Enough is enough!

Elara's fiery red curls framed her determined face. Her voice shook with anger. "Those are my savings, Draven! Give them back to me!"

Draven blinked, taken aback by Elara's sudden outburst. "What's gotten into you?" he asked.

"You can't keep depending on my finances," she declared. "Forcing me to give you crystals is bad enough, but stealing from my locker is even worse!"

Draven's brows furrowed in confusion. "I didn't steal anything," he retorted.

"I won't tolerate it any longer," she stated, her voice growing stronger. "I won't let you control me like this."

Elara's heart raced as she placed the button from Draven's pants onto the book he was reading.

"This is proof," she stated firmly. "If you don't return what you took, I won't hesitate to report you to the Veridian guards!"

Draven's eyes widened at Elara's unexpected fierceness. His fingers instinctively reached for the button.

But Elara was quicker. She snatched the button before he could grasp it. And she swiftly hid it within the folds of her gown.

"Fine," he admitted. "I used the money, okay? But I'll pay you back eventually."

Elara's frustration boiled over. "Pay me back eventually? That's all you ever say, but I haven't even seen a single small crystal!"

"I had to use it as collateral," Draven began. His voice was a mixture of justification and frustration.

Elara's eyes blazed with disbelief. "Collateral? For what?"

"Gambling," he admitted unwillingly.

Elara's anger surged. Her hands clenched into fists at her sides. "You used my hard-earned money for gambling?"

Draven's frustration flared, and his voice rose in response. "You don't understand the pressure I was under!"

"And you don't understand how hard I've worked for that money," Elara shot back.

Elara remembered the days when she had started to earn on her own. She wasn't allowed to leave the Manor or have her own things. But she had a secret plan.

She would quietly create herbal teas and infusions. Sneakily, she'd send them out to some commoners who would pass by.

They would then sell them in the bustling markets beyond the Manor's walls. It was her hidden way of making money.

But, her secret wasn't kept for long. Draven, her brother, had discovered her quiet efforts.

He had a condition. He wouldn't reveal her secret to their mother. But in return, he demanded a share of her earnings.

Hesitantly, Elara had agreed.

But Draven became greedy and got almost all of her income, until today, where he has stolen even her savings.

"All my efforts, all my hard work, it felt like it had been for nothing," Elara muttered, defeated.

"Why do you bother saving all that?" Draven's voice sounded accusing. "You've got everything you need right here in this house."

Elara's spirit felt crushed. A sense of defeat settled over her. "Everything I need, but I can't even touch," she replied.

Elara remembered her time in the Manor. She woke up early every day to cook and clean for her family and their pets.

But she had to wait to eat until they were all done. Then she could only have the leftover bits.

She thought back to the times when her tummy growled with hunger and she couldn't eat enough. The other family members enjoyed big, tasty meals. But she got very little.

Her place to sleep wasn't good either. It was a small, smelly room. Mice would run around and make noise, making it hard to sleep.

"Do you ever dream of leaving this Manor?" Draven continued to taunt her. "You do know what happens to young girls with no home in Veridia, right? It's not a pretty fate."

Elara's mind raced, remembering all the plans she had carefully laid out.

'My savings may be gone. But I have skills. Maid work, perhaps. I am well-versed in all the household chores anyway,' Elara pondered.

A surge of confidence welled up within her. She met Draven's gaze head-on. "I will not be ruined. That's for sure," she declared.

Suddenly, Aurora, her older sister, appeared before her. The tone of her voice carried a cruel edge as she spoke, her words laced with mockery.

"So, you're really planning to leave the Manor?" Aurora taunted, her eyes narrowing with a sneer. "And what about our precious family's reputation? What will the nobles say about us? Father's honor will be stained. And it will be all your fault! Can you live with that?"

Elara's heart burned with years at the mention of their father. She had endured in silence while their actions tainted their family's honor.

Draven auctioned off his Father's antique furniture after his Father's burial. Aurora, on the other hand, has different male visitors coming in her room.

"Both of you are staining Father's memory!" Her voice quivered as her finger singled them out. "Your gambling and absurd affairs are the true culprits behind our name's disgrace. You've undone everything he worked so hard to build!"

Aurora and Draven exchanged a fleeting glance, bracing themselves for a confrontation.

Draven's voice was coated in false sincerity. "Our choices have purpose, Elara. Gambling isn't just for fun; it will support our family someday."

Aurora's tone held icy dismissal. "You're not entitled to poke into my love life, Elara." She leaned in with a mocking grin. "I didn't tell anyone that you talk to animals. And you think they respond to you. You're quite the freak, aren't you?" Her words were meant to sting.

Elara felt tears brimming in her eyes. Yet her determination held firm. "I've had enough. Those crystals don't matter to me anymore." She proclaimed.

Her voice grew bolder with each word. "I'm not concerned about the consequences for me or this household. I've made up my mind—I'm leaving this place, once and for all!"

Elara braced herself to leave. But a thick tension suddenly descended upon the room.

Their mother, Lady Victoria swept in, a commanding figure that drew all eyes. Elara felt the weight of her disapproving gaze pierced into her.

In an abrupt and forceful motion, their mother's hand shot up. The resulting slap resonated loudly.

"Whack!"