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La Dama de la Finca Ashford New 🔝
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00:00My half-sister and I both chose a shifter mate.
00:03In our previous life, she picked first
00:04and chose the Hawk Clan heir
00:06with the perfect looks and powerful family background.
00:09She left me the lowly serpent.
00:11Three years into her marriage,
00:13the Hawk Shifter's mistress and illegitimate son
00:15knelt before my sister and humiliated her completely.
00:19Meanwhile, I took control of the entire serpent clan
00:22and earned my husband's devotion.
00:25She pushed me off a cliff out of jealousy.
00:27When I opened my eyes,
00:28I was back on the day we chose our mates.
00:30My sister barely concealed the excitement in her voice
00:33as she rushed to wrap her arms around the serpent's tail.
00:36I knew then that she had been reborn too.
00:39The serpent clan are lustful by nature.
00:41I wonder how long she'll last.
00:42When Victoria threw her arms around that serpent tail,
00:45face flushed with open adoration,
00:48even Lady Hargrove went still.
00:50Everyone knew the serpent clan was considered
00:52the lowest of the shifter races,
00:54cold-blooded in every sense.
00:56The Hawk clan, by contrast, made it for life.
00:59One wife, no exceptions.
01:01Loyalty written into their bones.
01:03And the Hawk male standing in the room today
01:05was the future clan leader.
01:07Sharp-eyed, broad-shouldered,
01:09the kind of man every woman in the room had been silently hoping to catch.
01:13Victoria still wouldn't let go of that tail.
01:15Lady Hargrove's expression curdled.
01:18She'd brought the serpent here specifically to humiliate me.
01:21She hadn't planned on her own daughter falling for it.
01:23Are you sure about this?
01:26Mother, he's the only one I'll ever marry.
01:28Even the serpent turned to look at her.
01:30His tail coiled hard around her waist,
01:33pulling her tight against his chest.
01:34That was what a serpent did when he felt something.
01:37The beginning of desire.
01:38Victoria's face went scarlet.
01:40Her resolve locked into place.
01:41Lady Hargrove pressed her lips together and gave in.
01:44With that settled, the Hawk male, Adrian Ashford, turned to me.
01:48He dipped his head in a slight, unhurried bow.
01:51Then it's you, Miss Alara.
01:53I'll send the betrothal gifts tomorrow.
01:55In my past life, it was Victoria who had chosen Adrian.
01:59She'd walked into the Ashford estate as its new mistress,
02:02draped in the prestige of the most powerful Hawk family in the region.
02:05He seemed devoted on the surface.
02:07Three years of polished appearances.
02:09Then a woman appeared at the gate with his 10-year-old son.
02:13Victoria came apart.
02:14She ran home to her mother, dignity in pieces.
02:17But Adrian had spent years building his reputation carefully.
02:20He brought the woman and boy home under the excuse of a drunken mistake.
02:24And to protect the Hawk clan's tradition against taking a second wife,
02:27he divorced Victoria outright.
02:29Lady Hargrove marched back to the Ashford estate to demand answers.
02:32The mistress met them at the door, chin lifted.
02:35I'm Mrs. Ashford now.
02:37My son has awakened his abilities.
02:39What exactly are you going to do about that?
02:41Give it time.
02:42I'll be the clan leader's wife, then his mother.
02:45They were thrown out publicly.
02:47After that, Victoria unraveled.
02:49She sat in the courtyard every day, vacant and muttering.
02:52When someone passed close enough, she grabbed their leg with both hands, her face twisting.
02:57I'm the clan leader's wife! I am! I am!
03:01She never came back from it.
03:03My serpent husband, by contrast, had been born into nothing.
03:06But he dismissed every one of his kept women.
03:09He trained relentlessly and built his clan up from scraps.
03:12People said I'd made the better choice, after all.
03:15Even Lady Hargrove, who had never bothered to hide her contempt for me,
03:19started showing up at my door with smiles she didn't mean, asking me to visit.
03:24Then, Victoria had one of her lucid moments.
03:27She lured me to the edge of the cliff.
03:29I'll drag you down to hell with me.
03:31Her eyes were blowing her hatred as she shoved me over.
03:35Now she's chosen my husband instead.
03:37I wonder if she can handle the serpent's excessive affection.
03:41The Ashford betrothal gifts arrived quickly.
03:44They filled half the courtyard.
03:45Victoria didn't spare a glance for the serpent clan's meager offering.
03:49She sweet-talked Lady Hargrove into patting her trousseau until it groaned.
03:53Ivy told me that Victoria and her serpent had been meeting in secret.
03:57Someone had spotted them coming out of an alley together,
03:59clothes barely clinging to them, her face still flushed.
04:03Half the street had seen it.
04:05She came to me the same afternoon, brimming.
04:07My fiancé loves me.
04:09What does that have to do with you?
04:11This is just how he shows his love for me.
04:14And if you say a single word to mother about any of it,
04:18I'll make your life miserable.
04:20I just watched her go.
04:22She looked nothing like the girl she used to be.
04:24The softness was gone.
04:26Whatever innocence had been in her face had been thoroughly used up.
04:29On our wedding day, two wedding horse carriage left the estate together.
04:33Drums, horns, the whole performance.
04:35Adrian Ashford sat high on a pale horse in his wedding white,
04:39all clean lines and devastating bone structure,
04:42looking exactly like someone who knew it.
04:44I knew why he'd gone through with this.
04:46The matriarch once said to him,
04:48You are the only heir.
04:49You must marry a noble woman to continue the bloodline.
04:52That was the only condition for me to inherit the clan leadership.
04:55But his mistress was low-born, ineligible.
04:58He needed a proper wife.
04:59If she gave him a son first, better.
05:01Either way, he didn't lose.
05:03I set down my wedding bouquet.
05:04Two familiar figures had appeared at the side of the road.
05:07Father!
05:08The boy lunged toward Adrian's horse.
05:10The word was barely out before a beautiful woman yanked him back and smothered his mouth with her hand.
05:14Forgive us, everyone. My son misses his father. He got confused. He didn't mean anything by it.
05:21Adrian pulled his reins top. He exhaled once.
05:24Today is my wedding. Can't you keep your child in hand?
05:27If he'd startled the horse carriage, I'd have had all your heads. Get them out of here.
05:31The woman's face went white. She bit her lip and stepped back.
05:34I'm so sorry. We're leaving.
05:37I wasn't about to let this dissolve quietly.
05:40Husband, don't be so hard on them.
05:42The child didn't mean any harm. And today is a happy occasion.
05:46Why not do a good deed? I actually need another servant woman as my side.
05:50If she's willing, she could come along with us.
05:53This woman had one obsession. Becoming Mrs. Ashford.
05:56Now that Adrian had taken a wife, she was already fraying at the edges.
06:00One of my people needed barely three sentences to maneuver her into showing up here today.
06:04If I offered her a door to the estate, she'd walk through it without thinking.
06:08She hesitated for half a breath, then looked away from Adrian's sharp, warning stare.
06:13Thank you, ma'am.
06:13The carriage rolled on. She followed behind, boy in hand.
06:17The crowd murmured approvingly along the route.
06:19The new Mrs. Ashford is something else. Even after that scene, she finds them a position.
06:25Must run in the family. The Ashford's are good people.
06:28After the ceremony, I sat at my vanity and began fixing my hair.
06:32Ivy dismissed the others and shut the door, her face barely holding its composure.
06:36Ma'am, the master just had a servant quietly move that woman and boy into the side courtyard.
06:42I wasn't surprised.
06:43Ma'am, the Hawk Clan has rules against taking a second wife.
06:47And he's doing this on your wedding night.
06:49We could expose him right now. Go back to your family. End this before it starts.
06:54Calm down. I didn't come here to lose to a kept woman.
06:56I had no family worth running back to.
06:59No mother, no father who would take my side against the Ashford's.
07:02I'd walk through that gate as a piece on someone else's board.
07:06If I walked back out, I'd be spit on from every direction.
07:09I hadn't come all this way for nothing.
07:11What I wanted was the Ashford estate itself.
07:15Adrian could rot on the inside. I didn't need him to be good.
07:18I needed him to give me an air.
07:21A knock at the door. I smiled at Ivy.
07:23My leverage just arrived.
07:25Adrian was drunk, but gracefully so.
07:28His steps wandered a little. It did nothing to make him less attractive.
07:31Ivy moved to steady him. He shrugged her off.
07:33I only want my wife.
07:35I swallowed the contempt rising in my chest and sent Ivy out.
07:39He played the part of a restrained gentleman, even when he was half gone.
07:43I had to admire the consistency.
07:45I took his arm.
07:46You've had too much.
07:47Should I have the kitchen send sobering soup?
07:50The kitchen sat close to the side courtyard.
07:52At this hour, they'd probably be preparing food for his little family.
07:56Adrian's shoulders went rigid.
07:57Then his hand caught mine. He buried his face against my shoulder.
08:01No. This is our wedding night. Don't leave.
08:05He let out a slow breath and lifted me. I looped my arms around his neck.
08:10In my past life, Adrian had used drunkenness as an excuse to avoid Victoria's wedding bed entirely.
08:16She'd had to fight for three months before he relented.
08:18And only after she humiliated herself back into his good graces.
08:23If this was going to happen eventually, I'd rather it happen on my terms and in my time.
08:28I let myself go still. Let my body stop resisting.
08:32Adrian's voice dropped. Whatever restraint he'd been maintaining came loose.
08:36The candles burned down to nothing before the room went quiet.
08:40I was too exhausted to move a finger. I passed out where I lay.
08:44He was the one who cleaned me up afterward.
08:46We were late for the morning tea ceremony. The matriarch was good-natured about it.
08:49She directed her mild scolding at Adrian, who was leaning back in his chair,
08:53looking thoroughly satisfied, in a generous mood for once.
08:55He cut her off to defend me before she could finish.
08:58And we had a boke you missed me.
09:01My fault entirely. I kept her up and told the staff not to wake her.
09:05Don't blame her, mother.
09:06My face burned. The matriarch laughed. She took the tea I offered with both hands.
09:10I knew I liked you the moment I saw you. I was half afraid they'd send that other girl.
09:14Luckily, she made a fool of herself so we could have the better bargain.
09:18You're the lady of this house now. These belong to you. There's no rush,
09:21and nothing to be afraid of. If you need guidance, come to me.
09:24I kept my hands steady as I accepted them. With those keys, no one in this estate could question
09:29my standing. No one could use my birth against me. In my past life, as a wife in the serpent
09:34clan,
09:35I'd had to claw my way through sisters-in-law, who outranked me by blood and never let me forget
09:40it.
09:41It had taken months of careful maneuvering just to find my footing. That was behind me now.
09:46The matriarch saw my expression shift. She sighed softly and took the necklace off her own neck,
09:51placing it onto mine.
09:52This child has suffered enough. You treat her well from here on. I mean it.
09:57Adrian blinked. He looked at my slightly reddened eyes, and almost without meaning to,
10:00nodded. On the way back from the matriarch's rooms, I walked half a step behind Adrian,
10:04already thinking through which accounts to look at first. He spoke without turning around.
10:07What do you plan to do about that woman and the boy?
10:09And tucked my hand into the crook of his arm.
10:11I didn't realize you were so concerned about them. Isn't that sweet of you?
10:15He avoided my eyes. I just feel sorry for them. A widow with a child.
10:19Perhaps they could work in the outer courtyard, do some light tasks.
10:22The outer courtyard was full of staff. No one would track a woman's particular history there.
10:25Adrian would find ways to meet with her in private, use the crowd as cover.
10:28I exhaled slowly, as if thinking it through. A pretty woman with a child,
10:32alone people might take advantage. You really haven't thought this through, have you?
10:36What if we put them somewhere quieter, near the garden behind the study?
10:39Adrian's brow tightened, almost imperceptibly. A long pause. Then his face settled into something
10:44soft. Good thinking. There's a small room off the study anyway. They can stay there.
10:48How thoughtful of you. I smiled. My nails were nearly through my palm. The study. He'd have every
10:53excuse to be near her. And the boy. He'd be able to teach him in private,
10:56pass him what he needed to awaken properly. Adrian didn't notice. The careful coldness
11:00he usually wore had softened around the edges. In a few years, when our child comes,
11:04I'll make sure they have the best of everything. I leaned against him. The passing maids whispered
11:08to each other. Master and mistress. So in love. Rosalind heard it too. That same night,
11:13she went to find Adrian, and he turned her away at the door. Three nights in a row,
11:17he came to my room instead. He was decent enough to read the room. He didn't push past what I
11:22could manage.
11:28The day we returned to visit my family home, Victoria didn't arrive until almost noon. She
11:32swept into the room, glowing, cheeks high with color, trailing a thick cloud of powder and perfume.
11:37Lady Hargrove stared at her for a long moment. Don't fuss, mother. My husband spoils me. Very
11:42restorative herbs. She straightened, and I noticed that her figure had changed, filled out in a way that
11:48read less like health and more like something under strain. She looked at me. Your husband runs cold,
11:53I hear. If he's distant with you, that's just how it goes. Don't take it personally. I said nothing.
11:58I took my time looking at her. She seemed bright on the surface, but her steps were unsteady. She
12:02kept touching her lower back without realizing it. That kind of bloom didn't come from nourishment.
12:06It came from something taking more than a physical. The serpent was greedy. When she noticed I wasn't
12:10reacting, something dark moved through her. She reached for me the way she used to when we were younger,
12:14to grab and drag. Adrian walked in. There was a smile in his eyes as he spoke to me gently.
12:19Laura, I just came from the room you used to live in. Victoria's hand froze in midair. She stared
12:27at Adrian in shock, stunned by how different he was from the man in our previous life.
12:34How is this possible? Lady Hargrove's expression folded. They both knew. The room I'd been given
12:39in this house was barely a storeroom. The dishes had chips in them. Lady Hargrove laughed awkwardly and cut
12:44them off. Now that everyone's here, why don't we sit down for lunch? She looked at me. It was almost
12:48a plea. Once, when my birth mother had a bad fever and I'd gone to beg for a doctor, I'd
12:53knelt in the
12:53courtyard in the snow. The snow piled up on my shoulders while Lady Hargrove and Victoria stayed
12:58warm inside, laughing at something I couldn't hear. She finally came out when I nearly passed out.
13:02Get the doctor. Don't let her die in my yard. It's bad luck. The doctor came. He kept my mother
13:07alive a
13:07little longer. I held her hand and sobbed until I couldn't breathe anymore. Keep going. No matter
13:13how hard it gets, don't give up. I never got to go back to her. By the time I was
13:18reborn,
13:19she was already gone. I smoothed the front of my dress and stood up. Husband, let's eat. The table,
13:25Victoria and the serpent fed each other and giggled like they were alone in the room. She shot me looks
13:28every few minutes, daring me to react. Lady Hargrove could see something was wrong. She kept trying to
13:32quietly reel Victoria in. Victoria snapped back, loud enough for the table to hear.
13:39My husband loves me. Am I supposed to be ashamed of that? Should I live like I'm already a widow?
13:46The moment the meal was over, she dragged him out the door. Adrienne and I didn't linger long after
13:50that. When we got back to the main hall of the Ashford estate, I found Rosalind crouched beside the
13:55matriarch, kneading her shoulders with practiced hands. The matriarch had her eyes half closed,
13:59looking more comfortable than I'd seen her in days. Rosalind, you have such skilled hands.
14:11Come do this for me often.
14:16I didn't realize she'd caught your eye. She came in with us on the wedding day.
14:21Quite a hard life raising a child alone. I've tried to look out for her.
14:26I know what kind of heart you have. The Ashfords are lucky to have you.
14:31Rosalind stepped back, her teeth pressed into her lip. The matriarch and I moved naturally into
14:36conversation about the estate, the accounts, a few household matters that needed settling.
14:42When something important came up, the matriarch waved Rosalind out of the room,
14:46without thinking about it. I watched the hatred pool behind Rosalind's eyes as she left.
14:51Over the days that followed, Rosalind pushed hard for the matriarch's favor, massaged every ache,
14:57laughed at every small joke. It worked. The matriarch grew genuinely fond of her and
15:01started giving her gifts. Master Adrian says be careful, don't draw attention.
15:05He was so frustrated, he stopped seeing her altogether and started conducting estate business
15:10from my room instead. I was deep into the Ashford accounts. Shops, properties, land deeds,
15:17the full picture of what this family actually owned. It was substantial and deliberately tangled.
15:23Once I understood it, I called in the shop managers. They came in uncertain, squinting. Then they read
15:29the room, new wife, asserting herself. A few of them visibly relaxed into condescension. I let them sit
15:35with that for a moment. I finished my tea. The matriarch has placed all Ashfield business in my hands.
15:40I'm not going to waste her trust. I've been reviewing the last three months of records.
15:46I've already noted the discrepancies. I set down my cup. Ivy laid the ledgers open. A small personal
15:52notebook slipped out, filled with my annotations. Some of the managers exchanged glances. The ones with
15:58nothing to hide sat straight. The ones who didn't went pale. I looked at Ivy. She picked up the notebook
16:03and dropped it into the fire. New management. Old accounts are closed. But I have no tolerance for
16:13what comes next. I trust everyone understands that. Yes, ma'am. The estate's internal structure wasn't
16:20enough. Real power in the Hawk clan ran through these shops. These trade networks. The money that had kept
16:26the family elevated for generations. They needed the root. I came home late, satisfied. In the courtyard,
16:33I stopped. Roslyn was crouched beside her boy, face lit with joy. Adrian stood nearby, watching them
16:39with a small smile. I moved before I'd finished thinking. I walked over and took Adrian's hand.
16:48What's happened? The boy. His abilities came in. The smile dropped off my face. In my past life,
16:56this had happened three years later, right before they entered the estate. Not now. Not this early.
17:01Aren't you something? Abilities at your age, giving your mother so much to be proud of. You'd better
17:08take good care of her when you grow up. You're the bad woman who stole my dad. I'm so sorry,
17:16ma'am.
17:17I've spoiled him terribly. He doesn't know what he's saying. He really is spoiled. Speaking to his beauties
17:23this way is a serious breach. Per estate rules, he kneels in the courtyard for two hours. Roslyn's
17:29color drained. She looked instinctively at Adrian. Adrian's brow pulled together. He's only a child.
17:35This is excessive. Let it go. If a child has no father to correct him, the mother answers for it.
17:41Or have I lost even that much authority in my own home? Is a servant woman more important to you
17:46than
17:47your wife? He closed his mouth. Roslyn grabbed my sleeve. Her face was wet. I don't matter,
17:54but I'm due at the matriarch's, and if I'm late, she'll be displeased. I laughed once, short and cold,
18:00and had a chair brought out to the courtyard. How bold. A woman brought in off the street is lecturing
18:06me in my own house. Someone go ask the matriarch if she'd weigh in on a servant who just spoke
18:10down to
18:10the estate's mistress. You're going too far. The boy didn't mean anything. Roslyn stood just behind
18:16his shoulder. She reached out and curled her fingers gently around his sleeve. The three of
18:20them together in the moonlight. They looked like a family portrait. Adrian was trembling with anger.
18:25He grabbed Roslyn and the boy and started to walk them away. Ivy was faster. The matriarch says he
18:30kneels three hours and cut off their meals and move them to the servant storage room for the night.
18:34I looked at Adrian. Well, I left before he could answer.
18:38Adrian wouldn't defy the matriarch. The clan leadership still hadn't been formally transferred,
18:43and the matriarch said little, but punished any disobedience. Even Adrian knew better than to cross
18:48her. That was why I had spent every effort from the beginning making the matriarch love me. That night,
18:54Adrian didn't come to my room. He sent a servant boy with a message. He'd be sleeping in the study.
19:00Ivy didn't take it well. The study. Right. She paced the length of the room, voice rising. Before the
19:06wedding, I actually thought you'd finally caught a break, miss. A decent man for once. Turns out he's
19:12just another wolf in silk. She caught herself. A hawk. Whatever. Same thing. I sat at the desk.
19:17Ledger open in front of me. Perfectly calm. Adrian was a predator. Fine. Then I'd be the still water he
19:23didn't notice until he was already drowning in it. By the following morning, it was everywhere. Adrian
19:30Ashford kept a mistress. The boy was seven years old. No one knew where the information came from,
19:36but the woman's name, her background, her address, the boy's face and description had all surfaced with
19:42the kind of precision that suggested someone very organized had done the releasing. Adrian's years
19:47of carefully maintained reputation collapsed in a single day. Within the hot clan, doors that had been
19:53opened quietly shut. Victoria sent a letter. It said I'd be divorced within the year. And when I was out
20:00on the street, I shouldn't come crawling to her. I set it down on the corner of the desk. Ivy
20:06mentioned,
20:06almost as an aside, that Victoria had been passing out in bed. That several doctors had told the serpent
20:13in plain terms that they needed to stop. That neither of them had listened. Victoria was swallowing
20:20expensive tonics by the handful just to keep upright, while the serpent was looking sharper and more
20:27energetic every week. His abilities growing stronger. I'd figured this out in my past life,
20:34stumbled onto it late. The serpent clan could only train and advance if the physical appetite was fed.
20:41Without that release, their cultivation stalled. With it, they drained whoever was closest to them.
20:48In that life, when I finally understood, I'd spent a sleepless night deciding what to do. And then I'd done
20:55the only thing that made sense. I found a doctor, confirmed it wouldn't block his ability to train,
21:02and introduced something into a gift from one of my sisters-in-law. A substance that made him permanently
21:08unable to function that way. He found out, eventually. I cried until I couldn't breathe,
21:15and told him that sister-in-law had been plotting against him for months. That she'd wanted to destroy
21:21him. That I'd only just discovered it myself. He checked. Everything I said was true. Because I had
21:28made sure it would be true. After that, he dismissed the kept women, stopped visiting other beds, and trained
21:36with a focus he hadn't had before. He treated me like something worth keeping. Victoria didn't have that
21:43knowledge. She'd decided the serpent was simply devoted to her. And she'd locked herself inside
21:49that story. I wondered how much longer her body could hold. Adrienne's voice came through the door,
21:55strained and urgent.
21:56Madam, please. You have to believe me. That boy has nothing to do with me.
22:03Ivy opened her mouth. I let her go. She told him exactly what she thought of him,
22:08in considerable detail, for several minutes. He didn't fight back. He knew he had no ground to
22:14stand on. When she finally ran out of breath, I walked out.
22:18Madam, you believe me, don't you?
22:21The matriarch came through the courtyard gate behind him. She had her walking stick in hand.
22:26She brought it down across his back until blood showed through the fabric. Then she stopped. Her eyes
22:32were wet when she looked at me. My child, this family owes you an apology. She exhaled.
22:40I know you've been wronged. But the clan is pushing to have this one thrown out entirely,
22:46and I'm running out of ways to argue against it. Write him a letter of divorce. The Ashfords will take
22:52care of you. You have my word. I let my eyes go soft. I lowered my head and pressed one
22:59hand
22:59gently to my stomach. My voice came out barely above a whisper. But I'm carrying his child.
23:05Are you asking me to leave with a baby? Both of them went completely still. Adrian stared at my
23:12hand against my stomach. The color left his face. I'm sorry. His voice cracked. I'm so sorry.
23:20The matriarch needed a breath to decide. Get that woman and her boy off this property immediately.
23:27The Ashfirm family has one mistress of this house, and the child she's carrying is the only heir I'll
23:33recognize. I turned my face into the matriarch's shoulder and let myself cry. I thought you didn't
23:40want me anymore. None of it touched me inside. This was what had needed to happen. Adrian had just lost
23:48any path to the clan leadership through that boy. Without the matriarch's recognition, Rosalyn and her son
23:55were nothing. All the groundwork I'd laid had just closed around them like a door. In the corner where
24:02no one was looking, something in me smiled. Rosalyn and the boy stood at the estate gate for half the
24:09day. She screamed every promise Adrian had made. The people passing stopped and listened with wide eyes.
24:16The last of Adrian's golden reputation crumbled in real time. The story that came out of it,
24:24somehow, was that the new Mrs. Ashford had handled everything with grace. Victoria had come by to
24:30watch. She was there at the gate when it happened. She drifted into the main hall afterward, looking
24:37like she'd forgotten how to arrange her face. I was eating the pastries Adrian had walked three streets
24:42to find for me. What brings you all the way here in person? She was tired. The brightness she'd walked
24:50in with last time was gone. Her smile, when she tried it, didn't work properly. How did you do it?
24:59I
24:59smiled and touched my stomach. When you have something better, why would you settle? She understood
25:07immediately. Her eyes dropped to my hand. She went very still. Then the stillness broke, and what came
25:15out was pure envy. You're just lucky. Everything always falls into place for you. The smile left my
25:23face. I set down my tea. Lucky. My birth mother died in front of me. I spent years in this
25:30house as
25:30furniture. Useful only when needed, and invisible the rest of the time. Every gain I'd made in my past
25:37life, and this one, had been mapped out, move by move, late at night, alone. Lucky wasn't the word.
25:47I hear things haven't been going so well for you. You look thin. She shot to her feet.
25:53I'm perfectly fine. My husband comes only to my room. He dismissed all the others. I run my own
25:59household. No one dares touch me. I let myself laugh. She heard it for what it was, and it hit
26:05her
26:06somewhere deep because she spun around and walked out without another word. The serpent had dismissed
26:12those women because he was afraid of being found out, not because he felt anything. His visits to her
26:19room were maintenance, nothing more. The more she gave, the more he took. Her body was already paying
26:28the bill. In the end, she'd believed what she'd wanted to believe. I didn't know how much longer
26:34she had. The pregnancy was easier than I'd expected. The baby was cooperative, which gave me room to keep
26:40running the shops and managing the estate. Adrian hovered constantly, asking after every small discomfort,
26:46following me from room to room. I found it exhausting and started leaving the estate to
26:51get away from him. It was on one of those outings that I heard Victoria had miscarried. I didn't know
26:56she'd been pregnant. I went to see her myself. I regretted it the moment I stepped into her room.
27:01The smell hit first. Powder. Sweet and thick. And beneath it, something rotten. Something that didn't
27:07belong in a living body. The doctor stood to one side with the face of a man who had stopped
27:12expecting to
27:13be listened to. I told you both repeatedly. No more. Why won't you listen? The serpent's expression was
27:20distant. He made a soft sound of dismissal and walked out. Victoria coughed. Hard, wracking coughs.
27:27The kind that bent her forward. She'd gone skeletal. Her skin the color of old paper. She looked up at
27:33me.
27:33Even like this, she squared her jaw. Happy now? Lady Hargrove rushed in from the doorway before I could answer.
27:39She was the only person in the room who was genuinely frightened for Victoria. Who wanted to
27:45take her home and hold her. No! I'm not going back. I'm fine here. Why would I go back?
27:52Her voice climbed, sharpened. And then something changed in my body. I grabbed Ivy's wrist. The doctor
28:00had said she wasn't far enough along. There shouldn't have been a reaction this sudden, this strong. I
28:06stopped thinking about Victoria and let Ivy steer me out. The Ashford midwife was already prepared.
28:12The doctor arrived within minutes of being called. Outside the delivery room, I could hear the matriarch
28:17and Adrian talking in short, urgent sentences. I was soaked through, Ivy's hand almost breaking in mine.
28:24If something goes wrong, save me. If I didn't survive this, Adrian would bring Rosalyn's boy back. And whatever
28:31happened to my child without me here to stand between them, I didn't want to imagine. I had to
28:37stay. The pain came in waves and then in walls. Then a cry split the room and I went under
28:43completely.
28:44When I opened my eyes, there was a small warm weight on the bed beside me. Ivy was kneeling,
28:49smiling so wide it looked like it hurt. Congratulations, ma'am. It's a girl. I stared at her for a
28:56long time.
28:57Then I reached out very carefully and poked her cheek with one finger. She woke up. She didn't cry.
29:04She just looked at me and smiled. Something in my chest came loose. I closed my hand around her tiny
29:10fingers. From today, she was the Ashford heir and I was going to make sure she lived her life on
29:17her
29:17own terms. Not mine, not anyone else's. Adrian was happy about the baby and also a little lost. The way
29:25men
29:25get when reality lands differently than they'd planned. He circled around the subject for weeks
29:29before finally floating the idea of trying again in a few years. A son, he meant, to carry the Ashford
29:36name. I told him no without softening it. The matriarch promised me, if you'd like to revisit
29:42that conversation, go talk to her. He didn't. He went back to making faces at our daughter instead.
29:47After my recovery, I finally turned my attention to why the birth had come early. The doctor could only
29:52tell me that something sharp and chemical had triggered it. He couldn't identify this specific
29:56substance. I thought about Victoria's room, the smell that had sat in the back of my throat.
30:00Ivy came back from asking questions with her face flushed red.
30:04Mom, Rosaline has been meeting with Miss Victoria, the place she's been living since she left here,
30:09and Miss Victoria arranged it. Two women with nothing to lose and the same target. If I'd lost the baby,
30:15Rosaline's boy would have been the only option left. She'd have been back through the gate within the week.
30:20But I'd learned every corner of this estate before the baby came. The staff here were mine in the way
30:24that mattered. They were careful, attentive, loyal enough when loyalty was earned. Nothing had reached
30:29me that shouldn't have. Has Adrian had any contact with them since they left? Once. Right after they
30:35were removed, he went to see them. They had a fight. He hasn't been back. He's cut the boy off
30:38too. Good.
30:40I exhaled. He's finally reading the room. And my half-sister, lately? Ivy's voice took on a certain
30:46quality. She's determined. I'll give her that. Her body is in the state it's in and she's still
30:50having people in, still calling doctors, trying to keep going. I sighed. She was stubborn to the
30:54point of self-destruction. She always had been. Life in the Ashford estate settled into something
30:59close to peace. The baby's name was Sarah. The matriarch chose it herself, and she announced
31:04formally in front of the clan that Sarah Ashford would be the next family head. Some members objected.
31:09Lord Ashford Sr. shut them down in four sentences and didn't look up from his tea. Adrian sulked
31:14quietly about it for a while, then adjusted. He spent his mornings making Sarah laugh and telling
31:19her she'd better remember who her father was when she was running things. It might have stayed that
31:23way indefinitely. Then, one of my shop managers came in with a report. He could barely get through
31:29it without going red in the face. Victoria had purchased something from one of our suppliers,
31:35a particular kind of compound. When I pressed for details, the man turned the color of a peony
31:41and started examining the floor. I understood. Victoria was pregnant again. She announced it
31:46with a dinner party. The invitation arrived on my desk. Ivy told me not to go. Why wouldn't I?
31:52Running away was never my style. The party drew the wives of every major shifter clan. They found me
31:59within minutes of arriving and pulled me into a circle of warm, elaborate compliments. Victoria's
32:05face went through several difficult stages before she managed to control it. She breathed in, breathed
32:11out, and crossed the room to me. The smile I gave her was direct and had teeth. Look at you.
32:17Jealous?
32:18Her composure buckled. She turned and walked away in fast, rigid steps. I finished my drink. My eyes
32:25drifted to the maid standing just behind her. I smiled to myself, said something low to Ivy, and watched her
32:31slip away through the crowd. Later, a group of us walked out to the back garden. We heard it before
32:36we saw it. There, half hidden behind a stone wall, the serpent was pressed against a serving girl,
32:42unhurried, as if he'd forgotten or didn't care that there were guests 20 feet away. When we got close
32:49enough, he still didn't stop. One of the wives sucked in a sharp breath. Isn't that the woman who was
32:54thrown out of the Ashford Palace? Every head turned toward me. Someone clicked her tongue. Honestly,
32:59and that boy, who even knows? Victoria came through the garden gate with her attendants,
33:05reached the two of them, and wrenched them apart with shaking hands. How dare you? She hit him. He
33:11looked at her the way you look at something mildly inconvenient, the smear of lip color still on his
33:16jaw. You can't keep up. I'm not going to starve because of that. Don't make a scene. He shoved her
33:21back,
33:22not gently, then curved a protective arm around Rosalyn as they retreated through the gate. Victoria hit the
33:28ground. Red bloomed beneath her. She stopped being a person for a moment. She curled into herself and
33:34started murmuring over and over, even again. Why is it always like this? She tried to crawl toward me,
33:43hands reaching. Adrian came through the gate behind her and kicked her back before she could reach me,
33:48not carefully. The gathered wives had lost their appetite for the evening. They called for their
33:52maids and started for the carriages. After that, I never saw Victoria again. Three days later, Ivy came to
33:58me with her jaw set tight. Ma'am, Rosalyn is back. I looked up from my ledger. Where? At the
34:04gate. She says she has
34:06information about the compound used before your delivery. She's saying she wants to bargain. I set down my pen.
34:11Is Adrian home? In the east courtyard with the clan elders, the succession discussion ran long. Good. I
34:17needed to handle this myself first. I put on my outer robe and walked to the gate, unhurried. Rosalyn
34:22looked smaller than I remembered. Her clothes were decent, but worn at the hem. I can give you proof.
34:27The woman who sourced the compound, the transaction record, everything. And what do you want in return?
34:32My son, just recognition. He has abilities. He deserves to be trained. I'm not asking for anything else.
34:39I studied her for a long moment. You came to me with this, not to Adrian.
34:44She didn't answer. That was answer enough. She knew that door was closed. She'd come to the one
34:49person with actual authority over this gate. Leave the documents with my servant. I'll review them.
34:54And my son. I said I'll review them. I turned and walked back inside. The documents were thorough.
35:00Ivy sat across from me, reading carefully. This is enough to bring for the clan council. Attempted harm to
35:05an heir. That's not a minor offense. No. I folded the document closed. We wait. Ivy looked up.
35:11Victoria is already broken. Filing this now does nothing except make me look like I'm kicking
35:15someone already on the ground. That afternoon, Adrian walked into my room with a careful expression.
35:20The clan elders want to discuss Sarah's succession formally. Some of them are pushing back.
35:24On what grounds? She's a girl. And young. They're suggesting we revisit the matter when she's older.
35:30How much older? Old enough to be replaced by a son. I told them I had no plans for a
35:35son.
35:35They didn't believe me. I turned back to the window. Then we give them something they can't argue with.
35:39I sent for the clan's senior historian the next morning. He arrived in the afternoon,
35:43an elderly man with excellent posture. I need to understand the succession law in full.
35:49Every claw love. Every exception. Every precedent. That evening, I walked into the east courtyard,
35:55where Adrian was running forms with Sarah propped against the practice post. He stopped when he saw
36:00my face. What did you find? The matriarch can formally vest the succession in Sarah before
36:05she reaches training age. The elders can object, but they can't overturn a formal vesting by the
36:11sitting matriarch. Adrian was quiet for a moment. She'll do it. If I ask her. He picked Sarah up.
36:16She grabbed his ear. Dad? She said clearly. We both went still. It was her first word. Did she just?
36:22Yes. She said my name first. Don't make it a competition. Too late. The elders made their
36:28move at the monthly clan meeting. Elder Crane stood first. The succession of Sarah Ashfield
36:33was announced prematurely. The child has not yet demonstrated ability. We move to defer the
36:39designation until she reaches the age of eight. Several others nodded. Matriarch said firmly,
36:43No. The designation stands. I have already submitted the formal vesting to the clan record.
36:49She set a sealed document on the table. It was received and witnessed this morning. Next day,
36:54I was at the market with Ivy. When someone grabbed my sleeve, I turned. It's Victoria. She looked nothing
36:58like herself. Her hair was loose. Her eyes red-rimmed. You have to help me. He's gonna kill me. I
37:05know
37:05he is. He said if I left again, he'd... Let go of me. She didn't. Her grip tightened. I have
37:10nowhere to go.
37:11Mother can't help me. She's already tried. He threw her out. And I can't... I can't go back there. I...
37:18Victoria, you're making a scene. Please. She said very quietly this time. A desperate Victoria,
37:26loose in public, was exactly the kind of loose end someone like Crane would find a use for.
37:30Come with me. Don't speak. Don't draw any more attention. I took her back to the estate.
37:34I sat Victoria in the outer garden with tea and told her to stay put. She did. Adrian found me
37:40in the
37:40corridor. Tell me you didn't bring her inside. Outer garden. Supervised. She's not a threat today. If I
37:47leave her in the street, she becomes someone else's tool. He looked at me steadily. What about Sarah?
37:53Sarah is in the training hall with two senior clan guards and her father, who was just here. Which
37:58means you left her there alone. He turned around immediately and went back. I returned to the
38:03garden. Victoria murmured like a crazy person. The serpent is going to kill me. He's run out of
38:09use for me. I sat down across from her. What do you want? I need to go somewhere. He can't
38:13reach me.
38:14I won't come near you or the girl again. In last life, she had been cruel to me in every
38:19small way
38:19she could manage. In this life, she had tried to take my child from me before she was even born.
38:24I
38:24can't let anything go wrong again. I'll arrange a departure. Documents, escort, a new name. You will
38:30leave before the week is out. You will not contact anyone in this city. You will not come back.
38:35She froze, not expecting I would help her so easily. Why? She asked. Because it costs me nothing,
38:40and it costs you everything to own me. Before she stepped into the carriage, she turned back. Crane
38:45paid the serpent to keep me close to you. I don't know what he was planning, but I thought you
38:49should
38:49know. I'm not telling you for your sake. I just want him to lose something too. The carriage door closed.
38:55I brought her words to Adrian. He was in the middle of teaching Sarah how to hold her stance. She
38:59kept
38:59toppling sideways and laughing about it, which was not making him a more effective instructor. Crane.
39:05I suspected him. You didn't say anything. I was waiting for confirmation. Now I have it. Sarah
39:11pulled on his sleeve. Again, Dad. In a moment. Now, Dad. He crouched down to Sarah's level. If you hold
39:18the stance for ten full breaths, we do it again. She squared up with tremendous seriousness. She made
39:24it to seven before she started giggling. Adrian caught her when she fell over. I want to deal with Crane
39:29openly. In front of the full clan. That's a risk. I have the documents from Rosannee. The succession
39:35vesting. Victoria's testimony in writing. Witness before she left. If I lay it all at once, there's
39:42no recovery from it. And the serpent? That I'll leave to the serpent clan's own politics. They'll handle
39:48it faster than we could. At the formal clan gathering, Elder Crane held high a document. I have evidence of
39:53financial misconduct within the Ashfield estate accounts, dating back to the very year the current
39:59mistress arrived. May I see the document? He handed it over with confidence. I read it, looked up. Those
40:06discrepancies were identified, documented, and corrected in the first month after I took over
40:11management. The shop manager responsible was dismissed. I turned to the matriarch. I believe you
40:16have the original corrective record in the household archive. The matriarch nodded. Crane's composure
40:20cracked. Furthermore, I withdrew a folded document. I have a record here of payments made from Elder
40:26Crane's personal accounts to a third party. That third party is the serpent clan's finance manager.
40:33The same serpent clan that housed Victoria, the woman who attempted to harm the Ashfield heir before
40:38her birth. The hall erupted. Crane sat down. He didn't speak again. After that day, neither did anyone
40:45else bother to listen when he tried. That evening, the estate was quiet. Word had come earlier that day.
40:49Victoria had killed the serpent. He tracked her down despite everything, and she'd fought back.
40:54The serpent clan handled it themselves. Trial, verdict, exile to somewhere far enough that no
40:58one would hear from her again. I felt nothing. The only people I cared about were already with me.
41:03Sarah had fallen asleep in the courtyard after dinner, still wearing the small practice gloves
41:06Adrian had fitted to her hands. He carried her inside without waking her. He laid her down,
41:10and then he came out and stood beside me. She held the starts for 11 breaths today,
41:14while you were with the elders. I counted. I know. She told me herself. Twice.
41:21Crane will resign by morning. The elders talked after you left. Even the ones who were supporting
41:25him have pulled back. Good. When did you know? About Crane. How long had you known?
41:30Long enough. You waited. Timing is everything. He exhaled slowly. Not quite a laugh. You're terrifying,
41:37you know that? You married me. I know. I'm starting to think that was the smartest thing I ever did.
41:43He was watching Sarah through the doorway. She's going to be extraordinary.
41:47I turned back to the doorway. Sarah stirred in her sleep and smiled at something in her dream.
41:52I thought of my mother's voice, barely audible, telling me to keep going. I had. This was what
41:58keeping going looked like.
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