He Fed Me to the Serpents, So I Came Back to Ruin Him

LensGlimpse

Transcript

00:00:07I was born to kill serpents, so the Hargroves used me as their perfect shield.

00:00:12In my past life, I entered their cursed hall for Callum, the man I loved.

00:00:17But when the serpent gate opened, he chose Jenna, locked the door, and left me to be devoured.

00:00:22Death gave me one chance to return.

00:00:25I traded my beauty for silver sight and woke up with a scar no man was supposed to love.

00:00:30But I did not come back for love.

00:00:32I came back to watch Callum's devotion rot, expose Jenna's snake magic, and let the serpents choose their real prey.

00:00:39My name's Rowena Whitmore.

00:00:41In my past life, I loved Callum Hargrove so much that it cost me everything.

00:00:45I knew exactly what Hargrove Hall was, a century-old estate built over a sealed serpent gate, rotting from the

00:00:51inside out with ancient venom.

00:00:52I still walked in. For him.

00:00:54Whitmuster blood ran through my veins, and that blood was born to suppress serpents.

00:00:58So when the curse came for Callum, I threw myself in its path and let the poison tear through me

00:01:03instead.

00:01:04What I did not know, what I never saw coming, was that he and Jenna had already decided how my

00:01:08story would end.

00:01:09The venom spread through my body like fire through dry wood.

00:01:12My flesh began to rot from the inside.

00:01:14I still remember every second of that night.

00:01:16The freezing rain, the iron door, and my bloody hands clawing at the gap in the frame.

00:01:20Callum, please! Just open the door!

00:01:21My nails split down to the quick. Blood smeared the cracks. Still nothing.

00:01:25Then his voice came through, flat and cold, without even a flicker of hesitation.

00:01:29Shut up.

00:01:29Your screaming is scaring Jenna.

00:01:31I'm not opening this door.

00:01:33You're useful in there, so stay there.

00:01:35Keep those monster snakes inside, even if they eat you alive.

00:01:38From the other side of the door, I could hear Jenna crying softly.

00:01:42Then came Callum's voice again, low and gentle, saying things he had never once said to me.

00:01:47You're safe. I've got you. Nothing is going to touch you. I promise.

00:01:52The lock turned. I will never forget that sound.

00:01:55Callum had one arm around Jenna as he sealed me inside.

00:01:59He left me there to die in the dark, surrounded by serpents, and he never looked back.

00:02:03The pain was beyond anything I had words for.

00:02:06It felt like I was being torn apart from the inside out, piece by piece, until even screaming became impossible.

00:02:11When I died, I drifted in silver light, endless, cold, and silent.

00:02:15There was nothing left of me but a thin thread of soul, too broken even to cry.

00:02:19Then a voice fell through the dark like a blade through silk, clear, ancient, and completely without warmth.

00:02:24Child of Whitmoyer, you died badly.

00:02:28What I offer is not mercy.

00:02:29It is a contract. Give me something, and I will give you what you want.

00:02:36I'll give up my face, my beauty in this life, all of it.

00:02:39In exchange, I want the Lunar Hunt Covenant, the Silver Sight, and one more life.

00:02:43Do you understand what it means to give up your face?

00:02:46I do. Last time, my beauty made it easy for them to use me.

00:02:49I don't need anyone to love my face. I just need to see clearly.

00:02:53Silver light crapped through me like lightning, and I was thrown back into the world of the living.

00:02:57When I opened my eyes, the hissing was gone. The air smelled of incense.

00:03:01I raised a hand to my face and felt it. A scar across my cheek.

00:03:05Faint silver light pulsing beneath it like a wire.

00:03:07It was the mark of the Covenant, the price Artemis had carved into my skin.

00:03:11I was back. Back to the morning, Eleanor Hargreff came to beg.

00:03:15I stood in front of the mirror and traced the scar with my fingers.

00:03:18Then I smiled, but there was nothing warm left in it.

00:03:22I did not come back to love him. I came back from hell to collect what they owed me.

00:03:27One debt at a time.

00:03:36Rowena, please! I'm begging you! You have to save Callum!

00:03:39The old woman dropped to her knees in front of me, clutching the hem of my dress with both hands

00:03:43and crying like she had nothing left.

00:03:45The death mark carved into Callum's forehead was the final outbreak of decades of serpent resentment buried beneath the Hargrove

00:03:52state.

00:03:53As long as it stayed on him, the curse would keep spreading, and every Hargrove tied to this land by

00:03:59blood would carry the same death sentence.

00:04:02Only a Whitmore could even see the mark. Only a Whitmore could remove it.

00:04:06They needed me. That was a fact.

00:04:09But the only reason I was here was to take back what the Hargroves stole from us. The silver arrow

00:04:14of Whitmore.

00:04:15I stood over Eleanor, looking down at her shaking shoulders, and all I could think of was how she used

00:04:19to call me sweetheart while she watched the flames swallow me alive.

00:04:22I slowly pulled my skirt out of her grip.

00:04:24I can't break the Hargrove curse.

00:04:26There was not a single trace of emotion in my voice.

00:04:29I did not owe her that much.

00:04:30Eleanor nor froze. The invitation in her hands crumbled at the edges.

00:04:33Then Callum walked in from the hallway. He was younger than I remembered.

00:04:36Sharper and more arrogant, with all that ugly pride still sitting right on the surface.

00:04:39His eyes swept over me and stopped on the scar crossing my face.

00:04:42For one second, he went still.

00:04:44The scar was silver, winding across half my cheek and glowing faintly in the morning light.

00:04:48It did not look like an ordinary wound.

00:04:50It looked like something ancient had pressed itself into my skin and left its mark there.

00:04:54His disgust was almost impossible to miss.

00:04:56He turned his face away slightly, like he could barely stand to look at it.

00:04:59I noticed. I said nothing.

00:05:02In my past life, I had walked through this same door with an untouched face, and he had smiled at

00:05:06me so beautifully.

00:05:07Every warm word had been perfectly calculated.

00:05:09Now that I had a scar, the mask slipped at once.

00:05:12That told me everything.

00:05:14He did not need a person.

00:05:16He needed a tool.

00:05:17And apparently he preferred his tools pretty.

00:05:19Callum stepped closer, his voice sharp with disbelief.

00:05:22What the hell is that supposed to mean?

00:05:24We came here in good faith, and you won't even give us a reason?

00:05:28You're telling me one curse is too much for a Whitmore?

00:05:30He moved into my space like he was used to people backing down when he did.

00:05:34I only looked at him.

00:05:36Go ahead.

00:05:37Look down on me, Callum.

00:05:39You have no idea that the mark on your forehead is getting darker every day.

00:05:43And the only person in this entire world who can see it,

00:05:46the only one who can take it off you,

00:05:48is standing right in front of you while you make that face at her.

00:05:51Eleanor started crying harder.

00:05:54Her hands shook as she pulled a heavy envelope from her coat.

00:05:57The wax seal bore an old, dark gold crest.

00:06:01We have nowhere else to turn.

00:06:03Please, just look at this.

00:06:05For the sake of what our families once meant to each other.

00:06:09I almost did not bother.

00:06:11But the moment my eyes touched the seal,

00:06:13my silver sight flared.

00:06:15A pulse of silver light cut through the surface of the wax,

00:06:18and beneath it, clear and understakeable,

00:06:21was the trace of a Whitmore silver arrow.

00:06:25The silver arrow was the most sacred relic of the Whitmore bloodline.

00:06:29The Hargroves had stolen it from us,

00:06:31and it had been lost for generations.

00:06:36I only learned the truth as I was dying in my past life,

00:06:39when it was already too late to do anything about it.

00:06:42Now I knew exactly where it was.

00:06:45That was the real reason I would walk into Hargrove Hall.

00:06:48Not Callum.

00:06:49The arrow.

00:06:51Callum saw me take it,

00:06:52and his whole body relaxed.

00:06:54He lifted his chin slightly,

00:06:56satisfaction spreading across his face.

00:06:58He had already decided I was still hung up on him,

00:07:01that I had finally given in because of old feelings.

00:07:04Then he turned on that warm, reasonable voice,

00:07:07the one that used to make me believe every word.

00:07:10Good.

00:07:10All you have to do is come with us,

00:07:12and suppress the curse.

00:07:14Once I'm better, I'll make sure you're rewarded.

00:07:16The Hargroves take care of people who prove useful to us.

00:07:20He said it like he was doing me a favor,

00:07:22like I was something he could summon,

00:07:24use,

00:07:24and dismiss whenever it suited him.

00:07:26I looked at him slowly,

00:07:28the way you look at something that does not know it is already finished.

00:07:32I'm going to Hargrove Hall to take back what belongs to the Whitmore family.

00:07:36I was never doing this for you.

00:07:38The smile on his face died, died completely.

00:07:43The next morning, the man had everything packed before I came downstairs.

00:07:47Lady, the carriages are here.

00:07:49He was the boy the Whitmore family had taken in years ago,

00:07:53quiet, precise, and so still that most people mistook him for cold.

00:07:57Since I came back, he was the only person who looked straight at the scar on my face

00:08:00without flinching or glancing away.

00:08:02Two Hargrove carriages were waiting outside.

00:08:05Eleanor had one to herself, and the other was meant for Callum and me.

00:08:09Jenna, who supposedly could not handle the mountain road,

00:08:12was supposed to have her own space.

00:08:14I was about to step into the second carriage when a voice cut across the courtyard.

00:08:18Wait!

00:08:19Callum, I want to ride with you!

00:08:20She ran toward us with her skirts gathered in both hands,

00:08:23her cheeks flushed and her eyes red at the rims,

00:08:26as if she had already been crying.

00:08:28She was the girl the Hargroves had taken in years ago,

00:08:31the orphan daughter of some distant relation.

00:08:33She had grown up inside the estate walls, right beside Callum.

00:08:37Everyone said she was sweet and innocent,

00:08:39the one person Callum protected more than anyone else.

00:08:42She had a white silk scarf in her hands.

00:08:44Before Callum could answer,

00:08:46she was already looping it around his neck and smoothing it down with both palms.

00:08:50The mountain road is freezing.

00:08:52I don't want you getting sick again.

00:08:53Callum did not move away from her hands.

00:08:55In my past life, I thought she was only being kind.

00:08:58This time, my silver sight caught the edge of the scarf the moment it touched him.

00:09:02Faint dark lines were woven into the silk,

00:09:04forming the exact pattern of a serpent mark.

00:09:06Callum did not see any of it.

00:09:07He was already brushing a loose strand of hair away from Jenna's face.

00:09:11Jenna turned to me with wide, apologetic eyes.

00:09:13Lady Rowena, I hope you don't mind.

00:09:15I won't take up much space.

00:09:16I promise.

00:09:17She did not wait for my answer.

00:09:19She climbed in ahead of me.

00:09:21I watched her settle beside Callum and push me toward the window seat without even looking at me.

00:09:25I said nothing.

00:09:27Jenna, last time I missed every move you made.

00:09:29This time I'm gonna watch every single one.

00:09:33The carriage wound its way up the wet, cobblestone road towards the Hargraf estate.

00:09:37There was barely enough room for two people to sit comfortably,

00:09:40and Jenna had made sure she stayed pressed against Callum for the entire ride.

00:09:44Every time the wheels hit a rough patch, she let out a soft, breathy sound and leaned into his shoulder.

00:09:49The timing was perfect.

00:09:50Always within my line of sight.

00:09:52Like a little performance stage just for me.

00:09:54Callum, I feel so dizzy.

00:09:56I can barely breathe.

00:09:57She twisted her fingers into the front of his shirt, lifting her eyes just enough to catch the light,

00:10:03looking soft and helpless and miserable.

00:10:05In my past life, watching this would have made me want to shrink into myself and disappear.

00:10:09Now I only sat still and watched her work.

00:10:12Callum noticed me looking.

00:10:13His expression hardened at once.

00:10:15He tightened his arm around Jenna and turned his face away from me,

00:10:18like even the air on my side of the carriage disgusted him.

00:10:21Rowena, stop staring.

00:10:22Jenna is kind and gentle, not that you would know anything about that.

00:10:25And stop using that face to scare her.

00:10:26Jenna reached over and touched his arm gently.

00:10:28Callum, don't.

00:10:29Lady Rowena probably doesn't mean it.

00:10:32She knows exactly what she's doing.

00:10:33She's had it out for you since the moment she saw you.

00:10:36Maybe she just doesn't like me.

00:10:38It's alright, I'm used to it.

00:10:39That is her problem, not yours.

00:10:40I don't care what she thinks.

00:10:42I did not answer.

00:10:43In my past life, that exchange would have hollowed me out for days.

00:10:47Now I only filed it away.

00:10:48Every word, every dismissal.

00:10:50I was keeping track.

00:10:51At the same time, through the silver sight, I could see what was really happening.

00:10:55Dark energy was seeping from the coral bracelet on Jenna's wrist,

00:10:59winding along Callum's collar and pushing inch by inch into the skin at the back of his neck.

00:11:04She was not dizzy.

00:11:05She was feeding the serpent.

00:11:06Callum, the sweet, innocent girl you're so desperate to protect,

00:11:10is poisoning you right now.

00:11:11And you're holding her tighter.

00:11:12He pulled her closer and pressed his cheek against the top of her head, completely blind.

00:11:18By midday, the carriages stopped in front of the Hargreth family's main residence.

00:11:22This was not Hargreth Hall, not the old estate with the serpent gate buried beneath it.

00:11:27The hall stood deeper inside the grounds, behind a locked inner courtyard that almost

00:11:30never opened.

00:11:31This was only where the family lived.

00:11:33When Jenna stepped down from the carriage, she grabbed the doorbraim, her face going pale,

00:11:37and sagged into Callum's side.

00:11:39I'm fine.

00:11:39Just cold.

00:11:41My legs feel strange.

00:11:42Callum wrapped an arm around her at once.

00:11:44The look he sent me over her shoulder made it clear that somehow this was supposed to be

00:11:48my fault.

00:11:48We passed through the front entrance hall.

00:11:50The moment we crossed the threshold, my silver sight erupted.

00:11:54Dark serpent energy crawled across every wall and ceiling, coiling and shifting like something

00:11:59alive.

00:11:59It hulged at anyone with Hargreth blood, then recoiled the second it touched the silver

00:12:04light of my mark, shrieking back into the cracks.

00:12:06Jenna was walking ahead.

00:12:07I watched her cross the threshold, and I saw the exact moment her shoe came down

00:12:12on the protection line hidden beneath the doorframe.

00:12:15It was not an accident.

00:12:17The movement was too precise.

00:12:19The line snapped.

00:12:20The energy that had been held down broke loose all at once, and a wave of freezing air tore

00:12:25down the corridor like a blade.

00:12:27Oh God!

00:12:28Help me!

00:12:29She stumbled backwards straight into his arms, clean and practiced, like a stage fall.

00:12:33Callum caught her without even looking.

00:12:35One arm locked across her chest, and his first words were for me.

00:12:38Rowena!

00:12:39What the hell are you doing just standing there?

00:12:43You're a Whitmore!

00:12:45You're supposed to handle this!

00:12:47If Jenna gets hurt because of you, I swear you'll answer for it.

00:12:52I raised one hand, a silver seal dropped across the corridor, and the serpent energy shrank

00:12:57back into the walls.

00:12:58The hallway went still.

00:13:00I looked at Callum.

00:13:02You're welcome.

00:13:03I let the silence stretch for a moment.

00:13:05Then I lowered my gaze to the broken line on the floor, before slowly lifting my eyes to

00:13:09Jenna's shoes.

00:13:10You might want to ask how that line broke in the first place.

00:13:14Callum's brow tightened.

00:13:15In his arms, Jenna's eyes filled with tears at once.

00:13:18Her lower lip trembled as she looked up at him, as if she was the one being attacked.

00:13:22Callum looked between us and clenched his jaw.

00:13:25What exactly are you accusing her of?

00:13:27Nothing.

00:13:28Just giving you advice.

00:13:30While you're in this house, pay attention to what's right in front of you.

00:13:33Then I walked toward the sitting room without looking back.

00:13:40When we settled into the sitting room, Eleanor came in herself with a tray of peach blossom

00:13:44tea.

00:13:45Steam curled slowly from each cup.

00:13:47You must be exhausted after that ride, sweetheart.

00:13:50I made this myself.

00:13:51Drink it while it's hot.

00:13:53It will calm your nerves.

00:13:55She had the warmth turned all the way on.

00:13:57Deep smile lines.

00:13:58A gentle voice.

00:13:59Every inch the loving grandmother.

00:14:00Jenna sat beside Callum.

00:14:01She picked up his cup first, blew on it softly, and placed it in his hands.

00:14:05Drink it while it's hot.

00:14:07It'll warm you up.

00:14:08In my past life, I fell for all of it.

00:14:10I drank the tea.

00:14:11And by nightfall, my silver sight was almost blind.

00:14:14The poison had worked slowly and silently the whole time.

00:14:16When I tried to suppress the serpents that night, I kept making the wrong calls, and

00:14:20one of them tore my palm open.

00:14:22I burned with fever for three days straight.

00:14:24And Jenna had been there the entire time, smiling sweetly as she added a spoonful of

00:14:28sugar to my cup.

00:14:29Something sweet makes everything less bitter, Lady Rowena.

00:14:32This time, I looked into my cup through the silver sight.

00:14:34The tea should have been pale amber, but beneath the surface, it was deep crimson.

00:14:37Something small and dark moved along the bottom.

00:14:40I picked up the cup and drank most of it.

00:14:42I let none of it touch me.

00:14:44Under the cover of my sleeve, I pressed two fingers.

00:14:46to my wrist and sealed my throat and chest with a silver seal.

00:14:50The poison slammed into the barrier and thrashed like a trapped thing, but it got nowhere.

00:14:54Jenna kept her eyes on my face the whole time.

00:14:56She was waiting for my gaze to blur, waiting for the sight to go dark.

00:15:00When I set the cup down, breathing evenly and looking straight back at her, I saw the

00:15:04corner of her smile crack.

00:15:05Just a twitch.

00:15:07Just one second.

00:15:08But it was there.

00:15:09Lucian picked up his own cup, gave it one slow sniff, then turned and poured the whole

00:15:14thing into the planter beside his chair.

00:15:16Too sweet.

00:15:17Hides the taste of rot.

00:15:19Eleanor's expression flickered.

00:15:21Calatin's eyes sharpened.

00:15:22My grandmother made that tea herself.

00:15:24You want to explain what the hell you're doing?

00:15:26I just did.

00:15:27Lucian looked at him calmly.

00:15:29Callum's face turned ugly.

00:15:30He was about to snap back when Jenna laid a hand on his arm.

00:15:33Callum, don't.

00:15:34We asked them to come here.

00:15:35It's fine, really.

00:15:36She said it in that soft, peacemaking voice.

00:15:39But as she lifted her own cup back to her lips, her eyes slid sideways to me, patient,

00:15:44calculating, waiting to see something that was never going to happen.

00:15:48I looked at her and said nothing.

00:15:50Jenna, I'm just getting started.

00:15:52Next time, I'll make sure you see it coming.

00:15:56The welcome dinner that night was exactly the kind of show the Hargroves loved to put on.

00:16:01Candles stretched down the table.

00:16:03Silver gleamed at every place setting, and there was more food than anyone could finish.

00:16:07Jenna sat to Callum's left, cutting her food with careful, effortless grace.

00:16:11Then she set down her knife, turned to me, and spoke in the softest, most concerned voice

00:16:15she had.

00:16:16Ladies, Rowena, I've been meaning to ask you something.

00:16:19With a scar like that on your face, do people avoid you when you go out?

00:16:23You must feel so lonely.

00:16:25I can't even imagine.

00:16:26Perfectly worded, perfectly gentle, loud enough for every servant in the room to hear.

00:16:31I held my knife and fork and did not respond.

00:16:34Jenna, don't say it like that.

00:16:36She's a guest, you'll embarrass her.

00:16:38In my past life, I had actually been grateful for that.

00:16:40I thought he was standing up for me.

00:16:42Now I could see it clearly.

00:16:43He did not care whether I was humiliated.

00:16:46He just needed me to walk into that hall tomorrow night, and a scene at dinner would

00:16:50make things harder.

00:16:51That sentence was for him, not for me.

00:16:54Jenna's face crumpled at once.

00:16:56Her eyes filled.

00:16:57I didn't mean it that way.

00:16:58I was worried about her.

00:17:00Callum, why are you making it sound like I did something wrong?

00:17:03Her voice broke on the last word.

00:17:04Two tears slipped down her face.

00:17:06And just like that, Callum changed.

00:17:09The hardness left him, and his voice turned low and gentle.

00:17:13I know you didn't.

00:17:14I'm sorry.

00:17:16I shouldn't have said it like that.

00:17:18Lucian set down his silverware.

00:17:20I have a question.

00:17:21Is this how the Hargroves treat guests they begged for help?

00:17:24Every sound at the table stopped.

00:17:26Jenna's tears paused mid-fall.

00:17:28Callum's head snapped up, and the look he gave Lucian was full of real anger.

00:17:32Who the hell do you think you are?

00:17:34Nobody asked for your opinion!

00:17:35Lucian did not move.

00:17:37He only held Callum's gaze and took his time answering.

00:17:40I came with Lady Whitmore.

00:17:41As long as she is here, I have every right to speak.

00:17:45Callum pressed one hand flat against the edge of the table.

00:17:47His jaw tightened, and his face went pale with fury.

00:17:50Rowena.

00:17:51Control your people.

00:17:52I set my wine glass down slowly and looked at him.

00:17:55He's right.

00:17:56Callum, I came because your family begged me to save you.

00:17:58I did not come here to be insulted at your dinner table.

00:18:01If you can't understand the difference, I don't need to enter that hall tomorrow.

00:18:05I can leave tonight.

00:18:07Silence fell over the room.

00:18:08Then Callum exhaled through his nose, forced down his anger and ground out the words like

00:18:12they hurt.

00:18:13After dinner, I'll have Chester bring out the legacy book.

00:18:16I picked up my wine glass again and said nothing.

00:18:21Dinner ended, and I asked for the Hargro legacy book, the family's hand-brett record dating

00:18:25back to 1840.

00:18:26It doored it how the serpent gate was first sealed, and why.

00:18:29If the silver arrow was hidden somewhere on these grounds, there would be a trace of it

00:18:32in those pages.

00:18:34Callum's face tightened at once.

00:18:37It's a dusty old record book.

00:18:39You're here to deal with the curse, not dig through our family history.

00:18:43If I'm going to suppress what's down there, I need to know what caused it.

00:18:46The answer is in that book.

00:18:47Is that too hard for you to understand?

00:18:48He opened his mouth to argue, and Jenna let out a sharp little cry.

00:18:51Her elbow caught the wine bottle at the edge of the table.

00:18:53It tipped over and spilled half its contents across the tablecloth in a dark red wave.

00:18:56Servants rushed forward, and the moment broke apart.

00:18:59I'm so sorry.

00:19:00I'm so sorry.

00:19:01My hands are so shaky tonight.

00:19:02Callum leaned over and took her hands in his, checking them with a deep frown.

00:19:06You didn't cut yourself.

00:19:07It's just a bottle.

00:19:08It doesn't matter.

00:19:09Then he looked at me sideways, contempt clear in his eyes.

00:19:12All this over one old book?

00:19:13Did you really have to push that hard and scare her like that?

00:19:16What is this, an interrogation?

00:19:18I was not looking at him.

00:19:19Through the silver sight, I watched dark serpent energy pour from Jenna's sleeve and curl around

00:19:24the cabinet where the legacy book was kept like a hand pressing the door shut.

00:19:28She had not dropped the bottle because her hands were unsteady.

00:19:31She had dropped it to keep that cabinet closed.

00:19:34I raised one hand.

00:19:34A silver seal shot across the room and pinned the serpent energy flat against the cabinet doors.

00:19:38Jenna went white.

00:19:39Lucian walked to the cabinet, opened it without asking, and looked calmly at Chester in the corner.

00:19:43Chester, bring out the legacy book.

00:19:45Chester hesitated.

00:19:46Then he lowered his head, took the yellowed leather-valume wooden box inside the cabinet,

00:19:49and held it out with both hands.

00:19:50I took it and opened it.

00:19:51I caught sight of the serpent brand running along the edge of Chester's sleeve.

00:19:54I filed it away.

00:19:57The first several pages of the legacy book had been cut out.

00:20:00Clean cuts.

00:20:01Blade cuts.

00:20:02Nothing old about them.

00:20:04Callum glanced over and dismissed it without missing a bead.

00:20:06It's a 150-year-old book.

00:20:08Pages go missing.

00:20:09That's not suspicious.

00:20:10That's time.

00:20:11Jenna stepped in right on cue.

00:20:14Exactly.

00:20:15Lady Rowena, the Hargroves have been a respectable family for generations.

00:20:18There's nothing to hide here.

00:20:20Don't you think you're reading too much into this?

00:20:22I ignored them both and bent over the torn edges, looking through the silver sight.

00:20:25There it was, buried in the yellowed fringe, the faint silver glow of dried Whitmore blood,

00:20:30ancient and thin.

00:20:31Tangled through it was the serpent energy from the bracelet on Jenna's wrist, the exact same

00:20:35signature.

00:20:36She was the one who had cut out those pages, which meant she had known about the silver

00:20:39arrow all along.

00:20:41I was about to speak when the death mark on Callum's forehead split open.

00:20:45Serpent energy burst through his veins all at once, and the whole study shook.

00:20:49From deep inside, Hargrove Hall came a low, grinding sound, like something massive turning

00:20:54in its sleep.

00:20:55Callum's legs buckled.

00:20:57He caught the edge of a shelf, his face white, his teeth clenched, his breath coming

00:21:01in sharp pulls.

00:21:02Eleanor rushed across the room and grabbed my arm.

00:21:05Rowene, please, go tonight.

00:21:07You're the only one who can stop it.

00:21:09Please.

00:21:10I closed the legacy book.

00:21:11I'll enter Hargrove Hall tonight, but I'm going to question the serpent, not break the

00:21:16curse.

00:21:16Get that straight now.

00:21:17Then I turned to Jenna.

00:21:18My voice stayed calm, but every person in the room heard me one more thing.

00:21:22During the ritual tonight, Jenna does not come anywhere near the main hall.

00:21:24Her energy is corrupt.

00:21:25If she gets close, she'll provoke what's down there, and the entire formation will collapse.

00:21:29This is not a request.

00:21:30It's a condition.

00:21:31The study went completely silent.

00:21:33Jenna blinked.

00:21:34Then her head lowered, and tears rolled down her face without a sound.

00:21:39Callum pushed himself up from the shelf, still pale and tight with pain, and turned on me

00:21:44at once.

00:21:45On what grounds?

00:21:46Jenna came all this way because she was worried about me.

00:21:49You don't get to throw her out in the cold just because you hate her!

00:21:51On the grounds that if I walk in tonight, you live.

00:21:58Callum stayed quiet, but it was not over.

00:22:00He steadied himself against the shelf and started again a few seconds later.

00:22:04Even if you have to enter the hall tonight, that does not give you the right to leave

00:22:07Jenna outside alone.

00:22:08She scares easily.

00:22:10What if something happens and you are not there?

00:22:11Are you going to take responsibility for that?

00:22:13Jenna's tears fell faster, but she still reached out and grabbed Callum's sleeve with

00:22:16both hands.

00:22:17Callum, please don't fight with Lady Rowena.

00:22:18This is my fault.

00:22:19I shouldn't have come.

00:22:20You go in and let her do what she needs to do.

00:22:22Don't worry about me.

00:22:23I'll wait outside.

00:22:24I just want you safe.

00:22:25That's all I want.

00:22:26Every word landed exactly where she wanted it to.

00:22:28Callum's chest rose and fell hard.

00:22:31Then he turned all that anger on me.

00:22:33You hear that?

00:22:34She's willing to stand out there alone in the dark just to make things easier for you.

00:22:38What kind of person are you?

00:22:40Jenna stays by the door tonight.

00:22:42No one is stopping her.

00:22:43I looked at them without anger.

00:22:45I was not even surprised.

00:22:47This was the same performance they had put on in my past life.

00:22:50Jenna cried.

00:22:51Callum exploded and every bit of blame in the room landed on me while they clung to each other.

00:22:56Perfectly timed.

00:22:58Perfectly practiced.

00:23:00I turned toward Hargrim Hall and spoke without looking back.

00:23:05Fine.

00:23:06Then keep your eyes open tonight.

00:23:10Whatever happens, don't come crying to me.

00:23:14Behind me, I heard Callum murmur to Jenna.

00:23:17You're okay.

00:23:19I'm right here.

00:23:20I walked into the dark of Hargmite Hall without turning around.

00:23:23I already knew he would open that door for her when the time came.

00:23:26And the harder he fought to protect her tonight, the worse the backlash would hit him.

00:23:31Midnight.

00:23:32The main hall of Hargrave Hall.

00:23:33The wind howled through the walls like something was trying to claw its way out.

00:23:37The old chandelier swung overhead, its candles throwing long, crooked shadows across the room.

00:23:42The estate had gone still, except for the dull shiver that rolled up from beneath the floor every few minutes.

00:23:48Whatever had been sleeping down there was starting to wake.

00:23:51I stood in the center of the hall and focused.

00:23:53Whitmore blood ignited in my veins.

00:23:55Silver seals poured out of me in rings, spreading across the floor like a net of cold light,

00:24:00pressing the serpent energy back into the walls in stone.

00:24:04Building a formation like this burned through everything I had.

00:24:07Power, focus, and sheer will.

00:24:10But I did not let it show.

00:24:12My hands were steady.

00:24:14My face was calm.

00:24:16Callum stood on the far side of the formation, supported by the old butler.

00:24:21The death mark on his forehead pulsed blood red in the silver light.

00:24:25He was shaking, yet he still looked at me like he was doing me a favor by letting me help.

00:24:29How sure are you about this?

00:24:31I did not look at him, sure enough.

00:24:34A pause.

00:24:35I need more than questions.

00:24:36I need the death mark gone completely.

00:24:38Can you actually do that?

00:24:40I turned and looked at him properly for the first time.

00:24:43Callum, the only reason I'm standing in this room is because the silver arrow is here.

00:24:47Not because of you.

00:24:49Whether that mark comes off at all depends on whether the Hargroves start paying what they owe the Whitmans.

00:24:56We can discuss that later.

00:24:57He wanted to argue.

00:24:59Then the death mark tore at him again, and the sound that left his throat was not one he meant

00:25:04to make.

00:25:04He swallowed it down hard.

00:25:06Palm up.

00:25:07Catch the light from the core of the formation.

00:25:09Whatever you hear, whatever you see, do not move.

00:25:12This creature follows Hargrove blood.

00:25:13If you move, the backlash will bury you, and I will not be able to pull you out.

00:25:16Callum raised his trembling right hand.

00:25:18This time, he said nothing.

00:25:22The last seal fell into place.

00:25:24The stone floor cracked with a deep, grinding boom that rose through the soles of my feet.

00:25:29The eternal flame in its copper lamp guttled until it was almost gone, and the temperature dropped so fast it

00:25:36felt like the walls themselves were breathing out ice.

00:25:39The floor began to shake in small, rapid tremors.

00:25:43White mist bled up through the cracks, spreading low and thick across the ground, catching the faint silver light of

00:25:49my formation.

00:25:50Then, from the center of the mist, she came.

00:25:55Althea.

00:25:56A thousand-year-old serpent, white as bone, as large as a river dragon, with golden-slit eyes burning in

00:26:03the dark like two cold fires.

00:26:05Decades of rage, grief, and imprisonment moved through the air around her, like a physical force.

00:26:13The servants screamed.

00:26:16Elinor collapsed to her knees.

00:26:18Callum made a sound he probably did not mean to make, as the death mark nearly tore itself open under

00:26:24the pressure.

00:26:25Of her presence.

00:26:27But when those golden eyes swept across the hall and found me, they stopped.

00:26:32She recognized something.

00:26:34The covenant.

00:26:36The silver light around me.

00:26:38Something older than her rage.

00:26:41Althea went still in a way she had not been still in years.

00:26:44Then she lowered her slowly, all the way to my feet.

00:26:49A low, grieving sound came from her throat, like a creature finally standing before the person it had been waiting

00:26:55for.

00:26:56No one in the room could speak.

00:26:58Callum's breathing was loud, raggled, and stunned.

00:27:01He had spent his whole life under the shadow of what she had done to his family.

00:27:06He had never expected to see her bow.

00:27:08I crouched and touched her scales.

00:27:10They were cold, smooth, and faintly luminous.

00:27:14Althea.

00:27:15I need to ask you something.

00:27:17The silver arrow.

00:27:19The one taken from the Whitmore family a hundred years ago and brought into this estate.

00:27:22Where is it?

00:27:23Her whole body convulsed.

00:27:25She reared halfway up, her great tail striking the stone floor.

00:27:29As she pointed deeper into the estate.

00:27:32Somewhere farther in.

00:27:34One more step.

00:27:35One answer.

00:27:36That was all it would have taken.

00:27:40That was when the screaming started outside the hall doors.

00:27:43Callum!

00:27:44Callum, help me!

00:27:45It's going to eat me!

00:27:46Please!

00:27:46Every note was perfectly pitched.

00:27:48Every word landed right at the weakest seam of the ritual.

00:27:52I did not move.

00:27:53But Althea's head snapped up, and her golden eyes flooded red.

00:27:57I turned to Callum.

00:27:59Do you remember what I told you earlier tonight?

00:28:01His hand had already curled into a fist.

00:28:04Something broke behind his eyes when he heard Jenna's voice.

00:28:07He stared at the door, throat working, and then he ran.

00:28:11Callum!

00:28:12That's Jenna!

00:28:13I don't care!

00:28:14He threw the doors open.

00:28:15Jenna crashed into him from the other side, shaking, soaked with tears and buried her face

00:28:20in his chest.

00:28:21I was so scared.

00:28:22I just wanted to make sure you were okay.

00:28:24I needed to see you.

00:28:26That thing is terrifying, Callum.

00:28:28I couldn't stay out there.

00:28:29The second her foot crossed the threshold, Serpent Energy burst free from her coral bracelet.

00:28:35It came in a dark, thick wave, carrying a resonance that matched Althea's imprisoned

00:28:42resentment.

00:28:43Frequency for frequency.

00:28:46A signal going both ways.

00:28:49Althea felt it.

00:28:51The red in her eyes deepened.

00:28:54Her scales lifted all across her body as she rose higher.

00:28:59And the sound she made was no longer grief.

00:29:02I stood still with my hands behind my back.

00:29:05In my past life, I had thrown myself in front of that rage.

00:29:09I took all of it so they would not have to.

00:29:11Afterward, I burned with fever for three days and nearly died twice before the fever broke.

00:29:16When I woke up, Callum stood beside my bed with Jenna at his side and said,

00:29:20She needs me more than you do.

00:29:21You're tough.

00:29:22You'll be fine on your own.

00:29:24This time, I breathed out slowly and quietly.

00:29:27And I let it happen.

00:29:32Althema hit them like a wave smashing into a wall.

00:29:35The formation shattered.

00:29:37The eternal flame died.

00:29:39The silver seals cracked all at once.

00:29:42With a sound like breaking ice.

00:29:45And the core of the ritual collapsed.

00:29:49The whole hall convulsed.

00:29:54Callum was thrown backward and slammed into the offering table hard enough to knock it over.

00:29:59He hit the ground, coughing blood.

00:30:02Jenna went down beside him, white-faced, with blood at the corner of her mouth.

00:30:07The ground shook.

00:30:11Serpent Heeks rose from every crack in the stone, growing louder and closer.

00:30:17If the formation stayed broken, the serpents under the estate would come up through the floor.

00:30:25Everyone in this house would die.

00:30:27That included me and Lucian.

00:30:31I pressed my fingers together, like a blade and cut across my own palm.

00:30:39Silver blood fell onto the extinguished flame.

00:30:42The fire came back like an explosion.

00:30:45Three feet of silver flame roared up from the lamp.

00:30:49Flooding the hall in cold light.

00:30:52Althema hit that light and went rigid.

00:30:54The red drained from her eyes.

00:30:56She lowered herself to the floor.

00:30:59Pressed her head against my feet.

00:31:01And went still.

00:31:03Breathing, slow and deep.

00:31:05Like something finally put to rest.

00:31:08The hall went quiet.

00:31:13Then Callum dragged himself up from the floor with one arm around Jenna.

00:31:18He looked across the ruined hall at me.

00:31:20Standing in the silver light with blood, still running down my wrist.

00:31:24For one moment, he just stared.

00:31:27Then he opened his mouth.

00:31:28Rowena, you could control that thing the whole time.

00:31:32So why the hell did you just stand there and let it go after Jenna?

00:31:35What is wrong with you?

00:31:37What sick game are you playing?

00:31:41He said it like he was the victim.

00:31:44Like he was not the one who had opened that door.

00:31:46After a direct warning.

00:31:48Like I was not standing in front of him.

00:31:50Bleeding to hold the ritual together.

00:31:54I looked down at my palm.

00:31:56The silver blood was already slowing.

00:31:59I did not answer him.

00:32:01In Callum's arms, too quietly for him to notice.

00:32:04Jenna lifted her head.

00:32:06Her face was wet.

00:32:07Her hair a mess.

00:32:08Tears still drying on her cheeks.

00:32:10But from an angle he could not see, the corner of her mouth curved.

00:32:14Less than a second.

00:32:16I caught every bit of it.

00:32:17I almost wanted to laugh.

00:32:19It was the same in this life as it had been in the last.

00:32:22Jenna worked in the dark.

00:32:24Soft and sweet and untouchable.

00:32:26And Callum, righteous, devoted, completely blind Callum, picked up every knife she left behind and walked it straight into me.

00:32:35Except this time, I was not the one bleeding out on the floor.

00:32:39This time, I was the one still standing.

00:32:45I stood in the ruined hall.

00:32:47The cold serpent energy still lingering in the air like frost on my skin.

00:32:55Callum's accusation hung between us.

00:32:58Sharp and accusatory.

00:33:00I didn't rush to defend myself.

00:33:03Instead, I raised my hand and let the silver seat flare.

00:33:10Silver light swept over Jenna, amplifying the dark serpent patterns twisting on her coral bracelet.

00:33:17They projected clearly onto the wall, rivaling like living shadows.

00:33:25The exact energy that had provoked Althea.

00:33:28The servants gasp.

00:33:30Eleanor's face drained of colour.

00:33:33Jenna's expression crumpled as she threw herself into Callum's arms, sobbing violently.

00:33:39Callum, I don't know what that is.

00:33:41I really don't.

00:33:44Did Lady Rowish do this on purpose to scare me?

00:33:48Callum pulled her tighter, his voice rising in fury as he glared at me.

00:33:54Rowena, enough!

00:33:56You already hurt her tonight, and now you want to humiliate her in front of everyone?

00:34:00The disbelief hit me hard.

00:34:03Evidence right in front of him, and still he chose her.

00:34:06Lucian stepped to my side, his voice like ice.

00:34:09Are you blind?

00:34:11Or has your brain rotted too?

00:34:12You have no right to speak here!

00:34:14I held Lucian back with a hand on his arm.

00:34:16No need to argue with him.

00:34:17Serpent energy recognises its own, and so does Althea.

00:34:19Callum, you can keep pretending not to see it, but the formation collapsed tonight because you opened that door yourself.

00:34:23Callum's face stiffened.

00:34:24Jenna cried even harder.

00:34:25I turned away from them, crouching beside Althea and placing my hand on her head.

00:34:29The great white serpent calmed under my touch, lowering her head like a tamed beast.

00:34:31Everyone saw it.

00:34:32The serpents didn't fear me.

00:34:33They feared the Hargroves.

00:34:36Lucian helped me back to my room.

00:34:39The cut in my palm still seeped silver blood, and the Lunarn Hunt scar on my face burned.

00:34:45Every use of the Covenant reminded me of the price I had paid.

00:34:49My face for this power.

00:34:51Lucian banded the wound with careful hands, his touch gentle, as if afraid to break me.

00:34:57Don't cut so deep next time.

00:34:59If I hadn't, this entire estate would have collapsed tonight.

00:35:03That's not your burden alone to carry.

00:35:06I looked up at him.

00:35:08He met my eyes steadily, never flinching from the scar, only seeing me.

00:35:14After my re-rebirth, I had accepted that trading my beauty meant no man would love me again.

00:35:21Others saw fear or disgust first, but Lucian never did.

00:35:25I pulled my hand away, my voice turning cold.

00:35:30Don't be too good to me.

00:35:31I don't need it.

00:35:33Whether you need it is your business.

00:35:36Whether I do it is mine.

00:35:38Footsteps sounded outside.

00:35:40Callum stood in the doorway, his face dark.

00:35:44Seeing Lupien holding my hand made his expression twist with jealousy.

00:35:49So you have time for your servant to fawn him over you.

00:35:52I smiled coldly.

00:35:54At least he knows who was bleeding.

00:35:56Unlike some people, who only held the real culfrid while accusing me.

00:36:02Callum's face darkened further.

00:36:04Tomorrow morning, you're coming with me to the family cemetery.

00:36:07I need to know why this serpent clings to the Hargroves.

00:36:10Fine.

00:36:11But Jenna stays behind.

00:36:14You're meddling too much.

00:36:15I said nothing.

00:36:17I knew Jenna would come anyway.

00:36:22Jenna appeared the next day, wrapped in a pale cloak, looking frail as she clung to Callum's side.

00:36:31Callum, I can't let you go alone.

00:36:33Let me come.

00:36:35I promise I won't cause trouble.

00:36:38Callum glanced at me, waiting for protest.

00:36:42I stayed silent.

00:36:43Letter.

00:36:45The closer she gets to the truth, the faster her mask slips.

00:36:49Jenna's eyes flickered before she looked down.

00:36:52We reached the Hargrove Cemetery, where serpent energy coiled around every grave.

00:36:58My silver sight revealed snake bones pressed beneath each male Hargrove tombstone.

00:37:04This was no simple curse.

00:37:06It was a betrayal.

00:37:07What do you see?

00:37:10Your family wasn't cursed by serpents.

00:37:13You used them first, then betrayed them.

00:37:18Jenna suddenly cried out and stumbled, her hand landing precisely on a formation node.

00:37:24Serpent energy erupted.

00:37:27Callum rushed to her.

00:37:31I saw dark energy flash between her fingers.

00:37:35In my past life, I thought it was an accident.

00:37:41Now I knew better.

00:37:43Lucian stepped in front of me, and the underground bones recoiled from him, as if terrified.

00:37:49A question stirred in my mind.

00:37:54Who exactly was Lucian?

00:37:58Jenna clung to Callum, claiming her legs had simply given out.

00:38:03He held her protectively, but turned on me in anger.

00:38:08You knew it was dangerous here.

00:38:11Why didn't you clear it first?

00:38:15Did you see her step on the node?

00:38:17Callum paused.

00:38:19Jenna lifted her tear-stripped face.

00:38:23Lady Rowena, I know you dislike me, but I didn't touch any node.

00:38:28I was just scared.

00:38:31Callum's gaze softened toward her immediately.

00:38:35Rowena, enough.

00:38:37Stop pinning everything on her!

00:38:39I didn't argue.

00:38:41I extracted the Serpent energy from her palm,

00:38:45and held it suspended in the air,

00:38:48a writhling black thread trying to return to her sleeve.

00:38:53Jenna paled.

00:38:56Still need an explanation?

00:38:58Callum saw it.

00:39:00Everyone did.

00:39:01But after a moment, he muttered,

00:39:05Maybe the node latched onto her.

00:39:07I laughed bitterly.

00:39:08In my past life, I thought he was blind.

00:39:11Now I realized he saw.

00:39:13He just refused to admit it.

00:39:15Lucian spoke softly behind me.

00:39:18He doesn't deserve a single word from you.

00:39:20His words eased some of the cold weight in my chest.

00:39:23I turned back to the graves.

00:39:26Keep digging.

00:39:29Jenna's desperation to interrupt means there's something important down there.

00:39:36I used silver blood on the tombstone.

00:39:39A fragment of memory rose.

00:39:42Centuries ago, Althea had willingly guarded the Hargroves,

00:39:47shielding them and even giving her white scales as a token.

00:39:50They repaid her by stabbing her with the stolen silver arrow while she slept,

00:39:56turning her into a living lock for the Serpent Gate.

00:39:59She was no monster.

00:40:01She was a betrayed protector.

00:40:04When the vision faded, Callum looked grim.

00:40:09I expected him to ask about Althea.

00:40:12Instead,

00:40:13If she's the living lock,

00:40:16she can still hold the gate, right?

00:40:19I turned slowly,

00:40:21anger flaring.

00:40:23That's all you take from this?

00:40:26The Hug family cannot fall.

00:40:29I need to know how to save it.

00:40:31His selfishness drained even my rage.

00:40:33In my past life,

00:40:35my pain,

00:40:35my blood,

00:40:36my life had only ever been tools to him.

00:40:39Jenna squeezed his hand gently.

00:40:41Callum,

00:40:42you're just worried about the family.

00:40:44Lady Rowena wouldn't understand your burden.

00:40:46Her voice was soft,

00:40:47but her eyes smiled.

00:40:49Lucian's hand tightened on his sword hilt.

00:40:52Don't rush.

00:40:53Let them dig their own graves deeper.

00:40:57The filthier their words now,

00:40:59the cleaner the reckoning later.

00:41:03Later,

00:41:04Jenna sought me out alone.

00:41:07Her gentle mask dropped completely as she leaned against a corazilla,

00:41:12twisting her coral bracelet.

00:41:14You must feel so smug right now,

00:41:17making Callum look bad,

00:41:18making everyone doubt me,

00:41:21enjoying yourself.

00:41:23It's nowhere near as entertaining as you feeding serpents while playing the helpless victim.

00:41:31She laughed,

00:41:33her eyes turning venomous.

00:41:34You're much smarter than last time.

00:41:36So you remember too?

00:41:39Jenna didn't answer directly.

00:41:42She stroked the bracelet.

00:41:46Whether I remember doesn't matter.

00:41:49Callum will always believe me.

00:41:52You can shove proof in his face,

00:41:54and he'll still make excuses for me.

00:41:57Her words cut deep,

00:41:58laced with malice.

00:42:00Look at you.

00:42:02Traded your face for power.

00:42:05And still no one loves you.

00:42:08How pathetic.

00:42:09You think I still want Callum's love?

00:42:12Jenna stepped closer,

00:42:13lowering her voice.

00:42:14Of course you do.

00:42:16Once a woman has been loved,

00:42:18she always craves it back.

00:42:20You're just pretending to be clear-headed now.

00:42:23She reached toward my scar.

00:42:25Lucian emerged from the shadows and seized her wrist.

00:42:27Touch her again,

00:42:28and I'll cut off your hand.

00:42:30Jenna winced in pain,

00:42:32but quickly shifted to a pitiful expression

00:42:35as Callum's foot stems approached.

00:42:38Callum!

00:42:39He's trying to kill me!

00:42:46I only wanted to apologize to Lady Rowena,

00:42:49but he suddenly grabbed me.

00:42:51I was so scared.

00:42:52Let her go.

00:42:56Lucian, release her.

00:42:58Rowena, control your people.

00:43:01Don't forget,

00:43:02this is the Hargro estate.

00:43:07I remember perfectly.

00:43:09That's exactly why it's so filthy here.

00:43:24See that?

00:43:26Every time she touches you,

00:43:27your mark deepens.

00:43:29What trick did you pull?

00:43:31Wonderful.

00:43:32She poisons you,

00:43:33and I get blamed.

00:43:34You really are her perfect blade.

00:43:37Lucian stepped beside me.

00:43:40Let's go.

00:43:42Don't waste time on fools.

00:43:46This time I didn't disagree.

00:43:51Late that night,

00:43:52Chester knocked on my door,

00:43:53holding a lantern with perfect servant deference.

00:43:55Lady Whitmere,

00:43:56the old madam asks if you will enter the hall again tomorrow.

00:43:59Eleanor did the serpent send you,

00:44:00did she?

00:44:00Chester's expression stayed neutral.

00:44:02You're overthinking.

00:44:03I sealed the room with silver seals.

00:44:05Only Lucian and I remained with him.

00:44:07Chester finally looked up.

00:44:09The silver site lives up to its name.

00:44:11How many years have you hidden in the Hargroves?

00:44:1243.

00:44:13He spoke calmly.

00:44:14The Hargroves think they can control the serpent gate,

00:44:16but those behind it have waited for them to walk into the trap.

00:44:18I asked about the silver arrow.

00:44:21You want the sacred relic.

00:44:23The serpent court wants it.

00:44:24Callum wants it to survive.

00:44:26Jenna wants it to open the gate.

00:44:27Everyone is waiting for you to act, Lady Whitmore.

00:44:30Callum, I just saw Chester enter Lady Rowena's room.

00:44:33Are they plotting something?

00:44:36Rowena, what exactly are you doing behind my back?

00:44:43Callum immediately accused me

00:44:45of colluding with the serpent court through Chester.

00:44:50I didn't deny seeking the arrow.

00:44:55It was my goal.

00:44:57He seized on it,

00:44:59turning everyone against me.

00:45:03You were never here to save us.

00:45:06You came for Hargrave possessions from the start.

00:45:10That relic belongs to Whitmore,

00:45:13not Hargrige.

00:45:14Jenna spoke softly.

00:45:17Callum,

00:45:19I've long felt Lady Rowena's hostility.

00:45:22I didn't dare say it before.

00:45:25I feared you'd think me petty.

00:45:27Her eyes reddened again.

00:45:30Callum's disgust towards me deepened.

00:45:33Hand over your silver seals.

00:45:37From now on,

00:45:38any ritual needs my approval.

00:45:41You want to control my power

00:45:43to manage the gate?

00:45:45This is my home!

00:45:47I have the right to know

00:45:49what you're doing.

00:45:50I summoned a wisp of Althea's

00:45:53white serpent shadow.

00:45:54It coiled around Callum's death mark.

00:45:58He cried out in pain,

00:46:00face paling.

00:46:01You have the right to know this,

00:46:03for example.

00:46:04You're still standing,

00:46:05only because I allow it.

00:46:08Jenna stumbled back in fear.

00:46:11Callum stared at me

00:46:12with a mix of rage

00:46:13and newfound terror.

00:46:15Lucian spoke quietly at my side.

00:46:17She saves you by choice,

00:46:19not obligation.

00:46:21Remember that.

00:46:29Eleanor called a family meeting,

00:46:31summoning all Hargroff branches.

00:46:35It was framed as discussing the gate,

00:46:38but clearly meant to force me

00:46:39to submit publicly.

00:46:42Many saw my scarred face

00:46:44for the first time.

00:46:46Whispers spread.

00:46:47How terrifying the scar was.

00:46:49How no wonder Callum preferred Jenna.

00:46:54I heard every word.

00:46:56In my past life,

00:46:57such talk would have crushed me.

00:47:00Now it was just noise.

00:47:02Eleanor sat at the head,

00:47:03voice heavy.

00:47:06Lady Whitmora,

00:47:08your power is great.

00:47:10But we've seen

00:47:12your emotions are unstable.

00:47:14For the family's safety,

00:47:17the sealing arts

00:47:18cannot remain solely

00:47:19in your hands.

00:47:21Callum didn't intervene.

00:47:24He sat silently,

00:47:26endorsing the ambush.

00:47:29Jenna added fuel.

00:47:33I'm only worried

00:47:34Lady Roweth might resent me

00:47:36and take it out

00:47:38on the entire Hargroff family.

00:47:40All eyes turned to me.

00:47:42I stood and activated

00:47:44the silver sight.

00:47:45Behind every person,

00:47:47shadows of sacrificed women

00:47:48appeared.

00:47:49Maids,

00:47:50adopted daughters,

00:47:51wives offered as tribute.

00:47:53Those who had mocked my scar

00:47:54dropped to their knees

00:47:55in terror.

00:47:56You wanted to talk safety?

00:47:58Then look at how many lives

00:48:00you've trampled

00:48:01beneath your feet.

00:48:03Jenna's smile

00:48:04finally shattered.

00:48:09Chaos erupted

00:48:10after the ghosts appeared.

00:48:11Some begged me

00:48:12to withdraw the sight.

00:48:13Others accused Eleanor.

00:48:14She paled and instinctively

00:48:15protected the legacy book.

00:48:16I saw it.

00:48:17The sacrifice ledger

00:48:18is inside the book.

00:48:18Eleanor's hand froze.

00:48:19Callum tried to block me.

00:48:20Rowena,

00:48:21don't make this uglier.

00:48:22The ugly one

00:48:22is your family's

00:48:23centuries of blood debt.

00:48:24Jenna clutched her chest,

00:48:26collapsing into a chair.

00:48:27I can't breathe.

00:48:29Callum,

00:48:29I'm so scared.

00:48:30Callum moved to help her,

00:48:32but a white serpent shadow

00:48:33blocked him,

00:48:35staring coldly at Jenna.

00:48:37She stopped aggivating

00:48:38her sobs.

00:48:39I approached Eleanor.

00:48:41Give me the ledger.

00:48:42Eleanor forced a smile.

00:48:45Child,

00:48:45those are old matters.

00:48:46You already died once.

00:48:48Why keep pursuing?

00:48:50I leaned close.

00:48:53Because I died once,

00:48:55I know exactly

00:48:56what being chosen

00:48:57by you feels like.

00:49:00Callum watched

00:49:01with fleeting complexity

00:49:02before Jenna's sobs

00:49:03pulled him away again.

00:49:05My cold laugh deepened.

00:49:09He was never worth it.

00:49:11Callum tried

00:49:12a softer approach

00:49:13that evening,

00:49:14coming to my room

00:49:15with a gentler tone.

00:49:18Roland,

00:49:18we can cooperate.

00:49:21You want the silver arrow?

00:49:23I want the Hargroves

00:49:24to survive.

00:49:25Our goals...

00:49:26McLean.

00:49:27I knew what came next.

00:49:29The same fake,

00:49:30fake concern

00:49:31from my past life.

00:49:32I know some words

00:49:33hurt you before,

00:49:34but now isn't the time

00:49:36to dwell on it.

00:49:37Some words?

00:49:38I turned my face

00:49:39so he could see

00:49:40the scar clearly.

00:49:42You mocked my face,

00:49:44protected Jenna

00:49:45as she harmed me,

00:49:46demanded my seals.

00:49:49And you call it

00:49:50some words?

00:49:52Callum frowned.

00:49:53You're too sensitive now.

00:49:55Lucian entered with medicine

00:49:56and overheard.

00:49:58She died once

00:49:59because of you all.

00:50:00And now you call her sensitive?

00:50:02Who do you think you are?

00:50:04Her servant?

00:50:05Guard?

00:50:06Or just the dog she keeps?

00:50:07Lucian remained calm.

00:50:09I can be anything she wants.

00:50:11But you?

00:50:11You're different.

00:50:12How?

00:50:13Even when she bleeds,

00:50:14you only ask why

00:50:15she didn't protect others.

00:50:17The room fell silent.

00:50:19I looked away,

00:50:20no longer wanting

00:50:22to hear Callum.

00:50:23Give me the key.

00:50:24Tomorrow we enter

00:50:25the underground chamber.

00:50:28Callum gritted his teeth

00:50:30and placed the key

00:50:32on the table.

00:50:35The underground chamber

00:50:37lay behind Hargrot Hall.

00:50:39Dust and serpent energy

00:50:40rushed out

00:50:41as the door opened.

00:50:42Whitmore hunting tools,

00:50:43silver blades,

00:50:44short bows,

00:50:45chains,

00:50:46hung on the walls

00:50:47like trophies.

00:50:48My chest tightened.

00:50:49These belonged

00:50:50to my family,

00:50:51displayed as Hargrok spoils.

00:50:54As I approached,

00:50:55the tools hummed

00:50:56in recognition.

00:50:57Several blades

00:50:58tilted toward me.

00:50:59Callum's eyes

00:51:00gleamed with greed.

00:51:02If these can suppress

00:51:03the gate,

00:51:04why not lend them

00:51:05to the Hargroves first?

00:51:07After stealing them

00:51:08for centuries,

00:51:08you still want to borrow more?

00:51:10Jenna followed us in.

00:51:12Seeing the tools

00:51:13respond to me,

00:51:14jealously flashed

00:51:15in her eyes.

00:51:16Impressive.

00:51:18Too bad it all

00:51:19came at the cost

00:51:20of your face.

00:51:22Lucien took a loosened

00:51:23silver blade

00:51:24from the wall

00:51:24and placed it in my hand.

00:51:26They recognize you.

00:51:27Not because of your face,

00:51:30but because you are Whitmore.

00:51:32His words settled

00:51:32warmly in my heart.

00:51:34I gripped the blade.

00:51:36Silver light bloomed.

00:51:37All the tools

00:51:38vibrated in univine.

00:51:39Jenna's expression

00:51:40soured completely.

00:51:41What she hated most

00:51:42wasn't my strength.

00:51:43It was that even scarred

00:51:45I still had someone

00:51:45standing by my side.

00:51:47Deepest in the chamber

00:51:48hung an old painting.

00:51:50The first Whitmore

00:51:51lunar huntress

00:51:52beside a golden-horned

00:51:53white deer.

00:51:54The deer shielded her

00:51:55from serpents.

00:51:57Its antlers

00:51:58wrapped in moonlight.

00:52:00Lucien's face

00:52:00changed when he saw it.

00:52:02He looked away

00:52:03too late.

00:52:04You've seen this painting?

00:52:05No.

00:52:06He answered too quickly.

00:52:07Callum noticed,

00:52:08his expression

00:52:08turning dangerous.

00:52:09Seems your servant

00:52:09knows quite a lot.

00:52:10I stepped in front

00:52:11of Lucien.

00:52:12None of your concern.

00:52:13Callum sneered.

00:52:13Rowena,

00:52:14you'd shield

00:52:14a mere servant

00:52:15from me?

00:52:15Lucien's eyes chilled.

00:52:16I spoke calmly

00:52:17without turning.

00:52:17He is not a mere servant.

00:52:18Lucien fell silent.

00:52:20My own heart

00:52:20stirred unexpectedly

00:52:21at the words.

00:52:22Jenna watched

00:52:22with a light laugh.

00:52:24Lady Rowena

00:52:24is so enviable.

00:52:26Face ruined,

00:52:28yet still so protected.

00:52:29How much of that

00:52:30protection is real,

00:52:31I wonder?

00:52:32At least more

00:52:33than what you stole.

00:52:34Her face darkened.

00:52:36Suddenly,

00:52:36her bracelet glowed.

00:52:38Serpent energy

00:52:39corrupted the tools,

00:52:40turning them against me.

00:52:42Jenna cried out

00:52:44in fake alarm.

00:52:45Callum,

00:52:46watch out!

00:52:46The tools have

00:52:47gone out of control!

00:52:48But excitement

00:52:49burned in her eyes.

00:52:51The tools lunged at me.

00:52:54They heard their

00:52:55silver lament.

00:52:57They didn't want

00:52:58to harm their true owner.

00:53:00Jenna's serpent energy

00:53:01forced them.

00:53:02Callum's first instinct

00:53:03was to shield Jenna.

00:53:05Rowena,

00:53:06control them!

00:53:06Don't let them

00:53:07touch Jenna!

00:53:08I ignored him

00:53:09and summoned

00:53:10the moon's silver bow.

00:53:12Moonlight formed

00:53:13the string.

00:53:15I fired arrows,

00:53:17tearing serpent energy

00:53:18from the blades

00:53:18one by one.

00:53:21They fell obediently

00:53:22at my feet.

00:53:24Each shot burned my scar

00:53:25like a fresh blade cut.

00:53:26Pain seared through me.

00:53:28I grit my teeth

00:53:28and kept drawing.

00:53:30Lucian suddenly grabbed my hand.

00:53:31Enough!

00:53:32Not yet cleared!

00:53:33I said enough,

00:53:34you're hurting.

00:53:34Everyone else fixated

00:53:35on my scar.

00:53:36Fearing,

00:53:36hating,

00:53:36using it.

00:53:37Only Lucian cared

00:53:38if it hurt.

00:53:39This isn't the time

00:53:39for your intimacy.

00:53:40Rowena,

00:53:41continue.

00:53:42Lucian turned on him.

00:53:43Shut your mouth.

00:53:45Callum's face darkened.

00:53:48I released the bowstring,

00:53:50refusing his order

00:53:51for the first time.

00:53:52The rest can wait

00:53:53until I decide.

00:53:54Jenna looked furious.

00:53:55She had wanted

00:53:56to exhaust me.

00:53:57She never expected

00:53:58Lucian could make me stop

00:54:00or that I would

00:54:01choose to for him.

00:54:03I followed Jaina

00:54:04into the underground

00:54:05water chath.

00:54:06She stood on the stone steps

00:54:07before the outer serpent gate.

00:54:09Her innocent mask

00:54:10finally debardened.

00:54:11Do you know

00:54:12where the silver arrow

00:54:13really is?

00:54:14I remained silent,

00:54:15gripping the hilt

00:54:15of the silver blade,

00:54:16see the sound echoing

00:54:17coldly off the walls.

00:54:18It's not in the chamber.

00:54:20It's buried

00:54:21in Althea's heart.

00:54:23The first Hargroves

00:54:24used it to nail her

00:54:25into the earth vein

00:54:26and create this gate.

00:54:28My fingers tightened painfully.

00:54:30The weight of generations

00:54:31of betrayal

00:54:32pressed down on me.

00:54:33Jenna stepped closer,

00:54:35her voice dripping venom.

00:54:36If you want Whitmore's relic back,

00:54:38you'll have to pull the arrow.

00:54:40But the moment you do,

00:54:42the gate opens.

00:54:43Everyone will blame you

00:54:44for destroying Hargrove Hall.

00:54:46Callum will hate you.

00:54:47Eleanor will hate you.

00:54:48They'll say you did it

00:54:49because no one could love

00:54:50your scarred face.

00:54:51The words stung,

00:54:52but not as deeply

00:54:53as they once would have.

00:54:54I met her gay steadily,

00:54:56the lunar scar on my cheek

00:54:57pulsing with silver light.

00:54:58You still think I care

00:54:59what Callum's thinks of me?

00:55:01Jenna's smile faltered

00:55:02for a split second.

00:55:03I continued,

00:55:05my voice low but firm.

00:55:06You're wrong.

00:55:07I didn't come back

00:55:08to prove I'm worthy of love.

00:55:10I came to make sure

00:55:11all of you pay what you owe.

00:55:13Her expression turned ugly.

00:55:15She spat one last barb

00:55:16before leaping deeper

00:55:18into the waterway.

00:55:19You really think Lucian

00:55:21will keep protecting you?

00:55:22Men are all the same.

00:55:24Once he gets tired

00:55:25of looking at that face,

00:55:26he'll leave too.

00:55:28I stood there

00:55:29as her footsteps faded,

00:55:30the cold water

00:55:31lapping at my boots.

00:55:32Her words tried

00:55:33to burrow into old wounds,

00:55:34but Lucian's steady presence

00:55:35in my mind

00:55:36pushed them back.

00:55:37I turned

00:55:37and climbed back

00:55:38to the surface,

00:55:39the truth now clear

00:55:40in my heart.

00:55:41The silver arrow

00:55:42rested in Althea's chest.

00:55:44Back above ground,

00:55:46I found Lucian

00:55:47waiting in the shadows

00:55:47of the hall.

00:55:48His quiet strength

00:55:50grounded me

00:55:50as I told him

00:55:51what Jenna had revealed.

00:55:52He listened

00:55:53without interruption,

00:55:54his eyes never leaving mine.

00:55:56Will you pull it?

00:55:57I have to,

00:55:58but not recklessly.

00:56:00I'll use Callum's blood,

00:56:02Jenna's serpent contract,

00:56:03Chester's serpent court mark,

00:56:05and Eleanor's sacrifice ledger

00:56:07to form a new seal.

00:56:08Lucian studied me carefully,

00:56:10no fear in his gaze,

00:56:11only unwavering resolve.

00:56:13Then we do it.

00:56:14A small smile tugged

00:56:16at my lips despite everything.

00:56:17You won't ask

00:56:18if I'll turn into a monster?

00:56:20You won't.

00:56:21How can you be so sure?

00:56:23He paused,

00:56:24then stepped closer,

00:56:26and gently re-wrapped

00:56:27the bandage on my palm.

00:56:29Because even when you

00:56:30could have let Callum

00:56:31die tonight,

00:56:32you still saved

00:56:33the entire estate.

00:56:34His words pierced

00:56:35through the armor

00:56:36I had built around my heart.

00:56:37I had hated them all

00:56:39so fiercely,

00:56:40yet I refused

00:56:41to become the destroyer

00:56:42they feared.

00:56:43Lucian saw that in me

00:56:44when no one else did.

00:56:45The scar on my face

00:56:46burned less fiercely

00:56:47in that moment.

00:56:48Tomorrow we go to Eleanor.

00:56:50Good.

00:56:50I lingered in his presence

00:56:52a moment longer,

00:56:53drawing quiet comfort

00:56:55from the way

00:56:55he stood guard beside me,

00:56:57unflinching.

00:57:00Eleanor refused

00:57:00to surrender

00:57:01the sacrifice's ledger.

00:57:02She sat in the main study,

00:57:04cradling her peach blossom tea.

00:57:06Her grandmotherly facade

00:57:07finally stripped away

00:57:08to reveal cold calculation.

00:57:10Rowena,

00:57:11you already know too much.

00:57:12A smart girl

00:57:14knows when to stop.

00:57:15The memories flooded back.

00:57:16Her smiles

00:57:17as she fed me poison.

00:57:19Her indifference

00:57:20as she watched me die.

00:57:22Anger surged

00:57:22through my veins.

00:57:24When you sent me

00:57:25into the serpent gate

00:57:26in my past life,

00:57:28did you also think

00:57:29I should have stopped?

00:57:30Her hand trembled

00:57:31slightly on the teacup.

00:57:32Do you remember?

00:57:33I remember everything.

00:57:34Your sweet words,

00:57:36the poisoned tea,

00:57:37how you locked me inside

00:57:38without a flicker

00:57:40of remorse.

00:57:41I sealed her teacup

00:57:43with a silver seal.

00:57:44The liquid inside

00:57:45turned black,

00:57:47serpent shadows

00:57:47thrashing wildly.

00:57:49Lupien stood behind me,

00:57:51his presence

00:57:52a wall of silent fury.

00:57:54Eleanor's composure

00:57:55cracked.

00:57:56What do you want?

00:57:58The ledger.

00:57:59She resisted.

00:58:02I stepped forward

00:58:03and sealed her throat

00:58:05with silver light.

00:58:07Her mouth opened,

00:58:09but no sound emerged.

00:58:11You lied so many people

00:58:12to their deaths.

00:58:14This mouth of yours

00:58:15deserves rest.

00:58:16I retrieved the ledger

00:58:17from her hidden compartment.

00:58:19Page after page

00:58:20listed women's names.

00:58:21The final entry

00:58:22was my own.

00:58:23Rowena Whitmore.

00:58:25My fingers clenched

00:58:26until my knuckles

00:58:27whitened.

00:58:28This life,

00:58:29I would cross it out myself.

00:58:33Callum learned

00:58:33of the stolen ledger

00:58:34quickly.

00:58:35Instead of confronting

00:58:36Mimi directly,

00:58:37he lured Lupien away

00:58:39and trapped him

00:58:40in the old underground chapel

00:58:41beneath Hargrove Hall,

00:58:43an ancient altar

00:58:44etched with serpent arrays

00:58:45designed to suppress

00:58:46Lunarn Hunt blood.

00:58:48When I arrived,

00:58:48Lucien knelt in the center

00:58:49of the array,

00:58:50covered in wounds,

00:58:51yet his eyes glowed

00:58:52with a faint golden light.

00:58:53Callum stood outside

00:58:54the formation,

00:58:55a silver blade in hand.

00:58:56Don't come closer, Rowena.

00:58:57One more step

00:58:57and he dies for you.

00:58:58Eyes alight

00:58:59with vicious excitement.

00:59:00Lady Rowena,

00:59:01you're so powerful.

00:59:02Choose the silver arrow

00:59:04or him.

00:59:05Lucien looked at me

00:59:05through the pain

00:59:06and shook his head wiltly.

00:59:07Leave me.

00:59:08The plea tore at my chest.

00:59:10In my past life,

00:59:11I had told Callum

00:59:11the same thing,

00:59:12only for him to abandon me.

00:59:14I would not repeat

00:59:14his cruelty.

00:59:15Power erupted

00:59:16from my huntress mark.

00:59:17Silver light shattered

00:59:18the serpent array

00:59:19inch by inch.

00:59:21Callum paled.

00:59:22You're mad!

00:59:23The covenant will backlash!

00:59:25That's not for you

00:59:26to decide.

00:59:28I rushed into the formation,

00:59:30grabbed Lucien's hand

00:59:31and dragged him free.

00:59:33His silver-gold blood

00:59:34touched my pie palm

00:59:36and the lingering

00:59:37dark energy

00:59:38recoiled as if burned.

00:59:42Lucien's blood

00:59:43was not red.

00:59:44It shimmered

00:59:45with faint silver-gold light.

00:59:46The realization hit me

00:59:48as the serpent arraym's

00:59:49rainness fled from him.

00:59:50Who are you, really?

00:59:51Lucien remained silent

00:59:52for a long moment

00:59:53before answering softly.

00:59:54I promised to stay

00:59:55by the Whitmore airside.

00:59:57Promised whom?

00:59:59He didn't reply.

01:00:00But Callum had seen

01:00:01the blood.

01:00:02Greed twisted his features.

01:00:04So he's even more

01:00:04special than you.

01:00:05She laughed cruelly.

01:00:07Callum, if we use him

01:00:08as the new living lock,

01:00:10we won't need Rowena anymore.

01:00:12Callum didn't deny it.

01:00:13Cold fury settled

01:00:14in my chest.

01:00:15Touch him

01:00:17and I will end

01:00:18the hog-rave bloodline

01:00:20tonight.

01:00:21You care about him

01:00:22that much?

01:00:23So even you

01:00:24can feel fear.

01:00:26I helped Lucien

01:00:27to his feet,

01:00:27my voice steady

01:00:29despite the storm inside.

01:00:31Yes, I fear.

01:00:33I fear him suffering

01:00:35the same fate I did.

01:00:36Being sacrificed

01:00:37by people like you

01:00:39who treat lives

01:00:39as disposable.

01:00:41Lucien glanced at me,

01:00:43emotion flickering

01:00:44in his eyes.

01:00:45I avoided looking back,

01:00:47afraid my own feelings

01:00:49would spill over.

01:00:52Callum and Jenna

01:00:53united against us.

01:00:55They spread rumors

01:00:56that Lucien's

01:00:57non-human aura

01:00:58was the true cause

01:00:59of the gate's instability.

01:01:02Jenna wept publicly,

01:01:05claiming she saw

01:01:05his golden blood

01:01:06and couldn't sleep

01:01:07from fear.

01:01:10Callum played

01:01:11the responsible

01:01:11family head.

01:01:12I don't want

01:01:13to hurt anyone,

01:01:14but for the Hargroves

01:01:16I must uncover

01:01:17what he is.

01:01:18The hypocrisy

01:01:19made me want to laugh.

01:01:21This was their old game.

01:01:23One crying,

01:01:24the other forced to act.

01:01:26Only now

01:01:27the knives

01:01:28were aimed

01:01:29elsewhere.

01:01:31I stepped in front

01:01:32of Lucien.

01:01:33Anyone who wants

01:01:34to investigate him

01:01:35goes through me first.

01:01:37Callum's face darkened.

01:01:38Rowena,

01:01:39you'd abandoned

01:01:40the entire Hargrove family's

01:01:41safety for him?

01:01:43I protected.

01:01:44You don't deserve it.

01:01:46Lady Rowena,

01:01:47have you forgotten

01:01:48Lucien's just an outsider

01:01:49you picked up?

01:01:50An outsider

01:01:51cleaner than you'll ever be.

01:01:53Lucien spoke quietly

01:01:54behind me.

01:01:55You don't have to

01:01:56shield me like this.

01:01:57I want to.

01:02:01The word surprised

01:02:02even me.

01:02:03We retreated to the forest

01:02:05behind the hall.

01:02:06Serpent energy

01:02:07pursued us to the edge

01:02:08but dared not enter.

01:02:11Moonlight filtered

01:02:12through the trees

01:02:13as I tended

01:02:14Lucien's wounds.

01:02:16Why do you remember

01:02:16the past life?

01:02:18He was quiet

01:02:19for a long time.

01:02:21Because when you died,

01:02:22I was there too.

01:02:24My hands stilled

01:02:25on the bandages.

01:02:26I was trapped

01:02:26in the formation.

01:02:27I heard you begging him

01:02:28to open the door.

01:02:30I couldn't break free.

01:02:31I could only

01:02:32watch it close.

01:02:33The memory of that

01:02:34freezing night

01:02:34crashed over me.

01:02:36Not everyone

01:02:37had abandoned me.

01:02:39Someone

01:02:40had tried.

01:02:42My throat

01:02:43tightened.

01:02:44I always thought

01:02:45if I were stronger,

01:02:46you wouldn't have died.

01:02:47That wasn't your fault.

01:02:49But I was still

01:02:50too late.

01:02:50I looked at him,

01:02:51the urge to embrace

01:02:52him nearly overwhelming.

01:02:54Instead,

01:02:55I whispered,

01:02:56this time,

01:02:57you weren't too late.

01:02:59Lucien met my eyes

01:03:00and smiled faintly

01:03:01for the first time.

01:03:02It was small,

01:03:03but it lit up

01:03:05the darkness around us

01:03:06like moonlight on water.

01:03:08My huntress mark

01:03:09began spiraling

01:03:10out of control.

01:03:13Visions of blood deeds

01:03:15and deaths

01:03:16flooded my silver sight.

01:03:20I saw Eleanor dragged

01:03:21by ghosts.

01:03:26Chester devoured

01:03:28by the serpent court.

01:03:30Jenna consumed

01:03:31by her own power.

01:03:34And Callum begging

01:03:35on his knees.

01:03:38Ardis' voice

01:03:40echoed in my mind,

01:03:42commanding me

01:03:43to hunt those

01:03:48who fed the serpents.

01:03:52I nearly summoned

01:03:53the oath arrow.

01:03:55Lucien seized

01:03:55my shoulders.

01:03:57Rowena,

01:03:57look at me.

01:03:58The silver light

01:03:59and blood

01:03:59blurted my vision.

01:04:01Pain tore through

01:04:02the scar on my face.

01:04:04Move!

01:04:05I need to kill them!

01:04:06Lucien held firm.

01:04:08You can take revenge.

01:04:11But don't give yourself

01:04:13to the covenant.

01:04:15He cut his own palm

01:04:16and pressed the silver-gold blood

01:04:18against my scar.

01:04:19The divine fury

01:04:21retreated.

01:04:21I could breathe again.

01:04:23You are not

01:04:24the goddess's blade.

01:04:25You are Rowena.

01:04:27Tears stung my eyes.

01:04:30He had shown me

01:04:31I could hurt,

01:04:32hate,

01:04:32and still remain myself.

01:04:35I closed my eyes.

01:04:37Don't let go.

01:04:39Don't let me.

01:04:40Chester stole

01:04:41the sacrifice ledger,

01:04:43hoping to trade it

01:04:44to the serpent court

01:04:45for freedom.

01:04:47We tracked him

01:04:48to an old underground room

01:04:50where he knelt

01:04:51before a black serpent mirror.

01:04:54A pale hand

01:04:56reached out

01:04:57and took the ledger,

01:04:58offering no promise.

01:05:02Executors have no freedom.

01:05:04Only the next order.

01:05:08Chester protested

01:05:10his 43 years of service.

01:05:12The mirror cracked

01:05:14and dark energy

01:05:16retaliated,

01:05:16rotting his brand.

01:05:24I didn't save him immediately.

01:05:27Lady Whitmore,

01:05:28save me!

01:05:30I can tell you

01:05:31how to close the gate!

01:05:35How many have you

01:05:37helped kill?

01:05:38Let him die.

01:05:40I stabilized the energy

01:05:42in Chester's body

01:05:43with a silver seal.

01:05:46You won't die yet.

01:05:50You'll watch

01:05:51what you served

01:05:51devour you.

01:05:54I reclaimed the ledger.

01:05:57The path

01:05:58to the silver arrow

01:05:59lay clear.

01:06:00The path

01:06:01to the silver arrow

01:06:02clear.

01:06:03Jenna publicly revealed

01:06:05the arrow's location

01:06:06in Althea's heart.

01:06:07She stood in the meeting hall,

01:06:10crying convincingly.

01:06:13If we get that arrow,

01:06:15can the Hargross

01:06:16be saved?

01:06:18Callum,

01:06:19I don't

01:06:20want you

01:06:21to die.

01:06:25The branches

01:06:26went wild

01:06:27with desperation.

01:06:28Callum pretended

01:06:29to restrain them,

01:06:30but I saw his agent

01:06:32slipping toward

01:06:32the hall depths.

01:06:33I blocked

01:06:35the entrance.

01:06:36Call them back.

01:06:38Callum stayed silent.

01:06:40Jenna tried

01:06:41to soften it.

01:06:43Lady Rowena,

01:06:44why must you think

01:06:45the worst of Callum?

01:06:46He only wants

01:06:47to save his family.

01:06:49Shut your mouth.

01:06:51I faced Callum directly.

01:06:53Do you want

01:06:54to save your family

01:06:55or steal my arrow?

01:06:57If it can save

01:06:58the Hargroves,

01:06:59it shouldn't belong

01:07:00only to Whitmore.

01:07:01His true nature

01:07:02stood bare.

01:07:04The man who

01:07:05once wore affection

01:07:06like a mask

01:07:08now showed

01:07:10his greed openly.

01:07:12I descended

01:07:13into the Earthvein

01:07:14with Lucian,

01:07:15cross-sold as the strage,

01:07:16and several clansmen

01:07:17forced their way

01:07:18after us.

01:07:19Serpent energy

01:07:20parted before me

01:07:21and recoiled

01:07:22even more

01:07:23from Lucian.

01:07:25At the core,

01:07:26Althea was pinned

01:07:27to the gate,

01:07:28the silver arrow

01:07:29buried in her heart.

01:07:31She lowered her head,

01:07:33exposing the wound,

01:07:34begging for release.

01:07:36I grasped

01:07:37the arrow's hilt.

01:07:38Lucian stepped

01:07:39protectively behind me.

01:07:41Careful.

01:07:44Callum pressed

01:07:45a silver blade

01:07:45to Lucian's throat.

01:07:46Pull the arrow,

01:07:47Rowena,

01:07:48or he dies.

01:07:51I held

01:07:52the hilt motionless.

01:07:53Blood,

01:07:54silver gold,

01:07:55trickled from

01:07:55Lucian's throat,

01:07:56exciting the gate

01:07:57further.

01:07:58Jenna's eyes

01:07:59lit with greed.

01:08:00Callum,

01:08:01his blood

01:08:02can replace hers.

01:08:03Use him

01:08:03as the new lock.

01:08:04Callum didn't deny it.

01:08:05Choose

01:08:06the arrow

01:08:07or his life.

01:08:09Don't mind me.

01:08:10The familiar cruelty

01:08:11broke something

01:08:12inside me.

01:08:13Why must everyone

01:08:14I cared for

01:08:15become their leverage?

01:08:16Do you know

01:08:16what disgustes me

01:08:17most about you?

01:08:18Callum frowned.

01:08:20You treat

01:08:20other people's

01:08:21sacrifices

01:08:22as natural rights?

01:08:23I released

01:08:23the arrow

01:08:24and slashed

01:08:25my plomb instead,

01:08:27spilling silver blood

01:08:28to summon

01:08:29the debts.

01:08:30Ghosts of

01:08:31sacrificed women

01:08:32rose,

01:08:33their eyes

01:08:34fixed on Callum.

01:08:35This time,

01:08:37judgment

01:08:37fell on the

01:08:38harbors.

01:08:39The ghosts

01:08:40surrounded Callum.

01:08:42They whispered

01:08:43their names.

01:08:44Wives,

01:08:45maids,

01:08:46daughters,

01:08:47and my

01:08:48past self.

01:08:49He stumbled

01:08:50back,

01:08:50the blade

01:08:51leaving Lucian's

01:08:52throat.

01:08:53I pulled

01:08:54Lucian behind me.

01:08:56Jenna

01:08:56launched

01:08:57for the arrow.

01:08:59Serpent energy

01:09:00from the gate

01:09:01seized her

01:09:02instead,

01:09:03merging with

01:09:04her bracelet.

01:09:06Jenna laughed

01:09:07wildly

01:09:08as she began

01:09:09transforming.

01:09:11Finally,

01:09:11my turn.

01:09:12You knew it

01:09:13wanted your body?

01:09:15So what?

01:09:17At least I'll

01:09:18drag you all

01:09:18down with me!

01:09:20She yanked the

01:09:20arrow,

01:09:21partially free.

01:09:22Althea screamed.

01:09:24The gate cracked.

01:09:25Jenna,

01:09:26stop!

01:09:26Now you're

01:09:27scared?

01:09:28You protected

01:09:29me only because

01:09:30I was useful!

01:09:33Their mutual

01:09:34betrayal lay

01:09:35exposed.

01:09:36Only I had once

01:09:37believed in their

01:09:37false bond.

01:09:39Lucian took

01:09:39my hand.

01:09:40Rowena,

01:09:41don't watch

01:09:41me.

01:09:42Do what you

01:09:42must.

01:09:43I nodded,

01:09:44stealing myself.

01:09:46The gate's

01:09:47opening caused

01:09:48Hargrove Hall

01:09:49to collapse.

01:09:50Black rail tents

01:09:51insurged from

01:09:52the ground.

01:09:53Claxertmen fled,

01:09:54only to be caught

01:09:55by their own

01:09:56ghosts.

01:09:57Eleanor was

01:09:58dragged before

01:09:59the fireplace,

01:10:00forced to

01:10:01confront the

01:10:02ledger.

01:10:03Rowena,

01:10:04save me!

01:10:04I was

01:10:05forced!

01:10:06It was all

01:10:07for the

01:10:07family!

01:10:09That's

01:10:09exactly

01:10:10what you

01:10:10said

01:10:11while

01:10:12watching

01:10:12me die

01:10:13last time.

01:10:14She trembled.

01:10:15I was

01:10:16wrong!

01:10:17You're

01:10:17not

01:10:17sorry.

01:10:19You're

01:10:20just

01:10:20afraid,

01:10:21afraid

01:10:22to die.

01:10:23The ghosts

01:10:24pulled her

01:10:24into silver

01:10:25flames.

01:10:26Chester was

01:10:27devoured by

01:10:27his own

01:10:28masters.

01:10:29I asked

01:10:29Lucian if

01:10:30I seemed

01:10:30cool.

01:10:31No.

01:10:32They owed

01:10:33you.

01:10:34His words

01:10:34erased my

01:10:35final hesitation.

01:10:37Callum seized

01:10:38the silver

01:10:38arrow and

01:10:39fled toward

01:10:40the main

01:10:40hall to

01:10:41reseal the

01:10:42gate.

01:10:42I chased

01:10:43him to

01:10:44the iron

01:10:44door, the

01:10:45same one

01:10:46from my

01:10:46past life.

01:10:47Move aside,

01:10:48Rowena, and

01:10:49I'll let you

01:10:50go.

01:10:50We can

01:10:51settle the

01:10:52past later.

01:10:53The past?

01:10:54You speak

01:10:54so lightly

01:10:55of it.

01:10:56Jenna screamed

01:10:57for rescue in

01:10:57the distance.

01:10:58Callum barely

01:10:59glanced at her

01:11:00before turning

01:11:01away.

01:11:02He activated

01:11:02the mechanism

01:11:03to crap

01:11:04Lucian and

01:11:04me.

01:11:06Inside,

01:11:06Lucian pushed

01:11:07me aside and

01:11:08shattered the

01:11:09door with

01:11:09explosive

01:11:10silver-gold

01:11:11light.

01:11:11A golden-horned

01:11:12white deer

01:11:13phantom appeared

01:11:14behind him.

01:11:15The serpents

01:11:15recoiled in

01:11:16fear.

01:11:17At last,

01:11:17I understood.

01:11:18Lucian was

01:11:19the sacred

01:11:20beast guardian

01:11:20of the

01:11:21Whitmores.

01:11:22Lucian knelt

01:11:23by the broken

01:11:24door, the

01:11:24deer phantom

01:11:25fading.

01:11:26Callum stared

01:11:27in shock.

01:11:28What are

01:11:28you?

01:11:31Something far

01:11:32cleaner than

01:11:33you.

01:11:33The serpent

01:11:33court

01:11:34envoyed

01:11:34emerged,

01:11:35terrified.

01:11:36Moon, dear

01:11:37guardian,

01:11:39you still

01:11:40live.

01:11:41Lupien

01:11:41looked at

01:11:41me with

01:11:42apology.

01:11:43I didn't

01:11:43mean to

01:11:44hide it.

01:11:44We'll

01:11:44settle accounts

01:11:45after we

01:11:46get out.

01:11:47He smiled.

01:11:48I grasped

01:11:49the silver

01:11:50arrow.

01:11:51The

01:11:51huntress

01:11:51covenant

01:11:52fully

01:11:52awakened.

01:11:54Artemis

01:11:54warned of

01:11:55the price.

01:11:57Use mine.

01:11:58No.

01:11:59I'm the

01:11:59guardian.

01:12:00I should

01:12:01pay for

01:12:01you.

01:12:04I already

01:12:05died for

01:12:05others

01:12:05once.

01:12:06This

01:12:06life,

01:12:09I pay

01:12:10for my

01:12:10own

01:12:10choices.

01:12:15The oath

01:12:16arrow formed

01:12:16in cold

01:12:17white light.

01:12:19Jenna,

01:12:19half-serpent,

01:12:20charged in

01:12:21hatred.

01:12:22Why can

01:12:24you still

01:12:24stand?

01:12:27Why do

01:12:27you still

01:12:28have someone

01:12:28protecting you

01:12:29like that?

01:12:30Because I

01:12:31never gave

01:12:31myself to

01:12:32you.

01:12:33Lucian

01:12:33shielded me

01:12:34as the

01:12:34dear phantom

01:12:35repelled

01:12:35the energy.

01:12:37Callum

01:12:37begged on

01:12:38his knees.

01:12:39Roash

01:12:39saved me.

01:12:40I was

01:12:40wrong.

01:12:41In the

01:12:41past life,

01:12:42I had

01:12:42no choice.

01:12:43You had

01:12:44choices.

01:12:45Every time

01:12:46you chose

01:12:47to hurt me.

01:12:48I drew

01:12:49the bow.

01:12:49Artemis

01:12:50demanded a

01:12:50span of

01:12:51lifespan.

01:12:52I

01:12:52accepted.

01:12:53Lupien

01:12:53cried out,

01:12:54but I

01:12:55reassured him

01:12:55with a

01:12:56glance.

01:12:56Don't

01:12:57worry.

01:12:57I still

01:12:58need to

01:12:58settle your

01:12:59secret with

01:12:59you.

01:13:00I

01:13:00released

01:13:00the

01:13:00arrow.

01:13:02It

01:13:02pierced

01:13:03Jenna,

01:13:04the gate,

01:13:05the blood

01:13:05contracts,

01:13:06and buried

01:13:07deep into

01:13:08the earth

01:13:08vein.

01:13:10Silver

01:13:10light

01:13:10exploded.

01:13:12The

01:13:12serpent

01:13:13court

01:13:13passages

01:13:13collapsed.

01:13:15The

01:13:16gate

01:13:16sealed.

01:13:17Althira's

01:13:18wound

01:13:18healed.

01:13:22She

01:13:23placed a

01:13:23final white

01:13:24scale in

01:13:24my palm

01:13:25before

01:13:26dissolving

01:13:26into

01:13:26light,

01:13:28finally

01:13:28free.

01:13:29Jenna lay

01:13:29dying,

01:13:30her body

01:13:31rejecting the

01:13:31serpent

01:13:32energy.

01:13:33I'm not

01:13:34willing.

01:13:34Why did

01:13:35someone like

01:13:36you win?

01:13:37Because I

01:13:37lost once,

01:13:38and I

01:13:39refused to

01:13:39lose again.

01:13:40Her body

01:13:41was consumed,

01:13:42leaving only

01:13:42shattered

01:13:43coral.

01:13:44Callum's

01:13:44death mark

01:13:44vanished,

01:13:45but so

01:13:46did his

01:13:46family's

01:13:47power.

01:13:48He knelt

01:13:49broken in

01:13:49the ruins.

01:13:50ruins.

01:13:52Rowena,

01:13:54save me

01:13:55once more,

01:13:57for our

01:13:58past.

01:13:59In the

01:13:59past life,

01:14:00you told me

01:14:01to hold the

01:14:01serpents until

01:14:02I died.

01:14:04I left

01:14:05him there,

01:14:09to face

01:14:09his fate

01:14:10alone.

01:14:14As the

01:14:15hall fully

01:14:16collapsed,

01:14:17Callum chased

01:14:17after me one

01:14:18last time,

01:14:19desperate.

01:14:20Rowish,

01:14:21I was

01:14:21deceived by

01:14:22Jenna.

01:14:23Now I

01:14:23see clearly.

01:14:25You

01:14:26weren't

01:14:26deceived.

01:14:27You chose

01:14:28convenient lies

01:14:28every single

01:14:29time.

01:14:30Lucien

01:14:30stepped forward,

01:14:31blocking

01:14:32Callum's

01:14:32view of

01:14:33me.

01:14:33Don't

01:14:34look at

01:14:34her.

01:14:35You

01:14:35have

01:14:36no

01:14:36right.

01:14:37Callum

01:14:38froze.

01:14:38I

01:14:39allowed

01:14:39the

01:14:39protection,

01:14:40embracing

01:14:41it fully

01:14:41this time.

01:14:45At

01:14:46dawn,

01:14:46Hargrove

01:14:47Hall sank

01:14:48completely

01:14:48into ruin.

01:14:51I

01:14:51stood,

01:14:52at a

01:14:53distance,

01:14:55watching

01:14:55the last

01:14:56serpent's

01:14:57stench blow

01:14:57away on

01:14:58the wind.

01:14:59My

01:14:59huntress

01:15:00mark and

01:15:00scar

01:15:00remained,

01:15:03but so

01:15:04did my

01:15:05resolve.

01:15:11Lucien

01:15:11stood beside

01:15:12me.

01:15:13Does it

01:15:13still hurt?

01:15:16Why do you

01:15:17always ask

01:15:17that?

01:15:18Because you

01:15:18always pretend

01:15:19it doesn't.

01:15:20I laughed

01:15:20genuinely for

01:15:21the first

01:15:21time in

01:15:22ages.

01:15:23Lucien,

01:15:24how long

01:15:25have you

01:15:25guarded the

01:15:26Whitmans?

01:15:26Long

01:15:27enough that

01:15:28I feared

01:15:28I'd always

01:15:28arrive too

01:15:29late.

01:15:30This

01:15:30time you

01:15:30didn't.

01:15:31Rowena,

01:15:32I never

01:15:32loved your

01:15:33face.

01:15:35His gaze

01:15:36held mine,

01:15:37never

01:15:38wavering to

01:15:38the scar.

01:15:41I love

01:15:42that you

01:15:42crawled back

01:15:42from hell

01:15:43to claim

01:15:43your debts

01:15:44and still

01:15:45chose to

01:15:46save the

01:15:46innocent.

01:15:51I took

01:15:52his hand

01:15:52willingly.

01:15:53Then don't

01:15:53be late

01:15:54again.

01:15:54I won't.

01:15:55We walked

01:15:56away from

01:15:56the ruins

01:15:57together into

01:15:58the morning

01:15:58light.

01:15:59This

01:15:59time,

01:16:02I didn't

01:16:03look back.

01:16:06I

01:16:07don't

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