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Short filmTranscript
00:02The Grand Clan Gathering in Palermo. 13 of us stood in a line, waiting to be chosen. One shard. One
00:10knight. One chance. As Lord Earl's half-denned blood bastard daughter, I couldn't afford to fail.
00:17Lorenzo Rossi, heir to the Rossi clan, was my childhood friend. He was the only one who'd agreed to shelter
00:24me, and he had promised me the White Dragon Shard.
00:27We'd made the deal just yesterday. Three years of cover. After that, he could love whoever he wanted. Yesterday, he'd
00:34said yes.
00:36Don't worry. I promised to give you the White Dragon Fragment.
00:40Tonight, at the last second, he smiled and placed the shard in the girl's hand beside me.
00:45Mia, the human scholarship student he'd been sponsoring. Her hands were shaking as she took it.
00:51He leaned close to my ear. I looked at him. He was already turning away, already placing Mia's hand on
00:57his arm.
00:59Let her have this one, Elena. She's never known happiness. Not once.
01:07What about me?
01:09Don't worry. As long as I'm here, no one will dare arrange your marriage.
01:16Mia is elegant. She is noble. She is worthy of this honor.
01:23Noble. The word landed like a slat. Whispers rippled through the crowd.
01:28I stood there empty, dan-handed. Lord Earl's half-dan blood bastard.
01:32Passed over for a human girl with no clan. No blood. Nothing.
01:36These idiots. I told them to save you at least one shard.
01:44I looked at the man I'd grown up with. Do you know what tonight means?
01:49The White Dragon Shard wasn't decoration. It was a marriage declaration between clans.
01:55A thousand-year-old Ryle.
01:58Without it, I had nothing. No shelter. No choice.
02:03No way out of the match. Lady Earl had already arranged for me in the Eastern Territory.
02:07Lorenzo. Lorenzo was my only option.
02:10No other man here would choose a half-zen blood bastard.
02:13And he'd just chosen someone else.
02:16Eighteen years.
02:18He didn't answer.
02:20Behind him, Mia was smiling.
02:23The White Shard still perfect in her hands.
02:34Guilt flickered across Lorenzo's face.
02:37He sent Mia away.
02:39You're used to these events, Elena.
02:42But she isn't.
02:43This is her only moment to shine.
02:46Just do me this one favor.
02:48He leaned down.
02:50His expression almost boyish.
02:52You can have your way any other day.
02:54Why does it have to be tonight?
02:57I said nothing.
02:58He cleared his throat.
03:00Today's her graduation.
03:02After tonight, I can't sponsor her anymore.
03:04I promised her one unforgettable memory.
03:07Unforgettable for me, too.
03:09But it was already too late.
03:11Lorenzo, do you understand what the gathering means?
03:14Mia came back before I could finish.
03:16Elena.
03:17Her voice was soft.
03:19Careful.
03:19Did I ruin everything?
03:21Please don't blame Lorenzo.
03:22Lorenzo, I was the one who begged him to-
03:25Lorenzo saw her shrinking back.
03:27His expression darkened toward me.
03:30Enough, Elena.
03:32It's just a shard.
03:34I'll get you another one.
03:36He dug into his jacket pocket, pulled out a small red shard, pushed it into my hand.
03:42Red suits you better anyway.
03:44A white shard isn't worth making a scene over.
03:47This isn't like you.
03:50The moment the red shard touched my palm, it cracked.
03:54The stone had split clean in two.
03:57Right down the middle.
03:59Just my hand.
04:01I closed my fingers around the broken places.
04:04The red shard meant someone you didn't claim.
04:06I knew the shard would shatter if one's pure blood refused to admit it.
04:11But I was nothing more than a half-breed.
04:14I didn't know what that meant yet.
04:17Laughter rippled through the room.
04:19A half-blood bootlicker, thinking she could marry the Rossi heir.
04:24Didn't you hear him say noble?
04:26In his heart, even a human ranks higher than her.
04:31Lorenzo silenced the woman with one look.
04:33But the words had already landed.
04:37Elena, I'm sorry.
04:39You've always had everything.
04:40I just wanted one night to feel special.
04:43Everything.
04:44I stared at her.
04:46I'm a bastard.
04:48Mia, half-blood.
04:50Do you have any idea how the Moradi clan treats me?
04:52The plate slipped from her hands.
04:54Landed on her shoe.
04:56Her eyes filled with tears.
04:58It's already done.
04:59Let her enjoy tonight.
05:03Come on.
05:04Let's get you cleaned up.
05:08You can head home if you want.
05:10I didn't have one.
05:11The moment Lorenzo left my side, someone moved in.
05:14Antonio Ricci.
05:16A reckless heir from a rival clan.
05:18He stepped close and breathed in slowly.
05:21You smell good, Elena Moratti.
05:25Without Lorenzo beside me, I didn't even get basic respect.
05:29Lorenzo told me to bring you a shard.
05:31I didn't bother.
05:32I told you before.
05:34Stop chasing him and try me instead.
05:37You never listened.
05:39How does it feel now?
05:42Humiliating, isn't it?
05:43I turned.
05:45Stared at this man who barely reached my shoulder.
05:48Lorenzo had handed him that task.
05:51Knowing full well Antonio had been harassing me for months.
05:54My fists tightened.
05:56Another betrayal.
05:57All I'd asked for was three years.
05:59Three years to build enough power to get out from under the Moritti clan's grip.
06:04But Lady Earl wanted me gone.
06:06She wouldn't give me room to breathe.
06:09Elena.
06:12Without that pretty face, you'd be nothing.
06:14Just a half-blood I could do whatever I wanted with.
06:17You think the Rossi clan will protect you forever?
06:20His grip tightened.
06:22Lorenzo was back.
06:23He knocked the hand away.
06:25Didn't I warn you?
06:26Don't touch what's mine.
06:28Yours?
06:28You just picked the human girl.
06:30What do you need Elena for?
06:31That's none of your business.
06:33Antonio spat and walked away.
06:36Lorenzo spun me around to face him.
06:38He touched you and you didn't fight back.
06:41Wasn't this your idea?
06:42Listen, I can protect you at events like this, but that doesn't mean I have to stand next
06:48to you every second, does it?
06:49But you knew what the gathering meant.
06:51Mia appeared again.
06:53Lorenzo, could I get some champagne?
06:56One's cold and stubborn.
06:59The other's bright and warm.
07:01Lorenzo's choice was easy.
07:02Of course.
07:04Tonight, you're the star.
07:06Whatever you want.
07:07He glanced back at me.
07:09We'll talk tomorrow.
07:10I'll come by your place.
07:11Tomorrow, I smiled coldly.
07:15Tomorrow, you'll have to come to the Eastern Territory to find me.
07:20Lorenzo left to greet the other clan heirs.
07:23Mia walked back to me, holding a glass of wine.
07:26The timid scholarship girl was gone.
07:29In her place stood someone who tasted power.
07:32You have everything, Elena.
07:34Why do you need to take this one moment from me?
07:37I should never have helped Lorenzo choose her for that scholarship.
07:40You grew up in luxury.
07:43I only wanted one night under Lorenzo's protection.
07:47Luxury?
07:48You think I'm better off than you?
07:50My mother was a human.
07:52She died when I was small.
07:54Lord Earl brought me back to the estate when I was little.
07:57Lady Earl looked at me like she wanted me dead.
08:00My father had women everywhere.
08:01One more bastard daughter didn't matter to him, let alone a half-blood daughter.
08:07And pure blood was a sin in its life.
08:10I learned to read people early.
08:13Without this face, I wouldn't have survived.
08:15I was trapped between two sides.
08:18There were other things too.
08:20Things I'd never been able to explain.
08:22My body had always felt faintly wrong.
08:25Like something inside me was pressed flat.
08:27Held down.
08:29Some mornings I woke up with heat in my hands that faded before I was fully conscious.
08:34Some nights my blood felt like it was moving too fast.
08:38I'd asked Lady Earl about it once when I was small.
08:41She'd given me a small white pill and told me it was vitamins.
08:45I'd taken them every day since without thinking.
08:47I went to Uncle Luca and begged him to train me.
08:51To back me up, Uncle Luca never smiled.
08:55I had to lock my knees to keep from shaking as I stood in front of him.
08:59Your father has 23 children.
09:01Why would I invest in a half-blood who won't last?
09:06Because I have nothing to lose.
09:08I'll do what they won't.
09:10But the timing wasn't right.
09:12Uncle Luca turned me away too, they said.
09:16Dante Vitell was ruthless.
09:18That anyone who crossed him got crushed without mercy.
09:21The Moretti clan wanted his protection.
09:23But they wouldn't sacrifice a legitimate daughter for it.
09:27So they chose me.
09:31Uncle Luca already knew how the gathering had ended.
09:34He sent one message.
09:36Figure it out yourself.
09:37I was shaking.
09:38Cold all the way through.
09:40I wrapped my arms around myself.
09:42Mia touched my frozen hand like she owned it.
09:45Elena.
09:45Do you think Lorenz even understands what the gathering means?
09:52I wasn't the type to dwell on emotions.
09:54I needed to find a way to stay.
09:57I found Lorenzo and asked him directly.
09:59Do you know what tonight actually means?
10:02Sure.
10:03It's a matchmaking event.
10:05But it's just formality.
10:08Half these arrangements fall apart anyway.
10:10He knew it.
10:12Don't worry.
10:13I'll talk to the Morettos.
10:15No one's forcing you into marriage.
10:18Then can you get the shard back from Mia?
10:20I'll return it tomorrow.
10:22Lorenzo looked uncomfortable.
10:23That's not good.
10:25It's already hers.
10:26How about I send another one instead?
10:27Don't fight with Mia over this.
10:29That white shard had a rare gold vein running through it.
10:32It couldn't be replicated.
10:34Everything I'd held back on when it came out at once.
10:38Please, Lorenzo.
10:40You know I was never going to cling to you.
10:42I have someone I care about.
10:45After three years,
10:48you'd be free.
10:51So why did you humiliate me when I...
10:53He stepped forward.
10:54Backed me against the wall.
10:58Someone you care about?
11:00You don't savvy.
11:04Again with this!
11:08Elena, no one else is going to take you.
11:10You're a Marathi half-blood.
11:13Everyone in Palermo knows you're mine.
11:17My shadow.
11:20My little father.
11:21The words cut deep.
11:23Being called a shadow.
11:25A father.
11:26It was the price of surviving inside the Marathi clan.
11:30Pairing it from his mouth made me sick.
11:32I stepped back and bumped into him.
11:34Elena, please don't fight with Lorenzo.
11:37Enough, Elena.
11:39It's one night.
11:40Stop making a scene.
11:41Tomorrow Mia goes back to her life.
11:47But Mia's expression said otherwise.
11:57Tomorrow, you leave.
12:00Nothing in this house was mine.
12:02Not even the plane ticket.
12:03I paid for it myself.
12:05Uncle Luca said nothing and walked to his room.
12:07I went to my small bedroom and started packing.
12:11My half-sister Bianca leaned in the doorway.
12:14Inspecting her nails.
12:16If I were you, I wouldn't have gone to the gathering at all.
12:23Mom told me to keep an eye on you.
12:25Don't take anything valuable.
12:27Not even tonight's gown.
12:30Oh, and Mom said Dante Vitale is already in love with someone else.
12:34Good luck.
12:35I took off the gown in front of her.
12:37Removed every piece of jewelry.
12:40Set it all on the tray.
12:41Then I walked to the bathroom in my slip.
12:44Bianca left.
12:46On my phone, Mia had already posted.
12:48A photo.
12:49Glowing.
12:50Lorenzo's arm around her.
12:52He was still wearing the cufflinks I'd given him.
12:55I left everything Lorenzo had ever given me behind.
12:59Before dawn, I was up.
13:01No goodbyes.
13:02I grabbed my backpack and headed to the airport.
13:05Security.
13:07Boarding.
13:07Everything smooth.
13:09As the plane began to taxi.
13:11I switched my phone off completely.
13:13Cut every tie to Palermo.
13:16Then the announcement came.
13:18Apologies passengers.
13:19The Rossi clan has sealed the airways above Palermo.
13:23All flights are returning to the terminal.
13:40The Rossi clan has used to be very virulent in the coffin.
13:41The Rossi clan has expireds.
13:43Can I go back with this logo?
13:44I built it.
13:47I've got to go.
13:47We've got to go to the position of the leather, the autobiography before you want to come.
13:47Come back on, I'm going back to the collar.
13:52It was taken down Hyperstrokeλα.
13:52What if it was sulky.
13:52It was myuitenkin.
13:52It was kind of a blanket of spending, it was modest.
13:53thepounder in theقة.
13:56Revolution.
13:56So having fun in the morning toleration.
14:25...reconnected. Messages poured in, then a refund notification.
14:29We apologize for the inconvenience. To compensate, the Rossi clan will reimburse your ticket at ten times the original price.
14:37The complaints died instantly. Who do you think they're looking for?
14:39A few girls behind me started whispering. This is so dramatic. Like something out of a film.
14:44I scrolled through my phone, exhausted. Lorenzo had gone to the Marretti estate early that morning looking for me.
14:50When he found I wasn't there, he stormed into my bedroom. He saw the gown, the jewelry, everything I'd left
14:56behind.
14:57But my backpack was gone. He panicked. He demanded answers from the Marretti's.
15:02That is when he found out I'd already left for the Eastern Territory. Lorenzo lost it.
15:07Nearly tore the estate apart. Then he started calling. But by then, I was already on the plane.
15:13When he realized I hadn't taken a single thing he'd ever given me, he snapped. That is when he sealed
15:18the sky.
15:19I grabbed my backpack and stepped off the plane. Inside the terminal, I stopped.
15:24Go back or keep moving. It was early. I was starving. I found a small coffee and ordered pasta.
15:31Uncle Luca's message came through. Do you want to come back? Lorenzo still wants you.
15:35The Marretti clan ran on schemes. Lorenzo might spoil me, but he'd never lose face for me.
15:40Going back meant more humiliation. Moving forward, maybe something different.
15:48I ate slowly. Outside the cafty window, dragon guards in black flooded the terminal. Dozens of them.
15:55Stopping every woman who looked anything like me. Then Lorenzo came through the doors.
16:00Soaked in sweat. Phone pressed to his ear. He walked straight past my table. He looked wrecked. Frantic.
16:09Calling my number over and over, my phone buzzed in my pocket. I watched him.
16:14When no one answered, he almost smashed the phone against the pillar.
16:18Where is she?
16:19I've never seen Lorenzo like this.
16:21Keep searching.
16:22Completely unraveled.
16:22Every terminal. No flight leaves for the Eastern Territory today. I don't care what it costs.
16:26I checked my phone. There was a flight to the Central Territories in 20 minutes.
16:30I scrolled through the news while I waited. Pelamo's gossip feeds were already running with it.
16:35Two women at the table behind me were deep into it.
16:38God, that's so romantic. If someone grounded the entire sky for me, I'd say yes on the spot.
16:45Her friend was more cynical. You don't get it. Last night at the gathering, Lorenzo gave the white shard to
16:51some human scholarship girl.
16:53I'm guessing he got played. Wait. He didn't pick a clan daughter? He picked a human? Then why is he
17:00losing his mind today?
17:01I kept my eyes on my coffee. My guess? Lorenzo had no idea what the shard ceremony actually meant. How
17:09would you know?
17:11Because I was at the gathering last night. I went still. I glanced back. Didn't recognize her.
17:18Lucky. So what does the clan girl look like? Beautiful. Genuinely stunning.
17:25Then why would Lorenzo give the shard to an outsider? Who cares? The girl's voice sharpened.
17:29The other one's just a half-blood anyway. Not like the rest of us. I coughed. Both women turned.
17:35The moment they saw my face, one of them went completely silent. Pointed. Couldn't speak. The other one stared at
17:41me.
17:43What? Do you know her? She's gorgeous. Wait, are you?
17:47She looked toward the guards still sweeping the terminal. Eyes wide.
17:55I pressed one finger to my lips. Both women covered their mouths with both hands. I picked up my bag
18:00and walked away. Behind me, I heard one of them hiss.
18:04You didn't tell me she looked like that. You have zero chance now. Zero.
18:08I reached the gate for the Central Territories. Another refund notification hit my phone. The Rossi clan had purchased out
18:15every route leaving Palermo. Not just the Eastern Territory flights everything. I stood there. Phone in hand. Nowhere to go.
18:23Then it rang an Eastern Territory number.
18:25Phone in hand.
18:26Phone in hand. Hello?
18:31Dante Vitale. I'm sorry, I...
18:34My people are already at the airport. They'll bring you to me.
18:37My arranged husband. His voice was cool. Unhurried. The kind of voice you wanted to keep listening to.
18:42Before I could explain that the entire sky was sealed, I saw it through the terminal window. A private aircraft
18:48on the tarmac. Several dragon guards in black stepped off and stood at attention, I said.
18:53Understood.
18:54I hung up and walked toward the jet.
18:59It had started to drizzle. The moment I stepped outside, an umbrella appeared over my head. The man holding it
19:05kept his eyes down. Respectful.
19:09Mrs. Vitale. We're here to bring you home.
19:13That is when Lorenzo spotted me, grabbed my wrist.
19:16Elena. Come with me.
19:18Bitehale's dragon guards closed in immediately. Lorenzo's men did the same. The two groups faced each other. Nobody moved. People
19:26inside the terminal pressed against the glass. Phones out. The man leading Dante's guards was older. Immaculate suit. A kind
19:33of calm that came from having seen everything twice. He smiled politely. His eyes didn't.
19:40Mr. Rossi, I'm here to escort Mrs. Vitale home. Please, step aside.
19:46Lorenzo's gaze went cold.
19:50She hasn't left Polono yet. I'd like to see who has the nerve to take what's mine.
19:55I was tired. Deeply tired. I'd tried to tell him. More than once. But his attention was always somewhere else.
20:02Always on Nia.
20:05I kept my voice steady. Lorenzo, you've protected me for years. I'm grateful. But this is where it ends. I
20:15don't blame anyone.
20:19Don't blame anyone. Then come back with me. I'll marry you. I'll tell the Morettis myself.
20:27The rain came harder. Lorenzo's hair was soaked. His eyes were red. For just a moment, something flickered at the
20:35edge of his irises. A deep amber, gone before I could be sure I'd seen it. Dragon blood under pressure.
20:41Even the composed ones cracked eventually. The vital butler stepped between us, unmoved.
20:46Apologies, Mr. Rossi. The agreement with the Moretti clan has been finalized. Mrs. Vitale leaves with us today.
20:55Lorenzo, I told you. I only ever wanted three years. I have someone I genuinely care about. I was never
21:02planning to marry you.
21:03This again. Elena, you've been locked inside the Moretti clan your whole life. When exactly did you meet someone to
21:09love?
21:10I know calling you my shadow upset you. Stop being stubborn and come back. We'll talk there, okay?
21:17His tone had shifted, almost pleading. I was grateful. Truly. He'd kept me safe for years. But when Lorenzo let
21:25go of my hand and gave the Shard to Mia, or Path split for good...
21:32Lorenzo, I said quietly, Mia is your chosen. All of Pilemer witnessed it. Go be happy with her. He laughed.
21:44Short and bitter.
21:45Marry a human girl? Are you serious? I'd marry you before I'd ever marry her.
21:52My expression went flat. Lorenzo had always wanted me around. He'd never once respected me. I didn't hesitate this time.
21:59I turned and walked toward the jet with the butler. Lorenzo stood frozen behind me. Fists clenched. Something radiating off
22:06him that I didn't look back to read.
22:07Elena. You leave Palamo and no one protects you anymore. Think carefully. Once you're gone, don't come back regretting it.
22:19I didn't answer. I stepped onto the plane. The butler had already prepared a change of clothes.
22:25You can freshen up there, Mrs. Vitari. Getting caught in the rain, you'll catch cold.
22:31The jet was extraordinary. Not a rental. This was the Vital Clan's own aircraft.
22:38The Vital Clan operated on a different level entirely. Even the Morettis didn't own anything like this.
22:45The plane didn't just have a bathroom. It had a full bedroom. The bedding was soft pink.
22:51Definitely not something Dante Vital had chosen for himself. I changed in the bathroom. Then stopped.
22:57The clothes fit me perfectly. When I came out, the butler had quietly moved the Dragon Guards to the rear
23:04of the cabin.
23:05Excuse me. Does the Lord usually use this plane? He saw my confusion.
23:11This aircraft was commissioned specifically for you, Mrs. Vitari. Everything was customized to your preferences.
23:19The Lord selected the bedding personally. Softest material available.
23:23I didn't know what to say. Something misconsidered. Given to a stranger without a word. Wasn't he supposed to be
23:30in love with someone else?
23:32The flight to the Eastern Territory is long. You should rest. The climate there is dry. We've prepared a humidifier
23:38for you.
23:42No one had ever thought about my comfort before. I'd spent my whole life reading other people's moods. Adjusting. Disappearing
23:50into whatever shape kept me safe.
23:52This kind of attention made me restless. The butler noticed and quietly withdrew. I pulled out a pen and started
23:59sketching notes.
24:00My mind was already running through what came next. What I was walking into. What I'd need.
24:06The plane landed on a sprawling green estate. I looked closer. The vital compound. Vast, immaculate.
24:15The main structure was built from dark stone that seemed to hold the light differently from ordinary material. Warmer. Like
24:22it had its own temperature.
24:23Even from the steps of the jet I could feel it. A subtle heat rising from the ground beneath my
24:29feet. Ancient dragonrock.
24:30I'd read about it once. Quarried only from the oldest dragon territories. It held warmth for centuries without any source.
24:38I filed the detail away without knowing why it mattered. Dante Vitale came out to meet me personally. He was
24:46smiling. Warm. Nothing like the ruthless lord the rumors described. He draped a coat over my shoulders before I could
24:54speak.
24:56Something moved in my chest the moment his hand touched my shoulder. A pull. Faint but distinct. Like a thread
25:03I hadn't known was there had just been tugged from the other end. I stepped back. Put some space between
25:10us. Told myself it was nerves. I said carefully.
25:31Someone I loved three years. Yes. Three years. I'll play the role of your wife. I won't interfere with your
25:40private life. That we separate. I boutique anything from you. I'll sign what you need.
25:45His frown deepened. He looked sharply at the butler. Some silent question passing between them. Then he stepped closer. Gently
25:55pulled me in. My face went completely red.
25:59Who said anything about keeping things separate. His voice was quiet. Almost amused. You're my wife. He seemed to enjoy
26:10the fact that I was flustered. He lifted my chin. Leaned in just slightly.
26:16All right. Everything I have is yours.
26:19Everything I have is yours. We went inside. I still hadn't recovered. Wasn't this man supposed to be cold? Ruthless?
26:27The interior of the vital compound was all sharp lines and clean edges. Dark stone. Minimal furniture. But there were
26:36soft touches throughout. Warm fabrics. Carefully chosen color. Things that had clearly been added recently.
26:46Good taste. Nothing clashing. The additions made the space feel less severe. More like somewhere a person could actually breathe.
26:55I sat on the couch. I handed him a folded piece of paper. This is my plan. I'd like to
27:04borrow some money. I'll pay it back in installments. He took it. Scanned it. You need money?
27:10It was humiliating. Arriving with nothing. Lord Earl's half-blood daughter showing up with a backpack and no dowry. No
27:18offering. Nothing of value for the vitals. This had to look like an insult.
27:24I'd done my research before landing. The vital clan didn't need alliances. Didn't need anyone's backing. They stood alone at
27:32the top of the Eastern Territory. People came from across the continent just to ask them for favors. I still
27:38didn't understand why they'd agreed to this match with the Morettis. I pressed my lips together.
27:44Yes, I don't have money right now. But I have a way to pay you back. I promise. He didn't
27:50question it. His hand closed over mine instead. Warm against my cold fingers. He rubbed them slowly.
28:01My face flushed again. His mood seemed to improve. Why do you need money? I looked up. Suddenly aware. Maybe
28:10his miss is vital. I wasn't supposed to have financial control. Maybe I was expected to live on an allowance.
28:17To ask permission. I straightened.
28:20Mr. Vitale. I don't want to be trapped by the Moretti clan anymore. And I'm not going to sit here
28:24and ask for handouts. I want my own income. My own footing. And if possible, I want to take back
28:30what's mine from the Morettis.
28:32He looked surprised. Like he hadn't expected me to say it that plainly. And he reached over and ruffled my
28:38hair.
28:39Everything the vitalists have is yours.
28:42He nodded to the butler. The butler produced a black card.
28:46This is my account. Spend whatever you need.
28:49The room Dante gave me was the finest in the entire compound.
28:53Morning light came through the windows at the perfect angle.
28:57The DD core was soft. Feminine. Like something out of a story I'd never thought would include me.
29:03That night, I lay down expecting to stare at the ceiling for hours.
29:07Instead, I was asleep within minutes. Deep. Still. Dreamless.
29:12I told myself it was exhaustion from the journey.
29:15I didn't consider the warmth rising steadily.
29:19From the ancient stone beneath the floors.
29:21Didn't consider that the vital compound had been built on the oldest dragon rock in the Eastern Territory.
29:27But the heat it held had a particular quality.
29:31One that ancient texts described as resonant with dormant dragon blood.
29:35I didn't know any of that then.
29:37I just slept.
29:44For the first time in years, I woke up rested.
29:47A message from Uncle Luca.
29:50Lorenzo is furious.
29:51Why didn't you go back with him?
29:53Uncle Luca was the only person in the Moretti clan who'd ever looked out for me.
29:58But his protection always came at a price.
30:01I typed back.
30:02Uncle, I am a person.
30:04Not something you can call back whenever it is convenient.
30:07His reply was immediate.
30:10Cold.
30:10Really.
30:11I thought you'd already turned yourself into a weapon.
30:15Three years passed.
30:17I borrowed $100,000 from the vitals.
30:20I did everything a lord's wife was supposed to do.
30:23Attended gallus with Dante.
30:25Smiled for the right people.
30:27Let the right people court my favor.
30:29I played the part.
30:31The beautiful, composed lady vital.
30:33Dante spoiled me without restraint.
30:35But I never lost sight of why I was there.
30:39Behind the smiles, I was working.
30:42That $100,000 became leverage.
30:45Quietly.
30:46Carefully.
30:47Somewhere in the second year, I stopped taking the white pills.
30:51It wasn't a decision exactly.
30:53I'd run out during a trip and hadn't replaced them.
30:56A week passed.
30:57Then another.
30:58I kept waiting to feel worse.
31:01Instead, I felt more.
31:03Heat in my hands when I was angry.
31:05A sharpness behind my eyes when I was focused.
31:08Small things.
31:10Easy to dismiss.
31:11I told myself it was confidence.
31:13That I was simply becoming someone harder to intimidate.
31:17I didn't connect it to the pills.
31:19I didn't connect it to anything yet.
31:24I dismantled Moridi operations piece by piece.
31:28Pulled their best dragon cards and wing commanders into my own network.
31:32Lord Sergio finally had to look at what he'd built.
31:35His 23 children.
31:37Useless.
31:38Everyone.
31:40The second generation panicked.
31:42Afraid the clan's collapse would hit their share of the territories.
31:45They started selling off assets.
31:47I bought them all.
31:49One by one.
31:50The gambling operations.
31:52The shipping routes.
31:53The legitimate fronts they'd spent years building.
31:56I took the businesses that were bleeding and made them profitable.
32:00Expanded the territories they'd abandoned.
32:03By the time Lord Sergio understood what was happening,
32:06I controlled more of the clan's income than he did.
32:09The other Moretti heirs couldn't touch me anymore.
32:12During the negotiations for the last of the shipping routes,
32:15something happened that I couldn't explain.
32:18When the Moridi representative had tried to walk out,
32:21I'd reached out to stop him.
32:22And the glass of water on the table between us had cracked.
32:26Clean through.
32:27No one had touched it.
32:29The representative had gone pale.
32:31He signed everything.
32:33I stood in the corridor afterward and looked at my hand.
32:37It felt warm.
32:39The same warmth I'd been ignoring for months.
32:42I thought about the pills.
32:44I thought about the pills 18.
32:46Years of white capsules.
32:48Lady Earl had called them vitamins.
32:51She'd never explained what they were for.
32:53Never let me miss a dose.
32:55I'd stopped taking them 14 months ago.
32:57Since then, the heat in my hands.
33:00The sharpness behind my eyes.
33:02The glass that cracked without being touched.
33:05I wasn't imagining it.
33:07I held on for a moment.
33:09Then I let go and stepped back.
33:11Composed again.
33:15Why so late?
33:17Are you tired?
33:18I had soup made.
33:20The words I'd been preparing stuck in my throat.
33:23He took my hand and led me to the table.
33:26Watched me eat.
33:30When are you going to let yourself lean on me?
33:33You don't have to run yourself into the ground like this.
33:36The warmth of it hit me somewhere I wasn't ready for.
33:39I looked at him in the low light.
33:41Felt something pull tight in my chest.
33:45The three years are up.
33:46It's time for me to go back.
33:47To finish what I started with the Morettis.
33:50Dante had always known I hadn't let go of my plans.
33:53He didn't look surprised.
33:54You don't like the Morettis.
33:57From what I know, only Luca was ever decent to you.
34:00And Lorendo.
34:02He came to the Eastern Territory several times looking for you.
34:05You never saw him.
34:06I hadn't known he'd been aware of that.
34:11He came to the Eastern Territory several times looking for you.
34:12He came to the Eastern Territory several times looking for you.
34:12He came to the Eastern Territory several times looking for you.
34:12He came to the Eastern Territory several times looking for you.
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