Annabel's POV
The maids woke me early this morning, dragging me to the bath in a haze of exhaustion. They washed me thoroughly, and by the time I finally came to my senses, I asked them why I was being prepared so meticulously. Their answer: Lord Leonardo would be arriving at the manor today.
I don't know why, but the mere possibility of seeing Leonardo today made my heart race. This strange, unfamiliar emotion was not something I could easily shake off. His absence had left a strange void within me. Perhaps without even realizing it, I was becoming attached to him.
His recent change in demeanor, his softened attitude, might be affecting me more deeply than I'm willing to admit. He's been treating me with such gentleness and care lately... some of my darkest memories have begun to blur. As if those days of torment belonged to another life entirely. But that's not the truth.
I haven't forgotten what he did to me. I can't forget. The nights when he violated every boundary of my body, when fear and helplessness etched themselves into my soul... And yet now, when I see that same man holding our son in his arms, looking at him with such tenderness it shatters something inside me. My mind insists it's all just an illusion. But my heart... my heart is uncertain.
Because those same hands, the ones that once hurt me, have now offered me a gift. Not just an apology but something priceless in this world: a technique artifact.
I don't know what it cost him to obtain it. But the mere act of giving it to me... for a moment, it made me feel like more than just a worthless slave. That glowing thing in my hands opened another wound in my heart. Why did he do it? Was it guilt? Atonement? Or... yet another manipulation?
These questions spin endlessly in my mind. But worst of all, my thoughts of him are no longer bound by fear or hatred alone. Into this storm has crept another, far more dangerous emotion: Gratitude. And worse still... expectation.
I can't forgive myself. Every time I catch myself wanting to forgive him, I loathe myself a little more. And yet... every time he comes near, something inside me stirs. A tremor that oscillates between fear... and hope.
Perhaps some foolish part of me still believes he might truly change one day. Or perhaps... he already has? Who knows?
When I see him today… I don't know how I'll be able to look him in the eye.
Will he still love our son? Will he speak to me without touching me? Or will he return to what he once was?
Just imagining the possibilities tears me apart.
And yet, I prepare. My hair is brushed. My dress was carefully chosen. Every time I look into the mirror, a stranger stares back at me; not a slave, not a lady, just a woman lost in chaos.
And the heart of that chaos... is no longer just fear.
It's a longing I'm ashamed to name: the desire to be loved. To be seen as worthy.
"Leonardo…"
____________________
-Hours later-
Lady Rebecca and I waited together in the courtyard of the estate. Alongside servants and knights, we stood at the end of the long stone path leading to the manor's gates. My eyes flicked toward Lady Rebecca, Leonardo's sister.
I suspect the technique artifact Leonardo gave me wasn't the only one he possessed. Since he left, Rebecca has spent nearly every waking moment training. She helped me absorb my technique and even gave me occasional advice to improve it. She's a kind woman. But strangely, her kindness seems reserved only for me and my son, Lucareth. Toward the servants and most others, she is aloof and distant. Perhaps she only values her family.
And if that's the case... does she see me and my son as part of hers?
The thought warmed my heart in an odd way. I even caught myself smiling like a fool.
When Lady Rebecca glanced at me from the corner of her eye, I quickly straightened up. Her silver hair was neatly pressed, her crimson dress accentuating her dazzling blue eyes. For someone I usually saw in worn training clothes and tousled hair, this polished elegance was… striking.
She seemed to care deeply about her brother. The way she prepared for his arrival, her elegance, her poise… it spoke volumes. They had recently gone on a dungeon expedition together. Maybe they'd grown closer during that time.
Then, a strange thought crept into my mind.
Was there… something different between Rebecca and Leonardo?
I felt ashamed even entertaining the question. It couldn't be. They were siblings. Even if only half-siblings, that line must never be crossed. Couldn't be crossed.
But… there was a certain warmth in the way Rebecca looked at him. A softness reserved only for him, hidden beneath her otherwise cold and distant demeanor.
Maybe I'm just imagining it. Maybe I'm just… jealous?
That thought frightened me.
When does a person feel jealousy? Not over what they possess but what they're afraid to lose. And the moment I asked myself that question, something inside me unraveled only to tangle into something even more complicated.
If I'm jealous… doesn't that mean I imagine him belonging to someone else?
And if that "someone else" is his own sister… or half-sister?
Among the nobility, such rumors always circulate like whispers in the dark. Power and blood often blur the lines of morality. Especially when survival, secrets, and bloody dungeons are involved. The imperial history is filled with tales of incestuous marriages. Half-siblings wed for politics. Cousins bonded for power. In nobility, bloodlines often matter more than decency.
But Rebecca... she didn't seem like that. She looked cold, strict, reserved and not someone who could harbor such twisted passion. But if there's one thing I've learned from my short life, it's to never say never.
Thinking of her that way felt wrong. And yet, another emotion stirred in me: comparison.
If he truly cared for Rebecca… then why would he care for me?
If he gave her one technique artifact... and me another… Was mine just a consolation prize? A pity gift?
I hate myself for caring. Not because I truly believe it matters but because I hope it does.
Because somewhere deep down, I still pray I have a place in his eyes.
Just then, the sound of hooves echoed across the stone path. The servants stiffened, the knights aligned. Rebecca straightened slightly. The moment had come.
As the hoofbeats drew closer, my heart clenched in my chest. My breath quickened, my hands clutched the fabric of my dress. When I finally raised my head, I saw the carriage at the head of the convoy approaching, surrounded by men in knight and some people on horseback.
I expected Leonardo to step out first. But instead, a woman emerged.
And in that moment… time stopped.
She was impossibly beautiful. Hair black as night, skin pale like porcelain but not lifeless. No, it radiated a strange, hypnotic vitality. Her eyes... white. Lifeless, soulless, but when they met mine for a fleeting instant, every hair on my body stood on end.
Her hourglass-shaped, moved with graceful confidence. She wore no noblewoman's gown, no warrior's armor, just a sleek, flowing, dark outfit that seemed to drink the light. But what struck me first wasn't what she wore... It was what she was.
She reeked of danger. But she was as well... a riddle wrapped in allure.
And then I saw the child.
A blonde-haired boy, five or six years old. He looked nothing like her. No trace of her features on his face. His mouth curved downward slightly, his eyes a soft blue, nothing like Leonardo's icy stare. His hair gleamed golden.
Still… he held her hand. And she… acted like his mother. The way she looked at him, pulled him close... it was maternal affection. They walked together.
And behind them... came Leonardo.
He wore no armor. Just a dark gray embroidered coat. He looked tired, but as well... complete. As if whatever he'd left behind, he had now returned with something or someone to fill the gap.
As his eyes scanned the gathered crowd, they paused on me. I quickly looked down.
Jealousy stabbed through me like a cold needle. I glanced at the woman again. She was still beside him. The child clung to her cloak as they walked in step.
We... we were like his past, and they were his future.
My throat went dry. I swallowed, but the knot refused to pass.
Beside me, I felt the tension in Rebecca's body. Her face remained expressionless, chin lifted, spine straight. But women can read women.
The faint glance she gave the mysterious woman, a flicker of sharpness behind a veil of poise, was like a blade hidden in silk. Jealousy cloaked in civility.
Rebecca would never admit it. Never show it. But I could feel it. Just as she must have felt the trembling inside me.
Three women. All orbiting around him.
One, his past. One, his present. And one... perhaps a dangerous future.
Rebecca was strong. Patient. But that woman... she was something else.
No one even knew her name, and yet her shadow had already fallen over us.
Leonardo approached. The servants bowed slightly. The knights saluted. Rebecca greeted her brother, but did not meet his gaze. He walked toward us, still holding the woman's hand.
"Rebecca," he said first, and then turned to me. "Annabel," he said softly, his voice low and steady. "I'm glad to see you both again."
The sound of my name on his lips nearly made my heart leap out of my chest. I avoided his eyes. Even his scent, masculine and unmistakably his, made my cheeks burn. I think… I understood my feelings now.
They weren't just longing to be loved. But the desire to love in return.
I... had feelings for the man who ruined my life. To be honest... I think I fell in love with him.
And now I had rivals. Just like in fairy tales, I would have to fight for love.
I...
I...
I don't know how or what to do. But I feel like I have to do something.
Because right now... It feels like I'm about to lose everything.
Forever.