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أسرار قصر الصقر- ليلة عرس ووريثة العرش — مسلسل مترجم كامل جميع الحلقات أسرار قصر الصقر- ليلة عرس ووريثة العرش — مسلسل مترجم كامل جميع الحلقات أسرار قصر الصقر- ليلة عرس ووريثة العرش — مسلسل مترجم كامل جميع الحلقات
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00:00أما أنت مختلفة و أنني أجتب بصفت
00:02ولقد أخذ بصفت ولم شبه
00:05وموضوعه
00:05وقد كنتم بصفت
00:06سوار لديها
00:08عندما صار نحن بها
00:19عن طريق
00:21أتعلم أنها بنت إسمت تقليليًا
00:22وديتصن على معافية الزقال
00:24وتنقل لي من علمنا
00:26وإن أصدقلني فقد أعرف مبالدي
00:29ما سيسر قررت بأس الماضي
00:32مجدد بأس المبالي
00:33عندما فريقى ثم اترنت ملاباحات
00:34تبريباً لتعرف تلك البقرات
00:35ونعرفت أنها مبالي وفيALK رجال
00:42when victoria
00:43threw her arms around that serpent tail
00:45face flushed with open adoration
00:47even lady hargrove went still
00:49everyone knew the serpent clan
00:51was considered the lowest of the shifter races
00:53cold-blooded in every sense
00:56the hawk clan by contrast
00:57made it for life
00:58one wife
00:59no exceptions
01:00loyalty written into their bones
01:02and the hawk male standing in the room today
01:05was the future clan leader
01:07sharp-eyed
01:07broad-shouldered
01:09The kind of man every woman in the room had been silently hoping to catch
01:13Victoria still wouldn't let go of that tail
01:15Lady Hargrove's expression curdled
01:17She'd brought the serpent here specifically to humiliate me
01:20She hadn't planned on her own daughter falling for it
01:23Are you sure about this?
01:25Mother, he's the only one I'll ever marry
01:27Even the serpent turned to look at her
01:29His tail coiled hard around her waist
01:32Pulling her tight against his chest
01:34That was what a serpent did when he felt something
01:36The beginning of desire
01:38Victoria's face went scarlet
01:39Her resolve locked into place
01:41Lady Hargrove pressed her lips together and gave in
01:44With that settled, the hawk male, Adrian Ashford, turned to me
01:48He dipped his head in a slight, unhurried bow
01:50Then it's you, Miss Alara
01:52I'll send the betrothal gifts tomorrow
01:55In my past life, it was Victoria who had chosen Adrian
01:58She'd walked into the Ashford estate as its new mistress
02:01Draped in the prestige of the most powerful hawk family in the region
02:05He seemed devoted on the surface
02:07Three years of polished appearances
02:09Then a woman appeared at the gate with his ten-year-old son
02:12Victoria came apart
02:13She ran home to her mother
02:15Dignity in pieces
02:16But Adrian had spent years building his reputation carefully
02:20He brought the woman and boy home under the excuse of a drunken mistake
02:23And to protect the hawk clan's tradition against taking a second wife
02:27He divorced Victoria outright
02:28Lady Hargrove marched back to the Ashford estate to demand answers
02:32The mistress met them at the door, chin lifted
02:35I'm Mrs. Ashford now
02:36My son has awakened his abilities
02:39What exactly are you going to do about that?
02:41Give it time
02:42I'll be the clan leader's wife, then his mother
02:45They were thrown out publicly
02:46After that, Victoria unraveled
02:49She sat in the courtyard every day
02:50Vacant and muttering
02:52When someone passed close enough
02:53She grabbed their leg with both hands
02:55Her face twisting
02:57I'm the clan leader's wife
02:59I am!
03:00I am!
03:01She never came back from it
03:02My serpent husband, by contrast
03:04Had been born into nothing
03:06But he dismissed every one of his kept women
03:09He trained relentlessly
03:10And built his clan up from scraps
03:12People said I'd made the better choice after all
03:14Even Lady Hargrove
03:16Who had never bothered to hide her contempt for me
03:18Started showing up at my door
03:20With smiles she didn't mean
03:22Asking me to visit
03:24Then, Victoria had one of her lucid moments
03:26She lured me to the edge of the cliff
03:28I'll drag you down to hell with me
03:31Her eyes opened her hatred
03:33As she shoved me over
03:34Now she's chosen my husband instead
03:37I wonder if she can handle the serpent's
03:39Excessive affection
03:41The Ashford betrothal gifts arrived quickly
03:43They filled half the courtyard
03:45Victoria didn't spare a glance
03:47For the serpent clan's meager offering
03:49She sweet-talked Lady Hargrove
03:50Into patting her trousseau
03:52Until it groaned
03:53Ivy told me that Victoria and her serpent
03:55Had been meeting in secret
03:56Someone had spotted them
03:58Coming out of an alley together
03:59Clothes barely clinging to them
04:01Her face still flushed
04:03Half the street had seen it
04:04She came to me the same afternoon
04:06Brimming
04:07My fiancé loves me
04:09What does that have to do with you?
04:11This is just how he shows his love for me
04:14And if you say a single word to mother
04:17I don't care about any of it
04:18I'll make your life miserable
04:20I just watched her go
04:21She looked nothing like the girl she used to be
04:24The softness was gone
04:25Whatever innocence had been in her face
04:27Had been thoroughly used up
04:29On our wedding day
04:30Two wedding horse carriage left the estate together
04:32Drums, horns, the whole performance
04:35Adrian Ashford sat high on a pale horse
04:38In his wedding white
04:39All clean lines and devastating bone structure
04:42Looking exactly like someone who knew it
04:44I knew why he'd gone through with this
04:46The matriarch once said to him
04:47You are the only heir
04:49You must marry a noble woman to continue the bloodline
04:52That was the only condition for me to inherit the clan leadership
04:55But his mistress was low-born
04:57Ineligible
04:57He needed a proper wife
04:59If she gave him a son first, better
05:01Either way, he didn't lose
05:03I set down my wedding bouquet
05:04Two familiar figures had appeared at the side of the road
05:07Father!
05:07The boy lunged toward Adrian's horse
05:09The word was barely out before a beautiful woman yanked him back
05:12And smothered his mouth with her hand
05:14Forgive us, everyone
05:15My son misses his father
05:17He got confused
05:18He didn't mean anything by it
05:20Adrian pulled his reins top
05:22He exhaled once
05:23Today is my wedding
05:24Can't you keep your child in hand?
05:27If he'd startled the horse carriage
05:28I'd have had all your heads
05:30Get them out of here
05:31The woman's face went white
05:32She bit her lip and stepped back
05:34I'm so sorry
05:35We're leaving
05:37I wasn't about to let this dissolve quietly
05:39Husband
05:41Don't be so hard on them
05:42The child didn't mean any harm
05:44And today is a happy occasion
05:46Why not do a good deed?
05:47I actually need another servant woman as my side
05:50If she's willing, she could come along with us
05:53This woman had one obsession
05:54Becoming Mrs. Ashford
05:56Now that Adrian had taken a wife
05:58She was already fraying at the edges
05:59One of my people needed barely three sentences
06:02To maneuver her into showing up here today
06:04If I offered her a door to the estate
06:06She'd walk through it without thinking
06:08She hesitated for half a breath
06:09Then looked away from Adrian's sharp, warning stare
06:12Thank you, ma'am
06:13The carriage rolled on
06:14She followed behind, boy in hand
06:16The crowd murmured approvingly along the route
06:19The new Mrs. Ashford is something else
06:22Even after that scene, she finds them a position
06:25Must run in the family
06:26The Ashfords are good people
06:28After the ceremony, I sat at my vanity
06:31And began fixing my hair
06:32Ivy dismissed the others and shut the door
06:34Her face barely holding its composure
06:36Ma'am, the master just had a servant
06:39Quietly move that woman and boy
06:40Into the side courtyard
06:42I wasn't surprised
06:43Ma'am, the Hawk Clan has rules
06:46Against taking a second wife
06:47And he's doing this on your wedding night
06:49We could expose him right now
06:51Go back to your family
06:52End this before it starts
06:53Calm down
06:54I didn't come here to lose to a kept woman
06:56I had no family worth running back to
06:59No mother, no father
07:00Who would take my side against the Ashfords
07:02I'd walk through that gate
07:03As a piece on someone else's board
07:06If I walked back out
07:07I'd be spit on from every direction
07:09I hadn't come all this way for nothing
07:11What I wanted was the Ashford estate itself
07:14Adrian could rot on the inside
07:17I didn't need him to be good
07:18I needed him to give me an air
07:21A knock at the door
07:22I smiled at Ivy
07:23My leverage just arrived
07:25Adrian was drunk
07:26But gracefully so
07:28His steps wandered a little
07:29It did nothing to make him less attractive
07:31Ivy moved to steady him
07:33He shrugged her off
07:34I only want my wife
07:35I swallowed the contempt rising in my chest
07:37And sent Ivy out
07:39He played the part of a restrained gentleman
07:41Even when he was half gone
07:43I had to admire the consistency
07:45I took his arm
07:46You've had too much
07:47Should I have the kitchen send sobering soup?
07:50The kitchen sat close to the side courtyard
07:52At this hour
07:53They'd probably be preparing food for his little family
07:56Adrian's shoulders went rigid
07:58Then his hand caught mine
07:59He buried his face against my shoulder
08:01No
08:03This is our wedding night
08:04Don't leave
08:05He let out a slow breath and lifted me
08:08I looped my arms around his neck
08:09In my past life
08:11Adrian had used drunkenness as an excuse to avoid Victoria's wedding bed entirely
08:15She'd had to fight for three months before he relented
08:18And only after she humiliated herself back into his good graces
08:23If this was going to happen eventually
08:25I'd rather it happen on my terms and in my time
08:28I let myself go still
08:30Let my body stop resisting
08:31Adrian's voice dropped
08:33Whatever restraint he'd been maintaining came loose
08:36The candles burned down to nothing before the room went quiet
08:40I was too exhausted to move a finger
08:42I passed out where I lay
08:44He was the one who cleaned me up afterward
08:46We were late for the morning tea ceremony
08:48The matriarch was good-natured about it
08:49She directed her mild scolding at Adrian
08:51Who was leaning back in his chair looking thoroughly satisfied
08:54In a generous mood for once
08:55He cut her off to defend me before she could finish
08:58And we had a boat you missed me
09:01My fault entirely
09:02I kept her up and told the staff not to wake her
09:05Don't blame her, mother
09:06My face burned
09:07The matriarch laughed
09:08She took the tea I offered with both hands
09:10I knew I liked you the moment I saw you
09:12I was half afraid they'd send that other girl
09:14Luckily she made a fool of herself so we could have the better bargain
09:17You're the lady of this house now
09:19These belong to you
09:20There's no rush
09:21And nothing to be afraid of
09:23If you need guidance, come to me
09:24I kept my hands steady as I accepted them
09:26With those keys
09:27No one in this estate could question my standing
09:30No one could use my birth against me
09:32In my past life
09:33As a wife in the serpent clan
09:35I'd had to claw my way through sisters-in-law
09:37Who outranked me by blood
09:39And never let me forget it
09:41It had taken months of careful maneuvering
09:43Just to find my footing
09:45That was behind me now
09:46The matriarch saw my expression shift
09:48She sighed softly
09:49And took the necklace off her own neck
09:51Placing it onto mine
09:52This child has suffered enough
09:54You treat her well from here on
09:56I mean it
09:57Adrian blinked
09:57He looked at my slightly reddened eyes
09:59And almost without meaning to
10:00Nodded
10:01On the way back from the matriarch's rooms
10:02I walked half a step behind Adrian
10:04Already thinking through which accounts to look at first
10:06He spoke without turning around
10:07What do you plan to do about that woman and the boy?
10:09And tucked my hand into the crook of his arm
10:11I didn't realize you were so concerned about them
10:13Isn't that sweet of you?
10:15He avoided my eyes
10:16I just feel sorry for them
10:17A widow with a child
10:19Perhaps they could work in the outer courtyard
10:21Do some light tasks
10:22The outer courtyard was full of staff
10:24No one would track a woman's particular history there
10:25Adrian would find ways to meet with her in private
10:27Use the crowd as cover
10:28I exhaled slowly
10:29As if thinking it through
10:30A pretty woman with a child
10:32Alone people might take advantage
10:34You really haven't thought this through, have you?
10:36What if we put them somewhere quieter
10:37Near the garden behind the study?
10:40Adrian's brow tightened
10:41Almost imperceptibly
10:42A long pause
10:43Then his face settled into something soft
10:45Good thinking
10:45There's a small room off the study anyway
10:47They can stay there
10:48How thoughtful of you
10:50I smiled
10:50My nails were nearly through my palm
10:52The study
10:53He'd have every excuse to be near her
10:54And the boy
10:55He'd be able to teach him in private
10:57Pass him what he needed to awaken properly
10:59Adrian didn't notice
11:00The careful coldness he usually wore
11:01Had softened around the edges
11:03In a few years
11:03When our child comes
11:04I'll make sure they have the best of everything
11:06I leaned against him
11:07The passing maids whispered to each other
11:09Master and mistress
11:11So in love
11:12Rosalind heard it too
11:13That same night
11:14She went to find Adrian
11:15And he turned her away at the door
11:17Three nights in a row
11:18He came to my room instead
11:19He was decent enough to read the room
11:21He didn't push past what I could manage
11:28The day we returned to visit my family home
11:30Victoria didn't arrive until almost noon
11:32She swept into the room
11:33Blowing
11:34Cheeks high with color
11:35Trailing a thick cloud of powder and perfume
11:37Lady Hargrove stared at her for a long moment
11:39Don't fuss mother
11:40My husband spoils me
11:42Very restorative herbs
11:43She straightened
11:45And I noticed that her figure had changed
11:47Filled out in a way that read
11:48Less like health
11:49And more like something under strain
11:51She looked at me
11:52Your husband runs cold I hear
11:54If he's distant with you
11:55That's just how it goes
11:56Don't take it personally
11:57I said nothing
11:59I took my time looking at her
12:00She seemed bright on the surface
12:01But her steps were unsteady
12:02She kept touching her lower back
12:04Without realizing it
12:05That kind of bloom
12:05Didn't come from nourishment
12:06It came from something
12:07Taking more than a gift
12:08The serpent was greedy
12:09When she noticed I wasn't reacting
12:11Something dark moved through her
12:12She reached for me
12:13The way she used to
12:14When we were younger
12:14To grab and drag
12:16Adrian walked in
12:17There was a smile in his eyes
12:18As he spoke to me gently
12:19Lara
12:21I just came from the room
12:22You used to live in
12:25Victoria's hand froze in midair
12:26She stared at Adrian in shock
12:28Stunned by how different he was
12:30From the man in our previous life
12:34How is this possible?
12:36Lady Hargrove's expression folded
12:37They both knew
12:38The room I'd been given in this house
12:40Was barely a storeroom
12:41The dishes had chips in them
12:42Lady Hargrove laughed awkwardly
12:44And cut him off
12:44Now that everyone's here
12:46Why don't we sit down for lunch?
12:47She looked at me
12:48It was almost a plea
12:49Once when my birth mother
12:50Had a bad fever
12:51And I'd gone to beg for a doctor
12:53I'd knelt in the courtyard
12:54In the snow
12:54The snow piled up on my shoulders
12:56While Lady Hargrove and Victoria
12:58Stayed warm inside
12:59Laughing at something
13:00I couldn't hear
13:00She finally came out
13:02When I merely passed out
13:03Get the doctor
13:03Don't let her die in my yard
13:05It's bad luck
13:06The doctor came
13:07He kept my mother alive
13:08A little longer
13:08I held her hand
13:09And sobbed
13:10Until I couldn't breathe anymore
13:11Keep going
13:13No matter how hard it gets
13:15Don't give up
13:16I never got to go back to her
13:18By the time I was reborn
13:19She was already gone
13:20I smoothed the front of my dress
13:22And stood up
13:22Husband
13:23Let's eat
13:24At the table
13:25Victoria and the serpent
13:26Fed each other
13:26And giggled like they were
13:27Alone in the room
13:28She shot me looks
13:29Every few minutes
13:29Daring me to react
13:30Lady Hargrove could see
13:32Something was wrong
13:32She kept trying to
13:33Quietly reel Victoria in
13:34Victoria snapped back
13:36Loud enough for the table to hear
13:39My husband loves me
13:41Am I supposed to be ashamed of that
13:43Should I live like I'm already a widow
13:46The moment the meal was over
13:48She dragged him out the door
13:49Adrian and I didn't linger long after that
13:51When we got back to the main hall
13:52Of the Ashford estate
13:53I found Rosalind crouched beside the matriarch
13:56Kneading her shoulders with practiced hands
13:58The matriarch had her eyes half closed
14:00Looking more comfortable
14:01Than I'd seen her in days
14:05Rosalind you have such skilled hands
14:11Come do this for me often
14:16I didn't realize she'd caught your eye
14:19She came in with us on the wedding day
14:22Quite a hard life raising a child alone
14:24I've tried to look out for her
14:26I know what kind of heart you have
14:29The Ashfords are lucky to have you
14:31Rosalind stepped back
14:32Her teeth pressed into her lip
14:35The matriarch and I moved naturally into conversation
14:38About the estate
14:39The accounts
14:40A few household matters that needed settling
14:42When something important came up
14:44The matriarch waved Rosalind out of the room
14:46Without thinking about it
14:48I watched the hatred pool behind Rosalind's eyes
14:51As she left
14:52Over the days that followed
14:53Rosalind pushed hard for the matriarch's favor
14:56Massaged every ache
14:57Laughed at every small joke
14:59It worked
15:00The matriarch grew genuinely fond of her
15:02And started giving her gifts
15:03Master Adrian says be careful
15:04Don't draw attention
15:05He was so frustrated
15:07He stopped seeing her altogether
15:08And started conducting estate business
15:11From my room instead
15:13I was deep into the Ashford accounts
15:15Shops, properties, land deeds
15:18The full picture of what this family actually owned
15:21It was substantial
15:22And deliberately tangled
15:24Once I understood it
15:25I called in the shop managers
15:26They came in uncertain
15:28Squinting
15:29Then they read the room
15:30New wife
15:31Asserting herself
15:32A few of them visibly relaxed
15:34Into condescension
15:35I let them sit with that for a moment
15:37I finished my tea
15:38The matriarch has placed all Ashfield business
15:40In my hands
15:41I'm not gonna waste her trust
15:44I've been reviewing the last three months of records
15:47I've already noted the discrepancies
15:49I set down my cup
15:50Ivy laid the ledgers open
15:52A small personal notebook slipped out
15:54Filled with my annotations
15:55Some of the managers exchanged glances
15:58The ones with nothing to hide sat straight
16:00The ones who didn't went pale
16:02I looked at Ivy
16:03She picked up the notebook
16:04And dropped it into the fire
16:08New management
16:09Old accounts are closed
16:11But I have no tolerance for what comes next
16:15I trust everyone understands that
16:18Yes ma'am
16:19The estate's internal structure wasn't enough
16:21Real power in the Hawk clan
16:23Ran through these shops
16:24These trade networks
16:26The money that had kept the family elevated for generations
16:29I needed the root
16:31I came home late
16:32Satisfied
16:33In the courtyard I stopped
16:35Roslyn was crouched beside her boy
16:37Face lit with joy
16:39Adrian stood nearby
16:40Watching them
16:40With a small smile
16:42I moved before I'd finished thinking
16:43I walked over
16:44And took Adrian's hand
16:48What's happened?
16:50What's happened?
16:51The boy
16:52His abilities came in
16:54A smile dropped off my face
16:56In my past life
16:57This had happened three years later
16:58Right before they entered the estate
17:00Not now
17:01Not this early
17:02Aren't you something?
17:04Abilities at your age
17:06Giving your mother so much to be proud of
17:08You'd better take good care of her when you grow up
17:12You're the bad woman
17:13Who stole my dad
17:15I'm so sorry ma'am
17:18I've spoiled him terribly
17:20He doesn't know what he's saying
17:21He really is spoiled
17:23Speaking to his beauties this way is a serious breach
17:26Per estate rules
17:27He kneels in the courtyard for two hours
17:29Roslyn's color drained
17:31She looked instinctively at Adrian
17:33Adrian's brow pulled together
17:35He's only a child
17:36This is excessive
17:37Let it go
17:38If a child has no father to correct him
17:40The mother answers for it
17:42Or have I lost even that much authority in my own home?
17:46Is a servant woman more important to you than your wife?
17:49He closed his mouth
17:50Roslyn grabbed my sleeve
17:51Her face was wet
17:54I don't matter
17:55But I'm due at the matriarch's
17:57And if I'm late she'll be displeased
17:59I laughed once
18:00Short and cold
18:01And had a chair brought out to the courtyard
18:04How bold
18:04A woman brought in off the street is lecturing me in my own house
18:08Someone go ask the matriarch if she'd to weigh in on a servant
18:10Who just spoke down to the estate's mistress
18:12You're going too far
18:14The boy didn't mean anything
18:15Roslyn stood just behind his shoulder
18:17She reached out and curled her fingers gently around his sleeve
18:21The three of them
18:22Together in the moonlight
18:23They looked like a family portrait
18:24Adrian was trembling with anger
18:26He grabbed Roslyn and the boy
18:28And started to walk them away
18:29Ivy was faster
18:30The matriarch says he kneels
18:31Three hours
18:32And cut off their meals
18:33And moved them to the servant's storage room for the night
18:35I looked at Adrian
18:37Well
18:38I left before he could answer
18:40Adrian wouldn't defy the matriarch
18:42The clan leadership still hadn't been formally transferred
18:44And the matriarch said little
18:46But punished any disobedience
18:48Even Adrian knew better than to cross her
18:50That was why I had spent every effort from the beginning
18:53Making the matriarch love me
18:55That night
18:55Adrian didn't come to my room
18:57He sent a servant boy with a message
18:59He'd be sleeping in the study
19:01Ivy didn't take it well
19:02The study
19:03Right
19:04She paced the length of the room
19:06Voice rising
19:07Before the wedding I actually thought you'd finally caught a break miss
19:09A decent man for once
19:12Turns out he's just another wolf in silk
19:14She caught herself
19:15A hawk
19:16Whatever
19:16Same thing
19:17I sat at the desk
19:18Ledger open in front of me
19:19Perfectly calm
19:20Adrian was a predator
19:22Fine
19:22Then I'd be the still water he didn't notice
19:25Until he was already drowning in it
19:28By the following morning
19:29It was everywhere
19:31Adrian Ashford kept a mistress
19:33The boy was seven years old
19:35No one knew where the information came from
19:37But the woman's name
19:38Her background
19:39Her address
19:40The boy's face and description
19:42Had all surfaced with the kind of precision
19:44That suggested someone very organized
19:46Had done the releasing
19:47Adrian's years of carefully maintained reputation
19:50Collapsed in a single day
19:52Within the hawk clan
19:53Doors that had been open
19:55Quietly shut
19:56Victoria sent a letter
19:57It said I'd be divorced within the year
20:00And when I was out on the street
20:01I shouldn't come crawling to her
20:03I set it down
20:05On the corner of the desk
20:06Ivy mentioned
20:08Almost as an aside
20:09That Victoria had been passing out in bed
20:12That several doctors had told the serpent
20:14In plain terms
20:15That they needed to stop
20:17That neither of them
20:19Had listened
20:20Victoria was swallowing expensive tonics
20:23By the handful
20:24Just to keep upright
20:25While the serpent
20:26Was looking sharper
20:28And more energetic
20:29Every week
20:30His abilities growing stronger
20:33I'd figured this out in my past life
20:36Stumbled onto it late
20:37The serpent clan could only train and advance
20:40If the physical appetite was fed
20:42Without that release
20:44Their cultivation stalled
20:46With it
20:47They drained whoever was closest to them
20:49In that life
20:51When I finally understood
20:52I'd spent a sleepless night
20:54Deciding what to do
20:55And then I'd done
20:57The only thing that made sense
20:59I found a doctor
21:00Confirmed it wouldn't block
21:02His ability to train
21:03And introduced something
21:05Into a gift
21:06From one of my sisters-in-law
21:07A substance that made him
21:09Permanently unable
21:10To function that way
21:12He found out
21:13Eventually
21:14I cried until I couldn't breathe
21:16And told him that sister-in-law
21:18Had been plotting against him
21:20For months
21:20That she'd wanted to destroy him
21:23That I'd only just discovered it myself
21:25He checked
21:27Everything I said was true
21:28Because I had made sure
21:31It would be true
21:32After that
21:33He dismissed the kept women
21:34Stopped visiting other beds
21:36And trained with a focus
21:38He hadn't had before
21:39He treated me like something worth keeping
21:42Victoria didn't have that knowledge
21:45She'd decided the serpent
21:47Was simply devoted to her
21:48And she'd locked herself
21:50Inside that story
21:51I wondered how much longer
21:53Her body could hold
21:54Adrian's voice came through the door
21:56Strained and urgent
21:57Madam
21:58Please
21:59You have to believe me
22:02That boy has nothing to do with me
22:04Ivy opened her mouth
22:06I let her go
22:07She told him exactly
22:08What she thought of him
22:09In considerable detail
22:11For several minutes
22:12He didn't fight back
22:14He knew he had no ground
22:15To stand on
22:16When she finally ran out of breath
22:17I walked out
22:20Madam
22:20You believe me don't you
22:23The matriarch came through the courtyard gate behind him
22:25She had her walking stick in hand
22:28She brought it down across his back
22:30Until blood showed through the fabric
22:32Then she stopped
22:33Her eyes were wet
22:34When she looked at me
22:35My child
22:37This family owes you an apology
22:40She exhaled
22:42I know you've been wronged
22:44But the clan is pushing to have this one thrown out entirely
22:47And I'm running out of ways to argue against it
22:51Write him a letter of divorce
22:53The Ashfords will take care of you
22:55You have my word
22:56I let my eyes go soft
22:58I lowered my head
22:59And pressed one hand gently to my stomach
23:02My voice came out barely above a whisper
23:04But I'm carrying his child
23:06Are you asking me to leave with a baby?
23:09Both of them went completely still
23:12Adrian stared at my hand against my stomach
23:15The color left his face
23:17I'm sorry
23:18His voice cracked
23:19I'm so sorry
23:22The matriarch needed a breath to decide
23:25Get that woman and her boy off this property immediately
23:28The Ashfords family has one mistress of this house
23:32And the child she's carrying is the only heir I'll recognize
23:35I turned my face into the matriarch's shoulder
23:38And let myself cry
23:40I thought you didn't want me anymore
23:43None of it touched me inside
23:45This was what had needed to happen
23:48Adrian had just lost any path to the clan leadership through that boy
23:52Without the matriarch's recognition
23:55Rosalyn and her son were nothing
23:57All the groundwork I'd laid
23:59Had just closed around them like a door
24:02In the corner where no one was looking
24:04Something in me smiled
24:07Rosalyn and the boy stood at the estate gate for half the day
24:11She screamed every promise Adrian had made
24:14The people passing stopped and listened with wide eyes
24:18The last of Adrian's golden reputation
24:21Crumbled in real time
24:23The story that came out of it, somehow
24:26Was that the new Mrs. Ashford had handled everything with grace
24:30Victoria had come by to watch
24:32She was there at the gate when it happened
24:35She drifted into the main hall afterward
24:37Looking like she'd forgotten how to arrange her face
24:41I was eating the pastries Adrian had walked three streets to find for me
24:47What brings you all the way here in person?
24:49She was tired
24:50The brightness she'd walked in with last time was gone
24:54Her smile, when she tried it, didn't work properly
24:59How did you do it?
25:01I smiled and touched my stomach
25:04When you have something better, why would you settle?
25:07She understood immediately
25:09Her eyes dropped to my hand
25:12She went very still
25:14Then the stillness broke
25:15And what came out was pure envy
25:19You're just lucky
25:20Everything always falls into place for you
25:23The smile left my face
25:25I set down my tea
25:26Lucky
25:27My birth mother died in front of me
25:30I spent years in this house as furniture
25:33Useful only when needed
25:35And invisible the rest of the time
25:37Every gain I'd made in my past life
25:40And this one
25:41Had been mapped out
25:42Move by move
25:43Late at night
25:44Alone
25:45Lucky
25:47Wasn't the word
25:48I hear things haven't been going so well for you
25:51You look thin
25:52She shot to her feet
25:54I'm perfectly fine
25:56My husband comes only to my room
25:58He dismissed all the others
25:59I run my own household
26:01No one dares touch me
26:02I let myself laugh
26:04She heard it for what it was
26:06And it hit her somewhere deep
26:08Because she spun around
26:10And walked out
26:11Without another word
26:13The serpent had dismissed those women
26:15Because he was afraid of being found out
26:17Not because he felt anything
26:19His visits to her room
26:21Were maintenance
26:23Nothing more
26:24The more she gave
26:25The more he took
26:27Her body
26:28Was already paying the bill
26:30In the end
26:31She'd believed
26:32She'd believed
26:33What she'd wanted to believe
26:34I didn't know
26:35How much longer
26:36She had
26:37The pregnancy was
26:38Easier than I'd expected
26:39The baby was cooperative
26:41Which gave me room
26:42To keep running the shops
26:43And managing the estate
26:44Adrian hovered
26:45Constantly
26:46Asking after
26:47Every small discomfort
26:48Following me
26:49From room to room
26:50I found it exhausting
26:52And started leaving the estate
26:53To get away from him
26:54It was on one of those outings
26:55That I heard Victoria
26:56Had miscarried
26:57I didn't know
26:58She'd been pregnant
26:59I went to see her myself
27:00I regretted it
27:01The moment I stepped into her room
27:03The smell hit first
27:04Powder
27:05Sweet
27:05And thick
27:06And beneath it
27:07Something rotten
27:08Something that didn't belong
27:10In a living body
27:11The doctor stood to one side
27:12With the face of a man
27:14Who had stopped expecting
27:15To be listened to
27:16I told you both repeatedly
27:17No more
27:19Why won't you listen
27:20The serpent's expression
27:22Was distant
27:22He made a soft sound
27:24Of dismissal
27:24And walked out
27:25Victoria coughed
27:26Hard
27:27Wracking coughs
27:28The kind that bent her forward
27:30She'd gone skeletal
27:31Her skin
27:32The color of old paper
27:34She looked up at me
27:35Even like this
27:36She squared her jaw
27:37Happy now?
27:38Lady Hargrove
27:39Rushed in from the doorway
27:40Before I could answer
27:41She was the only person
27:43In the room
27:43Who was genuinely frightened
27:45For Victoria
27:46Who wanted to take her home
27:47And hold her
27:48No!
27:49I'm not going back!
27:51I'm fine here!
27:53Why would I go back?
27:54Her voice climbed
27:56Sharpened
27:57And then
27:57Something changed
27:59In my body
27:59I grabbed Ivy's wrist
28:01The doctor had said
28:02She wasn't far enough along
28:04There shouldn't have been
28:05A reaction
28:06This sudden
28:07This strong
28:08I stopped thinking
28:09About Victoria
28:10And let Ivy
28:11Steer me out
28:11The Ashford midwife
28:12Was already prepared
28:13The doctor arrived
28:15Within minutes
28:15Of being called
28:16Outside the delivery room
28:18I could hear the matriarch
28:19And Adrian talking
28:20In short
28:21Urgent sentences
28:22I was soaked
28:23I was soaked through
28:24Ivy's hand almost breaking
28:26In mine
28:26If something goes wrong
28:28Save me
28:29If I didn't survive this
28:30Adrian would bring
28:31Rosalind's boy
28:32Back
28:33And whatever happened
28:34To my child
28:35Without me here
28:36To stand between them
28:37I didn't want to imagine
28:38I had to stay
28:39The pain came in waves
28:41And then in walls
28:42Then a cry split the room
28:44And I went under
28:45Completely
28:46When I opened my eyes
28:47There was a small
28:48Warm weight
28:49On the bed beside me
28:50Ivy was kneeling
28:51Smiling so wide
28:52It looked like it hurt
28:53Congratulations ma'am
28:55It's a girl
28:57I stared at her
28:58For a long time
28:59Then I reached out
29:01Very carefully
29:02And poked her cheek
29:03With one finger
29:04She woke up
29:05She didn't cry
29:06She just looked at me
29:07And smiled
29:08Something in my chest
29:09Came loose
29:10I closed my hand
29:12Around her tiny fingers
29:13From today
29:14She was the Ashford heir
29:16And I was going to
29:17To make sure
29:18She lived her life
29:19On her own terms
29:20Not mine
29:21Not anyone else's
29:23Adrian was happy
29:24About the baby
29:24And also
29:25A little lost
29:26The way men get
29:27When reality lands
29:28Differently than they'd planned
29:29He circled around the subject
29:31For weeks
29:31Before finally floating
29:33The idea of
29:34Trying again
29:34In a few years
29:35A son
29:36He meant
29:37To carry the Ashford name
29:39I told him no
29:40Without softening it
29:41The matriarch promised me
29:42If you'd like to revisit
29:44That conversation
29:45Go talk to her
29:46He didn't
29:46He went back
29:47To making faces
29:48At our daughter instead
29:49After my recovery
29:50I finally turned my attention
29:51To why the birth
29:52Had come early
29:53The doctor could only tell me
29:54That something sharp
29:55And chemical
29:56Had triggered it
29:56He couldn't identify
29:57This specific substance
29:58I thought about
29:59Victoria's room
30:00The smell that had sat
30:01In the back of my throat
30:02Ivy came back
30:03From asking questions
30:04With her face
30:05Flushed red
30:06Mom
30:08Rosalind has been meeting
30:09With Miss Victoria
30:09The place she's been living
30:11Since she left here
30:11And Miss Victoria
30:12Arranged it
30:13Two women
30:14With nothing to lose
30:15And the same target
30:16If I'd lost the baby
30:18Rosalind's boy
30:18Would have been
30:19The only option left
30:20She'd have been back
30:21Through the gate
30:22Within the week
30:22But I'd learned
30:23Every corner of this estate
30:24Before the baby came
30:25The staff here were mine
30:26In the way that mattered
30:27They were careful
30:28Attentive
30:29Loyal enough
30:30When loyalty was earned
30:31Nothing had reached me
30:32That shouldn't have
30:33Has Adrian had any contact
30:34With them
30:34Since they left
30:35Once
30:36Right after they were removed
30:37He went to see them
30:38They had a fight
30:39He hasn't been back
30:40He's cut the boy off too
30:41Good
30:42I exhaled
30:43He's finally reading the room
30:45And my half-sister
30:46Lately
30:47Ivy's voice took on
30:48A certain quality
30:49She's determined
30:50I'll give her that
30:50Her body is in the state
30:52It's in
30:52And she's still having people in
30:53Still calling doctors
30:54Trying to keep going
30:55I sighed
30:56She was stubborn
30:57To the point of self-destruction
30:58She always had been
30:59Life in the Ashford estate
31:00Settled into something
31:01Close to peace
31:02The baby's name was Sarah
31:04The matriarch chose it herself
31:05And she announced formally
31:06In front of the clan
31:07That Sarah Ashford
31:09Would be the next family head
31:10Some members objected
31:11Lord Ashford Sr.
31:13Shut them down in four sentences
31:14And didn't look up from his tea
31:15Adrian sulked quietly
31:17About it for a while
31:17Then adjusted
31:18He spent his mornings
31:19Making Sarah laugh
31:21And telling her
31:21She'd better remember
31:22Who her father was
31:23When she was running things
31:25It might have stayed
31:26That way indefinitely
31:27Then one of my shop managers
31:29Came in with a report
31:30He could barely get through it
31:32Without going red in the face
31:34Victoria had purchased something
31:35From one of our suppliers
31:37A particular kind of compound
31:39When I pressed for details
31:41The man turned the color of a peony
31:43And started examining the floor
31:45I understood
31:46Victoria was pregnant again
31:48She announced it
31:49With a dinner party
31:50The invitation arrived on my desk
31:52Ivy told me not to go
31:53Why wouldn't I?
31:55Running away was never my style
31:57The party drew the wives
31:58Of every major shifter clan
32:00They found me within minutes
32:02Of arriving
32:02And pulled me into a circle
32:04Of warm, elaborate compliments
32:06Victoria's face went through
32:08Several difficult stages
32:10Before she managed to control it
32:11She breathed in
32:13Breathed out
32:13And crossed the room to me
32:15The smile I gave her was direct
32:17And had teeth
32:18Look at you
32:19Jealous?
32:21Her composure buckled
32:22She turned and walked away
32:23In fast, rigid steps
32:25I finished my drink
32:27My eyes drifted to the maid
32:28Standing just behind her
32:30I smiled to myself
32:31Said something low to Ivy
32:33And watched her slip away
32:34Through the crowd
32:35Later, a group of us
32:37Walked out to the back garden
32:38We heard it before we saw it
32:40There, half hidden behind a stone wall
32:42The serpent was pressed
32:44Against a serving girl
32:45Unhurried
32:46As if he'd forgotten
32:47Or didn't care
32:48That there were guests
32:49Twenty feet away
32:50When we got close enough
32:52He still didn't stop
32:53One of the wives
32:54Sucked in a sharp breath
32:55Isn't that the woman
32:57Who was thrown out
32:57Of the Ashford Palace?
32:59Every head turned toward me
33:00Someone clicked her tongue
33:02Honestly, and that boy
33:03Who even knows?
33:05Victoria came through
33:06The garden gate
33:06With her attendants
33:07Reached the two of them
33:08And wrenched them apart
33:10With shaking hands
33:11How dare you?
33:13She hit him
33:14He looked at her
33:15The way you look at something
33:16Mildly inconvenient
33:17The smear of lip color
33:18Still on his jaw
33:19You can't keep up
33:20I'm not gonna starve
33:21Because of that
33:22Don't make a scene
33:23He shoved her back
33:24Not gently
33:25Then curved a protective arm
33:27Around Rosalyn
33:28As they retreated
33:29Through the gate
33:29Victoria hit the ground
33:31Red bloomed beneath her
33:32She stopped being a person
33:34For a moment
33:34She curled into herself
33:36And started murmuring
33:37Over and over
33:39Even again
33:41Why is it always like this?
33:44She tried to crawl toward me
33:45Hands reaching
33:46Adrian came through
33:47The gate behind her
33:48And kicked her back
33:49Before she could reach me
33:50Not carefully
33:51The gathered wives
33:52Had lost their appetite
33:53For the evening
33:54They called for their maids
33:55And started for the carriages
33:57After that
33:57I never saw Victoria again
33:59Three days later
34:00Ivy came to me
34:01With her jaw set tight
34:02Ma'am
34:03Rosalyn is back
34:04I looked up
34:05From my ledger
34:06Where?
34:07At the gate
34:08She says she has information
34:09About the compound used
34:10Before your delivery
34:11She's saying she wants to bargain
34:13I set down my pen
34:14Is Adrian home?
34:15In the east courtyard
34:16With the clan elders
34:17The succession discussion
34:18Ran long
34:19Good
34:19I needed to handle this
34:20Myself first
34:21I put on my outer robe
34:22And walked to the gate
34:23Unhurried
34:24Rosalyn looked smaller
34:25Than I remembered
34:26Her clothes were decent
34:27But worn at the hem
34:29I can give you proof
34:30The woman who sourced
34:31The compound
34:32The transaction record
34:33Everything
34:33And what do you want
34:34In return?
34:35My son
34:36Just recognition
34:38He has abilities
34:39He deserves to be trained
34:40I'm not asking
34:41For anything else
34:41I studied her
34:42For a long moment
34:43You came to me with this
34:45Not to Adrian
34:47She didn't answer
34:48That was answer enough
34:49She knew
34:50That door was closed
34:51She'd come to the one person
34:52With actual authority
34:53Over this gate
34:54Leave the documents
34:55With my servant
34:56I'll review them
34:57And my son
34:58I said I'll review them
35:00I turned
35:00And walked back inside
35:01The documents were thorough
35:02Ivy sat across from me
35:03Reading carefully
35:04This is enough
35:05To bring for the clan council
35:06Attempted harm to an heir
35:08That's not a minor offense
35:09No
35:10I folded the document closed
35:12We wait
35:12Ivy looked up
35:13Victoria is already broken
35:15Filing this now
35:16Does nothing except
35:17Make me look like
35:18I'm kicking someone
35:18Already on the ground
35:19That afternoon
35:20Adrian walked into my room
35:21With a careful expression
35:23The clan elders
35:24Want to discuss
35:24Sarah's succession formally
35:26Some of them
35:26Are pushing back
35:27On what grounds?
35:29She's a girl
35:29And young
35:30They're suggesting
35:31We revisit the matter
35:32When she's older
35:33How much older?
35:34Old enough to be
35:34Replaced by a son
35:36I told them
35:37I had no plans for a son
35:38They didn't believe me
35:39I turned back to the window
35:40Then we give them something
35:41They can't argue with
35:42I sent for the clan's
35:44Senior historian
35:44The next morning
35:45He arrived in the afternoon
35:46An elderly man
35:48With excellent posture
35:49I need to understand
35:50The succession law
35:51In full
35:51Every claw love
35:53Every exception
35:54Every precedent
35:55That evening
35:56I walked into the east courtyard
35:58Where Adrian was running forms
36:00With Sarah
36:00Propped against the practice post
36:02He stopped
36:02When he saw my face
36:04What did you find?
36:06The matriarch
36:06Can formally vest
36:07The succession in Sarah
36:08Before she reaches training age
36:09The elders can object
36:11But they can't overturn
36:13A formal vesting
36:14By the sitting matriarch
36:15Adrian was quiet for a moment
36:16She'll do it
36:17If I ask her
36:18He picked Sarah up
36:19She grabbed his ear
36:20Dad?
36:21She said clearly
36:22We both went still
36:23It was her first word
36:24Did she just
36:25Yes
36:26She said my name first
36:28Don't make it a competition
36:30Too late
36:30The elders made their move
36:32At the monthly clan meeting
36:33Elder Crane stood first
36:34The succession of Sarah Ashfield
36:36Was announced prematurely
36:38The child has not yet
36:39Demonstrated ability
36:41We move to defer
36:42The designation
36:43Until she reaches
36:44The age of eight
36:45Several others nodded
36:46Matriarch said firmly
36:47No
36:47The designation stands
36:49I have already submitted
36:50The formal vesting
36:51To the clan record
36:52She set a sealed document
36:53On the table
36:54It was received
36:55And witnessed this morning
36:56Next day
36:57I was at the market with Ivy
36:58When someone grabbed my sleeve
36:59I turned
37:00It's Victoria
37:01She looked nothing like herself
37:02Her hair was loose
37:03Her eyes red-rimmed
37:04You have to help me
37:07He's gonna kill me
37:08I know he is
37:08He said if I left again
37:10He'd
37:10Let go of me
37:11She didn't
37:11Her grip tightened
37:12I have nowhere to go
37:14Mother can't help me
37:16She's already tried
37:17He threw her out
37:18And I can't
37:20I can't go back there
37:21I can't
37:22Victoria
37:22You're making a scene
37:25Please
37:26She said
37:27Very quietly this time
37:28A desperate Victoria
37:29Loose in public
37:30Was exactly the kind of loose end
37:31Someone like Crane
37:32Would find a use for
37:33Come with me
37:34Don't speak
37:35Don't draw any more attention
37:36I took her back to the estate
37:37I sat Victoria
37:39In the outer garden with tea
37:40And told her to stay put
37:42She did
37:42Adrian found me in the corridor
37:44Tell me you didn't bring her inside
37:46Outer garden
37:48Supervised
37:48She's not a threat today
37:50If I leave her in the street
37:51She becomes someone else's tool
37:53He looked at me steadily
37:54What about Sarah?
37:56Sarah is in the training hall
37:58With two senior clan guards
37:59And her father
38:00Who was just here
38:01Which means you left her there alone
38:03He turned around immediately
38:05And went back
38:05I returned to the garden
38:07Victoria murmured
38:08Like a crazy person
38:09The serpent is going to kill me
38:12He's run out of use for me
38:13I sat down across from her
38:14What do you want?
38:16I need to go somewhere
38:16He can't reach me
38:17I won't come near you
38:18Or the girl again
38:19In last life
38:20She had been cruel to me
38:21In every small way
38:23She could manage
38:23In this life
38:24She had tried to take my child
38:26From me
38:26Before she was even born
38:27I can't let anything go wrong again
38:30I'll arrange a departure
38:32Documents
38:32Escort
38:33A new name
38:33You will leave
38:34Before the week is out
38:35You will not contact anyone
38:36In this city
38:37You will not come back
38:38She froze
38:39Not expecting I would help her
38:40So easily
38:41Why?
38:41She asked
38:42Because it costs me nothing
38:43And it costs you
38:45Everything to own me
38:46Before she stepped
38:47Into the carriage
38:47She turned back
38:49Crane paid the serpent
38:50To keep me close to you
38:51I don't know what he was planning
38:52But I thought you should know
38:53I'm not telling you for your sake
38:55I just want him to lose something too
38:56The carriage door closed
38:58I brought her words to Adrian
38:59He was in the middle of teaching Sarah
39:01How to hold her stance
39:02She kept toppling sideways
39:04And laughing about it
39:04Which was not making him
39:06A more effective instructor
39:07Crane
39:08I suspected him
39:09You didn't say anything
39:11I was waiting for confirmation
39:13Now I have it
39:14Sarah pulled on his sleeve
39:16Again dad
39:17In a moment
39:18Now dad
39:19He crouched down to Sarah's level
39:21If you hold the stance
39:22For ten full breaths
39:23We do it again
39:24She squared up with tremendous seriousness
39:27She made it to seven
39:28Before she started giggling
39:29Adrian caught her when she fell over
39:31I want to deal with Crane openly
39:33In front of the full clan
39:35That's a risk
39:36I have the documents from Rosany
39:38The succession vesting
39:40Victoria's testimony in writing
39:42Witness before she left
39:43If I lay it all at once
39:45There's no recovery from it
39:46And the serpent?
39:48That I'll leave to the serpent clan's own politics
39:50They'll handle it faster than we could
39:53At the formal clan gathering
39:54Elder Crane held high a document
39:56I have evidence of financial misconduct
39:58Within the Ashfield estate accounts
40:00Dating back to the very year
40:02The current mistress arrived
40:04May I see the document?
40:06He handed it over with confidence
40:07I read it
40:08Looked up
40:09Those discrepancies were identified
40:11Documented and corrected
40:12In the first month
40:13After I took over management
40:15The shop manager responsible
40:17Was dismassed
40:18I turned to the matriarch
40:19I believe you have the original
40:20Corrective record
40:21In the household archive
40:22The matriarch nodded
40:23Crane's composure cracked
40:25Furthermore
40:25I withdrew a folded document
40:28I have a record here of payments
40:30Made from Elder Crane's personal accounts
40:32To a third party
40:33That third party
40:34Is the serpent clan's finance manager
40:36The same serpent clan
40:38That housed Victoria
40:39The woman who attempted to harm
40:41The Ashfield heir before her birth
40:43The hall erupted
40:44Crane sat down
40:45He didn't speak again
40:46After that day
40:47Neither did anyone else
40:49Fother to listen when he tried
40:50That evening the estate was quiet
40:52Word had come earlier that day
40:53Victoria had killed the serpent
40:55He tracked her down despite everything
40:56And she'd fought back
40:57The serpent clan handled it themselves
40:59Trial
41:00Verdict
41:00Exile to somewhere far enough
41:02That no one would hear from her again
41:03I felt nothing
41:04The only people I cared about
41:05Were already with me
41:06Sarah had fallen asleep
41:07In the courtyard after dinner
41:08Still wearing the small practice gloves
41:10Adrian had fitted to her hands
41:11He carried her inside
41:12Without waking her
41:13He laid her down
41:14And then he came out
41:15And stood beside me
41:16She held the starts
41:17For eleven breaths today
41:18While you were with the elders
41:20I counted
41:21I know
41:22She told me herself
41:23Twice
41:25Crane will resign by morning
41:26The elders talked after you left
41:28Even the ones who were supporting him
41:29Have pulled back
41:30Good
41:31When did you know
41:32About Crane
41:33How long had you known
41:34Long enough
41:35You waited
41:36Timing is everything
41:38He exhaled slowly
41:39Not quite a laugh
41:40You're terrifying
41:41You know that
41:41You married me
41:43I know
41:44I'm starting to think
41:45That was the smartest thing
41:46I ever did
41:47He was watching Sarah
41:48Through the doorway
41:49She's going to be extraordinary
41:50I turned back to the doorway
41:52Sarah stirred in her sleep
41:54And smiled at something
41:55In her dream
41:56I thought of my mother's voice
41:57Barely audible
41:58Telling me to keep going
42:00I had
42:01This was what keeping going
42:03Looked like