He Fed Me to the Serpents, So I Came Back to Ruin Him HD

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Transcript

00:00:07I was born to kill serpents, so the Hargroves used me as their perfect shield.

00:00:12In my past life, I entered their cursed hall for Callum, the man I loved.

00:00:17But when the serpent gate opened, he chose Jenna, locked the door, and left me to be devoured.

00:00:23Death gave me one chance to return.

00:00:25I traded my beauty for silver sight, and woke up with a scar no man was supposed to love.

00:00:30But I did not come back for love.

00:00:32I came back to watch Callum's devotion rot, expose Jenna's snake magic, and let the serpents choose their real prey.

00:00:39My name's Rowena Whitmore.

00:00:41In my past life, I loved Callum Hargrove so much that it cost me everything.

00:00:45I knew exactly what Hargrove Hall was, a century-old estate built over a sealed serpent gate, rotting from the

00:00:51inside out with ancient venom.

00:00:52I still walked in, for him.

00:00:55Whitmuster blood ran through my veins, and that blood was born to suppress serpents.

00:00:59So when the curse came for Callum, I threw myself in its path and let the poison tear through me

00:01:04instead.

00:01:05What I did not know, what I never saw coming, was that he and Jenna had already decided how my

00:01:09story would end.

00:01:10The venom spread through my body like fire through dry wood.

00:01:12My flesh began to rot from the inside.

00:01:14I still remember every second of that night, the freezing rain, the iron door, and my bloody hands clawing at

00:01:19the gap in frame.

00:01:20Callum, please! Just open the door!

00:01:21My nails split down to the quick. Blood smeared the cracks. Still, nothing.

00:01:25Then his voice came through, flat and cold, without even a flicker of hesitation.

00:01:29Shut up.

00:01:30Your screaming is scaring Jenna. I'm not opening this door.

00:01:33You're useful in there, so stay there. Keep those monster snakes inside, even if they eat you alive.

00:01:38From the other side of the door, I could hear Jenna crying softly.

00:01:42Then came Callum's voice again, low and gentle, saying things he had never once said to me.

00:01:48You're safe. I've got you. Nothing is going to touch you. I promise.

00:01:52The lock turned.

00:02:21The lock turned. I will never forget that sound.

00:02:22Clear, ancient, and completely without warmth.

00:02:24Child Whitmore, you died badly.

00:02:28What I offer is not mercy.

00:02:30It is a contract.

00:02:32Give me something, and I will give you what you want.

00:02:36I'll give up my face.

00:02:37My beauty in this life.

00:02:39All of it.

00:02:39In exchange, I want the Lunar Hunt Covenant, the Silver Sight, and one more life.

00:02:43Do you understand what it means to give up your face?

00:02:46I do.

00:02:47Last time, my beauty made it easy for them to use me.

00:02:49I don't need anyone to love my face.

00:02:51I just need to see clearly.

00:02:53Silver light crapped through me like lightning, and I was thrown back into the world of the living.

00:02:58When I opened my eyes, the hissing was gone.

00:03:00The air smelled of incense.

00:03:02I raised a hand to my face and felt it.

00:03:04A scar across my cheek.

00:03:05Faint silver light pulsing beneath it like a wire.

00:03:08It was the mark of the covenant.

00:03:09The price Artemis had carved into my skin.

00:03:11I was back.

00:03:13Back to the morning Eleanor Hargreff came to beg.

00:03:15I stood in front of the mirror and traced the scar with my fingers.

00:03:18Then I smiled, but there was nothing warm left in it.

00:03:23I did not come back to love him.

00:03:25I came back from hell to collect what they owed me.

00:03:28One debt at a time.

00:03:36Rowena, please.

00:03:37I'm begging you.

00:03:38You have to save Callum.

00:03:40The old woman dropped to her knees in front of me, clutching the hem of my dress with both

00:03:43hands and crying like she had nothing left.

00:03:46The death mark carved into Callum's forehead was the final outbreak of decades of serpent

00:03:51resentment buried beneath the Hargrove state.

00:03:53As long as it stayed on him, the curse would keep spreading, and every Hargrove tied to this

00:03:58land by blood would carry the same death sentence.

00:04:02Only a Whitmore could even see the mark.

00:04:05Only a Whitmore could remove it.

00:04:07They needed me.

00:04:09That was a fact.

00:04:10But the only reason I was here was to take back what the Hargroves stole from us.

00:04:14The silver arrow of Whitmore.

00:04:15I stood over Eleanor, looking down at her shaking shoulders, and all I could think of was how she

00:04:20used to call me Sweetheart while she watched the flames swallow me alive.

00:04:23I slowly pulled my skirt out of her grip.

00:04:25I can't break the Hargrove curse.

00:04:26There was not a single trace of emotion in my voice.

00:04:29I did not owe her that much.

00:04:31Eleanor nor froze.

00:04:32The invitation in her hands crumbled at the edges.

00:04:34Then Callum walked in from the hallway.

00:04:35He was younger than I remembered, sharper and more arrogant, with all that ugly pride still

00:04:38sitting right on the surface.

00:04:40His eyes swept over me and stopped on the scar crossing my face.

00:04:43For one second, he went still.

00:04:45The scar was silver, winding across half my cheek and glowing faintly in the morning light.

00:04:49It did not look like an ordinary wound.

00:04:51It looked like something ancient had pressed itself into my skin and left its mark there.

00:04:54His disgust was almost impossible to miss.

00:04:57He turned his face away slightly like he could barely stand to look at it.

00:05:00I noticed.

00:05:01I said nothing.

00:05:02In my past life, I had walked through this same door with an untouched face, and he had

00:05:06smiled at me so beautifully.

00:05:07Every warm word had been perfectly calculated.

00:05:10Now that I had a scar, the mask slipped at once.

00:05:13That told me everything.

00:05:14He did not need a person.

00:05:16He needed a tool.

00:05:17And apparently he preferred his tools pretty.

00:05:20Callum stepped closer, his voice sharp with disbelief.

00:05:23What the hell is that supposed to mean?

00:05:25We came here in good faith, and you won't even give us a reason?

00:05:28You're telling me one curse is too much for a Whitmore?

00:05:31He moved into my space like he was used to people backing down when he did.

00:05:35I only looked at him.

00:05:37Go ahead.

00:05:38Look down on me, Callum.

00:05:40You have no idea that the mark on your forehead is getting darker every day.

00:05:44And the only person in this entire world who can see it,

00:05:46The only one who can take it off you is standing right in front of you while you make that

00:05:51face at her.

00:05:52Eleanor started crying harder.

00:05:54Her hands shook as she pulled a heavy envelope from her coat.

00:05:58The wax seal bore an old, dark gold crest.

00:06:02We have nowhere else to turn.

00:06:03Please, just look at this.

00:06:05For the sake of what our families once meant to each other.

00:06:10I almost did not bother.

00:06:11But the moment my eyes touched the seal, my silver sight flared.

00:06:15A pulse of silver light cut through the surface of the wax.

00:06:18And beneath it, clear and understakeable, was the trace of a Whitmore silver arrow.

00:06:26The silver arrow was the most sacred relic of the Whitmore bloodline.

00:06:29The Hargroves had stolen it from us, and it had been lost for generations.

00:06:36I only learned the truth as I was dying in my past life, when it was already too late to

00:06:41do anything about it.

00:06:42Now I knew exactly where it was.

00:06:45That was the real reason I would walk into Hargrove Hall.

00:06:48Not Callum.

00:06:49The arrow.

00:06:51Callum saw me take it, and his whole body relaxed.

00:06:55He lifted his chin slightly, satisfaction spreading across his face.

00:06:59He had already decided I was still hung up on him, that I had finally given in because of old

00:07:04feelings.

00:07:04Then he turned on that warm, reasonable voice.

00:07:07The one that used to make me believe every word.

00:07:10Good.

00:07:11All you have to do is come with us, and suppress the curse.

00:07:14Once I'm better, I'll make sure you're rewarded.

00:07:17The Hargroves take care of people who prove useful to us.

00:07:20He said it like he was doing me a favor.

00:07:22Like I was something he could summon, use, and dismiss whenever it suited him.

00:07:27I looked at him slowly, the way you look at something that does not know it is already finished.

00:07:32I'm going to Hargrove Hall to take back what belongs to the Whitmore family.

00:07:36I was never doing this for you.

00:07:38The smile on his face died, died completely.

00:07:44The next morning, the man had everything packed before I came downstairs.

00:07:48Lady, the carriages are here.

00:07:49He was the boy the Whitmore family had taken in years ago.

00:07:53Quiet, precise, and so still that most people mistook him for cold.

00:07:57Since I came back, he was the only person who looked straight at the scar on my face without flinching

00:08:02or glancing away.

00:08:03Two Hargrove carriages were waiting outside.

00:08:06Eleanor had one to herself, and the other was meant for Callum and me.

00:08:10Jenna, who supposedly could not handle the mountain road, was supposed to have her own space.

00:08:14I was about to step into the second carriage when a voice cut across the courtyard.

00:08:18Wait! Callum, I want to ride with you!

00:08:20She ran toward us with her skirts gathered in both hands, her cheeks flushed and her eyes red at the

00:08:26rims, as if she had already been crying.

00:08:29She was the girl the Hargroves had taken in years ago, the orphan daughter of some distant relation.

00:08:34She had grown up inside the estate walls, right beside Callum.

00:08:37Everyone said she was sweet and innocent, the one person Callum protected more than anyone else.

00:08:42She had a white silk scarf in her hands.

00:08:45Before Callum could answer, she was already looping it around his neck and smoothing it down with both palms.

00:08:51The mountain road is freezing. I don't want you getting sick again.

00:08:54Callum did not move away from her hands.

00:08:56In my past life, I thought she was only being kind.

00:08:58This time, my silver sight caught the edge of the scarf the moment it touched him.

00:09:02Faint dark lines were woven into the silk, forming the exact pattern of a serpent mark.

00:09:07Callum did not see any of it.

00:09:08He was already brushing a loose strand of hair away from Jenna's face.

00:09:11Jenna turned to me with wide, apologetic eyes.

00:09:14Lady Rowena, I hope you don't mind. I won't take up much space, I promise.

00:09:17She did not wait for my answer.

00:09:19She climbed in ahead of me.

00:09:21I watched her settle beside Callum and push me toward the window seat without even looking at me.

00:09:26I said nothing.

00:09:27Jenna, last time I missed every move you made.

00:09:29This time I'm gonna watch every single one.

00:09:33The carriage wound its way up the wet cobblestone road towards the Hargraf estate.

00:09:38There was barely enough room for two people to sit comfortably,

00:09:40and Jenna had made sure she stayed pressed against Callum for the entire ride.

00:09:45Every time the wheels hit a rough patch, she let out a soft, breathy sound and leaned into his shoulder.

00:09:50The timing was perfect, always within my line of sight, like a little performance stage just for me.

00:09:55Callum, I feel so dizzy. I can barely breathe.

00:09:58She twisted her fingers into the front of his shirt, lifting her eyes just enough to catch the light,

00:10:03looking soft and helpless and miserable.

00:10:05In my past life, watching this would have made me want to shrink into myself and disappear.

00:10:10Now I only sat still and watched her work.

00:10:13Callum noticed me looking.

00:10:14His expression hardened at once.

00:10:16He tightened his arm around Jenna and turned his face away from me,

00:10:18like even the air on my side of the carriage disgusted him.

00:10:21Rowena, stop staring. Jenna is kind and gentle, not that you would know anything about that.

00:10:25And stop using that face to scare her.

00:10:26Jenna reached over and touched his arm gently.

00:10:28Callum, don't. Lady Rowena probably doesn't mean it.

00:10:32She knows exactly what she's doing. She's had it out for you since the moment she saw you.

00:10:36Maybe she just doesn't like me. It's alright, I'm used to it.

00:10:40That is her problem, not yours. I don't care what she thinks.

00:10:42I did not answer. In my past life, that exchange would have hollowed me out for days.

00:10:47Now I only filed it away. Every word, every dismissal. I was keeping track.

00:10:52At the same time, through the silver sight, I could see what was really happening.

00:10:56Dark energy was seeping from the coral bracelet on Jenna's wrist,

00:10:59winding along Callum's collar and pushing inch by inch into the skin at the back of his neck.

00:11:04She was not dizzy. She was feeding the serpent.

00:11:07Callum, the sweet innocent girl you're so desperate to protect, is poisoning you right now.

00:11:11And you're holding her tighter.

00:11:13He pulled her closer and pressed his cheek against the top of her head, completely blind.

00:11:18By midday, the carriages stopped in front of the Hargreth family's main residence.

00:11:22This was not Hargreth Hall. Not the old estate with the serpent gate buried beneath it.

00:11:27The hall stood deeper inside the grounds, behind a locked inner courtyard that almost never opened.

00:11:32This was only where the family lived.

00:11:33When Jenna stepped down from the carriage, she grabbed the doorbraim, her face going pale,

00:11:37and sagged into Callum's side.

00:11:39I'm fine. Just cold.

00:11:41My legs feel strange.

00:11:43Callum wrapped an arm around her at once.

00:11:44The look he sent me over her shoulder made it clear that somehow this was supposed to be my fault.

00:11:49We passed through the front entrance hall.

00:11:51The moment we crossed the threshold, my silver sight erupted.

00:11:54Dark serpent energy crawled across every wall and ceiling, coiling and shifting like something alive.

00:11:59It hulged at anyone with Hargreth blood, then recoiled the second it touched the silver light of my mark,

00:12:05shrieking back into the cracks.

00:12:07Jenna was walking ahead.

00:12:08I watched her cross the threshold, and I saw the exact moment her shoe came down on the protection line

00:12:14hidden beneath the doorframe.

00:12:16It was not an accident.

00:12:17The movement was too precise.

00:12:19The line snapped.

00:12:20The energy that had been held down broke loose all at once, and a wave of freezing air tore down

00:12:26the corridor like a blade.

00:12:27Oh God!

00:12:28Help me!

00:12:29She stumbled backwards straight into his arms, clean and practiced, like a stage fall.

00:12:34Callum caught her without even looking.

00:12:35One arm locked across her chest, and his first words were for me.

00:12:39Rowena!

00:12:40What the hell are you doing just standing there?

00:12:44You're a Whitmore!

00:12:45You're supposed to handle this!

00:12:48If Jenna gets hurt because of you, I swear you'll answer for it.

00:12:52I raised one hand, a silver seal dropped across the corridor, and the serpent energy shrank back into the walls.

00:12:59The hallway went still.

00:13:00I looked at Callum.

00:13:02You're welcome.

00:13:03I let the silence stretch for a moment.

00:13:05Then I lowered my gaze to the broken line on the floor, before slowly lifting my eyes to Jenna's shoes.

00:13:11You might want to ask how that line broke in the first place.

00:13:14Callum's brow tightened.

00:13:16In his arms, Jenna's eyes filled with tears at once.

00:13:19Her lower lip trembled as she looked up at him, as if she was the one being attacked.

00:13:22Callum looked between us, and clenched his jaw.

00:13:25What exactly are you accusing her of?

00:13:27Nothing.

00:13:28Just giving you advice.

00:13:30While you're in this house, pay attention to what's right in front of you.

00:13:33Then I walked toward the sitting room without looking back.

00:13:41When we settled into the sitting room, Eleanor came in herself with a tray of peach blossom tea.

00:13:45Steam curled slowly from each cup.

00:13:47You must be exhausted after that ride, sweetheart.

00:13:50I made this myself.

00:13:52Drink it while it's hot.

00:13:53It will calm your nerves.

00:13:55She had the warmth turned all the way on.

00:13:57Deep smile lines, a gentle voice, every inch the loving grandmother.

00:14:01Jenna sat beside Callum.

00:14:02She picked up his cup first, blew on it softly, and placed it in his hands.

00:14:05Drink it while it's hot.

00:14:07It'll warm you up.

00:14:08In my past life, I fell for all of it.

00:14:10I drank the tea, and by nightfall, my silver sight was almost blind.

00:14:14The poison had worked slowly and silently the whole time.

00:14:17When I tried to suppress the serpents that night, I kept making the wrong calls, and one

00:14:21of them tore my palm open.

00:14:22I burned with fever for three days straight.

00:14:25And Jenna had been there the entire time, smiling sweetly as she added a spoonful of

00:14:29sugar to my cup.

00:14:29Something sweet makes everything less bitter, Lady Rowena.

00:14:32This time, I looked into my cup through the silver sight.

00:14:34The tea should have been pale amber, but beneath the surface, it was deep crimson.

00:14:38Something small and dark moved along the bottom.

00:14:40I picked up the cup and drank most of it.

00:14:42I let none of it touch me.

00:14:44Under the cover of my sleeve, I pressed two fingers to my wrist and sealed my throat and

00:14:49chest with a silver seal.

00:14:50The poison slammed into the barrier and thrashed like a trapped thing, but it got nowhere.

00:14:55Jenna kept her eyes on my face the whole time.

00:14:57She was waiting for my gaze to blur, waiting for the sight to go dark.

00:15:00When I set the cup down, breathing evenly and looking straight back at her, I saw the

00:15:04corner of her smile crack.

00:15:06Just a twitch.

00:15:07Just one second.

00:15:08But it was there.

00:15:10Lucian picked up his own cup, gave it one slow sniff, then turned and poured the whole

00:15:14thing into the planter beside his chair.

00:15:16Too sweet.

00:15:17Hides the taste of rot.

00:15:19Eleanor's expression flickered.

00:15:21Calatin's eyes sharpened.

00:15:22My grandmother made that tea herself.

00:15:24You want to explain what the hell you're doing?

00:15:26I just did.

00:15:27Lucian looked at him calmly.

00:15:29Calum's face turned ugly.

00:15:31He was about to snap back when Jenna laid a hand on his arm.

00:15:33Calum, don't.

00:15:34We asked them to come here.

00:15:35It's fine, really.

00:15:36She said it in that soft, peacemaking voice.

00:15:39But as she lifted her own cup back to her lips, her eyes slid sideways to me, patient,

00:15:45calculating, waiting to see something that was never going to happen.

00:15:48I looked at her and said nothing.

00:15:50Jenna, I'm just getting started.

00:15:52Next time, I'll make sure you see it coming.

00:15:57The welcome dinner that night was exactly the kind of show the Hargroves love to put on.

00:16:01Candles stretched down the table.

00:16:03Silver gleamed at every place setting, and there was more food than anyone could finish.

00:16:07Jenna sat to Calum's left, cutting her food with careful, effortless grace.

00:16:11Then she set down her knife, turned to me, and spoke in the softest, most concerned voice

00:16:16she had.

00:16:16Ladies Rowena, I've been meaning to ask you something.

00:16:19With a scar like that on your face, do people avoid you when you go out?

00:16:23You must feel so lonely.

00:16:25I can't even imagine.

00:16:27Perfectly worded, perfectly gentle, loud enough for every servant in the room to hear.

00:16:31I held my knife and fork and did not respond.

00:16:34Jenna, don't say it like that.

00:16:36She's a guest, you'll embarrass her.

00:16:38In my past life, I had actually been grateful for that.

00:16:41I thought he was standing up for me.

00:16:42Now I could see it clearly.

00:16:44He did not care whether I was humiliated.

00:16:47He just needed me to walk into that hall tomorrow night, and a scene at dinner would make things

00:16:51harder.

00:16:51That sentence was for him, not for me.

00:16:54Jenna's face crumpled at once.

00:16:56Her eyes filled.

00:16:57I didn't mean it that way.

00:16:58I was worried about her.

00:17:00Calum, why are you making it sound like I did something wrong?

00:17:03Her voice broke on the last word.

00:17:05Two tears slipped down her face.

00:17:07And just like that, Calum changed.

00:17:09The hardness left him, and his voice turned low and gentle.

00:17:13I know you didn't.

00:17:14I'm sorry.

00:17:16I shouldn't have said it like that.

00:17:18Lucian set down his silverware.

00:17:20I have a question.

00:17:21Is this how the Hargroves treat guests they begged for help?

00:17:24Every sound at the table stopped.

00:17:26Jenna's tears paused mid-fall.

00:17:29Calum's head snapped up, and the look he gave Lucian was full of real anger.

00:17:33Who the hell do you think you are?

00:17:34Nobody asked for your opinion!

00:17:35Lucian did not move.

00:17:37He only held Calum's gaze and took his time answering.

00:17:40I came with Lady Whitmore.

00:17:41As long as she is here, I have every right to speak.

00:17:45Calum pressed one hand flat against the edge of the table.

00:17:48His jaw tightened, and his face went pale with fury.

00:17:50Rowena, control your people.

00:17:52I set my wineglass down slowly and looked at him.

00:17:55He's right.

00:17:56Calum, I came because your family begged me to save you.

00:17:59I did not come here to be insulted at your dinner table.

00:18:01If you can't understand the difference, I don't need to enter that hall tomorrow.

00:18:05I can leave tonight.

00:18:07Silence fell over the room.

00:18:08Then Calum exhaled through his nose, forced down his anger and ground out the words like

00:18:13they hurt.

00:18:13After dinner, I'll have Chester bring out the legacy book.

00:18:17I picked up my wineglass again and said nothing.

00:18:21Dinner ended, and I asked for the Hargro legacy book, the family's hand-print record dating

00:18:25back to 1840.

00:18:26It dorted how the serpent gate was first sealed, and why.

00:18:29If the silver arrow was hidden somewhere on these grounds, there would be a trace of it

00:18:32in those pages.

00:18:34Calum's face tightened at once.

00:18:37It's a dusty old record book.

00:18:39You're here to deal with the curse, not dig through our family history.

00:18:43If I'm going to suppress what's down there, I need to know what caused it.

00:18:46The answer is in that book.

00:18:47Is that too hard for you to understand?

00:18:49He opened his mouth to argue, and Jenna let out a sharp little cry.

00:18:51Her elbow caught the wine bottle at the edge of the table.

00:18:53It tipped over and spilled half its contents across the tablecloth in a dark red wave.

00:18:57Servants rushed forward, and the moment broke apart.

00:18:59I'm so sorry.

00:19:00I'm so sorry.

00:19:01My hands are so shaky tonight.

00:19:03Callum leaned over and took her hands in his, checking them with a deep frown.

00:19:06You didn't cut yourself.

00:19:07It's just a bottle.

00:19:09It doesn't matter.

00:19:09Then he looked at me sideways, contempt clear in his eyes.

00:19:12All this over one old book?

00:19:14Did you really have to push that hard and scare her like that?

00:19:16What is this, an interrogation?

00:19:18I was not looking at him.

00:19:20The silver sight, I watched dark serpent energy pour from Jenna's sleeve and curl around

00:19:24the cabinet where the legacy book was kept like a hand pressing the door shut.

00:19:28She had not dropped the bottle because her hands were unsteady.

00:19:32She had dropped it to keep that cabinet closed.

00:19:34I raised one hand.

00:19:35A silver seal shot across the room and pinned the serpent energy flat against the cabinet

00:19:38doors.

00:19:39Jenna went white.

00:19:40Lucian walked to the cabinet, opened it without asking, and looked calmly at Chester in the

00:19:43corner.

00:19:43Chester, bring out the legacy book.

00:19:45Chester hesitated.

00:19:46Then he lowered his head, took the yellowed leather volume of the wooden box inside the

00:19:49cabinet, and held it out with both hands.

00:19:50I took it and opened it.

00:19:51I caught sight of the serpent brand running along the edge of Chester's sleeve.

00:19:54I filed it away.

00:19:57The first several pages of the legacy book had been cut out.

00:20:00Clean cuts.

00:20:02Blade cuts.

00:20:03Nothing old about them.

00:20:04Callum glanced over and dismissed it without missing a bead.

00:20:07It's a hundred and fifty year old book.

00:20:08Pages go missing.

00:20:09That's not suspicious.

00:20:10That's time.

00:20:11Jenna stepped in right on cue.

00:20:14Exactly.

00:20:15Lady Rowena, the Hargroves have been a respectable family for generations.

00:20:19There's nothing to hide here.

00:20:20Don't you think you're reading too much into this?

00:20:22I ignored them both and bent over the torn edges, looking through the silver site.

00:20:26There it was, buried in the yellowed fringe, the faint silver glow of dried Whitmore blood,

00:20:30ancient and thin.

00:20:31Tangled through it was the serpent energy from the bracelet on Jenna's wrist, the exact same

00:20:35signature.

00:20:36She was the one who had cut out those pages, which meant she had known about the silver arrow

00:20:40all along.

00:20:41I was about to speak when the death mark on Callum's forehead split open.

00:20:46Serpent energy burst through his veins all at once, and the whole study shook.

00:20:50From deep inside Hargrove Hall came a low, grinding sound, like something massive turning

00:20:55in its sleep.

00:20:56Callum's legs buckled.

00:20:57He caught the edge of a shelf, his face white, his teeth clenched, his breath coming

00:21:01in sharp pulls.

00:21:03Eleanor rushed across the room and grabbed my arm.

00:21:05Rowene, please, go tonight.

00:21:08You're the only one who can stop it.

00:21:09Please.

00:21:10I closed the legacy book.

00:21:12I'll enter Hargrove Hall tonight, but I'm going to question the serpent, not break the

00:21:16curse.

00:21:17Get that straight now.

00:21:18Then I turned to Jenna.

00:21:19My voice stayed calm, but every person in the room heard me one more thing.

00:21:22During the ritual tonight, Jenna does not come anywhere near the main hall.

00:21:25Her energy is corrupt.

00:21:26If she gets close, she'll provoke what's down there, and the entire formation will collapse.

00:21:29This is not a request.

00:21:30It's a condition.

00:21:31The study went completely silent.

00:21:33Jenna blinked.

00:21:35Then her head lowered, and tears rolled down her face without a sound.

00:21:40Callum pushed himself up from the shelf, still pale and tight with pain, and turned on me

00:21:45at once.

00:21:45On what grounds?

00:21:47Jenna came all this way because she was worried about me.

00:21:49You don't get to throw her out in the cold just because you hate her!

00:21:52On the grounds that if I walk in tonight, you live.

00:21:58Callum stayed quiet, but it was not over.

00:22:00He steadied himself against the shelf and started again a few seconds later.

00:22:05Even if you have to enter the hall tonight, that does not give you the right to leave

00:22:07Jenna outside alone.

00:22:09She scares easily.

00:22:10What if something happens and you are not there?

00:22:12Are you going to take responsibility for that?

00:22:13Jenna's tears fell faster, but she still reached out and grabbed Callum's sleeve with

00:22:17both hands.

00:22:17Callum, please don't fight with Lady Rowena.

00:22:19This is my fault.

00:22:20I shouldn't have come.

00:22:21You go in and let her do what she needs to do.

00:22:22Don't worry about me.

00:22:23I'll wait outside.

00:22:24I just want you safe.

00:22:25That's all I want.

00:22:26Every word landed exactly where she wanted it to.

00:22:29Callum's chest rose and fell hard.

00:22:31Then he turned all that anger on me.

00:22:34You hear that?

00:22:35She's willing to stand out there alone in the dark just to make things easier for you.

00:22:39What kind of person are you?

00:22:40Jenna stays by the door tonight.

00:22:42No one is stopping her.

00:22:44I looked at them without anger.

00:22:45I was not even surprised.

00:22:48This was the same performance they had put on in my past life.

00:22:51Jenna cried, Callum exploded, and every bit of blame in the room landed on me while

00:22:55they clung to each other.

00:22:57Perfectly timed.

00:22:59Perfectly practiced.

00:23:01I turned toward Hargrim Hall and spoke without looking back.

00:23:06Fine.

00:23:06Then keep your eyes open tonight.

00:23:10Whatever happens, don't come crying to me.

00:23:15Behind me, I heard Callum murmur to Jenna.

00:23:18You're okay.

00:23:19I'm right here.

00:23:20I walked into the dark of Hargmite Hall without turning around.

00:23:23I already knew he would open that door for her when the time came.

00:23:27And the harder he fought to protect her tonight, the worse the backlash would hit him.

00:23:31Midnight.

00:23:32The main hall of Hargrave Hall.

00:23:34The wind howled through the walls like something was trying to claw its way out.

00:23:37The old chandelier swung overhead, its candles throwing long, crooked shadows across the room.

00:23:43The estate had gone still, except for the dull shiver that rolled up from beneath the

00:23:47floor every few minutes.

00:23:48Whatever had been sleeping down there was starting to wake.

00:23:51I stood in the center of the hall and focused.

00:23:53Whitmore blood ignited in my veins.

00:23:56Silver seals poured out of me in rings, spreading across the floor like a net of cold light,

00:24:01pressing the serpent energy back into the walls and stone.

00:24:04Building a formation like this burned through everything I had.

00:24:08Power, focus, and sheer will.

00:24:11But I did not let it show.

00:24:13My hands were steady.

00:24:14My face was calm.

00:24:17Callum stood on the far side of the formation, supported by the old butler.

00:24:21The death mark on his forehead pulsed blood red in the silver light.

00:24:25He was shaking, yet he still looked at me like he was doing me a favor by letting me help.

00:24:30How sure are you about this?

00:24:31I did not look at him, sure enough.

00:24:34A pause.

00:24:35I need more than questions.

00:24:37I need the death mark gone completely.

00:24:39Can you actually do that?

00:24:40I turned and looked at him properly for the first time.

00:24:43Callum, the only reason I'm standing in this room is because the silver arrow is here.

00:24:48Not because of you.

00:24:50Whether that mark comes off at all depends on whether the Hargroves start paying what they

00:24:55owe the Whitmans.

00:24:56We can discuss that later.

00:24:57He wanted to argue.

00:24:59Then the death mark tore at him again.

00:25:02And the sound that left his throat was not one he meant to make.

00:25:05He swallowed it down hard.

00:25:07Palm up.

00:25:07Catch the light from the core of the formation.

00:25:09Whatever you hear, whatever you see, do not move.

00:25:12This creature follows Hargrove blood.

00:25:14If you move, the backlash will bury you and I will not be able to pull you out.

00:25:16Callum raised his trembling right hand.

00:25:19This time, he said nothing.

00:25:22The last seal fell into place.

00:25:24The stone floor cracked with a deep, grinding boom that rose through the soles of my feet.

00:25:30The eternal flame in its copper lamp guttled until it was almost gone, and the temperature

00:25:35dropped.

00:25:36So fast it felt like the walls themselves were breathing out ice.

00:25:40The floor began to shake in small, rapid tremors.

00:25:43White mist bled up through the cracks, spreading low and thick across the ground, catching the

00:25:48faint silver light of my formation.

00:25:51Then, from the center of the mist, she came.

00:25:55Althea.

00:25:56A thousand-year-old serpent, white as bone, as large as a river dragon, with golden-slit

00:26:03eyes burning in the dark like two cold fires.

00:26:06Decades of rage, grief, and imprisonment moved through the air around her, like a physical

00:26:12force.

00:26:13The servants screamed.

00:26:16Eleanor collapsed to her knees.

00:26:18Callum made a sound he probably did not mean to make, as the death mark nearly tore itself

00:26:24open under the pressure of her presence.

00:26:27But when those golden eyes swept across the hall and found him, they stopped.

00:26:33She recognized something.

00:26:35The covenant.

00:26:36The silver light around me.

00:26:38Something older than her rage.

00:26:41Althea went still in a way she had not been still in years.

00:26:45Then she lowered her slowly, all the way to my feet.

00:26:49A low, grieving sound came from her throat, like a creature finally standing before the

00:26:54person it had been waiting for.

00:26:56No one in the room could speak.

00:26:58Callum's breathing was loud, raggled, and stunned.

00:27:01He had spent his whole life under the shadow of what she had done to his family.

00:27:06He had never expected to see her bow.

00:27:08I crouched and touched her scales.

00:27:11They were cold, smooth, and faintly luminous.

00:27:15Althea, I need to ask you something.

00:27:18The silver arrow.

00:27:19The one taken from the Whitmore family a hundred years ago and brought into this estate.

00:27:23Where is it?

00:27:24Her whole body convulsed.

00:27:25She reared halfway up, her great tail striking the stone floor.

00:27:29As she pointed deeper into the estate.

00:27:33Somewhere farther in.

00:27:34One more step.

00:27:36One answer.

00:27:37That was all it would have taken.

00:27:40That was when the screaming started outside the hall doors.

00:27:44Callum!

00:27:44Callum, help me!

00:27:45It's going to eat me!

00:27:46Please!

00:27:47Every note was perfectly pitched.

00:27:48Every word landed right at the weakest seam of the ritual.

00:27:52I did not move.

00:27:53But Althea's head snapped up, and her golden eyes flooded red.

00:27:58I turned to Callum.

00:27:59Do you remember what I told you earlier tonight?

00:28:02His hand had already curled into a fist.

00:28:04Something broke behind his eyes when he heard Jenna's voice.

00:28:08He stared at the door, throat working, and then he ran.

00:28:11Callum!

00:28:12That's Jenna!

00:28:13I don't care!

00:28:14He threw the doors open.

00:28:16Jenna crashed into him from the other side.

00:28:18Shaking, soaked with tears, and buried her face in his chest.

00:28:21I was so scared.

00:28:23I just wanted to make sure you were okay.

00:28:25I needed to see you.

00:28:27That thing is terrifying, Callum.

00:28:29I couldn't stay out there.

00:28:30The second her foot crossed the threshold,

00:28:32Serpent Energy burst free from her coral bracelet.

00:28:36It came in a dark, thick wave,

00:28:39carrying a resonance,

00:28:40that matched Althea's imprisoned resentment.

00:28:44Frequency for frequency.

00:28:47A signal going both ways.

00:28:50Althea felt it.

00:28:52The red in her eyes deepened.

00:28:55Her scales lifted all across her body,

00:28:57as she rose higher.

00:28:59And the sound she made was no longer grief.

00:29:03I stood still with my hands behind my back.

00:29:06In my past life I had thrown myself in front of that rage.

00:29:09I took all of it so they would not have to.

00:29:12Afterward I burned with fever for three days

00:29:14and nearly died twice before the fever broke.

00:29:16When I woke up,

00:29:17Callum stood beside my bed with Jenna at his side and said,

00:29:20She needs me more than you do.

00:29:22You're tough, you'll be fine on your own.

00:29:24This time,

00:29:25I breathed out slowly and quietly.

00:29:27And I let it happen.

00:29:32Althea hit them like a wave smashing into a wall.

00:29:35The formation shattered.

00:29:38The eternal flame died.

00:29:40The silver seals cracked all at once.

00:29:43With a sound like breaking ice.

00:29:45And the core of the ritual collapsed.

00:29:49The whole hall convulsed.

00:29:54Callum was thrown backward

00:29:56and slammed into the offering table

00:29:58hard enough to knock it over.

00:29:59He hit the ground coughing blood.

00:30:02Jenna went down beside him,

00:30:04white-faced,

00:30:05with blood at the corner of her mouth.

00:30:08The ground shook.

00:30:11Serpent Heeks rose from every crack in the stone,

00:30:15growing louder.

00:30:16And closer.

00:30:18If the formation stayed broken,

00:30:21the serpents under the estate

00:30:23would come up through the floor.

00:30:26Everyone in this house would die.

00:30:28That included me and Lucian.

00:30:31I pressed my fingers together,

00:30:33like a blade and cut across my own palm.

00:30:39Silver blood fell onto the extinguished flame.

00:30:42The fire came back like an explosion.

00:30:46Three feet of silver flame roared up from the lamp.

00:30:49Flooding the hall in cold light,

00:30:52Althema hit that light and went rigid.

00:30:54The red drained from her eyes.

00:30:57She lowered herself to the floor,

00:30:59pressed her head against my feet,

00:31:01and went down to the floor.

00:31:03Breathing, slow and deep.

00:31:06Like something finally put to rest.

00:31:09The hall went quiet.

00:31:13Then Calium dragged himself up from the floor with one arm around Jenna.

00:31:18He looked across the ruined hall at me,

00:31:21standing in the silver light with blood,

00:31:23still running down my wrist.

00:31:24For one moment, he just stared.

00:31:27Then he opened his mouth.

00:31:29Rowena!

00:31:30You could control that thing the whole time!

00:31:32So why the hell did you just stand there and let it go after Jenna?

00:31:36What is wrong with you?

00:31:38What sick game are you playing?

00:31:41He said it like he was the victim.

00:31:44Like he was not the one who had opened that door,

00:31:47after a direct warning.

00:31:48Like I was not standing in front of him,

00:31:51bleeding to hold the ritual together.

00:31:54I looked down at my palm.

00:31:57The silver blood was already slowing.

00:32:00I did not answer him.

00:32:01In Calium's arms, too quietly for him to notice,

00:32:05Jenna lifted her head.

00:32:06Her face was wet, her hair a mess,

00:32:09tears still drying on her cheeks.

00:32:11But from an angle he could not see,

00:32:13the corner of her mouth curved.

00:32:15Less than a second.

00:32:16I caught every bit of it.

00:32:18I almost wanted to laugh.

00:32:20It was the same in this life as it had been in the last.

00:32:23Jenna worked in the dark,

00:32:24soft and sweet and untouchable.

00:32:27And Calum,

00:32:29righteous, devoted, completely blind Calum,

00:32:31picked up every knife she left behind

00:32:33and walked it straight into me.

00:32:35Except this time,

00:32:36I was not the one bleeding out on the floor.

00:32:40This time,

00:32:41I was the one still standing.

00:32:45I stood in the ruined hole.

00:32:48The cold serpent energy still lingering in the air like frost on my skin.

00:32:55Calum's accusation hung between us.

00:32:58Sharp and accusatory.

00:33:00I didn't rush to defend myself.

00:33:03Instead, I raised my hand and let the silver seat flare.

00:33:10Silver light swept over Jenna,

00:33:13amplifying the dark serpent patterns twisting on her coral bracelet.

00:33:17They projected clearly onto the wall,

00:33:20rivaling like living shadows.

00:33:25The exact energy that had provoked Althea.

00:33:28The servants gasp.

00:33:30Eleanor's face drained of color.

00:33:33Jenna's expression crumpled as she threw herself into Calum's arms,

00:33:37sobbing violently.

00:33:39Calum, I don't know what that is.

00:33:41I really don't.

00:33:44Did Lady Rowish do this on purpose to scare me?

00:33:49Calum pulled her tighter,

00:33:50his voice rising in fury as he glared at me.

00:33:54Rowena, enough!

00:33:56You already hurt her tonight,

00:33:58and now you want to humiliate her in front of everyone?

00:34:01The disbelief hit me hard.

00:34:03Evidence right in front of him,

00:34:05and still he chose her.

00:34:06Lucian stepped to my side,

00:34:08his voice like ice.

00:34:09Are you blind?

00:34:11Or has your brain rotted too?

00:34:13You have no right to speak here!

00:34:14I held Lucian back with a hand on his arm.

00:34:16No need to argue with him.

00:34:17Serpent energy recognizes its own,

00:34:19and so does Althea.

00:34:20Calum, you can keep pretending not to see it,

00:34:21but the formation collapsed tonight

00:34:22because you opened that door yourself.

00:34:23Calum's face stiffened.

00:34:24Jenna cried even harder.

00:34:26I turned away from them,

00:34:27crouching beside Althea,

00:34:28and placing my hand on her head.

00:34:29The great white serpent calmed under my touch,

00:34:30lowering her head like a tamed beast.

00:34:32Everyone saw it.

00:34:32The serpents didn't fear me.

00:34:34They feared the Hargrove.

00:34:37Lucian helped me back to my room.

00:34:39The cut in my palms still seeped silver blood,

00:34:42and the Lunarn Hunt scar on my face burned.

00:34:46Every use of the covenant reminded me of the price I had paid.

00:34:49My face for this power.

00:34:52Lucian banded the wound with careful hands,

00:34:54his touch gentle,

00:34:56as if afraid to break me.

00:34:58Don't cut so deep next time.

00:35:00If I hadn't,

00:35:01this entire estate

00:35:02would have collapsed tonight.

00:35:04That's not your burden alone to carry.

00:35:06I looked up at him.

00:35:08He met my eyes steadily,

00:35:11never flinching from the scar,

00:35:13only seeing me.

00:35:14After my re-rebirth,

00:35:16I had accepted

00:35:17that trading my beauty meant

00:35:19no man would love me again.

00:35:21Others saw fear or disgust first,

00:35:24but Lucian never did.

00:35:26I pulled my hand away,

00:35:27my voice turning cold.

00:35:30Don't be too good to me.

00:35:32I don't need it.

00:35:34Whether you need it is your business.

00:35:36Whether I do it is mine.

00:35:38Footsteps sounded outside.

00:35:41Calum stood in the doorway,

00:35:43his face dark.

00:35:45Seeing Lupien holding my hand

00:35:46made his expression twist with jealousy.

00:35:50So you have time for your servant

00:35:52to fawn him over you.

00:35:53I smiled coldly.

00:35:54At least he knows who was bleeding.

00:35:57Unlike some people,

00:35:59who only held the real culvert

00:36:01while accusing me.

00:36:02Calum's face darkened further.

00:36:05Tomorrow morning,

00:36:05you're coming with me

00:36:06to the family cemetery.

00:36:08I need to know why this serpent

00:36:09clings to the Hargroves.

00:36:11Fine.

00:36:12But Jenna stays behind.

00:36:14You're meddling too much.

00:36:16I said nothing.

00:36:18I knew Jenna would come anyway.

00:36:23Jenna appeared the next day,

00:36:25wrapped in a pale cloak,

00:36:27looking frail as she clung

00:36:29to Calum's side.

00:36:31Calum, I can't let you go alone.

00:36:34Let me come.

00:36:36I promise I won't cause trouble.

00:36:38Calum glanced at me,

00:36:40waiting for protest.

00:36:42I stayed silent.

00:36:44Let her.

00:36:45The closer she gets to the truth,

00:36:47the faster her mask slips.

00:36:50Jenna's eyes flickered

00:36:51before she looked down.

00:36:53We reached the Hargrove Cemetery,

00:36:55where serpent energy

00:36:57coiled around every grave.

00:36:59My silver sight revealed snake bones

00:37:01pressed beneath each male

00:37:03Hargrove tombstone.

00:37:05This was no simple curse.

00:37:06It was a betrayal.

00:37:08What do you see?

00:37:10Your family wasn't cursed by serpents.

00:37:13You used them first,

00:37:15then betrayed them.

00:37:18Jenna suddenly cried out and stumbled,

00:37:20her hand landing precisely on a formation node.

00:37:24Serpent energy erupted.

00:37:28Calum rushed to her.

00:37:31I saw dark energy flash between her fingers.

00:37:35In my past life,

00:37:37I thought it was an accident.

00:37:41Now I knew better.

00:37:43Lucian stepped in front of me,

00:37:45and the underground bones recoiled from him,

00:37:48as if terrified.

00:37:50A question stirred in my mind.

00:37:55Who exactly was Lucian?

00:37:58Jenna clung to Calum,

00:38:00claiming her legs had simply given out.

00:38:04He held her protectively,

00:38:06but turned on me in anger.

00:38:09You knew it was dangerous here.

00:38:11Why didn't you clear it first?

00:38:15Did you see her step on the node?

00:38:17Calum paused.

00:38:19Jenna lifted her tear-stripped face.

00:38:23Lady Rowena,

00:38:25I know you dislike me,

00:38:26but I didn't touch any node.

00:38:29I was just scared.

00:38:31Calum's gaze softened toward her immediately.

00:38:35Rowena, enough.

00:38:37Stop pinning everything on her!

00:38:40I didn't argue.

00:38:41I extracted the serpent energy

00:38:43from her palm

00:38:45and held it suspended in the air,

00:38:48a writhling black thread

00:38:50trying to return to her sleeve.

00:38:54Jenna paled.

00:38:57Still need an explanation?

00:38:59Calum saw it.

00:39:00Everyone did.

00:39:02But after a moment,

00:39:03he muttered,

00:39:06Maybe the node latched onto her.

00:39:07I laughed bitterly.

00:39:09In my past life,

00:39:10I thought he was blind.

00:39:12Now I realized he saw.

00:39:13He just refused to admit it.

00:39:15Lucian spoke softly behind me.

00:39:18He doesn't deserve a single word from you.

00:39:20His words eased some of the cold weight in my chest.

00:39:23I turned back to the graves.

00:39:27Keep digging.

00:39:29Jenna's desperation to interrupt means

00:39:32there's something important down there.

00:39:36I used silver blood on the tombstone.

00:39:40A fragment of memory rose.

00:39:43Centuries ago,

00:39:44Althea had willingly guarded the Hargroves,

00:39:47shielding them and even giving her white scales as a token.

00:39:51They repaid her by stabbing her with the stolen silver arrow while she slept,

00:39:55turning her into a living lock for the serpent gate.

00:39:58She was no monster.

00:40:01She was a betrayed protector.

00:40:05When the vision faded,

00:40:07Callum looked grim.

00:40:09I expected him to ask about Althea.

00:40:12Instead,

00:40:14If she's the living lock,

00:40:16she can still hold the gate, right?

00:40:19I turned slowly,

00:40:21anger flaring.

00:40:23That's all you take from this?

00:40:26The Hugg family cannot fall.

00:40:29I need to know how to save it.

00:40:31His selfishness drained even my rage.

00:40:34In my past life,

00:40:35my pain,

00:40:36my blood,

00:40:36my life had only ever been tools to him.

00:40:40Jenna squeezed his hand gently.

00:40:42Callum,

00:40:42you're just worried about the family.

00:40:44Lady Rowena wouldn't understand your burden.

00:40:46Her voice was soft,

00:40:48but her eyes smiled.

00:40:50Lucian's hand tightened on his sword hilt.

00:40:52Don't rush.

00:40:53Let them dig their own graves deeper.

00:40:57The filthier their words now,

00:40:59the cleaner the reckoning later.

00:41:03Later,

00:41:04Jenna sought me out alone.

00:41:07Her gentle mask dropped completely

00:41:10as she leaned against a cord ziller,

00:41:12twisting her coral bracelet.

00:41:14You must feel so smug right now,

00:41:17making Callum look bad,

00:41:19making everyone doubt me,

00:41:21enjoying yourself.

00:41:23It's nowhere near as entertaining

00:41:25as you feeding serpents

00:41:29while playing the helpless victim.

00:41:31She laughed,

00:41:33her eyes turning venomous.

00:41:34You're much smarter than last time.

00:41:36So you remember too?

00:41:40Jenna didn't answer directly.

00:41:43She stroked the bracelet.

00:41:47Whether I remember doesn't matter.

00:41:50Callum will always believe me.

00:41:52You can shove proof in his face.

00:41:55And he'll still make excuses for me.

00:41:57Her words cut deep,

00:41:59laced with malice.

00:42:01Look at you.

00:42:02Traded your face for power.

00:42:05And still no one loves you.

00:42:08How pathetic.

00:42:10You think I still want Callum's love?

00:42:12Jenna stepped closer,

00:42:13lowering her voice.

00:42:15Of course you do.

00:42:16Once a woman has been loved,

00:42:18she always craves it back.

00:42:20You're just pretending to be clear-headed now.

00:42:23She reached toward my scar.

00:42:25Lucian emerged from the shadows

00:42:27and seized her wrist.

00:42:28Touch her again,

00:42:28and I'll cut off your hand.

00:42:31Jenna winced in pain,

00:42:33but quickly shifted

00:42:34to a pitiful expression

00:42:35as Callum's foot stems approached.

00:42:38Callum!

00:42:39He's trying to kill me!

00:42:46I only wanted to apologize

00:42:48to Lady Rowena,

00:42:49but he suddenly grabbed me.

00:42:51I was so scared.

00:42:53Let her go.

00:42:56Lucian,

00:42:57release her.

00:42:59Rowena,

00:43:00control your people.

00:43:01Don't forget,

00:43:03this is the Hargro estate.

00:43:08I remember perfectly.

00:43:10That's exactly why

00:43:11it's so filthy here.

00:43:25See that?

00:43:26Every time she touches you,

00:43:28your mark deepens.

00:43:29What trick did you pull?

00:43:31Wonderful.

00:43:32She poisons you,

00:43:33and I get blamed.

00:43:35You really are her perfect blade.

00:43:37Lucian stepped beside me.

00:43:41Let's go.

00:43:42Don't waste time on fools.

00:43:47This time I didn't disagree.

00:43:51Late that night,

00:43:52Chester knocked on my door,

00:43:53holding a lantern with perfect servant deference.

00:43:56Lady Whitmere,

00:43:56the old madam asks if you will enter the hall again tomorrow.

00:43:59Eleanor did the serpent send you,

00:44:00did she?

00:44:01Chester's expression stayed neutral.

00:44:03You're overthinking.

00:44:04I sealed the room with silver seals.

00:44:06Only Lucian and I remained with him.

00:44:07Chester finally looked up.

00:44:09The silver sight lives up to its name.

00:44:11How many years have you hidden in the Hargroves?

00:44:1343.

00:44:14He spoke calmly.

00:44:15The Hargroves think they can control the serpent gate,

00:44:17but those behind it have waited for them to walk into the trap.

00:44:19I asked about the silver arrow.

00:44:21You want the sacred relic.

00:44:23The serpent court wants it.

00:44:25Callum wants it to survive.

00:44:26Jenna wants it to open the gate.

00:44:28Everyone is waiting for you to act, Lady Whitmore.

00:44:31Callum, I just saw Chester enter Lady Rowena's room.

00:44:33Are they plotting something?

00:44:37Rowena, what exactly are you doing behind my back?

00:44:44Callum immediately accused me

00:44:46of colluding with the serpent court through Chester.

00:44:50I didn't deny seeking the arrow.

00:44:55It was my goal.

00:44:57He seized on it,

00:44:59turning everyone against me.

00:45:03You were never here to save us.

00:45:06You came for Hargrave possessions from the start.

00:45:10That relic belongs to Whitmore,

00:45:13not Hargrige.

00:45:15Jenna spoke softly.

00:45:17Callum,

00:45:19I've long felt Lady Rowena's hostility.

00:45:23I didn't dare say it before.

00:45:25I feared you'd think me petty.

00:45:28Her eyes reddened again.

00:45:31Callum's disgust towards me deepened.

00:45:33Hand over your silver seals.

00:45:37From now on,

00:45:38any ritual needs my approval.

00:45:42You want to control my power

00:45:44to manage the gate?

00:45:45This is my home!

00:45:48I have the right to know

00:45:50what you're doing.

00:45:51I summoned a wisp of Althea's white serpent shadow.

00:45:55It coiled around Callum's death mark.

00:45:58He cried out in pain,

00:46:00face paling.

00:46:02You have the right to know this,

00:46:03for example.

00:46:05You're still standing,

00:46:06only because I allow it.

00:46:09Jenna stumbled back in fear.

00:46:11Callum stared at me

00:46:12with a mix of rage

00:46:13and newfound terror.

00:46:15Lucien spoke quietly at my side.

00:46:18She saves you by choice,

00:46:20not obligation.

00:46:21Remember that.

00:46:29Eleanor called a family meeting,

00:46:31summoning all Hargroff branches.

00:46:35It was framed as discussing the gate,

00:46:38but clearly meant to force me

00:46:40to submit publicly.

00:46:43Many saw my scarred face

00:46:44for the first time.

00:46:46Whispers spread.

00:46:47How terrifying the scar was.

00:46:50How no wonder Callum preferred Jenna.

00:46:54I heard every word.

00:46:56In my past life,

00:46:57such talk would have crushed me.

00:47:00Now it was just noise.

00:47:02Eleanor sat at the head,

00:47:04voice heavy.

00:47:07Lady Whitmora,

00:47:08your power is great,

00:47:11but we've seen your emotions

00:47:13are unstable.

00:47:15For the family's safety,

00:47:17the sealing arts cannot remain

00:47:19solely in your hands.

00:47:21Callum didn't intervene.

00:47:25He sat silently,

00:47:27endorsing the ambush.

00:47:29Jenna added fuel.

00:47:33I'm only worried Lady Roweth

00:47:35might resent me

00:47:36and take it out

00:47:38on the entire Hargroff family.

00:47:41All eyes turned to me.

00:47:43I stood and activated

00:47:44the silver sight.

00:47:45Behind every person,

00:47:47shadows of sacrifice

00:47:48women appeared,

00:47:49maids,

00:47:50adopted daughters,

00:47:52wives offered as tribute.

00:47:53Those who had mocked my scar

00:47:55dropped to their knees

00:47:55in terror.

00:47:57You wanted to talk safety?

00:47:59Then look at how many lives

00:48:01you've trampled

00:48:01beneath your feet.

00:48:03Jenna's smile

00:48:04finally shattered.

00:48:09Chaos erupted

00:48:10after the ghosts appeared.

00:48:12Some begged me

00:48:12to withdraw the sight.

00:48:13Others accused Eleanor.

00:48:14She paled and instinctively

00:48:15protected the legacy book.

00:48:17I saw it.

00:48:17The sacrifice ledger

00:48:18is inside the book.

00:48:19Eleanor's hand froze.

00:48:20Callum tried to block me.

00:48:21Rowena,

00:48:21don't make this uglier.

00:48:22The ugly one

00:48:23is your family's

00:48:23centuries of blood debt.

00:48:25Jenna clutched her chest,

00:48:26collapsing into a chair.

00:48:28I can't breathe.

00:48:29Callum,

00:48:30I'm so scared.

00:48:31Callum moved to help her,

00:48:32but a white serpent shadow

00:48:34blocked him,

00:48:35staring coldly at Jenna.

00:48:37She stopped

00:48:38aggravating her sobs.

00:48:40I approached Eleanor.

00:48:41Give me the ledger.

00:48:43Eleanor forced a smile.

00:48:45Child,

00:48:46those are old matters.

00:48:47You already died once.

00:48:49Why keep pursuing?

00:48:51I leaned close.

00:48:54Because I died once,

00:48:56I know exactly

00:48:57what being chosen

00:48:58by you feels like.

00:49:00Callum watched

00:49:01with fleeting complexity

00:49:02before Jenna's sobs

00:49:04pulled him away again.

00:49:05My cold laugh

00:49:07deepened.

00:49:09He was never worth it.

00:49:12Callum tried

00:49:13a softer approach

00:49:14that evening,

00:49:15coming to my room

00:49:16with a gentler tone.

00:49:18Roland,

00:49:19we can cooperate.

00:49:21You want

00:49:22the silver arrow?

00:49:23I want the Hargroves

00:49:24to survive.

00:49:25Our goals

00:49:26are clean.

00:49:28I knew what came next,

00:49:29the same fake,

00:49:30fake concern

00:49:31from my past life.

00:49:32I know some words

00:49:34hurt you before,

00:49:35but now isn't the time

00:49:36to dwell on it.

00:49:37Some words?

00:49:38I turned my face

00:49:40so he could see

00:49:40the scar clearly.

00:49:42You mocked my face,

00:49:44protected Jenna

00:49:45as she harmed me,

00:49:47demanded

00:49:47my seals.

00:49:49And you call it

00:49:50some words?

00:49:52Callum frowned.

00:49:53You're too sensitive now.

00:49:55Lucian entered

00:49:56with medicine

00:49:57and overheard.

00:49:58She died once

00:49:59because of you all.

00:50:01And now you call her sensitive?

00:50:03Who do you think you are?

00:50:04Her servant?

00:50:05Guard?

00:50:06Or just the dog she keeps?

00:50:08Lucian remained calm.

00:50:09I can be anything she wants.

00:50:11But you?

00:50:12You're different.

00:50:13How?

00:50:14Even when she bleeds,

00:50:15you only ask

00:50:16why she didn't protect others.

00:50:17The room fell silent.

00:50:19I looked away,

00:50:21no longer wanting

00:50:22to hear Callan.

00:50:23Give me the key.

00:50:24Tomorrow we enter

00:50:25the underground chamber.

00:50:28Callum gritted his teeth

00:50:31and placed the key

00:50:32on the table.

00:50:36The underground chamber

00:50:37lay behind Hargrok Hall.

00:50:39Dust and serpent energy

00:50:41rushed out

00:50:41as the door opened.

00:50:43Whitmore hunting tools,

00:50:44silver blades,

00:50:45short bows,

00:50:46chains,

00:50:46hung on the walls

00:50:47like trophies.

00:50:48My chest tightened.

00:50:50These belonged

00:50:50to my family,

00:50:52displayed as

00:50:53Hargrok's spoils.

00:50:54As I approached,

00:50:55the tools hummed

00:50:56in recognition.

00:50:57Several blades

00:50:58tilted toward me.

00:51:00Callum's eyes

00:51:01gleamed with greed.

00:51:02If these can suppress

00:51:04the gate,

00:51:05why not lend them

00:51:06to the Hargroves first?

00:51:07After stealing them

00:51:08for centuries,

00:51:09you still want

00:51:09to borrow more?

00:51:10Jenna followed us in.

00:51:12Seeing the tools

00:51:13respond to me,

00:51:15jealously flashed

00:51:16in her eyes.

00:51:17Impressive.

00:51:22Impressive.

00:51:22took a loosened

00:51:23silver blade

00:51:24from the wall

00:51:25and placed it

00:51:26in my hand.

00:51:26They recognize you.

00:51:28Not because

00:51:28of your face,

00:51:30but because

00:51:31you are Whitmore.

00:51:32His words settled

00:51:33warmly in my heart.

00:51:34I gripped the blade.

00:51:36Silver light bloomed.

00:51:37All the tools

00:51:38vibrated in univine.

00:51:39Jenna's expression

00:51:40soured completely.

00:51:42What she hated most

00:51:43wasn't my strength.

00:51:44It was that even scarred,

00:51:45I still had someone

00:51:46standing by my side.

00:51:48Deepest in the chamber

00:51:49hung an old painting.

00:51:50The first Whitmore

00:51:51lunar huntress

00:51:52beside a golden-horned

00:51:54white deer.

00:51:55The deer shielded

00:51:56her from serpents.

00:51:57Its antlers

00:51:58wrapped in moonlight.

00:52:00Lucian's face

00:52:01changed when he saw it.

00:52:02He looked away

00:52:03too late.

00:52:04You've seen this painting?

00:52:05No.

00:52:06He answered too quickly.

00:52:07Callum noticed,

00:52:08his expression

00:52:08turning dangerous.

00:52:09Seems your servant

00:52:10knows quite a lot.

00:52:11I stepped in front of Lucian.

00:52:12None of your concern.

00:52:13Callum sneered.

00:52:14Rowena, you'd shield

00:52:15a mere servant from me?

00:52:16Lucian's eyes chilled.

00:52:16I spoke calmly

00:52:17without turning.

00:52:18He is not a mere servant.

00:52:19Lucian fell silent.

00:52:20My own heart

00:52:21stirred unexpectedly

00:52:22at the words.

00:52:22Jenna watched

00:52:23with a light laugh.

00:52:24Lady Rowena

00:52:25is so enviable.

00:52:26Face ruined,

00:52:28yet still so protected.

00:52:30How much of that

00:52:30protection is real,

00:52:32I wonder?

00:52:32At least more

00:52:33than what you stole.

00:52:34Her face darkened.

00:52:36Suddenly,

00:52:37her bracelet glowed.

00:52:39Serpent energy

00:52:39corrupted the tools,

00:52:41turning them against me.

00:52:43Jenna cried out

00:52:44in fake alarm.

00:52:45Callum, watch out!

00:52:46The tools have gone

00:52:47out of control!

00:52:49But excitement

00:52:49burned in her eyes.

00:52:51The tools lunged at me.

00:52:54They heard their silver lament.

00:52:58They didn't want to harm

00:52:59their true owner.

00:53:00Jenna's serpent energy

00:53:01forced them.

00:53:02Callum's first instinct

00:53:03was to shield Jenna.

00:53:05Rowena, control them!

00:53:07Don't let them touch Jenna!

00:53:08I ignored him

00:53:09and summoned

00:53:10the moon's silver bow.

00:53:13Moonlight

00:53:13formed the string.

00:53:15I fired arrows,

00:53:17tearing serpent energy

00:53:18from the blades

00:53:19one by one.

00:53:21They fell obediently

00:53:23at my feet.

00:53:24Each shot burned my scar

00:53:26like a fresh blade cut.

00:53:27Pain seared through me.

00:53:28I grit my teeth

00:53:29and kept drawing.

00:53:30Lucian suddenly grabbed my hand.

00:53:32Enough!

00:53:32Not yet cleared!

00:53:33I said enough,

00:53:34you're hurting!

00:53:34Everyone else fixated

00:53:35on my scar,

00:53:36fearing, hating,

00:53:37using it.

00:53:37Only Lucian cared

00:53:38if it hurt.

00:53:39This isn't the time

00:53:40for your intimacy.

00:53:41Rowena, continue!

00:53:42Lucian turned on him.

00:53:44Shut your mouth!

00:53:46Callum's face darkened.

00:53:48I released the bowstring,

00:53:50refusing his order

00:53:51for the first time.

00:53:52The rest can wait

00:53:53until I decide.

00:53:54Jenna looked furious.

00:53:56She had wanted

00:53:57to exhaust me.

00:53:58She never expected

00:53:59Lucian could make me stop

00:54:00or that I would

00:54:01choose to for him.

00:54:03I followed Jaina

00:54:04into the underground

00:54:05water chath.

00:54:06She stood on the stone steps

00:54:08before the outer serpent gate.

00:54:09Her innocent mask

00:54:10finally debardened.

00:54:12Do you know

00:54:12where the silver arrow

00:54:13really is?

00:54:14I remained silent,

00:54:15gripping the hilt

00:54:16of the silver blade,

00:54:17see the sound echoing

00:54:18coldly off the walls.

00:54:19It's not in the chamber.

00:54:21It's buried in Althea's heart.

00:54:23The first Hargroves

00:54:24used it to nail her

00:54:25into the earth vein

00:54:27and create this gate.

00:54:28My fingers tightened painfully.

00:54:30The weight of generations

00:54:32of betrayal

00:54:32pressed down on me.

00:54:34Jenna stepped closer,

00:54:35her voice dripping venom.

00:54:36If you want Whitmore's relic back,

00:54:39you'll have to pull the arrow.

00:54:41But the moment you do,

00:54:43the gate opens.

00:54:43Everyone will blame you

00:54:45for destroying Hargrove Hall.

00:54:46Callum will hate you.

00:54:47Eleanor will hate you.

00:54:49They'll say you did it

00:54:49because no one could love

00:54:50your scarred face.

00:54:52The words stung,

00:54:53but not as deeply

00:54:53as they once would have.

00:54:55I met her gaze steadily,

00:54:56the lunar scar on my cheek

00:54:57pulsing with silver light.

00:54:59You still think I care

00:55:00what Callum thinks of me?

00:55:02Jenna's smile faltered

00:55:03for a split second.

00:55:04I continued,

00:55:05my voice low but firm.

00:55:07You're wrong.

00:55:07I didn't come back

00:55:09to prove I'm worthy of love.

00:55:10I came to make sure

00:55:11all of you pay what you owe.

00:55:13Her expression turned ugly.

00:55:15She spat one last barb

00:55:17before leaping deeper

00:55:18into the waterway.

00:55:20You really think Lucian

00:55:21will keep protecting you?

00:55:23Men are all the same.

00:55:24Once he gets tired

00:55:25of looking at that face,

00:55:26he'll leave too.

00:55:28I stood there

00:55:29as her footsteps faded,

00:55:30the cold water

00:55:31lapping at my boots.

00:55:32Her words tried

00:55:33to burrow into old wounds,

00:55:34but Lucian's steady presence

00:55:36in my mind pushed them back.

00:55:37I turned

00:55:38and climbed back

00:55:38to the surface,

00:55:39the truth now clear

00:55:40in my heart.

00:55:41The silver arrow

00:55:42rested in Althea's chest.

00:55:45Back above ground,

00:55:46I found Lucian

00:55:47waiting in the shadows

00:55:48of the hall.

00:55:49His quiet strength

00:55:50grounded me

00:55:51as I told him

00:55:51what Jenna had revealed.

00:55:53He listened

00:55:53without interruption,

00:55:54his eyes never leaving mine.

00:55:56Will you pull it?

00:55:57I have to,

00:55:59but not recklessly.

00:56:00I'll use Callum's blood,

00:56:02Jenna's serpent contract,

00:56:04Chester's serpent court mark,

00:56:06and Eleanor's sacrifice ledger

00:56:07to form a new seal.

00:56:09Lucian studied me carefully,

00:56:10no fear in his gaze,

00:56:12only unwavering resolve.

00:56:14Then we do it.

00:56:15A small smile tugged

00:56:16at my lips despite everything.

00:56:18You won't ask

00:56:18if I'll turn into a monster?

00:56:20You won't.

00:56:22How can you be so sure?

00:56:24He paused,

00:56:25then stepped closer

00:56:26and gently re-wrapped

00:56:28the bandage on my palm.

00:56:29Because even when you could have

00:56:31let Callum die tonight,

00:56:32you still saved

00:56:33the entire estate.

00:56:35His words pierced

00:56:35through the armor

00:56:36I had built around my heart.

00:56:38I had hated them all

00:56:39so fiercely,

00:56:40yet I refused

00:56:41to become the destroyer

00:56:42they feared.

00:56:44Lucian saw that in me

00:56:45when no one else did.

00:56:46The scar on my face

00:56:47burned less fiercely

00:56:48in that moment.

00:56:49Tomorrow we go to Eleanor.

00:56:50Good.

00:56:51I lingered in his presence

00:56:52a moment longer,

00:56:54drawing quiet comfort

00:56:55from the way

00:56:56he stood guard beside me,

00:56:58unflinching.

00:57:00Eleanor refused to surrender

00:57:01the sacrifice's ledger.

00:57:03She sat in the main study,

00:57:04cradling her peach blossom tea.

00:57:06Her grandmotherly facade

00:57:07finally stripped away

00:57:08to reveal cold calculation.

00:57:10Rowena,

00:57:11you already know too much.

00:57:13A smart girl knows

00:57:14when to stop.

00:57:15The memories flooded back.

00:57:17Her smiles as she fed me poison.

00:57:19Her indifference

00:57:20as she watched me die.

00:57:22Anger surged through my veins.

00:57:24When you sent me

00:57:25into the serpent gate

00:57:26in my past life,

00:57:28did you also think

00:57:29I should have stopped?

00:57:30Her hand trembled

00:57:31slightly on the teacup.

00:57:32Do you remember?

00:57:33I remember everything.

00:57:34Your sweet words.

00:57:36The poisoned tea

00:57:37how you locked me inside

00:57:39without a flicker of remorse.

00:57:41I sealed her teacup

00:57:43with a silver seal.

00:57:45The liquid inside

00:57:46turned black.

00:57:47Serpent shadows

00:57:48thrashing wildly.

00:57:50Lupien stood behind me.

00:57:51His presence

00:57:52a wall of silent fury.

00:57:54Eleanor's composure cracked.

00:57:56What do you want?

00:57:58The ledger.

00:58:00She resisted.

00:58:02I stepped forward

00:58:03and sealed her throat

00:58:05with silver light.

00:58:07Her mouth opened

00:58:09but no sound emerged.

00:58:11You lied so many people

00:58:13to their deaths.

00:58:14This mouth of yours

00:58:15deserves rest.

00:58:16I retrieved the ledger

00:58:18from her hidden compartment.

00:58:19Page after page

00:58:20listed women's names.

00:58:21The final entry

00:58:22was my own.

00:58:24Rowena Whitmore.

00:58:25My fingers clenched

00:58:26until my knuckles whitened.

00:58:28This life,

00:58:29I would cross it out myself.

00:58:33Callum learned

00:58:34of the stolen ledger quickly.

00:58:36Instead of confronting

00:58:37Mimi directly,

00:58:38he lured Lupien away

00:58:40and trapped him

00:58:40in the old underground chapel

00:58:42beneath Hargrove Hall.

00:58:43An ancient altar

00:58:44etched with serpent arrays

00:58:46designed to suppress

00:58:47Lunarn Hunt blood.

00:58:48When I arrived,

00:58:49Lucien knelt in the center

00:58:50of the array,

00:58:51covered in wounds

00:58:51yet his eyes glowed

00:58:52with a faint golden light.

00:58:53Callum stood outside

00:58:54the formation,

00:58:55a silver blade in hand.

00:58:56Don't come closer, Rowena.

00:58:57One more step

00:58:58and he dies for you.

00:58:59Eyes alight

00:58:59with vicious excitement.

00:59:01Lady Rowena,

00:59:02you're so powerful.

00:59:03Choose the silver arrow

00:59:04or him.

00:59:05Lucien looked at me

00:59:06through the pain

00:59:06and shook his head wiltly.

00:59:08Leave me.

00:59:09The plea tore at my chest.

00:59:10In my past life,

00:59:11I had told Callum

00:59:12the same thing,

00:59:13only for him to abandon me.

00:59:14I would not repeat

00:59:15his cruelty.

00:59:16Power erupted

00:59:16from my Huntress mark.

00:59:18Silver light shattered

00:59:19the serpent array

00:59:19inch by inch.

00:59:21Callum paled.

00:59:22You're mad!

00:59:23The Covenant will backlash!

00:59:25That's not for you to decide.

00:59:28I rushed into the formation,

00:59:31grabbed Lucien's hand,

00:59:32and dragged him free.

00:59:33His silver-gold blood

00:59:35touched my pie palm,

00:59:36and the lingering dark energy

00:59:39recoiled as if burned.

00:59:42Lucien's blood was not red.

00:59:44It shimmered with faint

00:59:45silver-gold light.

00:59:47The realization hit me

00:59:48as the serpent array

00:59:49was Raynus fled from him.

00:59:50Who are you, really?

00:59:51Lucien remained silent

00:59:53for a long moment

00:59:53before answering softly.

00:59:55I promised to stay

00:59:56by the Whitmore heir's side.

00:59:57Promised whom?

00:59:59He didn't reply.

01:00:00But Callum had seen the blood.

01:00:02Greed twisted his features.

01:00:04So he's even more special than you.

01:00:06She laughed cruelly.

01:00:07Callum, if we use him

01:00:09as the new living lock,

01:00:10we won't need Rowena anymore.

01:00:12Callum didn't deny it.

01:00:13Cold fury settled in my chest.

01:00:15Touch him,

01:00:17and I will end

01:00:19the hog-rave bloodline tonight.

01:00:21You care about him that much?

01:00:24So even you can feel fear.

01:00:26I helped Lucien to his feet,

01:00:28my voice steady

01:00:29despite the storm inside.

01:00:32Yes, I fear.

01:00:34I fear him suffering

01:00:35the same fate I did.

01:00:37Being sacrificed by people like you

01:00:39who treat lives as disposable.

01:00:42Lucien glanced at me,

01:00:44emotion flickering in his eyes.

01:00:46I avoided looking back,

01:00:48afraid my own feelings

01:00:50would spill over.

01:00:53Callum and Jenna united against us.

01:00:55They spread rumors

01:00:56that Lucien's non-human aura

01:00:58was the true cause

01:01:00of the gate's instability.

01:01:03Jenna wept publicly,

01:01:05claiming she saw his golden blood

01:01:07and couldn't sleep from fear.

01:01:10Callum played the responsible family head.

01:01:13I don't want to hurt anyone,

01:01:15but for the Hargroves,

01:01:16I must uncover what he is.

01:01:19The hypocrisy made me want to laugh.

01:01:21This was their old game.

01:01:23One crying,

01:01:25the other forced to act.

01:01:27Only now,

01:01:28the knives were aimed elsewhere.

01:01:31I stepped in front of Lucien.

01:01:33Anyone who wants to investigate him

01:01:35goes through me first.

01:01:37Callum's face darkened.

01:01:39Rowena,

01:01:39you'd abandoned the entire

01:01:41Hargrove family's safety for him?

01:01:43I protected him.

01:01:45You don't deserve it.

01:01:47Lady Rowena,

01:01:48have you forgotten Lucien's

01:01:49just an outsider you picked up?

01:01:51An outsider cleaner than you'll ever be.

01:01:53Lucien spoke quietly behind me.

01:01:55You don't have to shield me like this.

01:01:57I want to.

01:02:01The words surprised even me.

01:02:03We retreated to the forest

01:02:05behind the hall.

01:02:07Serpent energy pursued us to the edge

01:02:09but dared not enter.

01:02:12Moonlight filtered through the trees

01:02:14as I tended Lucien's wounds.

01:02:16Why do you remember the past life?

01:02:19He was quiet for a long time.

01:02:21Because when you died,

01:02:22I was there too.

01:02:24My hand stilled on the bandages.

01:02:26I was trapped in the formation.

01:02:28I heard you begging him to open the door.

01:02:30I couldn't break free.

01:02:31I could only watch it close.

01:02:33The memory of that freezing night

01:02:35crashed over me.

01:02:36Not everyone had abandoned me.

01:02:40Someone had tried.

01:02:42My throat tightened.

01:02:44I always thought if I were stronger,

01:02:46you wouldn't have died.

01:02:48That wasn't your fault.

01:02:49But I was still too late.

01:02:51I looked at him,

01:02:52the urge to embrace him

01:02:53nearly overwhelming.

01:02:55Instead, I whispered,

01:02:56this time,

01:02:57you weren't too late.

01:02:59Lucien met my eyes

01:03:00and smiled faintly

01:03:01for the first time.

01:03:03It was small,

01:03:04but it lit up the darkness around us

01:03:06like moonlight on water.

01:03:08My huntress mark began

01:03:10spiraling out of control.

01:03:13Visions of blood deeds

01:03:15and deaths

01:03:16flooded my silver sight.

01:03:20I saw Eleanor dragged by ghosts.

01:03:27Chester devoured by the serpent court.

01:03:31Jenna consumed by her own power.

01:03:34And Callum begging on his knees.

01:03:39Ardis' voice echoed in my mind,

01:03:42commanding me to hunt those.

01:03:48who fed the serpents.

01:03:53I nearly summoned the oath arrow.

01:03:55Lucien seized my shoulders.

01:03:57Rowena, look at me.

01:03:58The silver light and blood

01:04:00blurted my vision.

01:04:01Pain tore through the scar on my face.

01:04:04Move!

01:04:05I need to kill them!

01:04:07Lucien held firm.

01:04:09You can take revenge.

01:04:12But don't give yourself

01:04:13to the covenant.

01:04:15He cut his own palm

01:04:16and pressed the silver-gold blood

01:04:18against my scar.

01:04:20The divine fury retreated.

01:04:22I could breathe again.

01:04:24You are not the goddess's blade.

01:04:26You are Rowena.

01:04:28Tears stung my eyes.

01:04:30He had shown me I could hurt,

01:04:32hate,

01:04:33and still remain myself.

01:04:35I closed my eyes.

01:04:37Don't let go.

01:04:39I won't.

01:04:41Chester stole the sacrifice ledger,

01:04:43hoping to trade it

01:04:44to the serpent court

01:04:45for freedom.

01:04:47We tracked him

01:04:49to an old underground room

01:04:50where he knelt

01:04:51before a black serpent mirror.

01:04:55A pale hand reached out

01:04:57and took the ledger,

01:04:58offering no promise.

01:05:02Executors have no freedom.

01:05:05Only the next order.

01:05:09Chester protested

01:05:10his 43 years of service.

01:05:13The mirror cracked

01:05:14and dark energy retaliated,

01:05:17rotting his brand.

01:05:25I didn't save him immediately.

01:05:28Lady Whitmore,

01:05:29save me!

01:05:30I can tell you

01:05:32how to close the gate!

01:05:36How many have you helped kill?

01:05:38Let him die.

01:05:40I stabilize the energy

01:05:42in Chester's body

01:05:44with a silver seal.

01:05:47You won't die yet.

01:05:50You'll watch

01:05:51what you served

01:05:52devour you.

01:05:55I reclaimed the ledger.

01:05:58The path to the silver arrow

01:05:59lay clear.

01:06:01The path to the silver arrow

01:06:02clear.

01:06:03Jenna publicly revealed

01:06:05the arrow's location

01:06:06in Althea's heart.

01:06:08She stood in the meeting hall,

01:06:10crying convincingly.

01:06:13If we get that arrow,

01:06:16can the Hargroves be saved?

01:06:18Callum, I don't

01:06:21want you to die.

01:06:25The branches went wild

01:06:27with desperation.

01:06:29Callum pretended

01:06:30to restrain them,

01:06:31but I saw his agent

01:06:32slipping toward the hall depths.

01:06:34I blocked the entrance.

01:06:37Call them back.

01:06:39Callum stayed silent.

01:06:41Jenna tried to soften it.

01:06:43Lady Rowena,

01:06:44why must you think

01:06:45the worst of Callum?

01:06:47He only wants

01:06:48to save his family.

01:06:50Shut your mouth.

01:06:52I faced Callum directly.

01:06:53Do you want

01:06:54to save your family

01:06:55or steal my arrow?

01:06:57If it can save

01:06:58the Hargroves,

01:06:59it shouldn't belong

01:07:01only to Whitmore.

01:07:02His true nature

01:07:03stood bare.

01:07:04The man who once

01:07:05wore affection

01:07:06like a mask

01:07:09now showed

01:07:10his greed openly.

01:07:12I descended

01:07:13into the earth vein

01:07:14with Lucian,

01:07:15cross-souled as the strage

01:07:17and several clansmen

01:07:18forced their way

01:07:18after us.

01:07:19Serpent energy

01:07:20parted before me

01:07:21and recoiled

01:07:22even more

01:07:23from Lucian.

01:07:25At the core,

01:07:27Althea was pinned

01:07:28to the gate,

01:07:29the silver arrow

01:07:30buried in her heart.

01:07:31She lowered her head,

01:07:33exposing the wound,

01:07:34begging for release.

01:07:36I grasped

01:07:37the arrow's hilt.

01:07:39Lucian stepped

01:07:39protectively behind me.

01:07:41Careful.

01:07:44Callum pressed

01:07:45a silver blade

01:07:46to Lucian's throat.

01:07:47Pull the arrow,

01:07:48Rowena,

01:07:49or he dies.

01:07:52I held the hilt

01:07:53motionless.

01:07:54Blood, silver gold,

01:07:55trickled from Lucian's throat,

01:07:57exciting the gate further.

01:07:59Jenna's eyes

01:07:59lit with greed.

01:08:00Callum,

01:08:01his blood

01:08:02can replace hers.

01:08:03Use him as the new lock,

01:08:04Callum didn't deny it.

01:08:06Choose

01:08:06the arrow

01:08:07or his life.

01:08:09Don't mind me.

01:08:10The familiar cruelty

01:08:11broke something inside me.

01:08:13Why must everyone

01:08:14I cared for

01:08:15become their leverage?

01:08:16Do you know what

01:08:17disgustes me most

01:08:18about you?

01:08:19Callum frowned.

01:08:20You treat other people's

01:08:21sacrifices

01:08:22as natural rights?

01:08:23I released the arrow

01:08:24and slashed

01:08:25my plomb instead,

01:08:27spilling silver blood

01:08:28to summon the debts.

01:08:31Ghosts of sacrificed

01:08:32women rose,

01:08:33their eyes fixed

01:08:35on Callum.

01:08:36This time,

01:08:37judgment fell

01:08:38on the harbors.

01:08:40The ghosts

01:08:41surrounded Callum.

01:08:42They whispered

01:08:43their names.

01:08:44Wives,

01:08:45maids,

01:08:47daughters,

01:08:47and my past self.

01:08:49He stumbled back,

01:08:51the blade

01:08:51leaving Lucian's throat.

01:08:53I pulled

01:08:55Lucian behind me.

01:08:57Jenna

01:08:57launched

01:08:57for the arrow.

01:09:00Serpent energy

01:09:01from the gate

01:09:02seized her instead,

01:09:03merging with her bracelet.

01:09:06Jenna laughed wildly

01:09:08as she began

01:09:09transforming.

01:09:11Finally,

01:09:12my turn.

01:09:13You knew it

01:09:14wanted your body?

01:09:15So what?

01:09:17At least I'll

01:09:18drag you all

01:09:19down with me!

01:09:20She yanked the arrow

01:09:21partially free.

01:09:23Althea screamed,

01:09:24the gate cracked.

01:09:25Jenna,

01:09:26stop!

01:09:27Now you're scared?

01:09:28You protected me

01:09:29only because

01:09:30I was youthful!

01:09:33Their mutual

01:09:34betrayal

01:09:35lay exposed.

01:09:36Only I

01:09:37had once believed

01:09:38in their false bond.

01:09:39Lucian took my hand.

01:09:41Rowan,

01:09:41don't watch them.

01:09:42Do what you must.

01:09:43I nodded,

01:09:44stealing myself.

01:09:47The gate's opening

01:09:48caused Hargro

01:09:49Hall to collapse.

01:09:51Black rail

01:09:51tents insurged

01:09:52from the ground.

01:09:53Claxertman

01:09:54fled,

01:09:55only to be caught

01:09:56by their own ghosts.

01:09:58Eleanor was dragged

01:09:59before the fireplace,

01:10:01forced to confront

01:10:02the ledger.

01:10:03Rowena,

01:10:04save me!

01:10:05I was forced!

01:10:06It was all for the family!

01:10:09That's exactly what you said

01:10:11while watching you die last time.

01:10:14She trembled.

01:10:15I was wrong!

01:10:16You're not sorry.

01:10:20You're not sorry.

01:10:21You're just afraid,

01:10:21afraid to die.

01:10:23The ghosts

01:10:24pulled her

01:10:25into silver flames.

01:10:26Chester was devoured

01:10:28by his own masters.

01:10:29I asked Lucian

01:10:30if I seemed cool.

01:10:32No.

01:10:33They owed you.

01:10:34His words erased

01:10:35my final hesitation.

01:10:37Callum seized

01:10:38the silver arrow

01:10:39and fled

01:10:40toward the main hall

01:10:41to reseal the gate.

01:10:43I chased him

01:10:43to the iron door,

01:10:45the same one

01:10:46from my past life.

01:10:48Move aside,

01:10:48Rowena,

01:10:49and I'll let you go.

01:10:51We can settle

01:10:52the past later.

01:10:53The past?

01:10:54You speak so lightly of it.

01:10:56Jenna screamed

01:10:57for rescue

01:10:58in the distance.

01:10:59Callum barely glanced

01:11:00at her

01:11:01before turning away.

01:11:02He activated

01:11:03the mechanism

01:11:03to crap Lucian

01:11:05and moon.

01:11:06Inside,

01:11:07Lucian pushed me aside

01:11:08and shattered the door

01:11:09with explosive

01:11:10silver gold light.

01:11:11A golden horned

01:11:13white deer phantom

01:11:14appeared behind him.

01:11:15The serpents

01:11:16recoiled in fear.

01:11:17At last,

01:11:18I understood.

01:11:19Lucian was the

01:11:20sacred beast guardian

01:11:21of the Whitmores.

01:11:22Lucian knelt

01:11:23by the broken door,

01:11:25the deer phantom

01:11:25fading.

01:11:26Callum stared

01:11:27in shock.

01:11:28What are you?

01:11:31Something far

01:11:32cleaner than you.

01:11:33The serpent court

01:11:34and voidy emerged,

01:11:35terrified.

01:11:36Moon, dear guardian,

01:11:39you still live.

01:11:41Lupien looked at me

01:11:42with apology.

01:11:43I didn't mean

01:11:44to hide it.

01:11:45We'll settle accounts

01:11:46after we get out.

01:11:47He smiled.

01:11:48I grasped

01:11:49the silver arrow.

01:11:51The huntress covenant

01:11:52fully awakened.

01:11:54Artemis warned

01:11:55of the price.

01:11:57Use mine.

01:11:58No.

01:11:59I'm the guardian.

01:12:01I should pay for you.

01:12:04I already died

01:12:05for others once.

01:12:06This life,

01:12:09I pay for my own choices.

01:12:15The oath arrow

01:12:16formed in cold

01:12:17white light.

01:12:19Jenna,

01:12:20half serpent,

01:12:21charged in hatred.

01:12:22Why can you still stand?

01:12:27Why do you still have

01:12:28someone protecting you

01:12:30like that?

01:12:31Because I never

01:12:32gave myself to you.

01:12:33Lucian shielded me

01:12:34as the deer phantom

01:12:35repelled the energy.

01:12:37Callum begged

01:12:38on his knees.

01:12:39Roash saved me.

01:12:40I was wrong.

01:12:41In the past life,

01:12:42I had no choice.

01:12:44You had choices

01:12:45every time

01:12:46you chose to hurt me.

01:12:48I drew the bow.

01:12:50Artemis demanded

01:12:50a span of lifespan.

01:12:52I accepted.

01:12:53Lupien cried out,

01:12:54but I reassured him

01:12:56with a glance.

01:12:57Don't worry.

01:12:58I still need to settle

01:12:59your secret with you.

01:13:00I released the arrow.

01:13:02It pierced Jenna,

01:13:04the gate,

01:13:05the blood contracts,

01:13:06and buried deep

01:13:08into the earth vein.

01:13:10Silver light exploded.

01:13:12The serpent-tort

01:13:13passages collapsed.

01:13:16The gate sealed.

01:13:18Althira's wound healed.

01:13:22She placed a final

01:13:24white scale in my palm

01:13:25before dissolving

01:13:27into light,

01:13:28finally free.

01:13:29Jenna lay dying,

01:13:30her body rejecting

01:13:32the serpent energy.

01:13:33I'm not willing.

01:13:35Why did someone like you

01:13:36to win?

01:13:37Because I lost once,

01:13:39and I refused

01:13:40to lose again.

01:13:41Her body was consumed,

01:13:42leaving only shattered coral.

01:13:44Callum's death mark

01:13:45vanished,

01:13:46but so did his family's power.

01:13:48He knelt broken

01:13:50in the ruins.

01:13:53Rowena,

01:13:54save me once more.

01:13:58For our past-

01:13:59In the past life,

01:14:00you told me to hold

01:14:01the serpents

01:14:02until I died.

01:14:05I left him there

01:14:09to face his fate alone.

01:14:15As the hall fully collapsed,

01:14:17Callum chased after me

01:14:18one last time,

01:14:19desperate.

01:14:20Rowish,

01:14:21I was deceived by Jenna.

01:14:23Now I see clearly!

01:14:26You weren't deceived.

01:14:27You chose convenient lies

01:14:29every single time.

01:14:30Lucien stepped forward,

01:14:32blocking Callum's view of me.

01:14:34Don't look at her.

01:14:35You have no right.

01:14:37Callum froze.

01:14:39I allowed the protection,

01:14:41embracing it fully this time.

01:14:45At dawn,

01:14:47Hargrove Hall sank

01:14:48completely into ruin.

01:14:51I stood

01:14:52at a distance,

01:14:55watching the last serpent's stench

01:14:57blow away on the wind.

01:14:59My huntress mark

01:15:00and scar remained,

01:15:04but so did my resolve.

01:15:11Lucien stood beside me.

01:15:13Does it still hurt?

01:15:16Why do you always ask that?

01:15:18Because you always pretend

01:15:19it doesn't.

01:15:20I laugh genuinely

01:15:21for the first time in ages.

01:15:24Lucien,

01:15:24how long have you

01:15:26guarded the Whitmans?

01:15:27Long enough

01:15:27that I feared

01:15:28I'd always arrive too late.

01:15:30This time you didn't.

01:15:31Rowena,

01:15:32I never loved your face.

01:15:36His gaze held mine,

01:15:38never wavering to the scar.

01:15:41I love that you

01:15:42crawled back from hell

01:15:43to claim your debts

01:15:45and still chose

01:15:46to save the innocent.

01:15:51I took his hand willingly.

01:15:53Then don't be late again.

01:15:55I won't.

01:15:56We walked away

01:15:56from the ruins

01:15:57together into

01:15:58the morning light.

01:15:59This time,

01:16:02I didn't look back.

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