Chapter 256: Emily

The story will get back to Vincent after 5-6 chapters, and that's when he will come across Emily. Who is she? A third main character who is the wife of a third main character. Please read. Thanks~

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Planet Lorena, Avalon Kingdom, Southern Duchy!

"My lady, the carriage sent by the House of Phantasia is waiting outside the house, awaiting your arrival."

The maid that has been serving the Godwin Family for the past four years said while looking down at the woman who was sitting on the chair next to her. Her voice contained a hint of disdain, but the way she stared at the golden-haired woman vividly revealed the complete disregard she held for her. Lala, the maid, knew full well that this low-born wouldn't talk back to her and only endure her taunt in silence.

Emily's brows scrunched up at her words. It sounded as if Lala was telling her, "It's high time we send you off to your new home, to the monster feared by the entire kingdom, to the bloody fiend who your sister was supposed to marry, Low-Life!"

A mere maid behaving in such a manner wouldn't have been only slapped thrice by her master but also kicked out of the family with one or two broken limbs. Emily knew that. However, she didn't have any say in this family. Not to mention the fact that this maid belonged to her sister and was here only to help her dress up from head to toe. Add on the fact that her eldest step-brother— the second-highest authority of the Godwin family—was in love with her, and thus, saying as much as a word to her would result in stinging pain on her hands as well as an hour of lecture.

Furthermore, she was timid. It wasn't in her nature to talk back to others. Ah yes, this rule applied as long as she was interacting with the members of the house or a person who is a stranger to her. To make it more clear, she was timid but not in a bad sense. To protect herself, she had to act timidly, just like she always had been since the young age of four. Not doing so meant abuse, both mental, verbal, and physical. Showing a smile or even a hint of happiness in her eyes meant the same. To leave this house without any more pain and humiliation, she had to keep her head low, remain silent, and behave timidly; that was the only way.

'She remained silent, just like I thought, heh.'

Happy to see that her taunting words had worked in earning a messed-up reaction from her, Lala smiled tauntingly. However, she hid that in the blink of an eye, almost causing Emily to think that the smile reflected on the mirror in front of her was something she imagined, not something shown to her by Lala, who was now showing a worried expression on her face. She, however, knew how little the servants and maids of this house thought of her. So she was sure that what she saw was indeed a taunting smile.

Lala's taunting smile had conveyed her emotions to Emily.

'Stop enduring and say something back to me, then see what happens on your wedding day.'

Emily exhaled, looking a bit tired and unwell, making the onlooker think she was sighing. Right then, Lala decided to press her buttons once again.

"Lady, did I do anything to displease you?" Lala asked, ever so worriedly.

If words had a shape, then each of Lala's would've appeared as a snake, Emily thought, her brows scrunching up even more. Lala wanted a reaction out of her, and she was giving her what she wanted—not giving meant becoming a target of an insidious plot that would hurt her in one way or another.

"No." Emily hurriedly replied; her voice meek, sounded like a voice of a cute rabid.

"May I dare ask, what made you so dissatisfied?"

Lala continued, trying to agitate her. She wasn't born a noble and was nothing more than a mere commoner. When she was a child, watching nobles dressing up in flashy clothes and eating meat would always make her burn up in jealousy. She desired the life they had and also hated them for living such a good life, one that was ten—No, hundreds of times better than her's. One could say that Emily, who couldn't fight back, became the puppet upon whom she loved to release her hatred.

'It's you!' She couldn't say it out loud and only screamed in her mind.

No matter what, she needed to give her a reply, or who knows, her step-brother might just come to teach her a lesson.

"It's just that these clothes are too luxurious, and I think I am not deserving of them." Emily looked at the mirror that showed her reflection. She saw a gorgeous lady, one too unfamiliar with her. She had golden hair that went well with her bright green eyes, one she had always kept hidden under bangs. Her swan-like neck was enticing, and her smooth, milky skin and kissable red lips left much to the imagination. She had never dressed up before, and thus, this was her first time seeing herself in such light. Gorgeous and enticing; terms that she thought would never match with her, who dressed plainly and covered her beauty in fear of her father selling her off to a lecherous man that would've come to want her if she dressed otherwise.

As luck would have it, or rather her miserable fate, she was still sold in place of her step-sister to pay off the debt the Godwin family owed to the Phantasia Family.

Before Lala could come up with words to taunt her more, the door to Emily's room silently opened, and the first daughter of the house, who had been eavesdropping on their conversation, entered the room.

"Do not mind such insignificant feelings of inferiority, for I am sure the Guardian of the North would drown you in such luxuries in the future. The faster you get used to indulging in luxury, the better it would be for, my dear sister."

A voice that sounded like the melody sung by God's beloved angel sounded in her ears. Emily and the maid beside her turned their heads to look at the source of the voice. There, she stood—the apple of the empire's eyes—the gorgeous lady as well as Emily's step-sister, Angelica.

Why? Why did God bless such a person with the voice that could memorize any man? Why had her father named her Angelica when she should've been named Satan?

From childhood until a few days ago, she had treated her as a slave. They had maids, but she always ordered her to clean her room and bathroom, even though she knew full well that she was allergic to dust. Thanks to that, she had suffered a lot. Bullying and verbal harassment weren't enough, but now she was sending her off to die in her place, sending her off to marry the person she was supposed to marry. Their family owed a debt to the Crimson Lord, the Guardian of the Northern Duchy. A debt of billions of magic coins.

"I will heed your words, sister dearest," Emily replied with a smile on her face, which helped hide a face full of fury, distress, and helplessness.

Angelica seemed pleased by the way she was behavior today.

"Come now," said Angelica, a smile so wide on her face that it revealed all her pearly-white teeth. "Let me take you to the bridal carriage."

She extended her hands towards Emily, who grabbed it and stood up. Then, they walked out of the door, heading towards the magnificent staircase, and towards the door that would let her leave this house for good. Each step Emily took weighed down on her heart. The glow in her emerald eyes dimmed the closer she got to the majestic door. She was going to the man that purchased her—the man who she had heard about only in horror stories, after all.

How had that happened? And why her?

Unable to repay the debt that was already overdue, her father, Marquis William Godwin—left with no other choice but to honor the deal or face the destruction of his house—agreed to repay the debt by sending his daughter off to him.

However, He was a man that had been alive for a long, long time. No one knows for how long, but it was probably in the hundreds. Maybe he was as old as the Emperor of Avalon or the founder of the federation. Rumors about him ran ramage in the street and the alleys, such as the fact that he is beyond ugly, that his face is no different than a devil, that he sucks the blood of virgins each full-moon night to quench his thirst, and many more.

Of course, Angelica disagreed and threatened their father with her life. After which, her father stopped forcing her and ordered Emily to go in her stead.

He ordered her, signifying the fact that her consent didn't matter. Declining her father would be the same as asking for a bloody beating. So, she neither agreed nor disagreed and silently watched whatever was happening as if she wasn't the center of it all. The little bit of stuff she had; the servants had already packed it before her father even broke the unbelievable news to her. They added a few things into her stuff so that the world won't know how badly the Marquis treats the daughter born out of his second wife, who was his beloved, the target of his first's wife hatred, and also a commoner.

And also a person who was dead for many years!