Evelyne sat in silence as her maid brushed her long chestnut hair. Each stroke stirred a memory some sweet, most bitter.
She had once loved mornings like this. The gentle warmth of sunlight, the quiet hum of servants, the distant sounds of carriages arriving at the manor gates. She had once believed she was safe here.
"You'll be late for breakfast, my lady," her maid chirped. "The young master and Lord Ashthorn are waiting."
Evelyne blinked. Her brother. Her father. They were still alive. Still smiling. Still unaware that one day, they'd watch her be branded a traitor.
She stood slowly, her hands curled tight at her sides.
Not this time.
The grand dining hall hadn't changed. Marble floors, velvet curtains, golden chandeliers. Her father sat at the head of the table stern, unreadable. Her brother, Julian, lounged beside him, carelessly charming as always.
"Sleeping in, sister?" Julian teased, raising a brow.
"No," Evelyne said calmly. "I just woke up from a very long dream."
Julian chuckled, but her father looked up sharply. "Are you well, Evelyne?"
You'll be the first to doubt me.
The first to think I've lost my mind.
And you were the first to walk away when I needed you most.
She smiled sweetly. "Never better."
As they ate, Evelyne's thoughts drifted to the calendar. She had just seven days before Prince Lucien would arrive at the Ashthorn estate to propose their engagement.
Seven days before the beginning of her end.
But this time, he wouldn't see a docile bride.
He would meet a woman with blood on her tongue and fire in her soul.
Let the prince come.
Let them all come.
This time, I know how the story ends and I'm the one writing it.
After breakfast, Evelyne returned to her room, closed the door, and unlocked the drawer beneath her writing desk. Inside, her old journals lay untouched naive words from a girl who believed in happy endings.
She pulled out the last one, flipped through the pages.
Then she picked up her pen.
"Operation Ruin" – Targets List
1. Camilla Vexley – The sweet-faced snake. She framed me. Lied to me. Took my place.
2. Duke Eldrin Vale – He used me for political gain and whispered poison in Lucien's ear.
3. Prince Lucien – The man who loved me. The man who killed me.
4. The Court – Every noble who laughed as I burned. Every viper in silk.
"You made me your villain," she whispered as she stared at the names.
"Now I'll become the monster you feared and the
one you created."
She smiled.
And this time, it reached her eyes.