KRISTIE MCCARTY POV:
After Kandace fled in absolute terror, a dead silence claimed the room. Phoebe finally snapped out of her shock and fell to her knees before me, trembling like a dry leaf in the autumn wind.
"My lady... you..." She was far too terrified to form a coherent sentence.
I stepped forward and gently helped her up, my voice softening into its usual calm rhythm. "Phoebe, how many years have you been by my side?"
"Since... since you were ten, my lady," Phoebe stammered, keeping her head bowed low. "It has been ten years."
"Then you should know I never strike without absolute certainty," I said, handing her a cup of warm water. "Speak not a single word of what happened today to anyone. From now on, you only need to remember one thing: I am your mistress, and soon, the Lady of Carlisle Estate."
My quiet composure and the unshakable authority in my tone soothed her frantic nerves. She took a deep breath and nodded heavily, her frightened gaze shifting into an expression of resolute, unwavering loyalty.
After settling Phoebe, I locked the heavy oak door. I needed a moment of total solitude to process the truths of my existence and lay out my chessboard.
I walked over to the dressing table and sat down, staring at the young, quiet face in the mirror.
Yes... two lives, lived by a single soul.
Just seven days ago, in this very chamber, Silas Mccarty had marched in with Kandace. They demanded that I surrender my betrothal, my mother's inheritance, and the man I had secretly loved with all my heart for years—Brennon Montgomery.
That betrayal was the final straw that crushed my spirit. Overwhelmed by unbearable grief, bitterness, and the agony of being forced away from the person I adored, the former me couldn't bear the shame. Right here in this suffocating room, I swallowed a lethal dose of poisonous herbs, choosing to end my own tragic life.
They believed I was simply trapped in a week-long coma.
They had no idea that during those seven silent days, my soul had been pulled away, drifting across time and space into another world—a highly advanced civilization known as the Blue Planet.
In that world, I was raised as an orphan in a shelter, but through the generosity of kind benefactors and my own relentless determination, I graduated from the highest medical institute in the land. I dedicated my entire life to healing the sick and saving thousands, elevating my medical mastery to a degree that bordered on the divine. Before my long life in that world finally came to a peaceful end, those I had saved reverently bestowed upon me a title reserved for legends: Master Vesta, the Divine Grandmaster of Healing.
When I closed my eyes in that life, expecting eternal rest, I opened them only to find my soul dragged back into this world—waking up in my own dying body, exactly seven days after I swallowed that poison.
Heaven had granted me a second chance at my own life.
I was a Grandmaster of Medicine. I possessed a heart of divine compassion... but that compassion would never be squandered on my enemies.
Those who owed me, those who betrayed my mother, and those who trampled on my dignity—I would drag every last one of them down into hell.
Marrying the "Broken Archon," Holden Carlisle, was forced upon me by circumstance. But it was also the exact sanctuary I needed—a hidden, overlooked stage where I could gather my strength and execute my retribution.
In my hands, he would not only be restored; he would become the deadliest, sharpest blade in my arsenal, directed straight at the throats of those who wronged me.
An Archon bound to a bed of torment owes everything to the woman who pulls him from the abyss. By restoring his ruined body and curing what others called impossible, I wouldn't just gain his absolute, unshakeable gratitude—I would wield the terrifying power, wealth, and military might of the Carlisle bloodline.
A strange, absolute sense of calm washed over me.
My gaze shifted to an expensive jar of royal face cream sitting on the dressing table—a luxury item Kandace had brought over a few days ago solely to gloat.
She hadn't given it to me as a gift. She had merely placed it on my vanity to rub her elevated status in my face.
I guessed it wouldn't be long before she sent someone to take it back.
She wanted to flaunt her glamour before me?
Then I would let her. A cold sneer formed on my lips...
I picked up the jar and opened the lid. A sweet, cloying fragrance filled the air. Kandace loved everything flashy and superficial.
A cold sneer formed on my lips. From a hidden compartment in my leather trunk, I retrieved a small, oil-paper packet containing a fine, ground botanical powder.
To an ordinary person, it was unremarkable. But with my vast medical knowledge as Master Vesta, I knew its exact properties.
I carefully tipped a small portion of the colorless, odorless powder into the cream, stirring it meticulously with a silver hairpin until it dissolved completely.
It wasn't a lethal poison. It wouldn't kill her.
However, when absorbed into her skin, it would react violently with a specific ingredient in her favorite royal dessert—a treat I knew she would gorge on during her wedding feast. The combination would trigger an unforgettable, humiliating "surprise" at the most glorious moment of her life.
I placed the doctored cream back in its original spot, erasing every trace of my work.
I walked to the window and drew aside the curtain. Moonlight spilled into the courtyard, casting a serene glow over the stones.
Across the manor, Kandace's courtyard was ablaze with glittering lights as she made her final preparations for tomorrow's grand wedding.
"Enjoy your final moments of glory, my dear sister," I whispered softly into the night breeze.
I closed the curtains, shutting out the world.
In the darkness, an ice-cold smile curved my lips.
The prelude to my vengeance was finished. Tomorrow, the real climax begins.
