Scarred and Reborn_ She Hunts the Traitors

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​Left for dead and bearing the scars of deep betrayal, she thought her life was over—until she came back stronger than ever. Now reborn with a new identity and unstoppable power, she begins her relentless hunt to expose the traitors and take back everything they stole. ​🔔 Follow for more intense revenge mini-series, dramatic plot twists, and full episodes! ​🏷️ Hashtags (For Description) ​#ScarredAndReborn #RevengeDrama #HuntTheTraitors #FullEpisode #MiniSeries #ShortDrama #RebornStory #BetrayalAndRevenge #SecretIdentity #DailymotionViral #TrendingDrama #PlotTwist #MustWatch #DramaSeries #PowerfulWoman ​🔑 Tags (Separated by Commas for Tag Box) ​ScarredAndReborn, RevengeDrama, HuntTheTraitors, FullEpisode, MiniSeries, ShortDrama, RebornStory, BetrayalAndRevenge, SecretIdentity, DailymotionViral, TrendingDrama, PlotTwist, MustWatch, DramaSeries, PowerfulWoman, EnglishSubtitles, ViralVideo, BestDrama, BillionaireRevenge, ActionDrama

Transcript

00:00:00My name's Rowena Whitmore. In my past life, I loved Callum Hargred so much that it cost me

00:00:05everything. I knew exactly what Hargred Hall was, a century-old estate built over a sealed

00:00:09serpent gate, rotting from the inside out with ancient venom. I still walked in. For him,

00:00:15Whitmoster blood ran through my veins, and that blood was born to suppress serpents.

00:00:19So when the curse came for Callum, I threw myself in its path and let the poison tear

00:00:23through me instead. What I did not know, what I never saw coming, was that he and Jenna had

00:00:28already decided how my story would end. The venom spread through my body like fire through dry wood.

00:00:32My flesh began to rot from the inside. I still remember every second of that night,

00:00:36the freezing rain, the iron door, and my bloody hands clawing at the gap in the frame.

00:00:41My nails split down to the quick. Blood smeared the cracks. Still, nothing. Then his voice came

00:00:46through, flat and cold, without even a flicker of hesitation. Shut up. Your screaming is scaring

00:00:51Jenna. I'm not opening this door. You're useful in there, so stay there. Keep those monster snakes

00:00:56inside, even if they eat you alive. From the other side of the door, I could hear

00:01:00Jenna crying softly. Then came Callum's voice again, low and gentle, saying things he had

00:01:06never once said to me. You're safe. I've got you. Nothing is going to touch you, I promise.

00:01:12The lock turned. I will never forget that sound. Callum had one arm around Jenna as he sealed me

00:01:18inside. He left me there to die in the dark, surrounded by serpents, and he never looked back.

00:01:24The pain was beyond anything I had words for. It felt like I was being torn apart from the inside

00:01:29out, piece by piece, until even screaming became impossible. When I died, I drifted in silver light,

00:01:33endless, cold, and silent. There was nothing left of me but a thin thread of soul, too broken even to

00:01:39cry. Then a voice fell through the dark like a blade through silk, clear, ancient, and completely

00:01:43without warmth. Child Whitmore, you died badly. What I offer is not mercy. It is a contract.

00:01:52Give me something, and I will give you what you want. I'll give up my face, my beauty in this

00:01:58life,

00:01:59all of it. In exchange, I want the Lunar Hunt Covenant, the Silver Sight, and one more life.

00:02:03Do you understand what it means to give up your face? I do. Last time, my beauty made it easy

00:02:08for

00:02:08them to use me. I don't need anyone to love my face. I just need to see clearly.

00:02:13Silver light crapped through me like lightning, and I was thrown back into the world of the

00:02:17livened. When I opened my eyes, the hissing was gone. The air smelled of incense. I raised a hand

00:02:22to my face and felt it. A scar across my cheek, faint silver light pulsing beneath it like a wire.

00:02:27It was the mark of the covenant, the price Artemis had carved into my skin. I was back.

00:02:32Back to the morning, Eleanor Hargreff came to beg. I stood in front of the mirror and traced the scar

00:02:37with my fingers. Then I smiled, but there was nothing warm left in it. I did not come back

00:02:44to love him. I came back from hell to collect what they owed me, one debt at a time.

00:02:56Rowena, please! I'm begging you! You have to save Callum!

00:02:59The old woman dropped to her knees in front of me, clutching the hem of my dress with both hands

00:03:03and crying like she had nothing left. The death mark carved into Callum's forehead was the final

00:03:09outbreak of decades of serpent resentment buried beneath the Hargrove state. As long as it stayed

00:03:14on him, the curse would keep spreading, and every Hargrove tied to this land by blood would carry the

00:03:20same death sentence. Only a Whitmore could even see the mark. Only a Whitmore could remove it.

00:03:26They needed me. That was a fact. But the only reason I was here was to take back what the

00:03:32Hargroves stole from us, the silver arrow of Whitmore. I stood over Eleanor, looking down

00:03:37at her shaking shoulders, and all I could think of was how she used to call me sweetheart while she

00:03:41watched the flames swallow me alive. I slowly pulled my skirt out of her grip. I can't break

00:03:45the Hargrove curse. There was not a single trace of emotion in my voice. I did not owe her that

00:03:50much.

00:03:50Eleanor nor froze. The invitation in her hands crumbled at the edges. Then Callum walked in from the

00:03:54hallway. He was younger than I remembered, sharper and more arrogant, with all that ugly pride still

00:03:58sitting right on the surface. His eyes swept over me and stopped on the scar crossing my face.

00:04:02For one second he went still. The scar was silver, winding across half my cheek and glowing faintly

00:04:08in the morning light. It did not look like an ordinary wound. It looked like something ancient

00:04:12had pressed itself into my skin and left its mark there. His disgust was almost impossible to miss.

00:04:16He turned his face away slightly like he could barely stand to look at it. I noticed. I said nothing.

00:04:22In my past life I had walked through this same door with an untouched face, and he had smiled at

00:04:26me

00:04:26so beautifully. Every warm word had been perfectly calculated. Now that I had a scar, the mask

00:04:31slipped at once. That told me everything. He did not need a person. He needed a tool,

00:04:37and apparently he preferred his tools pretty. Callum stepped closer, his voice sharp with disbelief.

00:04:42What the hell is that supposed to mean? We came here in good faith, and you won't even give us

00:04:47a

00:04:47reason? You're telling me one curse is too much for a Whitmore? He moved into my space like he was

00:04:52used to people backing down when he did. I only looked at him. Go ahead. Look down on me, Callum.

00:04:59You have no idea that the mark on your forehead is getting darker every day, and the only person

00:05:04in this entire world who can see it, the only one who can take it off you, is standing right

00:05:09in front

00:05:09of you while you make that face at her. Eleanor started crying harder. Her hands shook as she pulled

00:05:15a heavy envelope from her coat. The wax seal bore an old, dark gold crest.

00:05:21We have nowhere else to turn. Please, just look at this, for the sake of what our families once

00:05:27meant to each other. I almost did not bother, but the moment my eyes touched the seal, my silver sight

00:05:34flared. A pulse of silver light cut through the surface of the wax, and beneath it, clear and

00:05:40understakeable, was the trace of a Whitmore silver arrow. The silver arrow was the most sacred relic

00:05:48of the Whitmore bloodline. The Hargroves had stolen it from us, and it had been lost for generations.

00:05:55I only learned the truth as I was dying in my past life when it was already too late to

00:06:01do anything

00:06:01about it. Now I knew exactly where it was. That was the real reason I would walk into Hargrove Hall.

00:06:07Not Callum. The arrow.

00:06:11Callum saw me take it, and his whole body relaxed. He lifted his chin slightly,

00:06:16satisfaction spreading across his face. He had already decided I was still hung up on him,

00:06:21that I had finally given in because of old feelings. Then he turned on that warm, reasonable voice,

00:06:27the one that used to make me believe every word.

00:06:29Good. All you have to do is come with us and suppress the curse. Once I'm better, I'll make sure

00:06:35you're rewarded. The Hargroves take care of people who prove useful to us.

00:06:40He said it like he was doing me a favor, like I was something he could summon, use, and dismiss

00:06:45whenever it suited him. I looked at him slowly, the way you look at something that does not know

00:06:50it is already finished. I'm going to Harghal to take back what belongs to the Whitmore family.

00:06:55I was never doing this for you. The smile on his face died, died completely.

00:07:03The next morning, the man had everything packed before I came downstairs.

00:07:07Lady, the carriages are here. He was the boy the Whitmore family had taken in years ago.

00:07:13Quiet, precise, and so still that most people mistook him for cold. Since I came back,

00:07:18he was the only person who looked straight at the scar on my face without flinching or glancing away.

00:07:22Two Harkron carriages were waiting outside. Eleanor had one to herself, and the other was meant for

00:07:28Callum and me. Jenna, who supposedly could not handle the mountain road, was supposed to have

00:07:33her own space. I was about to step into the second carriage when a voice cut across the courtyard.

00:07:38Wait! Callum, I want to ride with you!

00:07:40She ran toward us with her skirts gathered in both hands, her cheeks flushed and her eyes red at the

00:07:45rims, as if she had already been crying. She was the girl the Hargroves had taken in years ago,

00:07:50the orphan daughter of some distant relation. She had grown up inside the estate walls,

00:07:56right beside Callum. Everyone said she was sweet and innocent, the one person Callum protected more

00:08:01than anyone else. She had a white silk scarf in her hands. Before Callum could answer,

00:08:06she was already looping it around his neck and smoothing it down with both palms.

00:08:10The mountain road is freezing. I don't want you getting sick again.

00:08:13Callum did not move away from her hands. In my past life, I thought she was only being kind.

00:08:18This time, my silver sight caught the edge of the scarf the moment it touched him.

00:08:22Faint dark lines were woven into the silk, forming the exact pattern of a serpent mark.

00:08:26Callum did not see any of it. He was already brushing a loose strand of hair away from Jenna's face.

00:08:31Jenna turned to me with wide, apologetic eyes.

00:08:33Lady Rowena, I hope you don't mind. I won't take up much space, I promise.

00:08:37She did not wait for my answer. She climbed in ahead of me. I watched her settle beside Callum and

00:08:43pushed me toward the window seat without even looking at me. I said nothing.

00:08:47Jenna, last time I missed every move you made. This time I'm gonna watch every single one.

00:08:52The carriage wound its way up the wet cobblestone road towards the Hargraf estate. There was barely

00:08:57enough room for two people to sit comfortably, and Jenna had made sure she stayed pressed against

00:09:02Callum for the entire ride. Every time the wheels hit a rough patch, she let out a soft, breathy sound

00:09:08and leaned into his shoulder. The timing was perfect, always within my line of sight, like a little

00:09:12performance stage just for me. Callum, I feel so dizzy. I can barely breathe.

00:09:17She twisted her fingers into the front of his shirt, lifting her eyes just enough to catch the light,

00:09:22looking soft and helpless and miserable. In my past life, watching this would have made me want to

00:09:27shrink into myself and disappear. Now I only sat still and watched her work. Callum noticed me

00:09:33looking. His expression hardened at once. He tightened his arm around Jenna and turned his

00:09:37face away from me, like even the air on my side of the carriage disgusted him.

00:09:41Rowena, stop staring. Jenna is kind and gentle, not that you would know anything about that.

00:09:44And stop using that face to scare her.

00:09:46Jenna reached over and touched his arm gently. Callum, don't. Lady Rowena probably doesn't mean it.

00:09:51She knows exactly what she's doing. She's had it out for you since the moment she saw you.

00:09:55Maybe she just doesn't like me. It's all right. I'm used to it.

00:09:59That is her problem, not yours. I don't care what she thinks.

00:10:01I did not answer. In my past life, that exchange would have hollowed me out for days. Now I only

00:10:07filed it away. Every word. Every dismissal. I was keeping track. At the same time, through the

00:10:12silver sight, I could see what was really happening. Dark energy was seeping from the coral bracelet on

00:10:18Jenna's wrist, winding along Callum's collar and pushing inch by inch into the skin at the back of his neck.

00:10:23She was not dizzy. She was feeding the serpent. Callum, the sweet innocent girl you're so

00:10:28desperate to protect, is poisoning you right now, and you're holding her tighter. He pulled her

00:10:32closer and pressed his cheek against the top of her head, completely blind.

00:10:38By midday, the carriages stopped in front of the Hargreth family's main residence.

00:10:42This was not Hargreth Hall. Not the old estate with the serpent gate buried beneath it.

00:10:46The hall stood deeper inside the grounds, behind a locked inner courtyard that almost never opened.

00:10:50This was only where the family lived. When Jenna stepped down from the carriage,

00:10:54she grabbed the doorbrain, her face going pale, and sagged into Callum's side.

00:10:58I'm fine. Just cold. My legs feel strange.

00:11:02Callum wrapped an arm around her at once. The look he sent me over her shoulder made it clear that

00:11:06somehow this was supposed to be my fault. We passed through the front entrance hall.

00:11:10The moment we crossed the threshold, my silver sight erupted. Dark serpent energy crawled across every

00:11:15wall and ceiling, coiling and shifting like something alive. It hulged at anyone with

00:11:20Hargreth blood, then recoiled the second it touched the silver light of my mark. Shrieking

00:11:25back into the cracks, Jenna was walking ahead. I watched her cross the threshold, and I saw the

00:11:30exact moment her shoe came down on the protection line hidden beneath the doorframe. It was not an

00:11:36accident. The movement was too precise. The line snapped. The energy that had been held down broke

00:11:41loose all at once, and a wave of freezing air tore down the corridor like a blade.

00:11:46Oh God! Callum, help me!

00:11:48She stumbled backwards straight into his arms, clean and practiced, like a stage fall. Callum

00:11:53caught her without even looking. One arm locked across her chest, and his first words were from me.

00:11:58Rowena! What the hell are you doing just standing there?

00:12:03You're a Whitmore! You're supposed to handle this!

00:12:07If Jenna gets hurt because of you, I swear you'll answer for it.

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

00:12:17into the walls. The hallway went still. I looked at Callum.

00:12:21You're welcome.

00:12:22I let the silence stretch for a moment. Then I lowered my gaze to the broken line on the floor,

00:12:27before slowly lifting my eyes to Jenna's shoes.

00:12:30You might want to ask how that line broke in the first place.

00:12:33Callum's brow tightened. In his arms, Jenna's eyes filled with tears at once. Her lower lip trembled as

00:12:39she looked up at him, as if she was the one being attacked. Callum looked between us,

00:12:43and clenched his jaw. What exactly are you accusing her of?

00:12:46Nothing. Just giving you advice. While you're in this house, pay attention to what's right in

00:12:52front of you. Then I walked toward the sitting room without looking back.

00:12:59When we settled into the sitting room, Eleanor came in herself with a tray of peach blossom tea.

00:13:04Steam curled slowly from each cup. You must be exhausted after that ride, sweetheart. I made

00:13:09this myself. Drink it while it's hot. It will calm your nerves. She had the warmth turned all the way

00:13:16on. Deep smile lines, a gentle voice, every inch the loving grandmother. Jenna sat beside Callum.

00:13:21She picked up his cup first, blew on it softly, and placed it in his hands. Drink it while it's

00:13:25hot.

00:13:26It'll warm you up. In my past life, I fell for all of it. I drank the tea, and by

00:13:31nightfall,

00:13:31my silver sight was almost blind. The poison had worked slowly and silently the whole time.

00:13:36When I tried to suppress the serpents that night, I kept making the wrong calls,

00:13:40and one of them tore my palm open. I burned with fever for three days straight. And Jenna had been

00:13:45there the entire time, smiling sweetly as she added a spoonful of sugar to my cup.

00:13:48Something sweet makes everything less bitter, Lady Rowena.

00:13:51This time, I looked into my cup through the silver sight. The tea should have been pale amber,

00:13:55but beneath the surface it was deep crimson. Something small and dark moved along the bottom.

00:13:59I picked up the cup and drank most of it. I let none of it touch me. Under the cover

00:14:04of my sleeve,

00:14:05I pressed two fingers to my wrist and sealed my throat and chest with a silver seal. The poison

00:14:09slammed into the barrier and thrashed like a trapped thing. But it got nowhere. Jenna kept her eyes on my

00:14:14face the whole time. She was waiting for my gaze to blur, waiting for the sight to go dark. When

00:14:19I set

00:14:20the cup down, breathing evenly and looking straight back at her, I saw the corner of her smile crack.

00:14:24Just a twitch. Just one second. But it was there. Lucien picked up his own cup, gave it one slow

00:14:31sniff, then turned and poured the whole thing into the planter beside his chair.

00:14:35Too sweet. Hides the taste of rot.

00:14:38Eleanor's expression flickered. Calatin's eyes sharpened.

00:14:41My grandmother made that tea herself. You want to explain what the hell you're doing? I just did.

00:14:46Lucien looked at him calmly. Calum's face turned ugly. He was about to snap back when Jenna laid a hand

00:14:52on

00:14:52his arm. Calum, don't. We asked them to come here. It's fine. Really.

00:14:55She said it in that soft, peacemaking voice. But as she lifted her own cup back to her lips,

00:15:01her eyes slid sideways to me, patient, calculating, waiting to see something that was never going to

00:15:06happen. I looked at her and said nothing. Jenna, I'm just getting started. Next time,

00:15:12I'll make sure you see it coming.

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

00:15:20Candles stretched down the table. Silver gleamed at every place setting,

00:15:24and there was more food than anyone could finish. Jenna sat to Calum's left, cutting her food with

00:15:28careful, effortless grace. Then she set down her knife, turned to me, and spoke in the softest,

00:15:33most concerned voice she had. Ladies Rowena, I've been meaning to ask you something. With a scar like

00:15:39that on your face, do people avoid you when you go out? You must feel so lonely. I can't even

00:15:45imagine.

00:15:46Perfectly worded. Perfectly gentle. Loud enough for every servant in the room to hear. I held my

00:15:51knife and fork and did not respond. Jenna, don't say it like that. She's a guest,

00:15:56you'll embarrass her. In my past life, I had actually been grateful for that. I thought he

00:16:00was standing up for me. Now I could see it clearly. He did not care whether I was humiliated. He

00:16:06just

00:16:06needed me to walk into that hall tomorrow night, and a scene at dinner would make things harder.

00:16:10That sentence was for him. Not for me. Jenna's face crumpled at once. Her eyes filled.

00:16:16I didn't mean it that way. I was worried about her. Calum, why are you making it sound like I

00:16:21did something wrong? Her voice broke on the last word. Two tears slipped down her face.

00:16:26And just like that, Calum changed. The hardness left him, and his voice turned low and gentle.

00:16:32I know you didn't. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said it like that.

00:16:37Lucian set down his silverware. I have a question. Is this how the Hargroves treat

00:16:42guests they begged for help? Every sound at the table stopped. Jenna's tears paused mid-fall.

00:16:48Calum's head snapped up, and the look he gave Lucian was full of real anger.

00:16:52Who the hell do you think you are? Nobody asked for your opinion!

00:16:55Lucian did not move. He only held Calum's gaze and took his time answering.

00:16:59I came with Lady Whitmore. As long as she is here, I have every right to speak.

00:17:04Calum pressed one hand flat against the edge of the table. His jaw tightened,

00:17:07and his face went pale with fury. Rowena, control your people.

00:17:11I set my wine glass down slowly and looked at him. He's right. Calum, I came because your family

00:17:16begged me to save you. I did not come here to be insulted at your dinner table. If you can't

00:17:21understand the difference, I don't need to enter that hall tomorrow. I can leave tonight.

00:17:25Silence fell over the room. Then Calum exhaled through his nose, forced down his anger and

00:17:31ground out the words like they hurt. After dinner, I'll have Chester bring out the legacy book.

00:17:35I picked up my wine glass again and said nothing.

00:17:40Dinner ended, and I asked for the Hargro legacy book, the family's handprint record dating back

00:17:44to 1840. It dorted how the serpent gate was first sealed, and why. If the silver arrow was

00:17:49hidden somewhere on these grounds, there would be a trace of it in those pages.

00:17:53Calum's face tightened at once. It's a dusty old record book.

00:17:58You're here to deal with the curse, not dig through our family history.

00:18:02If I'm going to suppress what's down there, I need to know what caused it.

00:18:05The answer is in that book. Is that too hard for you to understand? He opened his mouth to

00:18:08argue, and Jenna let out a sharp little cry. Her elbow caught the wine bottle at the edge of

00:18:11the table. It tipped over and spilled half its contents across the tablecloth in a dark red wave.

00:18:15Servants rushed forward, and the moment broke apart.

00:18:18I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry my hands are so shaky tonight.

00:18:21Calum leaned over and took her hands in his, checking them with a deep frown.

00:18:25You didn't cut yourself. It's just a bottle. It doesn't matter.

00:18:28Then he looked at me sideways, contempt clear in his eyes.

00:18:31All this over one old book? Did you really have to push that hard and scare her like that? What

00:18:35is

00:18:36this, an interrogation?

00:18:37I was not looking at him. Through the silver sight, I watched dark serpent energy pour from Jenna's sleeve

00:18:42and curl around the cabinet where the legacy book was kept like a hand pressing the door shut.

00:18:47She had not dropped the bottle because her hands were unsteady.

00:18:51She had dropped it to keep that cabinet closed. I raised one hand. A silver seal shot across the

00:18:55room and pinned the serpent energy flat against the cabinet doors. Jenna went white. Lucian walked

00:18:59to the cabinet, opened it without asking, and looked calmly at Chester in the corner.

00:19:02Chester, bring out the legacy book.

00:19:04Chester hesitated. Then he lowered his head, took the yellowed leather valium wooden box inside the

00:19:08cabinet, and held it out with both hands. I took it and opened it. I caught sight of the

00:19:11serpent brand running along the edge of Chester's sleeve. I filed it away.

00:19:16The first several pages of the legacy book had been cut out. Clean cuts. Blade cuts. Nothing

00:19:21old about them. Callum glanced over and dismissed it without missing a beat.

00:19:25It's a hundred and fifty year old book. Pages go missing. That's not suspicious. That's time.

00:19:30Jenna stepped in right on cue.

00:19:33Exactly. Lady Rowena, the Hargroves have been a respectable family for generations.

00:19:37There's nothing to hide here. Don't you think you're reading too much into this?

00:19:41I ignored them both and bent over the torn edges, looking through the silver site. There it was,

00:19:45buried in the yellowed fringe, the faint silver glow of dried Whitmore blood, ancient and thin.

00:19:50Tangled through it was the serpent energy from the bracelet on Jenna's wrist, the exact same

00:19:54signature. She was the one who had cut out those pages, which meant she had known about the silver

00:19:58arrow all along. I was about to speak when the death mark on Callum's forehead split open.

00:20:04Serpent energy burst through his veins all at once, and the whole study shook. From deep inside,

00:20:09Hargrove Hall came a low, grinding sound, like something massive turning in its sleep.

00:20:14Callum's legs buckled. He caught the edge of a shelf, his face white, his teeth clenched,

00:20:19his breath coming in sharp pulls. Eleanor rushed across the room and grabbed my arm.

00:20:24Rowena, please. Go tonight. You're the only one who can stop it. Please.

00:20:29I closed the legacy book. I'll enter Hargrove Hall tonight,

00:20:32but I'm going to question the serpent, not break the curse. Get that straight now.

00:20:36Then I turned to Jenna. My voice stayed calm,

00:20:38but every person in the room heard me one more thing. During the ritual tonight,

00:20:42Jenna does not come anywhere near the main hall. Her energy is corrupt. If she gets close,

00:20:45she'll provoke what's down there, and the entire formation will collapse.

00:20:48This is not a request. It's a condition. The study went completely silent.

00:20:52Jenna blinked. Then her head lowered, and tears rolled down her face without a sound.

00:20:58Callum pushed himself up from the shelf, still pale and tight with pain, and turned on me at once.

00:21:04On what grounds? Jenna came all this way because she was worried about me. You don't get to throw

00:21:08her out in the cold just because you hate her. On the grounds that if I walk in tonight, you

00:21:13live.

00:21:16Callum stayed quiet, but it was not over. He steadied himself against the shelf and started

00:21:21again a few seconds later. Even if you have to enter the hall tonight,

00:21:25that does not give you the right to leave Jenna outside alone. She scares easily. What if something

00:21:29happens and you are not there? Are you going to take responsibility for that? Jenna's tears fell

00:21:32faster, but she still reached out and grabbed Callum's sleeve with both hands. Callum, please

00:21:36don't fight with Lady Rowena. This is my fault. I shouldn't have come. You go in and let her do

00:21:40what

00:21:40she needs to do. Don't worry about me. I'll wait outside. I just want you safe. That's all I want.

00:21:45Every word landed exactly where she wanted it to. Callum's chest rose and fell hard. Then he turned

00:21:51all that anger on me. You hear that? She's willing to stand out there alone in the dark just to

00:21:56make things easier for you. What kind of person are you? Jenna stays by the door tonight. No one

00:22:01is stopping her. I looked at them without anger. I was not even surprised. This was the same

00:22:07performance they had put on in my past life. Jenna cried, Callum exploded, and every bit of blame in

00:22:12the room landed on me while they clung to each other. Perfectly timed. Perfectly practiced.

00:22:19I turned toward Hargrim Hall and spoke without looking back.

00:22:24Fine. Then keep your eyes open tonight. Whatever happens, don't come crying to me.

00:22:33Behind me, I heard Callum murmur to Jenna. You're okay. I'm right here.

00:22:39I walked into the dark of Hargmite Hall without turning around. I already knew he would open that

00:22:43door for her when the time came. And the harder he fought to protect her tonight,

00:22:47the worse the backlash would hit him. Midnight. The main hall of Hargrave Hall.

00:22:52The wind howled through the walls like something was trying to claw its way out.

00:22:56The old chandelier swung overhead, its candles throwing long, crooked shadows across the room.

00:23:01The estate had gone still, except for the dull shiver that rolled up from beneath the floor every

00:23:06few minutes. Whatever had been sleeping down there was starting to wake. I stood in the center of the

00:23:10hall and focused. Whitmore blood ignited in my veins. Silver seals poured out of me in rings,

00:23:16spreading across the floor like a net of cold light, pressing the serpent energy back into the

00:23:21walls and stone. Building a formation like this burned through everything I had. Power, focus,

00:23:28and sheer will. But I did not let it show. My hands were steady. My face was calm.

00:23:35Calum stood on the far side of the formation, supported by the old butler. The death mark on

00:23:41his forehead pulsed blood red in the silver light. He was shaking, yet he still looked at me like he

00:23:46was doing me a favor by letting me help. How sure are you about this?

00:23:50I did not look at him, sure enough. A pause. I need more than questions. I need the death mark

00:23:56gone completely. Can you actually do that? I turned and looked at him properly for the first time.

00:24:01Callum, the only reason I'm standing in this room is because the silver arrow is here.

00:24:06Not because of you. Whether that mark comes off at all depends on whether the Hargroves start paying

00:24:13what they owe the Whitmans. We can discuss that later. He wanted to argue. Then the death mark tore

00:24:19at him again. And the sound that left his throat was not one he meant to make. He swallowed it

00:24:24down

00:24:24hard. Palm up. Catch the light from the core of the formation. Whatever you hear, whatever you see,

00:24:29do not move. This creature follows Hargrove blood. If you move, the backlash will bury you and I will

00:24:34not be able to pull you out. Callum raised his trembling right hand. This time, he said nothing.

00:24:40You have to save Callum! The old woman dropped to her knees in front of me, clutching the hem of

00:24:44my dress with both hands and crying like she had nothing left. The death mark carved into Callum's

00:24:50forehead was the final outbreak of decades of serpent resentment buried beneath the Hargrove state.

00:24:55As long as it stayed on him, the curse would keep spreading, and every Hargrove tied to this land

00:25:01by blood would carry the same death sentence. Only a Whitmore could even see the mark. Only a

00:25:07Whitmore could remove it. They needed me. That was a fact. But the only reason I was here was to

00:25:13take

00:25:14back what the Hargroves stole from us, the silver arrow of Whitmore. I stood over Eleanor, looking down at

00:25:19her shaking shoulders, and all I could think of was how she used to call me sweetheart while she watched

00:25:23the

00:25:23flames swallow me alive. I slowly pulled my skirt out of her grip. I can't break the Hargrove curse. There

00:25:29was not a single

00:25:29trace of emotion in my voice. I did not owe her that much. Eleanor nor froze. The invitation in her

00:25:34hands

00:25:34crumbled at the edges. Then Callum walked in from the hallway. He was younger than I remembered, sharper and more

00:25:39arrogant, with all that ugly pride still sitting right on the surface. His eyes swept over me and stopped on

00:25:43the scar

00:25:43crossing my face. For one second, he went still. The scar was silver, winding across half my cheek and glowing

00:25:49faintly in the morning light. It did not look like an ordinary wound. It looked like something ancient

00:25:54had pressed itself into my skin and left its mark there. His disgust was almost impossible to miss.

00:25:58He turned his face away slightly like he could barely stand to look at it. I noticed. I said nothing.

00:26:04In my past life, I had walked through this same door with an untouched face, and he had smiled at

00:26:08me

00:26:08so beautifully. Every warm word had been perfectly calculated. Now that I had a scar, the mask slipped at once.

00:26:14That told me everything. He did not need a person. He needed a tool, and apparently he preferred his

00:26:21tools pretty. Callum stepped closer, his voice sharp with disbelief. What the hell is that supposed

00:26:26to mean? We came here in good faith, and you won't even give us a reason? You're telling me one

00:26:31curse

00:26:31is too much for a Whitmore? He moved into my space like he was used to people backing down when

00:26:36he did.

00:26:37I only looked at him. Go ahead. Look down on me, Callum. You have no idea that the mark on

00:26:43your

00:26:43forehead is getting darker every day, and the only person in this entire world who can see it,

00:26:48the only one who can take it off you, is standing right in front of you while you make that

00:26:52face at

00:26:53her. Eleanor started crying harder. Her hands shook as she pulled a heavy envelope from her coat.

00:27:00The wax seal bore an old, dark gold crest. We have nowhere else to turn. Please,

00:27:06just look at this, for the sake of what our families once meant to each other.

00:27:11I almost did not bother. But the moment my eyes touched the seal,

00:27:15my silver sight flared. A pulse of silver light cut through the surface of the wax,

00:27:20and beneath it, clear and understakeable, was the trace of a Whitmore silver arrow.

00:27:27The silver arrow was the most sacred relic of the Whitmore bloodline.

00:27:31The Hargroves had stolen it from us, and it had been lost for generations.

00:27:38I only learned the truth as I was dying in my past life when it was already too late to

00:27:43do anything

00:27:43about it. Now I knew exactly where it was. That was the real reason I would walk into Hargrove Hall.

00:27:50Not Callum. The arrow.

00:27:53Callum saw me take it, and his whole body relaxed. He lifted his chin slightly, satisfaction spreading

00:27:59across his face. He had already decided I was still hung up on him, that I had finally given in

00:28:05because of old feelings. Then he turned on that warm, reasonable voice, the one that used to make

00:28:10me believe every word. Good. All you have to do is come with us and suppress the curse. Once I'm

00:28:17better,

00:28:17I'll make sure you're rewarded. The Hargroves take care of people who prove useful to us.

00:28:22He said it like he was doing me a favor, like I was something he could summon, use, and dismiss

00:28:27whenever it suited him. I looked at him slowly, the way you look at something that does not know

00:28:32it is already finished. I'm going to Hargrove Hall to take back what belongs to the Whitmore family.

00:28:38I was never doing this for you. The smile on his face died, died completely.

00:28:45The next morning, the man had everything packed before I came downstairs.

00:28:49Lady, the carriages are here.

00:28:51He was the boy the Whitmore family had taken in years ago. Quiet, precise, and so still that

00:28:57most people mistook him for cold. Since I came back, he was the only person who looked straight

00:29:01at the scar on my face without flinching or glancing away. Two Harkrin carriages were waiting

00:29:06outside. Eleanor had one to herself, and the other was meant for Callum and me.

00:29:11Jenna, who supposedly could not handle the mountain road, was supposed to have her own space.

00:29:16I was about to step into the second carriage when a voice cut across the courtyard.

00:29:20Wait! Callum, I want to ride with you!

00:29:22She ran toward us with her skirts gathered in both hands, her cheeks flushed and her eyes

00:29:27red at the rims, as if she had already been crying. She was the girl the Hargroves had taken

00:29:32in years ago, the orphan daughter of some distant relation. She had grown up inside the estate walls,

00:29:38right beside Callum. Everyone said she was sweet and innocent, the one person Callum protected more

00:29:43than anyone else. She had a white silk scarf in her hands. Before Callum could answer,

00:29:48she was already looping it around his neck and smoothing it down with both palms.

00:29:52The mountain road is freezing. I don't want you getting sick again.

00:29:55Callum did not move away from her hands. In my past life, I thought she was only being kind.

00:30:00This time, my silver sight caught the edge of the scarf the moment it touched him.

00:30:04Faint, dark lines were woven into the silk, forming the exact pattern of a serpent mark.

00:30:08Callum did not see any of it. He was already brushing a loose strand of hair away from Jenna's

00:30:12face. Jenna turned to me with wide, apologetic eyes.

00:30:15Lady Rowena, I hope you don't mind. I won't take up much space, I promise.

00:30:19She did not wait for my answer. She climbed in ahead of me. I watched her settle beside Callum

00:30:25and push me toward the window seat without even looking at me. I said nothing.

00:30:29Jenna, last time I missed every move you made. This time I'm going to watch every single one.

00:30:35The carriage wound its way up the wet cobblestone road towards the Hargraaf estate. There was

00:30:39barely enough room for two people to sit comfortably, and Jenna had made sure she

00:30:43stayed pressed against Callum for the entire ride. Every time the wheels hit a rough patch,

00:30:48she let out a soft, breathy sound and leaned into his shoulder. The timing was perfect,

00:30:52always within my line of sight, like a little performance stage just for me.

00:30:56Callum, I feel so dizzy. I can barely breathe.

00:30:59She twisted her fingers into the front of his shirt, lifting her eyes just enough to catch the

00:31:04light, looking soft and helpless and miserable. In my past life, watching this would have made me

00:31:09want to shrink into myself and disappear. Now I only sat still and watched her work.

00:31:14Callum noticed me looking. His expression hardened at once. He tightened his arm around Jenna and

00:31:19turned his face away from me, like even the air on my side of the carriage disgusted him.

00:31:23Rowena, stop staring. Jenna is kind and gentle, not that you would know anything about that,

00:31:26and stop using that face to scare her. Jenna reached over and touched his arm gently.

00:31:30Callum, don't. Lady Rowena probably doesn't mean it.

00:31:34She knows exactly what she's doing. She's had it out for you since the moment she saw you.

00:31:38Maybe she just doesn't like me. It's alright, I'm used to it.

00:31:41That is her problem, not yours. I don't care what she thinks.

00:31:44I did not answer. In my past life, that exchange would have hollowed me out for days. Now I only

00:31:49filed

00:31:49it away. Every word, every dismissal. I was keeping track. At the same time, through the silver

00:31:55sight, I could see what was really happening. Dark energy was seeping from the coral bracelet on

00:32:00Jenna's wrist, winding along Callum's collar and pushing inch by inch into the skin at the back

00:32:05of his neck. She was not dizzy. She was feeding the serpent. Callum, the sweet innocent girl you're

00:32:10so desperate to protect, is poisoning you right now, and you're holding her tighter. He pulled

00:32:14her closer and pressed his cheek against the top of her head, completely blind. By midday,

00:32:21the carriages stopped in front of the Hargreth family's main residence. This was not Hargreth

00:32:25Hall. Not the old estate with the serpent gate buried beneath it. The hall stood deeper inside

00:32:30the grounds, behind a locked inner courtyard that almost never opened. This was only where

00:32:34the family lived. When Jenna stepped down from the carriage, she grabbed the doorbraim,

00:32:38her face going pale, and sagged into Callum's side.

00:32:40I'm fine. Just cold. My legs feel strange.

00:32:44Callum wrapped an arm around her at once. The look he sent me over her shoulder made it clear

00:32:48that somehow this was supposed to be my fault. We passed through the front entrance hall.

00:32:52The moment we crossed the threshold, my silver sight erupted. Dark serpent energy crawled

00:32:57across every wall and ceiling, coiling and shifting like something alive. It hulged at anyone with

00:33:02Hargreth blood, then recoiled the second it touched the silver light of my mark, shrieking back into the

00:33:08cracks. Jenna was walking ahead. I watched her cross the threshold, and I saw the exact moment her shoe

00:33:13came down on the protection line hidden beneath the doorframe. It was not an accident. The movement

00:33:19was too precise. The line snapped. The energy that had been held down broke loose all at once,

00:33:25and a wave of freezing air tore down the corridor like a blade.

00:33:28Oh God! Callum, help me!

00:33:31She stumbled backwards straight into his arms, clean and practiced, like a stage fall. Callum caught her

00:33:36without even looking. One arm locked across her chest, and his first words were from me.

00:33:40Rowena! What the hell are you doing just standing there? You're a Whitmore! You're supposed to handle

00:33:48this! If Jenna gets hurt because of you, I swear you'll answer for it. I raised one hand, a silver

00:33:55seal dropped across the corridor, and the serpent energy shrank back into the walls. The hallway went

00:34:01still. I looked at Callum. You're welcome. I let the silence stretch for a moment. Then I lowered my

00:34:08gaze to the broken line on the floor, before slowly lifting my eyes to Jenna's shoes. You might want to

00:34:13ask how that line broke in the first place. Callum's brow tightened. In his arms, Jenna's eyes filled with

00:34:19tears at once. Her lower lip trembled as she looked up at him, as if she was the one being

00:34:23attacked.

00:34:24Callum looked between us and clenched his jaw. What exactly are you accusing her of?

00:34:28Nothing. Just giving you advice. While you're in this house, pay attention to what's right in front

00:34:34of you. Then I walked toward the sitting room without looking back.

00:34:42When we settled into the sitting room, Eleanor came in herself with a tray of peach blossom tea.

00:34:47Steam curled slowly from each cup. You must be exhausted after that ride, sweetheart. I made this

00:34:52myself. Drink it while it's hot. It will calm your nerves. She had the warmth turned all the way on.

00:34:58Deep smile lines. A gentle voice, every inch the loving grandmother. Jenna sat beside Callum. She

00:35:03picked up his cup first, blew on it softly, and placed it in his hands. Drink it while it's hot.

00:35:08It'll warm you up. In my past life, I fell for all of it. I drank the tea, and by

00:35:13nightfall my silver

00:35:14sight was almost blind. The poison had worked slowly and silently the whole time. When I tried to suppress

00:35:19the serpents that night, I kept making the wrong calls, and one of them tore my palm open. I burned

00:35:24with

00:35:24fever for three days straight. And Jenna had been there the entire time, smiling sweetly as she added

00:35:29a spoonful of sugar to my cup. Something sweet makes everything less bitter, Lady Rowena. This time, I looked

00:35:34into my cup through the silver sight. The tea should have been pale amber, but beneath the surface it was

00:35:38deep crimson. Something small and dark moved along the bottom. I picked up the cup and drank most of it.

00:35:44I let none of it touch me. Under the cover of my sleeve, I pressed two fingers to my wrist

00:35:49and sealed

00:35:49my throat and chest with a silver seal. The poison slammed into the barrier and thrashed like a trapped

00:35:54thing, but it got nowhere. Jenna kept her eyes on my face the whole time. She was waiting for my

00:35:59gaze

00:35:59to blur, waiting for the sight to go dark. When I set the cup down, breathing evenly and looking straight

00:36:04back at her, I saw the corner of her smile crack. Just a twitch. Just one second. But it was

00:36:10there.

00:36:11Lucian picked up his own cup, gave it one slow sniff, then turned and poured the whole thing

00:36:16into the planter beside his chair. Too sweet. Hides the taste of rot.

00:36:20Eleanor's expression flickered. Calatin's eyes sharpened.

00:36:23My grandmother made that tea herself. You want to explain what the hell you're doing? I just did.

00:36:28Lucian looked at him calmly. Callum's face turned ugly. He was about to snap back when Jenna laid a

00:36:34hand on his arm. Callum, don't. We asked them to come here. It's fine, really.

00:36:37She said it in that soft, peacemaking voice.

00:36:41But as she lifted her own cup back to her lips, her eyes slid sideways to me, patient,

00:36:46calculating, waiting to see something that was never going to happen.

00:36:50I looked at her and said nothing. Jenna, I'm just getting started.

00:36:54Next time, I'll make sure you see it coming.

00:36:58The welcome dinner that night was exactly the kind of show the Hargroves loved to put on.

00:37:02Candles stretched down the table, silver gleamed at every place setting, and there was more food than

00:37:07anyone could finish. Jenna sat to Callum's left, cutting her food with careful, effortless grace.

00:37:12Then she set down her knife, turned to me, and spoke in the softest, most concerned voice she had.

00:37:17Ladies Rowena, I've been meaning to ask you something. With a scar like that on your face,

00:37:22do people avoid you when you go out? You must feel so lonely.

00:37:26I can't even imagine. Perfectly worded, perfectly gentle, loud enough for every servant in the room

00:37:32to hear. I held my knife and fork and did not respond. Jenna, don't say it like that.

00:37:37She's a guest, you'll embarrass her. In my past life, I had actually been grateful for that.

00:37:42I thought he was standing up for me. Now I could see it clearly. He did not care whether I

00:37:47was

00:37:47humiliated. He just needed me to walk into that hall tomorrow night, and a scene at dinner would make

00:37:51things harder. That sentence was for him, not for me. Jenna's face crumpled at once. Her eyes filled.

00:37:58I didn't mean it that way. I was worried about her. Callum, why are you making it sound like I

00:38:03did something wrong? Her voice broke on the last word. Two tears slipped down her face.

00:38:08And just like that, Callum changed. The hardness left him, and his voice turned low and gentle.

00:38:14I know you didn't. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said it like that.

00:38:19Lucian set down his silverware. I have a question. Is this how the Hargroves treat guests they begged

00:38:25for help? Every sound at the table stopped. Jenna's tears paused mid-fall. Callum's head snapped up,

00:38:31and the look he gave Lucian was full of real anger. Who the hell do you think you are? Nobody

00:38:36asked for

00:38:36your opinion. Lucian did not move. He only held Callum's gaze and took his time answering.

00:38:41I came with Lady Whitmore. As long as she is here, I have every right to speak.

00:38:46Callum pressed one hand flat against the edge of the table. His jaw tightened and his face went

00:38:50pale with fury. Rowena, control your people. I set my wine glass down slowly and looked at him.

00:38:56He's right. Callum, I came because your family begged me to save you. I did not come here to

00:39:01be insulted at your dinner table. If you can't understand the difference, I don't need to enter

00:39:05that hall tomorrow. I can leave tonight. Silence fell over the room. Then Callum exhaled through his

00:39:11nose, forced down his anger and ground out the words like they hurt. After dinner, I'll have Chester

00:39:16bring out the legacy book. I picked up my wine glass again and said nothing. Dinner ended, and I

00:39:23asked for the Hargro legacy book, the family's handprint record dating back to 1840. It dorted how the

00:39:28serpent gate was first sealed and why. If the silver arrow was hidden somewhere on these grounds, there

00:39:32would be a trace of it in those pages. Callum's face tightened at once. It's a dusty old record book.

00:39:40You're here to deal with the curse, not dig through our family history.

00:39:44If I'm going to suppress what's down there, I need to know what caused it. The answer is

00:39:48in that book. Is that too hard for you to understand? He opened his mouth to argue,

00:39:51and Jenna let out a sharp little cry. Her elbow caught the wine bottle at the edge of the table.

00:39:54It tipped over and spilled half its contents across the tablecloth in a dark red wave.

00:39:58Servants rushed forward, and the moment broke apart.

00:40:00I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry. My hands are so shaky tonight.

00:40:03Callum leaned over and took her hands in his, checking them with a deep frown.

00:40:07You didn't cut yourself. It's just a bottle. It doesn't matter.

00:40:10Then he looked at me sideways, contempt clear in his eyes.

00:40:13All this over one old book? Did you really have to push that hard and scare her like that?

00:40:17What is this, an interrogation?

00:40:19I was not looking at him. Through the silver sight, I watched dark serpent energy pour from Jenna's

00:40:24sleeve and curl around the cabinet where the legacy book was kept like a hand pressing the door shut.

00:40:29She had not dropped the bottle because her hands were unsteady.

00:40:33She had dropped it to keep that cabinet closed. I raised one hand. A silver seal shot across the

00:40:37room and pinned the serpent energy flat against the cabinet doors. Jenna went white. Lucian walked

00:40:41to the cabinet, opened it without asking, and looked calmly at Chester in the corner.

00:40:44Chester, bring out the legacy book.

00:40:46Chester hesitated. Then he lowered his head, took the yellowed leather valium wooden box inside the

00:40:50cabinet, and held it out with both hands. I took it and opened it. I caught sight of the serpent

00:40:53brand running along the edge of Chester's sleeve. I filed it away.

00:40:58The first several pages of the legacy book had been cut out. Clean cuts. Blade cuts. Nothing

00:41:04old about them. Callum glanced over and dismissed it without missing a beat.

00:41:07It's a 150-year-old book. Pages go missing. That's not suspicious. That's time.

00:41:12Jenna stepped in right on cue.

00:41:15Exactly. Lady Rowena, the Hargroves have been a respectable family for generations.

00:41:20There's nothing to hide here. Don't you think you're reading too much into this?

00:41:23I ignored them both and bent over the torn edges, looking through the silver sight.

00:41:27There it was, buried in the yellowed fringe, the faint silver glow of dried Whitmore blood,

00:41:31ancient and thin. Tangled through it was the serpent energy from the bracelet on Jenna's wrist,

00:41:35the exact same signature. She was the one who had cut out those pages,

00:41:39which meant she had known about the silver arrow all along.

00:41:42I was about to speak when the death mark on Callum's forehead split open.

00:41:46Serpent energy burst through his veins all at once, and the whole study shook.

00:41:50From deep inside Hargrove Hall came a low, grinding sound,

00:41:54like something massive turning in its sleep. Callum's legs buckled. He caught the edge of a

00:41:59shelf, his face white, his teeth clenched, his breath coming in sharp pulls.

00:42:03Eleanor rushed across the room and grabbed my arm.

00:42:06Rowena, please, go tonight. You're the only one who can stop it. Please.

00:42:11I closed the legacy book. I'll enter Hargrove Hall tonight,

00:42:14but I'm going to question the serpent, not break the curse. Get that straight now.

00:42:18Then I turned to Jenna. My voice stayed calm, but every person in the room heard me one more thing.

00:42:23During the ritual tonight, Jenna does not come anywhere near the main hall.

00:42:25Her energy is corrupt. If she gets close, she'll provoke what's down there,

00:42:28and the entire formation will collapse. This is not a request. It's a condition.

00:42:32The study went completely silent.

00:42:34Jenna blinked. Then her head lowered, and tears rolled down her face without a sound.

00:42:41Callum pushed himself up from the shelf, still pale and tight with pain, and turned on me at once.

00:42:46On what grounds? Jenna came all this way because she was worried about me.

00:42:50You don't get to throw her out in the cold just because you hate her!

00:42:52On the grounds that if I walk in tonight, you live.

00:42:59Callum stayed quiet, but it was not over. He steadied himself against the shelf and started

00:43:03again a few seconds later. Even if you have to enter the hall tonight,

00:43:07that does not give you the right to leave Jenna outside alone. She scares easily. What if something

00:43:11happens and you are not there? Are you going to take responsibility for that?

00:43:14Jenna's tears fell faster, but she still reached out and grabbed Callum's sleeve with both hands.

00:43:18Callum, please don't fight with Lady Rowena. This is my fault. I shouldn't have come. You go in and

00:43:22let her do what she needs to do. Don't worry about me. I'll wait outside. I just want you safe.

00:43:26That's all I want.

00:43:27Every word landed exactly where she wanted it to. Callum's chest rose and fell hard.

00:43:32Then he turned all that anger on me.

00:43:34You hear that? She's willing to stand out there alone in the dark just to make things easier for you.

00:43:39What kind of person are you? Jenna stays by the door tonight. No one is stopping her.

00:43:44I looked at them without anger. I was not even surprised. This was the same performance they had

00:43:50put on in my past life. Jenna cried, Callum exploded, and every bit of blame in the room

00:43:55landed on me while they clung to each other. Perfectly timed. Perfectly practiced.

00:44:01I turned toward Hargrim Hall and spoke without looking back.

00:44:06Fine. Then keep your eyes open tonight.

00:44:11Whatever happens, don't come crying to me.

00:44:15Behind me, I heard Callum murmur to Jenna.

00:44:18You're okay. I'm right here.

00:44:21I walked into the dark of Hargmite Hall without turning around. I already knew he would open

00:44:26that door for her when the time came. And the harder he fought to protect her tonight,

00:44:29the worse the backlash would hit him. Midnight. The main hall of Hargrave Hall.

00:44:34The wind howled through the walls like something was trying to claw its way out.

00:44:38The old chandelier swung overhead, its candles throwing long, crooked shadows across the room.

00:44:43The estate had gone still, except for the dull shiver that rolled up from beneath the floor every

00:44:48few minutes. Whatever had been sleeping down there was starting to wake. I stood in the center of

00:44:53the hall and focused. Whitmore blood ignited in my veins. Silver seals poured out of me in rings,

00:44:58spreading across the floor like a net of cold light, pressing the serpent energy back into

00:45:03the walls and stone. Building a formation like this burned through everything I had.

00:45:08Power, focus, and sheer will. But I did not let it show. My hands were steady. My face was calm.

00:45:17Callum stood on the far side of the formation, supported by the old butler. The death mark on

00:45:23his forehead pulsed blood red in the silver light. He was shaking, yet he still looked at me like he

00:45:28was doing me a favor by letting me help. How sure are you about this?

00:45:32I did not look at him, sure enough. A pause.

00:45:36I need more than questions. I need the death mark gone completely. Can you actually do that?

00:45:40I turned and looked at him properly for the first time. Callum, the only reason I'm standing in this

00:45:46room is because the silver arrow is here. Not because of you. Whether that mark comes off at

00:45:52all depends on whether the Hargroves start paying what they owe the Whitmans. We can discuss that

00:45:58later. He wanted to argue. Then the death mark tore at him again, and the sound that left his throat

00:46:04was not one he meant to make. He swallowed it down hard. Palm up. Catch the light from the core

00:46:09of the

00:46:09formation. Whatever you hear, whatever you see, do not move. This creature follows Hargrove blood.

00:46:14If you move, the backlash will bury you, and I will not be able to pull you out.

00:46:17Callum raised his trembling right hand. This time, he said nothing.

00:46:22You have to save Callum!

00:46:24The old woman dropped to her knees in front of me, clutching the hem of my dress with both hands

00:46:28and crying like she had nothing left. The death mark carved into Callum's forehead was the final

00:46:33outbreak of decades of serpent resentment buried beneath the Hargrove state. As long as it stayed on

00:46:39him, the curse would keep spreading, and every Hargrove tied to this land by blood would carry

00:46:44the same death sentence. Only a Whitmore could even see the mark. Only a Whitmore could remove it.

00:46:51They needed me. That was a fact, but the only reason I was here was to take back what the

00:46:56Hargroves stole from us, the silver arrow of Whitmore. I stood over Eleanor, looking down at her shaking

00:47:02shoulders, and all I could think of was how she used to call me sweetheart while she watched the

00:47:05flames swallow me alive. I slowly pulled my skirt out of her grip.

00:47:09I can't break the Hargrove curse. There was not a single trace of emotion in my voice.

00:47:13I did not owe her that much. Eleanor nor froze. The invitation in her hands crumbled at the edges.

00:47:18Then Callum walked in from the hallway. He was younger than I remembered, sharper and more arrogant,

00:47:22with all that ugly pride still sitting right on the surface. His eyes swept over me and stopped

00:47:25on the scar crossing my face. For one second, he went still. The scar was silver, winding across half

00:47:31my cheek and glowing faintly in the morning light. It did not look like an ordinary wound.

00:47:35It looked like something ancient had pressed itself into my skin and left its mark there.

00:47:39His disgust was almost impossible to miss. He turned his face away slightly like he could

00:47:43barely stand to look at it. I noticed. I said nothing. In my past life, I had walked through

00:47:48this same door with an untouched face, and he had smiled at me so beautifully. Every warm

00:47:52word had been perfectly calculated. Now that I had a scar, the mask slipped at once. That told

00:47:58me everything. He did not need a person. He needed a tool, and apparently he preferred

00:48:03his tools pretty. Callum stepped closer, his voice sharp with disbelief.

00:48:07What the hell is that supposed to mean? We came here in good faith, and you won't even

00:48:11give us a reason? You're telling me one curse is too much for a Whitmore?

00:48:15He moved into my space like he was used to people backing down when he did. I only looked

00:48:20at him. Go ahead. Look down on me, Callum. You have no idea that the mark on your forehead

00:48:26is getting darker every day, and the only person in this entire world who can see it,

00:48:31the only one who can take it off you, is standing right in front of you while you make

00:48:35that face at her. Elinor started crying harder. Her hands shook as she pulled a heavy envelope

00:48:41from her coat. The wax seal bore an old, dark gold crest. We have nowhere else to turn. Please,

00:48:48just look at this, for the sake of what our families once meant to each other.

00:48:54I almost did not bother. But the moment my eyes touched the seal, my silver sight flared. A pulse

00:49:00of silver light cut through the surface of the wax, and beneath it, clear and understakeable,

00:49:05was the trace of a Whitmore silver arrow. The silver arrow was the most sacred relic of the

00:49:12Whitmore bloodline. The Hargroves had stolen it from us, and it had been lost for generations.

00:49:20I only learned the truth as I was dying in my past life when it was already too late to

00:49:25do

00:49:25anything about it. Now I knew exactly where it was. That was the real reason I would walk into

00:49:31Hargrove Hall. Not Callum. The arrow. Callum saw me take it, and his whole body relaxed. He lifted his

00:49:39chin slightly, satisfaction spreading across his face. He had already decided I was still hung up on him,

00:49:45that I had finally given in because of old feelings. Then he turned on that warm, reasonable voice,

00:49:51the one that used to make me believe every word.

00:49:54Good. All you have to do is come with us, and suppress the curse. Once I'm better,

00:49:59I'll make sure you're rewarded. The Hargroves take care of people who prove useful to us.

00:50:04He said it like he was doing me a favor, like I was something he could summon,

00:50:08use, and dismiss whenever it suited him. I looked at him slowly. The way you look at something that

00:50:14does not know it is already finished. I'm going to Hargrove Hall to take back what belongs to the

00:50:19Whitmore family. I was never doing this for you. The smile on his face died, died completely.

00:50:27The next morning, the man had everything packed before I came downstairs.

00:50:32Lady, the carriages are here.

00:50:33He was the boy the Whitmore family had taken in years ago. Quiet, precise, and so still that most

00:50:40people mistook him for cold. Since I came back, he was the only person who looked straight at the

00:50:44scar on my face without flinching or glancing away. Two Hargrove carriages were waiting outside.

00:50:50Eleanor had one to herself, and the other was meant for Callum and me.

00:50:54Jenna, who supposedly could not handle the mountain road, was supposed to have her own space.

00:50:58I was about to step into the second carriage when a voice cut across the courtyard.

00:51:02Wait! Callum, I want to ride with you!

00:51:05She ran toward us with her skirts gathered in both hands,

00:51:08her cheeks flushed and her eyes red at the rims, as if she had already been crying.

00:51:12She was the girl the Hargroves had taken in years ago,

00:51:15the orphan daughter of some distant relation. She had grown up inside the estate walls,

00:51:20right beside Callum. Everyone said she was sweet and innocent,

00:51:24the one person Callum protected more than anyone else. She had a white silk scarf in her hands.

00:51:29Before Callum could answer, she was already looping it around his neck and smoothing it down

00:51:33with both palms.

00:51:35The mountain road is freezing. I don't want you getting sick again.

00:51:38Callum did not move away from her hands. In my past life, I thought she was only being kind.

00:51:42This time, my silver sight caught the edge of the scarf the moment it touched him.

00:51:46Faint dark lines were woven into the silk, forming the exact pattern of a serpent mark.

00:51:50Callum did not see any of it. He was already brushing a loose strand of hair away from Jenna's

00:51:55face. Jenna turned to me with wide, apologetic eyes.

00:51:58Lady Rowena, I hope you don't mind. I won't take up much space, I promise.

00:52:01She did not wait for my answer. She climbed in ahead of me. I watched her settle beside Callum

00:52:07and push me toward the window seat without even looking at me. I said nothing. Jenna,

00:52:12last time I missed every move you made. This time I'm going to watch every single one.

00:52:17The carriage wound its way up the wet cobblestone road towards the Hargraf estate. There was barely

00:52:22enough room for two people to sit comfortably, and Jenna had made sure she stayed pressed against

00:52:26Callum for the entire ride. Every time the wheels hit a rough patch, she let out a soft,

00:52:31breathy sound and leaned into his shoulder. The timing was perfect. Always within my line of sight,

00:52:36like a little performance stage just for me. Callum, I feel so dizzy. I can barely breathe.

00:52:42She twisted her fingers into the front of his shirt, lifting her eyes just enough to catch the

00:52:46light, looking soft and helpless and miserable. In my past life, watching this would have made me

00:52:52want to shrink into myself and disappear. Now I only sat still and watched her work.

00:52:56Callum noticed me looking. His expression hardened at once. He tightened his arm around Jenna and

00:53:01turned his face away from me, like even the air on my side of the carriage disgusted him.

00:53:05Rowena, stop staring. Jenna is kind and gentle, not that you would know anything about that,

00:53:09and stop using that face to scare her. Jenna reached over and touched his arm gently.

00:53:12Callum, don't. Lady Rowena probably doesn't mean it. She knows exactly what she's doing.

00:53:17She's had it out for you since the moment she saw you. Maybe she just doesn't like me.

00:53:22It's alright, I'm used to it. That is her problem, not yours. I don't care what she thinks.

00:53:26I did not answer. In my past life, that exchange would have hollowed me out for days.

00:53:31Now I only filed it away. Every word. Every dismissal. I was keeping track.

00:53:36At the same time, through the silver sight, I could see what was really happening.

00:53:39Dark energy was seeping from the coral bracelet on Jenna's wrist,

00:53:43winding along Callum's collar and pushing inch by inch into the skin at the back of his neck.

00:53:48She was not dizzy. She was feeding the serpent.

00:53:51Callum, the sweet innocent girl you're so desperate to protect,

00:53:54is poisoning you right now, and you're holding her tighter.

00:53:56He pulled her closer and pressed his cheek against the top of her head, completely blind.

00:54:02By midday, the carriages stopped in front of the Hargreth family's main residence.

00:54:06This was not Hargreth Hall. Not the old estate with the serpent gate buried beneath it.

00:54:11The hall stood deeper inside the grounds, behind a locked inner courtyard that almost never opened.

00:54:15This was only where the family lived.

00:54:17When Jenna stepped down from the carriage, she grabbed the doorbraim,

00:54:20her face going pale, and sagged into Callum's side.

00:54:22I'm fine. Just cold. My legs feel strange.

00:54:26Callum wrapped an arm around her at once.

00:54:28The look he sent me over her shoulder made it clear that somehow this was supposed to be my fault.

00:54:32We passed through the front entrance hall.

00:54:34The moment we crossed the threshold, my silver sight erupted.

00:54:38Dark serpent energy crawled across every wall and ceiling, coiling and shifting like something alive.

00:54:43It hulged at anyone with Hargreth blood, then recoiled the second it touched the silver light of my mark,

00:54:49shrieking back into the cracks.

00:54:50Jenna was walking ahead. I watched her cross the threshold, and I saw the exact moment her shoe came down

00:54:56on the protection line hidden beneath the doorframe. It was not an accident. The movement was too precise.

00:55:03The line snapped. The energy that had been held down broke loose all at once,

00:55:07and a wave of freezing air tore down the corridor like a blade.

00:55:11Oh God!

00:55:12Callum, help me!

00:55:13She stumbled backwards straight into his arms, clean and practiced, like a stage fall.

00:55:17Callum caught her without even looking. One arm locked across her chest, and his first words were from me.

00:55:22Rowena! What the hell are you doing just standing there?

00:55:27You're a Whitmore! You're supposed to handle this!

00:55:31If Jenna gets hurt because of you, I swear you'll answer for it.

00:55:36I raised one hand, a silver seal dropped across the corridor, and the serpent energy shrank back into the walls.

00:55:42The hallway went still. I looked at Callum.

00:55:46You're welcome.

00:55:47I let the silence stretch for a moment.

00:55:49Then I lowered my gaze to the broken line on the floor, before slowly lifting my eyes to Jenna's shoes.

00:55:54You might want to ask how that line broke in the first place.

00:55:58Callum's brow tightened. In his arms, Jenna's eyes filled with tears at once.

00:56:02Her lower lip trembled as she looked up at him, as if she was the one being attacked.

00:56:06Callum looked between us and clenched his jaw.

00:56:09What exactly are you accusing her of?

00:56:11Nothing. Just giving you advice.

00:56:14While you're in this house, pay attention to what's right in front of you.

00:56:17Then I walked toward the sitting room without looking back.

00:56:24When we settled into the sitting room, Eleanor came in herself with a tray of peach blossom tea.

00:56:29Steam curled slowly from each cup.

00:56:31You must be exhausted after that ride, sweetheart.

00:56:34I made this myself. Drink it while it's hot.

00:56:37It will calm your nerves.

00:56:39She had the warmth turned all the way on.

00:56:41Deep smile lines, a gentle voice, every inch the loving grandmother.

00:56:44Jenna sat beside Callum.

00:56:45She picked up his cup first, blew on it softly, and placed it in his hands.

00:56:49Drink it while it's hot.

00:56:50It'll warm you up.

00:56:52In my past life, I fell for all of it.

00:56:54I drank the tea, and by nightfall my silver sight was almost blind.

00:56:57The poison had worked slowly and silently the whole time.

00:57:00When I tried to suppress the serpents that night, I kept making the wrong calls, and one

00:57:04of them tore my palm open.

00:57:06I burned with fever for three days straight.

00:57:08And Jenna had been there the entire time, smiling sweetly as she added a spoonful of sugar to my cup.

00:57:13Something sweet makes everything less bitter, Lady Rowena.

00:57:15This time, I looked into my cup through the silver sight.

00:57:18The tea should have been pale amber, but beneath the surface it was deep crimson.

00:57:21Something small and dark moved along the bottom.

00:57:23I picked up the cup and drank most of it.

00:57:26I let none of it touch me.

00:57:28Under the cover of my sleeve, I pressed two fingers to my wrist and sealed my throat and chest with

00:57:32a silver seal.

00:57:33The poison slammed into the barrier and thrashed like a trapped thing, but it got nowhere.

00:57:38Jenna kept her eyes on my face the whole time.

00:57:40She was waiting for my gaze to blur, waiting for the sight to go dark.

00:57:44When I set the cup down, breathing evenly and looking straight back at her,

00:57:47I saw the corner of her smile crack.

00:57:49Just a twitch.

00:57:51Just one second.

00:57:52But it was there.

00:57:53Lucian picked up his own cup, gave it one slow sniff,

00:57:56then turned and poured the whole thing into the planter beside his chair.

00:58:00Too sweet.

00:58:01Hides the taste of rot.

00:58:03Eleanor's expression flickered.

00:58:04Callatin's eyes sharpened.

00:58:06My grandmother made that tea herself.

00:58:08You want to explain what the hell you're doing?

00:58:10I just did.

00:58:11Lucian looked at him calmly.

00:58:13Callum's face turned ugly.

00:58:14He was about to snap back when Jenna laid a hand on his arm.

00:58:17Callum, don't.

00:58:18We asked them to come here.

00:58:19It's fine, really.

00:58:20She said it in that soft, peacemaking voice.

00:58:23But as she lifted her own cup back to her lips,

00:58:25her eyes slid sideways to me, patient, calculating,

00:58:29waiting to see something that was never going to happen.

00:58:32I looked at her and said nothing.

00:58:34Jenna, I'm just getting started.

00:58:36Next time, I'll make sure you see it coming.

00:58:40The welcome dinner that night was exactly the kind of show the Hargroves loved to put on.

00:58:45Candles stretched down the table.

00:58:46Silver gleamed at every place setting, and there was more food than anyone could finish.

00:58:51Jenna sat to Callum's left, cutting her food with careful, effortless grace.

00:58:55Then she set down her knife, turned to me, and spoke in the softest, most concerned voice she had.

00:58:59Ladies, Rowena, I've been meaning to ask you something.

00:59:03With a scar like that on your face, do people avoid you when you go out?

00:59:06You must feel so lonely.

00:59:08I can't even imagine.

00:59:10Perfectly worded, perfectly gentle, loud enough for every servant in the room to hear.

00:59:15I held my knife and fork and did not respond.

00:59:17Jenna, don't say it like that.

00:59:19She's a guest, you'll embarrass her.

00:59:21In my past life, I had actually been grateful for that.

00:59:24I thought he was standing up for me.

00:59:26Now I could see it clearly.

00:59:28He did not care whether I was humiliated.

00:59:30He just needed me to walk into that hall tomorrow night, and a scene at dinner would make things harder.

00:59:35That sentence was for him, not for me.

00:59:38Jenna's face crumpled at once.

00:59:39Her eyes filled.

00:59:40I didn't mean it that way.

00:59:42I was worried about her.

00:59:44Callum, why are you making it sound like I did something wrong?

00:59:46Her voice broke on the last word.

00:59:48Two tears slipped down her face.

00:59:50And just like that, Callum changed.

00:59:53The hardness left him, and his voice turned low and gentle.

00:59:56I know you didn't.

00:59:58I'm sorry.

01:00:00I shouldn't have said it like that.

01:00:02Lucian set down his silverware.

01:00:03I have a question.

01:00:05Is this how the Hargroves treat guests they begged for help?

01:00:08Every sound at the table stopped.

01:00:10Jenna's tears paused mid-fall.

01:00:12Callum's head snapped up, and the look he gave Lucian was full of real anger.

01:00:16Who the hell do you think you are?

01:00:18Nobody asked for your opinion!

01:00:19Lucian did not move.

01:00:20He only held Callum's gaze and took his time answering.

01:00:23I came with Lady Whitmore.

01:00:25As long as she is here, I have every right to speak.

01:00:28Callum pressed one hand flat against the edge of the table.

01:00:31His jaw tightened, and his face went pale with fury.

01:00:33Rowena, control your people.

01:00:36I set my wineglass down slowly and looked at him.

01:00:38He's right.

01:00:39Callum, I came because your family begged me to save you.

01:00:42I did not come here to be insulted at your dinner table.

01:00:45If you can't understand the difference, I don't need to enter that hall tomorrow.

01:00:49I can leave tonight.

01:00:50Silence fell over the room.

01:00:52Then Callum exhaled through his nose, forced down his anger and ground out the words like

01:00:56they hurt.

01:00:57After dinner, I'll have Chester bring out the legacy book.

01:01:00I picked up my wineglass again and said nothing.

01:01:04Dinner ended, and I asked for the Hargro legacy book, the family's hand-print record dating

01:01:08back to 1840.

01:01:09It dorted how the serpent gate was first sealed, and why.

01:01:12If the silver arrow was hidden somewhere on these grounds, there would be a trace of it

01:01:15in those pages.

01:01:18Callum's face tightened at once.

01:01:20It's a dusty old record book.

01:01:23You're here to deal with the curse, not dig through our family history.

01:01:26If I'm going to suppress what's down there, I need to know what caused it.

01:01:29The answer is in that book.

01:01:30Is that too hard for you to understand?

01:01:32He opened his mouth to argue, and Jenna let out a sharp little cry.

01:01:35Her elbow caught the wine bottle at the edge of the table.

01:01:36It tipped over and spilled half its contents across the tablecloth in a dark red wave.

01:01:40Servants rushed forward, and the moment broke apart.

01:01:42I'm so sorry.

01:01:44I'm so sorry.

01:01:44My hands are so shaky tonight.

01:01:46Callum leaned over and took her hands in his, checking them with a deep frown.

01:01:50You didn't cut yourself.

01:01:51It's just a bottle.

01:01:52It doesn't matter.

01:01:52Then he looked at me sideways, contempt clear in his eyes.

01:01:55All this over one old book?

01:01:57Did you really have to push that hard and scare her like that?

01:02:00What is this, an interrogation?

01:02:01I was not looking at him.

01:02:03Through the silver sight, I watched dark serpent energy pour from Jenna's sleeve

01:02:06and curl around the cabinet where the legacy book was kept like a hand pressing the doors shut.

01:02:11She had not dropped the bottle because her hands were unsteady.

01:02:15She had dropped it to keep that cabinet closed.

01:02:17I raised one hand.

01:02:18A silver seal shot across the room and pinned the serpent energy flat against the cabinet doors.

01:02:22Jenna went white.

01:02:23Lucian walked to the cabinet, opened it without asking, and looked calmly at Chester in the corner.

01:02:27Chester, bring out the legacy book.

01:02:28Chester hesitated.

01:02:29Then he lowered his head, took the yellowed leather valiant wooden box inside the cabinet,

01:02:33and held it out with both hands.

01:02:34I took it and opened it.

01:02:34I caught sight of the serpent brand running along the edge of Chester's sleeve.

01:02:37I filed it away.

01:02:40The first several pages of the legacy book had been cut out.

01:02:44Clean cuts.

01:02:45Blade cuts.

01:02:46Nothing old about them.

01:02:47Callum glanced over and dismissed it without missing a beat.

01:02:50It's a hundred and fifty year old book.

01:02:51Pages go missing.

01:02:52That's not suspicious.

01:02:53That's time.

01:02:54Jenna stepped in right on cue.

01:02:57Exactly.

01:02:58Lady Rowena, the Hargroves have been a respectable family for generations.

01:03:02There's nothing to hide here.

01:03:03Don't you think you're reading too much into this?

01:03:05I ignored them both and bent over the torn edges, looking through the silver sight.

01:03:09There it was, buried in the yellowed fringe, the faint silver glow of dried Whitmore blood,

01:03:13ancient and thin.

01:03:14Tangled through it was the serpent energy from the bracelet on Jenna's wrist, the exact same

01:03:18signature.

01:03:19She was the one who had cut out those pages, which meant she had known about the silver

01:03:23arrow all along.

01:03:23I was about to speak when the death mark on Callum's forehead split open.

01:03:29Serpent energy burst through his veins all at once, and the whole study shook.

01:03:33From deep inside Hargrove Hall came a low, grinding sound, like something massive turning in its

01:03:38sleep.

01:03:39Callum's legs buckled.

01:03:40He caught the edge of a shelf, his face white, his teeth clenched, his breath coming in sharp

01:03:45pulls.

01:03:46Eleanor rushed across the room and grabbed my arm.

01:03:48Rowena, please, go tonight, you're the only one who can stop it.

01:03:52Please.

01:03:53I closed the legacy book.

01:03:55I'll enter Hargrove Hall tonight, but I'm going to question the serpent, not break the

01:03:59curse.

01:04:00Get that straight now.

01:04:01Then I turned to Jenna.

01:04:02My voice stayed calm, but every person in the room heard me one more thing.

01:04:05During the ritual tonight, Jenna does not come anywhere near the main hall.

01:04:08Her energy is corrupt.

01:04:09If she gets close, she'll provoke what's down there, and the entire formation will collapse.

01:04:12This is not a request.

01:04:13It's a condition.

01:04:14The study went completely silent.

01:04:16Jenna blinked.

01:04:18Then her head lowered, and tears rolled down her face without a sound.

01:04:23Callum pushed himself up from the shelf, still pale and tight with pain, and turned on me

01:04:28at once.

01:04:28On what grounds?

01:04:30Jenna came all this way because she was worried about me.

01:04:32You don't get to throw her out in the cold just because you hate her!

01:04:35On the grounds that if I walk in tonight, you live.

01:04:41Callum stayed quiet, but it was not over.

01:04:43He steadied himself against the shelf and started again a few seconds later.

01:04:47Even if you have to enter the hall tonight, that does not give you the right to leave

01:04:50Jenna outside alone.

01:04:51She scares easily.

01:04:53What if something happens and you are not there?

01:04:55Are you going to take responsibility for that?

01:04:56Jenna's tears fell faster, but she still reached out and grabbed Callum's sleeve with

01:04:59both hands.

01:05:00Callum, please don't fight with Lady Rowena.

01:05:02This is my fault.

01:05:03I shouldn't have come.

01:05:03You go in and let her do what she needs to do.

01:05:05Don't worry about me.

01:05:06I'll wait outside.

01:05:07I just want you safe.

01:05:08That's all I want.

01:05:09Every word landed exactly where she wanted it to.

01:05:12Callum's chest rose and fell hard.

01:05:14Then he turned all that anger on me.

01:05:17You hear that?

01:05:18She's willing to stand out there alone in the dark just to make things easier for you.

01:05:22What kind of person are you?

01:05:23Jenna stays by the door tonight.

01:05:25No one is stopping her.

01:05:26I looked at them without anger.

01:05:29I was not even surprised.

01:05:30This was the same performance they had put on in my past life.

01:05:34Jenna cried, Callum exploded, and every bit of blame in the room landed on me while

01:05:38they clung to each other.

01:05:39Perfectly timed.

01:05:41Perfectly practiced.

01:05:43I turned toward Hargrim Hall and spoke without looking back.

01:05:49Fine.

01:05:49Then keep your eyes open tonight.

01:05:53Whatever happens, don't come crying to me.

01:05:58Behind me, I heard Callum murmur to Jenna.

01:06:01You're okay.

01:06:02I'm right here.

01:06:03I walked into the dark of Hargmite Hall without turning around.

01:06:06I already knew he would open that door for her when the time came.

01:06:10And the harder he fought to protect her tonight, the worse the backlash would hit him.

01:06:14Midnight.

01:06:15The main hall of Hargrave Hall.

01:06:17The wind howled through the walls like something was trying to claw its way out.

01:06:20The old chandelier swung overhead, its candles throwing long, crooked shadows across the room.

01:06:25The estate had gone still, except for the dull shiver that rolled up from beneath the floor

01:06:30every few minutes.

01:06:31Whatever had been sleeping down there was starting to wake.

01:06:34I stood in the center of the hall and focused.

01:06:36Whitmore blood ignited in my veins.

01:06:38Silver seals poured out of me in rings, spreading across the floor like a net of cold light,

01:06:44pressing the serpent energy back into the walls and stone.

01:06:47Building a formation like this burned through everything I had.

01:06:51Power, focus, and sheer will.

01:06:53But I did not let it show.

01:06:55My hands were steady.

01:06:57My face was calm.

01:07:00Callum stood on the far side of the formation, supported by the old butler.

01:07:04The death mark on his forehead pulsed blood red in the silver light.

01:07:08He was shaking, yet he still looked at me like he was doing me a favor by letting me help.

01:07:13How sure are you about this?

01:07:15I did not look at him, sure enough.

01:07:17A pause.

01:07:18I need more than questions.

01:07:19I need the death mark gone completely.

01:07:21Can you actually do that?

01:07:23I turned and looked at him properly for the first time.

01:07:26Callum, the only reason I'm standing in this room is because the silver arrow is here.

01:07:31Not because of you.

01:07:32Whether that mark comes off at all depends on whether the Hargroves start paying what they owe the Whitmans.

01:07:39We can discuss that later.

01:07:40He wanted to argue.

01:07:42Then the death mark tore at him again, and the sound that left his throat was not one he meant

01:07:47to make.

01:07:48He swallowed it down hard.

01:07:49Palm up.

01:07:50Catch the light from the core of the formation.

01:07:52Whatever you hear, whatever you see, do not move.

01:07:55This creature follows Hargrove blood.

01:07:57If you move, the backlash will bury you and I will not be able to pull you out.

01:07:59Callum raised his trembling right hand.

01:08:02This time, he said nothing.

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