Lira

Chapter2: Different Balls

Her soul was slowly tearing away from her mortal flesh. Amid her last remnants of consciousness, she beheld a pair of eyes fluttering open in the enveloping darkness. They were amber-hued, with cold vertical pupils, bearing the eerie likeness of both a reptile and a feline beast.

"Do you crave revenge?" a voice echoed in her mind.

"I do."

"Then seal the bargain with your soul."

"Deal."

The instant the pact was forged, a name resounded in her ears——Dantalion.

When she opened her eyes once more, she found herself standing amidst a grand ball.

She was back in her fourteen-year-old form, clad in a delicate pale blue gown, clutching a half-finished copy of On Liberty. Melody drifted out from the heart of the banquet hall, a fashionable waltz all the nobility adored. Laughter, the clink of crystal goblets, the soft rustle of gowns sweeping across the marble floor——every tiny detail was hauntingly vivid. She was alive again.

Memories of her past life crashed over her like an overwhelming tide. Four years of loveless marriage, two long years wasting away in sickness, the fatal cup of poisoned milk, her infant child swapped in the cradle, her husband and twin sister sharing a kiss beside her lifeless corpse. Yet she did not scream. Those who have tasted death do not crumble so easily. She merely tightened her hold on the book until her knuckles blanched white.

"Sister?"

That voice. Sweet as dripping honey, light as floating down. It was the exact soft tone Liora had used at her deathbed, as she handed her the poisoned drink——Sister, it is time for you to rest. Lira lifted her gaze, and there stood fourteen-year-old Liora before her. Draped in a stunning pomegranate red gown, her honey-gold hair cascaded under candlelight, her face lit with a brilliant smile. So young, so breathtakingly beautiful, so vibrantly alive.

Lira’s blood ran cold in an instant, only to be scorched to boiling point by raging hatred the next breath.

Still, her face remained impassive, giving nothing away.

"Why have you hidden yourself away here?" Liora sauntered over and naturally looped her arm through Lira’s. "Mother has been searching for you everywhere. Quite a few gentlemen inside wish to make your acquaintance, yet you hide off on the terrace to read."

Lira lowered her long eyelashes, burying all her churning hatred deep within her heart. "It’s far too noisy inside."

"You’ve always been far too reserved." Liora smiled, glancing over Lira’s shoulder toward the bustling hall. "The ball is especially lively tonight. By the way, have you spotted Lord Kael Gray from the Earl Gray household? The one wearing the navy blue ceremonial gown."

Lira’s fingers clenched tightly at once.

At this very ball in her past life, Liora had never paid Kael Gray the slightest attention. She found the nobility rigid, tedious and unbearably pretentious. The man who had captured her interest back then was Theodore Merchant, the unrestrained, roguish son of a wealthy merchant. But now, her own sister was asking after the young heir of the Gray family.

"What’s gotten into you?" Liora noticed her odd silence and tilted her head curiously. "Could it be that you’ve also taken a fancy to Lord Gray?"

"...No."

"That’s a relief then." Liora released her arm and smoothed the folds of her gown, her smile as bright as the spring sun. "Then I shall not hold back any longer."

With that, she turned and walked toward the crowd. Her scarlet gown flowed through the guests like a blazing flame in motion. Lira stood frozen in place, watching her sister head straight for Kael Gray. He stood beside a marble pillar chatting with other nobles, his tall, slender frame perfectly framed by his navy blue gown, his features mild and his smile polished and courteous.

Liora stepped before him, lifted her chin, flashed her signature winning smile, and offered a graceful curtsy. Kael bowed his head in reply, his expression shifting from polite civility to quiet admiration, then to undisguised pleasure. Boldly, Liora invited him to dance.

The pair stepped onto the dance floor. The red gown twirled elegantly, while the blue-cloaked man moved with calm composure. Every gaze in the hall was fixed firmly on them.

Lira lingered behind the terrace’s heavy curtains, watching the scene unfold. A sharp thought cut through her mind like a bolt of icy lightning. Liora was never supposed to be interested in Kael. In her past life, she was drawn to roguish playboys like Theodore and scorned the hollow pretense of noble lords. Why was everything different this time around?

Could her twin sister also be reborn?

The thought sent a chill creeping over her fingers. Yet she quickly dismissed the notion. There was no reason for Liora to return to the past. If she too retained memories of their previous life, she would know her heinous deeds had been laid bare. She would be consumed by guilt, filled with wariness, and subtly test whether Lira also remembered everything. But Liora’s demeanor just now was utterly natural. Her carefree, heedless manner was identical to how she had been at fourteen years old long ago.

Perhaps she was merely overthinking. Maybe Liora had simply grown tired of her old preferences and sought something new this lifetime. She had always been willful and self-serving, determined to claim anything that caught her eye, only to grow bored moments after getting what she wanted. Even so, the bitter lessons of her past life kept Lira from lowering her guard. She resolved to observe every move closely, and face this fresh new start with extreme caution.

The music faded to a halt. Liora returned surrounded by a circle of adoring noble maidens, a smug and content smile on her lips. Kael followed several paces behind her. Lira caught the subtle look on Countess Gray’s face——she was studying Liora intently, her gaze far from approving.

"Lira!" Liora ran over and linked arms with her once again. "Did you see me dancing just now? Lord Gray’s dance skills are absolutely impeccable."

Lira remained silent.

On the carriage ride back to the manor, Liora chattered excitedly about every highlight of the ball. Their stepmother Joan sat across from them, offering soft replies now and then. Lira leaned against the carriage window, gazing out into the pitch-black night. A weary soul of twenty resided within her fourteen-year-old body, while her mortal enemy sat right across the carriage, sharing her girlish whims without an ounce of suspicion.

"You’re nothing like your usual self today." Liora suddenly turned to her. "You always hide among books at balls. Why stand alone on the terrace in a daze tonight?"

"You’re not acting like yourself either." Lira turned to meet her sister’s eyes in the dim carriage light, her voice soft and steady.

"You’ve never been this amiable toward the nobility. Didn’t you always mock their pompous pretense? Why take the initiative to ask one of them to dance today?"

A brief hush fell over the carriage.

Liora blinked innocently, then broke into her usual radiant smile, flawless and unreadable. "A girl has to change her tastes every now and then. What about you, sister? Have you set your heart on Lord Gray?"

Lira gave no answer. She closed her eyes and leaned back against the carriage wall, hiding all her emotions away in the shadows.

Their stepmother spoke up then, her tone gentle and placid as always. "The Gray Earl’s household holds great prestige, yet noble lives are bound by countless rigid rules. If Liora harbors affection for the young lord, you ought to pause and think carefully. There is all the time in the world; no need to rush into anything."

Lira arched an eyebrow faintly in the darkness. In their past life, her stepmother had sung endless praises of Kael to pressure her into marrying into the Gray family. Now, she was cautioning Liora to think twice.

"I’ve already made up my mind." Liora refused outright. "I think Lord Gray is perfect. He speaks with grace and carries himself with impeccable elegance. Mother, please do not meddle in this matter."

The stepmother said no more. The carriage rumbled onward, its wheels clattering rhythmically over the cobblestone road.

With her eyes still closed, Lira’s mind raced rapidly. Liora’s behavior was undeniably strange, yet she bore none of the nervousness of a reborn soul with dark secrets to hide. It might simply be a twist of fate, or minor life variables that had reshaped her personality in this lifetime.

Regardless of the cause, her resolve for revenge remained unshaken.

Kael Gray. Liora Mornath. She would not let either of them escape unscathed. It mattered not if her sister had truly changed her preferences or harbored hidden schemes. All that mattered was that this lifetime, she would cast aside her naivety, never trust again, and never allow anyone to hurt her ever more.

The carriage drew to a stop at the iron gates of Mornath Manor. Lira opened her eyes, only to meet Liora’s gaze directly. Her sister stared at her, a faint, enigmatic smile tugging at her lips, before she quickly looked away. Lifting her gown, she hopped lightly down from the carriage, her voice clear and melodic as silver wind chimes.

"We’re home! What a marvelous night it’s been——wasn’t it wonderful, Lira?"

Lira stepped down steadily using the carriage footboard, watching her sister dart toward the brilliantly lit manor mansion. Her red gown fluttered against the dark night, like an eternal, unextinguished flame.

She lifted her head and glanced up at the second-floor window of the manor——her bedchamber. This time, every grievance and every debt would be settled slowly, one account at a time.