Months after Stella enrolled at the Academy, she finally found herself in the same room as Viscount Lemaire. The man had known about her attendance since the first day, but had decided to wait before reaching out to the young alpha. Chevaliers had eyes everywhere, and the viscount wouldn’t want to alert them unnecessarily.
For over a year, ever since Stella moved in with the Chevalier, she had remained unaware of anything happening beyond the walls of the estate. For the first time, she had learned the truth that had been kept hidden from her. Particularly, what happened to her father.
Cedric’s death was never an accident, as everyone had believed. It was staged.
Viscount Lemaire and others had conducted their own investigation and discovered that the former duke was assassinated. Their current intel pointed to three individuals connected to the incident: Anthony, Dowager Duchess Yvette, and Marquis Chevalier. But none of it made sense to Stella. Why would Lady Yvette and Anthony conspire with the marquis in the first place? Wasn’t Anthony the rightful heir to the dukedom anyway? When they had unsealed Cedric’s will after his passing, it clearly stated that her elder brother was to succeed him.
“This doesn’t make any sense,” Stella said. “Anthony is named in the will as the heir to the dukedom. Why would Lady Yvette and he… go to such an extent to assassinate Father?”
“Because Anthony was never the chosen successor,” Viscount said as he kept his gaze on the young alpha across from him. “The person Cedric appointed as heir is you.”
The room fell silent at once. Stella was convinced she had misheard him, but the sternness in his eyes and tone told her he wasn’t lying. Her father’s best friend had no reason to lie to her about this.
“No way…” Stella said, nearly stuttering. “I was there when we opened Father’s will after his passing. Anthony’s name is clearly written on it—”
“That’s correct.” Viscount nodded. “Because the will was fabricated.”
The man laid out all the information he had on the table. He handed Stella a handwritten letter, clearly written by her father. It detailed his meticulous plan leading up to his death.
It was packed with his feelings, thoughts, and dilemmas he had faced.
“Your father left this letter to me,” Viscount said. “He instructed me to open this if anything ever happened to him…as though he already knew it would.”
After years of quiet consideration, watching his children grow, Cedric had come to a decision to choose his youngest daughter, despite her age, as his heir to the dukedom. Stella embodied everything that the ruler of Northland should represent: loyalty, compassion, humility, and perseverance.
Anthony, on the other hand, had been heavily influenced by his birth mother. Lady Yvette had pushed and molded him toward becoming what she envisioned as an ideal successor to Albrecht. However, she had also planted seeds of resentment in him, aiming his hatred at Stella and Lady Alicia. Over time, he became a selfish, imperious man.
Cedric’s decision was also backed by the family’s newly appointed secretary, Lady Blake.
To ensure the dukedom and Northland were passed onto the rightful hand, Cedric had made three copies of his will. He had already anticipated resistance from Yvette and Anthony. The first copy was kept in the Albrecht manor, which was later fabricated by Lady Yvette to name Anthony as heir. The second and third copies were kept in the hands of Cedric’s most trusted allies: Count Valens and Marquis Chaplin.
“I’ve contacted Count Valens and Marquis Chaplin and got confirmation that Cedric’s will named you as his heir.”
“…If what you’re saying is true,” Stella paused and swallowed hard. The words were caught in her throat, thick and bitter. “You’re saying that Lady Yvette and Anthony killed Father… because of this?”
It was the most absurd thing she had ever heard. Stella couldn’t believe they would plot an assassination against the former duke who had shown them nothing but love and compassion, simply because of their greed for the dukedom and its power. Furthermore, Viscount Lemaire was convinced the two of them had not acted alone, without powerful backing, such as the Chevaliers. Unfortunately, they knew how to be discreet and cover up every trail that might lead back to them.
“Anthony sent you over in the name of a political marriage with the Chevalier, but his purpose was to isolate you from everyone, to keep you in the dark.”
“…”
This would explain all the torment and abuse she had endured ever since she was sent to the Chevalier estate. She was, quite literally, their prisoner. House Lemaire had tried repeatedly to arrange a meeting with Stella, but of course, every request was met with all sorts of excuses.
When Viscount Lemaire saw Stella’s application to the Academy, he was caught off guard. He was under the impression that Marquis wouldn’t want her out in public. But at the same time, it made certain sense that they would have to send Stella to the Academy.
“To the public, you are Lady Ophelia’s fiancée, and it would be suspicious if you didn’t attend the Academy,” the Viscount continued. “I suppose your engagement turned out to be a blessing in disguise.”
Rumors can be toxic. True or not, they spread easily like wildfire. Once they spread, it could be difficult to extinguish. Knowing the Marquis, the Chevaliers wouldn’t want to risk any rumors that could damage their name.
What was more unsettling was the truth about her situation. If Stella weren’t engaged to Ophelia, there would be fewer reasons for her to step outside at all. Just the thought that the Chevaliers could easily decide to lock her in the basement sent a chill down her spine.
With the truth laid bare, the Viscount intended to expose Anthony and the Chevaliers after they had gathered enough evidence to prosecute them. Ever since Anthony became duke, the House Albrecht had been going on a gradual decline.
Their management paled in comparison to Cedric’s era.
Anthony issued a massive fund diversion away from winter relief funds and border defenses, causing both to collapse. As a result, mortality rates in rural towns and cities spiked during harsh winters. To make matters worse, rumors were circulating that Anthony was involved in shady, underground businesses.
“I need to ask you to be patient and keep a low profile.” The Viscount exhaled softly with a weary smile. “We’ll need more time to gather everything necessary to convict them. To ensure none of them slip away with their crimes.”
By law, Cedric’s will would only take effect once Stella reached adulthood, which would be less than a year from now. Until then, they had no choice but to stay discreet.
Many people had been investigating behind the scenes, risking their own lives to obtain any possible leads that might help convict Anthony, Lady Yvette, and the Chevaliers. Among them were members of House Valens and Stella’s elder sister.
Though Blake was Anthony’s biological sister, she had been secretly gathering any intel about his and the Dowager Duchess’s corruption and embezzlement.
“Wait a minute!” Stella cut in. “Isn’t that dangerous for Blake?”
“It is,” Viscount responded. His tone remained calm. “I warned her, but she was willing to take that risk for you.”
Hearing how everyone around her was exhausting all their strength and resources to save her, Stella knew she needed to do her part too—stay alive and stay on good terms with Ophelia and the Chevaliers. However, something still didn't sit right.
Many stood to benefit from her death, including the Chevaliers. However, why did they choose to keep her alive? Why go along with this ‘political marriage’ at all? Stella couldn’t shake the feeling that they had some ulterior motive that they were unaware of. Something about what Mabel said that night sounded more like a mission, and less like a desire.
“I have a feeling they’re keeping me alive for an ulterior motive.” Stella continued. “I think…they want a child carrying Albrecht’s bloodline.”
“Who told you that?” Viscount’s tone sharpened instantly.
“One Chevalier let it slip when she was trying to drug me.” Stella recounted the story to the man across from her. She didn’t need to go into detail, not with Linda beside her. At least it was enough for both the Viscount and Linda to piece together what had transpired. “Nothing happened to me, of course. Fortunately, Ophelia stepped in just in time.”
The burnt orange-haired man pondered quietly and decided the matter warranted further investigation. Stella had absolute faith in him, as the head of the Lemaire Company. With his extensive connections, there was no piece of information he couldn’t get his hands on.
Every time Stella met privately with the Viscount at the Academy, Linda was always there beside her. A great deal of things were not easy for Stella to take in, especially the truth of Cedric’s death and his will. Linda had become her emotional anchor, supporting her through these moments. One day, she pulled two letters from her satchel, both addressed to Stella.
“You see, I spoke with Lady Blake and Lady Alicia recently,” Linda said, beaming as she placed the letters in her partner’s hand. “They’re worried about you too.”
“…!”
Letters from her sister and mother. Without further ado, Stella unsealed the letters and began to read them at once. As her eyes swept across each line, the heavy weight she had been carrying for so long had finally lifted from her chest. A genuine smile flashed across her face, and nearly teared up. Their words of support and hope were exactly what Stella needed to stay strong.
“…I’m so glad they are well, too.” Stella smiled softly as she folded the letters back into the envelope. “I have to stay strong for them.”
“Would you like to write back?” Linda smiled. “I can make sure they receive it.”
“I would love that.” Stella nodded.
With the time she had left, the young alpha let her thoughts spill onto the pages before handing them to Linda. The next time Stella would hear from them again would be another two to three months, but she didn’t mind. This was more than Stella could’ve asked for.
Leading up to the end of the year, Stella played by the game Chevalier had set. She embraced the role of the doting fiancée in public and earned herself some favor from the Marquis and Marchioness. The more obedient she was toward Ophelia, the more convinced they became that she was fully under control. As a result, the abuse she suffered lessened compared to her first year living under their roof.
It was a matter of time now before she came of age.
In her final year at the Academy, Stella had grown into someone difficult to ignore. People often remarked on how she resembled the former duke, perhaps even more than Anthony did. She had clearly inherited his perseverance and humility, while she inherited her mother’s fearlessness and gallant bearing. As an A-star student, excelling in both academics and swordsmanship, she had become the kind of person others measured themselves against, or admired from afar. Stella had always been tall, even in her mid-teens, standing above most alphas her age. Beside Ophelia now, the omega barely reached eye level with her.
The older she grew, the more attention she drew from omegas and betas alike, charmed by her humility and quiet meekness. Furthermore, her pheromones aged like fine wine, growing richer, stronger, and irresistible to omegas.
“Stella, my sister will come visit during lunch hour.” The young pink-haired boy stood before her. “She wants to have lunch with you.”
Matteo Chevalier. He was the youngest son of Marquis Chevalier, and someone exceptionally close to Ophelia. Stella often crossed paths with him in the manor’s corridor, though their interactions were almost nonexistent. She could count how many times they had made eye contact and exchanged words.
Matteo had enrolled in the Academy this year, which meant she interacted with him regularly. Whenever they talked, it always circled back to Ophelia. He was technically his big sister’s little puppet, serving as her eyes and ears within the Academy, watching Stella’s every move.
Lunch hour arrived, and Stella headed to the courtyard, where Ophelia was already waiting with pre-made meals. Her visits had become regular. While the alpha ate her sandwiches, the omega beside her would ask the same questions. How was your day? Are you maintaining your grades? Have you been keeping a distance from other omegas? And so on.
“Can you stop staring at me like a creep?” Stella said, eating quietly under the tree, shielded from the sun by its branches and leaves.
“Why?” Ophelia’s gaze stayed fixed on her. “Can’t I admire how my cute fiancée has grown into such a charming alpha?”
“Isn’t seeing each other every day for three years enough?” Stella sighed, reaching for the nearby water bottle. “Look somewhere else.”
“Always so unruly with me.” Ophelia smiled. “How cute.”
“Just like how you act like a deranged stalker never changes, either.” Stella shot back.
When Matteo witnessed the nature of their exchange, he was left speechless. No one would ever dare to speak to Ophelia that way. His dignified elder sister would never tolerate such rudeness from anyone else. And yet, for the first time, he watched Ophelia clearly enjoying her candid bickering with Stella.
At last, Viscount Lemaire and others had gathered enough evidence to expose everyone involved with the former duke’s death, along with the corruption running through Northland. This would mark the end to Chevalier’s centuries of glory once and for all. Leading up to Stella’s eighteenth birthday, she was informed that a group of anonymous mercenaries had attempted to kidnap Alicia in her home city. Naturally, they had underestimated the war heroine of Northland and failed miserably. Stella’s mother and House Valens had been prepared for the ambush, thanks to the intel Viscount Lemaire had received beforehand.
“After we interrogated the mercenaries, we confirmed the Chevaliers were behind it,” Viscount said, updating the young alpha across from him. “I suspect Marquis intends to use Lady Alicia as a hostage. A leverage to hold absolute control over you.”
“I know my mother can easily take care of herself,” Stella said, exhaling with relief. “But I’m glad to hear she’s unharmed.”
No matter how strong her mother was, Stella found herself anxious at learning the Chevaliers were going after people she loved. They knew exactly who to target to hurt her the most. And then came the next update, one far more sinister than anything Stella could’ve imagined.
The Viscount had conducted a thorough investigation into the Chevaliers, and for this entire time, everyone was convinced that they were allies with Lady Yvette and Anthony. It was only through his informant that Viscount Lemaire finally uncovered the truth: their real goal had been Stella from the beginning. Marquis Chevalier had known all along that she was the true heir to the dukedom.
“I believe the Marquis has more than enough information to expose Anthony and Lady Yvette when they serve no use to him.” The Viscount continued. “Then you will rightfully ascend and inherit the dukedom as the will intended.”
Stella was their most crucial chess piece to seize full control of the Albrecht family. But it didn’t end there. Once she became the Duchess, her children would automatically become legitimate heirs to the dukedom. Their plan from the very start had been to use Stella to produce a legitimate heir, a child carrying both Albrecht and Chevalier blood.
“Through your child, a legitimate heir, the Marquis will successfully take over House Albrecht for himself,” Viscount explained calmly. “Once that was achieved…there is no need to keep others around.”
Viscount Lemaire meant Stella and the rest of the members of her family. Once the Marquis got what he needed, he intended to eliminate everyone bearing the Albrecht name: Anthony, Blake, and Stella. This would ensure that his grandchild, born of Albrecht blood, would be the sole heir to the dukedom by default. If Marquis’s plan succeeded, this would allow the Chevaliers to assimilate and become the new rulers of Northland.
“That’s just so disgusting—!” Linda’s voice rose a pitch. She was absolutely disgusted at what she was hearing. “I can’t believe how cruel and sinister a person can be just for power…”
“That is reality, Linda.” Viscount glanced over to his daughter. “People can be cruel. Even the Marquis, Cedric’s and my old friend from the Academy, didn’t hesitate to kill him for his own gain.”
“…This is utterly repulsive and inhumane.” Stella pressed her lips together as her brows furrowed.
The Marquis had planted his people within the Albrecht household as servants years ago to monitor everyone closely to avoid suspicion. Around the same time as Alicia’s attempted kidnapping, they had made a move inside the Albrecht estate as well. They had been slipping poison into their meals, little by little. They used a special odorless, tasteless concoction extracted from Talox, one of Northland’s poisonous plants. If consumed in small doses over time, it would accumulate over time until the victim succumbed to heart failure.
The best poison to stage natural death.
Stella couldn’t help but wonder how it had ever come to this point. House Chevalier had once been like a sworn brother to House Albrecht, fighting alongside the first duke of Albrecht to liberate Northland from an era of oppression. Their ancestors had pledged undying loyalty to stand by House Albrecht, but as the centuries passed, their greedy descendants had long forgotten the family’s honor and its loyalty.
“We were lucky to get intel about the poison early,” Viscount Lemaire said with relief hinted in his voice. “That gave us enough time to find the right antidote to neutralize Talox’s effects.”
With Blake’s help, the Viscount’s men managed to enter the estate, disguised as handmaidens and servants. He assured Stella that her family, including Anthony and the Dowager Duchess, would remain unharmed by the poison. Upon hearing that, Stella felt a great weight lifted off her chest.
She had one less thing to worry about, knowing that her sister was safe.
The only thing left was to orchestrate Stella’s escape. Fortunately, Marquis Chevalier was going to host a birthday banquet in two weeks' time. This would give them the perfect window for the alpha to slip away from the manor while everyone would be fully occupied with the celebration.
Everything was proceeding smoothly, just as planned.
But Stella had one concern: her two snow leopards, Nix and Lux. Over the years, those two had grown into skilled little escape artists and masters at hiding. She intended to bring them with her the night she fled the Chevalier estate. That was supposed to be the plan…
Stella was racing through the forest behind the manor when a flat crack rang out in the distance.
A hunting rifle being fired.
That first gunshot she heard felt like a knife plunging straight into her chest, almost choking her. She had overheard the servants talking about the two snow leopards Theo had recently discovered, and they had seen the Chevalier siblings heading out with hunting rifles in hand.
Another shot. Its echo rolled across the forest. Stella’s heart sank even deeper.
“No…! Please no—! Please make it in time!”
This was her worst nightmare. Stella had never felt this much fear and desperation in her entire life. She had grown attached to those two furry leopards, who had brought comfort through her darkest moments. Whenever Stella was at her lowest, they would rub against her and lick away her tears. In just two weeks, they were supposed to leave this place together. It should have ended like this.
Another shot fired. The crack was sharper now, closer than before.
“S-Stop it! Stop shooting—!!”
She was getting closer to the scene, but it felt as though she was the one being shot instead. All Stella could do was beg and pray desperately that the two cunning leopards had somehow managed to escape to safety. The alpha couldn’t care how much her legs were burning. She had to keep running. Every second mattered.
“…”
Stella panted heavily. The moment she arrived at the scene, she saw them. The servants and the three Chevalier siblings: Theo, Ophelia, and Matteo. Her eyes swept across and landed on two huge gunny sacks, covered in blood. At that moment, her heart sank straight to her stomach.
She was too late.
Stella fell to her knees, ears ringing. She wasn’t sure what expression she wore in that moment. Her mind went numb, unable to look away from those bloodied sacks.
“Excellent!” Theo smirked and savored every second of Stella’s despair. “Someone arrived just in time to witness my sister’s successful hunt!”
For all these years, she had endured their abuse without breaking, until this moment. Theo said, almost fondly, that he would make sure to turn their fur into a beautiful scarf so Stella could wear them every day.
“They will surely make a fine rug, a coat, and a scarf.” Theo mused for a moment. “Maybe I’ll have all three made for you!”
“…” Stella was too stunned to even react to Theo’s taunting.
“This is truly priceless! Did you see it, Matteo?” Theo laughed with delight as he turned to his younger brother. “She’s completely lost it. What a shame. I wish I’d known this sooner, but this alone is enough to satisfy me. At last, I finally get to see her in this pathetic state.”
Nothing that Theo said registered. Everything felt so heavy and numb. Stella could only recall their innocent faces, those large golden eyes pleading with her to play. She wondered: had they suffered? She could only hope their deaths had been painless. It would be unbearable for her to hear their cries of agony before drawing their last breath.
Footsteps approached, and Stella slowly lifted her gaze to meet Ophelia’s. Those green eyes stared down at her, cold and indifferent, as though she had done nothing wrong at all.
“Stella, do you know what I hate the most?”
“…”
“It’s when I have always been good to someone, and they repay me by going behind my back.” Ophelia continued. “It’s your fault that these things died. I hope this time you’ve learned your lesson not to hide things from me again.”
Ophelia shed no remorse for what she had done. Even worse, telling Stella that the leopard’s death was her fault. Perhaps she wasn’t wrong. If the alpha had let them go sooner, sent them far away from this place, they would still be alive. Stella’s eyes drifted back to the gunny sacks, to the pool of blood forming beneath them. When she glanced back at Ophelia again, her bloodshot eyes burned with raw fury. All the animosity she held began to overflow. It reminded Stella all over again how much she loathed the Chevaliers, every single one of them, for what they had done to her and her father.
She hated them. Hated them so much that she wished she could kill them with her own bare hands.
“You murderer…” Stella muttered under her breath, gritting her teeth.
Her pheromones shifted all at once. Stella’s scent grew thicker, rotten and acrid, swallowing the area in an instant, as though the whole forest had been swallowed by flame. Then Stella’s legs moved on their own, lunging toward Ophelia. Everything after that dissolved into chaos, and the alpha would only remember it in fragments.
She dislocated Theo’s elbow. He screamed and thrashed in agony in the background.
Matteo tried to intervene. Stella drove a straight punch into his face and broke his nose. Blood streamed profusely down his nose and lips.
Stella threw Ophelia to the ground as she retaliated.
The servants tried to stop and pull Stella off her, but none could match an alpha whose mind and body had surrendered to raw, primal instinct.
Stella pinned Ophelia beneath her, fingers closed around her thin, fragile throat. The omega fought back, clawing at Stella’s arm, but she was too weak to break free.
In that moment, Stella genuinely believed she was committed to hurting Ophelia. But then her hands began to tremble. Her fingers locked in place, unable to dig in. She tried, but they simply refused to obey.
Stella couldn’t bring herself to hurt Ophelia despite how furious she was.
She should’ve felt nothing but hatred after all those years of abuse. After everything Ophelia had put her through. And yet, a small, stubborn part of her somewhat held onto this desperate hope: that Ophelia might be different from the rest of the Chevaliers.
“D-Dammit…!” Stella’s voice shook. “Dammit—! Why can’t I move—?!”
She clenched her jaw tight as tears spilled from her icy blue eyes, falling onto Ophelia’s face below. Ophelia’s eyes widened for a second before she stopped resisting entirely, as though something inside her snapped. It was the first time the alpha had ever broken down in front of anyone and cried bitterly. Her fury gradually gave way to despair as her grip loosened around the omega’s neck. No matter what, she couldn’t do it. Why was it that the more Stella told herself to strangle Ophelia, the more it felt like she was choking instead?
“I want to kill you so badly…!” Stella shouted into her face, weeping bitterly. “W-Why did you kill them!?”
It was a cry of desperation, begging for an answer.
But what was she expecting from this woman? What answer could possibly soothe her pain, or satisfy her fury? As Stella stayed focused on Ophelia, she didn’t notice a figure creeping up behind her until a dull pain bloomed across her skull all of a sudden. The world tilted before her eyes. There was no pain, only blooming numbness. Her ears rang so loudly that everything else dissolved into muffled noise. Stella collapsed forward onto Ophelia as darkness flooded her vision. Blood pulsed from the wound on her head, trickling down her face.
A pair of trembling arms wrapped around Stella tightly, as though they were desperately to shield her.
…The scent of dull lavender and the ear-splitting crack of the hunting rifle were the last things she remembered before darkness took her.
Two days later, Stella woke from her injury. Thankfully, she was still alive.
She later learned that Theo had struck her hard with the blunt end of the hunting rifle, hard enough to make her bleed profusely and fall unconscious. It caused a massive uproar throughout the manor, and the Marquis heavily reprimanded Theo for injuring Stella. It was obvious he still needed her alive to produce him a legitimate heir. Throughout her recovery, Ophelia never once came to see her. The only person who visited, bringing medicine and changing her wound dressings, was Emily.
It was obvious why the omega stayed away. After all, these hands had nearly strangled her with the intention to kill her.
After Theo struck her, he apparently intended to shoot her at close range. However, he missed, and the bullet scraped Ophelia’s arm instead. Even after she learnt that the omega got injured to protect her, Stella felt nothing. She spent the entire week mourning the deaths of her two leopards and pondering over many things. Stella regretted ever having hoped Ophelia might be different from the rest of her family.
Three years together with her should have been enough to prove to Stella that none of them deserved her sympathy, let alone her forgiveness.
Ophelia was the one who had shot Nix and Lux.
Stella thought that they would gift her clothing made of their fur, but it seemed the Marquis and Marchioness showed mercy to her mental health. They still need her, and they couldn’t afford to break her now after coming this far
Stella remembered that the night she left the manor was a night of the full moon.
Viscount Lemaire had sent his men to assist Stella in her escape, and they were no ordinary mercenaries from the Lemaire Company. Known only to the Duke and Duchess of Albrecht, Viscount Lemaire also ran an underground information guild, Nostawel, composed of elite mercenaries and assassins whose sole purpose was to protect House Albrecht and Northland from harm.
“Lady Stella, apologies for the wait.” One of the mercenaries lowered his head. “We’ve cleared the path for you.”
“Thank you. Let’s move quickly,” Stella said as she led the way.
It was quite challenging to slip away from the Marquis’s birthday banquet, with the Chevaliers constantly monitoring her every move. Ever since the snow leopard incident, Stella refused to speak to Ophelia. Their interactions had stayed minimal. Fortunately, she managed to slip out of the banquet hall under the excuse that she had forgotten the gift in her room. A handful of servants escorted her back and were all knocked unconscious by Nostawel mercenaries, who had been waiting in the shadows.
The rest of the servants in the manor had been drugged and put to sleep, clearing the path without interference. Stella gathered a few of her belongings before stepping out into the night. Everyone was completely occupied with the banquet to notice she was gone.
“…”
One last time, Stella glanced over her shoulder to look at the huge white manor, quietly mourning the two snow leopards who were supposed to leave this place with her. As she was approaching adulthood, she intended to claim what was rightfully hers and use her power as the Duchess to make the Chevaliers pay for every crime they had committed.
Let her be the last victim of their sick, twisted tyranny.