Chapitre 2: Back To Life.
"Olivia… olivia! If you do not wake up now, I will leave you behind."
"Ahhhhhhh!" Olivia gasped hard and shouted with her eyes widened. her hands instinctively reached for her neck. It was wet! There should be blood. A lot of blood. But all I felt was… water??!!
"Oh good dear lord! Why are you shouting like you have been attacked? It was just some cold water." Olivia shook her head. Blinked her eyes a few times. her hand felt soft!? There was no wound, no calluses, nothing! Her eyes followed the voice and Olviia found her sister standing in front of her dressed in all nines! Was she not tied from the wall and dressed in rags the last time they saw each other?
"Olivia! It is my son's birthday. I am not going to waste time on you!"
"You have promised him some foolish gift and now he does not want to go without you. Either you are coming with me or I will drag you out of that comfortable bed. You sure have learnt to enjoy all this comfort as if it belonged to you in the first place." As Oriana ranted about how ungrateful Olivia was because she was living with her sister and the duke in the duchy, Olivia could not help but stare at her thin and soft hands. The soft mattress under her body and how it dipped under her weight.
Those normal things felt so surreal that it was hard for her to believe in them.
"I have heard those words. Not once but so many times that it was hard to guess what time it was!"
"Which birthday is it?" Olivia finally asked, standing up. She ran to the mirror so she missed Oriana's ugly expressions. But she surely looked angry because she shouted.
"Are you being serious? Did you drink last night? Even if that is the case, how could you forget about Leonard, Olivia? You have no shame." gritting her teeth, Oriana finally left the room without replying to Olivia.
"If only you knew, how much the reply meant to me?" Olivia pinched myself. This was not a dream! But if that was not a dream!!?
"My lady, you must leave now. Her grace is very angry. Not only you but everyone would suffer if.." the maid did not continue, too scared if someone would hear her and complain later. The youth in her eyes surprised Olivia once again.
This was too realistic to be a dream!
"Mira, which birthday is it? Did Leonard turn six or seven?" Olivia ran to the maid and held her shoulders rather forcefully so that she looked stunned. But looking at the desperation in her mistress's eyes, she stopped fiddling, and finally replied.
"Eight! My lady, young lord, would be eight this year. Did you forget you brought him a wooden sword on his sixth birthday and you have woven a cape for him on his seventh birthday. You have brought the book series for this birthday. Should I take it out?" The maid looked confused. She was struggling to keep her composure as she looked at Olivia's ashen face.
"Eighth! He is already eighth! God! If you have just sent me to bear the pain of my death again, then I do not want this second life." Olivia's heart lurched into her throat as fear started to crept in.
Olivia had heard that God returned the souls to correct their mistakes; there were so many myths around her family that she was not sure if they were true. But here she was standing at the verge of her death again!
"My lady.." forget it! It would not be too late to regret later.
"Yes, bring the books and help me in dressing up first." finally relieved with Olivia's reply. The maid nodded and brought out a silk gown of beige color.
Though hurriedly, Olivia was dressed beautifully since she represented the maiden family of Oriana, the new duchess of the Aykroyd dukedom. And the sister of Damon's stepmother, who would kill us in three months.
Olivia's heart thumped so loud as she took the steps toward the large hall. The soft fragrance of roses, the soft and beautiful music filled the whole palace. She could hear cheers before she had reached the hall.
But when Olivia reached the hall, she could not see the glamorous decorations that were exaggerating the occasion. She could not hear the mocking of the nobles. She only saw Damon. He was sitting behind Oriana like a shadow with no self existence. His eyes were blank and his body was stiff. He did not move. He would not move without her permission or so she had thought. Everyone had believed that the young lord was nothing but a puppet of her hands. But Olivia knew better now.
He must have felt Olivia's eyes on him. For he raised his head and looked at her. Olivia took a step back instantly with fear evident in them.
"Olivia! You are finally here." Oriana smiled sweetly and kindly as she walked toward her and hugged her. "You should better behave and pass that gift to my son or you would regret being born, you wench!" Olivia stiffened as she dug her nails deeply into Olivia's skin.
That was how she was! Cold, calculating and manipulative. Nothing could stop her greed and she had no trouble spilling blood as long as it belonged to others.
Her sins would get all of them killed. But what could she do now? Oriana had already sinned. The previous duchess was killed by her and if it was the eighth birthday, she had already sent assassins ten times at least. Even if she had not, did they have the power to stop her when they were leeching off her.
After the death of their parents, Olivia has been living with her sister in this duchy. In return, she has to work as her sister's puppet. If not, Oriana would have sold her to any noble who would help her.
"Aunt! You are here."
Cadeaux
-- Cadeau
reçu État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone