Ophelia barely slept again.
At this point, she deserved compensation.
Because honestly, how was she supposed to sleep peacefully after finding out;
1.
She died.
2.
The original Ophelia died.
3.
Their deaths might somehow be connected.
4.
And apparently dead people now treated her brain like a group chat.
Absolutely insane.
Morning came too quickly.
Sunlight slipped through the curtains softly, but it did nothing to improve her mood.
Ophelia stared blankly at the ceiling.
“I want a refund.”
No one answered.
Rude.
A knock sounded at the door.
“My lady?”
Emily’s voice this time.
Finally.
Someone normal.
“Come in.”
Emily entered carrying fresh clothes carefully folded in her arms.
But the moment she saw Ophelia’s face, she paused.
“Did you sleep at all?”
“No”
Emily blinked.
Ophelia sighed tiredly.
“Sorry. That was aggressive.”
A small smile appeared on Emily’s face despite herself.
“It’s alright, my lady.”
Ophelia sat up slowly while Emily prepared everything nearby.
The room stayed quiet for a moment before Ophelia suddenly asked:
“Emily… what kind of person was the original Ophelia?”
Emily froze slightly.
Ah.
Sensitive topic.
Ophelia immediately regretted asking.
“You don’t have to answer if it’s uncomfortable.”
Emily looked down quietly.
Then after a moment, she spoke softly:
“Lady Ophelia was kind.”
The answer came instantly.
Like there was no hesitation about that part at all.
“She cared too much sometimes,” Emily continued quietly.
“Even when people were cruel to her.”
Ophelia frowned slightly.
Cruel?
Something about that word bothered her.
“How was her relationship with her family?”
Emily became visibly uncomfortable immediately.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
“Not good,” she admitted carefully.
“There were always arguments.”
“With who?”
Emily hesitated.
Then softly:
“Mostly her father.”
The Duke Ashbourne again.
That man continued sounding worse every chapter.
Ophelia leaned back against the bed slowly.
“What about Alekxander?”
Emily looked surprised by the question.
Then strangely enough… sad.
“At first, Lady Ophelia was very happy about the engagement.”
Ophelia’s chest tightened slightly.
“But later?”
Emily lowered her gaze.
“Later… things became complicated.”
That word again.
Complicated. Get faster updates on g.com.
Nobody in this world knew how to explain things normally.
Before Ophelia could ask further questions, another knock interrupted them.
Fast.
Sharp.
Emily immediately moved to open the door.
A guard stood outside.
“My lady,” he said respectfully.
“Lord Vale requests your presence downstairs.”
Of course he did.
Ophelia closed her eyes briefly.
Why did this man always summon her like a medieval boss battle?
“I’ll be there soon.”
The guard nodded and left.
Emily helped Ophelia get ready quietly afterward.
Today’s dress was dark blue.
Simpler than the others she’d worn before.
Honestly?
She preferred it.
Less “fragile noble lady.”
More “woman trying not to mentally collapse.”
Very fitting.
When Ophelia arrived downstairs, she immediately noticed something was wrong.
The atmosphere felt tense again.
Servants moved faster than usual.
Guards stood near almost every entrance.
And inside the sitting room…
Alekxander looked furious.
Not visibly.
But enough that Ophelia noticed immediately.
He stood near the window speaking to another man she’d never seen before.
The stranger looked around Alekxander’s age.
Maybe slightly older.
Brown hair.
Sharp eyes.
The type of face that looked trustworthy until you remembered your current life involved betrayal every five minutes.
The moment Alekxander noticed Ophelia enter, his expression shifted slightly.
Softer.
Just for a second.
Then it disappeared again.
“There you are,” he said quietly.
The stranger turned toward her immediately.
His eyes widened slightly.
“Interesting…”
Ophelia frowned.
“I’m starting to hate when people say that around me.”
To her surprise, the man laughed.
Actually laughed.
“Oh, she’s definitely different.”
Alekxander looked mildly annoyed already.
“This is Cassian Evermont.”
Cassian bowed slightly.
“A pleasure, Lady Ashbourne.”
Ophelia nodded carefully.
“Hopefully.”
Cassian smiled again.
Okay.
Too charming.
Suspicious immediately.
Alekxander motioned for Ophelia to sit.
She did, though cautiously.
Because lately every conversation somehow ended with emotional damage.
Cassian sat across from her, studying her openly now.
“You really don’t remember everything?” he asked suddenly.
Straight to the point.
Interesting.
Ophelia crossed her arms slightly.
“Do people normally wake up remembering their murders?”
Cassian’s smile faded immediately.
Right.
That was darker out loud.
Alekxander stepped in before the conversation became worse.
“There was another incident last night.”
“Another attack?”
“No.”
Alekxander’s expression darkened slightly.
“Someone broke into the Ashbourne estate.”
The room went quiet immediately.
Ophelia’s stomach tightened.
Why?
Cassian leaned forward slightly.
“Nothing was stolen.”
Oh.
That somehow felt worse.
“Then what were they looking for?” Ophelia asked quietly.
Silence followed.
Then Alekxander answered:
“A hidden room.”
Her heart stopped for half a second.
The vision.
The room she saw earlier.
The papers.
The symbols.
Oh no.
“They know she found it,” Cassian said carefully.
“She?” Ophelia repeated.
“The original Ophelia,” Alekxander answered quietly.
The room suddenly felt colder again.
Ophelia’s fingers tightened slightly against her dress.
“She discovered something hidden inside the Ashbourne estate before her death,” Alekxander continued.
“And now someone’s trying to erase whatever evidence remains.”
A horrible feeling settled inside Ophelia immediately.
Because suddenly the visions made more sense now.
They weren’t random.
They were trying to show her something.
Something important.
Cassian studied her expression carefully.
“You saw the room already, didn’t you?”
Silence.
Then slowly, Ophelia nodded.
Alekxander exhaled quietly beside her.
Not frustrated.
More like worried.
Always worried lately.
“What did it look like?” Cassian asked.
Ophelia closed her eyes briefly, trying to remember.
“Books everywhere,” she murmured softly.
“Maps… symbols…”
Then another detail surfaced suddenly.
Her eyes opened immediately.
“There was a crest on the wall.”
Both men went still instantly.
“It looked like…” Ophelia frowned slightly.
“…a black sun.”
The silence afterward felt dangerous.
Cassian and Alekxander exchanged a look immediately.
A bad one.
A very bad one.
Ophelia noticed instantly.
“What?”
Nobody answered immediately.
Which meant yes, obviously terrible news again.
Cassian leaned back slowly now, all traces of humor gone from his face.
“That symbol disappeared years ago.”
Alekxander’s expression stayed cold.
“It was supposed to.”
Ophelia’s chest tightened slightly.
“You’re both scaring me.”
Cassian looked at her carefully before speaking quietly.
“You should be scared.”
Not comforting.
At all.
Then Alekxander said the one thing that made the entire room feel heavier:
“The Black Sun Society was destroyed over twenty years ago.”
A pause.
Then quietly…
“At least… that’s what everyone believed.”