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Chapter 08
Diana’s Gift
“Sara is back? …Is she really back? Where, and how did she return?”
“Yes, ma’am heard the news and went out to meet her. She seems to have returned safely.”
“Thank goodness. Thank goodness.”
Sara only returned to the count’s estate when morning had fully arrived. Derek repeatedly asked Meiri about Sara’s whereabouts, but her mouth was so tight-lipped that she never gave a proper answer.
In the end, Derek went out to the market far away to find her. But she was nowhere to be found, and his efforts turned to dust.
Fortunately, Sara had returned.
Derek stayed up all night with worry. At that moment, a servant who had just returned from reporting the morning situation spoke to him.
“…Young master. It seems the young lady Sara came back with someone from the Marquis Dayburn’s household.”
“The marquis household?”
“Yes. I overheard the servants talking, so it should be accurate.”
Derek’s expression darkened for a moment. Sara spending the night at a man’s house—something he could not even imagine.
Hearing that, he felt ashamed of himself for worrying all night without sleep. Without another word, he left the room and strode out roughly.
Sara entered the house with the lady, extremely tense as she walked.
She was sure she would be called to that room. Just thinking about it was horrifying. At that moment—
The lady walking ahead suddenly turned around sharply, making Sara flinch in surprise.
“So, did you bring the flowers?”
Sara shook her head.
“…I’m sorry, Mother.”
“That’s fine. I suppose I asked too much of you.”
“….”
It was confusing. Before Sara could ask again, Lady Diana spoke.
“Ah, I was planning to give you a gift anyway. Your father will be coming too, after all.”
A gift?
Leaving only vague words behind, the lady left Sara in the living room and disappeared.
Sara wandered around the house looking for Meiri, worried she might have been punished because of her.
“Meiri? Where are you?”
Where did she go?
After searching for a long time, feeling frustrated, Sara stepped outside and looked up at the open sky.
[“Stop crying.”]
Without thinking, looking at the sky reminded her of Cassian.
“What am I even thinking right now?”
She quickly shook her head and erased thoughts of him. Not much time had passed, yet everything with him already felt like a dream.
[Sara! My beloved daughter. Why are you only coming back now? I was so worried.]
“….”
Then Diana’s words echoed again in her mind.
They were probably not sincere. Sara knew that. And yet, hearing the words “my daughter” made her emotions surge.
The warmth of the embrace that held her had felt real. For someone, it might have truly been a mother’s arms. But not for Sara.
“….”
While Sara was calming her gloomy thoughts while looking at the sky, Derek happened to find her and approached gently.
“Sara.”
“Derek?”
Derek asked,
“I was worried. You don’t usually stay out all day and not come home. What happened?”
“…It’s nothing. I went to the market to look for flowers and fainted.”
“You fainted? Are you hurt?”
At Derek’s worried question, Sara shook her head and smiled.
“I don’t know. My head just started hurting, throbbing. When I opened my eyes….”
Derek interrupted her with a cold voice.
“So you were at the Marquis Dayburn’s estate.”
Sara nodded. How did he know? She tilted her head slightly.
But Derek was different.
He was furious that Sara had spent the night at that marquis household.
He wasn’t worried about her fainting. Slowly approaching her, he said,
“How did you end up at the Dayburn marquis household? That family hardly even appears in society. Don’t tell me… they did something to you?”
“What?”
Sara frowned, finding his words unpleasant.
“What are you even thinking? Stop thinking useless things, brother. That’s insulting to me—and to the marquis family.”
“….”
Derek’s face turned harsh for a moment. He was the type who could be gentle, but when something displeased him, he became frighteningly sharp.
“…Just leave me alone.”
Sara turned away coldly.
At that moment, Derek lost control of his emotions and grabbed her wrist hard.
“Ah! What are you doing? Let go!”
It was nearly a twist of her arm. Sara could not withstand his strength.
Her golden eyes began to shift, almost turning into heterochromia.
Derek warned her,
“You are a Tresha! You are my family, and I will interfere as much as I need to. So don’t do anything that makes people worry. Understand?”
“….”
Derek, usually calm, suddenly losing control made Sara shrink in fear.
Was going to the Marquis Dayburn estate really something that angered him this much… as family?
“…It hurts.”
Sara’s eyes turned red with tears of humiliation.
Derek panted heavily, struggling to contain his emotions.
“…Sorry. I didn’t mean to go this far.”
Hearing Sara say it hurt, he quickly released her wrist.
“I’m sorry, Sara. I was just worried. I shouldn’t have done that to you.”
Her delicate wrist was already red from his grip. Sara glared at him but soon felt her strength drain away as he apologized.
Right. At least he knew how to apologize.
That was enough for Sara not to stay angry.
“It’s fine, brother. You were just saying it for my sake, right?”
Sara nodded and forgave him. Derek smiled faintly as he looked at her.
“You really are a good girl.”
“….”
“Right, can you accept this, Sara?”
What Derek offered her was a necklace.
A beautiful ruby-red necklace immediately drew her attention.
“Why are you giving me something like this….”
It clearly looked expensive. Sara looked uneasy.
“It’s nothing special. Just take it. I felt like your neck always looked a bit empty. Red suits you well.”
“But still…”
Was it really okay to accept this?
She had never received a gift before, so Sara gave an awkward smile.
Derek went behind her and personally placed the necklace around her neck.
“….”
The moment it touched her skin, a strange feeling came over her.
Something like her throat tightening.
But she thought maybe it was just because it was her first time wearing something like this.
Sara touched the jewel and smiled faintly, feeling oddly happy.
In a way, it was her first real gift from family.
“Thank you, brother.”
“….”
Sara turned around and spoke sincerely.
Derek nodded slowly and looked away. His expression seemed strangely dark.
The ruby, in contrast, shone beautifully.
‘But… why does my head hurt so much? And my stomach feels sick…’
Sara, who had been happy just moments ago, began complaining of a headache.
At first she thought it was just stress, but the pain continued to intensify.
Soon she held her head and shut her eyes tightly.
“Ah!”
With a short cry, she collapsed on the spot. Her mind felt hazy.
Even though Derek hurried over and called her, she could not stand.
Her body felt completely paralyzed.
And then Sara was pulled into deep darkness—unconscious.
In the pitch-black consciousness, memories flowed slowly past her eyes.
Everything that had happened since her birth—every fleeting moment passed like a flash.
“….”
Sara exhaled shakily and forced her eyes open, though they refused to open.
Someone seemed to be standing in front of her, watching her.
The air was cold. In a space with no light, Sara’s expression turned resigned.
So… it’s this room again.
“Truly a foolish girl.”
She tried to move—but her body would not obey.
Looking down, she saw no bindings, but her entire body was swollen and red from whipping, blood rising under her skin.
“Why are you doing this…? Why?”
Sara looked toward Diana, who stood above her.
Diana smirked as if she were enjoying herself.
“…Hmm. Looking at me like that is rather pitiful. I’m disappointed too—I couldn’t see your face when you received your ‘gift’ and felt happy, Sara.”
Sara glared at her with hatred, eyes wide enough to burn holes through her.
At the word “gift,” she touched the necklace around her neck.
It was definitely the necklace Derek had given her.
She tried to remove it, but it would not come off. The moment she tried to use her ability—
“Ahhh!”
Pain tore through her body. She collapsed again.
Her hand was swollen and bruised, blood seeping as if she had been struck.
“Ugh… ngh…”
A choking pain tightened around her throat as well, making her groan in agony.
“That necklace is essentially a curse I placed on you. I specially purchased it. Every time you use that cursed ability of yours, it will transfer pain to you—on my behalf.”
‘Red suits you well.’
Now she understood. The “gift” from Derek had been prepared by Diana.
Realizing she had been deceived by both of them, Sara ground her teeth in rage.
“…Trash.”
She reached out to use her ability on Diana, but each attempt only triggered more excruciating pain from the necklace.
“Ahh! Ahh… please…”
It was a gift from the Tresha family.
Diana laughed at Sara struggling in front of her.
“Then you shouldn’t have gotten in my way, Sara. My beautiful Sara.”
After mocking her, Diana slammed the iron door shut and left.
Sara hugged her wounded body and cried with all her strength.
“Ugh… sob…”
Rage, despair, hatred, and hopelessness—all emotions boiled within her.
[…The filthy blood of the Tresha family. Your family will end today.]
Sara bit her lip until it bled and clenched her fists tightly.
She needed him.
Someone who would bring ruin to the filthy blooded Tresha family.
“….”
She would not die. She would survive.
And she would stain everything with the same blood she had shed.
Sara made a vow.
