After another perfect day filled with Noah, laughter, fountains, food, and kisses. I practically floated into my room with a smile so wide it almost hurt.
My maid, Livia, was already there, waiting patiently as always, standing near the wardrobe. She didn't say anything right away, just looked at me with a knowing smirk.
"What?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.
"The look on your face… You're practically glowing.
I scoffed. "You're imagining things."
She shook her head. "No. It's rare… really rare for nobles to actually have such feelings for each other."
I walked past her and sat on the edge of my bed, removing my earrings. "Is that so?"
Livia nodded, her expression gentler than usual. "Most pairings are political, cold, or contractual. But… the two of you are an anomaly."
"Have you ever been in love, Livia?"
Her smile faded instantly, and she shook her head with vigor, like something had happened in the past.
"That's disappointing," I muttered, half teasing. "We need to fix that."
Livia just laughed at my response as if there was no chance in hell. Her gaze was far off into the distance, possibly remembering something from her past.
"Why don't you tell me more about yourself?"
I turned fully towards her. "You've been my maid for a little while now and taken care of me. So… I want to know who you are. Where did you come from? What happened to you?"
Livia looked surprised by my words.
I hesitated. "Well… only if you're up for it.
She studied me for a moment.
So I decided to add something more to see if she would open up. "I see you as one of my people, and if I get any say in the future, I want to make sure you're taken care of. But I can't do that if I don't even understand what you carry."
After I stared a hole into her side as she was thinking, Livia finally started to open up.
"My family used to be nobles," she said, her voice calm but with an edge of something sharp under the surface. "We weren't powerful, just a minor house. But… we crossed a higher noble and insulted the wrong man at the worst possible time." She paused, "and he destroyed us for it."
I felt my breath catch.
"My mother and father were executed; the brother who took care of me for most of my life was murdered. I was thrown into the slums like garbage… I suppose they thought I wasn't worth the effort."
She smiled faintly, but it didn't reach her eyes. "For a long time I lived with nothing. No food, water, or safety. I stole to survive and hid in crawlspaces to get away from those who would pursue me. Until one day…"
Livia looked up at me. "I ran into the Archduke."
Of course she did, I smiled.
"He recognized me," she said quietly. "He and my father had done business in the past. The Archduke had said that my father was a good man and couldn't bear to see his daughter left in such a state."
She glanced away, her voice even softer now.
"That's probably why he made me your personal maid. He knew we both came from tragic pasts."
I swallowed hard, my throat tight, not being able to disagree with her assumption.
"I'm sorry." I said as soon as she stopped speaking. It wasn't because she really needed to hear it, but I wanted to say it. Being trapped in a situation you have no idea how to break out of is frustrating.
Livia gave a dry chuckle. "You, of all people, shouldn't be apologizing. I've heard… some of what happened to you, and honestly, you've probably had it much worse than I ever did."
I looked down at my hands and smiled bitterly. "Well, I knew you were probably noble-born," I said, looking up at her again. "You're way too beautiful not to be."
That earned a real smile from her. I guess she does enjoy compliments, which kind of surprised me. The two of us sat there in silence for a while. Not as a noble and a maid, but as two girls who were broken in different ways.
Since it seemed like she wasn't going to break the silence, I felt like I had to do something. I stood up and made my way to her. Without another word, I wrapped my arms around Livia and pulled her close.
She tensed at first in obvious surprise. Then slowly… gave into it.
"As long as you never betray me," I let those words hang in the air for a while and then continued. "I'll take care of you."
I pulled back just enough to look deep into her eyes. "I'll even grant you a title in the future if you want it. Let you start a new noble line when you find someone you truly cherish."
She looked at me in obvious shock, which caused a slight giggle to escape my lips.
"Just promise me something," I added with a smile. "When you find someone you're actually into, please come and tell me. I want to be the first to know the details."
Livia just blinked at my response, her lips trembling just slightly. Then she whispered, "Thank you… truly."
Before I could say anything else, she stepped back and dropped to one knee, just like another guy did very recently. Her head was bowed, and her right hand was over her chest.
"I, Livia of House Remyre," she said clearly. "I swear my loyalty to you, Seraphina Durel, for now and forever."
She then reached up, took my hand, and kissed the back. Her violet eyes looked up at me, full of sincerity and strength. My heart clenched in a way I didn't expect from such a scene.
I reached and rested my hand gently on the top of her head, completely willing to play the part of her master.
"I accept your loyalty and look forward to being under your care in the future."
Peace in this damned capital didn't last long because the very next morning we had some uninvited guests. When I heard who was standing and yelling to come in at the front gates, my heart clenched.
The Durel family, because of course it was.
I should have said no, but I was too curious to find out what in the world they wanted when it was getting that much closer to our wedding. Does that disgusting father want to walk me down the aisle or something? Well, fuck that.
"Let them in." I said calmly. "Also, Livia… Go inform Noah what's going on. Tell him not to interfere unless I ask for him directly."
She hesitated. "My lady, are you truly sure about this?"
I just nodded. "I'm ready to face them."
After that, Livia hurriedly ran to get Noah before I interacted with the demon family. I wasn't doing this out of kindness, but I wanted to see them squirm and what angle they plan to come at me now.
To test a theory that I'd read in countless novels in the past, would they come here to grovel and beg for forgiveness, or were they still the same monsters who'd tried to control me through pain?
I smoothed my hand over my dress and sat down to chill for a while. Livia glanced back at me one last time as she opened the doors. I gave her a small nod.
Noah has to let me face them alone at first. The original Seraphina and I, the one who also went through that hell for over a year, need to face them.
My curiosity was palpable at how far they would push me when my shield wasn't here.
Of course I wasn't going to just run over there, so I let them sit for an hour. No drinks, food, music, or any type of entertainment.
Let them stew there and get pissed off so they would show their true colors.
I watched the clock tick by in my room, dressed immaculately in a flowing cream gown, every strand of my silver-bluish hair in place.
Then… when I was fully ready to face them, I made my way to the receiving room. I couldn't help but smirk, thinking… they might have already destroyed it with their horrible personalities.
Noah stood by the doorway, arms crossed, and his face unreadable. Those blue eyes flicked to me the moment I appeared. I gave him a soft smile, but he didn't smile back.
His gaze was gentle, and at the same time his body was tense. Since he's here, Livia must have told him what I plan to do.
"Noah… Just wait here till I call; I want to do this myself." After a few seconds his whole body slouched, losing all the tenseness he just had. He just nodded with his head slightly down.
I put my hand on his shoulder and patted it a few times, then entered.
When I walked in, the temperature shifted. My father's expression was pinched with irritation. The stepmother's face was annoyed, stretched tight like an old parchment.
Then there was Evelyne; she looked like someone who swallowed something sour. I walked past them without saying a word and took my seat on the opposite end of the parlor, slowly and with as much grace as my body could manage.
I crossed one leg over the other and said nothing. I refused to say anything until the silence choked them and they rioted.
We sat there for a good five minutes with everyone refusing to say anything but sending death glares in my direction. I'm not a complete idiot when it comes to etiquette. The one in the lower standing must always make introductions first and start the conversation.
They were going to make me speak first as if trying to get the upper hand in any way possible. Such pathetic people, and to think they had control over my every movement, even my body, for so long.
There was no way I was going to wait all day for these idiots to speak, so I just bit the bullet to get this annoying conversation over with.
"So… What brings you here?" No titles, family names, just the attitude of someone who was annoyed their day had been ruined by this interruption.
Evelyne was, of course, the first to speak, her voice syrupy and so fake.
"I've been devastated since you left, Sera. I miss my sister." I stared at her like she was something I just stepped in, and I couldn't help but raise the corner of my lips into a smirk at the audacity of this woman.
My father then nodded and began his act. "Yes, it's been so difficult without you. We regret not treating you better. If you'd come back home, we'd…"
"Raise you properly," the stepmother interjected, beaming like a saint. "You deserve to be molded into a real lady, now that you're going to marry someone so esteemed."
How precious, they had actually rehearsed this. Once their performance ended, I let out a small scoff and leaned back in my chair.
"You want your toy back, is that it? Train me to be a proper wife by beating, right? Who the hell would believe parents that treat their daughter like scum?"
They all took a few steps back as they visibly shrunk into their seats.
"I was your punching bag, entertainment, the scapegoat you used when something bad happened." My gaze was fierce. "You brought me to the brink of death more times than I can count."
I looked between them, the father, false mother, and the sister who was trying to murder me with her eyes.
"You want my sympathy now? From the girl you tried to hurt on a daily basis. The girl you tried to break into a million pieces, I don't even know how I held on." After my words, there was just silence.
The smile on my face was bitter. "Fakeness is easy to spot when you don't trust anyone, and thanks to all of you, I don't."
Then my father, with the nerve of a man who thinks he did nothing wrong, leaned forward with a gentle tone. "We're sorry for our past actions, daughter."
Daughter… Why the hell would he say such a thing? In my time here and all the memories I received, he's never once acknowledged me as his daughter. The word made my stomach ache.
"You see… We've encountered some difficulties recently. Certain income streams have dried up, and even our properties have been seized."
He looked meaningfully towards the door as if he knew Noah was standing right there. I realized this must have been Noah's work; he took care of them without me even having to ask. How can I not fall in love with such a man?
"Your fiancé is too powerful, and while we understand his… feelings, surely this is going too far?"
Without giving me a chance to reply, the stepmother chimed in with some more bullshit. I sat there incredulous.
"If you could please speak with him to ease up a bit on your family or perhaps provide a small amount of funding so we can maintain the estate until things recover." She said it sweetly, like it was a matter of course.
I couldn't help but be stunned at this crazy old woman. Who's my family? The only one I'm even related to is that pathetic sperm donor; the other two I have no relations with. Just because they married into the family doesn't mean I have to accept them.
With the purpose of their visit out in the open, I can finally start with the most enjoyable part of this conversation. The time has arrived to get that oh-so-sweet revenge.
Then I leaned forward slightly, my voice like ice. "Why should I?"
Evelyne's smile faltered instantly, the stepmother's eyes narrowed, and my father clenched his fists so tight I saw a bit of blood seeping out.
I sat back, calm and perfectly poised.
"Give me a reason, just one, why I should even think of responding to your pleas."
They all looked at one another and said nothing.