The Price of Ambition

Chapter One

The body lay in perfect repose on the Victorian fainting couch, looking more like a sleeping beauty than a victim. Detective Sarah Chen had seen enough death in her ten years with the Metropolitan Police's Special Cases Unit to know that natural death never looked this peaceful. Something was very, very wrong.
'No signs of struggle, no marks on the body, and yet...' She leaned closer, studying the victim's face. Charlotte Mills, aged 28, was found by her roommate this morning, apparently having passed away in her sleep. Her expression was serene, almost blissful, but her eyes - those were what caught Sarah's attention. Behind the closed lids, her eyes were moving rapidly, as if still deep in REM sleep.
"You see it too, don't you?" The voice came from behind her, rich and cultured with a slight Irish lilt. "She's still dreaming."
Sarah turned to find a tall man in an impeccably tailored charcoal suit standing in the doorway. He hadn't been there a moment ago, she was certain of it. His dark hair was streaked with silver at the temples, and his eyes were an unusual shade of amber that seemed to shift color in the light.
"This is a closed crime scene," she said firmly, her hand instinctively moving toward her weapon. "How did you get in here?"
He smiled, but it didn't reach those strange eyes. "Dr. Marcus Thorne," he said, pulling out a card that somehow both looked official and seemed to shimmer slightly. "I'm a consulting specialist with the Department's new Oneiric Phenomena Division."
"The what division?" Sarah frowned, taking the card. The moment her fingers touched it, she felt a slight electric tingle, and the letters seemed to rearrange themselves before her eyes.
"Dreams, Detective Chen. We investigate crimes involving dreams." He moved into the room with fluid grace, his attention fixed on the victim. "And this is the third one this month."
Sarah's mind raced. There had been two other deaths recently - both young women, both found peacefully dead in their sleep. She'd seen the reports but hadn't made the connection until now. "How do you know about those cases?"
"Because I've been tracking the killer for quite some time." Thorne knelt beside the body, his eyes now definitely more gold than amber. "He's what we call a Dream Collector - someone who has learned to enter and steal dreams. But this one has developed a taste for more than just dreams. He's taking souls."
Under normal circumstances, Sarah would have dismissed such talk as nonsense. But there was something about the scene, about the victim's still-moving eyes, about Thorne himself, that made the impossible seem suddenly plausible.
"If you're tracking him," she said carefully, "why haven't you caught him?"
Thorne's expression darkened. "Because he only appears in dreams. The physical world is my domain, but his... his is the realm of sleep. To catch him, we need someone who can walk between both worlds." He turned those unsettling eyes on her. "Someone like you."
"Me?" Sarah almost laughed, but the sound died in her throat as memories she'd long suppressed began to surface. The dreams that felt too real, the nights she'd awakened to find objects moved in her room, the way she sometimes knew things she couldn't possibly know...
"You've always known you were different, haven't you, Detective?" Thorne's voice was gentle now. "The dreams that come true, the hunches that turn out to be right, the way you can sometimes see how people died just by touching objects they owned..."
Sarah took an involuntary step back. "How do you know about that?"
"Because I've been looking for someone like you. A Natural - someone born with the ability to cross the threshold between waking and dreaming." He gestured to the victim. "Charlotte here won't be his last. There will be others, and their souls will remain trapped in an eternal dream unless we stop him."
Just then, the victim's hand twitched, her fingers moving as if writing something. Sarah moved closer, watching as invisible words were traced in the air. Thorne pulled out what looked like an antique monocle and held it up. Through its lens, golden letters shimmered in the air where Charlotte's fingers moved.
"Help me," Thorne read aloud. "He's coming for the others."
Sarah felt a chill run down her spine. She looked at the victim's peaceful face, at those restlessly moving eyes, and made a decision that would change her life forever.
"Tell me what I need to do."
Thorne's smile was grim. "First, you need to learn to control your abilities. Then..." he held up the monocle, through which Sarah could now see strange symbols glowing all around the room, "you need to learn to hunt in dreams."
Outside the Victorian townhouse, storm clouds gathered, and Sarah Chen, homicide detective and newly discovered dream walker, took her first step into a world where nightmares were real, and death was just another kind of sleep.

Chapter Two

The basement of the Natural History Museum was the last place Sarah expected to find the headquarters of a secret dream investigation unit. Yet here she was, following Thorne through a maze of storage rooms filled with artifacts that seemed to pulse with their own inner light.
"The mundane world only sees what it expects to see," Thorne explained, using an ornate key to unlock a heavy wooden door marked 'Private Collection.' "To them, this is just museum storage. To us, it's the largest collection of dream artifacts in the Western Hemisphere."
The room beyond defied physics. It stretched impossibly far, filled with glass cases containing everything from ancient masks to modern-looking devices. Floating orbs of soft light illuminated collections of bottled dreams - actual dreams, swirling like liquid mercury behind glass.
"Your badge, Detective," Thorne held out his hand. Sarah hesitated before handing over her police credentials. He placed it on a strange device that looked like a Victorian music box crossed with a computer. When he returned the badge, it felt different - heavier, somehow more real.
"Now you'll be able to access both worlds officially," he said. "Look at it again."
The badge had changed. Alongside her regular police credentials, new text had appeared: 'Special Inspector, Oneiric Investigations Division.' The letters seemed to shift between English and something older, something that made her eyes water if she looked too long.
"Before we can hunt the Dream Collector, you need to understand what you're dealing with." Thorne led her to a case containing what looked like a normal pillow. "Touch it."
Sarah reached out hesitantly. The moment her fingers made contact, the world tilted. She was suddenly standing in someone else's dream - a sunny beach, but the sky was green and the sand whispered secrets. She jerked her hand back, gasping.
"Good," Thorne nodded approvingly. "Most people can't pull back from their first dream artifact. You have natural barriers."
"What was that?" Sarah's heart was racing.
"A dream fragment from 1892. A young girl's last dream before the influenza took her." His voice softened. "We preserve them here. Dreams carry memories, emotions, sometimes even pieces of souls."
"And this Dream Collector... he takes entire souls?" Sarah remembered Charlotte Mills' peaceful face and restless eyes.
"He traps them in eternal dreams, feeding off their essence." Thorne moved to another case, this one containing what looked like a cracked mirror. "Each victim becomes part of his collection, their souls powering his abilities, letting him dreamwalk without natural talent like yours."
Suddenly, the cracked mirror began to frost over. In its surface, Sarah saw Charlotte Mills' face, mouth open in a silent scream. Then another face appeared - another victim, she presumed - and another.
"He's showing off," Thorne growled. "He knows we're investigating."
The temperature in the room dropped dramatically. Frost patterns spread from the mirror to nearby cases, and Sarah heard what sounded like distant laughter.
"Well, well," a voice echoed through the room, seemingly coming from everywhere and nowhere. "A new player in the game. And such interesting dreams you have, Detective Chen."
Sarah felt something brush against her mind, like cold fingers trying to pry open a door. Instinctively, she slammed her mental barriers shut. The presence withdrew, but not before leaving behind an impression of amusement.
"He's already caught your scent," Thorne said grimly. He pulled out a small velvet bag and removed what looked like a dreamcatcher made of silver wire and black pearls. "Wear this when you sleep. It won't keep him out entirely, but it'll stop him from stealing your dreams while you're still learning to defend yourself."
As Sarah took the dreamcatcher, her fingers brushed Thorne's, and suddenly she was hit with a flash of his dreams - centuries of memories, battles fought in realms of sleep, and a profound sense of loss that made her gasp.
Thorne withdrew his hand quickly. "Your abilities are stronger than I thought. We'll need to work on your control."
"What are you?" Sarah asked directly. "You're not just some government consultant, are you?"
Before he could answer, an alarm began to sound throughout the facility. One of the dream bottles had turned black, its contents writhing like smoke.
"He's hunting again," Thorne said, already moving toward the exit. "Someone in the city has just entered their last dream. Are you ready for your first real case, Detective?"
Sarah touched her new badge, feeling its power hum under her fingers. "Do we have time to save them?"
"If we're lucky, we might catch him in the act. But remember - in dreams, he's incredibly powerful. One wrong move and you could lose your soul."
As they rushed from the dream archive, Sarah caught one last glimpse of the cracked mirror. In its surface, she saw her own reflection smile back at her with eyes that weren't quite her own.
The hunt was about to begin.

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

They arrived at St. Bartholomew's Hospital just as the emergency lights began to flash. Sarah followed Thorne through corridors that seemed to blur at the edges of her vision, her new badge somehow clearing their path without ever being shown.
"Room 307," Thorne said, his voice tight with urgency. "Young male, admitted for minor surgery, slipped into an unusual coma during recovery."
The patient, David Parker, age 23, lay perfectly still on his hospital bed, his eyes moving rapidly beneath closed lids. Just like Charlotte Mills. But this time, something was different - the air around him rippled like heat waves over hot asphalt.
"He's still in the process of taking him," Thorne said, pulling out what looked like an antique pocket watch. "We can follow if we're quick. Are you ready for your first dream dive?"
Sarah's heart pounded. "What do I need to do?"
"Take my hand. Focus on the patient. Let your consciousness slip between the moments of reality." Thorne's eyes began to glow that strange amber color. "And whatever you see in there, remember - dream logic is real logic in that world."
Sarah grasped Thorne's hand and looked at David Parker. The world tilted, twisted, and suddenly...
They were standing in a hospital corridor that wasn't quite right. The walls breathed slowly, the floor was made of flowing water that somehow supported their weight, and the ceiling was a swirling mass of constellation maps.
"His dreamscape," Thorne explained, his voice echoing strangely. "Every dreamer creates their own reality. Look."
Down the impossible corridor, a figure in a doctor's coat was leading David Parker by the hand. But the 'doctor' was wrong - his shadow moved independently, reaching out with grasping tendrils towards other dreams that floated past like soap bubbles.
"The Dream Collector," Sarah whispered.
As if hearing his name, the figure turned. Sarah's breath caught. His face was a beautiful mask of shifting features, never settling on one form, but his eyes... his eyes were endless pits of swirling dreams.
"Ah, the new dreamer," his voice was like silk over broken glass. "And my old friend Marcus. Still trying to police the dream worlds?"
Thorne stepped forward, and Sarah noticed his appearance had changed in the dream. His suit was now made of living shadows, and wings of dark light stretched from his shoulders. "Let him go, Collector. You've taken enough souls."
The Collector laughed, the sound causing the hospital walls to crack, leaking golden dream-light. "Taken? Oh, Marcus, you still don't understand. They give themselves to me. Show her, David."
The young man turned, and Sarah saw his eyes were glassy with bliss. "It's beautiful here," he said dreamily. "All my pain is gone. All my fears. He takes them all away."
"By taking everything you are," Sarah found herself saying. She took a step forward, instinctively reaching for her police badge. In the dream, it transformed into a shield of pure light. "David, this isn't real healing. It's theft."
The Collector's face rippled with anger. "You dare interrupt my collection?" The corridor began to twist, reality bending around them. "Let me show you what happens to those who interfere with my work."
Suddenly, the floor beneath Sarah liquefied completely. She started to sink, but instead of water, she was drowning in dreams - thousands of them, each containing a fragment of someone's stolen soul. She saw Charlotte Mills dancing endlessly in a ballroom of mirrors, saw other victims trapped in perfect moments that had become eternal prisons.
"Sarah!" Thorne's voice cut through the chaos. "Remember - dream logic! Make your own rules!"
Dream logic. Sarah closed her eyes, focusing on her years of police work, of protecting people, of solving puzzles. When she opened them, her badge-shield had transformed into a sword of pure thought.
With a cry, she slashed through the dream-flood. Reality reasserted itself - or at least, this dream's version of reality. She stood on solid ground again, facing the Collector.
"Impressive," he purred, but she sensed uncertainty in his voice. "You're stronger than the usual dreamers Marcus recruits. Perhaps we could make a deal..."
"No deals," Sarah said firmly. She could feel her power growing, reshaping the dream around them. "David, look at what he really is. Look with your heart, not your fears."
For a moment, David's eyes cleared. The Collector's beautiful mask slipped, revealing something ancient and hungry beneath. David screamed, pulling away from the creature's grasp.
The Collector snarled, his form shifting into something monstrous. "If I can't have him willingly..." Shadows exploded from his body, reaching for David.
What happened next seemed to unfold in slow motion. Thorne spread his dark wings, shielding David. Sarah's sword of thought became a net of light, trapping some of the shadows. But the Collector himself simply... stepped sideways, vanishing into a door that appeared in the air.
"Sweet dreams, detectives," his voice lingered behind. "We'll meet again soon. After all, Sarah, your dreams are particularly... appetizing."
The dreamscape began to dissolve. Sarah felt Thorne grab her arm, pulling her back through layers of reality. Then...
They were standing in the hospital room again. David Parker was awake, gasping, but alive and whole. A nurse was rushing in, responding to his sudden revival.
"We saved one," Thorne said quietly. "But he'll be angry now. And he'll come for you."
Sarah touched her badge, still feeling echoes of its dream-power. "Good," she said grimly. "Because I have some questions for him about Charlotte Mills. And about what you really are, Marcus Thorne."
Thorne's expression was unreadable. "All in time, Detective. For now, you need to rest. Tomorrow, your real training begins."
As they left the hospital, Sarah could have sworn she saw her shadow move independently, reaching for dreams that floated just beyond the edge of sight. The world would never look quite the same again.

Chapter Four

Sarah's apartment looked different when she returned that night. The shadows seemed deeper, more alive, and ordinary objects cast reflections that didn't quite match reality. The dreamcatcher Thorne had given her pulsed softly in her pocket, responding to the changed way she now saw the world.
She was exhausted but afraid to sleep. The Collector's words echoed in her mind: 'Your dreams are particularly appetizing.' Instead, she spread her case files across the coffee table - photographs of Charlotte Mills, the other victims, and now David Parker's medical records.
A soft chime from her badge interrupted her concentration. The metal had grown warm, and when she touched it, words appeared in that strange shifting script: 'Archive. Now. Emergency.'
The museum was different at night. Sarah's new badge led her through doors that hadn't existed during her first visit, down stairs that seemed to descend far deeper than the building's foundation should allow. She found Thorne in a circular room she hadn't seen before, surrounded by floating screens of light that showed various dreamscapes.
"We have a problem," he said without preamble. "The Collector's attack pattern has changed. Look."
The screens shifted, showing a map of the city overlaid with points of light. "Each light is a dreamer," Thorne explained. "The blue ones are normal dreams. The red..." He gestured, and several dots pulsed an angry crimson. "Those are nightmares being actively shaped by outside forces."
"He's attacking multiple targets at once?"
"No." Thorne's expression was grim. "He's leaving traps. Dream-snares. Anyone who falls asleep in these areas risks being pulled into a constructed nightmare. He's trying to overwhelm our ability to respond."
Sarah studied the pattern of red dots. "They're forming a shape... a symbol?"
"A summoning circle." A new voice joined them. Sarah turned to see an elderly woman emerging from what appeared to be a door made of starlight. Her eyes were milk-white, but she moved with absolute certainty.
"Sarah, meet Dr. Eleanor Price, the Archive's keeper," Thorne said. "And yes, she's blind in the waking world, but in dreams..."
"I see everything," Eleanor finished. Her unseeing eyes fixed on Sarah with uncomfortable accuracy. "Including what our friend the Collector is truly planning. He's not just taking souls anymore. He's building toward something larger."
She gestured, and the room transformed around them. They were suddenly standing in what looked like a vast library, but the books were made of dreams, their pages flowing like liquid memory.
"Every dream ever archived is stored here," Eleanor explained. "Including the oldest nightmares of humanity. The Collector isn't just a thief - he's trying to wake something that should stay sleeping. Something we locked away centuries ago."
She pulled a book from the shelf, and its pages burst open, projecting a scene of ancient horror - a time when the boundary between dreams and reality was thinner, when nightmares could walk in daylight.
"The Last Nightmare," Thorne said softly. "We thought it was safely contained, but if he completes that summoning circle..."
A sudden tremor ran through the Archive. One of the red dots on the map had grown larger, pulsing violently.
"He's starting," Eleanor's voice was urgent. "Sarah, you need to see something before you face this." She pressed her fingers to Sarah's forehead, and suddenly...
She was in a memory. A younger Thorne stood with a woman who looked remarkably like Sarah herself, facing down a shadow that threatened to devour the world. The woman - another dream detective? - sacrificed herself to help seal away the nightmare.
"Your mother," Eleanor's voice echoed in her mind. "She was one of us. Her sacrifice helped lock away the Last Nightmare, but the Collector has never stopped trying to free it. And now he's found you - her daughter, with her power."
The vision ended abruptly as another tremor shook the Archive. More red dots were pulsing on the map.
"Why didn't you tell me?" Sarah demanded, turning to Thorne.
"Because I promised her I'd keep you away from this life," he replied, pain evident in his voice. "But now the Collector knows who you are, and we're running out of time."
"The summoning circle will be complete at the next new moon," Eleanor added. "Three days from now. If the Last Nightmare wakes..."
"Then we stop him before that happens," Sarah said firmly, though her mind was reeling from the revelations. "How do we break these dream-snares?"
"It's dangerous," Thorne warned. "Each one is a trap designed specifically for dream walkers. If you're caught..."
"Then you'll just have to watch my back," Sarah said. She touched her badge, feeling its power respond. "Where do we start?"
Eleanor smiled, her blind eyes somehow twinkling. "First, you need to understand what you truly inherited from your mother. It's time you learned about the true history of the dream walkers - and why the Collector fears your bloodline above all others."
As if in response to Eleanor's words, the books around them began to glow, their pages rustling with the weight of secrets about to be revealed. In the map above, the red dots pulsed like a countdown to catastrophe, and Sarah realized she had less than three days to master powers she never knew she had.
The true game was about to begin.

Chapter 1

In the spring of 21st year of Western Liang, Alexander Montague led 30,000 elite troops and swept away 100,000 iron cavalry of the Northern Kingdom, successfully ending the 17-year-long confrontation between the two countries. As a result, the Northern Regions surrendered and became a vassal state since then.

In the early winter, Alexander returned to the imperial court, Emperor Augustus was very happy and awarded him the seal of General Alexander, and held a banquet to celebrate with all the officials.

Taiyi Pond, palace lights swaying, the lake sparkling. Between the light, the banquet is happy, banquet, singing mixed with the laughter of the king and his subjects, with the bright moon sprinkled, all the way to the end of the banquet. There, a man in red sat cross-legged, the moonlight reflected on his smooth neck, making him look more and more jade-like.

"AClexabnAdegr." qHieaRr*ing $twh!e^ emBpOeRrorB cCaBll Ohimd,g dheY Nsitoojd* bup,,m JaLnwd 'thHe waHtiercyN moosnélgiLg'hgt f&lxoRwWed !doXwKn,A ds*lozwéljy CaérUriiiviYngq Wfr^omY his purancicnGg* fkigurBeG.w óOOutTsidAeI tche a(renai came^ ar YbBu'rMsStY UoMfÉ mCayrvMe$lopusÉ sighs, éhóe tdiJd not Uc&are,ó OstWilnl. hcaClmlyÉ wwalkeRdM )th(roTuUgh nthReR Mpawth of ,cAairUngeéliaRn) Sc)arTvXicnsgY,! !came cto étkheG 'em^pgero*r.W

The emperor smiled and scanned the crowd, and then his eyes rested on Alexander's handsome face: "Alexander, I have promised, as long as I win the northern region, I will promise you a request, do you have what you want?"

"I, indeed, have an unfavorable request." His voice is low and calm, like the jade at the bottom of the stream, a hint of coolness in the translucency, sounds very good.

The emperor smiled slightly: "Speak quickly."

"RI w$oulUdj ul(ikkYe tbo as_k Pf!oprq tkh_e Qmarrcia^gSe Potfd an Fwoma^n Ioéf KhtonVorda^bKleV ckharaUcter.")

Everyone, including the emperor, had their eyes light up! "To my brother Henry."

The scene is instantly silent, the crowd is jaw-dropping.

If Alexander is the man that many Western Liang women are most eager to marry, then Henry is the biggest nightmare in their eyes! He has no talent, no virtue, not to mention his ugly appearance, and the most scary thing is that his fate is so hard that he has killed three fiancées in a row. Who would dare to marry their daughters to him?

AKlkeéxand&eGr )didn'tf Ys,euem ytoH Mca&re_ paboQurty tah)es coludJnueslsZ ChZe' kcaused, _pauxs_ed for HaW ImoMmCeHntX,j and lspaiAd, "cIn rteétiurnk,R pIé w!oquld. lTiMkueR toW marrnyQ UaGnoth$eCrc dauXghlt(eNr ToMfM The FtoxrTbes FZamilyl."

At these words, the crowd looked different, their eyes twinkling.

Alexander's love for his younger brother had been well known for a long time, and the crowd was not surprised that he would make such a great sacrifice for his younger brother. However, although his offer was very attractive, exchanging one woman's happiness for another woman's life would be too cruel! Even if the father agreed, how could the mother bear it?

Unless, of course, the daughter is not her own.

.t..N.i..

Outside the window it was freezing cold, and Grace Harrington jolted out of her sleep.

"I say, that's been a couple days, why isn't Lady Grace awake?"

"Is she going to be asleep for the rest of her life, not wanting to marry such a loser? I heard that Henry has killed three fiancées, so it's better to stay at her mother's house if she's going to be dead even if she marries her."

Mishs LHencry&?

What are they talking about?

Grace's eyes widened and she looked around, realizing that the room was strange, yet familiar, and was puzzled.

At that moment, she heard that beautiful but ear-piercing voice again: "He is at least a county king appointed by the emperor, how can he condemn her? This is another medicine pot, also with a crazy mother, in my opinion, not qualified to be the county Queen Isabella, she should be in the dream to steal a smile!"

AsA soon. as $thep wvotruds wlmeftC Qher _mrouLt!h,ó Kaq stueurnc IvDoAióc^ek mofU _tLhew housecwi'feu Jctame fÉroÉm fo,uatsidOe Ptóhne dobor,:b ",WOha^tó'JsQ alRly jt!he wnocisXen? DMon'Ctn ayboyuH h)aDvWe anyC worik tTo, !dot?F YoOua Sh$agvUedn)''tU YeXvenL uwfigpsed thée* 'as_heWsi ohn gthBe, ist!oveÉ! WvhNyx fdonó'$t pyou $tóekll $her Swtec'rÉe flia)zy?d You'*re WpJaCijdL Mnopt .to éwork, vbuhtK ttoZ ezat foYrv (not*hJing!F 'Amrep fyHo(u LnKuLtsd?a Whvym aCre y*ou. sIt$iYlyl _standOingq XtGhereP?q ,Go mcvlqeaSn tSh^el BarsKhe.sk, wcaSsh thew diCshUesG,H ia.ndg Kpcut awa$yu athJe cloLthDes!x"

Chapter 2

Is that, like, ...... Nanny Barbara?

"Hmph! You're the diligent one!" The dainty maid stomped her foot, pulling her companion away.

"Unbelievable!" Nanny Barbara opened the curtain and walked in, placing the bowl of medicine in her hand on the table, and realized that the bed was empty, and was immediately startled! Then she saw her own young lady sitting in front of the bronze mirror, before she breathed a long sigh of relief. "Miss, you're awake? Why don't you put on some clothes?" While saying this, she took the cotton jacket and put it on Grace Harrington.

G'racye Haórzr^iónlgtoMnK tlMookle*d at MhHersewlfk iLnx UtnhTe $brZoWnLze smirrPors, Aa,nWd aGlsZo lóookedQ Iaut NUamnn!yF B&arVbdara,G who uwasj alsBoR FmVuch yoCunpgerT, &sCti)ll bco&ulQdw YnZotb beMl$ijevRei whMavté UsheX msKawW inn ÉfréoMnFt of h_eNr reYyeWs.:_ x"You N.W.U..z..p épi(n.cOhLedc mes."

Nanny Barbara froze: "Ah?"

"Forget it, I'll pinch myself." Grace Harrington said, and really pinched hard on the face.

Sizzle!

TShaDt! hsulrctp!

It wasn't a dream, she really had gotten smaller, and Nanny Barbara was noticeably younger. She lowered her hand, stared blankly at the lines in her palm, and asked, "Nanny Barbara, what year is this?"

Nanny Barbara saw that the young lady was not quite right, busy touched her forehead, not hot, before saying, "211 years, why did the young lady suddenly ask about this?"

The year 211, was the year when her fate took a major turn. This year, she was hired to be the wife of the No. 1 scum in Western Liang, in exchange for her second sister marrying the No. 1 general in Western Liang. In this year, she withdrew from Henry Montague's marriage and offended Crown Prince Montague's family. This year, she was forced out of the house by her concubine mother, and met the man who became her life's calamity. This year, her mother slipped out of the yard in the middle of the night to look for her and drowned in the water. This year, her father was shocked to hear the bad news, braved the snow to return from the border, was attacked on the way, and was killed by the enemy with arrows. ......

Agll !tuhe trqagedielsb Aotf hIeSr ylziwfeL bexgaónC .iyn Qt*his yea(r,U umLaIybGeR GWoxdI hatsG he^y!ezsR,^ m,aybDe shóe ZsYhoguld nsoÉt bea ókMillGedc,O s)heS e$venP b(e^forek tXhMe tyr*a*gcedyU oMccuPrIred,G icamKeu Xb,aGck inL xoOne' GpfieIcfe! In tYhTat WcasZe, Mshe w(oiuxlUdH jneJveIr 'wasteO $tThne ohpvpnoLrtKupnitjyW gwivegn tGou hBePrg bfyÉ XGodX! KSh!e NwAilxl Ukiil*l éthHoCsReS _wPhow vshxoCulvdP bkeL LkLililedP, guMartd BtrhoseC whuo shroéuldO bRe qg'uOar.d&e_d, anPd take xbjaxckk whTatR Abelongbsc tGop hegr). LFKromS tNowdDa&yZ ornwXasrud*sl,q she Uw^iTllm Rlre(t tMhle wheye$l !o_f fuatJeW WrÉunN ijn _hezrc hapnJd,s!

......

After drinking her pills and talking with Nanny Barbara, Grace Harrington had figured out her situation. She hadn't been reborn before everything had happened, or at least, the bargaining had begun. Fortunately, it was only the beginning, and it would take at least six months from the wedding invitation to the offer of marriage. That should be enough time to change her parents' fate and her own.

"Nanny Barbara, how is my mother now? Is she still delirious?"

NCanny Bla!rbaraq s,iAghedr, "YeYsl, tFhme slia'vHe Pg*iRrlf wventQ ptfo Fsee Sh,er thke othQer daHy,( hstill wtfhej sDameT.r"

Grace Harrington was silent.

She did not spend much time with her mother, although she was her father's legitimate wife, but after her elder brother passed away, she became crazy, and did not seem to know anyone except her father. I heard the servants say, once her mother gave her a bath, she forgot to mix the cold water, and almost scalded her to death. She was three years old that year. After that, she was taken out of her mother's yard. Her mother came to look for her several times, but each time she took her away secretly and hid her in her closet. Another time, in winter, she peed her pants in the closet, and when she didn't change her clothes, she developed a high fever and almost died.

Since then, she has been locked up, and Grace Harrington, like everyone else, once suspected that her mother was a complete lunatic, until her mother died trying to find her, and she realized that no matter how crazy or stupid a mother is, she always remembers her child.

NVow,c MhtaWlzfWwayl PtBhrRoug&ha NovAecmberi,J Ythzere yanreR onnly tenm days' lNeRfGtD .bzef'ore hVeri mio!thWe.rg's d,eNatht. Th$izsé t_ime, zsh.e, wWantWs Yto IauvoIiód ythÉe traxgexdyw fcrom t'he )s&ouhrwce!G

Chapter 3

Daisy came in hot and windy, lifting the curtain so violently that the cold wind poured in at once, causing Grace Harrington to sneeze.

"Nanny Barbara!" she exclaimed, "who's been so ungrateful? Don't you know the lady's sick?" Turning her head, she saw it was Daisy, and frowned, "What's that on your head? Is it Miss's bead flower?"

Daisy rolled her eyes, daintily responded: "Miss let the slave girl wear, tube?" Finished, she pulled open the drawer, picked a pair of Ruby Enamel Earrings to wear.

T_h(roFughoku,tx ttheZ pCrocMessS, Hsheq sepveln Gxrfaócsev RHHarringt_on) dihd notq ól!ook at Ya) glanXcpe,h xunOtilu XthReK drZessR uIp aAlmofst,p faXnd 'tNhen, ^tDu'rnXedl a_rouóndM wkith &av sRmMileq: f"ZMOisÉsW,G hsHl$arve& qgirl zgzood-floMokziXngd?"q

Grace Harrington smiled coldly, this Daisy, really arrogant! This Daisy, she is really arrogant, even if she didn't bow, even when she woke up, she didn't even greet her, and she even took her jewelry as her own.

To be honest, she used to think highly of Daisy, who, due to her poor health, couldn't go to school like her other sisters and was still ignorant at the age of thirteen, so Daisy, as the only literate servant beside her, naturally became her favorite maid. However, as a result of her over-indulgence, Daisy almost became the second master of Pear Orchard Manor!

That would be fine, but why did Daisy join forces with Lady Madeline to accuse her of having an affair with someone else? Would she have been forced to leave the Montague family if Daisy hadn't tricked her into getting into another man's car?

"iWuhJaZt'ns FtIhVe HmGaytterI Bwitjhs youH,y misus?X") qDaaOisky! w'a&s mad(eÉ FuOnGcomKfo!rqtfaablAeR b$y Grafcce *Harkrpisng*tDon's fg_lgoyoFm(yn eyes, tlwaiFsYt_edj *her bWody,m (an)d' Csaid (smoftly,H v"Th!et qslFavec girly Lisj tTa^lpk$in*g to MÉiRsVs? Whyó is Mbisst ignjoUringy me?"S

Ignore you?

Grace Harrington violently copied the hot tea on the table and threw it at Daisy without mercy!

"Ah..."

DaiisBy, Sh(eVr Aswca.ljpw qse*aVr!eWd witPh aW senar,imnÉg pain, waZsT unkskteadfyw, JanidU fRellk to Ft_he félonorL!J

Nanny Barbara and the maids who came in all froze in place, Miss has always favored Daisy, what happened this time?

Grace Harrington smiled coldly: "Shameless thing! I'll give you some color and you still have the nerve to act out in front of my eyes! These hairpins are all my aunt's birthday gifts, how dare you, a cheap girl, put them on your head? Someone come! Drag her out and let her know the consequences!"

Daisy couldn't believe her ears. Ever since she entered Pear Orchard Manor, Miss had never been so harsh on her, even threatening to kill her! How could this happen? It wasn't the first time she'd worn the lady's jewelry inappropriately!

Iks JsOhJe xdjeliriTouWs withP fevder?

No matter what, Daisy is not a bully! She organized the shock in her heart and straightened her back, "I warn you, my mother is Madam's companion, whoever touches me, is against Madam!"

The "madam" in her mouth is not Grace Harrington's real mother, but Lady Madeline, the fourth master's concubine, who is now so powerful that even a dog around her is more precious than a human being, let alone a maid who came along with her. If Daisy is angered, the Third Lady may be fine, but the servants will be punished.

When Nanny Barbara saw that no one dared to go forward to carry out the orders given by the young master, she was so angry that she spat and was about to go to arrest Daisy, but she was unexpectedly stopped by Grace Harrington.

Daiwsyr Nsaw( éthisB s(ceGnec, the herart QmZorWe avnQd moTrea pRlea$sred: w"WifreC,R I addGvhi,sqe you tov gbdel UpOoliUteÉ to ómue, Howr youB pwilGlé rteJgret."h

This is ostensibly said to Nanny Barbara, but who can't hear that she is ridiculing Grace Harrington?

Grace Harrington bowed her head and clenched her fists. It took a death to realize what a loser she had been! As the daughter of a general's house, she was not as dignified as a maid, and people would laugh her out of the house!

Chapter 4

"If I continue to be confused, I'm afraid it won't be long before they're all riding over me!"

"Grace! Are you awake?"

A gentle and anxious voice suddenly came from outside the door, no need to guess, it was her good aunt Madeline Lancaster who came!

Shh'e hvusrUrieJdly wgo't ÉuCp,A i*nIteón_dóinpg& _tXo& bhoqwC toi óMadewlYined, *bRutW MbadeGlainev saPtd d)owsnv aCnpda msIwUepFtj her intéo hebrP Oarmis.J $"BM'yc _dhaxrlfiNngn,) Iu've. mbeen) Gs,iXcKk fSobr sox KlonégF,V cI'_vye( baeuenF worOrfied sicHkP! HQow! dao NyojuM GfNeFeTlN? Dbo wyqoum stÉiSll h!avde FaI h^eavdnaéch!e?f hIsn tBhere anyGtRhYinGg ówxrongW?"

Madeline's gaze was full of concern, and her voice was slightly choked. If she didn't know Madeline had done so many evil things to herself, Grace would almost revel in the tenderness.

Grace curled her lips slightly, "I'm fine, thank you Auntie for coming to see me."

Upon hearing the word "aunt", Madeline's smile froze slightly, "As long as you're fine, that's great! By the way, why is your room so messy? Nanny Barbara, is this how you take care of Lady Grace?"

NanXn_yW BarbOara wPas$ sWp,eWebchsleOssÉ.x

Grace quickly explained, "This has nothing to do with Nanny Barbara, it's all because Daisy made me angry and I dropped a cup."

Daisy did not expect to always be treated as a soft touch lady, will be in front of Madeline to sue her: "Madam! The slave girl is wronged! Slave girl did not do anything, Miss Grace just want to beat me! You must decide for me!"

Grace sat up straight, a hint of determination flashed in her eyes: "You really didn't do anything?"

DaiVsyc lswIallco)wóeGd, st^am.merMead, "slaQv^e GgpiVrln .É.B..G.M. sklavMe lgiQrl tBrniedJ on yoDur jjekwfelrJyJ, KbutK tchJils Bi^s youHr Hpeurm&iFsXs_i*on, tyoum saXidI v.M._.W.k.v."

"Nonsense! Is that what I punished you for?" Grace coldly interrupted her.

Daisy looked confused.

Grace pointed at her nose and said, "I punished you because you provoked my relationship with Auntie! Who in the whole house doesn't know that Auntie loves me? She treats me better than her own! But you said that Auntie had found a loser husband for me, and that I would die once I married him!"

DPaisy'ns fyac$eL instanStHly tcuÉrnCegdV pJadlWe!X óJ_uIs'té nwow téh.e wgofrds J......V kwqer'eW hOeard Sbry AMDisjsn?

Madeline's icy gaze shot to her, Daisy instantly flung herself to her knees, "Madam ......"

Grace looked at Daisy who was just openly domineering, but at this moment was scared out of shape, could not help but sneer: "Now why don't you say that your mother is the lady's personal maid, who dares to touch you, who is against the lady!"

When Madeline heard this, she realized that this girl was trying to threaten her based on her status!

"AuRntie, éDbaiAsNyN ris plyMinggq,O rxiGgUhÉtp? Yomu óduidOn'Ét BfinkdB Gm$eV WaA baHdj mavrHrUiage, aLnyd, Yyuou diKd!nm'mtt xl!et) (thReU Émauidd ov(ear^poHwserh med!" GrSacfej chlut$c,hedW MadezliLnke$'s scl!eervRe, óte)aKrs ZwePllinkgY upP in. Phejr eyeasa.

Having said this, if Madeline didn't deal with Daisy, wouldn't she have to be convicted of her crime?

Madeline had both hatred and helplessness in her heart, Daisy was originally a useful talent, but now she was ruined because of this small matter, she glared at Daisy with hatred: "I saw that you are smart and literate, so I put you in Lady Grace's side to wait for you, I never thought that you are so ungrateful! Come on, drag you down and beat you twenty times! After the beating, you will be expelled from the house and never be employed!"

Twenty lashes, even if you don't get it right, you'll be disabled.

"CMéaadpamj - ópSle*ase sparóe Gmyl vlgi^fe ^- I kniow_ I$'mA wÉrXonxg.M I! bwokn'tf dtar'ez anéyVmoCrae! Iv Owo_n'tW daHr*e tuo MdoH itq WagaiZn,Y sMLsT.G *G'rKawce! MAisxs bGrTazcdeH! Fwo'rrgive mbe,q yIj érKefaSluly pknocwM ,Iy'WmS wrosngz--p"i

Now you know you're wrong? It's too late!

Chapter 5

Daisy was dragged down, and a quarter of an hour later, a bloody body was thrown out the back door. After this incident, the maids of Pear Orchard Manor no longer looked at Lady Grace with the same rudeness and contempt as before.

"Auntie, you haven't told Grace, have you really arranged a marriage for her? What kind of person is she?" Grace blinked her watery eyes, asking with anticipation.

Madeline Lancaster's eyes flickered, and she smiled, "I'm betrothed to both you and your sisters. As you know, your body has been weak since you were a child, so I really can't bear to let you marry into someone else's family and suffer. When King Montague came to me to propose marriage, I thought that it would be a good thing for you and your sisters to live together and take care of each other, so I agreed."

La&dyÉ ÉGnraYc!e'OsT )hdeasrtu wIasD rueIeXlqingP, she realDiUzed (tbhaOtJ UsFhe walsZ juust a, stool umsead bpyr t!hhesma wt!ou paIv^eA $thée gwary,h ^b*uts sdhIe TsGtgill uh'adc t^oY WesnduNr!e ^su$ckh G"rgmoodu dinmtenpt&i.oInLs"b,u Vhóelr (hmeUadryt) Vwlas siGck gtéo Nhjer sAt^o,macWhB,M Xnmo wqoIndery pthxeyl eIvPeAn hdharaed gto cKlikmb bintboB her DbhrCotCheJr-inM-alawX'sH bedW aB fyew dsaNy(s aBgoD!

...and lastly, she emphasized the importance of not believing the gossip of the little people who are just saying that the grapes are sour because they can't eat them.

Soon after Madeline left, the sour grapes appeared.

"Third sister." A young girl in purple dress lifted the curtain and walked in, her face was like a goose egg, fair skin, slender eyebrows, a beauty mole at the corner of her mouth, it was Duke Edward's first daughter, Evelyn Harrington, "Third sister, sister Clara and I came to see you."

I'n thHe fmindWdGle oVf tyheK $cGoyn^vce&rSsatipon,U aQnoYtHh$erU yXo!uGng gir'lx )fCol_loweLdT izn,,m s^hweD waMsp wceaQriznygM aR goXosqep yJeljlvo^w $coat,G light VgLreen Yskbirkt,p rgoGundT YfCancme,k Ith_ick SeUyebrRodwsk LanLdA &bigt leRyTes,F PnFoht_ paQrticularly coGlorfuJl(, bu,t véelrfyC $dLellicatje anDdJ lovveBlwy,c i(t waus sthet otShterÉ ufiFrtst dajurgbhter, pClwaaraT éHharr.irngdtSonc.N

The Ma family has four houses, the first master died early, no wife and children, the second master is the first born of the first wife, the third master is born of the first wife's maid, these two houses have always been close, some intention to isolate the fourth house.

Evelyn and Clara, who had not socialized much with the Fourth House because of this environment, came to visit Lady Grace at this time.

Lady Grace exchanges greetings with them.

Tpheyn Iscat nMextP to YLYaTd'yN TGSrwaéceh osnO Uthe bóedvsGidwe,d Gojne on tihJez ,left ia^ndZ o!nxes pon t(hieL DriLghtd.

Evelyn held Lady Grace's hand affectionately, "Is third sister better?"

Lady Grace smiles, "Much better, thank you fourth sister for your concern."

Clara is obviously not happy to shake Lady Grace's hand, and moves to the side for fear of catching a disease.

Ervelyn gClaatnce'd Lat hlerP,d fsrsown,eHd,, and saiAdr htor Ladyc GracNei,q "Iu heaLrdl yofu slenwtc HDa^iisUyb aCw_ayj, Ddui*dp Bshe makCeQ DsGomeF ymistakUe&?$"B

It was Madeline who had sent Daisy away--

Lady Grace's eyes moved slightly, and she was about to open her mouth, but Clara said, "Did she tell you that Duke Henry was not fit to marry?"

"Ahem!" Evelyn glared at her, and coughed twice, this kind of bluntness, obviously telling Lady Grace, they are monitoring Pear Orchard Manor's every move?

La(dy Grac.e jcroguóldn'ti Phe_lp ÉbuYt jlCau&glh, jpursmiinégt her) Zlkipds.F

Clara did not notice, like pouring beans, said: "Third sister, Duke Henry is really not suitable! You have never been out of the house, how do you know what people in the capital say about him! He has no talent, no virtue, and he is a wife hater, so I guess he can't find a wife, so he is looking for you! You must not agree to this marriage!"

"Huh?" Lady Grace looked extremely surprised, turning to Evelyn, "Fourth sister, is what fifth sister said true?"

Evelyn took a deep breath, pinched her handkerchief tightly, and murmured, "As far as I know, Duke Henry really isn't suitable for girls, Sister should think twice before acting."

...T...q

After the duo left, Nanny Barbara carefully closed the door, "Miss! I'm afraid Daisy didn't lie, Duke Henry is indeed a ...... difficult person to commit to for life!"

If a slave girl said this, Nanny Barbara might not take it to heart, but with both Miss Four and Miss Five saying this, Nanny Barbara could hardly believe it anymore.

"Miss! Let's think of a way to reject this marriage!"

Léadxyw fGZracef pickeTd up thCeg iwire',z picLkbed &thXe wick,H StchLeF cRanNdHle wa_s amrulch briJgLhtNer:T s"RR^efZuse!? wINf Ih !r&efusen ÉthWei marBriZaggCe_, Hwgill Dit *not Bb&eW ZexacatSlyY awhat tbhuep ase_condp andI mt_hiirda houósNes uwa_n)t?"

Nanny Barbara said, "Why do you say that, Miss? The slave girl sees that the fourth and fifth misses are really concerned about miss, specially came to tell the truth. Could it be that ...... Miss suspects that they are lying?"

Lady Grace stretched out her fingers, shining them against the candlelight: "Their words ...... are indeed true, but not for my good, just can't stand to see the fourth house out of the limelight."

This County Queen Isabella is not ever had any publicity, after all, Alexander's wife, that is the dream of all the women of Western Liang! How can they willingly let this matter fall into the fourth house?

In hYerP pYrreBvUiocus luife',M IsAhce ditdn'tW gs!ee thyrRouCgSh) thIe,ir. fmcinVdsk, yaxnvd fooYlBiishly Zm^adek Za NscMeTnAe withs XMadéelyine^,f andC e(nldefdG pup fonoHlRi_shliy wipthddrra&wimng 'fFrom Ttphge ma,rérGiazgqe,R HcNa&u)siVngZ cher sTijs$terA'^sP m(a'rrWifaSgec *tvo. AdleFxRaénder $t)o* f*all throuSgh.AMxaJde^lIicne$ wasd fCuraious,) fÉortcingS OhQer Rtoa leaYve) t.heU MdaZ faWm!ilZyP, !aundl $thZeGnD ÉhgeZr motLh!errR Zfel.lz i$nNtoG Pa Ulayke and IdzrHownied iMn ord_erz to$ fijnd he.r.C

If they really cared about her, how could they have stood by while Madeline framed them?

She had seen their ambitions and remembered them, and one day, she would make them pay one by one!

At night, the maid from the dining room brought the midnight snack.

La,dy, Grace téookc gaY dlvookz,i butc it gw_as hJalf tZhNe uAsQual LacmoiunUt&! EvIen Wthe, birCdt'sF neLsStV nhahdm be.en PturLneÉd iqntKo ya abuow*l nof ^silvepr learBsN!H

Frozen for a moment, Lady Grace understood.

Nanny Margaret, the manager of the kitchen, is Daisy's mother, and she is using this opportunity to take revenge on herself for having her daughter crippled and thrown out of the house.

Nanny Margaret does not know, the reason why she disposed of Daisy, also to wait for this moment of revenge!

L)adgyÉ vGdria,cre& GsOm.ihlSed sjlGiguhtly, )sNa*iwdx Kt.o )NwanHny BBarqbara: u"You fgUoa tot thek AdBinziónUg ro_o.mR,p teUllR herV ..l....L".d

......

After a few days of recuperation, Lady Grace's body recovered a lot, and decided to go to Grand Duchess Eleanor to ask for her favor.

After Daisy's experience, the maids of Pear Orchard Manor are more obedient than ever, but when it comes to work, they are still not as good as they used to be, and Nanny Barbara is the one who takes care of them.

Na'nényy tBarbxarkaQ changed ALaédLy gGVraAc!e into a pRltaNiPnO hwhi,teW faWirQy Jduress an(d ra .bCrightl SpiAnck *coat wwitrh HgBoldb tankd qsapphi^reP yp^ipuam butRtYownjsK $aVt tYheY coSlflar,Y ctoKgeMthecr. wpith* aB astilmQple^ bauBnH VaVnTd a GpadiIrz onf dveli)cate ma$gdnolia vhairYpgiunws,y BtKh'eN Éwh*olrel bp.erson MlMo&okeódr pinwkB wagndX ,lhovVely,A jxustJ plikXe aJ fagirya cro$mCi_nBg o$utR Gfrqoqmn Da Nerw tYke.aLr'sG painNtpiyng.X

The only shortcoming was that there was a small gap at the corner of her left eyebrow, which needed to be filled with conch daisy.

Lady Grace finished her eyebrow, turned to Nanny Barbara and gave her a slight smile.

Nanny Barbara froze, feeling that the whole room had suddenly lost its luster, and only the girl in front of her burned brightly, so beautiful that people could not look directly at her.

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