The duke took a deep breath as he rubbed his temples, feeling a very bad headache coming on, as he tried to forget the words she just said and move along with what needed to be done, since he had other things to do as well.
Her stepmother was glaring at her, while her older stepbrother and her sister were quiet, but he had an amused expression on his face, as if he was relishing the chaos at the usually quiet table.
The duke returned his attention to her and she looked up at him. "Unlike you, I assure you my mental state is far better, and it does matter which genes you have more of. You are a nuisance, nothing more, nothing less; I do not want you around."
Hearing that, Vaela felt a sting within her that she knew was both from her own feelings and that of the original girl. Her brows furrowed before she turned to fully look at him.
She was going to give him a fitting reply, but he held up his hand, stopping her before she could even open her mouth and he sipped his wine, then reached for something in his pocket.
'What is he doing? I have a feeling they are..' She thought, keeping her gaze fixed on him.
"Listen to what I have to say next and I want you to listen carefully," He said, his tone brooking no room for argument, and she nodded, wanting to know what he was up to.
The duke slid a sealed scroll across the table toward her. "This decision is not up for discussion. I warned you to remember your place before, since you could not; maybe this will jolt you back to the reality made for you. You have been accepted to Nightshade Academy. Not because of your merit, but because we pulled strings. Do. Not. Waste it."
Vaela picked up the scroll, her fingers steady despite the surge of irritation in her chest and another feeling she could not quite describe. It felt tight, as though someone was squeezing her from within and she gritted her teeth.
They didn't know who she really was; all they saw—no, not even saw—all they knew was that it was the unwanted child, Vaela, before them.
They thought she was just a failed daughter, a mistake in silk, one that did not deserve to even breathe the same air as them; they were superior, while she was a bug they could easily squash.
They had no idea they were dealing with a former villainess, battle-hardened and undeadly fabulous, not one to make people walk all over her even if it stung in a way she could not even understand.
"Understood," She said with a tight smile, as they were all staring at her, as though they were expecting an outburst.
"Good, I warn you, if you mess this chance up, I will make your life a living hell; that is a promise, now start packing, you will be leaving soon." He replied, then stood up and walked away. He didn't look at her again and her stepmother smirked.
After he walked away, she stood up and returned to her room. At the time, it seemed like the only place she felt safe. Vaela locked the door behind her and before going to the mirror, where she stared at her reflection again.
An illegitimate daughter of a powerful duke. Cursed reputation. Expelled. Disliked. Unwelcome.
The world outside was strange—fantasy had merged with modernity. Magic stones provided power to certain devices. Mana was governed by law. Spells had numerous rules. And elite nobles continued to rule everything behind glittering masks.
She only had an unfamiliar body, a hostile family, and the scars of someone else's mistakes.
But as she stood there, her memories before this happened came to her head. She had survived worse, yet this was now an unpredictable life she was living, one where anything could happen, even death.
Vaela smirked at her reflection as she thought back to the duke's words, her fingers tracing the bruises on her face.
They wanted her to fail.
Unfortunately, Vaela had never learned how and she was not planning to now, not when she had a chance to actually live, this time, not as a character of a novel by a sadistic author with a waste of a lifestyle.
"I do not know what you are accomplishing by actually giving me life; I do not know whether you are a god or some other being, but giving me this was not what I was expecting, but I am not complaining anymore. True, I am broken, but this time, I will fix what was once broken. I will not let these selfish people dictate my future; I will find a way to understand her life and act within it; I will change it all," She murmured, as her gaze hardened within her reflection.
She took a deep breath then turned to face the chaos that was her room now—spell scrolls jammed under the bed, potion vials with questionable labeling, half-written hexes scrawled on the walls, and a wardrobe that looked like a cross between battle gear and rebellion.
The majority of the robes were singed. One cloak bore actual bite marks. Then she went to the pristine Nightshade Academy uniform, still in its packaging, which she had seen earlier.
With a sigh, she took it out and laid it across the bed, knowing she had to pack and obey the duke's orders.
While doing so, she noticed a trunk at the foot of the bed, half-filled with items she didn't recognize, including enchanted notebooks, unused anti-anxiety charms, a cracked compact mirror, and a magical tracker that was glowing red.
"I need to figure you out; this feels like a hellscape... I better pack light," She muttered.
Vaela pulled together the essentials, including a notebook to record her thoughts.
Rule #1: Survive long enough and learn everything that happened.
Rule #2: Avoid certain types of people and always be on your guard.
Rule #3: Do not get murdered. Again.
Just as she was about to finish up, her fingers hovered over a strange brooch nestled in the corner of the drawer—a crescent moon carved from obsidian, etched with runes she almost recognized.