Seraphina POV:
My words hung in the air, seemingly freezing the very atmosphere in the hall. Vincent stared at me, his expression for the first time holding not just disgust, but a strange confusion.
Faye's face was whiter than the walls. She instinctively tried to hide behind Vincent, a subtle movement that didn't escape my notice.
"You think saying that absolves you of responsibility?" Vincent finally spoke, though his voice no longer carried the same conviction as before. "Faye's hand is still bleeding!"
"Really?" I raised an eyebrow, my gaze shifting to the hand Faye was clutching tightly. "Then perhaps we should have the family doctor examine it. Such a serious wound... We wouldn't want it to leave a scar and ruin her chances of marrying Gideon Sinclair."
At the mention of Gideon Sinclair's name, Faye's body stiffened. Vincent's expression darkened even further.
I watched their reactions, a cold mockery rising in my heart. Of course I knew. This political marriage had always been arranged for Faye. She had carefully planned everything, all so that I, her "useless" sister, could take her place and die in her stead.
In my previous life, I was deceived by their false promises. Carrying a trace of hope, I entered Gideon's castle, only to be sent back to my family after the failed marriage was exposed.
Everyone in the Beaumont family mocked and despised me, and in the end, I was tortured to death by Vincent's people.Meanwhile, Faye used my "sacrifice" to gain even more sympathy and affection.
"What exactly are you talking about!" Vincent shouted angrily. "The marriage contract with the Regent was Father's decision! It has nothing to do with Faye!"
"Nothing to do with Faye?" I laughed. "Then why was I the one being sent away for such an important alliance instead of our family's 'treasure,' Faye?"
I stepped forward slowly, each step feeling as if it landed directly on Faye's and Vincent's hearts.
"Wasn't it because she cried to you, telling you that the Regent was a cruel monster? Wasn't it because she said she would die if she married him, so you pretended to comfort her and secretly convinced Father to give the engagement to me instead?"
My words were like a sharp blade, precisely cutting through the filthy secret between them. Vincent's expression began to waver. He looked at me in disbelief.
"I didn't!" Faye screamed. Her voice became sharp with panic and fear.
"You didn't?" I stood in front of her, looking down at her. "Then do you dare let me examine your so-called 'injury'?"
"Don't touch her!" Vincent roared.
Like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, he lunged toward me, trying to push me away.
The moment his thick arm moved toward me, the power sleeping within my bloodline surged instinctively.
My senses sharpened. I could see the shift of his muscles, the direction of his movement, and the opening created by his anger before he realized it himself.
Vincent was an Alpha warrior, stronger than any ordinary wolf, but strength alone meant nothing when emotion blinded judgment.
I moved with the instinct of the ancient blood flowing through my veins. I pivoted aside, avoided his forceful attack, and used his own momentum against him. Before he could react, I seized the opening and forced his body downward, making him drop to one knee.
"Ah!" Vincent cried out in pain.
The entire hall gasped. No one could believe that the frail me could unleash such astonishing strength and skill, subduing the powerful Vincent in an instant.
Vincent himself was stunned. He struggled, but my grip held firm, supported by the unfamiliar strength coursing through my body. He looked up at me in disbelief, and for the first time, his eyes showed a flicker of fear.
"I said, don't touch me," I said coldly, releasing him and stepping away.
I turned to the petrified Faye and, before she could react, seized her "injured" wrist.
"No! Let go of me!" Faye screamed, struggling.
I ignored her protests, forcefully prying her fingers open. There, on her delicate wrist, was a single, shallow scratch, so faint the blood had already clotted.
"This is your 'bleeding uncontrollably' wound?" I held up her wrist for everyone to see. "You really went all out to frame me."
Her lie exposed in public, the blood drained from Faye's face. She collapsed to the floor, unable to do anything but sob.
The servants' expressions shifted from accusation to shock, then to dawning comprehension, and finally, to contempt. Their eyes, when they looked at Faye, no longer held any sympathy.
Vincent, who had scrambled to his feet, looked at Faye's fake wound, then at my cold face. His mouth opened and closed, but no words came out. He was finally realizing he had been played for a fool.
This is just the beginning, Faye. Everything you put me through in my last life, I will make you pay back a hundred, a thousand times over.
I smoothed my own skirt, as if nothing had happened. "Call the doctor. Not for her, for me."
I looked at Faye and declared, "I need a health certificate, to marry the Regent in perfect condition. After all, this is the wonderful marriage you 'gave' to me. I can't possibly disappoint your 'good intentions'."
