Leona stayed stuck-still on the bed staring at the ceiling. The ceiling of her old room that she had been forced to give up to her half-sister Madison.
She blinked trying to make sense. Was it a dream or was it really the future she had lived up. She closed her eyes and scrunched them as the memories swept over her.
A tear leaked her eye and a sob broke out that gave way to a full-blown hysterical wailing. The vivid details and the flesh-slicing pain was too real. It was not a dream but her nightmarish reality.
Her sobbing exceeded and wailing continued when her door burst open and footsteps rushed. Someone grabbed her shoulder and shook her, "Leona! My dear, Leona what have these barbarians done to you?!"
At the voice and tone her eyes widened, looking at Marquis Sylvia Dean, her mother's sister and only maternal relative alive. Leona burst out in another fit and flung herself in her arms.
Sylvia wasn't a saint but she wasn't a monster. Relationship with her are symbiotic.
A month later in Leona past life she had received a letter that Bandits had attacked her Carriage retreating to her territory. Marquis Sylvia was assaulted, tortured for days and then stabbed to death. Leona hugged Sylvia tighter, afraid that this would turn to be her hallucination.
"Easy now, little lassie." Sylvia caressed her hair and patted her back, "Shhh… Your Aunt is here smack mongrels." Leona lips tipped up, uncultured as ever.
The patrol that had found her remains had resigned to never be heard from. Her eyes flew open as her sobs died down and eyes turned cold.
Clearing of throat grabbed her attention but she didn't detach herself from Sylvia. She knew who it was.
"Looks like Leona had missed you—"
Sylvia wrapped her arms tighter around her before scoffing and cutting the Duke off, "Save it, Croft! I'm not entertaining your pretty words today."
Leona clenched her fist. Sylvia was here to take her away so she can have her share in the Rowen inheritance. It was a vulture against vulture world but right now Sylvia was important for her survival plan.
A tsking sound followed the grimace of Duchess Croft and Leona froze. "Marquis Dean, please refrain from your intrepid speech. My Leona is of faint heart and no matter how much I love her she is bound to look for semblance of her mother. It saddens me but I understand." Her footsteps neared as she sighed deeply. Leona clutched Sylvia dress harder as her heart beat raced. "A young Lady's heart is a fragile thing but I would request you to stay calm around My Leona lest she miss the miserable deceased."
My Leona… My Leona.
The mocking whisper drummed on her head. That's what she called her whenever she was pushing her a step closer to her demise.
My Leona won't refuse me… My Leona will be obedient… My Leona this… My Leona that…
With this sweet tongue of hers she had made her gift her immobile inheritance bit by bit, occasion by occasion to her children. Made her slave to them and reduced her to nothing.
As she came back to Sylvia was shaking in anger, "You wretched witch, who are you calling miserable—"
Having had enough, she detached herself from Sylvia held her wrist with a small wooden case she was most probably aiming for the Duchess.
"Aunty, please." She shook her head with a feigned weak smile, "The Duchess is right, I miss my mother. Though Duchess Croft is vigilant but a mother love for her children can't be competed."
The room fell in silence. He Duchess glare on her looked involuntarily. The Duke, Marquis and the staff looked at her like she had sprouted an extra head. The Duchess specially seemed to want to say something.
Ignoring the odd looks she straightened her spine, "I take great consideration of your concern but it is my private chamber and audience barging in unannounced has disturbed my privacy." She gave them her stiff cold stare motioned to the door with a flick of her wrist, "If you will excuse me I'll see you on dinner table."
When they still stood there motionless she urged in her detached tone, "Please, the door."
The Marquis and Ducal Family looked like they wanted to comment but both were hesitant because of the other party.
When everyone but her two maids remained, she flopped back on the bed and covered her face with her hands. She rubbed vigorously to get out of the disarray of thoughts jumbled in her head.
The time was too crucial. Her father had been making her sign document for a year now. There was much down the drain and much salvageable.
"Lady Croft, would you like your breakfast bought to you or…"
She jolted out of the bed, "Set it on the Balcony."
The maid looked amusedly shocked, "On the Balcony…"
Leona pursed her lips, "That's what I said."
They stood still casually with their backs on the walls and leisurely observed her before sneering.
Leona averted her eyes, their time will come. There was too much to do, she wasn't benevolent enough to move on. She will retaliate where she can using her offenders as tool starting from Marquis Sylvia.
Leona smirked plan was brewing in her mind. The maids were fast to set up the breakfast but sneered as she went to sit there. These were the Duchess minions. Her eyes swept on the crumbs and leftover pieces and she glanced up at the maids who glared back defiantly.
Their eyes daring her to say a word, previously she would always bear it so as to not displease her mother who had once locked her in the dark basement for discipline due to my 'indulgent' nature.
This was a usual occurrence. Their taunts and digs made it impossible to attend the Meals in the Dining room and this is that they serve her here.
She tapped her nails on the old, stained table, "You both can leave."
They both looked taken aback, "Lady Croft, we can't. We have the Duchess orders—"
She stood up and banged her fist on the table, "Then fucking report this to her but be out of my hair!"
"The Duchess will be displeased." After a minute she threatened with a scowl. Leona rolled her eyes at their backs, she wasn't going to more enraged than she already was. These two in her previous life often assisted the Duchess in whipping her.
"I can't let it happen to me again. The physical abuse had begun after she was shifted to the isolated building because Madison had 'needed' the room because of the good ventilation as she has a 'weak' constitution.
Leona stood up and paced, thinking hard at the recent events. The thing was before her life turned gears she was ignorant and a love-starved fool so there wasn't much Intel she had.
But there were some pressing matters. Leila was in her father custody and she knew he was thinking of disposing her soon. Leila death was her biggest regret in her last life. The engagement with Prince Sean needed to be called off besides she somehow had to get back the Raven Seal and her property.
Now would be the perfect time to get back with her old friends. Her poor living condition wasn't even her priority anymore but she wanted to live a life of indulgence so she needed to work for it!
She had a rough idea by Sylvia dress that today is the day where her life spiraled out of control. Her aunt had come today to take her to Marquis temporary residence in the Capital as in some months she was to inherit the Rowen, her mother family's inheritance.
Sylvia murder was probably planned too which meant there was something that gave Sylvia an upper hand here.
In her last life Sylvia had begged her to leave with her but the Duchess had convinced her that no man would want to marry a woman who had a 'vulgar' escort. Though the Duchess was a vile woman her perception wasn't wrong. Sylvia was like the other side of the coin from Miranda, her mother and quite infamous.
Her fast pacing halted as a game plan formed in her head.