Dylan de Beaumon, the adopted daughter of a Duke, recalls the memories of her past-life after hitting her head. Upon realizing she was a villainess character in a novel, she decides to use her intellectual giftedness to get a good career and run awa...
What she didn't tell him was that she had no intention of taking the women's entrance exam. Instead, she spent countless hours immersed in books, studying mathematics and sciences, determined to attain the same education as the male students and successors.
Her reasoning was straightforward: if she remained in the Duke's mansion, her life would be in danger. To achieve independence and flee, Dylan required an education that would provide her with the necessary skills for a well-paying job.
Of course, none of this would have been possible if I hadn't fallen that day, she thought.
~
The heavy rain pounded against the ground, and thick grey clouds lined the sky. Dylan remembered shivering, holding her thin dress tightly around her as if it would provide some protection against the scary weather.
It was the day her mother fell ill with a fever, and Dylan was only ten years old, too young to navigate the streets alone. She couldn't wake her mother and ran barefoot into the storm to find help. The floor was muddy and slippery, making it difficult to walk even a short distance, and she slipped and fell, hitting her head on the rain-soaked road.
Memories, emotions, and resentments from another person flooded her mind all at once. The world in those memories was far more advanced both technologically and socially than the one she currently lived in. In that exact moment, she also realized that her fate was sealed, and her mother was not going to make it.
Dylan was the villainous character in a novel from her past life called "Faerchester's Flowers." As the adopted daughter of the Duke, she had indulged in luxurious spending and used her father's influence to satisfy her every whim. However, her jealousy towards the novel's heroine caused her downfall.
She ultimately met her demise at the hands of her own brother. Axil de Beaumon, the heir apparent of the Duke, was deeply infatuated with the novel's heroine and despised Dylan's commoner origins and her entitlement to his father's wealth. Driven by his hatred, Axil ultimately killed Dylan, who was unable to escape her fate as the novel's antagonist.
~
To think that I have to avoid a person whom I have never even met, she thought to herself. And my own brother, no less.
"My lady, tutoring has ended for the day," a maid interrupted, bringing Dylan back to reality. "It's time for you to retire to your chambers and perhaps have supper," she added, her gaze scanning Dylan's slender frame.
Dylan clicked her tongue in frustration at the maid's remark, glancing down at her bony wrists. Despite it being seven years since she had been adopted by the Duke, she still struggled to eat the rich and extravagant dishes served in their household. Her past of going without food for days at a time had left her with a weak stomach for such meals.
"I wish you the best of luck," the tutor said, packing up his belongings to leave. "As my work here is complete, I won't be seeing you again."
Dylan gathered her books with a playful grin. "You'll miss me terribly, won't you? Your most brilliant and engaged student?"
"For what it's worth, you really do have a brilliant mind, my lady," he said as he walked towards the door. He paused for a moment and turned back to look at Dylan before shutting the door behind him. "And I don't say that lightly," he added with a nod before disappearing out of the room.
"Well, I'll take that as the highest praise then," Dylan whispered to herself, her smile growing wider as she finished gathering her belongings.
The maid watched Dylan with a hint of admiration. Despite her slight frame, Dylan possessed a natural beauty that was hard to ignore. Her long, curly golden hair flowed down her back like a waterfall, and her eyes were as warm and inviting as jars of honey in the sun. At just seventeen years old, she was already turning heads with her effortless charm and grace.
The circumstances of Dylan's adoption remained a well-guarded secret, known only to the Duke and a select few. Rumours and speculation about her past continued to circulate, but none were privy to the truth.
As it turned out, Dylan was the result of a passionate affair between her mother and the Marquis Ruenz, a man of high standing who had unfortunately succumbed to a fatal illness. Dylan inherited her father's striking features, with warm brown eyes and curly golden hair. After the Marquis passed away, the Duke, who was a close friend, honoured his dying wish to find and care for his abandoned child, taking Dylan under his wing and into his household.
One of Dylan's childhood friends had once asked her, "Why are you so afraid of loving other people?"
To Dylan, the answer was simple: her father. Marquis Ruenz was the cause of her trauma and problems, the one who had dragged her into the hell she currently lived in and continued to haunt her even after his death. For Dylan, he was the monster in her life, the one who had ruined the idea of love. Forever.
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𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫'𝐬 𝐍𝐨𝐭𝐞:
Dear Readers,
Thank you for joining me on this adventure. I promise to make it worth your while.
Throughout Dylan's quest to escape a life of misery, you will find yourself shedding tears, breaking into smiles, and feeling the excitement of each twist and turn in her story.
Thank you once again for your interest in my work, and I look forward to sharing this unforgettable experience with you.
