The rest of the journey felt different after the attack.
Too quiet.
Even the guards looked tense now.
Nobody spoke much.
Nobody relaxed.
And Ophelia?
Ophelia was trying very hard not to lose her mind.
Because apparently random men now appeared on roads just to threaten her dramatically.
Amazing.
Truly amazing.
She sat inside the carriage again, staring blankly at her hands.
Still shaking slightly.
Alekxander sat across from her like before.
Calm as ever.
Which honestly felt illegal at this point.
“How are you this calm?” she finally asked.
He looked at her.
“I’m not calm.”
“That’s worse somehow.”
A tiny silence followed.
Then Ophelia leaned back against the seat with a sigh.
“Okay, seriously. I deserve at least one explanation.”
“No.”
She stared at him in disbelief.
“You almost let me get kidnapped by mysterious road villains and you’re still saying no?”
“They weren’t trying to kidnap you.”
“That is not comforting.”
Alekxander didn’t answer.
Which meant she was right.
Great.
Ophelia rubbed her forehead tiredly.
“You know, in my old life the worst thing I dealt with was students submitting assignments late.”
His eyes narrowed slightly.
“Old life?”
Oops.
Right.
Careful.
Ophelia forced a cough.
“Figure of speech.”
He kept looking at her for a second longer.
Too long.
Like he knew she was lying.
Then finally he looked away.
Thank God.
Because she really wasn’t prepared to explain transmigration to anybody right now.
The carriage slowed down again after a while.
This time, no attacks.
Just giant gates slowly opening ahead of them.
Ophelia blinked.
“That’s your house?”
It was huge.
Like genuinely ridiculous.
The Vale estate looked colder than the Ashbourne manor somehow.
Dark stone walls.
Tall windows.
Massive gates.
It looked less like a home and more like a place where secrets went to hide.
“Do rich people here hate happiness?” she muttered.
Alekxander almost smiled again.
Almost.
“You’ll survive.”
That was exactly what people said before terrible things happened.
The carriage finally stopped.
Servants quickly approached the moment the doors opened.
Alekxander stepped out first before offering his hand toward her.
Ophelia looked at it for a second.
Then took it carefully.
The second their hands touched.
Pain exploded through her head again.
Another vision.
Fast this time.
A ballroom.
Music playing softly.
The original Ophelia standing beside Alekxander near a staircase.
“You should leave with me tonight,” he whispered quietly.
She looked scared.
“They’ll notice.”
“Then let them.”
Then suddenly.
Blood.
Someone screaming downstairs.
The original Ophelia turning toward the sound in horror.
And Alekxander grabbing her wrist tightly.
“Don’t look.”
The vision shattered instantly.
Ophelia stumbled slightly upon landing outside the carriage.
Alekxander caught her immediately.
His hand tightened around her arm.
“What did you see?”
Again with that question.
Always that question.
Ophelia looked up at him slowly.
And for the first time.
She noticed something beneath all that calm.
Fear.
Tiny.
Hidden well.
But there.
He was scared too.
That realization hit harder than expected.
Because people like Alekxander didn’t seem like the type to fear anything.
“A ballroom,” she answered quietly.
His expression changed instantly.
Very slightly.
But enough.
“And?”
Ophelia hesitated.
Something told her to be careful.
Very careful.
“You told me to leave with you.”
Silence.
The servants nearby lowered their heads immediately like they suddenly couldn’t hear anymore.
Suspicious behavior.
Very suspicious behavior.
Alekxander stared at her for a long moment.
Then finally let go of her arm slowly.
“We’ll talk later.”
Oh, now he wanted to talk later.
Interesting.
Before she could argue, another voice interrupted them.
“Alekxander.”
Ophelia turned immediately.
A woman stood at the entrance of the estate.
Beautiful.
Elegant.
Cold-looking.
And the moment her eyes landed on Ophelia.
The atmosphere shifted.
Not fear.
Not surprise.
Hatred.
Pure hatred.
Oh.
That was concerning.
The woman walked down the steps slowly.
Her expression remained perfectly calm, but Ophelia felt it immediately.
She was not welcome here.
“Lady Celestine,” one of the servants greeted nervously.
Celestine.
The woman stopped in front of them.
Her gaze stayed on Ophelia.
“You survived.”
Not:
“I’m glad you’re alright.”
Not:
“Welcome.”
Just you survived.
Ophelia blinked slowly.
“That seems to disappoint a lot of people.”
A servant nearby almost dropped something.
Alekxander looked mildly exhausted already.
But Celestine.
Celestine’s eyes narrowed slightly.
“You’ve changed.”
Ophelia almost laughed.
If she got one coin everytime someone said that, she’d already be rich.
“Yes,” she replied dryly.
“Near death really changes a person.”
Silence.
Celestine looked at Alekxander now.
“You brought her here?”
“I did.”
“That was careless.”
Alekxander’s expression hardened slightly.
“She stays.”
Oh.
Okay.
So this woman had authority here too.
Interesting.
Celestine looked back at Ophelia.
And suddenly.
The whispers returned.
Soft.
Dangerous.
“She knows…”
“She remembers him…”
“Get rid of her before…”
Pain shot through Ophelia’s head violently.
Too strong this time.
She grabbed the side of the carriage immediately.
Her breathing became uneven.
Another vision crashed into her.
A woman standing in darkness.
Celestine.
Speaking quietly to someone she couldn’t see.
“She cannot stay alive.”
Then another voice answered:
“It’s already too late.”
The memory broke apart instantly.
Ophelia gasped softly.
Everything returned again.
The estate.
The servants.
The cold air.
And Celestine staring directly at her.
Like she knew something just happened.
Alekxander moved closer immediately.
“What did you see?”
There it was again.
Always.
Ophelia slowly looked between both of them.
Alekxander tense.
Celestine calm.
Too calm.
And suddenly, Ophelia understood something terrifying.
The danger didn’t end at the Ashbourne estate.
It followed her here too.
Because whatever secret tied all these people together
Was much bigger than she thought.