- 19 hours ago
HOT DRAMA 2026
Category
🎥
Short filmTranscript
00:04I was a maid, but every night I took my lady's place in my Dawn's bed.
00:08On the bed, I begged him to give me a title as one of his mistresses.
00:12But he doesn't even look up.
00:13What are you thinking? You're nothing but a debt slave.
00:16I close my eyes against the despair.
00:18Everyone knows how Dante Moretti worships his wife.
00:21The next morning, I kneel before the matriarch and make my offer.
00:24I'll marry the dying heir, Simus, Dante's elder brother.
00:28The old woman's eyes go wet.
00:30After the ceremony, you'll be a widow forever.
00:33Child, are you certain?
00:35No regrets.
00:36In my peripheral vision, Dante and Bianca go white as corpses.
00:42Dante comes to Bianca's room again tonight.
00:44They curl together by the fireplace, all whispered promises and silk robes.
00:49Bianca's cheeks flush pink as she slips away to the bathroom.
00:52Before she goes, she kills every light, the usual routine.
00:55One cigarette's worth of time later, I push through the door.
00:58It took you long enough.
01:01He pulls me into his lap, then frowns.
01:03Christ, you're freezing.
01:04I was outside, watching the snow.
01:07I say it quietly.
01:08The truth.
01:09I've been standing in the hallway in my slip dress, waiting for my cue to replace her.
01:13By dawn, I'm wrecked.
01:15I slip out before the sun breaks, muscles screaming.
01:18Bianca waits for me in the adjoining room.
01:19I kneel, ignoring the ache in my spine, and repeat everything Dante said during the night.
01:24Word for word, Bianca's eyes drop to the bruises on my throat.
01:28Her expression goes dark.
01:30She pads silently back to the bed, sliding in beside her husband.
01:34Sneaking off to meet some other man?
01:36Playful.
01:36Teasing.
01:37Bianca hits his chest, mock offended.
01:39I back out of the room before they notice.
01:41Bianca is beautiful, but her body is fragile, breakable.
01:44That's why no one proposed to her when she was younger.
01:47At the spring gala, Dante saw her across the garden and fell like a man shot.
01:51He married her with his family name, full honors, a queen.
01:55They were perfect together, a fairy tale.
01:57I was her insurance policy, the debt slave who came with the dowry.
02:01I was happy for her, really.
02:02But on their wedding night, Bianca collapsed.
02:05Dante's a soldier, a killer, built for violence, not gentleness.
02:09Three nights in a row, they couldn't finish.
02:11Overnight, Bianca became a joke in the Moretti compound.
02:14Everyone whispered that she couldn't satisfy him, that the mistresses would bury her.
02:19And maybe they were right.
02:20Dante's in his prime, all testosterone and hunger.
02:23Even if he loves her, how long can a man go without?
02:26Desperate, Bianca found a solution.
02:30Every night, kill the lights, send in a substitute.
02:33In the dark, Dante can't see the face beneath him.
02:36Of all her servants, I'm the only one who matches her build and voice.
02:40She promised me three years, just three years to fix her body, get stronger.
02:45After that, she'd pay me off and let me go.
02:47I'm a debt slave.
02:48My whole family's lives are in her hands.
02:50I never had a choice.
02:51An hour later, Bianca and Dante finally get up.
02:54I rest briefly in my room, then return to set out breakfast.
02:57Dante stares at me.
02:58Why are you dressed like that?
03:00I don't know how to answer.
03:01My lips press together, nervous.
03:03Dante's rough in bed.
03:04He leaves marks, everywhere.
03:06I have to wear high collars to hide them.
03:08Bianca pushes him lightly.
03:10Don't you remember?
03:11Alada's mute.
03:12She can't speak.
03:13I nod quickly.
03:14When I'm serving Bianca, I always cross paths with Dante.
03:17She's terrified of being exposed, so she forbids me from talking.
03:21Everyone in the compound thinks I'm mute.
03:23Your little mute's actually pretty.
03:25Shame.
03:26Bianca's smile turns sharp.
03:28What's that supposed to mean, husband?
03:29You interested in her?
03:30She looks at me with cold, barely concealed violence.
03:33Dante laughs.
03:35Don't blame me.
03:36Blame yourself.
03:37He rolls up his sleeve, showing off his arm.
03:39The bite mark.
03:40My body goes rigid.
03:41Last night, Dante pushed too hard.
03:43I cried myself hoarse, then bit him in desperation and fury.
03:47He's a made man, covered in scars from wars and interrogations.
03:50A bite is nothing to him.
03:52But now he's using it as foreplay.
03:54A joke between spouses.
03:56I kneel on the floor, hands ice cold.
03:58I don't know how long I stay there.
03:59Then scalding tea splashes across my skin.
04:01You bitch!
04:02How dare you bite the Don?
04:04Are you trying to humiliate me?
04:08I don't get a chance to explain.
04:10Bianca has me bound and dragged to the storage basement.
04:13No food.
04:13No water.
04:14Dante's gone to inspect the territories outside the city.
04:17He'll be gone three, maybe five days.
04:19However long he's away, that's how long I'm locked up.
04:22When I'm barely conscious, my sister Poppy bribes the guard and brings me soup.
04:26She's my sister.
04:27Came with me as part of Bianca's dowry.
04:29She doesn't know about the substitution arrangement.
04:31Allura, what did you do to make her this angry?
04:33I shake my head.
04:34I just ask when Dante's coming back.
04:37I heard the housekeeper's talking.
04:38The Don's returning tonight.
04:40He's going to Bianca's room.
04:41I exhale in relief.
04:42Then I ask what else is happening outside.
04:45The eldest Maradi, his condition's gotten worse.
04:47The doctors say there's nothing they can do.
04:49They're preparing for the end.
04:50Dante has an older brother.
04:52Silas was born with a terminal genetic condition.
04:54The family curse.
04:55He's been dying his whole life, which is why Dante inherited the position.
05:00The eldest has never married.
05:01Poppy sighs softly.
05:02The matriarch doesn't want him going to the Drev alone.
05:05So she's looking for someone to marry his corpse.
05:08A ghost marriage.
05:08The bride follows the groom into death.
05:11Silas has days left, maybe hours.
05:13Marry him, and you're a widow for life.
05:15No society woman would agree.
05:17Not even the servants or cleaners are willing.
05:19I'm released.
05:20Allura, I was impulsive.
05:23Bianca has food brought to me.
05:24I meant to let you out after a few hours, but things got busy and I forgot.
05:29Don't hold it against me.
05:30I murmur that I wouldn't dare.
05:32Bianca nods graciously.
05:34I want to leave.
05:36You want to leave?
05:37Bianca's face changes instantly.
05:39Yes.
05:40My body isn't recovered yet.
05:42Dante still needs you.
05:43I look up, shocked.
05:45Bianca laughs lightly.
05:46If you insist on leaving, I'll just have Poppy replace you.
05:49You're sisters.
05:50Same build, same voice.
05:52How old is she?
05:5313?
05:54Or is it 14?
05:57After a long moment, I hear my own teeth chattering.
06:00Then, could you give me a title?
06:02Let Dante acknowledge me?
06:04You want to be mistress?
06:06If I wanted to give Dante a mistress, I have a hundred options.
06:10You wouldn't even make the list.
06:12And don't try going to him directly.
06:14He thinks you're a toy.
06:16Even if you became his bed warper, I could crush you with one finger.
06:19I can barely breathe.
06:21But slaves are supposed to be married off eventually.
06:24Am I supposed to be her body double forever?
06:28The gatekeeper's son is your age.
06:30When you turn 16 next year, I'll let you marry him.
06:33When Dante returns, I'm still kneeling on the floor, dazed.
06:36Bianca stands, smiling.
06:38You're back.
06:40These past few days must have been exhausting.
06:42This girl brode of the Persian crystal glasses.
06:45I'm having her kneel for 15 minutes.
06:46Dante didn't even glance at me.
06:48How's the situation with my brother?
06:50Bianca sighs.
06:50I've asked every woman in the compound, but honestly, a ghost marriage is terrifying.
06:55No young woman will agree.
06:57What's there to disagree about?
06:58Find someone.
06:59Leverage her family.
07:01It's done.
07:01That kind of coercion, it could anger the matriarch.
07:04Offer enough money, someone will bite.
07:06Apply enough pressure, someone will break.
07:09Mother doesn't like you.
07:10If you handle this cleanly, she'll change her mind.
07:12Bianca murmurs agreement.
07:14Every time Dante returns from patrol, he's insatiable.
07:17Tonight, I give him everything I have.
07:19It makes him lose control more than once.
07:22What's gotten into you?
07:23You miss me or something?
07:24I don't answer.
07:25I just push myself up, trembling, and kiss his cheek.
07:29I'm never this forward.
07:31Dante exhales softly.
07:32Good girl.
07:35As Dawn approaches, I try to leave.
07:38He catches me, pulling me back.
07:40Where do you think you're going?
07:41I freeze.
07:44Dante nuzzles my face, almost affectionate.
07:46I can smell the difference, you know?
07:48Well, I've known about you and Bianca's little game for a while now.
07:52No wonder he's gotten rougher each time.
07:53He knew all along it wasn't his wife beneath him, so he didn't have to hold back.
07:58I whisper,
07:59When will you give me a title?
08:00Dante laughs.
08:01A title?
08:02You're Bianca's servant.
08:05Only she can grant you that.
08:07If I did it myself, it'd hurt our marriage.
08:10Tell me your name.
08:11I'll have jewelry sent to you.
08:13When Bianca's recovered, I'll make you a bed warmer.
08:15I close my eyes, bitter.
08:17Why bother granting status to someone you can have without commitment?
08:22Bianca was right.
08:23Sex doesn't earn love.
08:24It earns scraps.
08:26When I don't respond, Dante smiles.
08:29What, speechless with joy?
08:31I laugh, tears streaming down my face.
08:34Thank you for your generosity, Don Morelli.
08:38But I don't think I'll live long enough to enjoy it.
08:40He hates greedy women.
08:41Don't get greedy just because I've fucked you a few times.
08:44A bed warmer isn't enough.
08:45You want to be a mistress?
08:46You should consider your mistress dignity.
08:50Dante keeps mistresses in the compound.
08:52Gifts from allied families.
08:54All from respectable backgrounds.
08:56Someone like me, a debt slave, doesn't qualify.
08:59Since marrying Bianca, he hasn't touched any of them.
09:03People praise him for his restraint.
09:04His devotion, Dante loves hearing it.
09:07Bianca's father is a powerful senator.
09:09He's helped Dante behind the scenes more than once.
09:12If Dante took the senator's daughter's servant as a mistress,
09:15it would destroy his reputation.
09:17The more I think about it, the clearer it becomes.
09:20Tonight's promises are just post-sex sentimentality.
09:23When he's clear-headed, he'll regret it.
09:26He's planning to be Bianca's devoted husband for life.
09:29I say quietly,
09:30I'm nothing.
09:31I don't deserve a title or your bed.
09:33I just hope you and Bianca live happily ever after.
09:36Poppy hears about Bianca's plan to marry me to the gatekeeper's son.
09:40She sobs.
09:41After everything we've done for her, how can she be so cruel?
09:44The gatekeeper's son is mentally disabled,
09:47functions like a toddler, and violently unstable.
09:50He loves hurting people.
09:51Only by marrying me to him can I continue sleeping with Dante without threatening Bianca.
09:56I made my mind now.
09:58The next morning, I went straight to the matriarch.
10:01My lady, I volunteer to be Simas' widow.
10:05The matriarch is shocked and delighted.
10:08She asks my name, birthdate, hometown.
10:10The fortune teller calculates, nodding repeatedly.
10:13This girl's chart matches Silas perfectly.
10:15She was born into hardship.
10:17She carries good karma.
10:18The marriage will help him in the next life.
10:20Dante and Bianca arrive quickly.
10:22As they enter, I'm kneeling beside the matriarch, massaging her legs.
10:25Dante's laugh echoes.
10:27This is the girl willing to marry my brother?
10:28Bianca smiles sweetly.
10:30I wonder which household she's from.
10:32Such a kind heart.
10:33Mother should reward her generously.
10:34I turn and bow to them.
10:36It's me, Don Moretti.
10:37Signora.
10:38Dante stares.
10:39You're not mute.
10:40I shake my head.
10:41I can speak.
10:41Bianca just doesn't like my voice.
10:43She forbade me from talking.
10:44A few words, and Bianca's face drains of color.
10:47The matriarch grips my hand, her weathered face full of warmth.
10:50I had no idea you had such a treasure in your household.
10:53What loyalty.
10:53She wipes her eyes.
10:55But once you marry him, you'll be a widow for life.
10:57Are you sure?
10:58I bow low.
10:59No regrets.
11:00In my periphery, Dante's hand clenches at his side.
11:03He stares at me, disbelief written across his face.
11:06The matriarch pats my hand.
11:07Child, what do you want?
11:08Money?
11:09Jewels?
11:10Anything I can give?
11:11I will.
11:12I turn to Bianca.
11:13My gaze is cold.
11:14She forces a smile, unconsciously stepping back.
11:17After a long pause, I lower my eyes.
11:19I have a sister, Poppy.
11:21Please let her serve you, matri...
11:22Of course.
11:23Any servant in this house, I can reassign.
11:25With your devotion, I'll protect her for life.
11:28Bianca's smile strains.
11:29Mother, Poppy is my servant, part of my dowry.
11:32I don't mean to be selfish, but...
11:33Dante cuts her off, voice hard.
11:35She's just a servant.
11:36If mother wants her, give her.
11:38What's there to discuss?
11:39The matriarch's expression sours as she stares at Bianca.
11:42Bianca bites her lip and orders someone to fetch mine and Poppy's contracts.
11:46Poppy becomes the matriarch's personal attendant.
11:50The matriarch tells me that before she dies, she'll arrange a secure future for Poppy.
11:55I only wanted to free Poppy from Bianca's control.
11:57I didn't expect the matriarch to plan her entire life.
12:00Grateful, I promised to care for Silas with everything I had.
12:03At the mention of her cursed eldest son, the matriarch's eyes fill with tears.
12:07She tells me the story.
12:08When she was pregnant with Silas, there was an uprising.
12:11Insurgents and traitors working together.
12:13The old dawn went to war.
12:15The battle was brutal.
12:16He nearly died.
12:17The matriarch, sick with worry, went into early labor.
12:20Silas was born without breath.
12:21By chance, the dawn returned victorious that night, bringing with him a doctor from the remote
12:26mountains.
12:27The doctor practiced strange, ancient medicine.
12:29He brought Silas back from death.
12:31It should have been a blessing, but the doctor warned.
12:33This was against nature.
12:34Silas would only live 30 years.
12:36And it was true.
12:37As a boy, Silas was too weak to train as a soldier, but his mind was sharp.
12:41He studied, took exams, excelled.
12:44But the older he got, the sicker he became.
12:46Eventually, he stopped leaving the compound.
12:48Now he lives in a cabin by the lake.
12:50Since I've agreed to marry him, I should stay by his side.
12:53He doesn't like being attended to, so only the doctor stays with him.
12:56The same mountain doctor from years ago.
12:58The doctor leads me into the inner room.
13:00Silas is still asleep.
13:01My eyes fall on his trembling lashes.
13:03He's two years older than Dante.
13:0527 now.
13:06The brothers look nothing alike.
13:07Dante's a soldier.
13:08Tan, muscular, hard.
13:10Silas is delicate, pale.
13:12Almost beautiful if you ignore the gender.
13:14I ask the doctor about Silas' preferences.
13:16Temperament.
13:17Things to avoid.
13:18By sunset, Silas finally wakes.
13:21It's time for his medicine.
13:23I've spent all afternoon learning to brew it from the doctor.
13:26I kneel in front of him, holding the bowl above my head.
13:29You're the woman who's going to marry my corpse?
13:32Yes.
13:33He glances at me.
13:35Stand up.
13:36I rise obediently.
13:38Please drink your medicine, signore.
13:39He takes the bowl calmly, then tilts it, pouring the black liquid into a potted plant.
13:45I don't want to.
13:47What are you going to do about it?
13:48I stare at him in silence.
13:50The doctor told me Silas is deeply principled, emotional.
13:53I asked what that meant.
13:55The doctor stroked his beard and told me an old story.
13:58At 13, Silas passed the civil exams.
14:00At 15, he ranked third in the nation.
14:03His name was everywhere.
14:04A brilliant political career waited for him.
14:06But the night before his appointment, he went to the lake with Dante.
14:10He fell in.
14:10His condition flared.
14:12He was unconscious for days.
14:13The matriarch, enraged, had every servant near him beaten, crippled, sold off.
14:18After that, the young master refused to let anyone serve him.
14:21I understand what the doctor's really saying.
14:23Silas isn't the type to see servants as objects.
14:26He was raised on philosophy and ethics.
14:28He has principles, boundaries.
14:30He's different from Dante.
14:32The doctors stayed with him all these years without complaint.
14:35That says something about Silas's character.
14:37And Silas knows I'm going to marry him.
14:39But he's still lashing out at me.
14:40A strange, absurd thought forms in my mind.
14:42Seeing me stare, Silas's smile fades for a moment.
14:45Why do you keep looking at me?
14:47I quietly brew another bowl of medicine and return, my tone even.
14:51Signore, I can't force you to do anything.
14:53But since I'm marrying you eventually, I might as well.
14:56I stir the liquid slowly.
14:58I might as well exercise my wifely authority now.
15:02Silas looks genuinely shocked, as if he can't believe I'd say something so audacious.
15:07Either you drink the medicine now, or he almost laughs.
15:10Or what?
15:11I press my lips together.
15:12The doctor told me Silas hasn't taken his medicine in six months.
15:15That's why he's so close to death.
15:17If this continues, he really won't last much longer.
15:20I hesitate for only a second.
15:21Then I move quickly.
15:22I gulped a big mouth of the medicine.
15:24I gripped his jaw.
15:25I lean down and feed him the medicine mouth to mouth.
15:28Soft.
15:29Brief.
15:30His skin is cold.
15:31The moment our breath mingles, I shiver.
15:34Silas leans back slightly.
15:36His throat, pale and sharp, looking like it might break through his skin.
15:40A few seconds later, when I pull back, his face has flushed deep red, like mountain mist,
15:44at dawn.
15:45Those lashes flutter with indignation.
15:47Dante once flirted with a nun at a chapel.
15:50The nun's tear-streaked, humiliated face looked disturbingly like Silas's does now.
15:54I feel a flicker of guilt.
15:55But I promised the matriarch I'd take care of him.
15:58I suppress my racing heartbeat and force myself to stay calm.
16:01If you don't drink, I'll...
16:04I'll do it again.
16:07Silas glares at me, furious.
16:09After a long moment, he snatches the bowl from my hands and drains it in one gulp.
16:14The doctor, seeing Silas finally taking his medicine, is overjoyed.
16:18I lean forward to wipe the residue from his lips.
16:20The proximity makes him tense.
16:22In my periphery, that pale, skeletal hand grips the blanket tightly.
16:26I speak gently.
16:27Signore, you've improved these past few days.
16:30You're not as cold anymore.
16:31It's because of the medicine.
16:32Silas says coldly, medicine is useless.
16:35I coax him patiently.
16:36The doctor works so hard brewing it for you.
16:38If you refuse every time, he'll be heartbroken.
16:41I hold out my hands, fingers spread.
16:43Look, brewing medicine requires constant temperature checks to preserve the potency.
16:47I've only been doing this a few days, and my hands already look like this.
16:50He's been doing it for years.
16:52My once smooth fingers are now covered in burns and blisters.
16:55Silas's gaze lingers on them.
16:57He presses his lips together, then irritably drinks the dregs at the bottom of the bowl.
17:01After that, he takes his medicine without argument.
17:04Half a month later, the doctor reports Silas's condition to the matriarch.
17:08He's genuinely improved.
17:09He's not teetering on the edge anymore.
17:11The matriarch asks cautiously, how did he recover so quickly?
17:14Is it a rally before the end?
17:16The doctor smiles, gesturing to me.
17:18Don't worry, matriarch.
17:20The young master is truly better.
17:22It's thanks to this girl.
17:23As I told you before, her life force is strong.
17:26It complements his perfectly.
17:27In the sitting room, all eyes turn to me.
17:29The matriarch's expression softens.
17:31She beckons me to sit beside her.
17:33She asks Silas, how has Alara been treating you?
17:36Silas is quiet for a second.
17:37She takes good care of me.
17:39The matriarch nods, pleased.
17:41Her gaze growing warmer.
17:43Silas doesn't know.
17:44Alara used to serve my husband quite well too.
17:48The air goes still.
17:49I try to stay calm, but my hands shake uncontrollably.
17:53Silas looks at her, expression unreadable.
17:55He says evenly, is that how you speak to your future sister-in-law?
17:59The matriarch's warm expression hardens.
18:01She says slowly, you're young daughter-in-law, but that's no excuse for disrespect.
18:06Dante snaps his head toward Bianca.
18:07Mother and my brother are here, know your place.
18:10Bianca lowered her head, hurt, her eyes glistening.
18:13Days pass.
18:14Poppy rushes to find me, bursting with news.
18:16From her, I learn.
18:18Bianca found another replacement.
18:19This time, she didn't choose from the household servants.
18:22She bought a woman from outside, trained and prepared, with a voice and build identical to hers.
18:28I'm confused.
18:29How do you know about this?
18:30Poppy says.
18:31That night, Dante suddenly lit every lamp in the room.
18:34Then he went insane, beat the woman half to death, and threw her at Bianca's feet.
18:38Bianca fainted.
18:40And then, Dante said since she won't share his bed, he won't go to her rooms anymore.
18:44They're sleeping separately now.
18:46I murmur acknowledgement.
18:47Separate bedroom.
18:48It's freezing.
18:49That tells the whole compound their marriage is broken.
18:51No favor from her husband.
18:53No love from her mother-in-law.
18:55No children.
18:55No wonder Bianca looks so haggard.
18:58But Dante tolerated my substitution for years.
19:00He clearly didn't care about her using a replacement.
19:03So why, when she switched to someone else, did he turn on her?
19:06I don't know, and I don't want to know.
19:08The lake pavilion is surrounded by water, filled with fat koi.
19:12Silas sits with the matriarch, feeding the fish, making her laugh.
19:15His thin frame looks fragile in the night wind.
19:18I go back inside to fetch a shawl.
19:20On my way through the winding corridor, someone slams me against a pillar.
19:23A hand covers my mouth.
19:25I open my eyes wide, helpless.
19:27And in the dark, Dante's face looms close.
19:30His eyes are sharp, almost violent, as he demands,
19:33Is it you or not?
19:36My heart sinks.
19:38I struggle.
19:38Speak.
19:39Or are you going to play mute again?
19:41His hand feels like a snake coiling around my face.
19:44You think staying quiet will save you?
19:45His voice drops.
19:47I don't need your voice to know.
19:48One night in bed, and I'll have my answer.
19:50I stare at him, shocked.
19:52Is he insane?
19:53I'm about to marry his brother.
19:54I'm his brother's woman now.
19:56How dare he?
19:57Dante studies me, voice ice cold.
19:59You've been my bed partner for three years, and now you're actually going to marry my
20:04elder brother.
20:04How dare you play us both?
20:06Especially me.
20:07Wouldn't being my bed warmer be better than being a widow?
20:10You really want to marry a dead man?
20:12I finally shove him off.
20:13I just wanted to survive.
20:14If I didn't do this, Bianca would have married me to an imbecile.
20:17By then, I'd be another man's wife.
20:20Even if Dante wanted to give me a title, he couldn't.
20:22I'd be trapped forever, an invisible shadow beneath him, satisfying his needs.
20:27Never a threat to Bianca.
20:28That was her plan.
20:30Dante clearly didn't know.
20:31While he's stunned, I stomp on his foot and run.
20:34Stumbling, gasping, I reach the light.
20:36Silas' silhouette appears suddenly at the end of the corridor.
20:39He's frowning.
20:40What took you so long?
20:43My heartbeat slows.
20:45The doctor chuckles.
20:46The young master was worried.
20:47He insisted on coming to find you.
20:50Silas makes a soft, dismissive sound.
20:52I was worried she'd fall in the lake and disturb the fish.
20:55I build Silas a wheelchair.
20:56Pushing him around is better than having him bedridden all day.
21:00There's a small grove along the corridor.
21:01On the left, the lake.
21:03On the right, a spring trickling down from a rock formation.
21:06Silas likes sitting there.
21:08He collects spring water for tea and reads in the shade.
21:10I lean against the rock to rest.
21:12Half asleep, I hear Silas' voice.
21:15Why did you want to marry me?
21:16I jolt awake.
21:17I lean against the rock to rest.
21:19I say, I didn't want to marry an imbecile.
21:21Silas lowers his gaze.
21:23I thought as much.
21:24He stops talking to me after that.
21:25I lean against the rock to rest.
21:27Silas' condition stabilizes.
21:29The doctor needs to gather rare herbs, just in case.
21:32To prepare for emergencies, he gives me a small wooden box with a thumb-sized insect inside.
21:38It's an old technique from his homeland.
21:40If I crush the box, it sends a signal across any distance.
21:44Before leaving, the doctor teases.
21:46Should I start calling you senora now?
21:48Please don't joke like that, doctor.
21:50A ghost marriage is not a real marriage.
21:52Even after Silas dies, the title of the eldest Moretti son's wife will never belong to a debt slave.
21:58My final destination is a convent, where I'll spend the rest of my life praying for Silas' soul in the
22:03next world.
22:04It's the unspoken deal I made with the matriarch.
22:07With the doctor gone, my responsibilities increase.
22:10I have to help Silas dress.
22:12And bathe.
22:13The first time I try to wash him, his ears turn red, and he struggles, insisting he'll do it himself.
22:20Staring at his flushed earlobes, I wonder, has he never let a servant bathe him?
22:27Even after marriage, Dante has seven or eight attendants during his baths.
22:31He treats us like cats or dogs.
22:33He doesn't care.
22:33Silas grits his teeth.
22:35Have you no shame?
22:36I smile bitterly where he can't see.
22:38If I were an innocent girl, I'd be too embarrassed.
22:40But I'm not anymore.
22:41There's a term for women like me.
22:43I thought about it for a long time, until I finally saw it in a book.
22:47Damaged goods.
22:48The storybooks say women who've lost their virtue are damaged goods.
22:51I rest my chin in my hand, staring blankly.
22:54Someone drapes a coat over my shoulders.
22:56I turn.
22:57Silas' hand presses down on the book's cover.
22:59What are you reading now?
23:00I hide it behind my back, embarrassed.
23:02Silas has an enormous library.
23:04He treasures every book, but lets me read whatever I want.
23:07When he's in a good mood, he'll even teach me, pointing out which books are worth studying.
23:10I recite a memorized poem to show off.
23:13Wow.
23:13Our Alara is so talented.
23:15His tone is teasing.
23:16I'm annoyed.
23:17You're talking to me like I'm a child.
23:18How old are you?
23:19Eighteen.
23:20I'm almost ten years older than you.
23:21To me, you are a child.
23:22It makes a strange kind of sense.
23:24I zone out for a moment.
23:25Without realizing it, I've been with Silas for nearly two years.
23:29In that time, his body has been weak, but stable.
23:32The doctor brews new medicines and performs strange rituals in the room, praying for Silas' longevity.
23:37Before the candles one night, the doctor tells Silas to make a wish.
23:41You make it for me.
23:42I freeze.
23:43A thousand thoughts flash through my mind.
23:45I say sincerely, I hope you're happy.
23:47What does that look like?
23:49I think for a moment.
23:50Healthy.
23:51Married to a highborn woman.
23:53Children.
23:53A successful career.
23:55Something like that.
23:55The candlelight flickers.
23:57Do you mean it?
23:58Our eyes meet.
23:58I look away.
23:59Does it matter if I mean it?
24:00What matters is that the doctor's prayers seem to work.
24:03Silas suddenly wants to leave the compound.
24:07I ask excitedly where we're going.
24:09He looks at me for a long time, then says,
24:11Today is a special day.
24:12I heard there's a lantern festival in the city.
24:15Lantern festivals happen all the time.
24:17Nothing special about that.
24:18But I haven't been to one since I was sold to Bianca's household.
24:21I want to see it.
24:22To avoid alerting anyone, I push Silas out through the back gate of the lake pavilion.
24:26That day, a highborn lady is also touring the city with her entourage.
24:30In the sea of lanterns and people, she spots Silas immediately.
24:34The lady is young, passionate, bold.
24:36She walks right up and challenges him to a riddle contest.
24:39I don't remember who won.
24:40I only remember her eyes shining as she said,
24:42I lost Farron Square.
24:43Let me buy you dinner at the best restaurant in the city.
24:46Silas glances at me, asking if I want to go.
24:48I sigh quietly.
24:49If you go, I'll wait outside.
24:51In front of outsiders, I have to remember my place.
24:54The lady doesn't wait for an answer.
24:55She steps past me, delighted, and pushes Silas' wheelchair herself.
24:59She doesn't care that he's in a wheelchair.
25:01She doesn't care about his health.
25:03So many highborn women rejected Silas because of his condition.
25:06Watching them disappear into the crowd, I feel inexplicably hollow.
25:10I never had him.
25:11So why does losing him hurt this much?
25:13I stand in the cold wind for a long time.
25:15Then I remember, today is my birthday.
25:19The lady is the regent's only daughter, adored beyond measure.
25:22When the regent and his wife come to propose the match,
25:25the matriarch is more shocked than pleased.
25:27That's when I learned the truth.
25:28The lady didn't fall for Silas at first sight at the festival.
25:30Years ago, when Silas was still a brilliant young man,
25:33she'd already lost her heart to him.
25:35After he fell ill, she refused every suitor, waiting for this day.
25:39Silas' marriage becomes the talk of the compound.
25:41Even the news that Dante's mistress is pregnant gets buried.
25:44If this match succeeds, the matriarch will be overjoyed.
25:47But Silas already agreed to a ghost marriage.
25:50To marry properly now, that arrangement has to be dissolved.
25:53So I know what I have to do.
25:54Just like when I knelt before the matriarch and said I'd marry Silas in the first place.
25:58I go to the matriarch and say calmly,
26:00I'm willing to leave.
26:01Let Silas have his happiness.
26:02I had the doctor check Silas and the lady's charts.
26:05They're a perfect match.
26:06The lady is high-born, accomplished in every art, and devoted to Silas.
26:10Even if he dies, she's willing to be his widow.
26:13There's no reason for me to stay.
26:14The matriarch, moved by my understanding,
26:17holds my hand and asks what I want.
26:19I hand over all the money I've saved over the years, then kneel.
26:22Please release me from servitude.
26:24The matriarch sighs.
26:25Child, you could ask me for so much more.
26:27I stay in the bowing position, unmoving.
26:30Tears roll down my cheeks, pooling on the stone floor.
26:33Poppy wants to come with me.
26:34I refuse.
26:35Life outside is hard.
26:36Staying here is easier.
26:37I tell her, as long as she serves the matriarch well and stays out of trouble,
26:41she'll have security and happiness as her sister.
26:44This is the best future I can give her.
26:46Poppy nods through tears, shoving money into my bag.
26:49On my last day, many people come to see me off.
26:51Old friends, fellow servants.
26:54Unexpectedly, Dante is among them.
26:57He looks down at me.
26:58If you want, I'll make you my mistress right now.
27:01Serve me the way you used to, and I'll favor only you.
27:03I stare at him for a long time, then laugh bitterly.
27:06Dante's expression hardens.
27:08Don't give me that look.
27:09What, you think you're too good for me?
27:10You waiting for Silas to come beg you to stay?
27:12He sneers.
27:13You don't know, do you?
27:14The moment you leave, the lady moves into the lake pavilion.
27:17That's devotion.
27:18You took care of Silas so carefully, and for what?
27:20The second he's healthy, he doesn't need you.
27:22You did all that work for someone else's happy ending.
27:25In a few years, do you think Silas will even remember you?
27:28He's not even here to say goodbye.
27:29That's how little you mean to him.
27:30My heart clenches painfully.
27:32Under his triumphant gaze, my smile fades.
27:35Silas has been cold to me for a long time now.
27:37Our last real conversation ended on the way back from the festival.
27:42He asked if I was happy.
27:44I wiped my nose.
27:45Yes, Silas looked at me.
27:46Happy about the festival?
27:47I thought about it, then lied.
27:49No, I was happy seeing you with that lady.
27:51You looked perfect together.
27:52My wish is coming true.
27:53Silas' smile vanished instantly.
27:55His face went bloodless, expressionless.
27:57As he stared at me, you're happy seeing me with another woman.
28:00I rubbed my frozen hands, forcing cheer into my voice.
28:04A woman that beautiful might become the family's first lady.
28:06Of course I'm happy.
28:07Silas stared at me for a long time.
28:09He said, Alara, you really are heartless.
28:11Let's see you next time.
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