The Third Life of Helena Blackmoore

14. A Reason to Live

The news of people rescued from human traffickers made it into the newspaper. There was a page reserved to interview the victims. Adham was mentioned in the news but used a fake name to hide his identity. In the end, the knights received all the praise for saving everyone from the kidnappers.

Everyone was shocked by the inhumane story and demanded justice for the victims. Unfortunately, the house was burnt down before further investigation took place. No one knew the cause of the fire. Any information about Paradise Star had gone as it did not exist.

Helena reformed her notes and wrote down new information in her book. Karl came into this world because Paradise Star summoned him. He roamed around to feed himself by making a contract with humans. The demon found Helena and wanted to feast on her soul. Yet, she died before he even made a move on her. Karl then sent her soul back to the past.

She wrote an additional memo about Paradise Star. The information she received from the information guild was accurate. The cult ran on human trafficking and had illegal firearm possession. She saw and experienced everything by herself. Helena shuddered when she recalled the memories of that day.

This info just gave her more headaches. She must face the cult while handling an upcoming problem. Spring was almost over. In a month, her sister was going to poison her mother. Helena must do something to prevent it from happening.

Helena opened a new page from her secret notes. When she was jolting down her strategy, someone knocked on her window. Helena was frowning. This was late at night, and the knock came from her balcony. She turned around and saw the damned demon waving his hand while smiling.

Helena ignored him. She should concentrate on her problems.

Helena remembered when her mother collapsed after drinking tea. She screamed and ordered the servants to call the doctor. It was futile because they could not save her mother's life on time. Helena was brokenhearted after her mother passed away. She mourned her death for a long time.

Helena swore to save her mother in her second life. She gained an antidote for the poison and used it to save her mother. Since Helena had called the police early to investigate the case, Ethel could not dispose of the poison. She avoided the crime by blaming her maid. The maid was found guilty under the investigation and punished for something she never did.

The high society certainly was not stupid. A mere maid would get nothing from killing the Mistress of the House. It was clear who was the real culprit. This news tainted Ethel's reputation. Many noble ladies cut their relationship with her, while servants lost their trust in their master.

Nevertheless, Ethel still got support from some nobles and her father's love. Their father begged Helena to forgive her sister. Helena took this opportunity as a chance to gain the upper hand. She used his guilt as blackmailing material. He bought and did anything for Helena to compensate for her sister's misdeed.

Helena was successful with her plan in her second life. However, her mother grew terrified of the new Helena. The child she raised with love turned into a monster. She tortured servants and enjoyed watching people suffering. Helena and her mother grew apart on that timeline.

Yet, she still protected her beloved daughter with her own life. She bought more time for Helena and Ethel to flee away. Helena remembered her mother's face before the sword plunged into her chest. Her expression was mixed with sorrow from losing her own life and slight happiness from protecting Helena. Helena's heart was aching when she saw it. It was one of the why she was reluctant to go through the evil path again. Helena wanted to be a daughter her mother could be proud of.

Nevertheless, being kind in her first life led her nowhere. She wondered what action she must take to ensure her mother's safety this time. Helena could try the same method, but her father and the nobility would still protect Ethel.