In the quiet dawn that settled over the mansion, a faint moan could be heard from somewhere.
A woman with skin as white as a statue stepped into the cold night air, seemingly entranced by the sound.
As she approached the promised meeting place, the sound grew closer.
Raspy breaths, flirtatious laughter, low whispers… strange and unpleasant things became increasingly audible.
Finally reaching her destination, the woman stopped in front of a large door. The slightly ajar door seemed to invite her in.
The woman slowly tilted her head and brought her eyes to the gap between the door. The warmth seeping from inside the room tickled her eyelashes for a moment, and her vision soon became clear.
In the darkness, candlelight flickered slowly, as if revealing something secretive.
The dim light illuminated a bed, where a disheveled couple could be seen.
A man and woman with very familiar faces.
“Ah, that tickles. Please stop, Your Highness. You, who are so composed in front of the lady, why do you always lose control in front of me? You’ve done enough already.”
The woman’s beloved maid let out a playful whine as she bared her chest. Though they had been together for seven years, the voice coming through the door felt foreign.
And beside her…
“Well, it’s because you’re just too beautiful. How could I compare you to anyone? A scrawny beggar on the street, with no flavor to her at all. In contrast, you’re soft, tender, and lovely.”
The woman’s fiancé lay there, half undressed.
“Ugh…”
The woman hurriedly raised her hand to cover her mouth. She almost let out a sound.
Finding it hard to look any longer, she lowered her gaze and noticed the dress that had slipped down beneath the bed.
A particularly extravagant and beautiful dress, sprinkled with shimmering gold dust. It was a familiar sight. The voice of the head maid, who had grumbled that the dress had turned out too large despite having measured it perfectly, suddenly came to mind.
“Just one more time, without holding back, okay? My beautiful Ariella.”
Thud, her heart dropped to the very bottom.
It was hers.
The splendid dress, the fiancé whispering love…
Even the name Ariella.
‘It was all mine.’
The woman blankly lifted her head to look back at the couple.
In that moment, her gaze met with someone peering through the door.
The maid’s eyes widened as she stared at her. A deep smile spread across her lovely face.
Wearing the woman’s clothes, rolling around with the woman’s fiancé, even stealing the woman’s name, the maid looked blissful and shyly smiled.
Her red-stained lips moved slowly, conveying a silent whisper.
‘Now the ‘real’ one is me.’
Everything you had is now mine. I will take your entire life. Those brightly shining violet eyes seemed to say that.
Faced with this, the woman turned away without answering.
And she began to run. Ignoring her surroundings, she dashed away like a madwoman.
Tap, tap, tap!
The sound of her quick footsteps echoed down the long corridor, her light blonde hair fluttering under the moonlight.
Thump, thump. Her heart raced, and her breath became shallow. Her slender hand still covered her mouth.
How long had she run?
Feeling as if her whole body would burst at any moment, the woman finally removed her hand from her mouth. Then, the emotions she had been suppressing finally burst forth.
“Ha ha!”
It was joy.
The ecstasy of finally welcoming what she had waited for her entire life.
“Eheh! Ahahaha!”
The woman stopped trying to hide her face and laughed wide open. Her loud laughter as she dashed down the corridor resembled that of a lunatic.
Soon, memories began to unfold before her swaying vision.
She saw herself, dying day by day in this mansion, a child writhing and crying for help.
‘Ariella Bedford!’
With every step she took, the phantoms of the past called her name. Her father, her fiancé, the servants of the duke’s family were all there.
The woman turned away from them and ran.
‘Finally.’
Reaching the distant terrace, the woman grasped the white railing.
Kneeling on the cold floor, she raised her head high. Her violet eyes captured the moon, which was filled to the brim.
Gripping the intricately crafted bars, she whispered in a half-breathless voice.
“Finally, I will escape this hell!”
