The Lancaster family had long been cursed—every man born into the family would die before the age of thirty. The only way to break the curse was to marry a woman from my clan.
But on the day Adrian Lancaster and I were supposed to be married, he tore up our engagement contract in front of everyone—for the sake of his “true love.
”
Ignoring the desperate persuasion of the Lancaster elders, he glared at me with naked hatred and said coldly,
“Serena Whitmore, you’re nothing but a greedy liar who lusts after wealth and status! Your clan has been scamming the Lancasters for nearly a hundred years—taking our money and our trust. But it ends with my generation. Your good days are over!”
Vivian Snow linked her arm through Adrian’s and looked at me with a mocking smile.
“What are you standing there for? Get lost already.”
“With me—a medical PhD—by Adrian’s side, forget thirty years old. He could live to a hundred and thirty.”
I thought of the faint, nearly undetectable pulse I had felt in Adrian’s wrist that very morning.
A cold laugh rose silently in my heart.
Fine.
On the day of your thirtieth birthday, we’ll see who’s right.
And that day… was very close.
I turned to leave, but Margaret Lancaster suddenly stepped forward and grabbed my hand.
“Serena, don’t go!”
She turned sharply toward Adrian, her expression instantly turning icy.
“Adrian, apologize to Serena right now. Stop this nonsense!”
Seeing that Adrian still clutched Vivian’s hand tightly, Margaret lowered her voice.
“You know exactly why the Lancaster family has married women from their clan for generations! Thirty years ago, your uncle broke this rule—and on his thirtieth birthday, a truck crushed him into a bloody pulp!”
“And your third uncle! He broke off his engagement just like you did today—so fearless and arrogant. What happened? The moment he finished blowing out his birthday candles, blood poured from his seven orifices and he died on the spot!”
“Your birthday is in three days! What you’re doing right now is courting death. Hurry up and apologize to Serena—”
“Enough, Mom!”
Adrian cut her off impatiently, his eyes filled with irritation.
“My uncle’s death was an accident, and the other one died of heart disease. What does that have to do with some ridiculous arranged marriage?”
He pointed at me and sneered.
“A curse? A marriage alliance? This is obviously just a scam your clan tailored specifically for the Lancaster family!”
“Just looking at her makes me sick. If you insist on making me marry her, I won’t even wait until my thirtieth birthday.
I’ll kill myself right now.”
Adrian suddenly pulled out a knife and pressed it against his own throat.
Seeing this, Vivian dropped to her knees in front of Margaret with a thud, tears streaming down her face.
“Mrs. Lancaster, please—just believe in science for once! I’ve installed monitoring equipment on Adrian. His body is in excellent condition!”
“His thirtieth birthday is only three days away. We’ll prove it to you ourselves—that this curse and marriage alliance are nothing but lies!”
“For Adrian’s sake, I studied all the way to a medical doctorate just for today. Please give both of us a chance!”
“Mom, if you still refuse—”
Adrian pressed the blade harder against his throat. Crimson blood slid down his neck, staining the groom’s suit I had personally chosen for him.
“I agree!”
Margaret’s voice trembled as she interrupted him.
She rushed forward, snatched the knife from his hand, then turned to me with deep guilt in her eyes.
“Serena… I’m sorry.”
“It’s alright.”
I interrupted her, forcing a faint smile.
“I also hope Miss Snow can break this terrible curse… and finally give the girls in our clan their freedom.”
I turned and walked away quickly.
Behind me came Adrian’s furious, disgusted shout.
“You gold-digging fraud! One more look at you makes me sick. Get out!”
I ran out of the wedding hall. The moment I stepped outside—
“Ugh—!”
I vomited a mouthful of thick, black blood.
I should have stayed in the mountains for several more years to continue my cultivation.
But three years ago, when Adrian first met me, he had taken my hand with such sincerity and confessed his love.
A young girl tasting love for the first time… I believed every word he said.
Back then, I had already sensed the weakness in his body through his pulse.
Worried for him, I knelt before my master for seven days and seven nights, begging for permission to leave the mountain.
But only after I truly came to Adrian’s side did I realize just how powerful the curse was.
My cultivation was too shallow.
The only way I could sustain his health was by consuming my own blood essence.
Every night, the pain in my organs was so unbearable that I could only endure it until dawn.
Back then, I believed that sacrificing everything for the man who would accompany me for life was worth it.
But I never expected that the “love” he once spoke of…
was nothing more than a trick to satisfy his curiosity and take my body.
I wiped the blood from the corner of my lips, suppressing the dense ache in my heart as I left the hotel.
I thought everything was finally over.
But when I returned to my apartment—
I froze.
The hallway walls were covered in red paint.
“LIAR!”
“FRAUD!”
“SHAMELESS BITCH!”
And the little home I had carefully decorated…
was already being devoured by raging flames.
Inside that room were the scriptures and talismans I had written over the years with my own blood essence.
Like a madwoman, I rushed straight into the fire without hesitation.
But the moment I took a step forward, a tongue of flame leapt onto my body.
Half the skin on my body burned away, exposing raw flesh.
When tears fell onto the exposed wounds, the pain pierced straight into my bones.
Adrian Lancaster stood behind me with his arm wrapped around Vivian Snow’s waist. I didn’t know when they had arrived.
His gaze fell on my mangled arm, and mockery filled his eyes.
“Well, look at that. I thought you were some powerful mystic. Turns out you feel pain like everyone else.”
“Adrian Lancaster! What right do you have to burn my things?! If it weren’t for those, you would’ve been dead years ago!”
“Enough!”
Adrian strode forward and suddenly grabbed me by the throat.
“Stop bringing up those disgusting tricks of yours! Just looking at them makes me sick!”
“Not only will I burn them—I’ll let the whole world see what a fraud you really are!”
Before I could react, dozens—no, hundreds—of reporters flooded into the narrow hallway.
Countless cameras were thrust directly into my face.
“Miss Whitmore! Over the past three years you’ve scammed the Lancaster family out of enormous sums of money.
Do you feel even a little remorse?”
“This is fraud. It’s a crime. Do you know that?”
“And you still wanted to marry Mr. Lancaster? Shameless bitch! Why are we even interviewing her? Beat her!”
A woman in the crowd grabbed my already shredded arm.
The sharp pain exploded through my entire body.
I collapsed against the wall.
Punches and kicks rained down on me from every direction.
Meanwhile, Adrian wrapped his arm around Vivian’s slender waist and walked away laughing.
That very night, I trended on social media.
“Lancaster Family’s Former Fiancée Exposed as Fraud! Used Superstition to Swindle Nearly a Million in Just Three Years!”
“Lancaster Family Deceived for a Century—Until Miss Vivian Snow Finally Broke the ‘Curse’! Science Prevails!”
Wearing my burned and tattered wedding dress, I staggered away.
I wanted to buy new clothes to change into—but my bank card had already been frozen.
The automated voice on the phone repeated mechanically,
“Miss Whitmore, due to suspected fraud involving your account, it has been temporarily frozen. Thank you for your understanding.”
I took out the little cash left in my pocket and tried to find a cheap motel.
But the moment I stepped near the entrance, the landlady spat directly at me.
“You’re that little scammer from the news, aren’t you? Get lost!”
I hadn’t eaten all day.
The wounds on my body were already festering.
I touched my burning forehead, but I couldn’t even take another step.
Finally, I collapsed beside a garbage cart in a dark alley.
People passing by recognized me.
Rotten eggs, filthy leftovers, and garbage water were thrown directly onto my wounds.
I missed the quiet mountains.
I missed my master.
But I knew I couldn’t leave.
Tomorrow… was Adrian’s birthday.
When he grabbed my throat earlier, I had already felt the chaos in his pulse.
I had to witness that moment with my own eyes.
Thinking of this, I forced myself up against the wall and staggered forward.
But after taking just one step, darkness swallowed my vision.
And I fainted.
I woke up to the familiar scent of medicinal herbs.
Enduring the pain coursing through my body, I forced myself upright and saw my master carefully applying medicine to my wounds.
“Master… I can’t go back yet…”
He looked at me with deep pity while tending to the festering injuries that covered my body.
“I know. You’re waiting for his birthday…”
Before my master could finish speaking, a loud commotion erupted outside.
The door was suddenly kicked open.
More than a dozen burly men rushed inside.
They pinned me down.
The man leading them pulled a knife from his coat and plunged it straight into my master’s heart.
I screamed and tried to rush toward him.
But before I could even stand, Adrian Lancaster strode in from outside and slapped me hard, sending me crashing to the ground.
He stared down at me with undisguised disgust.
“So that’s why you refused to leave. Turns out the fraud’s nest is here.”
Adrian stepped forward and pressed his foot down on my master’s still-bleeding wound.
“Tell me. Was he the one giving you all those ideas?”
“Let him go!”
I crawled toward Adrian, grabbed his ankle, and pleaded through trembling breaths.
“If it weren’t for my master, you would’ve died long ago! Let him go!”
Adrian stared at me as I shook uncontrollably.
A strange smile curled onto his lips.
“Fine.”
He pulled out his phone and tossed it at my feet.
“Record a video admitting you’re a fraud. Do that, and I’ll let this old man go.”
“Serena… don’t…”
My master’s bloodshot eyes fixed on me as he desperately shook his head.
But before he could finish speaking—
Adrian suddenly yanked the knife out of my master’s chest and stabbed it toward his neck.
In an instant, a fountain of blood burst into the air.
I trembled violently and tried to rush forward, but Adrian blocked my way.
“Serena Whitmore, you won’t record it, huh? Then let’s see this old man bleed to death today.
”
“I’ll do it. I’ll record it…”
Adrian watched the video with satisfaction.
Only then did he agree to send my master to the hospital.
The moment the ambulance arrived, a nurse rushed over and shoved a thick stack of forms into my arms.
“Miss, the patient’s condition is critical. Hurry and pay the medical fees!”
I froze, remembering that all my bank accounts had been frozen.
“Quickly! If you delay any longer, he’ll bleed to death!”
The nurse kept urging me.
Slowly, stiffly, I turned around and looked at Adrian behind me.
“Adrian… my accounts have been frozen. Could you…”
Adrian wrapped his arm around Vivian’s slender waist and burst into arrogant laughter.
“Sure. But if you’re begging someone for help, you should at least have the right attitude.”
He raised an eyebrow.
“Your clan has been scamming the Lancaster family for nearly a hundred years.
A little video confession isn’t enough to settle that.”
“Get on your knees and apologize—to me and to the Lancaster ancestors.”
Looking at my master, whose clothes were soaked in blood, I didn’t dare hesitate.
With a thud, I dropped to my knees at Adrian’s feet.
“I’m sorry… I deceived you…”
Vivian interrupted softly, her voice dripping with sweetness.
“Just saying sorry isn’t enough. You should kowtow.
”
“What are you staring at? Vivian told you to bow. Are you deaf?” Adrian sneered. “One hundred times.”
Under Adrian’s mocking gaze, I slammed my forehead against the ground.
“One… two…”
My forehead split open.
Blood streamed down my face and onto the floor.
By the time I reached one hundred, I could no longer feel the pain.
Finally.
I staggered to my feet and rushed toward my master.
“Is that enough now?! Go pay the fees!”
“Sure,” Adrian said with a light laugh. “I’ll go home and get the money.”
He turned to leave.
I grabbed his ankle desperately, staring up at him through clenched teeth.
“You did this on purpose… Adrian, you—”
“Oh? That’s not how someone begging for help should speak. Do you want the money or not?”
The strength drained from my hand.
“Yes… I want it. Please hurry…”
Adrian returned an hour later.
He tossed the payment receipt into my arms.
I stumbled toward the nurse and shoved the receipt into her hands.
But all I received was a helpless sigh.
“It’s too late.”
“The patient… is already gone.”
I trembled violently and rushed toward Adrian, raising my fist and striking his face.
“You beast! You did it on purpose! You killed my master—I’ll kill you!”
Adrian caught my wrist effortlessly.
His eyes were cold and ruthless.
“Kill me? Serena Whitmore, pay back what your clan owes the Lancaster family first before making threats.
”
He tossed a stack of bills onto the floor.
“The Lancasters have supported your clan for nearly a century. Now that you’ve admitted you’re a fraud, shouldn’t we settle the debt?”
“And if you don’t repay it…”
He lifted his phone, the video I had recorded only hours earlier glowing on the screen.
“This video will be seen by everyone.”
“And not just you. Your newly dead master. Your fellow disciples…”
My whole body trembled as I spoke through clenched teeth.
“I’ll repay it.”
“After your birthday… I’ll repay everything.”
“After my birthday?”
Adrian laughed mockingly.
“Who’s going to wait that long? No money, and you’re still trying to stall?”
“Adrian, I have no money. My accounts are frozen…”
“Fine. Since you refuse to admit it, don’t blame me.”
Adrian’s men rushed forward, tied me up, and shoved me into a car.
At first, I didn’t understand what he intended.
But when the car turned onto that remote mountain road—
My blood ran cold.
That road led to my mother’s grave.
Whenever someone from my clan was buried, a priceless jade stone would be placed in the coffin.
It was a secret I had told Adrian the day we set our wedding date.
He dragged me to my mother’s grave and waved his hand at the bodyguards behind him.
“Dig.”
“Adrian Lancaster, you monster!”
I staggered toward him, but before I could reach him, dirt from my mother’s grave was already being thrown into the air.
Not far away, Adrian raised his phone.
“Serena Whitmore, you’d better behave. If my hand slips, this video will go online.”
Amid the disgusting sounds of Adrian and Vivian flirting beside me, I saw my mother’s white bones—
And the jade burial stone beside them.
Even after more than a decade underground, it still shone brilliantly.
Adrian’s eyes lit up with excitement.
After stuffing the jade into his pocket, he tossed my mother’s bones out of the grave as if they were trash.
“Adrian Lancaster! You’ll die a horrible death!!!”
“Whether I die horribly or not isn’t for you to decide.”
Vivian stepped forward gracefully, lifting my chin with her fingers.
“In a moment, it will be Adrian’s thirtieth birthday.”
“Tonight will be the final moment when your scam is exposed.”
An hour later, Adrian brought me to his birthday celebration.
A massive screen displayed Adrian’s heart monitor.
Everyone in the city knew about the Lancaster curse, so the banquet hall was packed.
Everyone wanted to see whether the century-old curse was real.
Vivian held Adrian’s hand as they walked onto the stage.
Pointing to the large clock behind them, she spoke sweetly.
“In less than one minute, I, Vivian Snow, will prove that this ridiculous curse is nothing but a lie.”
“Let’s all witness it together.”
The entire hall fell into silence.
All eyes were fixed on the clock and the heartbeat monitor on the screen.
The clock hands reached twelve.
The heartbeat monitor still pulsed steadily.
Adrian’s complexion remained healthy and rosy.
Cheers erupted from the crowd.
Even Margaret Lancaster burst into tears of relief.
But just as she stepped onto the stage, preparing to embrace her son—
Adrian suddenly collapsed to the floor.
Without warning.
With a heavy thud.
“Adrian…!”
Margaret Lancaster’s scream echoed through the entire hall.
The moment Adrian collapsed, her legs gave out beneath her and she fell to the floor as well.
“Adrian, don’t scare your mother… get up…”
Crying hysterically, Margaret crawled over to him, shaking his body again and again.
Vivian Snow, who had been standing there moments earlier in triumph, was clearly shocked by what had just happened.
She staggered back a step and quickly turned to look at the heart monitor displayed on the giant screen.
There was nothing unusual about it.
Seeing Margaret’s ashen face and Adrian lying motionless on the ground, Vivian hurriedly waved toward the crowd.
“Someone come up here and take a look!”
It was obvious Vivian had prepared carefully for today.
Within seconds, several doctors in white coats rushed onto the stage.
Vivian tore the monitoring device off Adrian and handed it to one of her colleagues.
“Check whether the equipment malfunctioned!”
Then she stepped forward and gently pulled Margaret aside.
“Aunt Margaret, please don’t panic. My colleagues are all here. Let them examine Adrian first.”
“Vivian… you said you could protect Adrian. You said his body was perfectly healthy…”
Margaret grabbed Vivian’s hand, trembling violently.
“Hurry and check… what’s wrong with him…”
“Yes, yes. Please don’t worry. Nothing will happen.”
Vivian comforted her while secretly signaling to her colleagues.
The doctors quickly surrounded Adrian and began examining him.
But as more and more medical devices were attached to his body, the doctors’ expressions grew increasingly grim.
“Vivian…”
A middle-aged doctor finally stood up and called her name.
He pulled Vivian aside and lowered his voice.
“The medical equipment shows no abnormalities. But he still won’t wake up.”
“And his breathing is getting weaker…”
“What?! That’s impossible!”
Vivian cried out sharply in disbelief.
Only after the words left her mouth did she realize she had spoken too loudly.
But it was already too late.
Because the doctor had been so nervous that neither of them noticed—
Their whispered conversation had been picked up by the external speakers.
Every guest in the hall heard it.
The once silent banquet hall erupted into chaos.
“My god, could that curse actually be real? The doctors examining Adrian are from the most famous hospital in the city! If even they can’t find anything wrong…”
“Exactly! His pulse is getting weaker and they still don’t know the cause. If they can’t find it soon, won’t he die?”
“They say every Lancaster man dies before thirty.
I thought it was just a rumor… but now it seems real…”
Amid the panicked murmurs of the crowd, Margaret stood frozen in place, her face drained of all color.
She staggered toward Vivian.
Then suddenly—
She slapped her hard across the face.
“You wretched girl! You ruined Adrian!”
“If he had married Serena, he would have survived this calamity! It was your appearance that made him change his heart!”
“Hurry and bring Serena back! Right now!”
“She’s the only one who can save him!”
Vivian clearly hadn’t expected to be slapped in front of so many people.
Raised in luxury all her life, her face instantly turned pale with anger.
But Adrian was lying there unconscious.
And on the wedding day, she had publicly promised she could protect him.
So she swallowed her anger and forced herself to remain calm.
“Aunt Margaret, I understand you’re worried. But Adrian’s condition may not be as serious as you think.
”
“Maybe the equipment here is too limited. We can’t fully monitor his body.”
“Don’t worry. I’ve already called an ambulance from our hospital. Once he’s there, everything will be easier to handle.”
“Please trust me.”
Just as she finished speaking, the ambulance arrived outside.
Before Margaret could say anything else, Vivian directed the paramedics to carry Adrian away.
From the corner of the hall, I watched everything unfold.
A cold laugh rose silently in my heart.
Because once they reached the hospital—
the real nightmare would begin.
Blending quietly into the crowd, I slipped out of the hotel.
Outside, I hailed a taxi and followed the ambulance carrying Adrian.
Although Vivian had looked calm in front of Margaret earlier, the frantic speed of the ambulance revealed the panic she was desperately trying to hide.
Not long after we left the hotel, my phone began ringing urgently.
I glanced at the screen and smiled.
It seemed Margaret didn’t fully trust Vivian either.
I switched the phone to silent mode and watched the screen light up again and again as the calls came in.
The flashing glow of the screen
probably looked just like Margaret’s frantic heartbeat right now.
When she realized I wouldn’t answer, she began sending messages.
“Serena, where are you? What happened at the wedding was Adrian’s fault. He knows he was wrong now. Please, for the sake of the relationship between our families, come to the hospital.”
“Serena, you’ve lived here with us for three years. I’ve always treated you well. Even if it’s for my sake, please don’t hold a grudge against Adrian.”
Reading her long messages, I let out a quiet scoff.
Over the past few days, the conflict between Adrian and me had exploded across the entire city.
I refused to believe she knew nothing about it.
Yet she had watched silently the whole time.
Now that disaster had struck, she finally remembered me.
She thought a few polite words could buy her son’s life.
What a ridiculous dream.
I closed my eyes, listening to the wind rushing past my ears.
My master’s pale face.
My mother’s bones dug from the grave.
The warnings my fellow disciples had given me when I left the mountain.
All of it replayed in my mind like scenes from a film.
Tears slipped quietly down my cheeks.
Again and again, I whispered to them in my heart,
“Don’t worry. Serena has grown up now.”
“This time… let me protect all of you.”
The ambulance screeched to a halt at the hospital entrance.
I got out of the taxi about fifty meters away and watched as a group of frantic medical staff rushed Adrian inside.
They immediately pushed him toward the VIP emergency operating room on the top floor.
…
Outside the operating room on the top floor,
I stood at a distance and saw Vivian pacing nervously while Margaret had already collapsed weakly onto the floor.
Doctors and nurses hurried in and out.
Many of them were famous experts in the city’s medical field.
But every single one who entered with confidence
came out with a grim expression.
When the third specialist walked out of the operating room, Vivian finally couldn’t hold back any longer.
She rushed forward and grabbed his wrist.
“Professor Huang, what’s happening inside? I used the most advanced monitoring equipment from our hospital. The data shows no abnormalities.”
“The equipment department even confirmed everything is working perfectly.”
“So why won’t he wake up?”
Seeing that the man hesitated to speak, her voice began trembling with tears.
“Professor… please tell me the truth. The man inside isn’t just a patient.
He’s my fiancé. I’ve studied under you for so many years…”
“The situation is far more serious than we imagined.”
“And… strange.”
“Strange?” Vivian’s voice shook.
Professor Huang sighed and shook his head slowly.
“I’ve practiced medicine for thirty years and have never seen a case like this.”
“All his medical indicators look perfectly normal. But somehow… he’s dying.”
“Not only is his skin rotting at a visible speed, even his internal organs are beginning to decay.
”
“And yet all the indicators show no abnormalities. Without abnormal results, we can’t proceed with treatment.”
“It’s as if the lesions have their own awareness—deliberately avoiding detection while spreading rapidly in the most bizarre way.”
“Professor Huang…”
Vivian stared at him in disbelief, her voice trembling.
“You’re one of the greatest authorities in medicine…”
“I know. I know.”
He sighed helplessly.
“I understand how irresponsible this sounds coming from a medical expert.”
“But Vivian… the truth is that our current medical technology can do nothing.”
At that moment—
a shrill scream suddenly rang out from inside the operating room.
“Mom! It hurts!”
Professor Huang’s eyes widened.
“He woke up…!”
Professor Huang immediately turned and rushed toward the operating room.
But after only two steps, he froze in place.
It was as if he had seen something utterly horrifying.
In the next second, he turned around abruptly and staggered backward, trying to flee.
Seeing his reaction, Vivian leaned forward to look inside as well.
But the moment she peeked through the doorway—
She clutched the wall and vomited violently.
The commotion drew Margaret’s attention.
She struggled to her feet, supporting herself against the wall, and staggered toward the operating room.
But before she could even reach it—
She froze.
A figure stepped out from inside.
It was covered in blood.
Its skin was gone.
A grotesque, horrifying creature.
With every step it took, a bloody footprint was left behind.
The “thing” seemed to notice Margaret.
It staggered toward her, making ragged, gasping sounds.
“Mom… it’s me… I’m Adrian… Mom… save me…”
Every word he spoke was accompanied by blood pouring from the corners of his mouth.
Vivian leaned against the wall, retching uncontrollably.
Professor Huang had already fainted from fear.
From the eerie silence inside the operating room, it was clear—
the other medical staff had likely fainted as well.
Margaret stared at the blood-soaked, skinless figure in front of her, her face filled with shock and disbelief.
She wanted to step back.
But then she noticed the silver bracelet on his wrist—
the one Adrian had worn since childhood.
“Mom… it’s me… Mom… it hurts… please save me…”
He dragged himself toward her, step by step.
At last, Margaret seemed to accept it.
Accept that this horrifying, mangled creature… was her son.
She stumbled forward, trying to embrace him—
but there was nowhere she could even place her hands.
“Adrian… how did you become like this…”
“Mom… it hurts… it hurts so much… please find a way to save me…”
Margaret’s gaze suddenly snapped toward Vivian, who was still vomiting nearby.
I had never seen Margaret move so fast.
Before Vivian could react, Margaret rushed forward, grabbed her by the hair, and slammed her head against the wall.
She pointed at the trail of bloody footprints and screamed hoarsely,
“Vivian Snow! You said this would work! You said you just needed one chance! You said Adrian was perfectly healthy!”
“Look at him now! Save him! Go on—save him!”
Vivian’s face turned deathly pale.
“Aunt Margaret, I… I…”
“It must be Adrian’s own fault! This has nothing to do with me… nothing to do with me…”
Before she could finish, she vomited again.
“Mom… find Serena… go find Serena!”
Adrian roared in agony.
Another mouthful of blood spilled from his lips.
Margaret seemed to suddenly awaken from a trance.
“Yes… Serena… find Serena…”
Muttering to herself, she fumbled for her phone.
At that moment—
a soft ringtone rang out from inside a pocket.
Not only did I hear it.
Margaret heard it.
Adrian heard it too.
Their gazes turned toward me all at once.
I lifted the phone in my hand.
For the first time since arriving in this city three years ago,
I stepped out of the shadows—
into their sight.
Even if the only ones watching
were Adrian and Margaret.
It was enough.
“Serena…”
“How… how are you here?”
Margaret rushed toward me like a madwoman—
just like I had once rushed toward my master…
toward my mother’s bones…
I stepped aside.
But she still managed to grab my ankle.
With a heavy thud, she dropped to her knees in front of me.
Pointing at Adrian’s blood-soaked body, she begged with trembling desperation,
“Serena… please, save Adrian… I’m begging you…”
I looked at Adrian, who was covered in blood.
A faint smile curled at the corner of my lips.
And then—
I laughed.
“Mrs. Lancaster… are you mistaken?”
“I’m just a fraud, aren’t I?”
“You’re in a hospital. Instead of asking doctors to save him, you’re begging a fraud like me?”
“Have you lost your mind?”
Margaret clearly hadn’t expected this response.
But she reacted quickly.
Grabbing Adrian’s wrist, she dragged him toward me—
causing him to scream in unbearable pain.
Yet she didn’t stop.
She forced him in front of me and said through gritted teeth,
“Adrian, apologize to Serena.”
“Serena… I’m sorry…”
Before Margaret could finish, Adrian interrupted her.
He collapsed onto his knees and crawled toward me.
A horrifying trail of blood followed behind him.
“Serena… it’s all my fault… I shouldn’t have been deceived by Vivian Snow… I love you… Serena…”
“Please… save me…”
“Adrian Lancaster… I can save you.”
The moment I said those words, hope ignited in his blood-filled eyes.
“Really?! Then tell me what you want—I’ll do anything!”
“Serena… as long as it’s something I can do, I’ll give it everything I have…”
I spoke calmly, imitating the very tone he once used against me.
“Kneel. Apologize.”
Before my words had even fully fallen, his head slammed heavily against the ground.
A pool of blood spread beneath him.
Margaret watched with a heart full of anguish, clutching her clothes tightly—
but she didn’t dare say a word.
After a series of dull, echoing thuds,
Adrian slowly raised his head.
“Serena… that’s one hundred… is it enough?”
“No.”
I answered coldly.
Thinking it wasn’t enough, he immediately prepared to slam his head down again.
I lifted my foot and stopped him.
“That’s enough for the kowtowing.
”
“Now… give my master back to me.”
“And return my mother’s remains.”
“Serena…”
“Don’t call me that!”
My voice suddenly rose.
“I said—give my master back to me! Give me back my mother’s remains!”
“Serena… I’m sorry…”
I sat down on a chair, glanced at my watch, and spoke calmly,
“Adrian Lancaster, you have eighteen hours, forty-three minutes, and twelve seconds before today ends.”
“If you fail to fulfill my demands…”
“Every second from now on will be more painful than the last.”
Despair flooded Adrian’s eyes.
He fell silent.
In the long, echoing corridor,
the only sounds left were Margaret’s desperate pleas—
and Adrian’s agonized screams.
I simply sat there,
watching quietly—
as his blood drained away…
and he died.
When I left the hospital,
I sent a message to all the women in my clan who had married into the Lancaster family.
“Sisters… it’s time to leave.”
That very night,
news broke across the city—
every male member of the Lancaster family had died suddenly.
With the token my master left behind, I took control of the clan once more.
The first thing I did after taking power—
was to end the marriage alliance between our clan and the Lancaster family.
Back then, during a time of famine,
the ancestors of the Lancaster family had given our elders a few grains of food to survive.
And for that,
our clan had sacrificed for them for nearly a century.
Now—
that debt
had been repaid.
(The End)
