The author of "Tides of Passion" wrote the romance and drama to start with the female lead's coming of age. However, the true core of everything began in the academy.
Evelyn slept through the day, hungry, and awoke the next day feeling even worse. She frowned — a child's body truly was inconvenient. In her adult body, she could go a full day without food and wouldn't feel a thing. Then again, for a while after her parents' death, she stopped feeling hunger, so perhaps that wasn't a fair comparison.
She decided to try her luck and do quite literally anything but stay cooped up and possibly starve to death.
As soon as she stepped outside, she was met with Rosanna's maid, whose eyes widened, then softened sadly. "Miss Verity, are you hungry?"
Evelyn nodded. The world was so cruel to Verity; it didn't even have the decency to leave her the young miss's maid, who was the only person who could have shown her affection.
The Castellan had sent away all who had served Rosanna with heavy compensation, to lessen the grief of her death by reducing people and things that reminded them of her constantly.
Thinking of it, the young miss's wish had done more harm than good for Verity, as she would have been sent away with good compensation and lived a better life had it not been for it.
Evelyn was led right back into her room, and the maid soon returned with a tray of food and water. The maid sighed while placing the food down, and Evelyn dug in.
"Miss, have you cleaned your teeth?"
Evelyn nodded. She was no child, at least mentally.
The maid sighed again. "Miss Verity, please don't beat yourself up. I know you weren't one to do such a vicious thing, and now the young miss has confirmed it."
"The young miss isn't the type to lie, and we all know — however, her family, they are too grieved to care. I'm so sorry, Miss Verity."
Evelyn nodded in understanding, and silence followed.
After she was done eating, she was led to the young miss, and the first thing that greeted her was the resentful gaze of the Grand Duke, the Duchess, and their two sons — in opposition to the young miss's gladdened gaze.
The firstborn, Lucien, spoke through gritted teeth, "What. Is. She. Doing. Here?"
"Young miss—" the maid tried explaining but was crudely cut off.
"Look at her!" Gideon exclaimed angrily. "Not a single shred of sadness or guilt or regret, and you want me to believe she isn't the perpetrator? Sister, you cover for her too much!"
"Gid—" the young miss broke into a coughing fit midway through her defense.
"Gideon," the Duchess, Isolde Castellan, called to him with caution in her eyes.
With a guilty gaze the young boy retreated, but malicious eyes, not just his, remained on Evelyn.
The Grand Duke finally glanced at Evelyn for the very first time.
This was her first meeting with the Grand Duke. From what she knew of the novel, Grand Duke Castellan merely remained in the background, appearing only in the villainess's backstory and in situations where the villainess was punished for her wrongdoings, along with mentions of his great wealth, which was rumoured to exceed even the royal family's.
Grand Duke Castellan was a tall man of powerful bearing, with striking blonde hair and grey eyes that bored a hole through Evelyn at that very moment. He was as good-looking as he was wealthy, and, along with his equally gorgeous wife, Evelyn finally understood where Rosanna and her brothers got their charming looks.
Evelyn felt as weird as one would if some old, powerful aristocratic man glared at them — a bit pressured but overall surreal. Wow, she really was in a novel, huh?
"Do you swear you have nothing to do with this?" His deep, distrustful voice echoed to Evelyn. "As Gideon said, you do not in any way look like someone whose friend is dying."
Evelyn nodded, only for the Grand Duke to rise, slipping away from Rosanna's grip and hovering right over her.
"Speak," he commanded fiercely.
Looking up at the towering man before her, Evelyn blinked. Oh — but it seemed she had long since lost her voice. She looked down and remained mute. What now? Was she about to be snapped in half or had she watched too much anime?
"Speak, child!"
Oh great — the wife was joining in too, how lucky.
'At least look behind you; your daughter is wheezing for your attention.'
"Defend yourself," Isolde spat.
Evelyn looked straight up at them. The malice, the revulsion, the oppression... Too bad — it was all wasted on her. A walking dead.
She wanted to be here just as much as they wanted her here, which was zero.
The Grand Duke gritted his teeth in rage. How could a child change so much? That trembling little chick from last time clinging to his daughter had turned into this mute child with eyes as dead as an unliving doll.
The sharpness and variety of emotions within her eyes, which were the brightest shade of gold, had become duller than wood.
This was the thing his daughter had been hanging around all this while!?
His eyes flashed and his hand grasped the child's tiny hand, making her flinch in pain.
"I said speak!"
"Dad!" Rosanna forced herself to burst out of bed with a desperate look as tears ran down her face.
"Please, please, please leave Verity alone! I'm begging you—hick—"
"Rosa!" The Duchess quickly ran to her side along with her husband, and soon all attention was thrown back to the young miss, who was having a coughing fit even worse than before due to her sudden outburst.
Evelyn watched from afar while caressing her reddened wrist and felt heavily embittered.
Why? Really, why her of all people? Why couldn't the universe just leave her dead?
This was so... frustrating.