of snow under her feet to accompany her through the silent forest that is yet to wake from its slumber. However, her still emotionally unstable state was startled to complete alertness as her now sensitive ears caught the faint noise of an approaching animal. She stopped her movements and waited until the unexpected visitor to fully show itself because, with her sense of hearing, she was certain that, whatever it was, its objective was her. Soon, the never-ending white had a splash of color as a little red fox appeared in front of Seraphina not too close nor too far. Its black paws, deep orange fur, and glistening amber eyes looked beautiful among the sea of white. However, what caught Seraphina's attention was not its appearance but, rather, the faint smell on its body that brushed her nose with each gentle breeze that blew towards her. She was not given time to ponder as the little fox turned around and started running deeper into the forest as if telling her to follow.

"Wait!" her voice echoed through the forest.

It was definitely human blood. The smell on its body was definitely a smell of a human. But it was too faint and soft. Was I mistaken? She pondered while chasing after the red fox.

Soon the chase ended as the red fox stopped near a thick bush covered with snow. Under it lies a small hole that was probably left when the fox came out from it.

Is it a den?

She slowly approached the small hole and knelt on her knees to brush away the piled snow but was overwhelmed by the same faint, soft, but bloody smell. As much as she was confused by the smell she has never smelt before, she continued moving her hands to see the inside, when her eyes landed on a sight that frightened her tremendously.

"A baby?" she whispered to no one but herself.

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