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00:00My half-sister and I both chose a Beastkin mate in our last life.
00:04She picked first and chose the Leopardkin Kaolan, with the perfect looks and powerful family background.
00:10I had no choice but to pick the lowly Elf King.
00:14Three years later, the Leopardkin's mistress and Barstar knelt before my sister and humiliated her completely.
00:20Meanwhile, I took control of the entire Elven court and earned my husband's devotion.
00:25She pushed me off a cliff out of jealousy.
00:36When I opened my eyes, I was back on the day we chose our mates.
00:40My sister barely concealed the excitement in her voice as she rushed to wrap her arms around the Elf King's
00:46arm.
00:46I knew then, that she had been reborn too.
00:49The Elf is lustful by nature.
00:51I wonder how long she'll last.
00:53When Helena threw her arms around Elf King, even her mom Lady Ashford went still.
00:57The Elf Clan was considered the lowest race, cold-blooded, unfaithful.
01:03In every sense, the Leopardkin, by contrast, made it.
01:06One wife, no exceptions.
01:08Loyalty written into their bones.
01:10And the Leopardkin male standing in the room today was the future clan leader.
01:14Sharp-eyed, broad-shouldered.
01:16The kind of man every woman in the room had been silently fascinated about.
01:20The Helena still wouldn't let go of that arm.
01:22Lady Ashford's expression curdled.
01:24She'd brought the Elf King here specifically to humiliate me.
01:27She hadn't planned on her own daughter falling for it.
01:30Are you sure about this?
01:32Mother, he's the only one I'll ever marry.
01:34Even the Elf King turned to look at her, his thumb slowly caressing her skin.
01:40Lady Ashford pressed her lips together and gave in.
01:44With that settled, the Leopardkin male Kalen turned to me.
01:47He dipped his head in a slight, unhurried bow.
01:50Then it's you.
01:52Miss Mara, I'll send the betrothal gifts tomorrow.
01:55In my past life, it was Helena who had chosen Kalen.
01:58She'd walked into House Ashvale as its new mistress,
02:02draped in the prestige of the most powerful Leopardkin family in the region.
02:06He seemed devoted to the surface three years of polished appearance.
02:10Then a woman appeared at the gate with his ten-year-old son.
02:17Helena came apart.
02:19She ran home to her mother, dignity in pieces.
02:22But Kalen had spent years building his reputation carefully.
02:25He brought the woman and boy home under the excuse of a drunken mistake.
02:29And to protect the Leopardkin tradition against taking a second wife,
02:33he divorced Helena outright.
02:35Lady Ashford marched back to House Ashvale to demand answers.
02:38The mistress met them at the door.
02:40I'm Lady Ashvale now.
02:42Your daughter aren't anymore.
02:43What exactly are you going to do about that?
02:46Give it time.
02:47I'll be the clan leader's wife.
02:49Then his mother.
02:50Helena unraveled.
02:51She sat in the courtyard every day vacant and muttering.
02:54When someone passed close end.
02:55I'm the clan leader's wife!
02:57I am! I am!
02:58Both hands, her face twisting.
03:00My elf king husband, by contrast, had been born into nothing.
03:02But he dismissed every one of his kept women.
03:04He trained relentlessly and built his court up from scraps.
03:07People said I'd made the better choice after all.
03:10Even Lady Ashford, who had never bothered to hide her contempt for me,
03:13started showing up at my door with fake smiles, asking me to visit.
03:17Then Helena had one of her lucid moments.
03:19She lured me to the edge of the cliff.
03:21I'll drag you down to hell!
03:24Her eyes hatred as she shoved me over.
03:27Now she's chosen my husband instead.
03:29I wonder if she can handle the elf king's excessive affection.
03:37Three days later, my servant Lily told me that Helena and her elf king had been meeting in secret.
03:42Someone had spotted them coming out of an alley together.
03:45Clothes barely clinging to them.
03:47Her face flushed.
03:48Half the street had seen it.
03:49But we hadn't officially married into the family yet.
03:52This was not allowed.
03:53She came to me the same afternoon, brimming.
03:55Obviously.
03:56My fiancé loves me.
03:58This is just how he shows his love for me.
04:00Mind your own business.
04:01If you say a single word to mother about any of it, I'll make your life miserable.
04:05I just watched her go.
04:07She looked nothing like the girl she used to be.
04:09The softness was gone on our wedding day.
04:11Two wedding horse carriage left the estate together.
04:13I knew why he'd gone through this now.
04:15The matriarch once said to him,
04:17You are the only heir.
04:19You must marry a noble woman.
04:20To continue the bloodline, that was the only condition for me to inherit clan leadership.
04:26But his mistress was lowborn, ineligible.
04:28He needed a proper wife.
04:30If she gave him a son first, better either way.
04:33Raven!
04:34Sorry, everyone.
04:35My son misses his father.
04:38His father?
04:39Was this his mistress?
04:44He got confused.
04:46He didn't mean anything by it.
04:50Today is my wedding.
04:52Can't you keep your child in hand?
04:54If he'd startled the horse carriage, I'd have had all your heads.
04:57Get them out of here!
04:58The woman's face went white.
05:00I'm so sorry.
05:02We're leaving.
05:05I wasn't about to let this dissolve quietly, husband.
05:07Don't be so hard on them.
05:09The child didn't mean any harm, and today is a happy occasion.
05:13I actually need another servant woman as my side if she's willing.
05:16She could come along with us.
05:18Actually, her appearance was arranged by me beforehand.
05:21I got my own plan.
05:22This woman had one obsession becoming Lady Ashvale now that Kaelin had taken a wife.
05:26She was already fraying at the edges.
05:28So if I offered her a door to the estate, she'd walk through it without thinking.
05:34She hesitated for half a breath, then looked away from Kaelin's sharp warning stare.
05:39Thank you, ma'am.
05:41The carriage rolled on.
05:42She followed behind, boy in hand.
05:44What my sister didn't know was that even if I were to live again,
05:47I would still be capable of solving any thorny problem.
05:50No, she would never be able to, and she would never know.
05:56He got confused.
05:57He didn't mean anything by it.
06:01Today is my wedding.
06:03Can't you keep your child in hand?
06:05If he'd startled the horse carriage, I'd have had all your heads.
06:08Get them out of here.
06:10The woman's face went white.
06:12I'm so sorry.
06:13We're leaving.
06:16I wasn't about to let this dissolve quietly, husband.
06:19Don't be so hard on them.
06:21The child didn't mean any harm, and today is a happy occasion.
06:24I actually need another servant woman as my side if she's willing.
06:28She could come along with us.
06:29Actually, her appearance was arranged by me beforehand.
06:32I got my own plan.
06:34This woman had one obsession becoming Lady Ashvale now that Kaelin had taken a wife.
06:38She was already fraying at the edges.
06:39So if I offered her a door to the estate, she'd walk through it without thinking.
06:45She hesitated for half a breath, then looked away from Kaelin's sharp warning stare.
06:51Thank you, ma'am.
06:53The carriage rolled on.
06:54She followed behind, boy in hand.
06:56What my sister didn't know was that even if I were to live again, I would still be capable
07:00of solving any thorny problem.
07:02She would never be able to, and she would never know.
07:07The crowd murmured approvingly along the route.
07:10The new Lady Ashvale is something else.
07:14After the ceremony, I sat at my vanity and began fixing my hair.
07:18My servant Lily dismissed the others and shut the door.
07:22Ma'am, the master just had a servant quietly move that woman and boy into the side courtyard.
07:27The leopardkin has rules against taking a second wife, and he's doing this on your wedding night.
07:31We could expose him right now.
07:33Go back to your family and end this before it starts.
07:36Calm down, I didn't come here to lose to a kept woman.
07:39I had no family worth running back to.
07:41No mother, no father who would take my side against the ash wheels.
07:44I'd walk through that gate as a piece on someone else's board.
07:47If I walked back out, I'd be spit on from every direction.
07:49I hadn't come all this way for nothing.
07:52What I wanted was house Ashwell itself.
07:55Kaelin could rot on the inside.
07:56I didn't need him to be good, I needed him to give me an air.
07:59A knock at the door.
08:00My leverage just arrived.
08:03Kaelin was drunk, but gracefully so.
08:05His steps wandered a little.
08:07It did nothing to make him less attractive.
08:09Lily moved to support him.
08:10I only want my wife.
08:12I swallowed contempt rising in my chest and sent Lily out.
08:16He played the part of a restrained gentleman, even when he was half gone.
08:19I had to admire consistency.
08:22I took his arm.
08:27You've had too much.
08:28Should I have the kitchen send sobering drink?
08:31The kitchen sat close to the side courtyard.
08:34At this hour, they'd probably be preparing food for his little family.
08:39No.
08:40This is our wedding night.
08:42Don't leave.
08:46In my past life, Kaelin used drunkenness as an excuse to avoid Helena's wedding bed entirely.
08:53She'd had to fight for three months before he relented.
08:58If this was going to happen eventually, I'd rather it happen on my terms and in my time.
09:03I let myself go still.
09:06Let my body stop resisting.
09:08Kaelin's voice dropped.
09:10Whatever restraint he'd been maintaining came loose.
09:15I was too exhausted to move a finger.
09:17I passed out where I lay.
09:19He was the one who cleaned me up afterward.
09:21We were late for the morning tea ceremony.
09:23The matriarch was good-natured about it.
09:25She directed her mild scolding at Kaelin.
09:27My fault entirely.
09:29We did that late.
09:30I kept her up.
09:31Don't blame her.
09:32My face burned.
09:33I knew I liked you the moment I saw you.
09:35I was half afraid they'd send that other girl.
09:38Luckily, she made a fool of herself so we could have a better bargain.
09:42You're the lady of this house now.
09:43These belong to you.
09:45There's no rush and nothing to be afraid of.
09:47If you need guidance, come to me.
09:49I kept my hands steady as I accepted them.
09:52With those keys, no one in this estate would question my standing.
09:55No one could use my birth against me.
09:57In my past life, as a wife in the elven court, I'd had to claw my way through sisters-in
10:02-law,
10:02who outranked me by blood and never.
10:04The matriarch saw my expression shift.
10:06She sighed softly and took the bracelet off her own wrist, placing it onto mine.
10:10You have suffered enough.
10:13Caelan, you treat her well from here on.
10:16On the way back from the matriarch's rooms, I walked half a step behind Caelan, already
10:21thinking through which accounts to look at first.
10:24Around what you planned to do about that woman and the boy?
10:26And tucked my hand into the crook of his arm.
10:29I didn't realize you were so concerned about them.
10:32Isn't that sweet of you?
10:33He avoided my eyes.
10:34I just feel sorry for them.
10:36A widow with a child.
10:38Perhaps they could work in the outer courtyard, do some light tasks.
10:44The outer courtyard was full of staff.
10:46No one would track a woman's particular history there.
10:49Caelan would find ways to meet with her in private.
10:51Use the crowd as cover.
10:53A pretty woman with a child alone, people might take advantage of it.
10:57You really haven't thought this through, have you?
11:00What if we put them somewhere quieter, near the garden behind the study?
11:03Caelan's brow tightened almost imperceptibly.
11:06Good thinking.
11:07There's a small room off the study anyway.
11:09They can stay there.
11:11How thoughtful of you.
11:12I smiled.
11:13My nails were nearly through my palm.
11:14The study he'd have every excuse to be near her, and the boy he'd be able to teach him in
11:18private.
11:19In a few years when our child comes, I'll make sure they have the best of everything.
11:22I leaned against him.
11:23The passing maids whispered to each other.
11:25The master and mistress so in love.
11:27His mistress Reva heard it too.
11:30That same night, she went to find Caelan, and he turned her away at the door.
11:34Three nights in a row, he came to my room instead.
11:39The day we returned to visit my family home, Helena didn't arrive until almost noon.
11:44She swept into the room, glowing cheeks high with color, trailing a thick cloud of powder and perfume.
11:49Lady Ashford stared at her for a long moment.
11:51Don't fuss, mother.
11:52My husband spoils me very restorative herbs.
11:54I noticed that her figure had changed, filled out in a way that read less like health and more like
11:59something under strain.
12:01Your husband runs cold, I hear.
12:03He's distant with you, that's just how it goes.
12:05Don't take it personally.
12:07I said nothing.
12:08I took my time looking at her.
12:09She seemed bright on the surface, but her steps were unsteady.
12:12She kept touching her lower back without realizing it.
12:15That kind of bloom didn't come from nourishment.
12:17It came from the Elf King's greediness.
12:20Something dark moved through her.
12:23Helena's hand froze in midair.
12:25She stared at Caelan in shock stunned by how different he was from the man in our previous lives.
12:30How is this possible?
12:36Now that everyone's here, why don't we sit down for lunch?
12:41My mom was my father's mistress once, when my mother had a bad fever and I'd gone to beg for
12:46a doctor.
12:46I'd knelt in the courtyard in the snow.
12:48The snow piled up on my shoulders while Lady Ashford and Helena stayed warm inside, laughing at something about me.
12:54She finally came out when I nearly passed out.
12:56Get the doctor.
12:57Don't let her die in my yard.
12:58It's bad luck.
12:59The doctor came, he kept my mother alive a little longer.
13:02Keep going, I'm not out.
13:04I never got to go back to her.
13:06By the time I was reborn, she was already gone.
13:09My master, let's eat.
13:12The table Helena and the Elf King fed each other and giggled like they were alone in the room.
13:16She shot me every few minutes daring me to react.
13:19Lady Ashford was trying to remind Helena to behave properly, but Helena snapped back loud enough for the table to
13:25hear.
13:25My husband loves me.
13:26Am I supposed to be ashamed of that?
13:29Should I live like I'm already a widow?
13:34The moment the meal was done, she dragged the Elf King out the door.
13:37Kaelin and I didn't linger much longer.
13:39We returned to Asheville soon after.
13:42Raver, you have a gift for this.
13:44Come and do this for me every day.
13:47I hadn't realized she'd caught your eye.
13:50She came to the manor on our wedding day.
13:52A sad case.
13:54No family.
13:55I've tried to look out for her a little.
13:57You've got a good heart.
13:59I always knew it.
14:01Asheville is lucky to have you.
14:03Settled naturally with the matriarch into discussion of the household's recent affairs.
14:07At an important point, Nana White waved Reva out without a second glance.
14:11The look in Reva's eyes as she left was pure jealousy.
14:14Over the following days, Reva worked hard to endear herself to Granny White attending her morning and evening, massaging her
14:21shoulders, batting her back.
14:22The matriarch was charmed and gave her several valuable gifts.
14:26Kaelin quietly warned Reva multiple times to be careful.
14:29To keep a lower profile, it had no effect eventually.
14:31He gave up and stopped going to see her entirely.
14:34He even began handling his affairs from my room.
14:36I was busy.
14:37I was working through the full extent of Asheville's assets.
14:40The shops, the properties, the land deeds.
14:43The estate was substantial.
14:44The accounts were tangled and deep.
14:46Once I had a clear picture, I summoned the heads of every major business.
14:49They arrived curious and uncertain.
14:51The moment they saw me, they understood.
14:53The new lady of the house was establishing authority.
14:59The moment the meal was done, she dragged the elf king out the door.
15:03Kaelin and I didn't linger much longer.
15:05We returned to Asheville soon after.
15:08Reva, you have a gift for this.
15:10Come and do this for me every day.
15:12I hadn't realized she'd caught your eye.
15:15She came to the manor on our wedding day.
15:18A sad case.
15:19No family.
15:21I've tried to look out for her a little.
15:23You've got a good heart.
15:24I always knew it.
15:26Asheville is lucky to have you.
15:29Settled naturally with the matriarch into discussion of the household's recent affairs.
15:33At an important point, Nana White waved Reva out without a second glance.
15:37The look in Reva's eyes as she left was so worked hard to endear herself to Granny White attending her
15:42morning and evening, massaging her shoulders, batting her back.
15:44The matriarch was charmed and gave her several valuable gifts.
15:48Kaelin quietly warned Reva multiple times to be careful.
15:51To keep a lower profile, it had no effect eventually.
15:54He gave up and stopped going to see her entirely.
15:56He even began handling his affairs from my room.
15:59I was busy.
15:59I was working through the full extent of Asheville's assets.
16:02The shops, the properties, the land deeds.
16:05The estate was substantial.
16:06The accounts were tangled and deep.
16:08Once I had a clear picture, I summoned the heads of every major business.
16:12They arrived curious and uncertain.
16:14The moment they saw me, they understood.
16:16The new lady of the house was establishing authority.
16:22Understanding this, their manner took on a subtle edge of condescension.
16:26I didn't rush.
16:27I drank half a cup of coffee before I gestured for them to sit.
16:31Granny White has given me full responsibility for House Asheville's affairs.
16:35Her trust deserves to be honored.
16:37These are the ledgers from each of your businesses over the past three months.
16:41The irregularities have already been noted.
16:43Lily set the ledgers on the table and shook out a small leather-bound book covered in my annotations.
16:48The men exchanged glances.
16:50Those with clean hands sat calmly.
16:52A few others had gone visibly pale and were sweating.
16:55I caught Lily's eye.
16:56Lily took the book and dropped it into the brazier.
16:58We have a new administration.
17:00The past stays in the past.
17:02But I do not tolerate dishonesty.
17:04I trust you all understand that.
17:05The men looked at each other and wiped their foreheads.
17:08Yes, my lady.
17:09Understood completely.
17:10Running the household was not enough.
17:11The shop managers looked unimportant on the surface.
17:14But they were the foundation of the Leopard Clan's wealth.
17:17To hold real power, I needed to hold this.
17:20I dealt with the end of the business and returned to the manor.
17:23I arrived to find Reva in the courtyard, face bright.
17:26The boy pressed against her side.
17:28Kaylin stood nearby looking at them with a quiet smile.
17:31I paused for only half a breath.
17:34What's happening?
17:38He stiffened.
17:39The boy's gift has awakened.
17:41The smile froze in my mouth.
17:43In that other life, this child hadn't shown any talent until three years after entering the household.
17:48He was early by years.
17:49I bent down and patted the boy on the head with a smile.
17:52Clever boy.
17:53Awakening your gift this young.
17:55What a comfort you must be to your mother.
17:58You had better treat her well.
17:59The boy glared at me.
18:00Bad woman!
18:01You stole my father!
18:03My lady, I'm so sorry.
18:06I spoiled him terribly.
18:08He doesn't know what he's saying.
18:10He certainly has been spoiled.
18:12Speaking out of turn to your beaters is a serious breach.
18:15By the laws of this household, he will kneel in the courtyard for two hours.
18:20Reva went white.
18:21She looked instinctively toward Kaylin.
18:23Kaylin frowned.
18:24The child is young.
18:25Don't be so hard on him.
18:27When a child has no father to teach him, his mother must do it instead.
18:30I turned to Kaylin.
18:32Or are you saying I no longer have authority in my own household?
18:36That a servant matters more to you than your wife?
18:39He closed his mouth.
18:41Reva grabbed my sleeve.
18:42Tears were already falling.
18:46My lady, I'm nothing.
18:48But I'm supposed to a Granny White soon.
18:50If I'm late, she may be displeased.
18:52I gave a cold laugh and had a chair brought out to the courtyard.
18:55I sat down.
18:55How impressive.
18:57A servant who walked in from outside the gates, daring to correct her mistress.
19:01Samozan asks Granny White if she wishes to discipline a servant who has spoken out of turn and uses her
19:07position to threaten her better.
19:08Lily was already moving.
19:10Kaylin finally lost his patience.
19:12Don't you think this has gone far enough?
19:14The boy didn't mean any harm.
19:16Reva hid behind him, fingers clutching his sleeve.
19:19Standing together like that, they looked like a family.
19:22I ignored them.
19:23I picked up my coffee and drank.
19:26Kaylin was shaking with suppressed anger.
19:28Lily's voice carried across the yard before they could.
19:31Granny White says let him kneel.
19:33Three hours.
19:34Then cut off their meals and confine them to the storage rooms.
19:37I smiled and looked at Kaylin frozen in place.
19:41Well, husband?
19:42Then I walked past them and left.
19:44Kaylin wouldn't openly defy the matriarch.
19:47Whatever his feelings, he had not yet inherited full control of House Ashvale.
19:51And the old patriarch, cold and sharp and silent as a blade, listened only to his wife in all things,
19:57and gave even his own son very little ground.
20:00I had known from the beginning that the matriarch was the key.
20:03I had made sure to earn her genuine affection.
20:08My lady, I'm nothing.
20:10But I'm supposed to a Granny White soon.
20:12If I'm late, she may be displeased.
20:14I gave a cold laugh and had a chair brought out to the courtyard.
20:16I sat down.
20:17How impressive.
20:18A servant who walked in from outside the gates, daring to correct her mistress.
20:23Some wasn't asks Granny White if she wishes to discipline a servant who has spoken out of turn and uses
20:28her position to threaten her betters.
20:30Lily was already moving.
20:32Kaylin finally lost his patience.
20:34Don't you think this has gone far enough?
20:36The boy didn't mean any harm.
20:38Rava hid behind him, fingers clutching his sleeve.
20:41Standing together like that, they looked like a family.
20:44I ignored them.
20:45I picked up my coffee and drank.
20:47Kaylin was shaking with suppressed anger.
20:50Lily's voice carried across the yard before they could.
20:53Granny White says let him kneel.
20:55Three hours.
20:56Then cut off their meals and confine them to the storage rooms.
21:00I smiled and looked at Kaylin frozen in place.
21:02Well, husband?
21:04Then I walked past them and left.
21:06Kaylin wouldn't openly defy the matriarch.
21:08Whatever his feelings, he had not yet inherited full control of House Ashevale.
21:13And the old patriarch, cold and sharp and silent as a blade,
21:17listened only to his wife in all things,
21:19and gave even his own son very little ground.
21:22I had known from the beginning that the matriarch was the key.
21:25I had made sure to earn her genuine affection.
21:30That night, Kaylin did not come back to her room.
21:33He sent a servant to say he was sleeping in his studies.
21:36Lily fumed.
21:37The study.
21:37Right.
21:38Gone to keep that woman and her boy company.
21:41I thought my lady had finally found something good.
21:43Now it turns out he's just another faithless beast.
21:46I sat at my desk, calm, working through the ledgers.
21:49Kaylin was a predator by nature.
21:50Then I would be the soft, charitable creature who absorbed everything he had,
21:54one quiet bite at a time.
21:56The following morning, the news was everywhere.
21:58Lord Kaylin of Asheville kept a mistress.
22:01Her son was seven years old.
22:02No one knew where the rumor started.
22:04But the woman's name, her origins,
22:06her address, and a description of the boy himself had all been exposed in full.
22:10The reputation Kaylin had spent years carefully building was destroyed in a single morning.
22:14Within the Leopard Clan, the backlash was immediate.
22:17Helena sent word through a messenger.
22:19She said I would eventually be cast aside,
22:21and that when that happened, she shouldn't come crawling.
22:23But word had it that Helena was more entangled with the Elf King than ever.
22:27She had passed out in bed several times already.
22:30Multiple physicians had told them plainly to stop.
22:33It made no difference.
22:35Helena was taking tonic after tonic,
22:37holding her body together through sheer stubbornness.
22:40The Elf King, meanwhile, seemed sharper than ever.
22:43His power had grown considerably.
22:45I set the letter aside.
22:46Kaylin's voice came through the door, strained.
22:49My lady, please believe me.
22:51That boy has nothing to do with me.
22:56Lily swore at him.
22:57Several rounds of it.
22:59He knew he had no ground to stand on and didn't argue back.
23:02When Lily had finally worn herself out, I walked out slowly.
23:07My lady.
23:08His eyes lit up.
23:09He grabbed her sleeve.
23:10You believe me.
23:11Granny White came through the courtyard gate at the same moment,
23:14walking stick in hand.
23:16She brought it down on Kaylin's back without a word of warning.
23:19She stopped only when blood showed through the cloth.
23:22Then she turned to me with tears in her eyes.
23:25My child.
23:26This house owes you an apology.
23:29I know what you've endured,
23:31but the clan is calling for this fool to be stripped of his standing.
23:34My hands are tied.
23:35Write him a letter of dismissal.
23:37House Asheville will not leave you with nothing.
23:39My eyes went red at the rims.
23:41I dropped my chin, one hand resting against my stomach, voice unsteady.
23:45But I am carrying his child.
23:47Are you asking me to leave with it?
23:50Both Granny White and Kaylin went still.
23:52A long silence.
23:53Kaylin stared at my stomach.
23:55When he finally spoke, his voice was barely there.
23:58I have wronged you.
24:03Send that woman and her boy out of this house immediately.
24:07House Asheville has one lady.
24:08Her child will be the next head of this house.
24:11The only one.
24:12You're the only one who truly wants me here.
24:14I thought Asheville was going to turn me out.
24:17On the surface, I was overcome with gratitude.
24:19Inside, nothing moved at all.
24:21From this day forward, Kaylin had no path to the landlord's seat.
24:25Reva and the boy, without House Asheville behind them, amounted to nothing.
24:29All those careful months of maneuvering had come to this.
24:31In a corner where no one was watching, a trace of satisfaction surfaced in my eyes.
24:36Reva and the boy wept and screamed at the manor gates for half a day.
24:40They aired everything.
24:41Every promise Kaylin had ever made them.
24:43The passersby listened and shook their heads.
24:45Whatever remained of Kaylin's upright image was finished.
24:48I meanwhile, came out of everyone's mouths as the generous,
24:52gracious wife who had put up with far too much.
24:54Helena had been watching from the road, intending to laugh.
24:57She wandered into the front hall instead, looking dazed.
25:00To what do I owe the visit, sister?
25:02You came all this way yourself.
25:04Helena smiled.
25:05There was exhaustion underneath it.
25:07How did you manage it?
25:08When you have a better option available, why settle?
25:12Helena understood immediately.
25:14She stared at my stomach.
25:15You are simply lucky.
25:17Everything falls your way at exact the right moment.
25:19My smile faded.
25:20I took a sip of coffee.
25:25If I were truly lucky, my mother would not have died in front of me.
25:28I would not have spent years navigating House Ashwheel's undercurrents,
25:31bending and yielding, with no one's protection but my own cunning.
25:35Lucky was not the word for any of it.
25:37I hear you haven't been well, sister.
25:39You do look fragile.
25:43I am perfectly fine.
25:45My husband has dismissed every kept woman in his household and comes only to me.
25:50I run the house.
25:51No one dares challenge me.
25:53The elf king's concubines before the wedding had been in terrible condition, marked up and
25:58hollowed out.
25:58He had dismissed them not out of love, but to avoid scrutiny.
26:02When he came to Helena's room, it was not affection that drove him.
26:06It was appetite.
26:08Helena could endure it now.
26:10But the longer this continued, the more her body would fail.
26:15She was heading toward death in that bed.
26:18In that other life, I had stumbled onto what the concubines were suffering and been horrified.
26:23The elf king's power was sustained through physical intimacy.
26:26Without it, he could not focus on his training.
26:29That night, I barred my door.
26:31He went to a brothel instead.
26:34I had sat alone the whole night and reached a decision.
26:37I would poison him.
26:38Not enough to destroy his power.
26:40Just enough to end his appetite.
26:41It had taken careful thought.
26:43I found a physician I could trust, confirmed the dosage, and had the compound concealed inside
26:48a gift from the women who shared the household, then placed it on the elf king myself.
26:53When he discovered what I'd done, I wept until my face was ruined.
26:56They've always treated me like dirt.
26:59They bragged that one of them will be the next clan leader's concord.
27:04And now they've decided to go after my husband.
27:07How will you survive this?
27:12If I were truly lucky, my mother would not have died in front of me.
27:15I would not have spent years navigating House Ashwheel's undercurrents, bending and yielding,
27:20with no one's protection but my own cunning.
27:22Lucky was not the word for any of it.
27:24I hear you haven't been well, sister.
27:26You do look fragile.
27:31I am perfectly fine.
27:33My husband has dismissed every kept woman in his household and comes only to me.
27:37I run the house.
27:38No one dares challenge me.
27:40The elf king's concubines before the wedding had been in terrible condition, marked up and
27:45hollowed out.
27:46He had dismissed them not out of love, but to avoid scrutiny.
27:50When he came to Helena's room, it was not affection that drove him.
27:54It was appetite.
27:56Helena could endure it now.
27:58But the longer this continued, the more her body would fail.
28:03She was heading toward death in that bed.
28:05In that other life, I had stumbled onto what the concubines were suffering and been horrified.
28:11The elf king's power was sustained through physical intimacy.
28:14Without it, he could not focus on his training.
28:17That night, I barred my door.
28:19He went to a brothel instead.
28:21I had sat alone the whole night and reached a decision.
28:24I would poison him.
28:26Not enough to destroy his power.
28:27Just enough to end his appetite.
28:29It had taken careful thought.
28:30I found a physician I could trust, confirmed the dosage, and had the compound concealed
28:35inside a gift from the women who shared the household, then placed it on the elf king
28:39myself.
28:40When he discovered what I'd done, I wept until my face was ruined.
28:44They've always treated me like dirt.
28:47They brag that one of them will be the next clan leader's concord.
28:51And now they've decided to go after my husband.
28:54How will you survive this?
29:05How will you survive this?
29:26The night of Reva and her son was still out on the road.
29:29She turned and said something quiet to the maidservant behind her.
29:32Then the mother and boy were simply gone.
29:34The months of pregnancy passed without much difficulty.
29:37The child inside me was cooperative enough to let me keep working.
29:40I managed the shops, handled household affairs, stayed busy.
29:44Kaylan grew more attentive by the day.
29:47He trailed after me asking about my comfort and my health until I found it tiresome and went
29:51out simply to have some air.
29:54That was when news came to Ashvale.
29:58Helena had miscarried.
30:00I hadn't known she was pregnant.
30:01I went to see her myself.
30:03Standing beside the bed, I frowned.
30:05Under the heavy perfume, there was a deeper smell.
30:08Rotting sweetness.
30:10I told you before, you cannot continue like this.
30:14Why did neither of you listen?
30:15The elf king's expression drifted past him and left without looking back.
30:23You must be pleased.
30:24Before I could answer, Lady Ashford burst in through the door, tears already running.
30:29She reached for her daughter's hands and begged her to come home.
30:43She was growing louder, more agitated, but I had gone rigid.
30:47My lady, it is still too early.
30:49You are not due yet.
30:50The reaction she was having was too strong.
30:53I stopped thinking about Helena.
30:58Ashvale's midwife was already there when they arrived.
31:01The physician came at once when summoned.
31:03Outside the birthing room, I could hear Kaylin and Granny White talking in tight, anxious voices.
31:08If something goes wrong, save me.
31:11If I didn't make it, Kaylin would bring Reva's boy home and install him.
31:15She knew it.
31:16There was nothing protecting my child from that future except myself.
31:20Only if I survived did any of it have a chance.
31:24I lost consciousness entirely.
31:27When I came back to myself, a small warm shape was lying beside me on the bed.
31:31Congratulations, my lady.
31:33The daughter.
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