[ ⚠️ Abuse ]
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The first memory Anela has was of her father looking at her coldly, gripping her upper arm tight as he grit his every word, "You're the reason why your mother died."
Two-year-old Anela didn't really fully understand what he meant but she knew it was something bad because her father's face was filled with rage. She couldn't digest his words but the bruised he left after holding him tight was enough for her to know that maybe her father doesn't like her..
When she was three, she tried to win her father's love by making sure she was on her best behaviour. When she heard from her maids that flowers were a great gift, using her little hands she gathered the prettiest from their garden to offer it to him.
However the cruel Marquess only pushed her away, stepping on the flowers and repeated the same thing he told Anela every day, "Don't expect me to love a child who killed her own mother."
Anela cried that day until she fell asleep, her nanny hugged her with an assurance that her mother's death wasn't her fault.
"But why did mommy died?"
Flora, her nanny since she was a newborn, gently patted her head saying, "Your mommy is having a hard time, so the angels took her so that she can be happy again?"
"Is mommy not happy with Anela?"
The nanny shook her head, "Your mommy loves you dearly. She held you in her arms until her last moments telling you over and over how much she loves you."
"Nanny," Anela sobbed. "It's hard, I also wanted to be taken by the angels."
"Oh dear," Flora's eyes welled up with tears. "Don't say that, young lady... you are still here because your mommy wants you to be happy and because you need to help you daddy to heal his heart." Anela looked at her nanny. Hanging on her every word. "You see, your daddy doesn't really hate you... he's just... really hurt that your mommy is not here anymore. So, you have to help him, okay?"
At 3, Anela was expectedly naive and held unto the words that Flora told her that night while she cries in her sleep.
The day after Flora was kicked out of the mansion. Accused of stealing jewelries. The nanny begged and shouted that she never stole anything. But in the face of the Marquess, she wasn't able to do anything.
Anela chased her, crying and begging for her not to leave. Her father only sneered at the sight of the child. "You killed your mother and now, you dare replace her."
The child shook her head at her father's words. "That's not true!"
Marquess Bram icily replied, "Children like you who killed their mother don't deserve love. You must suffer and be punished for what you did."
After that day, Anela was moved to the maids quarter. All her beautiful dresses and toys were burned. Her meals were nothing like the Marquess and his brothers. She was treated like the servants.
Fortunately as Anela was a lovable kid with a huge heart and undying spirit, everyone around her continued to help and love her until the Marquess made it clear that no one should be treating her with kindness. At young age, she had to work like a slave to the family that was supposed to love and care for her.
Anela checked the tray she was about to take to her big brother Noah's room. It was a simple tea set with brewed tea and cups together with some cookies.
Gia, one ot the few maids who secretly helps her, gave her worried look. "Yo—Anela, are you sure you can carry that?"
The young girl smiled with an enthusiastic nod, "Don't worry, Gia! I think I can carry this much."
"Okay," Gia gave a nervous smile. "Just remember what I taught you, okay?"
"I will! I'll go now!" Anela lifted the tray and didn't expect that it would be heavier than how it looks. Gia kept her eyes on the small child. Anela took a deep breath and carried on to walk to his brother's study which was luckily only three rooms away from the kitchen.
Due to the weight, Anela had to stop every now and then but managed to push through. She knocked on the door of his brother's study.
"Come in," Noah replied. By the sound of his voice, Anela could guess that he was either tired or frustrated.
Jumping, Anela tried to reach for the door. Luckily, Lucas was passing by and opened the door for the small lady. "Thank you," Anela turned to him, bowing down. Lucas just smiled.
"I brought you tea and cookies, big br—uh, young master Noah," Anela announced as she walked and placed the tray to the coffee table. Looking at how everything on the tray looked like a mess, Anela hurriedly fix them. She then grabbed the pot and did her best to pour tea in the cup and offered it to Noah.
Her older brother much like her father looked at her coldly. Noah never bothered hating his distaste for his younger sister. Anela never understood why and she could only hope to work hard and hope that one day, they will like her.
"That tea is cold already," Noah dismissed. "Get a new one." Anela tried her best to hold her sadness.
"Okay, I will, big br—young master!" She smiled, her throat burned of the tears she couldn't shed. Turning around to place it back on the tray, she tripped, falling on the ground. The cup she was holding shattered and the tea splattered all over the floor.
"God! You are useless! Lucas!" Noah yelled. Standing from his seat, he watched as Anela sat down staring at the shattered cup. She started hicupping, fat tears rolling down her cheeks.
"And you have the nerve to cry!" Noah spat bitterly. Yanking her up, Noah seemed to have poured all his anger on her as he yelled. "Stop crying!"
"Big brother, I am sorry!" Anela continuously cried. "I didn't m-mean it!"
"I am not your brother!" Noah pushed her down. Anela landed on the floor with a thud. The servants rushed inside, watching the commotion.
"Don't call me brother, you are not my sister!" He growled. It only made Anela cry more while apologizing.
"Get me the stick," Noah ordered Lucas who paled.
"B-but, young ma—!!"
"Now!" Noah yelled that everyone in the room flinched. Lucas quickly grabbed a thin stick that Noah kept in his study.
Noah pulled Anela from the ground, "Stand up!" He ordered while the child sobbed still apologizing for her mistake. "Turn around, now, you brat!"
Anela didn't want to. She refused but her brother forced her to face the other way.
"You shouldn't have been born," Noah bitterly said as he landed a hit on Anela's back. "Mother shouldn't have had you!" Another hit. It was followed by countless more before Anela finally fell on the floor unconscious.
Noah looked at her coldly before he turned to the servants, some of them were crying. This made the heir clicked his tongue. "Get her out of here! And clean that mess!" They quickly moved. Gia was quick to pick Anela in her arms as she rushed to the maids quarter where she stripped her off her clothes and tried her best to do first aid to her raptured bloody back.
Gia cried as she continued to treat the cuts that Anela got. "He didn't even hold back," she sobbed as the other servants gathered worried of their young lady.
The whole thing continued. Whenever Noah was frustrated or angry he would give unjustifiable punishments to Anela who was only doing her best to win the love of her brothers and father.
There was a moment where the Marquess saw Noah giving punishments to Anela. He just looked at them but didn't do anything to stop it. "You probably did another stupid thing," He coldly told Anela. "Be thankful your brother was willing to educate someone like you."
At 5 years old, Anela finally learned that her father and her brothers not only didn't love her but he loathed her.
As soon as Anela started looking like a miniature version of her mother with her red soft curly hair and beautiful doe green eyes, she was sent to one of the villas at the outskirt of the Empire.
The villa was poorly managed and the budget was being pocketed by the estate manager. There, she had to live with a couple servants who treated her like their own kid.
Anela no longer had the big estate, she was not clad in beautiful dresses, and her meals weren't as abundant as before but she was free and happy. She ran around the meadow, learned to climb the trees, and was able to play with kids of her age. She also polished her skills with doing chores.
And just when she was adjusting well to her new life, Anela woke up back to the Marquess' residence after an accident that wiped nearly half a year worth of her memory. All the happy memories she had at her stay on the dilapidated villa were taken away from her.