The dim light filtering through the grand windows of the Daelith estate felt suffocating. The heavy red curtains, thick with dust, barely allowed any sunlight into the barely lit, mahogany colored room. Sienna's eyes fluttered open, her chest rising with a sudden, sharp intake of breath, as though she had just resurfaced from drowning.
Her mind, buzzed with confusion.
The last thing she had remembered-
No, she couldn't think of that right now. There were more pressuring issues going on.
She sat up slowly, her head pounding with a dull ache. Everything felt unfamiliar, even her own body. She stared down at her hands, pale and delicate. This wasn't her body, and this wasn't her world.
Panic surged through her chest, quickly suppressing it after. This isn't the time for any weakness.
A sudden knock on the door startled her. Instinctively, she looked around the room, trying to gather more clues on what is currently going on. The walls, adorned with tapestries of dark forests and ominous mountains, decorated and pinned on walls of brownish red color, manifesting as a deep orange, a color most would call mahogany. The surrounding furniture was ornate, carved from black wood, and an unsettling chill lingering throughout the air.
The door creaked open and a woman entered-dressed in a simple maid's outfit. Her face was familiar, yet Sienna couldn't place a finger on where she's seen her before.
"Good morning, Lady Sienna," the maid said softly, bowing her head slightly after closing the door behind her.
Sienna? The name sent a jolt through her entire body. Memories suddenly come rushing back in fragments. She was currently in a world of a dark, tragic novel she had read-a twisted story about betrayal, blood shed, and revenge.
She realized, she had been reincarnated as Sienna Daelith, the infamous villainess and only daughter of House Daelith, a family full of sadistic monsters that would eventually meet their gruesome downfall. The name alone carried the weight of her impending doom.
House Daelith, rules the country of Eldoria alongside three other Houses, continually keeping each other in check. Darius Daelith rules House Daelith, leading the most infamous and feared family, renowned for their mastery of dark magic and their willingness to use any means necessary to maintain their dominance. Known for their cruelty and oppressive rule, the Daelith family has long been at the center of a dark legacy. The estate is known to have wandering shadows, filled with sinister secrets and magical traps surrounding the land. The family's power is rooted in ancient and forbidden magic, making them nearly untouchable by conventional means. The Daeliths are powerful practitioners of blood magic, necromancy, and curses. Their magic often requires poison intakes to taint their blood stream, which fuel their spells and grant them incredible power. They can summon dark entities, using them as pawns in grand schemes. Darius Daelith, the cruel and power-obsessed patriarch of House Daelith, is a master of blood magic and sadistic ruler who stops at nothing to attain power. His paranoia and suspicion of his children, especially Sienna, drive much of the internal conflict within the family.
House Aelthar is seen as the righteous and noble family, standing as the primary opposition to House Daelith. They believe in the preservation of light magic and seek to protect the country from the corrupting influence of dark forces. While they are powerful in their own right, their house has suffered great losses due to their long-standing conflict with Daelith. They are well known for their honor, discipliune, and commitment to justice. Aelthars wield light magic, focusing on protection, healing, and purification. They have natural healers, capable of undoing dark cursesa dn warding off evil forces. Their magic is more defensive than offensive, but when pushed, they can unleash devastating bursts of light to obliterate dark creatures and magical constructs. Lord Alaric Aelthar is a wise and honorable leader, deeply committed to opposing the spread of dark magic. He has trained his children, including his eldest son, Emery Aelthar, to be warriors of justice. Though his family has suffered greatly from the hands of the Daeliths, he remains steadfast in his cause to restore balance.
House Velis, a family house full of manipulators, excelling in the art of political intrigue and social influence. While they possess magical abilities, their greatest strength lies in their ability to manipulate others, playing families and factions against each other to climb the ladder of power. Velis thrives on secrecy, manipulation, and blackmail, controlling key political figures and markets from the shadows. Their estate is a hub of covert operations, secret passageways, and hidden alliances. The Velis family excels in illusion magic and mind control, using their abilities to deceive, manipulate, and bend others to their will. They can create intricate illusions to fool enemies, alter memories, and implant suggestions in the minds of those they wish to control. Valen Velis is a charming and manipulative leader, always seeking opportunities to expand his influence. While outwardly pleasant and cooperative, he is a master tactician, often pulling strings behind the scenes to ensure his family's dominance. His interactions with Sienna are both seductive and dangerous, as he seeks to use her for his own gain while offering her the illusion of escape.
House Verro operates in the shadows, acting as mediators, spies, and brokers of information. While they are not openly involved in the power struggles between the other houses, they maintain secret alliances and often profit from the chaos created by others. Their strength lies in their ability to gather intelligence and influence outcomes without direct involvement. They are seen as neutral in the grand conflict, but are in fact the most informed and subtle of all the houses combined. Verro's magic centers around telepathy, clairvoyance, and secrecy enchantments. They can see into the minds of others, read intentions, and even glimpse possible futures. Their magic is not combative but is incredibly valuable for espionage and ensuring their survival in dangerous political landscapes. Lady Seraphine Verro is a mysterious figure who controls a vast network of spies, informants, and mercenaries. While she prefers to stay out of the spotlight, her influence is felt throughout the realm. She plays a long game, gathering secrets from all the major houses, ensuring that her family remains indispensable in the web of power.
Sienna Daelith is a striking young woman, with a figure embodying the beauty and darkness of her lineage as the sole daughter of House Daelith. Her stunning white hair, cascading like silken snow, catching the light and drawing attention wherever she goes, often framing her delicate features with an ethereal glow. However, it is her bright red eyes, the color of blood, that captivate and chill those who meet her gaze. These eyes are windows to her complex soul-intelligent and calculating, yet holding a depth of emotion that often goes unseen. Sienna's beauty is a double-edged sword; garnering admiration and envy, while also subjecting her to scrutiny and the expectations of her cruel family.
Her chest tightened. Sienna Daelith-the character who would die alongside her cursed family in an inevitable bloodbath. That was her future. . .
unless she changes it. . .
Forcing a calm smile onto her face, she replied, "Thank you, Lyra", aftre recalling the maid's name from fragments of the novel. Lyra, her loyal servant-or at least, loyal enough to follow orders. Sienna would need allies in this place, and Lyra could be her first step. The maid observed her quietly, eyes sharp and intelligent, though her demeanor was outwardly submissive.
"Is ther anything you require, my lady?" Lyra asked, her tone polite yet distant. She had the air of someone who had seen too much and trusted too little.
Sienna shook her head. "No, that would be all for now," she said. As Lyra turned to leave, Sienna added, "Lyra, has anything unusual happened recently?"
Lyra paused, glancing at her mistress curiously, "Unusual? No, my lady. Although. . . " hesitating before continuing, " Lord Darius has been in the dungeons since dawn. He brought in another . . . guest last night. There has been quite a commotion within the servants quarters that he had brought the eldest son of House Aelthar."
Sienna's stomach churned. She knew exactly what they meant - Emery Aelthar, the older brother of the heroine within the novel she had previously read. In the original story, he would be torturted and slowly driven to the brink of madness in the Daelith dungeons, setting off a chain of events that led to her own family's fall after the heorine arrives. He is the key to both her survival and escape from this deadly fate.