The attic was dark and still, the air thick with dust and silence. She lay curled on the old mattress, the only warmth coming from her own trembling limbs beneath the thin blanket. A weak moonbeam slipped through the crack in the wooden wall, painting pale patterns across the floor.

Sleep never came easy in this house. But tonight, something felt different. Heavy. Final.

Then—voices.

She stilled, barely breathing, as footsteps stopped outside the attic door.

“My lady… are you certain about this?” a man’s voice asked, low and hesitant. It was the knight. Ser Alric. She remembered him as the only one in that place who looked at her with not hate or discust but with pity instead. His tone was shaky, filled with something she rarely heard in this place—fear.

Her aunt’s voice came sharp and cold. “If you don’t do it now, Alric, tomorrow will be the end of us all. Her father will come. The Grand Duke will demand to see his daughter for the ceremony, and we’ll be exposed. The missing money, the letters, everything. Do you want to face his wrath?”

“But… she’s just a girl.” He lowered his voice, almost whispering. “What if she truly was abandoned? What if—”

“Enough!” her aunt snapped. “I should’ve drowned her years ago. That little wretch will ruin everything just like her mother did. I told you to make it look like she ran away with a servant and was betrayed. Just one stab. Quick and clean. She’s asleep.”

Inside the room, the girl’s heart pounded so loudly she was sure they could hear it. Her breath came in shallow gasps. They were going to kill her. Not tomorrow. Not someday. Tonight.

She began inching back across the mattress, away from the door, trying not to make a sound—

Creak.

The wood betrayed her.

The door burst open.

Her aunt stepped in first, elegant as ever in her crimson robe, her expression calm and cruel. The knight followed, blade drawn but trembling in his grip.

“Oh,” her aunt said, eyes narrowing. “So you were awake. Listening, were you? No matter. I was going to let you die in your sleep to make it easier.” She gave a slight shrug. “But since you're awake… struggle, scream, cry—I won’t care.”

The girl backed up until her shoulders hit the wall, wide eyes locked on the sword. “Why…?” she whispered, voice hoarse.

“Because you should’ve died with your mother,” her aunt replied coldly. “Now stop delaying. Alric—do it.”

The knight’s hand trembled. “I… I’m sorry, child.”

He stepped forward.

“Father… please…” she whispered. “Save me…”

The blade flashed in the dark.

Pain exploded in her chest as steel pierced her. Her breath caught, a strangled gasp leaving her lips. One single tear slid down her cheek.

And then—silence.

No warmth. No light.

No one came.

---

She woke to the scent of mildew and the sharp sting of straw pricking her skin.

Her eyes flew open. The ceiling was cracked stone. The air, cold and damp. Her limbs—tiny. Her hands—small, chubby, and shaking.

She sat up quickly, dust rising around her. She was in an old storeroom, the same one where she'd been locked as a child for spilling tea on a guest. Wooden crates were stacked to the ceiling, and a rat scurried in the corner.

Her heart raced. “What… is this…?” she whispered. Her voice was high. Childish.

She touched her chest—no wound. No blood.

“This can’t be real.”

She stumbled to the door and tugged at the rusted handle. Locked. She banged softly once, then again.

“Is anyone there? Hello?”

Just as her panic began to rise, the door burst open with a loud clang. A stream of bright light flooded in, blinding her.

A maid stood in the doorway with a broom in one hand and a startled expression.

“You—what are you doing awake already?” the woman frowned. “It’s barely sunrise. Whatever if you're awake go and wash your face. The Countess won’t like it if you’re seen like this.”

The girl stared, frozen.

It was happening again.

She was a child again.

She was back.

And this time, she wouldn’t let them destroy her.

“Sara?”

The maid had barely stepped into the dusty storeroom when the girl’s eyes widened. “Why are you here? And… why do you look younger than before?”

Sara blinked in surprise. “What nonsense are you mumbling now? Have you finally lost your mind?”

The girl flinched slightly as the woman stomped further in, broom in hand and irritation on her face.

“Stay put in this room, do you hear me? Don’t even think about stepping outside,” Sara snapped. “I’ve been told not to let you set a single foot past this door. And if you disobey, you won’t be the only one punished. I will too.”

“Why?” the girl asked softly, confused. “Why can’t I go out?”

Sara scoffed. “Ha! Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten already? The Countess made it very clear—today is Lady Liliana’s sixth birthday. The entire mansion is preparing for the celebration. The guests will start arriving soon.”

She gave the girl a sharp look. “If you go wandering around and anyone sees you, it’ll ruin her special day. And she’ll be sad again. Do you really want to make the young lady cry?”

Her words were dripping with exaggerated pity, as though Liliana were a fragile, golden-hearted angel instead of the cruel girl she truly was.

Liliana’s birthday…

A memory flashed — the same celebration in her past life. Laughter, music, and light. And her, alone in this room. Forgotten. Cold.

Sara’s gaze swept over the girl one last time before turning away—lingering just a moment too long on her silver hair. “And cover that hair with something,” she muttered. “It’s weird.”

The door slammed shut behind her, and the lock clicked.

The girl stood frozen in the dim light, her small hands clenched into fists. Her heart thudded in her chest, louder than before.

“…Is this a dream?” she whispered to herself. “No. It’s too real to be a dream.”

A shard of cracked glass leaned against the far wall, left behind from some broken decoration. She crept toward it and stared.

A pale face looked back at her—young, round, and untouched by time or scars. Her hair, once dull from years of mistreatment, now shimmered like moonlight even in the dark room. And her eyes—deep, vivid red, like twin rubies—glowed softly under the faint sunlight slipping through the cracks. As for her hair silver and soft, like moonlight on snow.

The same hair her mother once had. The kind  her aunt always hated.

“I need to get myself together,” she whispered, tearing her gaze away from the reflection. “If I’ve really come back to the past… then I need to run away. If I stay here, I’ll die again before my eighteenth birthday. Just like last time.”

She sat down on the cold wooden floor, breathing deeply as she tried to think.

“Sara said today is Liliana’s sixth birthday… which means…” She paused.

“It’s also my birthday.”

Her voice was barely a whisper. “She’s one year older than me, and we were born on the same day. But everyone only remembers her birthday.”

Her shoulders slumped, a heavy silence filling the room. “No one remembers mine.”

A faint, bitter smile crossed her lips. “Of course they don’t.”

But her expression hardened again.

“Whatever. Right now, I need a plan. I need to get out of here. I need to survive.”

Her fingers curled tightly into the dusty blanket beneath her. “This time… I won’t let them win.”

Author's note:

Hello everyone 🤗. I'm a new writer and this is my first novel. I hope you enjoy reading it. 💖. If you find something that you think needs improvement please comment 🫂

“First of all… I need to get out of this room,” she whispered, glancing toward the locked door.

Normally, she would be forced to clean fireplaces, scrub halls, and polish boots from sunrise to nightfall—under the sharp eyes of the other maids. But today was different.

“They’re too busy preparing for the party,” she muttered. “That’s why they just locked me in here like some unwanted thing.”

She paced quietly across the cracked floor, her bare feet making soft taps on the cold wood. “I have to get out… I need to look around, figure out the layout again. Find a way to escape this place for good.”

But then she paused.

“No—if I try now, I’ll get caught. The maids will still be running around the halls. I should wait a little longer. Around three… the party should begin. Everyone will be inside the ballroom.”

Her ruby eyes narrowed in thought. “That will be my best chance.”

She turned her attention to the room. The door was locked, and the windows were too small to crawl through. But this mansion was old—and old places always had cracks.

After a few minutes of inspecting every wall and corner, she spotted something—a narrow gap between the wooden panels along the far wall. She knelt down and carefully brushed aside a pile of cloth and dust.

“A crack…” she whispered.

It wasn’t big—but neither was she.

She dropped to her hands and knees, wriggled carefully forward, and tested it with her shoulder. The wood groaned quietly, but gave way.

“Great,” she breathed. “I never thought I’d be happy that my room is this broken.”

She waited patiently for the right time. The light filtering through the cracks shifted slowly as afternoon arrived.

“It’s time,” she whispered. “The party should’ve started.”

She slipped through the narrow opening and quietly crept into the hallway, making sure no one saw her. Her heart pounded as she tiptoed from shadow to shadow, the massive size of the mansion suddenly pressing down on her.

“It’s so big…” she murmured. “No wonder I always got lost when I was little.”

Sure enough, within minutes, she had turned into a wrong corridor. Then another. The hallway looked unfamiliar—bright and decorated, filled with flower garlands and flickering lanterns.

She froze.

The ballroom.

Music echoed faintly from beyond the grand doors.

“No, no, no—this is too close,” she whispered. “If anyone sees me, I’ll be caught… and punished.”

She turned to retreat, but a sweet aroma stopped her. Her nose twitched.

Roast meat. Pastries. Cream.

Her stomach growled loudly.

She pressed her hands over it, eyes widening in horror. “Not now,” she hissed. “No. If I go in, I’ll get caught. I haven’t eaten since last night, but What if they find me—will they kill me again?”

Her voice faltered as another wave of hunger twisted her gut. She leaned weakly against the wall.

“If I keep going like this… I really might die of hunger,” she whispered. “No one will notice if I’m quiet… right?”

Steeling her nerves, she crept through a side opening, slipping into the edge of the ballroom where no one was paying attention. Laughter and music echoed through the large space, drawing all attention to the center.

She slid under a long banquet table draped in thick cloth. There, in the shadows, trays of untouched food sat temptingly close to the edge.

Trembling, she reached out and snatched a small piece of bread, then a slice of fruit. She stuffed them into her mouth quickly, chewing as quietly as she could.

It was the best thing she’d tasted in years.

She swallowed hard, and a tiny, almost broken laugh escaped her lips.

“Happy birthday… to me,” she whispered.

Just then, through a gap in the long tablecloth, she saw movement. Her cousin Liliana stood in the center of the ballroom, surrounded by guests and nobles.

She wore a beautiful pink gown adorned with delicate lace and ribbons, her golden blonde hair glittering with tiny jeweled pins that sparkled under the chandeliers.

She smiled sweetly, the very image of a beloved young lady basking in attention.

“She really is treated like a princess,” the girl muttered bitterly under her breath.

Suddenly—

Bang!

The doors to the ballroom burst open.

The music stopped.

All heads turned.

The Countess’s face went pale. Her eyes widened in horror.

“W-what…?” she gasped.

That look on her aunt’s face… it wasn’t just shock—it was something deeper, something she couldn't see just yet.

The girl under the table froze. Her heart jumped into her throat.

“Did… Did someone see me?”

Author's note:

Hello everyone 🤗, hope you liked this new chapter 💮. If you liked the novel please comments 🫂 and show support 😉

∆Question ❓

what do you think will happen? Will onr fl get out or bed caught?