Chapter five

"Elen, wake up,” Lorie’s voice pierced through the haze of Elen’s consciousness, pulling her back from the clutches of a deep slumber. Her eyelids fluttered as she struggled to focus, the familiar contours of Lorie’s concerned face coming into view. “Elen, wake up or else the dean will scold you,” Lorie persisted, her voice tinged with urgency.

Groaning softly, Elen tried to shake off the remnants of sleep, her mind still clouded with confusion. “Lorie?” she muttered, her voice faint and laden with disbelief. “Is this the afterlife?” she murmured, barely audible even to herself, the weight of such a thought bearing down on her. Pinching her own arm, she recoiled at the searing pain that shot through her, grounding her firmly in the present.

“What are you saying? Afterlife? Do you have a fever again?” Lorie’s worried tone cut through Elen’s thoughts, the concern evident in her eyes. “You had a high fever last night, I was scared to death,” Lorie continued, her words laced with anxiety, her hand reaching out to check Elen’s temperature.

“Lorie, how old am I?” Elen’s voice wavered, her confusion palpable. “Did I really get reborn?” she muttered, the weight of her questions heavy in the air.

“Did you hit your head? You’re 16 years old right now,” Lorie responded, her tone a mix of reassurance and bewilderment, as if questioning Elen’s sudden lapse in understanding. “Wash yourself and come to the dining room. Hurry up, you’re going to meet your new parents today,” Lorie urged, her words swiftly changing the course of their conversation. With a gentle pat on Elen’s shoulder, Lorie left the room, leaving Elen to grapple with her bewildering reality.

As she lay in bed, Elen’s mind raced, piecing together fragments of memories from a lifetime that seemed achingly familiar yet impossibly distant. A small, incredulous laugh bubbled from her lips as she realized the opportunity that lay before her – the chance for retribution. Their sins, their cruelty, their treachery – they would pay. The Duke of Windsor, the specter of her past torment, loomed large in her thoughts, a palpable target for her fury.

Elen’s mind lingered on painful memories of the past. Today marked the anniversary of when the Duke of Windsor had taken her, but she was determined not to let the same thing happen again. With grit in her eyes, she vowed to break free from the grip of her history.

“This is just the beginning. I won’t let the Duke of Windsor and Addison get away with what they did,” Elen declared. “I need to gather my thoughts.”

Deciding to sketch out her plan, Elen’s first step was to uncover information about fairies and her own lineage. She was eager to find other fairies and understand what had happened to them, especially why she had been abandoned.

“I’m a fairy, so why has my life been so difficult? I also need to find the boy in the cell,” Elen mused.

Quiet as a ghost, she slipped through the orphanage halls and made her way to the back door. As she stepped into the bustling market, a sense of freedom washed over her. But her joy was short-lived, as she collided with a familiar figure in the crowd.

Face to face with the Duke of Windsor, Elen was reminded of the suffering she had endured. Despite her fierce desire for vengeance, her small stature left her feeling powerless and trapped between determination and helplessness.

“Are you Elen?” the Duke of Windsor asked, his seemingly friendly tone masking its deceptiveness.

“Why did you run away from the orphanage, Elen?” the dean demanded, his anger palpable as he drew closer, giving her a warning pinch. The Duke and his group closed in, intensifying the tension.

“What’s the issue here?” A chilling voice cut through the air, as the Grand Duke of Adelstein and his knights approached. Elen recognized the Grand Duke, rumored to have descended into madness after the tragic deaths of his wife and young princess. Rumors hinted at a connection between their family and dragons, their blood carrying a mysterious poison.

In that moment, she realized that fate had brought Adelstein into her path. This was her opportunity, her chance to manipulate their power for her own purpose. They would become her pawn in the game of vengeance, a means to reclaim what was taken from her. In this life, she vowed to bring swift and merciless retribution upon all those who had inflicted suffering upon her.

“Greeting to the grand duke of Adelstein,” the dean greeted, flanked by the knights of Windsor. The contrast between Adelstein and Windsor was stark. The powerful presence of the Grand Duke of Adelstein overshadowed the insignificance of the Windsor duke.

“Why are you here, grand duke?” the Duke of Windsor inquired with a smile that concealed his sinister intentions. In her past life, she had witnessed the Duke’s animosity towards Adelstein, driven by envy of their military and political power. They had plotted to destroy Adelstein, and she suspected their involvement in the deaths of the Adelstein duchess and princess.

His gaze locked on her, his eyes exuding icy coldness. She didn’t look away but met his stare with a determined gaze, silently conveying, “Take me, and I can bring value to your family.” At that moment, she glimpsed a faint smirk playing on his lips.

“Child, come with me,” the grand duke of Adelstein beckoned, reaching out his arm toward her. As she started to move toward him, the Duke of Windsor seized her arm.

“You can’t take this child, grand duke of Adelstein. I intend to adopt her,” the Duke of Windsor declared, still gripping her arm tightly, his touch making her feel sick to her stomach. She despised it with every fiber of her being.

“Do not dare test my patience, Dominic Windsor,” the grand duke hissed, his icy presence chilling the very air. The room fell silent as a bone-chilling aura engulfed all. Trembling with fear, they watched as the duke’s iron grip tightened around her, leaving her no choice but to sink her teeth into his flesh with all her might. Blood spilled and, fueled by desperation, she broke free, sprinting towards the knights of Adelstein.

“Bravo, child,” the grand duke of Adelstein praised, his voice filled with praises.

Pointing his furious finger at her, Dominic Windsor seethed with anger. In an instant, the knights, both Adelstein and Windsor, drew their swords, the tension between the two dukes electrifying the room.

“Halt!” the duke of Windsor’s voice finally surrendered, and his knights reluctantly sheathed their weapons. “This is not over, little one. I shall bring you back,” he spat, storming off.

As she watched them depart, one by one, a sinister gleam sparked within her. “Duke of Windsor, mark my words. This is merely the inception. I shall never repeat the same mistake, and your family shall endure a hundredfold of suffering,” she whispered, a vow dripping with vengeance.