Chương 13: Chapter 13: Revelations and Decisions
I sat back on the cushion, letting my body sink into the softness that felt foreign after what seemed like a lifetime spent on stone and dirt. The fabric, though simple, was a luxury, and for a moment, I allowed myself to indulge in it. Mayer, ever the dutiful servant, poured me tea with the same precision as always. His hands were steady, his movements practiced, but I noticed how his eyes lingered on me longer than they used to.
"You've changed," he remarked, his voice tentative as if feeling out the right words. "You don't talk as much anymore... and there's something different in your eyes."
I didn't respond at first, staring back at him with nothing behind my gaze. What was there to say? The boy he once knew was gone, and I wasn't here to explain myself to him. But Mayer had been loyal to this body, and for that, I let the silence stretch a little longer before moving the conversation forward.
"Aunt Margot," I began, my voice controlled, flat. "What has she been up to?"
Mayer blinked, clearly caught off guard by the sudden shift. He hesitated, but then spoke. "She's been living well since you... disappeared. You were meant to inherit everything when you turned eighteen—your family's estate, the fortune. But when everyone believed you were dead..." He swallowed, clearly uncomfortable with the word, though it didn't bother me in the least. "Margot inherited everything. She's in high standing now, especially in Ravenhood."
Of course, she was. I nodded, encouraging him to continue.
"She's got a meeting later today with some of the top officials," Mayer continued, his voice lowering. "There are rumors she's planning to abandon this house for something grander, something more fitting for her status now."
I raised the cup to my lips, the bitter heat of the tea sliding down my throat. It was almost amusing how simple this all was. The body I inhabited had always harbored a deep hatred for Margot. The memories of being lured into the forest, cast into the ditch—those feelings, they burned hot. But me? Leon Winter? Hate was a distraction, a waste of energy.
"People could actually believe Margot and Eliot were close?" I mused inwardly, the irony not lost on me. But then, people often see what they want to, and the truth? The truth is rarely important.
I took another sip, contemplating the situation. I wasn't one to act on impulse, after all. Hate, anger—they cloud judgment, disrupt the clarity of thought. And I had always prided myself on seeing things clearly, devoid of emotional interference. To be ruled by such feelings was to be at the mercy of one's own impulses, and I had long since abandoned those shackles.
In my last life, I hadn't hated anyone, not even the man who had driven the blade through my heart. Sebastian did what he thought was necessary, just as I had done countless times before. Who was I to begrudge him for acting in the same way I would have? Hatred was for those who couldn't see beyond themselves, and I was beyond such trivialities.
Still, I asked, "And what of you, Mayer? What does she plan for you when she leaves?"
Mayer shifted uncomfortably. "I was never part of her plans. Once she moves on, I'll be left here. Forgotten."
Of course, he would be. People like Margot only kept around those they could use, and Mayer was no longer useful to her. I set the cup down, my decision already made.
I had intended to wait, to be patient. But now that I knew she was planning to leave, to abandon this place and consolidate her newfound power elsewhere, my timeline had to change. The sooner I acted, the easier it would be. She wouldn't be expecting me—not now, not yet. And that would be her undoing.
"What is she doing now?" I asked, my voice steady.
Mayer furrowed his brow, uncertain why I was so interested, but answered nonetheless. "She's sleeping. Why do you ask?"
The clink of porcelain against the wooden table marked the end of our conversation. There was no need for further explanation.
I stood, feeling the strength that had been steadily returning to this body over the past month. The time for hesitation had passed. Margot's time had come sooner than planned, but I was more than prepared.
There's no time like the present.
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