Reborn Shadows: Destiny's Thread

| 16

After the eventful dinner, Amelia returned to her room, feeling a mixture of exhaustion and elation. The weight of her being engaged to Christopher had been lifted, and she felt an urge to dance through the hallways if she wasn't so tired. Upon reaching her room, she was promptly joined by Emma.
 
"Miss, I heard." Emma's eyes were red and watery, and her sniffles were heard after each word. Suppressing a smile, Amelia extended her arms, offering a hug. Emma quickly ran to embrace her, sobbing in Amelia's arms.
 
"I'm truly sorry for you." Emma's voice trembled as she cried. Amelia couldn't help but chuckle at the drama queen currently sobbing into her shoulders.
 
"What do you mean? I am okay. But why are you crying, though?" Amelia teased her. Emma withdrew slightly, still sniffing.
 
"I heard about your engagement with Sir Christopher being called off." Emma's voice quivered as she spoke. Amelia broke out laughing, but Emma didn't seem pleased with Amelia's laughter. Amelia's laughter stopped when she noticed Emma's distress. She looked at Emma with a mixture of amusement and appreciation in her eyes.
 
"Emma," Amelia began, "I truly appreciate your concern. But you don't have to worry. I feel a lot better and lighter."
 
Emma's expression softened, still sniffing. "But, Miss, didn't you love Sir Christopher?" Emma asked her
 
Amelia's smile faded into a frown as she critically thought about Emma's question: Did she even love him? That was a very interesting question to ask. There was a brief silence between the two before Emma spoke again.
 
"Well, at least, it's for the best." Emma chuckled slightly while wiping her wet cheeks with the back of her hand. "And how do you feel now?"
 
"Oddly relieved," Amelia admitted, her fingers absently playing with the fabric of her dress. "At least Christopher Wallace can have his happily ever after with Madeline."
 
Emma's lips turned into a sneer. "I almost forgot about her; tell me she was so excited when the engagement ended. That witch!"
 
Amelia shook her head. "No, actually, it was quite the opposite. She glared at me and asked what was wrong with me. I honestly thought she would be happy, though."
 
Emma frowned "It is probably an act; I know she is probably celebrating your broken engagement in her room. So evil."
 
Amelia chuckled, touched by Emma's loyalty. "It doesn't matter; she can do whatever she wants. I am not interested in whatever happens to her. At least not in this life," Amelia muttered the last part to herself.
 
"Well, Miss, it's time to get you ready for bed." Emma quipped, going back to her normal bubbly self. Amelia smiled lightly as Emma guided her to her dressing table to undo her hair.
 
Emma was busy humming a popular tune while she did Amelia's hair. Amelia held back a chuckle, finding it difficult to be busy that this Emma happily humming was crying like a child a few minutes ago.
 
'I wondered how Emma took the news of my death in my past life. She would have been so devastated.' Amelia thought as she continued to observe Emma happily humming through the mirror.
 
"Emma, what if I told you that I would probably die in three months?" Amelia's thoughts slipped out, and the brush in Emma's hand dropped to the floor. Amelia's eyes met Emma's shocked expression in the mirror.
 
"How could you say that?" Emma's voice rose in panic. "What made you think so? Is someone sending death threats? Should I report this to his grace?" Worry is evident on Emma's face.
 
"No, there's no need for that; I just asked what if. Nothing to be worried about!" Amelia comforted Emma's troubled state. Emma took a sigh of relief.
 
"If anything like that is happening, please don't keep it to yourself; I don't know what I would do if my lady left the world early." Emma's voice held a tinge of sadness, her loyalty and affection for Amelia evident.
 
Amelia felt a pang of guilt for causing Emma distress. "I promise, Emma, if anything happens, you'll be the first to know."
 
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After Emma had left Amelia's room, Amelia sat on her bed in deep thought. Since she broke off her engagement with Christopher, she is probably on the safe side, right?
 
She went to the bookshelf in her room—the one her father had installed for her since she started reading so much—and took her trusty pink notebook and opened it to an unused page in the book. With a thoughtful expression, she began to write.
 
'On December 31st, Amelia ended her engagement with Christopher. Madeline and Christopher plotted to kill me in my last life, probably because I stood in the way of their love or something, now that I have broken up with him. Will that still be the case? '
 
Just as she finished writing her thoughts, a knock was heard at Amelia's door, interrupting Amelia's processes. She stood and walked to the door, thinking it was Emma. She opened the door and saw no one.
 
Curiously, Amelia came out of her room to check who had knocked on her bedroom door. Her foot met with an object on the floor, making a slight rustling sound.
 
Amelia looked at what was on the ground and saw a small purple box that looked like a miniature suitcase. She picks it up and takes it into her room.
 
Meanwhile~
 
Madeline was busy seething in her room. Her personal maid, Helena, was too scared to go assist her mistress with her nighttime routine. She's aware of the inferiority complex Madeline developed for her sister as well as the immense dislike of Amelia, which makes her wonder since Amelia loved Madeline so much. But it wasn't in her place to say anything; she was just a maid.
 
Reluctantly, Helena entered Madeline's room with a stone-cold face that seemed to mask her true emotions. Madeline turned to her with rage in her eyes.
 
"What are you doing just standing like that?" Madeline asked her, each word she spoke laced with irritation.
 
"I am here for your nighttime routine, my lady." Helena's voice remained monotone, despite the tension in the air.
 
Helena silently wishes she worked for Amelia instead of her crazy half. Amelia treated her personal maid with kindness and respect, a stark contrast to Madeline's treatment of her; besides, she was accustomed to these outbursts.
 
Madeline walks to the dressing table, and Helena steps in to do Madeline's hair as quickly as possible to prevent more complaints from being hurled at her.
 
"Helena, do you think I'm just going to let this slide?" Madeline's voice grew darker, with a sinister glint in her eyes.
 
"I don't possess personal opinions, my lady. My purpose is to serve you," Helena replied stoically, concealing her internal concerns.
 
Madeline shot her a piercing look through the mirror, a malicious smile playing on her lips. "Well then, Helena, my loyal servant, fetch me a box of chocolates."
 
Though she was confused, Helena obeyed, retrieving a box of chocolates from Madeline's drawer and handing it to her.
 
Madeline opened the box, revealing an assortment of chocolates. She selected one, savoring its sweetness. Then she picked up another chocolate, her gaze fixated on it.
 
"Helena, do you know what's intriguing about chocolates?" Madeline's voice took on a chilling edge as she continued staring at the chocolate.
 
Helena raised an eyebrow, her expression unchanged. "No, my lady. What is it?"
 
Madeline leaned in with a twisted smile on her lips. "Chocolates can be quite lethal. A tiny bit of poison hidden within the sweet exterior can do wonders."
 
Helena's eyes widened slightly, but she maintained her composure. She had suspected Madeline was psychotic, but hearing her speak so openly and casually about poison was unsettling.
 
"Of course, it would be a pity if someone accidentally consumed poisoned chocolate," Madeline continued, her tone dripping with malice. "Especially if that someone happened to be my dear sister Amelia."
 
Helena's heart raced, and she struggled to mask her alarm. "My lady, I must remind you that such actions are both immoral and illegal. I strongly advise against harboring harmful intentions."
 
Madeline's laughter was cold and calculated. "I thought you didn't have personal opinions, but don't worry, Helena. I'm well aware of the consequences. But I also know how to make things appear as accidents."
 
Helena paled on the spot as Madeline maintained a cold smile on her face.
 
"But unfortunately, I can't!" Madeline sighed with disappointment. Helena also sighed, very relieved. "Posion is hard to find, especially the ones that do the job without leaving traces or raising suspicions. I like to have a clean job."
 
Helena's jaw dropped as a million questions ran through her mind.
 
'Has Madeline murdered someone before? What the hell did she mean by a clean job? How crazy is she? Why was I promoted to be her personal maid? I was doing fine as a kitchen maid.' Helena held back her tears as each thought became increasingly distressing for her.
 
'I want to go home!' Helena thought to herself, trying to keep herself composed and her emotions in check.
 
"I could just end everything once and for all." Madeline said it eerily as she popped the chocolate in her mouth.
 
"She thinks she's so smart; she has been acting weird lately. And it's so annoying because I don't know what she's up to." Madeline threw all the items on her dressing table to the ground and threw the box of chocolates to the wall in a fit of rage.
 
"She used to be so readable and transparent. I will find out what she is up to!"Madeline turned to Helena, who fidgeted in her spot. "Perhaps it's you!"
 
"What!?" Helena screamed, horrified by the way Madeline stared at her. "What did I do, Miss?"
 
"You probably give away my secrets to her, don't you?" Madeline grabbed Helena's hair roughly and pulled it backwards, and Helena screamed in pain.
 
"I swear I didn't do anything; I am not even close to Lady Amelia. I am as silent as air, Miss!" Helena's stoic facade broke as tears began to fall down her cheeks.
 
"How do I believe you?" Madeline pushed her to the ground. Helena stares at the floor, unable to meet Madeline's eyes due to fear, while sobbing uncontrollably.
 
"I am telling the truth." Helena cried, her sniffles punctuating each word she spoke. She was tired of being Madeline's maid. Madeline's emotional irregularity always frightened her. Madeline glared at her frightened frame, shivering on the ground.
 
"Get out!" She ordered with venom in her voice. The maid quickly stood and rushed to the door with her head bowed.
 
After Helena exits the room, she sinks to the ground in front of Madeline's door, trying to stabilize her emotions. She could not afford to let other people know she had been crying. She hears Madeline throwing other things in her room. She hurriedly wiped her tears and scurried away from Madeline's bedroom door.
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Earlier that day~
 
Victoria rarely visited her family for the holidays. She always spent them working endlessly at the hotel, managing staff and making arrangements for the new year, but this year was different. Her father had contacted her butler, Alfred, to say that he would be coming over for dinner, and Victoria wasn't pleased with such arrangements being made behind her back.
 
Since her father was coming for dinner, Victoria spent her time looking through her wardrobe for fancy pants to wear. She wondered why her father wanted to have dinner with her all of a sudden.
 
"A lot of people don't have families to have family dinners, Victoria. At least be happy he decided to visit you this year." Victoria sighed as she took out a pair of pants and a suit jacket from her wardrobe.
 
She wore her clothes and headed downstairs, confident in her choice of attire. Alfred waited for her at the end of the staircase with a distinguished expression.
 
"He is waiting in the drawing room." Alfred said to Victoria as she nodded, "He also brought an associate."
 
Victoria raised a brow in incredulity, surprised that her father was accompanied by someone. "He brought a friend?"
 
"Yes, a friend." Alfred answered with an unintended monotone. "Don't worry, Miss; adequate measures have been taken concerning Master Blackwood's plus one."
 
Victoria smiled. "You are very reliable!" She complimented Alfred, who gave a small smile at the end. She made her way to the drawing room to welcome her father, but suddenly that thought vanished when she met Alexander Sinclair as her father's plus one, discussing amicably with each other.
 
"There she is!" Victoria flinched at the sudden cheerfulness in her father's voice as he stood from his seat to embrace her.
 
"What is this?" Victoria held out her hands defensively against her father's hug, glancing at Alexander uncomfortably.
 
"You would hug your father anymore?" Her father sounded disappointed, and Victoria made an uninterested face. Never in her life (both present and past) has her father offered her a hug, and she doesn't remember seeing Alexander too much in her past life.
 
'That darn Anomaly!' Victoria cursed in her mind; she gave a curt smile and shook her father's hand instead.
 
"A pleasure to meet you also, Father!" Victoria spoke formally since they were in the presence of a stranger—an annoying stranger.
 
"Father, why is Mr. Sinclair here in my house?" Victoria tried to mask the displeasure in her words with a professional smile.
 
"Oh, Mr. Sinclair has agreed to become partners with us. I thought maybe we could have dinner together to discuss  plans." Robert Blackwood bellowed.
 
Victoria felt a little bit of sadness and disappointment within her because she had thought it would have been an actual family dinner, just the two of them. No work talk, no family business issues, just quality time together.
 
Victoria quickly takes that off her mind as she answers her father, "He actually did?"
 
"Yes, I did." Alexander enters the conversation: "During the meeting we had together, there were a lot of things that needed discussing!"
 
Victoria gave him a death stare after he spoke, which he returned with a sincere smile that annoyed Victoria.
 
"It's a good thing we are together; we can discuss a lot of things regarding the partnership." Her father laughed loudly. Victoria became irritated with her father's actions.
 
"Sure, let's get to it then." Victoria said she was leading them to the dining room. Alfred, standing at the door to the drawing room, gave a sympathetic smile to Victoria as she walked by with her jolly father and Alexander Sinclair behind her.
 
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