Silence settled over the dining hall after Cassian and Marisela disappeared into the study. The remaining servants cleared plates with quiet efficiency, though their eyes darted nervously toward the hallway—as if even they sensed the storm brewing beneath the polished perfection of the Vale household.
Liana lifted her custard spoon again, but she had no intention of eating.
Her ears were focused elsewhere.
The study wasn't far—just down the corridor and to the right. Its doors were thick, but not thick enough to hide everything... especially from someone who had lived this moment before.
Seraphine stared at her, eyes narrowed. "Don't follow them."
Liana smiled sweetly. "I wouldn't dream of it."
Which, of course, was a lie.
She rose from her seat. "I need to fetch something from my room."
Seraphine sniffed. "Make it quick."
Liana walked toward the hallway with slow, measured steps, every part of her body relaxed for show—and coiled underneath.
As soon as she turned the corner and slipped out of Seraphine's view, her gait shifted. Her footsteps became silent, her movements fluid. She glided through the dim corridor until she reached the study doors.
A warm glow spilled from the cracks beneath them.
Voices murmured inside.
She pressed herself against the wall, tilting her head just enough to catch the sounds through the wood.
Damian's voice came first—tired, greedy, hollow.
"...Ashmoor's income is stronger than it appears on paper. Currently undervalued, yes, but it has long-term potential. With the estate tied to Cassian's marriage contract, both families secure the investment."
Marriage contract.
Her father always used that phrase as if her entire existence were a business merger.
Liana's jaw tightened.
Marisela's voice followed—syrupy sweet, dripping poison.
"And with Liana's engagement finalized, the Fords will have access to our southern ports. A perfect partnership."
Cassian's voice came next.
Calm.
Polite.
Cold.
"What about the claim that Liana has... deficiencies?"
Liana's blood chilled, though not from surprise. She remembered this exact conversation in her previous life—how Cassian had questioned whether she was useful enough, smart enough, worthy enough.
She had died for a man who couldn't even speak her name without sounding bored.
Marisela laughed softly. "Deficiencies? Oh, Cassian, dear. She's harmless. Too gentle to cause trouble. Too shy to speak. A simple girl who does what she's told."
Damian added, "She won't interfere with your affairs."
In the pause that followed, Liana closed her eyes.
There it was—
the sentence that had sealed her fate once.
Too gentle.
Too shy.
Simple.
This time, she wasn't any of those things.
Cassian's voice lowered. "Good. I prefer women who know their place."
Her stomach twisted—not in heartbreak, not even in anger, but in icy clarity.
These people weren't just willing to discard her.
They were already rehearsing how.
Marisela leaned in; Liana heard the rustle of her gown. "Once the Ashmoor deal is finalized and the wedding date is announced, Seraphine will assist Cassian in public duties. She has the right temperament for social appearances."
Liana's eyes snapped open.
Seraphine.
Of course.
In the past, the Vale household had dressed Seraphine in gowns meant for Liana. They had introduced her as the future Lady Ford, using Liana only when contracts needed an official signature.
Cassian had played along with their cruelty.
Now she was hearing the exact moment it began.
Cassian hummed thoughtfully. "If Seraphine is the one social circles see, then what becomes of Liana?"
Damian answered with a sigh. "Quiet girls fade into the background. She'll adapt."
Fade.
Adapt.
Disappear.
They wanted her gone long before they took her life.
"Very well," Cassian said. "As long as she does not embarrass me."
A chair scraped softly. Papers shuffled.
The deal was being sealed.
Liana breathed slowly, forcing calm back into her bones.
They were setting the same trap.
But this time, she was awake before the snare snapped shut.
She stepped back from the door, heart steady. She'd heard enough.
The Journal of a Girl Reborn
Her room was dim when she entered, lit only by a single candle that flickered against the wall. Liana went straight to her desk and pulled open the bottom drawer.
Inside lay a small leather-bound journal—plain, unremarkable, perfect.
She opened it to the first blank page.
Her handwriting flowed smoothly, sharp and elegant.
"Ashmoor Estate – bribe disguised as dowry.
Cassian aware. Cassian compliant.
Marisela orchestrating.
Seraphine positioned as public 'fiancée'."
Her quill scratched steadily.
"They believe I am a pawn.
But pawns that reach the end of the board become queens."
She paused, tapping the quill lightly.
Then wrote the line that mattered most:
"First moves begin tonight."
She closed the journal gently and slid it back into its hidden compartment.
She went for a walk.
The Walk That Isn't a Walk
When she stepped into the hallway again, she adopted the same soft expression she'd worn earlier—the harmless girl Marisela believed she controlled.
She made her way to the foyer, where a single servant bowed.
"Miss Liana, shall I bring your coat? The night air is cold."
"Please," she said with a small smile.
He returned with a thick cloak. She draped it around her shoulders and stepped outside into the crisp night.
Marisela wouldn't object to her taking a simple "walk"—Liana often did so in her old life to avoid conflict.
But this time, she didn't walk along the neat stone paths circling the rose gardens.
She slipped around the right side of the manor—
Then sprinted.
Her boots kicked through the manicured grass, then across the old maintenance yard behind the greenhouse.
And then—
The land opened.
A vast stretch of wild fields lay beyond the estate, rolling in waves beneath the moonlight. Tall grass brushed her ankles as she moved deeper, the shadows swallowing her whole.
At the far edge, the forest waited—dark, ancient, alive.
Branches rustled like whispers.
This was where the Vale family never looked.
This was where secrets could breathe.
Where Liana Vale could exist without chains.
She stepped into the treeline, her heartbeat settling into a determined rhythm.
The forest closed around her like an embrace.
And for the first time since her rebirth, she let herself smile—slow, quiet, dangerous.
Let them plan her disappearance.
They had no idea she was the one already vanishing...
...into a place where their reach could not follow.
"Let the game begin," she whispered.
And the night swallowed her whole.