He Fed Me To The Serpents, So I Came Back To Ruin Him - Ep - FULL ✅ - video Dailymotion

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He Fed Me To The Serpents, So I Came Back To Ruin Him - Ep - FULL ✅ #fullmovie #engsub #tvseries #trending2026 #dramaseries #romancemovies #fullhd

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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.

00:00:24I 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.

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

00:00:59So 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

00:01:09story 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.

00:01:23Blood smeared the cracks.

00:01:24Still, nothing.

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

00:01:29Shut up.

00:01:30Your 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.

00:01:56Callum 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.

00:02:04The 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 Whitmoyer, you died badly.

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

00:02:30It is a contract.

00:02:32Give 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.

00:02:58When I opened my eyes, the hissing was gone.

00:03:00The air smelled of incense.

00:03:01I raised a hand to my face and felt it, a scar across my cheek, faint silver light pulsing beneath

00:03:06it 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, but 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.

00:03:24I came back from hell to collect what they owed me, one 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.

00:03:46The 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.

00:04:07They needed me. That was a fact.

00:04:10But 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. I can't break the Hargrove curse. There was not a single

00:04:27trace of emotion in my voice. I did not owe her that much.

00:04:30Eleanor nor froze. The invitation in her hands crumbled at the edges. Then Callum walked in from the hallway. He

00:04:35was younger than I remembered, sharper 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. For 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. It looked like something ancient had pressed itself into my skin and

00:04:53left its mark there.

00:04:54His disgust was almost impossible to miss. He turned his face away slightly, like he could barely stand to look

00:04:59at it.

00:05:00I 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.

00:05:10Now that I had a scar, the mask slipped at once. That told me everything.

00:05:14He did not need a person. He needed a tool. And 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? We came here in good faith, and you won't even give us

00:05:27a reason? You're telling me one curse is too much for a Whitmore?

00:05:31He moved into my space like he was used to people backing down when he did. I only looked at

00:05:35him.

00:05:36Go ahead. Look down on me, Callum. You have no idea that the mark on your forehead is getting darker

00:05:42every day.

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

00:05:48you, is 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.

00:05:58The wax seal bore an old, dark gold crest.

00:06:01We have nowhere else to turn. Please, just look at this, for the sake of what our families once meant

00:06:07to each other.

00:06:09I almost did not bother.

00:06:11But the moment my eyes touched the seal, my silver sight flared.

00:06:15A pulse of silver light cut through the surface of the wax, and beneath it, clear and understakeable, was the

00:06:21trace 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, and it had been lost for generations.

00:06:36I only learned the truth as I was dying in my past life, when it was already too late to

00:06:41do 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. The arrow.

00:06:51Callum saw me take it, and his whole body relaxed.

00:06:54He lifted his chin slightly, satisfaction spreading across his face.

00:06:59He had already decided I was still hung up on him, that I had finally given in because of old

00:07:03feelings.

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. All you have to do is come with us and 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, use, and dismiss whenever it suited him.

00:07:27I 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 Harg Hall to take back what belongs to the Whitmore family.

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

00:07:37The 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 without flinching

00:08:01or glancing away.

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

00:08:06Eleanor had one to herself, and the other was meant for Callum and me.

00:08:09Jenna, who supposedly could not handle the mountain road, was 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! Callum, I want to ride with you!

00:08:20She ran toward us with her skirts gathered in both hands, her cheeks flushed and her eyes red at the

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

00:08:28She was the girl the Hargroves had taken in years ago, the 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, the 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, she was already looping it around his neck and smoothing it down with both palms.

00:08:50The mountain road is freezing. I 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, forming the exact pattern of a serpent mark.

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

00:09:08He 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. I won't take up much space, I 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, always within my line of sight, like a little performance stage just for me.

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

00:10:10Now 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. Lady 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. I 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.

00:11:24Not 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 never 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.

00:11:40Just 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 my 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 alive.

00:11:59It hulged at anyone with Hargreth blood,

00:12:01then recoiled the second it touched the silver light of my mark,

00:12:05shrieking back into the cracks.

00:12:06Jenna was walking ahead.

00:12:08I 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.

00:12:16It 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,

00:12:23and a wave of freezing air tore down 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!

00:12:40What the hell are you doing just standing there?

00:12:43You're a Whitmore!

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

00:12:48If 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

00:13:09to Jenna'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, a gentle voice every 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, and by nightfall, my silver sight was almost blind.

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

00:14:17When I tried to suppress the serpents that night, I kept making the wrong calls, and one

00:14:21of 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 sugar

00:14:28to 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.

00:14:38Something 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 to my wrist and sealed my throat and

00:14:48chest 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.

00:14:59When I set the cup down, breathing evenly and looking straight back at her, I saw the

00:15:04corner of her smile crack.

00:15:06Just 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,

00:15:45calculating, 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

00:16:00on.

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.

00:16:27Perfectly 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.

00:16:44He 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 make things

00:16:50harder.

00:16:51Later, that 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.

00:17:29Callum'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.

00:17:39I 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, control 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 they 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-print record dating back to 1840.

00:18:26It dorted 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 in those pages.

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

00:18:36It'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 my 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.

00:19:11All 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.

00:19:19The silver sight, I watched dark serpent energy pour from Jenna's sleeve

00:19:23and curl around the 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.

00:19:35A 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.

00:19:41and 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 volume 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.

00:20:19There'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.

00:20:26There 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 in its

00:20:55sleep.

00:20:55Callum's legs buckled.

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

00:21:01pulls.

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

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

00:21:18Then 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, it's a condition.

00:21:31The study went completely silent.

00:21:33Jenna blinked, then her head lowered, and tears rolled down her face without a sound.

00:21:40Callum 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?

00:21:47Jenna 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 Jenna

00:22:07outside 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.

00:22:25Every word landed exactly where she wanted it to.

00:22:29Callum'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, Callum exploded, and every bit of blame in the room landed on me while they

00:22:55clung 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.

00:23:34The 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, pressing the

00:24:01serpent energy back into the walls and 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.

00:24:30How 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.

00:25:01And the sound that left his throat was not one he meant to 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.

00:25:30The eternal flame in its copper lamp guttled until it was almost gone and the temperature dropped.

00:25:36So fast it felt 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,

00:25:48catching the faint silver light of my 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,

00:26:01with golden-slit eyes burning in the dark like two cold fires.

00:26:05Decades of rage, grief, and imprisonment moved through the air around her,

00:26:10like a physical force.

00:26:13The servants screamed.

00:26:16Eleanor collapsed to her knees.

00:26:18Callum made a sound he probably did not mean to make,

00:26:21as the death mark nearly tore itself open under the pressure of her presence.

00:26:26But when those golden eyes swept across the hall and found him, 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.

00:26:45Then she lowered her slowly, all the way to my feet.

00:26:49A low, grieving sound came from her throat,

00:26:52like a creature finally standing before the person it had been waiting for.

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, I 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,

00:27:55and 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.

00:28:16Jenna crashed into him from the other side,

00:28:18shaking, soaked with tears, and buried her face in his chest.

00:28:21I was so scared.

00:28:23I 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,

00:28:32Serpent Energy burst free from her coral bracelet.

00:28:35It came in a dark, thick wave,

00:28:38carrying a resonance that matched Althea's imprisoned resentment.

00:28:44Frequency for frequency.

00:28:46A signal going both ways.

00:28:50Althea felt it.

00:28:52The 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.

00:29:03I 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

00:29:14and nearly died twice before the fever broke.

00:29:16When I woke up, Callum stood beside my bed

00:29:18with 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.

00:29:32Althea 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

00:29:55and slammed into the offering table

00:29:57hard enough to knock it over.

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

00:30:02Jenna went down beside him,

00:30:04white-faced,

00:30:05with blood at the corner of her mouth.

00:30:07The ground shook.

00:30:11Serpent Heeks rose from every crack in the stone,

00:30:15growing louder and closer.

00:30:17If the formation stayed broken,

00:30:21the serpents under the estate

00:30:23would come up through the floor.

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

00:30:28That included me and Lucian.

00:30:31I pressed my fingers together,

00:30:33like 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 Calium dragged himself up from the floor

00:31:16with one arm around Jenna.

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

00:31:20standing in the silver light with blood,

00:31:22still running down my wrist.

00:31:24For one moment,

00:31:25he just stared.

00:31:27Then he opened his mouth.

00:31:29Rowena!

00:31:29You could control that thing the whole time!

00:31:32So why the hell did you just stand there

00:31:34and let it go after Jenna?

00:31:35Jenna, what 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,

00:31:47after 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 Calium's arms,

00:32:02too 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,

00:32:12the corner of her mouth curved.

00:32:14Less than a second.

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

00:32:18I almost wanted to laugh.

00:32:19It was the same in this life

00:32:21as it had been in the last.

00:32:22Jenna worked in the dark,

00:32:24soft and sweet and untouchable.

00:32:27And Calium,

00:32:28righteous, devoted,

00:32:30completely blind Calium,

00:32:31picked up every knife she left behind

00:32:33and walked it straight into me.

00:32:35Except this time,

00:32:36I was not the one bleeding out on the floor.

00:32:39This time,

00:32:41I was the one still standing.

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

00:32:47the cold serpent energy

00:32:49still lingering in the air

00:32:50like frost on my skin.

00:32:55Calium's accusation hung between us,

00:32:58sharp and accusatory.

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

00:33:03Instead,

00:33:04I raised my hand

00:33:05and let the silver seat flare.

00:33:10Silver light swept over Jenna,

00:33:13amplifying the dark serpent patterns

00:33:15twisting on her coral bracelet.

00:33:17They projected clearly onto the wall,

00:33:20rivaling like living shadows.

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

00:33:28The servants gasp.

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

00:33:33Jenna's expression crumpled

00:33:34as she threw herself into Calium's arms,

00:33:37sobbing violently.

00:33:38Calium,

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

00:33:41I really don't.

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

00:33:48Calium pulled her tighter,

00:33:50his voice rising in fury

00:33:52as he glared at me.

00:33:54Rowena,

00:33:54enough!

00:33:56You already hurt her tonight,

00:33:58and 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,

00:34:04and still he chose her.

00:34:06Lucian stepped to my side,

00:34:08his 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 recognizes its own,

00:34:18and so does Althea.

00:34:19Calium,

00:34:20you can keep pretending not to see it,

00:34:21but the formation collapsed tonight

00:34:22because you opened that door yourself.

00:34:23Calium's face stiffened.

00:34:24Jenna cried even harder.

00:34:25I turned away from them,

00:34:26crouching beside Althea

00:34:27and placing my hand on her head.

00:34:29The great white serpent calmed under my touch,

00:34:30lowering 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.

00:34:37Lucian helped me back to my room.

00:34:39The cut in my palm still seeped silver blood,

00:34:42and the Lunarn Hunt scar on my face burned.

00:34:45Every use of the covenant reminded me

00:34:47of the price I had paid.

00:34:49My face for this power.

00:34:51Lucian banded the wound with careful hands,

00:34:54his touch gentle,

00:34:56as if afraid to break me.

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

00:34:59If I hadn't,

00:35:00this entire estate

00:35:01would have collapsed tonight.

00:35:04That's not your burden alone to carry.

00:35:06I looked up at him.

00:35:08He met my eyes steadily,

00:35:10never flinching from the scar,

00:35:13only seeing me.

00:35:14After my rebirth,

00:35:15I had accepted

00:35:16that trading my beauty

00:35:19meant no man would love me again.

00:35:21Others saw fear or disgust first,

00:35:24but Lucian never did.

00:35:26I pulled my hand away,

00:35:27my 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,

00:35:42his face dark.

00:35:44Seeing Lupien holding my hand

00:35:46made his expression twist with jealousy.

00:35:49So you have time

00:35:50for your servant

00:35:51to fawn him over you.

00:35:52I smiled coldly.

00:35:54At least he knows

00:35:55who was bleeding.

00:35:57Unlike some people

00:35:58who only held the real culvert

00:36:00while accusing me.

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

00:36:04Tomorrow morning,

00:36:05you're coming with me

00:36:06to the family cemetery.

00:36:07I need to know

00:36:08why this serpent

00:36:09clings to the Hargroves.

00:36:11Fine.

00:36:12But 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,

00:36:24wrapped in a pale cloak,

00:36:27looking frail

00:36:28as she clung to Callum's side.

00:36:31Callum,

00:36:32I can't let you go alone.

00:36:34Let me come.

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

00:36:38Callum glanced at me,

00:36:40waiting for protest.

00:36:42I stayed silent.

00:36:44Let her.

00:36:45The closer she gets to the truth,

00:36:47the faster her mask slips.

00:36:50Jenna's eyes flickered

00:36:51before she looked down.

00:36:53We reached the Hargrove Cemetery,

00:36:55where serpent energy

00:36:56coiled around every grave.

00:36:58My silver sight

00:37:00revealed snake bones

00:37:01pressed beneath

00:37:02each male Hargrove tombstone.

00:37:05This was no simple curse.

00:37:06It was a betrayal.

00:37:07What do you see?

00:37:10Your family wasn't cursed

00:37:12by serpents.

00:37:13You used them first,

00:37:14then betrayed them.

00:37:18Jenna suddenly cried out

00:37:19and stumbled,

00:37:20her hand landing precisely

00:37:22on a formation node.

00:37:24Serpent energy erupted.

00:37:27Callum rushed to her.

00:37:30Jenna!

00:37:31I saw dark energy

00:37:33flash between her fingers.

00:37:35In my past life,

00:37:37I thought it was an accident.

00:37:41Now I knew better.

00:37:43Lucian stepped in front of me,

00:37:45and the underground bones

00:37:46recoiled from him,

00:37:48as if terrified.

00:37:50A question stirred in my mind.

00:37:54Who exactly was Lucian?

00:37:58Jenna clung to Callum,

00:38:00claiming her legs

00:38:01had simply given out.

00:38:03He held her protectively,

00:38:05but turned on me in anger.

00:38:09You 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,

00:38:24I know you dislike me,

00:38:26but I didn't touch any node.

00:38:28I was just scared.

00:38:31Callum's gaze softened

00:38:32toward her immediately.

00:38:35Rowena, enough.

00:38:37Stop pinning everything on her!

00:38:39I didn't argue.

00:38:40I extracted the serpent energy

00:38:43from her palm,

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

00:38:48a writhling black thread

00:38:50trying 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,

00:39:03he muttered.

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

00:39:07I laughed bitterly.

00:39:08In my past life,

00:39:10I 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

00:39:22in my chest.

00:39:24I turned back to the graves.

00:39:27Keep digging.

00:39:29Jenna's desperation to interrupt means

00:39:31there's something important down there.

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

00:39:40A fragment of memory rose.

00:39:42Centuries ago,

00:39:44Althea had willingly guarded the Hargroves,

00:39:47shielding them

00:39:48and even giving her white scales as a token.

00:39:50They repaid her by stabbing her

00:39:53with the stolen silver arrow while she slept,

00:39:56turning her into a living lock

00:39:57for the Serpent Gate.

00:39:59She was no monster.

00:40:01She was a betrayed protector.

00:40:04When the vision faded,

00:40:06Callum 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 Hugg family cannot fall.

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

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

00:40:34In 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.

00:40:42Callum,

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

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

00:40:46Her voice was soft,

00:40:48but 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

00:41:09as 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,

00:41:22enjoying yourself.

00:41:23It's nowhere near as entertaining

00:41:26as you feeding serpents

00:41:28while playing the helpless victim.

00:41:32She 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.

00:42:20Look, you're just pretending

00:42:21to be clear-headed now.

00:42:23She reached toward my scar.

00:42:25Lucian emerged from the shadows

00:42:26and seized her wrist.

00:42:27Touch her again,

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

00:42:31Jenna winced in pain,

00:42:33but quickly shifted

00:42:34to 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

00:42:48to Lady Rowena,

00:42:49but he suddenly grabbed me.

00:42:51I was so scared.

00:42:53Let her go.

00:42:56Lucian,

00:42:57release her.

00:42:59Rowena, 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

00:43:11it's so filthy here.

00:43:25See that?

00:43:26Every time she touches you,

00:43:28your mark deepens.

00:43:29What trick did you pull?

00:43:31Wonderful.

00:43:32She poisons you,

00:43:33and I get blamed.

00:43:35You really are

00:43:35her 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,

00:43:47I didn't disagree.

00:43:51Late that night,

00:43:52Chester knocked on my door,

00:43:53holding a lantern

00:43:54with perfect servant deference.

00:43:55Lady Whitmere,

00:43:56the old madam asks

00:43:57if you will enter

00:43:57the hall again tomorrow.

00:43:59Eleanor did the serpent

00:43:59send you, did she?

00:44:01Chester's expression

00:44:01stayed neutral.

00:44:02You're overthinking.

00:44:03I sealed the room

00:44:04with silver seals.

00:44:05Only Lucian and I

00:44:06remained with him.

00:44:07Chester finally looked up.

00:44:09The silver site

00:44:09lives up to its name.

00:44:11How many years

00:44:11have you hidden

00:44:11in the Hargroves?

00:44:1243.

00:44:13He spoke calmly.

00:44:14The Hargroves think

00:44:15they can control

00:44:16the serpent gate,

00:44:16but those behind it

00:44:17have waited for them

00:44:18to walk into the trap.

00:44:19I asked about

00:44:19the 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

00:44:26to open the gate.

00:44:27Everyone is waiting

00:44:28for you to act,

00:44:29Lady Whitmore.

00:44:30Callum, I just saw Chester

00:44:32enter Lady Rowena's room.

00:44:33Are they plotting something?

00:44:36Rowena, what exactly

00:44:37are you doing

00:44:38behind my back?

00:44:43Callum immediately accused me

00:44:45of colluding with the serpent court

00:44:47through 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.

00:45:07You came for Hargrave possessions

00:45:08from the start.

00:45:10That relic belongs to Whitmore,

00:45:12not Hargrige.

00:45:15Jenna spoke softly.

00:45:17Callum,

00:45:19I've long felt

00:45:20Lady Rowena's hostility.

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

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

00:45:28Her eyes reddened again.

00:45:31Callum'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.

00:45:51I summoned a wisp

00:45:52of Althea's white 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

00:46:06only 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

00:46:16at my side.

00:46:17She saves you by choice,

00:46:19not obligation.

00:46:21Remember that.

00:46:26Family meeting,

00:46:28summoning all Hargroff branches.

00:46:32It was framed as

00:46:33discussing the gate,

00:46:35but clearly meant to force me

00:46:36to submit publicly.

00:46:39Many saw my scarred face

00:46:41for the first time.

00:46:43Whispers spread.

00:46:44How terrifying the scar was

00:46:46how no wonder Callum preferred Jenna.

00:46:51I heard every word.

00:46:53In my past life,

00:46:54such talk would have crushed me.

00:46:57Now it was just noise.

00:46:59Eleanor sat at the head,

00:47:00voice heavy.

00:47:03Lady Whittemore.

00:47:05your power is great,

00:47:07but we've seen your emotions

00:47:09are unstable.

00:47:11For the family's safety,

00:47:14the sealing arts cannot remain

00:47:15solely in your hands.

00:47:18Callum didn't intervene.

00:47:21He sat silently,

00:47:24endorsing the ambush.

00:47:26Jenna added fuel.

00:47:30I'm only worried Lady Roeth

00:47:32might resent me

00:47:33and take it out

00:47:35on the entire

00:47:36Hargroff family.

00:47:37All eyes turned to me.

00:47:39I stood and activated

00:47:41the silver sight.

00:47:42Behind every person,

00:47:44shadows of sacrificed

00:47:45women appeared.

00:47:46Maids,

00:47:47adopted daughters,

00:47:48wives offered as tribute.

00:47:50Those who had mocked my scar

00:47:51dropped to their knees

00:47:52in terror.

00:47:53You wanted to talk safety?

00:47:56Then look at how many lives

00:47:57you've trampled

00:47:58beneath your feet.

00:48:00Jenna's smile

00:48:01finally shattered.

00:48:06Chaos erupted

00:48:07after the ghosts appeared.

00:48:08Some begged me

00:48:09to withdraw the sight.

00:48:10Others accused Eleanor.

00:48:11She paled and instinctively

00:48:12protected the legacy book.

00:48:13I saw it.

00:48:14The sacrifice ledger

00:48:15is inside the book.

00:48:16Eleanor's hand froze.

00:48:16Callum tried to block me.

00:48:17Rowena, don't make this uglier.

00:48:19The ugly one is your family's

00:48:20centuries of blood debt.

00:48:21Jenna clutched her chest.

00:48:23Collapsing into a chair.

00:48:24I can't breathe.

00:48:26Callum, I'm so scared.

00:48:27Callum moved to help her,

00:48:29but a white serpent shadow

00:48:31blocked him,

00:48:32staring coldly at Jenna.

00:48:34She stopped

00:48:35aggravating her sobs.

00:48:36I approached Eleanor.

00:48:38Give me the ledger.

00:48:40Eleanor forced a smile.

00:48:42Child, those are old matters.

00:48:44You already died once.

00:48:45Why keep pursuing?

00:48:48I leaned close.

00:48:50Because I died once.

00:48:53I know exactly

00:48:53what being chosen

00:48:54by you feels like.

00:48:57Callum watched

00:48:58with fleeting complexity

00:48:59before Jenna's sobs

00:49:00pulled him away again.

00:49:02My cold laugh deepened.

00:49:06He was never worth it.

00:49:08Callum tried a softer approach

00:49:10that evening,

00:49:11coming to my room

00:49:12with a gentler tone.

00:49:15Roland,

00:49:16we can cooperate.

00:49:18You want the silver arrow?

00:49:20I want the Hargroves to survive.

00:49:22Our goals...

00:49:23McLean.

00:49:24I knew what came next.

00:49:26The same fake, fake concern

00:49:28from my past life.

00:49:29I know some words

00:49:30hurt you before,

00:49:31but now isn't the time

00:49:33to dwell on it.

00:49:34Some words?

00:49:35I turned my face

00:49:37so he could see

00:49:37the scar clearly.

00:49:39You mocked my face,

00:49:41protected Jenna

00:49:42as she harmed me,

00:49:44demanded

00:49:45my seals.

00:49:46And you call it

00:49:47some words?

00:49:49Callum frowned.

00:49:50You're too sensitive now.

00:49:52Lucian entered

00:49:53with medicine

00:49:53and overheard.

00:49:55She died once

00:49:56because of you all.

00:49:57And now you call her sensitive?

00:49:59Who do you think you are?

00:50:01Her servant?

00:50:02Guard?

00:50:03Or just the dog she keeps?

00:50:04Lucian remained calm.

00:50:06I can be anything she wants.

00:50:08But you?

00:50:09You're different.

00:50:10How?

00:50:10Even when she bleeds,

00:50:12you only ask

00:50:12why she didn't protect others.

00:50:14The room fell silent.

00:50:16I looked away,

00:50:17no longer wanting

00:50:19to hear Callum.

00:50:20Give me the key.

00:50:21Tomorrow we enter

00:50:22the underground chamber.

00:50:25Callum gritted his teeth

00:50:28and placed the key

00:50:29on the table.

00:50:32The underground chamber

00:50:34lay behind Hargrok Hall.

00:50:36Dust and serpent energy

00:50:37rushed out

00:50:38as the door opened.

00:50:39Whitmore hunting tools,

00:50:41silver blades,

00:50:42short bows,

00:50:42chains,

00:50:43hung on the walls

00:50:44like trophies.

00:50:45My chest tightened.

00:50:47These belonged to my family,

00:50:48displayed as Hargrok spoils.

00:50:51As I approached,

00:50:52the tools hummed

00:50:53in recognition.

00:50:54Several blades tilted

00:50:55toward me.

00:50:56Callum's eyes gleamed

00:50:58with greed.

00:50:59If these can suppress

00:51:00the gate,

00:51:01why not lend them

00:51:02to the Hargroves first?

00:51:04After stealing them

00:51:05for centuries,

00:51:06you still want

00:51:06to borrow more?

00:51:07Jenna followed us in.

00:51:09Seeing the tools

00:51:10respond to me,

00:51:11jealously flashed

00:51:12in her eyes.

00:51:13Impressive.

00:51:15Too bad it all came

00:51:17at the cost

00:51:17of your face.

00:51:19Lucien took a loosened

00:51:20silver blade

00:51:21from the wall

00:51:22and placed it in my hand.

00:51:23They recognize you,

00:51:24not because of your face,

00:51:27but because you are Whitmore.

00:51:29His words settled

00:51:29warmly in my heart.

00:51:31I gripped the blade.

00:51:33Silver light bloomed.

00:51:34All the tools

00:51:35vibrated in univine.

00:51:36Jenna's expression

00:51:37soured completely.

00:51:38What she hated most

00:51:40wasn't my strength.

00:51:41It was that even scarred,

00:51:42I still had someone

00:51:42standing by my side.

00:51:44Deepest in the chamber

00:51:45hung an old painting.

00:51:47The first Whitmore

00:51:48lunar huntress

00:51:49beside a golden-horned

00:51:51white deer.

00:51:51The deer shielded her

00:51:53from serpents,

00:51:54its antlers

00:51:55wrapped in moonlight.

00:51:57Lucien's face changed

00:51:58when he saw it.

00:51:59He looked away too late.

00:52:01You've seen this painting?

00:52:02No.

00:52:03He answered too quickly.

00:52:04Callum noticed,

00:52:05his expression

00:52:05turning dangerous.

00:52:06Seems your servant

00:52:06knows quite a lot.

00:52:07I stepped in front of Lucien.

00:52:09None of your concern.

00:52:10Callum sneered.

00:52:10Rowena, you'd shield

00:52:11a mere servant from me?

00:52:12Lucien's eyes chilled.

00:52:13I spoke calmly

00:52:14without turning.

00:52:14He is not a mere servant.

00:52:15Lucien fell silent.

00:52:17My own heart

00:52:17stirred unexpectedly

00:52:18at the words.

00:52:19Jenna watched

00:52:20with a light laugh.

00:52:21Lady Rowena

00:52:21is so enviable.

00:52:23Face ruined,

00:52:25yet still so protected.

00:52:26How much of that

00:52:27protection is real,

00:52:28I wonder?

00:52:29At least more

00:52:30than what you stole.

00:52:31Her face darkened.

00:52:33Suddenly,

00:52:33her bracelet glowed.

00:52:35Serpent energy

00:52:36corrupted the tools,

00:52:37turning them

00:52:38against me.

00:52:39Jenna cried out

00:52:41in fake alarm.

00:52:42Callum,

00:52:43watch out!

00:52:43The tools have gone

00:52:44out of control!

00:52:45But excitement

00:52:46burned in her eyes.

00:52:48The tools lunged at me.

00:52:51They heard their silver lament.

00:52:54They didn't want to harm

00:52:55their true owner.

00:52:57Jenna's serpent energy

00:52:58forced them.

00:52:59Callum's first instinct

00:53:00was to shield Jenna.

00:53:02Rowena,

00:53:03control them!

00:53:03Don't let them

00:53:04touch Jenna!

00:53:05I ignored him

00:53:06and summoned

00:53:07the moon's silver bow.

00:53:09Moonlight formed

00:53:10the string.

00:53:12I fired arrows,

00:53:14tearing serpent energy

00:53:15from the blades

00:53:16one by one.

00:53:18They fell obediently

00:53:19at my feet.

00:53:21Each shot burned my scar

00:53:22like a fresh blade cut.

00:53:24Pain seared through me.

00:53:25I grit my teeth

00:53:26and kept drawing.

00:53:27Lucian suddenly

00:53:27grabbed my hand.

00:53:28Enough!

00:53:29Not yet cleared!

00:53:30I said enough,

00:53:31you're hurting!

00:53:31Everyone else fixated

00:53:32on my scar.

00:53:33Fearing,

00:53:33hating,

00:53:34using it.

00:53:34Only Lucian cared

00:53:35if it hurt.

00:53:36This isn't the time

00:53:36for your intimacy.

00:53:37Rowena,

00:53:38continue.

00:53:39Lucian turned on him.

00:53:40Shut your mouth.

00:53:42Callum's face darkened.

00:53:45I released the bowstring,

00:53:47refusing his order

00:53:48for the first time.

00:53:49The rest can wait

00:53:50until I decide.

00:53:51Jenna looked furious.

00:53:52She had wanted

00:53:53to exhaust me.

00:53:54She never expected

00:53:56Lucian could make me stop

00:53:57or that I would

00:53:58choose to for him.

00:54:00I followed Jaina

00:54:01into the underground

00:54:02water chath.

00:54:03She stood on the stone steps

00:54:04before the outer serpent gate.

00:54:06Her innocent mask

00:54:07finally debardened.

00:54:08Do you know

00:54:09where the silver arrow

00:54:10really is?

00:54:11I remained silent,

00:54:12gripping the hilt

00:54:12of the silver blade,

00:54:13see the sound echoing

00:54:14coldly off the walls.

00:54:15It's not in the chamber.

00:54:17It's buried in Althea's heart.

00:54:20The first Hargroves

00:54:21used it to nail her

00:54:22into the earth vein

00:54:23and create this gate.

00:54:25My fingers tightened painfully.

00:54:27The weight of generations

00:54:28of betrayal

00:54:29pressed down on me.

00:54:30Jenna stepped closer,

00:54:32her voice dripping venom.

00:54:33If you want Whitmore's relic back,

00:54:35you'll have to pull the arrow.

00:54:37But the moment you do,

00:54:39the gate opens.

00:54:40Everyone will blame you

00:54:41for destroying Hargrove Hall.

00:54:43Callum will hate you.

00:54:44Eleanor will hate you.

00:54:45They'll say you did it

00:54:46because no one could love

00:54:47your scarred face.

00:54:48The words stung,

00:54:49but not as deeply

00:54:50as they once would have.

00:54:51I met her gaze steadily,

00:54:53the lunar scar on my cheek

00:54:54pulsing with silver light.

00:54:55You still think I care

00:54:56what Callum's thinks of me?

00:54:58Jenna's smile faltered

00:54:59for a split second.

00:55:01I continued,

00:55:02my voice low but firm.

00:55:03You're wrong.

00:55:04I didn't come back

00:55:05to prove I'm worthy of love.

00:55:07I came to make sure

00:55:08all of you pay what you owe.

00:55:10Her expression turned ugly.

00:55:12She spat one last barb

00:55:13before leaping deeper

00:55:15into the waterway.

00:55:16You really think Lucien

00:55:18will keep protecting you?

00:55:19Men are all the same.

00:55:21Once he gets tired

00:55:22of looking at that face,

00:55:23he'll leave too.

00:55:25I stood there

00:55:26as her footsteps faded,

00:55:27the cold water

00:55:28lapping at my boots.

00:55:29Her words tried

00:55:30to burrow into old wounds,

00:55:31but Lucien's steady presence

00:55:32in my mind pushed them back.

00:55:34I turned and climbed

00:55:35back to the surface,

00:55:36the truth now clear

00:55:37in my heart.

00:55:38The silver arrow

00:55:39rested in Althea's chest.

00:55:41Back above ground,

00:55:43I found Lucien

00:55:44waiting in the shadows

00:55:44of the hall.

00:55:45His quiet strength

00:55:47grounded me

00:55:47as I told him

00:55:48what Jenna had revealed.

00:55:49He listened

00:55:50without interruption,

00:55:51his eyes

00:55:52never leaving mine.

00:55:53Will you pull it?

00:55:54I have to,

00:55:56but not recklessly.

00:55:57I'll use Callum's blood,

00:55:59Jenna's serpent contract,

00:56:01Chester's serpent court mark,

00:56:02and Eleanor's sacrifice ledger

00:56:04to form a new seal.

00:56:05Lucien studied me carefully,

00:56:07no fear in his gaze,

00:56:08only unwavering resolve.

00:56:10Then we do it.

00:56:12A small smile

00:56:12tugged at my lips

00:56:13despite everything.

00:56:14You won't ask

00:56:15if I'll turn into a monster?

00:56:17You won't.

00:56:19How can you be so sure?

00:56:20He paused,

00:56:21then stepped closer,

00:56:23and gently re-wrapped

00:56:24the bandage on my palm.

00:56:26Because even when you

00:56:27could have let Callum

00:56:28die tonight,

00:56:29you still saved

00:56:30the entire estate.

00:56:31His words pierced

00:56:32through the armor

00:56:33I had built

00:56:33around my heart.

00:56:34I had hated them

00:56:35all so fiercely,

00:56:37yet I refused

00:56:38to become the destroyer

00:56:39they feared.

00:56:40Lucien saw that in me

00:56:41when no one else did.

00:56:42The scar on my face

00:56:43burned less fiercely

00:56:44in that moment.

00:56:45Tomorrow we go to Eleanor.

00:56:47Good.

00:56:47I lingered in his presence

00:56:49a moment longer,

00:56:50drawing quiet comfort

00:56:52from the way

00:56:53he stood guard beside me,

00:56:54unflinching.

00:56:57Eleanor refused

00:56:58to surrender

00:56:58the sacrifice's ledger.

00:56:59She sat in the main study,

00:57:01cradling her peach blossom tea,

00:57:03her grandmotherly facade

00:57:04finally stripped away

00:57:05to reveal cold calculation.

00:57:07Rowena,

00:57:08you already know too much.

00:57:09A smart girl knows

00:57:11when to stop.

00:57:12The memories flooded back.

00:57:13Her smiles

00:57:14as she fed me poison,

00:57:16her indifference

00:57:17as she watched me die.

00:57:18Anger surged

00:57:19through my veins.

00:57:21When you sent me

00:57:22into the serpent gate

00:57:23in my past life,

00:57:25did you also think

00:57:26I should have stopped?

00:57:27Her hand trembled

00:57:28slightly on the teacup.

00:57:29Do you remember?

00:57:30I remember everything.

00:57:31Your sweet words,

00:57:33the poisoned tea,

00:57:34how you locked me inside

00:57:35without a flicker

00:57:37of remorse.

00:57:37I sealed her teacup

00:57:40with a silver seal.

00:57:41The liquid inside

00:57:42turned black,

00:57:44serpent shadows

00:57:45thrashing wildly.

00:57:46Lupien stood behind me,

00:57:48his presence

00:57:49a wall of silent fury.

00:57:51Eleanor's composure cracked.

00:57:53What do you want?

00:57:55The ledger.

00:57:56She resisted.

00:57:59I stepped forward

00:58:00and sealed her throat

00:58:02with silver light.

00:58:04Her mouth opened,

00:58:06but no sound emerged.

00:58:08You lied so many people

00:58:09to their deaths.

00:58:11This mouth of yours

00:58:12deserves rest.

00:58:13I retrieved the ledger

00:58:14from her hidden compartment.

00:58:16Page after page

00:58:17listed women's names.

00:58:18The final entry

00:58:19was my own.

00:58:20Rowena Whitmore.

00:58:22My fingers clenched

00:58:23until my knuckles

00:58:24whitened.

00:58:25This life,

00:58:26I would cross it out myself.

00:58:30Callum learned

00:58:31of the stolen ledger

00:58:31quickly.

00:58:32Instead of confronting

00:58:33Mimi directly,

00:58:34he lured Lupien away

00:58:36and trapped him

00:58:37in the old underground chapel

00:58:38beneath Hargrove Hall,

00:58:40an ancient altar

00:58:41etched with serpent arrays

00:58:42designed to suppress

00:58:43Lunarn Hunt blood.

00:58:45When I arrived,

00:58:46Lucien knelt in the center

00:58:47of the array,

00:58:47covered in wounds,

00:58:48yet his eyes glowed

00:58:49with a faint golden light.

00:58:50Callum stood outside

00:58:51the formation,

00:58:52a silver blade in hand.

00:58:53Don't come closer, Rowena.

00:58:54One more step

00:58:54and he dies for you.

00:58:55Eyes alight

00:58:56with vicious excitement.

00:58:57Lady Rowena,

00:58:58you're so powerful.

00:58:59Choose the silver arrow

00:59:01or him.

00:59:02Lucien looked at me

00:59:02through the pain

00:59:03and shook his head

00:59:04wiltly.

00:59:04Leave me.

00:59:05The plea tore at my chest.

00:59:07In my past life,

00:59:08I had told Callum

00:59:09the same thing,

00:59:09only for him to abandon me.

00:59:11I would not repeat

00:59:11his cruelty.

00:59:12Power erupted

00:59:13from my Huntress mark.

00:59:14Silver light shattered

00:59:15the serpent array

00:59:16inch by inch.

00:59:18Callum paled.

00:59:19You're mad!

00:59:19The Covenant will backlash!

00:59:22That's not for you to decide.

00:59:25I rushed into the formation,

00:59:27grabbed Lucien's hand

00:59:28and dragged him free.

00:59:30His silver-gold blood

00:59:31touched my pie palm

00:59:33and the lingering dark energy

00:59:35recoiled as if burned.

00:59:39Lucien's blood was not red.

00:59:41It shimmered

00:59:42with faint silver-gold light.

00:59:43The realization hit me

00:59:45as the serpent-a-raim's

00:59:46rainness fled from him.

00:59:47Who are you, really?

00:59:48Lucien remained silent

00:59:49for a long moment

00:59:50before answering softly.

00:59:52I promised to stay

00:59:52by the Whitmore heir's side.

00:59:54Promised whom?

00:59:56He didn't reply.

00:59:57But Callum had seen the blood.

00:59:59Greed twisted his features.

01:00:01So he's even more special than you.

01:00:02She laughed cruelly.

01:00:04Callum, if we use him

01:00:05as the new living lock,

01:00:06we won't need Rowena anymore.

01:00:09Callum didn't deny it.

01:00:10Cold fury settled in my chest.

01:00:12Touch him.

01:00:14And I will end

01:00:15the hog-rave bloodline tonight.

01:00:18You care about him that much?

01:00:20So even you can feel fear.

01:00:23I helped Lucien to his feet,

01:00:25my voice steady

01:00:26despite the storm inside.

01:00:28Yes, I fear.

01:00:30I fear him suffering

01:00:32the same fate I did.

01:00:33Being sacrificed by people like you

01:00:36who treat lives as disposable.

01:00:38Lucien glanced at me,

01:00:40emotion flickering in his eyes.

01:00:42I avoided looking back,

01:00:44afraid my own feelings

01:00:47would spill over.

01:00:49Callum and Jenna united against us.

01:00:52They spread rumors

01:00:53that Lucien's non-human aura

01:00:55was the true cause

01:00:57of the gate's instability.

01:01:00Jenna wept publicly,

01:01:02claiming she saw his golden blood

01:01:03and couldn't sleep from fear.

01:01:07Callum played the responsible family head.

01:01:10I don't want to hurt anyone.

01:01:11But for the Hargroves,

01:01:13I must uncover what he is.

01:01:15The hypocrisy made me want to laugh.

01:01:18This was their old game.

01:01:20One crying,

01:01:21the other forced to act.

01:01:23Only now,

01:01:24the knives were aimed elsewhere.

01:01:28I stepped in front of Lucien.

01:01:30Anyone who wants to investigate him

01:01:32goes through me first.

01:01:34Callum's face darkened.

01:01:36Rowena,

01:01:36you'd abandon the entire

01:01:37Hargrove family's safety for him?

01:01:40I protected.

01:01:42You don't deserve it.

01:01:43Lady Rowena,

01:01:45have you forgotten Lucien

01:01:46is just an outsider you picked up?

01:01:47An outsider cleaner than you'll ever be.

01:01:50Lucien spoke quietly behind me.

01:01:52You don't have to shield me like this.

01:01:54I want to.

01:01:58The words surprised even me.

01:02:00We retreated to the forest behind the hall.

01:02:03Serpent energy pursued us to the edge

01:02:05but dared not enter.

01:02:09Moonlight filtered through the trees

01:02:10as I tended Lucien's wounds.

01:02:13Why do you remember the past life?

01:02:15He was quiet for a long time.

01:02:18Because when you died,

01:02:19I was there too.

01:02:21My hand stilled on the bandages.

01:02:23I was trapped in the formation.

01:02:24I heard you begging him to open the door.

01:02:26I couldn't break free.

01:02:28I could only watch it close.

01:02:30The memory of that freezing night

01:02:31crashed over me.

01:02:33Not everyone had abandoned me.

01:02:36Someone had tried.

01:02:39My throat tightened.

01:02:41I always thought if I were stronger,

01:02:43you wouldn't have died.

01:02:45That wasn't your fault.

01:02:46But I was still too late.

01:02:47I looked at him,

01:02:48the urge to embrace him

01:02:50nearly overwhelming.

01:02:51Instead,

01:02:52I whispered,

01:02:53this time,

01:02:54you weren't too late.

01:02:56Lucien met my eyes

01:02:57and smiled faintly

01:02:58for the first time.

01:02:59It was small,

01:03:01but it lit up the darkness around us

01:03:03like moonlight on water.

01:03:05My huntress mark

01:03:06began spiraling out of control.

01:03:10Visions of blood deeds

01:03:12and deaths

01:03:13flooded my silver sight.

01:03:17I saw Eleanor dragged by ghosts.

01:03:23Chester devoured by the serpent court.

01:03:27Jenna consumed by her own power.

01:03:31And Callum begging on his knees.

01:03:36Ardus's voice echoed in my mind,

01:03:39commanding me to hunt those

01:03:45who fed the serpents.

01:03:49I nearly summoned the oath arrow.

01:03:52Lucien seized my shoulders.

01:03:54Rowena, look at me.

01:03:55The silver light and blood

01:03:56blurted my vision.

01:03:57Pain tore through the scar

01:04:00on my face.

01:04:01Move!

01:04:02I need to kill them!

01:04:04Lucien held firm.

01:04:05You can take revenge.

01:04:09But don't give yourself

01:04:10to the covenant.

01:04:12He cut his own palm

01:04:13and pressed the silver-gold blood

01:04:15against my scar.

01:04:16The divine fury retreated.

01:04:19I could breathe again.

01:04:20You are not the goddess's blade.

01:04:22You are Rowena.

01:04:25Tears stung my eyes.

01:04:26He had shown me

01:04:28I could hurt,

01:04:29hate,

01:04:29and still remain myself.

01:04:32I closed my eyes.

01:04:34Don't let go.

01:04:36Don't let go.

01:04:36I won't let go.

01:04:37Chester stole the sacrifice ledger,

01:04:40hoping to trade it

01:04:41to the serpent court

01:04:42for freedom.

01:04:44We tracked him

01:04:45to an old underground room

01:04:47where he knelt

01:04:48before a black serpent mirror.

01:04:51A pale hand reached out

01:04:54and took the ledger,

01:04:55offering no promise.

01:04:59Executors have no freedom.

01:05:01Only the next order.

01:05:06Chester protested

01:05:07his 43 years of service.

01:05:10The mirror cracked

01:05:11and dark energy retaliated,

01:05:14rotting his brand.

01:05:21I didn't save him immediately.

01:05:24Lady Whitmore,

01:05:25save me!

01:05:27I can tell you

01:05:28how to close the gate!

01:05:32How many have you helped kill?

01:05:35Let him die.

01:05:37I stabilize the energy

01:05:39in Chester's body

01:05:40with a silver seal.

01:05:43You won't die yet.

01:05:47You'll watch

01:05:48what you served

01:05:49devour you.

01:05:52I reclaimed the ledger.

01:05:54The path

01:05:55to the silver arrow

01:05:56lay clear.

01:05:57The path

01:05:58to the silver arrow

01:05:59clear.

01:06:00Jenna publicly

01:06:01revealed the arrow's

01:06:02location in Althea's heart.

01:06:05She stood in the meeting hall,

01:06:07crying convincingly.

01:06:10If we get that arrow,

01:06:12can the Hargroves

01:06:13be saved?

01:06:15Callum,

01:06:16I don't

01:06:17want you

01:06:18to die.

01:06:22The branches

01:06:23went wild

01:06:24with desperation.

01:06:25Callum pretended

01:06:26to restrain them,

01:06:27but I saw his agent

01:06:29slipping toward

01:06:29the hall depths.

01:06:31I blocked

01:06:32the entrance.

01:06:33Call them back.

01:06:35Callum stayed silent.

01:06:38Jenna tried

01:06:38to soften it.

01:06:39Lady Rowena,

01:06:41why must you think

01:06:42the worst of Callum?

01:06:43He only wants

01:06:45to save his family.

01:06:46Shut your mouth.

01:06:48I faced Callum directly.

01:06:50Do you want

01:06:51to save your family

01:06:52or steal my arrow?

01:06:54If it can save

01:06:55the Hargroves,

01:06:56it shouldn't belong

01:06:57only to Whitmore.

01:06:59His true nature

01:06:59stood bare.

01:07:01The man who once

01:07:02wore affection

01:07:03like a mask

01:07:05now showed his greed

01:07:07openly.

01:07:09I descended

01:07:10into the Earthvein

01:07:11with Lucian,

01:07:12cross-sold as the strage

01:07:13and several clansmen

01:07:14forced their way

01:07:15after us.

01:07:16Serpent energy

01:07:17parted before me

01:07:18and recoiled

01:07:19even more

01:07:20from Lucian.

01:07:22At the core,

01:07:24Althea was pinned

01:07:24to the gate,

01:07:25the silver arrow

01:07:26buried in her heart.

01:07:28She lowered her head,

01:07:29exposing the wound,

01:07:31begging for release.

01:07:33I grasped

01:07:34the arrow's hilt.

01:07:35Lucian stepped

01:07:36protectively behind me.

01:07:38Careful.

01:07:41Callum pressed

01:07:42a silver blade

01:07:42to Lucian's throat.

01:07:44Pull the arrow,

01:07:44Rowena,

01:07:45or he dies.

01:07:48I held the hilt

01:07:49motionless.

01:07:50Blood,

01:07:51silver gold,

01:07:52trickled from Lucian's throat,

01:07:54exciting the gate further.

01:07:55Jenna's eyes

01:07:56lit with greed.

01:07:57Callum,

01:07:58his blood

01:07:59can replace hers.

01:08:00Use him

01:08:00as the new lock.

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

01:08:03Choose

01:08:03the arrow

01:08:04or his life.

01:08:06Don't mind me.

01:08:07The familiar cruelty

01:08:08broke something

01:08:09inside me.

01:08:10Why must everyone

01:08:11I cared for

01:08:12become their leverage?

01:08:13Do you know

01:08:13what disgustes me

01:08:14most about you?

01:08:15Callum frowned.

01:08:17You treat

01:08:17other people's

01:08:18sacrifices

01:08:19as natural rights?

01:08:20I released the arrow

01:08:21and slashed

01:08:22my plomb instead,

01:08:24spilling silver blood

01:08:25to summon

01:08:26the debts.

01:08:28Ghosts

01:08:28of sacrificed

01:08:29women rose,

01:08:30their eyes

01:08:31fixed on Callum.

01:08:32This time,

01:08:34judgment

01:08:34fell on the

01:08:35Hargraves.

01:08:36The ghosts

01:08:38surrounded Callum.

01:08:39They whispered

01:08:40their names.

01:08:41Wives,

01:08:42maids,

01:08:43daughters,

01:08:44and my past self.

01:08:45He stumbled

01:08:47back,

01:08:47the blade

01:08:48leaving Lucian's

01:08:49throat.

01:08:50I pulled Lucian

01:08:52behind me.

01:08:53Jenna

01:08:54launched

01:08:54for the arrow.

01:08:57Serpent energy

01:08:58from the gate

01:08:58seized her

01:08:59instead,

01:09:00merging with

01:09:01her bracelet.

01:09:03Jenna laughed

01:09:04wildly

01:09:05as she began

01:09:06transforming.

01:09:07finally my turn.

01:09:10You knew it

01:09:10wanted your body?

01:09:12So what?

01:09:14At least I'll

01:09:15drag you all

01:09:16down with me!

01:09:17She yanked the arrow

01:09:18partially free.

01:09:19Althea screamed.

01:09:21The gate cracked.

01:09:22Jenna, stop!

01:09:23Now you're scared?

01:09:25You protected me

01:09:26only because

01:09:27I was useful!

01:09:28No!

01:09:30Their mutual betrayal

01:09:31lay exposed.

01:09:33Only I had once

01:09:34believed in their

01:09:35false bond.

01:09:35Lucian took my

01:09:36hand.

01:09:37Rowena,

01:09:38don't watch me.

01:09:39Do what you must.

01:09:40I nodded,

01:09:41stealing myself.

01:09:43The gate's opening

01:09:45caused Hargro

01:09:46Hall to collapse.

01:09:47Black rail

01:09:48tents

01:09:48insurged

01:09:49from the ground.

01:09:50Claxertmen

01:09:51fled,

01:09:51only to be

01:09:52caught by

01:09:53their own

01:09:53ghosts.

01:09:54Eleanor

01:09:55was dragged

01:09:56before the

01:09:56fireplace,

01:09:58forced to

01:09:59confront the

01:09:59ledger.

01:10:00Rowena,

01:10:01save me!

01:10:01I was

01:10:02forced!

01:10:03It was all

01:10:04for the

01:10:04family!

01:10:06That's exactly

01:10:07what you said

01:10:08while watching

01:10:09me die last

01:10:10time.

01:10:11She trembled.

01:10:12I was

01:10:13wrong!

01:10:14You're not

01:10:14sorry.

01:10:17You're just

01:10:17afraid,

01:10:18afraid to

01:10:19die.

01:10:20The ghosts

01:10:21pulled her

01:10:21into silver

01:10:22flames.

01:10:23Chester was

01:10:24devoured by

01:10:25his own

01:10:25masters.

01:10:26I asked

01:10:26Lucian if I

01:10:27seemed cool.

01:10:28No.

01:10:30They owed

01:10:31you.

01:10:31His words

01:10:32erased my

01:10:32final hesitation.

01:10:34Callum seized

01:10:35the silver

01:10:35arrow and

01:10:36fled toward

01:10:37the main

01:10:37hall to

01:10:38reseal the

01:10:39gate.

01:10:39I chased

01:10:40him to

01:10:41the iron

01:10:41door, the

01:10:43same one

01:10:43from my

01:10:43past life.

01:10:44Move

01:10:45aside,

01:10:45Rowena, and

01:10:46I'll let

01:10:47you go.

01:10:48We can

01:10:48settle the

01:10:49past later.

01:10:50The

01:10:50past?

01:10:51You speak

01:10:51so lightly

01:10:52of it.

01:10:53Jenna screamed

01:10:54for rescue

01:10:54in the

01:10:54distance.

01:10:55Callum

01:10:56barely glanced

01:10:57at her before

01:10:57turning away.

01:10:58He activated

01:11:00the mechanism

01:11:00to crap

01:11:01Lucian and

01:11:02me.

01:11:03Inside, Lucian

01:11:04pushed me aside

01:11:05and shattered

01:11:06the door with

01:11:06explosive silver

01:11:07gold light.

01:11:08A golden

01:11:09horned white

01:11:10deer phantom

01:11:10appeared behind

01:11:11him.

01:11:12The serpents

01:11:12recoiled in

01:11:13fear.

01:11:14At last, I

01:11:15understood.

01:11:15Lucian was the

01:11:16sacred beast

01:11:17guardian of

01:11:18the Whitmores.

01:11:19Lucian knelt

01:11:20by the broken

01:11:21door, the

01:11:21deer phantom

01:11:22fading.

01:11:23Callum

01:11:23stared in

01:11:24shock.

01:11:25What are

01:11:25you?

01:11:28Something far

01:11:29cleaner

01:11:29cleaner than

01:11:30you.

01:11:30The serpent

01:11:31court

01:11:31envoy

01:11:31emerged,

01:11:32terrified.

01:11:34Moon

01:11:34dear

01:11:34guardian,

01:11:35you still

01:11:37live.

01:11:38Lupien

01:11:38looked at

01:11:39me with

01:11:39apology.

01:11:40I didn't

01:11:40mean to

01:11:41hide it.

01:11:41We'll

01:11:42settle

01:11:42accounts

01:11:42after we

01:11:43get out.

01:11:44He smiled.

01:11:45I grasped

01:11:46the silver

01:11:47arrow.

01:11:48The

01:11:48huntress

01:11:49covenant

01:11:49fully

01:11:49awakened.

01:11:51Artemis

01:11:51warned of

01:11:52the price.

01:11:54Use

01:11:54mine.

01:11:55No.

01:11:55I'm

01:11:56the

01:11:56guardian.

01:11:57I

01:11:58should

01:11:58pay

01:11:58for

01:11:58you.

01:12:01I

01:12:01already

01:12:02died

01:12:02for

01:12:02others

01:12:03once.

01:12:03This

01:12:03life,

01:12:06I pay

01:12:07for my

01:12:07own

01:12:08choices.

01:12:12The

01:12:12oath

01:12:13arrow

01:12:13formed in

01:12:14cold

01:12:14white

01:12:14light.

01:12:16Jenna,

01:12:16half

01:12:17serpent,

01:12:17charged

01:12:18in

01:12:18hatred.

01:12:19Why

01:12:20can you

01:12:21still

01:12:21stand?

01:12:24why

01:12:24do

01:12:24you

01:12:25still

01:12:25have

01:12:25someone

01:12:25protecting

01:12:26you

01:12:26like

01:12:27that?

01:12:27Because

01:12:28I

01:12:28never

01:12:28gave

01:12:29myself

01:12:29to

01:12:30you.

01:12:30Lucian

01:12:30shielded

01:12:31me as

01:12:31the

01:12:31dear

01:12:32phantom

01:12:32repelled

01:12:32the

01:12:33energy.

01:12:34Callum

01:12:34begged

01:12:35on

01:12:35his

01:12:35knees.

01:12:36Roash

01:12:36saved

01:12:37me.

01:12:37I

01:12:37was

01:12:37wrong.

01:12:38In

01:12:38the

01:12:38past

01:12:38life,

01:12:39I

01:12:39had

01:12:39no

01:12:40choice.

01:12:40You

01:12:41had

01:12:41choices.

01:12:42Every

01:12:43time,

01:12:43you

01:12:44chose

01:12:44to

01:12:44hurt

01:12:45me.

01:12:45I

01:12:45drew

01:12:46the

01:12:46bow.

01:12:46Artemis

01:12:47demanded

01:12:47a span

01:12:48of

01:12:48lifespan.

01:12:48I

01:12:49accepted.

01:12:49Lupien

01:12:50cried

01:12:51out,

01:12:51but

01:12:51I

01:12:52reassured

01:12:52him

01:12:52with

01:12:53a

01:12:53glance.

01:12:53Don't

01:12:54worry.

01:12:54I

01:12:55still

01:12:55need

01:12:55to

01:12:55settle

01:12:56your

01:12:56secret

01:12:56with

01:12:56you.

01:12:57I

01:12:57released

01:12:57the

01:12:58arrow.

01:12:59It

01:13:00pierced

01:13:00Jenna,

01:13:01the

01:13:01gate,

01:13:02the

01:13:02blood

01:13:02contracts,

01:13:04and

01:13:04buried

01:13:05deep

01:13:05into

01:13:05the

01:13:05earth

01:13:06vein.

01:13:07Silver

01:13:07light

01:13:08exploded.

01:13:09The

01:13:09serpent

01:13:10tort

01:13:10passages

01:13:11collapsed.

01:13:13The

01:13:13gate

01:13:13sealed.

01:13:15Althera's

01:13:15wound

01:13:15healed.

01:13:19She

01:13:20placed

01:13:20a

01:13:20final

01:13:20white

01:13:21scale

01:13:21in

01:13:21my

01:13:21palm

01:13:22before

01:13:23dissolving

01:13:23into

01:13:24light,

01:13:24finally

01:13:25free.

01:13:26Jenna

01:13:26lay

01:13:26dying,

01:13:27her body

01:13:28rejecting

01:13:28the

01:13:28serpent

01:13:29energy.

01:13:30I'm not

01:13:31willing.

01:13:31Why did

01:13:32someone like

01:13:33you win?

01:13:34Because I

01:13:34lost once,

01:13:35and I

01:13:36refused to

01:13:37lose again.

01:13:37Her body

01:13:38was consumed,

01:13:39leaving only

01:13:39shattered

01:13:40coral.

01:13:41Callum's

01:13:41death mark

01:13:42vanished,

01:13:42but so

01:13:43did his

01:13:43family's

01:13:44power.

01:13:45He

01:13:45knelt

01:13:46broken in

01:13:46the

01:13:46ruins.

01:13:49Rowena,

01:13:51save me

01:13:52once more,

01:13:54for our

01:13:55past.

01:13:56In the

01:13:56past life,

01:13:57you told me

01:13:58to hold

01:13:58the

01:13:58serpents

01:13:59until I

01:13:59died.

01:14:02I left

01:14:02him there,

01:14:06to face

01:14:06his fate

01:14:07alone.

01:14:11As the

01:14:12hall fully

01:14:13collapsed,

01:14:14Callum

01:14:14chased after

01:14:15me one

01:14:15last time,

01:14:16desperate.

01:14:17Rowish,

01:14:18I was

01:14:18deceived by

01:14:19Jenna.

01:14:19Now I

01:14:21see

01:14:21clearly.

01:14:22You

01:14:23weren't

01:14:23deceived.

01:14:24You

01:14:24chose

01:14:25convenient

01:14:25lies

01:14:25every

01:14:26single

01:14:26time.

01:14:27Lucien

01:14:27stepped

01:14:28forward,

01:14:28blocking

01:14:29Callum's

01:14:29view of

01:14:30me.

01:14:30Don't

01:14:31look at

01:14:31her.

01:14:32You

01:14:32have

01:14:33no

01:14:33right.

01:14:34Callum

01:14:35froze.

01:14:36I

01:14:36allowed

01:14:36the

01:14:36protection,

01:14:37embracing

01:14:38it

01:14:38fully

01:14:38this

01:14:39time.

01:14:42At

01:14:43dawn,

01:14:44Hargrove

01:14:44Hall sank

01:14:45completely

01:14:46into

01:14:46ruin.

01:14:48I

01:14:48stood,

01:14:49at a

01:14:50distance,

01:14:52watching the

01:14:53last serpent's

01:14:54stench blow

01:14:54away on the

01:14:55wind.

01:14:56My

01:14:56huntress

01:14:57mark and

01:14:57scar remained,

01:15:00but so

01:15:01did my

01:15:02resolve.

01:15:07Lucien stood

01:15:09beside me.

01:15:10Does it

01:15:10still hurt?

01:15:13Why do you

01:15:14always ask

01:15:14that?

01:15:15Because you

01:15:15always pretend

01:15:16it doesn't.

01:15:17I laugh

01:15:17genuinely for

01:15:18the first

01:15:18time in

01:15:19ages.

01:15:20Lucien,

01:15:21how long

01:15:22have you

01:15:22guarded the

01:15:23Whitmans?

01:15:23Long

01:15:24enough that

01:15:25I feared I'd

01:15:25always arrive

01:15:26too late.

01:15:27This time you

01:15:27didn't.

01:15:28Rowena,

01:15:29I never

01:15:29loved your

01:15:30face.

01:15:32His gaze

01:15:33held mine,

01:15:34never wavering

01:15:35to the

01:15:36scar.

01:15:38I love

01:15:39that you

01:15:39crawled back

01:15:39from hell

01:15:40to claim

01:15:40your debts

01:15:42and still

01:15:42chose to

01:15:43save the

01:15:43innocent.

01:15:48I took

01:15:49his hand

01:15:49willingly.

01:15:50Then don't

01:15:50be late

01:15:51again.

01:15:51I won't.

01:15:52We walked

01:15:53away from

01:15:53the ruins

01:15:54together into

01:15:55the morning

01:15:55light.

01:15:56This time,

01:15:59I didn't

01:16:00look back.

He Fed Me To The Serpents, So I Came Back To Ruin Him - Ep - FULL ✅

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