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A Princess's Return engsub watchfull❤️🍿🍿
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00:00Three years ago, I fell into an ancient well, pulled into a rift in time, and woke up in an
00:05era that had forgotten the vampires.
00:07I am Serafina Evenrow, the youngest daughter of the Evenrenrow bloodline of the North Blood Court.
00:12The vampires had ruled this land for nine centuries.
00:15When I awoke, I was laying in the middle of a strange street.
00:19And then he came.
00:21A pair of black leather shoes stopped in front of me.
00:24Old blood, he whispered, almost to himself.
00:27Pure old blood.
00:28Look at me.
00:30The voice was soft, and I looked up.
00:32He squatted down, looked at me at eye level, and his nose moved.
00:35In the next moment, his whole body froze, his pupils turned red, and I saw his Adam's apple roll with
00:40difficulty, again and again.
00:42I instinctively retracted, my fangs flashing.
00:45He smiled.
00:46Easy, little one.
00:47He stretched out his hand and brushed his fingertips over my jaw.
00:50Show me.
00:51What's your name?
00:53Serafina.
00:55Serafina Evenrowse.
00:56Cassian Thorne.
00:57He lifted me up from the ground.
00:59From this night, you are under my roof.
01:02Obedient.
01:02I won't let anything touch you.
01:04He lowered his head and pressed his lips to my aerials.
01:07My little princess.
01:08Cassian Thorne found me.
01:09Cassian, like me, was ancient, cold-blooded, and fanged.
01:13He took me back to his home and taught me the rules.
01:15He fed me with the blood from his own wrist.
01:17I bit too deeply, and he never cried out in pain.
01:19He just held the back of my neck with his other hand and made me stick tighter.
01:23Slow down.
01:24There is time.
01:24I didn't understand it at the time.
01:26He looked down at the momentary alienation in my eyes when I drank blood.
01:32At night, he went further.
01:34Cassian would trap me in the shadows, his hand sliding up my thigh, kneading my chest until
01:39I bared my fangs.
01:41He would whisper in my ear.
01:42My little princess.
01:44You'll be the end of me.
01:45For three years, I trusted Cassian completely.
01:48Until that one night, I visited Cassian's private club in the city.
01:52I was going to tell him.
01:53I had just learned that the lunar eclipse would occur seven nights from then.
01:56The ancient path would open.
01:57I could go home.
01:59I wanted to ask him to come with me.
02:00I paused at the door when I heard an unfamiliar voice from the door.
02:03Cassian, seriously.
02:05You've been obsessed with Lenota for an entire century.
02:09Why are you still keeping that little liar?
02:11Lenora.
02:12Lenora Vance.
02:13His mother's human best friend, ten years older than him.
02:16His eyes would change whenever he mentioned her.
02:19I always pretended not to notice.
02:21Cassian loved Lenora.
02:23Then came another voice.
02:24Don't you know?
02:25His bloodline carries a blood curse.
02:28The cure is to drink from a blood bond partner's neck a thousand times.
02:32But Lenora, he wouldn't even dare touch her.
02:34So, he picked some beautiful thing with no background.
02:37Calling herself some even-rose princess.
02:40Even though that bloodline was expelled from the council 900 years ago.
02:43Who knows where she crawled out from.
02:45Clean blood.
02:46Easy to control.
02:47He's been counting for three years.
02:49Once the bloodthirst is quenched, he'll be free.
02:51He can go back to Lenora.
02:53Three years, Cassian.
02:55It must be thousands by now.
02:57You really nothing?
02:58Cassian curled his lips.
03:00Feel nothing?
03:01For a liar I picked off the streets?
03:03That girl looks at you differently.
03:05If she finds out, she'll run.
03:07Then your cure will be gone.
03:09Cassian chuckled lightly.
03:11Run?
03:12She has no identity.
03:14No protection from the council.
03:16Where could she run?
03:20Laughter erupted in the room.
03:23In their eyes, I was a pretty story with a touch of power.
03:26A liar.
03:27In Cassian's eyes, I was just just the cure.
03:30I ran out before my legs gave way.
03:32I was much faster than a human.
03:34I ran with all my strength.
03:36But uncontrollably, my mind kept replaying how patiently watched me struggle to hold a pen.
03:41How he would whisper over and over,
03:43Serafina, my little princess.
03:45Until I thought that name meant love.
03:46It was all a lie.
03:47I ran back to his house because I had nowhere else to go.
03:50The house was empty.
03:51I stood motionless in the darkness until my fangs stopped throbbing
03:53and the thirst for blood inside me quieted.
03:55I didn't cry, but something inside me shattered.
03:57I will not tell him about the eclipse.
03:59Seven nights from now, the ancient path will open.
04:01I will walk into it and then disappear.
04:03Cassian will wake up one morning,
04:04only to find that he can never find me again.
04:07Let Cassian have his Lenora.
04:09Let him have his cure.
04:10From this moment, I am no longer his.
04:13I forced myself to lie down on the bed
04:16and quickly fell into a daze.
04:18I don't know how much time passed before a body pressed down on me.
04:21The scent of alcohol mixed with his presence, enveloping me.
04:25It was Cassian.
04:27There was no prelude.
04:29His hand immediately slipped between my legs, starting to move.
04:33In the past, when Cassian suddenly demanded this of me,
04:36he would always mummer things like,
04:37I've been going crazy thinking about you.
04:40making my cheeks flush.
04:41Now I understood.
04:43Cassian just wanted to speed things up,
04:44to vent his desires.
04:46I opened my eyes and pushed him away.
04:48He stopped, his voice low and horsey.
04:50What's wrong?
04:51I don't feel well.
04:52I turned my head, avoiding his kiss.
04:54Cassian chuckled, his palm covering my chest,
04:57his touch seductive.
04:58Not feeling well?
04:59That's not how you say it here.
05:02It was words like this,
05:04in positions like this,
05:06that made me believe again and again
05:08that he loved me.
05:09It's not my body.
05:11It's my heart.
05:12I don't want this.
05:13Cassian didn't take me seriously.
05:15He bet down to kiss my neck.
05:16Hush, little one.
05:17It'll be over soon.
05:19His fangs brushed against my pulse.
05:21In the past,
05:22this would have made me melt instantly.
05:25But now,
05:26I just felt cold.
05:28You don't love me,
05:30so you never care about my feelings, do you?
05:33You just need to vent.
05:34Cassian paused,
05:36raising his head,
05:37his brow furrowing.
05:38Who told you that nonsense?
05:40If I didn't love you,
05:41would I sleep with you so many times?
05:42Would I hold you in my hands?
05:44I was always a princess.
05:46Fine, you're a little princess.
05:48Cassian's tone was dismissive
05:49as he pressed down again.
05:50My little princess,
05:52just hold on,
05:52it'll be over soon.
05:53Just as I was preparing to endure
05:55like a lifeless corpse,
05:57the phone on the nightstand rang.
05:59Cassian froze for a moment,
06:01glancing at the caller ID.
06:02His expression changed instantly.
06:05It was Lenora.
06:06Cassian immediately pulled away
06:08and answered the phone.
06:09His tone was one
06:10I had never heard before.
06:12Lenora?
06:12You're back?
06:13Wait for me,
06:14I'm coming now.
06:15Without looking at me,
06:16Cassian threw on his clothes,
06:17grabbed the car keys,
06:18and rushed out.
06:19I curled up on the bed,
06:20listening to the roar of the engine
06:22as it faded away downstairs.
06:24Outside the window,
06:25several stars were unusually bright.
06:27The lunar eclipse
06:28was approaching soon.
06:30Soon,
06:30I'll be free of the man
06:32who lied to me with his body.
06:33Cassian didn't return
06:35until noon the next day,
06:36his demeanor unchanged,
06:37as if nothing had happened
06:39the previous night.
06:41Awake?
06:41He walked in front of me.
06:43I had to deal with something last night.
06:45Lenora came back from overseas
06:47and I went to pick her up.
06:49I lowered my gaze
06:50and remained silent.
06:53Lenora heard I had a partner
06:54and wanted to meet you.
06:56Let's have lunch together.
06:57I don't want to go.
06:59Cassian furrowed his brow.
07:01Don't be wilfed.
07:02She's very important to me.
07:04Without waiting for my refusal,
07:06he dragged me out.
07:07At the restaurant,
07:09Lenora was already waiting.
07:10When she saw us,
07:11she stood up.
07:14So,
07:14this is Serafina?
07:16She's beautiful.
07:17You two look perfect together,
07:18she said,
07:19taking my hand.
07:20She smiled sweetly,
07:22but Cassian beside her
07:23froze for a moment.
07:24The person he truly thought
07:25was perfect
07:26was never me.
07:27Once seated,
07:28even though I was the partner
07:29Cassian had brought,
07:30all his attention
07:30was on Lenora.
07:31He pulled out her chair.
07:32He laid out her napkin.
07:33He introduced the dishes to her.
07:35She affectionately called him Kitten,
07:37bringing up old stories
07:38from his childhood.
07:40Kitten was so clingy
07:42when he was little.
07:43When I went out,
07:44he would cling to my legs
07:45and cry,
07:46insisting on following me.
07:47He was this small,
07:49Tring behind me,
07:50calling me Lenora,
07:51so cute.
07:52Cassian listened quietly,
07:53a smile tugging at his lips.
07:55I remembered a time,
07:57in a moment of passion,
07:58when I had accidentally
07:59called him Cassian.
08:00He had frowned
08:01and said he didn't like
08:02such clingy names.
08:04But now,
08:05when his beloved
08:06called him Kitten,
08:07Cassian looked like this.
08:09Just then,
08:09Lenerta cut her steak,
08:11and the knife
08:11grazed her fingertip,
08:13drawing a small cut.
08:14Blood began to seep out.
08:16She hissed softly.
08:17Almost instantly,
08:18Caspi's expression changed,
08:20and he leaned forward,
08:21taking her fingertip
08:22into his mouth.
08:23I was frozen,
08:24shocked.
08:24Our healing abilities
08:26were so strong,
08:27that this small injury,
08:30what hurt even more,
08:31was that as Cassian
08:32held her fingertip,
08:34his fangs had already
08:35descended,
08:36and his eyes
08:36turned deep red.
08:38Cassian,
08:39would react like this
08:40for another woman.
08:41I knew all too well
08:42what that meant
08:43for vampires.
08:44It was an obsession,
08:45deeply ingrained
08:46in the bones.
08:47I gripped my knife
08:48and fork so tightly,
08:50that I didn't lose control.
08:54Cassian seemed oblivious,
08:56carefully tending
08:57to her wound,
08:58before pulling out
08:58a small box
08:59and handing it to her.
09:02Lenora,
09:03I heard you've been
09:04collecting moonlight stones.
09:05I took one for you.
09:06She smiled faintly.
09:08Such a thoughtful kitten.
09:09It's for you.
09:11No matter how expensive,
09:12it's worth it.
09:13Cassian looked at her,
09:15his gaze intense.
09:16She took the gift,
09:17her eyes scanning
09:18the moonlight stone
09:19around my neck.
09:20But it seems,
09:21now that you have a partner,
09:22I still can't compare to her.
09:24The one you gave her
09:25is much better than mine.
09:27Instinctively,
09:28I covered the moonlight stone
09:29around my neck.
09:30It was the one
09:31my father had given me
09:32on my coming of age day.
09:34The only proof I had
09:35of my even rose bloodline
09:37and my status
09:38as a princess.
09:39Cassian immediately understood
09:41what she meant.
09:42He turned to me.
09:43Serafina,
09:44Lenita likes your moonlight stone.
09:46Take it off
09:46and give it to her.
09:47No.
09:48I looked at him
09:49in disbelief.
09:50This was given to me
09:52by my father.
09:53Cassian's face darkened,
09:55his voice dropping low.
09:56Serafina,
09:57the things you say
09:58in private,
09:58I'll play along.
09:59But now you want to
10:00keep up the act
10:01in front of Lenora?
10:02Give her the moonlight stone.
10:04I won't give it.
10:05The atmosphere froze.
10:07Finally,
10:08Lenora smiled
10:09and said she was
10:10just casually
10:11mentioning it.
10:12It seemed like
10:13the matter was over,
10:14but I could feel
10:15Cassian's cold gaze.
10:16If it were before,
10:17I would have tried
10:18to find a way
10:18to appease him.
10:19Now,
10:20Cassian's moods
10:21no longer affected me
10:23in the slightest.
10:26After dinner,
10:28it began to rain outside.
10:30I followed him to the car,
10:32and just as I was about
10:33to open the door,
10:34a click sounded
10:35as he locked it.
10:37Take a taxi back yourself.
10:39Cassian didn't look at me.
10:40I froze.
10:41Lenora sat in the passenger seat,
10:43her voice soft.
10:44Cassian,
10:45it's raining so hard.
10:46How can she take
10:47a taxi alone?
10:48Isn't this Antinia
10:49making things difficult for her?
10:51I am making things
10:52difficult for her.
10:53Cassian sneered,
10:55his gaze sweeping over me.
10:56She's being unreasonable today,
10:59disrespecting you.
11:00Cassian,
11:01she's your partner.
11:02So what if she is?
11:04Cassian's voice rose.
11:05She still can't
11:06disrespect you.
11:08Lenora,
11:09don't get involved.
11:10He didn't look at me again,
11:11pressed the gas pedal,
11:12and the car sped off,
11:14splashing mud all over me.
11:16I stood there,
11:17watching the car disappear
11:18into the rain.
11:19Just because I had lost face
11:20in front of her,
11:21Cassian wanted to punish me
11:22like this.
11:24I pulled out my phone
11:25to call a taxi,
11:26only to realize
11:27I still didn't know how.
11:28I remembered how
11:29Cassian had taught me,
11:31and I had never
11:32gotten it right.
11:32I had nervously asked him
11:34if he thought I was stupid.
11:35What did he say back then?
11:37Cassian ruffled my hair,
11:38his gaze gentle.
11:40My little princess,
11:41if you knew everything,
11:43what would I do?
11:44Don't worry about it.
11:46No matter when,
11:47no matter where,
11:48just say the word,
11:48and I'll come get you.
11:50The rain mixed with my tears
11:52as they slid down my face.
11:53I had waited in the rain
11:54for a long time,
11:56but not a single car passed.
11:57Finally,
11:58I took off my painful heels
12:00and started walking
12:01slowly toward home.
12:02I hadn't gone far
12:03when headlights
12:04suddenly flashed toward me.
12:10The impact swept over me,
12:12and darkness
12:12swallowed my consciousness.
12:14When I regained awareness,
12:15I was on an operating table.
12:17The sound of a doctor's
12:18urgent voice
12:18reached my ears.
12:20Have you contacted
12:21her emergency contact?
12:22I've called.
12:23The nurse's voice
12:24was helpless.
12:25They said he's out of town,
12:27but he's arranged
12:27for a private doctor.
12:29He'll cover the expenses.
12:30He also told us
12:31to tell the patient
12:32that this is what she deserves.
12:34I was a vampire.
12:36A human's car
12:37couldn't kill me.
12:39But if Silverdusk
12:40mixed with my blood,
12:41it was a different story.
12:43I lay there,
12:44unable to numb the pain
12:46that tore at my heart,
12:47even with the anesthesia.
12:48It turned out,
12:50when my life was hanging
12:51by a thread,
12:52Cassian didn't even want
12:53to come sign a consent form.
12:55What was even crueler
12:56was that he had someone
12:57deliver those words to me.
12:58The anesthesia
12:59was injected into my vein,
13:01and I sank into a haze.
13:03It felt like I had
13:04returned to the days
13:05three years ago,
13:06when Cassian first
13:08picked me up.
13:09I was clumsy back then.
13:11When hot water gushed out,
13:13I was startled
13:14and stepped back,
13:15with a cry.
13:16I was helpless
13:17with that black block
13:19called a phone.
13:20Each time,
13:22Cassian patiently taught me.
13:23He never mocked
13:25my awkwardness,
13:26only smirking
13:26when I made a fool
13:27of myself,
13:28saying,
13:29Come here,
13:29little fool.
13:30Let me show you.
13:32Then there was
13:33our first time.
13:33I came from
13:34the strict
13:35old-world court.
13:36Innocent
13:37and afraid
13:37of such things,
13:38Cassian kissed
13:39my brow,
13:40coaxed me,
13:41and tempted me.
13:42As I trembled
13:43and moaned,
13:43he bit my earlobe
13:45and whispered,
13:47Seraphina,
13:48my little princess.
13:49Mine now.
13:51Finally mine.
13:52I sank
13:53into the web
13:53he wove,
13:54thinking it was love,
13:56thinking it was fate
13:57that had crossed
13:58centuries.
14:01It was all a lie.
14:02I don't know
14:03how much time passed
14:04before the surgery ended.
14:06I woke up
14:07in a hospital room.
14:08The door opened.
14:10Lenora walked in
14:10with Cassian.
14:12Seraphina,
14:12you're awake.
14:13She looked at me
14:13with concern.
14:14I already told Kitty
14:15it was his fault.
14:17She nudged him.
14:18Go on,
14:18apologize.
14:19Cassian didn't move.
14:21Lenora's face
14:21turned serious.
14:23Kitten,
14:23if you don't apologize,
14:25I don't talk
14:26to you anymore.
14:26That sentence
14:27seemed to press
14:28on his life's pulse.
14:29The man who hadn't
14:30bowed in 800 years
14:32actually compromised.
14:34Cassian took
14:34a few steps forward,
14:36looked at me,
14:37and spoke
14:38in a calm tone.
14:39It's my fault.
14:40Before I could react,
14:41he added,
14:42But Lenora
14:42is the most important
14:43person to me.
14:44You can't throw
14:45these tantrums anymore
14:46and make her uncomfortable.
14:47Next time it won't be
14:48just getting rained on.
14:49The most important person.
14:51He admitted it
14:52with his own mouth.
14:53I closed my eyes,
14:54the pain in my heart
14:55so intense
14:56that I could no longer
14:57feel anything.
14:58Lenora,
14:59seeing the atmosphere
15:00soften,
15:01took out a thermos.
15:02Serafina,
15:02I made some soup for you.
15:04I looked at the soup.
15:05I caught a faint scent
15:06masked by spices
15:08of white wax berries
15:10to a vampire
15:11that was equivalent
15:12to chronic silver dust.
15:14I weakly shook my head.
15:16I won't drink it.
15:17His face darkened.
15:19Serafina,
15:20Lenora made this
15:21specially for you.
15:22Don't make me angry.
15:23It has white wax berries
15:24isn't it?
15:24You specifically told me
15:26a half month ago
15:26that this can never
15:27appear in the house.
15:28He froze,
15:29a hint of surprise
15:30flashing in his eyes.
15:32Lenora immediately intervened.
15:34It's all my fault.
15:34I didn't know.
15:35I'll go make
15:35a fresh batch of soup.
15:36She stood up
15:37and left.
15:38The room was left
15:39with just the two of us.
15:40I didn't mean to forget.
15:41He rubbed his brow.
15:42I just thought
15:43you were throwing
15:44a tantrum again.
15:45She really is important to me.
15:47How important?
15:49I whispered.
15:52Without hesitation,
15:53he replied,
15:54For her,
15:55I'd give up my life.
15:57Those words extinguished
15:59the last spark of fire
16:00in my heart.
16:01At that moment,
16:02a nurse rushed in
16:03in a panic.
16:04Mr. Thorne!
16:06Miss Lenita fell at the stairs
16:07and is bleeding heavily!
16:08Cassian's face
16:09changed instantly.
16:10He jumped up
16:11and rushed out.
16:12His movement
16:13was so swift
16:14that he knocked over
16:15the bowl of soup
16:16on the nightstand.
16:17The scalding liquid
16:18splashed across
16:19my exposed arm.
16:20I let out
16:21a muffled cry
16:22as my arm
16:23instantly turned red.
16:24Without even looking back,
16:25he was already gone.
16:26The pain made me
16:27break into a cold sweat.
16:29The healing speed
16:30of vampires
16:30was faster
16:31than that of humans.
16:32But the berry juice
16:33in the soup
16:34was seeping into the wound.
16:36I pressed the call button.
16:37I pressed it
16:38for a long time,
16:39but no nurse came.
16:40I struggled
16:41to get out of bed.
16:42At the end of the hall,
16:43the door to a VIP room
16:44was surrounded by doctors.
16:46Cassian was standing
16:47in the middle,
16:48shouting,
16:48I don't care
16:49what methods you use.
16:50You must save her.
16:51If anything happens to her,
16:53this hospital
16:54will pay the price.
16:55Such fury.
16:56It was for Lenora.
16:58I couldn't bear
16:59to watch any longer.
17:00I turned
17:01and moved
17:02toward the nurse station.
17:03A nurse saw
17:04the burn on my arm
17:05and my pale face,
17:07her eyes wide in shock
17:09as she quickly
17:10helped me treat the wound
17:11through the whole process.
17:12I clenched my teeth.
17:14The pain in my body
17:16was nothing
17:16compared to the agony
17:18in my heart.
17:19When I returned
17:20to the hallway,
17:21I overheard the doctors
17:22telling Cassian
17:23that Lenora
17:24had lost too much blood
17:25and her blood type
17:26was rare,
17:27so the hospital
17:28didn't have enough supply.
17:30Cassian immediately
17:31rolled up his sleeve.
17:32Take mine.
17:33I share the same blood type
17:35as her.
17:35He donated blood
17:36nearly to the point
17:37of madness.
17:40Mr. Thorne,
17:41we can't draw anymore.
17:43You've exceeded
17:43the safe limit.
17:44Cassian shoved
17:45the nurse aside.
17:46Draw it.
17:46I don't care if I die.
17:48You must save her.
17:49For our kind,
17:50blood is everything.
17:51Blood is life.
17:52Blood is identity.
17:54Blood is intimacy.
17:55Blood is a mark.
17:57To drain one's own blood
17:58for a woman,
17:59it is the oldest
18:00soul bond
18:01in our bloodline.
18:02His words
18:02echoed in my ears.
18:04For her,
18:05I'd give up my life.
18:06It was true.
18:07And me?
18:08When I was hanging
18:09by a thread
18:09after the car accident,
18:11needing my family
18:12to sign for me.
18:13His words were,
18:14This is what she deserves.
18:15Love and indifference
18:16were so clear.
18:17I laughed.
18:18Laughed until tears
18:19filled from my eyes.
18:21In the days that followed,
18:22all the doctors
18:23and resources
18:24were prioritized
18:25for Lenora.
18:26I had to take care
18:27of myself.
18:27One time,
18:28I overheard two nurses
18:30talking softly
18:31outside the door.
18:32What exactly
18:33is the relationship
18:34between Miss Lenora
18:35and Mr. Thorne?
18:36The other day,
18:36he nearly passed out
18:37from blood loss.
18:38And these days,
18:39he hasn't left her side
18:40for a moment.
18:41They can't be partners,
18:42right?
18:43Isn't his real girlfriend
18:44living next door?
18:45But he hasn't visited her
18:46once these past few days.
18:47The day her yesterday,
18:49I saw her wound reopen,
18:50so I went to talk
18:51to Mr. Thorne
18:51about getting a doctor
18:52to help,
18:53but he yelled at me
18:53and said all the doctors
18:54had to be focused
18:55on Miss Lenora.
18:56I leaned against the door,
18:58my heart numb
18:59with pain.
19:00The day I was discharged,
19:02Cassian personally
19:02took Lenora
19:03back to her home.
19:04She leaned into his arms
19:05and smiled at me.
19:07Seraphina,
19:09sorry,
19:10but it looks like
19:11I'll be staying
19:11with you for a while.
19:13Cassian immediately
19:13interrupted her.
19:15This is your home too.
19:17Stay as long as you want.
19:18No one can make you leave.
19:21I watched them,
19:23watched as the place
19:24I once thought of as ours,
19:25now became the home
19:26of the person
19:27he truly held in his heart.
19:29In the days that followed,
19:31I clearly felt
19:33Caspius' affection for her.
19:34He would patiently watch
19:36those art films with her,
19:37films he had no interest in before
19:39and would not complain
19:40even when he fell asleep.
19:42He would tuck her in
19:43for her afternoon naps,
19:46staying by her side.
19:47So this was what
19:48it really looked like
19:49when he loved someone.
19:50It wasn't just about the bed.
19:51My heart ached
19:52until it went numb.
19:53I felt like a ghost,
19:55living in the shared space
19:56of Cassian and Lenora
19:57until her birthday.
19:58Cassian threw her
19:59a grand birthday celebration.
20:01Lenora,
20:02happy birthday.
20:03Kitten,
20:04I love it.
20:05Before the party started,
20:06he handed her a gift box,
20:08inside which was a dress.
20:09She opened the box.
20:11She walked into
20:11the fitting room
20:12with the dress.
20:13Not long after,
20:14I heard her voice
20:15from inside.
20:16Serafina,
20:17are you out there?
20:18Could you come in
20:18and help me zip up the back?
20:19It seems to be stuck.
20:20I was about to answer
20:21and step forward
20:22when Callian reached out
20:23and stopped me.
20:24Your injury isn't healed.
20:25His eyes flickered.
20:27I'll go.
20:27Cassian opened
20:28the fitting room door
20:29and went in.
20:30The door wasn't fully closed,
20:31leaving a crack.
20:32I stood still,
20:33my feet nailed to the ground.
20:34I could hear the voices inside.
20:35Why are you here?
20:36She asked,
20:37a bit surprised.
20:39Serafina's injury
20:39isn't healed.
20:40I'll help you.
20:41Cassian's voice was deep.
20:43Her tone was indulgent.
20:44All right,
20:45I'm sorry.
20:46My body's not great.
20:47I feel embarrassed.
20:48How could that be?
20:49Cassian immediately rebutted.
20:50Lenora's body
20:51is the best I've ever seen.
20:53She chuckled softly.
20:54Better than Serafina?
20:55Through the crack in the door,
20:56I saw Cassia step closer,
20:58pressing against her back.
20:59She,
20:59how could she compare to you?
21:01At that moment,
21:01every drop of blood
21:02in my body turned cold.
21:03I stumbled backward.
21:07An hour later,
21:08the party began.
21:09Lenora,
21:10as the guest of honor,
21:11mingled with the guests.
21:12She personally cut the cake,
21:14serving slices to everyone.
21:16When Lenora walked over
21:17with a slice of nut cake
21:19for Cassian,
21:20I almost instinctively
21:21blurted out,
21:22He can't eat this.
21:24He's allergic to hazelnuts.
21:26The moment the words
21:28left my mouth,
21:29I regretted it.
21:30She froze for a second,
21:32then looked at Cassian
21:33with an apologetic smile.
21:35You see,
21:36I forgot.
21:37Serafina is always so thoughtful.
21:39This wasn't being thoughtful.
21:41This was just over
21:42a thousand days and nights,
21:44loving him so much
21:45that I had committed
21:46every one of his
21:47forbidden foods to memory.
21:48At this moment,
21:49I wished I had never remembered.
21:51His gaze lingered
21:52on my face for a moment,
21:54his expression complex
21:55and unreadable.
21:57Then,
21:57Cassian took the plate of cake,
21:59scooped a bite,
22:00and put it in his mouth.
22:02Cassian!
22:03She exclaimed.
22:05Aren't you allergic?
22:06Spit it out!
22:07Cassian swallowed
22:08and looked at her,
22:09his gaze stubborn.
22:10It's fine.
22:10I'll take some medicine.
22:11He paused before adding.
22:13Even if it were medicine,
22:14I'd still take it,
22:15as long as it came
22:16from your hand.
22:17Lenora was stunned,
22:18then smiled affectionate,
22:19reaching to pat his head.
22:21Silly kitten.
22:22Cassian lowered his head slightly,
22:24allowing her to pet him.
22:26Cassian had once said
22:27he hated it
22:27when others touched his head,
22:29claiming it was an offense.
22:31It turns out,
22:32he didn't mind being touched.
22:34He just hated being touched
22:36by someone who didn't love him.
22:40For the rest of the evening,
22:42Cassian's gaze was always on Lenora.
22:44When Cassian saw Lenora talking,
22:46automatically with a man,
22:47his eyes turned terrifying.
22:49He downed a glass of liquor.
22:51Then in the next moment,
22:53crack,
22:53he crushed the glass in his hand.
22:55Liquor mixed with blood,
22:58drip from his fingers.
22:59Yet,
23:00Cassian seemed to feel no pain.
23:03He suddenly stood up,
23:04not even glancing at me,
23:06and walked straight out of the ballroom.
23:08I no longer wanted to stay either,
23:09so I got up and headed to the terrace.
23:11On my way back down the hall,
23:13I ran into Cassius,
23:14who was leaning against the wall,
23:16clearly drunk.
23:17Cassian's eyes were dazed.
23:18I tried to pretend I didn't see him,
23:20lowering my head and walking quickly past.
23:22Just as I was about to pass him,
23:24Cassian reached out
23:25and pulled me into his arms.
23:27His breath fanned against my neck.
23:29Lenora.
23:30Cassian clearly mistook me for her.
23:33Don't smile at him like that.
23:34I'll go crazy.
23:36I froze.
23:37It's been ten years.
23:38Cassian held me tighter.
23:39I've been like a fool,
23:40quenching you talk to different men.
23:42Every time you come close to me,
23:44every time you speak to me,
23:45I can barely control myself.
23:47Yet all I can do is call you Lenoya.
23:50Just now,
23:51I really wanted to kill him.
23:52Then lock you up.
23:53Lock you somewhere only I can see.
23:55Wait for me a little longer, will you?
23:57Soon I'll be free to tell you.
23:58Then we'll be together.
24:00Forever.
24:00So this was the hidden love
24:02Cassie had buried deep inside.
24:04So all of Cassiel's odd behavior,
24:06all his loss of control,
24:07was just for her.
24:08What was I to him?
24:09I used every bit of strength
24:11to push Cassiel away
24:12and ran toward the door of the ballroom.
24:16Just as I rushed out into the garden,
24:19I heard a scream from the pool area.
24:26Someone's fallen into the water!
24:29I followed the sound
24:30and saw Lenita struggling in the pool.
24:33I didn't have time to think.
24:35My heart was cold,
24:36but I couldn't let her drown.
24:38I leapt into the pool.
24:43I swam to her,
24:45grabbed her from behind,
24:46and dragged her toward the edge.
24:47Finally,
24:48I managed to push her to the edge
24:50so she could grab on,
24:52but my calf suddenly cramped.
24:54I lost my balance
24:56and gulped down some water.
24:58Something was in the water.
25:00Silver.
25:01Silver dust solution.
25:03The intense pain
25:04shot up my leg
25:05and straight to my heart.
25:07My vampire instincts
25:08were instantly suppressed,
25:10and my strength drained away.
25:12I struggled desperately.
25:14Soon, a figure rushed over.
25:16It was Cassian.
25:17His gaze swept over the water's surface.
25:20Without hesitation,
25:21he swam towards
25:22the still-struggling Lenora
25:23and pulled her to shore.
25:25Throughout the entire ordeal,
25:26he never spared a glance at me,
25:28struggling in the water,
25:29about to drown.
25:30The cold water
25:31rushed into my nostrils,
25:33but none of that
25:34compared with the despair
25:35in my heart.
25:36I watched Cassian,
25:37his attention fully on Lenora
25:39as he laid her flat on the ground,
25:41performing CPR with focus.
25:43With urgency,
25:44I couldn't hold on any longer.
25:46My consciousness
25:46was swallowed by darkness.
25:51When I woke up again,
25:52I was lying in a hospital bed.
25:54Cassian stood by the bedside,
25:56his face dark with anger.
25:57Seeing me open my eyes,
25:58he didn't show any concern,
26:00only a demand.
26:01Serafina,
26:02you can swim,
26:02so why couldn't you get
26:03Lenora out of the water in time?
26:05You almost caused her death.
26:06I opened my mouth
26:07wanting to say that,
26:08silver dust in it,
26:10suppressing my strength.
26:12But he didn't give me
26:13the chance to explain.
26:15I know you've been upset
26:16because she's taken
26:16my attention lately.
26:18His voice was cold.
26:19But how could you joke
26:20with her life?
26:21All the words stuck in my throat.
26:23And in the end,
26:24I stayed silent.
26:26Cassian had already
26:26passed judgment on me
26:27in his heart.
26:28No matter how much I said,
26:30it would only sound
26:31like an excuse.
26:33Seeing my silence,
26:34he assumed I was
26:35acknowledging my guilt.
26:37Take care of yourself.
26:39Lenina's been traumatized,
26:41and I need to be with her.
26:42With that,
26:43Cassian turned and left.
26:45On the day I was discharged,
26:47I ran into Cassian
26:48at the hospital entrance,
26:49coming to pick up Lenora.
26:50Lenora hooked her arms
26:51through Cassian's,
26:52and when she saw me,
26:53she smiled and thanked me.
26:54Serafina,
26:55thank you that day.
26:56If it weren't for you,
26:56I might have drowned.
26:57Cassian,
26:58standing beside her,
26:59didn't like what she said
27:00and grumbled.
27:00You're thanking her,
27:01but not me?
27:02Lenora laughed,
27:03ruffling Cassia's hair.
27:04All right,
27:05I'll thank you too,
27:05my savior.
27:06Then she stood on her tiptoes
27:08and gently kissed him
27:09on the cheek.
27:09Cassian froze,
27:10his eyes full of disbelief
27:12and a hint of joy.
27:12Seeing his expression,
27:14Lenora smiled even more softly.
27:16What's wrong?
27:17Didn't want me to thank you?
27:18When you were little,
27:19whenever you did something well,
27:20wasn't this how I rewarded you?
27:22His throat bobbed,
27:23but he didn't say anything.
27:24Cassian turned his gaze away from me,
27:26speaking in an indifferent tone.
27:28Tonight,
27:28the Thorn family's hosting a family dinner.
27:30You'll with me come.
27:31I instinctively wanted to refuse,
27:32but the words caught in my throat,
27:33because I too don't remember
27:35tonight was the night of the lunar eclipse,
27:36and the place I first landed in
27:38when I fell into this world
27:39was near a Thorn family estate
27:40in a secret garden.
27:41To return,
27:42I had to back to the beginning.
27:43I nodded silently.
27:46At the ancient Thorn family estate,
27:49he first took me to meet his parents.
27:51Cassian's parents were very fond of me,
27:53especially his mother,
27:54who immediately took off
27:56a family heirloom ring from her wrist,
27:58a ring bearing the family crest,
28:00and placed it on my finger.
28:01Mrs. Thorn,
28:02this is too valuable.
28:03I quickly protested.
28:05Since I had already decided to leave,
28:07I couldn't accept such a token
28:08of legacy and acknowledgement.
28:10Take it, child.
28:11It's my heartfelt gift,
28:13she insisted.
28:14I looked at the ring on my finger
28:15and felt it burn with discomfort.
28:17I planned to find a chance
28:19after the dinner
28:20to return it to Cassian.
28:21During the lively dinner,
28:22I quietly left my seat
28:24and went to the back garden
28:25of the estate,
28:26searching for the ancient Roman stone well
28:28from my memories.
28:30But instead of finding the well,
28:32I encountered Lenora.
28:33I nodded,
28:35intending to walk past her.
28:37Stop.
28:38Lenora called out to me.
28:39I turned to look at her.
28:40Her eyes landed on the ring
28:41on my finger,
28:42and her smile
28:43immediately disappeared.
28:45Serafina,
28:46don't think that just because
28:47you're wearing
28:48the Thorn family heirloom ring,
28:50you've really become
28:51the future lady of this house.
28:53Don't you know
28:53who he really loves?
28:54This ring?
28:56He'll eventually
28:56take it back from you.
28:57A needle seemed
28:58to pierce my heart.
28:59But more than that,
29:01it was ridiculous.
29:02You know he loves you?
29:04I asked calmly.
29:05Of course I do,
29:06Lenora said,
29:07her tone almost boastful.
29:09Kitten can't hide
29:10his feelings for me.
29:11Since the day I came back,
29:13every glance he's given me,
29:14every word he's spoken to me,
29:16has been telling me
29:17he loves me.
29:18Then why not accept him?
29:20Lenora brushed her hair back.
29:22We have a ten-year gap.
29:24If I agreed easily,
29:26he wouldn't value me.
29:28Men,
29:29especially someone like him,
29:31only want what they can't have.
29:35She looked at me
29:36with disdain.
29:37As for you,
29:39don't think he loves you so much.
29:41While I was overzee,
29:42every time he video called me,
29:44he was hiding it from me.
29:45Every time he saw me
29:46talking to another man,
29:48he'd get jealous
29:49and come back
29:50to vent on you.
29:52Serafina,
29:53you're just a tool
29:54to calm his desires for me.
29:56My face turned pale,
29:58so that's how it was.
29:59All those canceled dates
30:00over the past three years,
30:01his sudden bursts
30:02of passion and demands,
30:04it was all because of Lenora.
30:05Lenora smiled with satisfaction.
30:07So,
30:08be smart and leave.
30:10You're just not worthy of him.
30:12I closed my eyes for a moment.
30:14When I opened them again,
30:15all that was left in my gaze
30:16was calmness.
30:17I nodded softly.
30:19What I meant was
30:19that I would leave tonight,
30:21disappear for good.
30:22However,
30:23Lenora misunderstood,
30:24thinking that I didn't believe,
30:26or wasn't willing to leave.
30:27A cold glint
30:28flashed in her eyes.
30:30Seems you're too confident.
30:32She sneered.
30:33Fine.
30:34Let me show you
30:36how you're nothing
30:36compared to me
30:38in his heart.
30:39Before I could react,
30:40Lenora suddenly
30:41took a step back,
30:42leaned her body backward,
30:43and threw herself
30:44down the steep stone steps.
30:45At that moment,
30:47Cassian rushed
30:47around the corner.
30:49Lenora!
30:53Cassian saw Lenora
30:54lying at the bottom
30:55of the stairs,
30:55blood trickling
30:56from her forehead.
30:57He immediately
30:58looked up at me,
30:59his eyes filled
31:00with red rage.
31:01His fangs
31:02had already slipped
31:02from his lips.
31:04Seraphina!
31:05Why did you push her?
31:07I didn't.
31:09It's not her fault.
31:10Lenora's voice was weak.
31:12I accidentally
31:13made her angry.
31:15Sepafina,
31:16I never thought
31:17you would be malicious.
31:18Just because she said
31:19some things you didn't like,
31:21you'd go this far?
31:22Cassian ordered the servants
31:23who were rushing
31:24to the scene.
31:25Take her to the basement.
31:26Twenty slaps.
31:27Let her come her tringsing.
31:31Cassian's!
31:31I really didn't push her!
31:33Please trust me
31:34just this once!
31:35But Cassian
31:36didn't believe me.
31:37He picked up Lenora
31:38and left
31:38without looking back.
31:40I was roughly dragged
31:41to the basement
31:41by the servants.
31:42The whips cracked
31:43through the air,
31:44each one landing
31:45on my back.
31:46My skin split open.
31:47The silver-threaded whips
31:49felt like they were
31:49driving lead
31:50into my bones
31:51with each strike.
31:52I gritted my teeth,
31:54not begging for mercy,
31:56not crying out.
31:57I only focused
31:58on remembering
31:59the humiliation
32:00and pain.
32:01After twenty lashes,
32:02the servant
32:03coldly said,
32:04You'll stay here
32:04and reflect
32:05until Master
32:05comes back
32:06to deal with you.
32:07They locked the door
32:08and left.
32:09How could I reflect?
32:10I still needed
32:11to go home.
32:12I gritted my teeth
32:13and pulled the silver
32:14dust shards
32:15out of my wounds.
32:16My fingertips
32:17were burned black
32:18from the silver.
32:20The strength
32:21in my limbs
32:21slowly returned.
32:23I endured
32:23the intense pain
32:24in my back,
32:25struggled to get up,
32:26and slammed
32:27into the wooden door.
32:28The latch gave way.
32:29I pushed open the door
32:30and ran toward
32:31the secluded garden
32:32I remembered.
32:33She's escaped!
32:35Miss Serafina
32:36has run away!
32:37The alarmed voices
32:38and hurried footsteps
32:40followed behind me,
32:41faster,
32:42faster.
32:43Finally,
32:43in the furthest corner
32:44of the back garden,
32:46I found the ancient
32:47Roman stone well,
32:48half hidden by vines.
32:50At that moment,
32:51a giant blood moon
32:53was being swallowed
32:54by shadows
32:54in the night sky.
32:55The eclipse,
32:56the gate opens,
32:58the time has come.
32:59Miss Serafina,
33:01don't go there!
33:02The servants shouted
33:03in terror.
33:05Call Master!
33:06She's going to commit suicide!
33:08Suicide!
33:09I stopped
33:10at the edge of the well
33:11and glanced back
33:12toward the brightly lit mansion.
33:14Cassian,
33:14I am not killing myself.
33:16I'm going home.
33:17When you return,
33:18there will be nothing
33:19left of me here.
33:20Farewell.
33:21Just before the servants
33:22reached me
33:22and grabbed my sleeve,
33:24I leaped into the well.
33:25The cold water
33:26engulfed me instantly.
33:29A powerful pull
33:30came from the bottom
33:31of the well.
33:32Time and space
33:33twisted and spun.
33:34Just before I lost consciousness,
33:36I thought I heard
33:37someone shouting,
33:38Miss Serafina!
33:41But it was too late.
33:42When I opened
33:43my eyes again,
33:44I saw the familiar
33:46carved bed canopy.
33:48A maid standing
33:49by the bed
33:50rushed over
33:50when she saw
33:51I was awake.
33:52Princess,
33:53you're finally awake!
33:54You've been unconscious
33:55for three years!
33:56I was so scared!
33:58Princess,
33:59I've returned
34:00back to my blood court.
34:02Lyra,
34:03I spoke,
34:04my throat dry.
34:06It's me!
34:07Lyra tightly grasped
34:08my hand.
34:09You've been unconscious
34:10for three whole years,
34:12the elders said.
34:13I thought I would
34:14never be able
34:14to wake you!
34:15She was crying
34:16uncontrollably.
34:17Three years?
34:19I had spent
34:19three years
34:20in that world.
34:21And here,
34:22I had been
34:23asleep for three years
34:24as well.
34:25Outside the palace,
34:27hurried footsteps
34:27could be heard,
34:28followed to the guard's
34:29deep announcement.
34:31His Majesty,
34:32the Blood King,
34:33and the Queen
34:33are arriving.
34:35Father and Mother
34:36almost burst
34:37into the room.
34:38Seraphina!
34:38My Seraphina!
34:39My usually stern father
34:41was in tears,
34:42trembling as he
34:42stroked my cheek.
34:43Mother held me close.
34:44My child,
34:45my child,
34:46you finally woke up!
34:47I thought I would
34:48never see this day!
34:49Feeling my parents'
34:50real embrace,
34:50I felt like I had
34:51awakened from
34:52another lifetime.
34:53The three years
34:54in that world,
34:55the strange streets,
34:56Cassian's face,
34:57both gentle and cruel,
34:59Lenora's false smile,
35:00the painful lasses,
35:02it all felt like
35:03a long and twisted nightmare.
35:05Now,
35:06the dream had finally ended.
35:11I raised my hand gently
35:12and returned my mother's embrace,
35:13but my gaze fell on my arm.
35:15That spot had once been burned
35:16by scalding soup,
35:17leaving behind a red mark.
35:19Now,
35:19only a faint trace remained.
35:20The lashes on my back
35:21seemed to still ache slightly.
35:23That was the humiliation
35:24Cassian had bestowed upon me.
35:25Cassian.
35:26The name passed through my mind,
35:27but it no longer stirred
35:28a single ripple in my heart.
35:29That man,
35:30that world,
35:31and the heart I had given away
35:32were all completely buried
35:33deep within that ancient well,
35:35the link between the two worlds.
35:36From now on,
35:37I was the most esteemed prince
35:38of the Evenrose bloodline.
35:39I would never see the man
35:40named Cassian Thorne again.
35:41Meanwhile,
35:42in the human world,
35:43at the Thorne family estate,
35:45Cassius roared into his phone.
35:47What did you say?
35:48She jumped into the well?
35:51Cassian had just settled Lenora
35:52into the best private hospital
35:54and was about to return
35:55to deal with Seraphina.
35:57He was agitated,
35:59his mind torn between anger
36:00over Lenita's injury
36:01and a growing sense of unease.
36:04It was at this moment
36:05that he received a call
36:06from his servant.
36:08Young master,
36:10it's bad!
36:11Miss Seraphina,
36:12she,
36:13she jumped into the well!
36:15Jumped into the well
36:15to commit suicide.
36:17The four words
36:18sent Caspia's mind
36:19into a blank.
36:20Suicide?
36:21She would commit suicide?
36:24The girl he had pampered
36:25for three years,
36:26the soft and gentle
36:27Seraphina,
36:28who would kill himself
36:29over twenty lashes.
36:31Impossible.
36:32It had to be another trick.
36:34But when he rushed back
36:35to the estate in a frenzy
36:36and arrived at the well,
36:37he found the servants
36:38gathering around
36:39the well's edge.
36:42Cassian grabbed
36:43one of the servants.
36:44Where is she?
36:45Where is Seraphina?
36:47Young master,
36:48we couldn't stop her.
36:50She just jumped straight in.
36:51The servant cried out.
36:53We shouted,
36:54saying you were coming back,
36:56telling her not to give up.
36:57But...
36:58She smiled up at the sky
36:59and just jumped in.
37:00Cassian rushed
37:01to the edge of the well,
37:02his voice hoarse
37:03and desperate,
37:04shouting into
37:05the bottomless darkness.
37:07Seraphina,
37:08come out!
37:09Do you hear me?
37:11I command you,
37:12come out!
37:13All that echoed back
37:15was his hollow voice.
37:17An unprecedented panic
37:18quipped his heart.
37:21Go down.
37:23Get down there
37:24and fetch her.
37:25If she's alive,
37:26let us see her.
37:27If she's dead,
37:28let us see the body.
37:30However,
37:30the well was empty,
37:32except for mud,
37:33water plants,
37:34and a few scattered stones.
37:36No Seraphina,
37:37no pieces
37:37off my clothing,
37:39no thorn
37:39family heirloom ring
37:40on my hand.
37:42Nothing.
37:42A servant
37:43shrank back.
37:44Young master,
37:46something's wrong.
37:47There's nothing inside.
37:48Search.
37:50Cassian's eyes
37:51were bloodshot,
37:52his fist slamming
37:53into the edge
37:54of the well.
37:55His knuckles broke open,
37:56blood dripping down.
37:57He couldn't feel the pain.
38:00Use all the force you need.
38:03Even if you have to
38:04flip the earth
38:05upside down,
38:06find her.
38:07He refused to accept
38:09the possibility
38:10of suicide.
38:11He couldn't accept
38:13her simply vanishing.
38:14Seraphina,
38:16I'm back.
38:18Returning home,
38:19Cassian habitually
38:20called out.
38:21All he received
38:22was a deathly silence.
38:27Frustrated,
38:28Cassian tore off
38:29his collar
38:29and went upstairs,
38:31opening the bedroom door.
38:32The air still carried
38:34the faint scent of me.
38:36The bed was
38:36a little messy.
38:38Cassian walked over
38:39and saw a few
38:40of my long strands
38:41of hair on the pillow.
38:48He reached out
38:49and carefully
38:50picked up the hair.
38:52Suddenly,
38:52he clenched his fist,
38:54tightly grasping
38:55the strands of hair
38:56and his other hand
38:57slammed into the wall.
38:59Why?
39:01I only wanted
39:02to teach her a lesson.
39:03To make sure
39:04she never disrespects
39:06Lenora again.
39:07Cassian had never imagined
39:08I would leave
39:09in such a decisive way.
39:10No,
39:11it's impossible.
39:11She can't leave
39:12on her own.
39:13She said herself,
39:14this world only has herself.
39:16Exhausted,
39:17Cassian still had
39:18to go to the hospital
39:19to deal with
39:19Lenora's injuries.
39:21Lenora had a bandage
39:22on her forehead,
39:23looking pitiful.
39:24When she saw
39:25Cassian walk in,
39:26she immediately
39:27softened her expression
39:28and furrowed her brow.
39:31Kitten,
39:32you're here.
39:33My head hurts so much.
39:36The doctor said
39:37I might have
39:37a mild concussion.
39:38If it had been before,
39:40Cassian would have
39:41been heartbroken.
39:42But now,
39:43his mind was filled
39:44with the disappearance
39:45of Serafina.
39:46Cassian interrupted
39:47her impatiently.
39:49Enough,
39:49Lenora.
39:50The doctor said
39:51it's just a superficial wound.
39:53Serafina's already
39:54been punished.
39:55What more do you
39:55want from her?
39:56If it weren't for me
39:57making her kneel
39:58in the ancestral hall,
40:00she wouldn't,
40:00wouldn't have run away.
40:02The last word,
40:03run,
40:03he spoke with
40:04extreme difficulty.
40:05He still refused
40:07to admit the possibility
40:08of suicide.
40:09Lenora was stunned
40:10by his rebuke.
40:12Cassian,
40:12are you
40:13blaming me?
40:14Is she pushed me?
40:15I said enough.
40:18Cassian suddenly
40:19pulled his arm
40:19away from her grasp.
40:21The matter isn't settled yet,
40:22and I don't want
40:23to hear this anymore.
40:26This was the first time
40:27Cassian had so harshly
40:29rebuked Lenora
40:30for Serafina.
40:31Even he was stunned.
40:33Lenora looked at
40:34the irritation
40:34and distance
40:35in his eyes,
40:36her face turning pale.
40:38To get to the truth
40:39about who pushed her,
40:40Cassian accessed
40:41the surveillance footage
40:42from the back garden
40:43of the estate.
40:44The footage clearly
40:45showed Serafina
40:46and Lenora
40:47talking briefly
40:48at the top
40:48of the stairs.
40:49Then,
40:50when I was
40:50completely unprepared,
40:52Lenora suddenly
40:52stepped back,
40:53lost her balance,
40:54and fell down
40:55the stairs.
40:56That in that moment,
40:57I instinctively
40:58reached out
40:59to grab her,
40:59but I missed.
41:00It wasn't Serafina
41:02who pushed her.
41:02Lenora fell on her own.
41:04Lenora had even
41:05slandered Serafina.
41:07Cassian sat frozen,
41:08as though struck
41:09by lightning.
41:10He thought back
41:11to his earlier reproach,
41:12to the twenty lashes
41:13had ordered,
41:14to the too sadding
41:16look in my eyes
41:16when I was dragged away.
41:18I didn't push her.
41:19Please trust me
41:20just this once.
41:22That's what I had screamed,
41:23but did Cassian believe me?
41:25He only believed
41:25Lenora's malicious accusations.
41:27He suddenly stood up,
41:29the chair falling backward.
41:30He rushed back
41:31to the hospital.
41:32The hospital door
41:33was slammed open.
41:34Lenora,
41:35who was having
41:35her dressing changed,
41:36jumped in surprise.
41:38Cassian walked
41:39to her bedside,
41:40shoving the phone screen
41:41in front of her,
41:42displaying the frozen frame
41:43from the surveillance footage.
41:45It showed the moment
41:46when she had stepped back
41:48and lost her balance.
41:49He glared at her
41:50with fury.
41:52Lenora,
41:53tell me,
41:53what is this?
41:55Lenora's face
41:56turned pale instantly,
41:58her eyes flickering.
41:59She grabbed his sleeve,
42:01crying pitifully.
42:03Kitten,
42:04listen to me.
42:05I wasn't trying to frame her.
42:06I just got confused.
42:08Looking at her now hideous face,
42:10the fortress of love
42:11that Cassian had built
42:12inside him collapsed,
42:14a piece of it
42:14crumbling away.
42:17For the first time,
42:19he found this face,
42:20which had once made
42:21his heart flutter,
42:22now looking so false.
42:23He shook off her hand,
42:25his eyes icy.
42:27Confused?
42:27Your moment of confusion
42:29almost cost a life.
42:30How could you be
42:31this kind of Ren?
42:32Cassian turned
42:33and left.
42:33Meanwhile,
42:34the search for my whereabouts
42:36continued.
42:36Mr. Thorne,
42:38we've checked all city traffic
42:39hub surveillance records.
42:41There's no sign
42:42of Ms. Ruffin
42:42and his movements.
42:44We've asked everyone
42:45who might know her.
42:46No one has seen her recently.
42:48How could someone
42:49disappear so completely
42:50in the modern world?
42:51No electronic traces.
42:53Not a penny of the money
42:54he gave her
42:55had been spent.
42:56A thought,
42:57something he had dismissed
42:59for three years,
43:00began to uncontrollably
43:02grow in his mind.
43:05Could it be true
43:06what she said?
43:07Did she really come
43:08from the old world?
43:09So,
43:10she hadn't committed suicide,
43:12nor had she hidden away.
43:13She had gone back?
43:15The thought terrified him.
43:18In the days that followed,
43:20Cassius became
43:21a different person.
43:22He locked himself
43:23in the house,
43:24spending all his time
43:25with a bottle of alcohol.
43:27One day,
43:28he drunkenly stumbled
43:28into his study
43:29and accidentally
43:30knocked over
43:31a cardboard box.
43:32It was the box
43:33where he had placed
43:34my belongings
43:34when I first arrived.
43:36By some strange impulse,
43:38Cassius opened the box
43:39and the contents
43:40instantly sobered him up.
43:42At the top of the box
43:43was a crumpled
43:44movie ticket stub
43:45from the first movie
43:46Cassian had taken me to.
43:48I had laughed
43:48like a child.
43:49Underneath that
43:50was a sketch
43:51he had drawn
43:52of my side profile.
43:54He hadn't known
43:55I had secretly kept it.
43:57Below that
43:58was a locked diary.
44:00The lock was simple
44:01and he tried
44:02the date he found me.
44:04It opened.
44:07The handwriting inside
44:09was crooked,
44:10full of joyful memories
44:11about him.
44:13November 7th,
44:14Cassian taught me
44:15how to use something
44:16called a phone.
44:17It took me a long time
44:18to figure it out.
44:19He didn't think
44:20I was stupid
44:21and even patted my head.
44:23April 19th,
44:25Cassian did it again.
44:26He bit my ear
44:27and told me
44:28I was his.
44:29I felt so shy
44:31but with him
44:32I didn't mind.
44:33If this could always
44:34be the way it is
44:35I wouldn't care
44:36about going home.
44:37June 22nd,
44:38Cassian seems unhappy.
44:40Is it because of Lenora?
44:42I need to be
44:43even more obedient
44:44so I don't upset him.
44:46The last entry
44:47was just before
44:48the lunar eclipse.
44:49I saw the stars.
44:52In seven days
44:53I'll go home.
44:55I'm so confused.
44:58Will Cassian
44:59come with me?
45:01His hands shook violently
45:03as he held the diary.
45:05The jewelry
45:07and fine clothes
45:08Cassian gave me
45:09never mattered
45:10but these small things,
45:12these tokens
45:13he gave save so casually
45:15I had cherished them
45:16as treasures.
45:18I had treated
45:20his occasional kindness
45:21as something precious.
45:23I had engraved
45:24his false love
45:25into my bones.
45:28I had even thought
45:29about abandoning
45:30my only chance
45:31to return home.
45:34Staying in this
45:34strange world
45:35just because
45:36he was here.
45:39And how had Cassian
45:41repaid my love?
45:43He had treated me
45:44as a cure
45:45for his desires
45:46something he could
45:48discard
45:49whenever he wished.
45:51For a liar
45:52he had repeatedly
45:54hurt me
45:54pushing me
45:56to the brink.
45:57Cassian pressed
45:58the diary
45:59tightly to his chest.
46:01At that moment
46:02his trusted confidant
46:04who had been
46:05investigating Lenora's
46:06background
46:07return.
46:08A thick stack
46:10of photos
46:10and documents
46:11was placed
46:12in front of him.
46:15The materials
46:17showed that Lenora
46:18had lived
46:18a very decadent
46:20life overseas
46:20juggling affairs
46:22with multiple
46:23wealthy men.
46:24Her return
46:25was only because
46:26she had nowhere
46:27else to go.
46:29Looking at
46:30the irrefutable
46:30evidence
46:31Cassian's world
46:33completely shattered.
46:35The woman
46:35he had cherished
46:36for ten years
46:37the one he was
46:38willing to die
46:39for
46:40had been a
46:41carefully woven
46:42lie from the start
46:43and for this liar
46:45he had driven away
46:46the one who
46:47truly loved him.
46:49He collapsed
46:49to the floor
46:50suddenly bursting
46:51into laughter
46:52laughing
46:53but tears
46:54surged from his eyes.
46:56Cassian had lost
46:58lost
46:59completely.
47:00He had lost
47:01the only woman
47:02who truly loved him
47:03and the girl
47:04he had lost
47:05where was she now?
47:07he had lost
47:07GOT
47:07was he had lost
47:09Baltimore
47:09Hue
47:09was she
47:09a
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