Chapter 1: Back to Thirteen

The icy lake water, the murky scent, the blood flowing down her face, the heart-wrenching pain...

In a daze, Miranda didn't know where she was. She seemed to hear someone speaking and finally, in a daze, opened her eyes.

"My poor Miss Miranda," Mrs. Wilson, who had been nibbling on roasted chestnuts, saw her awake and quickly changed her expression.

She pushed the plate aside, came forward to hold the weak Miranda in her arms, and began to wail.

"The marquis' family has called off the engagement. A girl who has been rejected by her fiancé has no future. Miss Miranda, you are not as beautiful or charming as Miss Selena. How will you live in the future?" She kept crying, not caring about how hurtful her words were.

The marquis' family called off the engagement?

Miranda was confused. Wasn't she pushed into the lake by Selena, dying? The icy, muddy feeling still surrounded her, along with the bone-deep hatred...

She looked around in a daze. What she saw was a familiar yet strange bed canopy, pink-blue curtains, a purple canopy, and a red wooden carved bed.

This seemed to be her boudoir before she got married.

And Mrs. Wilson in front of her seemed much younger than she last remembered!

Moreover... Miranda looked down at her pale, thin arms and her frail, petite body, which looked only thirteen or fourteen...

Wait, thirteen years old? The marquis' family called off the engagement?!

Miranda suddenly remembered: yes, she was betrothed to the heir of the marquis' family, Andrew, since childhood, but later, the marquis' family came to call off the engagement resolutely.

She was so devastated that she fell gravely ill, almost dying. That happened when she was thirteen!

Could it be that she didn't die but returned to the time when she was thirteen?

Miranda's heart pounded wildly. After repeatedly confirming that everything around her was not an illusion, she realized she really went back to being thirteen!

An indescribable joy surged in her heart, and she laughed wildly inside. Heaven has eyes! Heaven has eyes!

Thirteen... That year, many things happened in the earl's mansion.

It was a turning point in her fate. Now, fate has sent her back to thirteen, surely because even heaven couldn't bear to see her misery and gave her another chance to fulfill the vow she made before she died!

"Miss... Miss Miranda, what's wrong?" Mrs. Wilson asked fearfully. Was it an illusion? Just now, the look in Miss Miranda's eyes, that expression, was like a ghost crawling out of hell, making her heart tremble.

"Mrs. Wilson, I'm fine." Miranda slowly lifted her eyes, smiling faintly as she looked at Mrs. Wilson, who had raised her.

By the lakeside, the maid who broke her fingers and ruthlessly pushed her into the lake, her nanny, who, after being devastated by the broken engagement, did nothing but bring up painful topics the moment she woke up, without a word of comfort...

In her past life, she was blind not to see the malice hidden in these people's hearts, thinking they were loyal servants.

But it doesn't matter. She is no longer the same person.

This time, it's her turn to send those people to hell!

For some reason, Mrs. Wilson felt a chill from Miranda's casual glance, not daring to look into her deep black eyes.

Nervously swallowing, she was about to find an excuse to leave when Greta's clear voice came from the door, "Mrs. Wilson, dinner—" She suddenly saw Miranda sitting up, her expression startled, then she smiled sweetly, "Miss Miranda is awake? Perfect timing for dinner. I'll bring it to you."

Miranda nodded with a smile, "Alright."

Seeing Miranda turn her head to look at Greta, Mrs. Wilson felt a bit relieved. Just as she was relaxing, she saw Miranda turn back again, her heart tightening.

However, this time Miranda seemed normal, weak and gentle, leaning her head lightly on Mrs. Wilson's shoulder, her expression sorrowful and fatigued.

Before long, Greta brought in the meal.

Miranda looked over, her expression immediately turning cold.

On the table were only some stale bread, a bit of hard cheese, a bowl of thin gruel, and a piece of dried meat. This was her meal? Even worse than a lower maid's!

Looking at Greta, her figure curvaceous, face rosy, and lips still greasy from eating, her dress even had unnoticed bits of meat stains.

Miranda's heart sneered.

Because her mother died early, with no one to protect her, she had a particularly hard time in her past life, living no better than a servant.

Many maids left because of this, but Mrs. Wilson, Nora, and Greta stayed with her. She thought it was out of loyalty and shared hardship.

Now it seems the hardship was all hers, and the sweetness was theirs.

"You, kneel down!"

Miranda, usually gentle to her subordinates, suddenly got angry.

Greta was startled but not afraid. She didn't kneel, defiantly saying, "Why should I kneel, Miss Miranda? I did nothing wrong! The kitchen sent this food, and I could only bring it as it was. If Miss Miranda is unhappy, go argue with the kitchen. Why make it hard on an innocent maid? Do you think I'm easy to bully?"

She started crying, louder and louder.

Miranda looked around.

Everyone was sympathetic to Greta, and no one stopped her. Some even looked at Miranda with disdain, as if she was bullying the weak. Even Mrs. Wilson had a disapproving look.

The entire room of maids and nannies, not one of them was loyal to her!

Pity, she hadn't seen this before.

Seeing Greta about to cry the roof off, Miranda picked up the teacup by her side and threw it at her.

Because she was weak, the porcelain cup fell two steps in front of Greta, shattering, with shards cutting her face, leaving two bloody marks.

Greta, never having seen Miranda so angry, was stunned, forgetting to cry.

"Keep crying, I want to see how long you can cry!" Miranda's face was cold, her voice stern, "Kneel!"

Greta trembled, feeling an inexplicable authority and momentum from Miranda. Unconsciously, her legs gave way, and she knelt down.

"Slap yourself twenty times!" Miranda ordered.

Greta finally came to her senses, inwardly cursing herself for being cowardly just now.

She mustered her courage again, saying, "Miss Miranda is the master, and I'm the maid. Even if Miss Miranda wants me to die, I can only accept it." She spoke of accepting, but her face was full of defiance.

"But even if Miss Miranda wants me to die, you must let me know why. What did I do wrong to be punished in front of everyone? Otherwise, even if I die, I die unjustly."

Miranda, still recovering, showed no concern for Greta's talk of life and death, clearly ignoring the taboo.

Miranda was secretly annoyed but showed nothing on her face, coldly saying, "Fine, since you want to die knowing why, I'll let you know."

Just as she was about to speak, a voice from outside interrupted, "The marquise is here to see Miss Miranda."

Before the voice finished, her stepmother, dressed in a luxurious gown, with brown hair styled in elaborate curls, entered gracefully.

She sat down on a cushioned bench, smiling, "I just came in and heard someone saying they wanted someone to die knowing why? Our earl's mansion has always been kind-hearted. Who is so ruthless to wish death on someone? Besides, Miss Miranda is still recovering. No matter what the servant did wrong, a scolding is enough, for the sake of Miss Miranda accumulating good karma."

Without looking at Miranda, she motioned for someone to help the kneeling Greta up.