The Third Wife of the Duke

The Third Wife of the Duke

Episode 1

The night was cold and damp, and the red and blue lights of the patrol cars painted the street with intermittent flashes. The sound of sirens cut through the silence of the neighborhood as officers took positions around an old two-story house.

The sub-inspector took a deep breath behind the open door of the patrol car. The bulletproof vest weighed heavily on her chest, but not as much as the responsibility she felt. She had been on the force for ten years, and yet every major operation made her heart beat fast.

"Team one ready," she said on the radio in a firm voice.

Inside the house, an armed man was holding two people hostage. A neighbor and his little daughter. The subject was desperate, drugged, and completely unpredictable.

"Careful... When we go in, I'll cover the stairs."

Valeria nodded.

She had seen too many tragedies to hesitate now. If something went wrong, she knew she had to be the one to make the difficult decision.

The head of the operation raised his hand.

"We're going in three... two... one!"

The door was knocked down.

The police burst in quickly. The interior was dark, filled with old furniture and smelling of alcohol. A scream came from the second floor.

"Don't come up! I'll kill them!"

She advanced through the hallway with her gun steady.

"Police! Drop the weapon!"

A shot rang out from above.

Corporal Morales fell backward, wounded in the shoulder.

"Morales!"

But she didn't hesitate. She took the stairs two at a time.

When she reached the top, she saw the scene... the man was holding the little girl with one arm while pointing the trembling gun.

The little girl was crying.

"Don't come near!"

She slowly raised her hands, lowering her weapon.

"Listen to me... no one has to get hurt today."

The man was out of his mind.

"Lies! Everyone lies!"

The little girl sobbed.

And in that instant, she made the decision that would change everything.

She saw the movement of the gun. If he fired, the little girl was right in the line of fire.

So she lunged.

She pushed the man against the wall, pushing the girl away with her arm.

The shot exploded in the air.

Then another.

And another.

The world seemed to fall silent.

She fell to the ground.

From afar, she heard shouts, running footsteps, crackling radios.

The little girl was safe.

That was what was important.

The ceiling became blurred.

"It was worth it"

The last sound she heard was someone shouting...

"Call an ambulance!"

But the cold was already spreading through her body.

And the darkness came.

However... death was not the end.

First she felt warmth.

Then light.

A strange aroma, like herbs and wood smoke.

After that... voices.

"She's waking up!"

She frowned.

Her body felt strange... light... small.

She slowly opened her eyes.

The ceiling was not white or with fluorescent lights.

It was made of wood.

Around her were three women in long dresses and white bonnets.

One of them sighed in relief.

"Thank heavens... the young lady lives."

She tried to speak, but her voice came out weak.

"Where... am I...?"

The women exchanged surprised glances.

"In the Gray family mansion, miss."

She blinked.

"Gray family"

"Mansion"

The furniture was antique, the walls were lit by candles, and the windows had thick embroidered curtains.

There was no electricity.

There was no hospital.

There were no patrol cars.

Then one of the women said something that chilled her blood.

"Your carriage overturned this morning, Lady Sienna. We thought you wouldn't wake up."

She remained completely still.

"Lady"

"Sienna"

She slowly raised her hands.

They were smaller.

More delicate.

They were not her hands.

Her heart began to beat fast.

"This... can't be..."

But at that moment a surge of foreign memories invaded her mind.

A mansion.

Abusive uncles.

An aristocratic life.

And a time that was not her own.

She was... the policewoman who died saving a little girl...

and now...she had just woken up in the body of a young noblewoman from another century.

Even so, the room remained shrouded in soft twilight. Afternoon light filtered through the high windows covered by heavy curtains, and the air smelled of old wood, lavender, and herbal medicine.

For several minutes she remained still.

Not because she was weak.

But because she was thinking.

Keep calm. Observe first. Ask later.

That had always been her method.

In her previous life, she had spent years as a police officer. She had interrogated witnesses, suspects, and victims. She knew that information rarely appeared all at once... it had to be gathered little by little, like pieces of a puzzle.

Now... that instinct was the only thing she had.

Because she was no longer a police officer.

Now she was Sienna Gray.

When she was finally able to sit up a little in bed, a young maid ran to her.

"Miss Sienna! You shouldn't move so much. The doctor said you should rest."

Sienna barely inclined her head, observing her calmly.

The girl seemed sincere. Nervous, even.

"How long... have I been unconscious?"

The maid was a little surprised by the question, but she answered quickly.

"Two days, miss. Since you arrived at the mansion."

Two days.

Sienna registered the data.

"I arrived... from where?"

"From the countryside, miss... Your uncles sent a carriage to bring you to town..."

Sienna pretended to think for a moment, as if trying to remember.

"Ah... of course..."

But in reality, she was analyzing every word.

So she didn't live here originally.

"Is this... the Gray mansion?"

"Yes, miss. The family's main residence."

Confirmed.

Sienna continued to ask small questions over the next few days. Never too many in a row. Never too direct.

Sometimes she asked the maid.

Sometimes the butler.

Sometimes she simply listened to the servants' conversations when they thought she was asleep.

It was a patient job.

But it worked.

Little by little, the truth began to form in her mind.

First... her new identity.

Her name was Sienna Gray.

A young noblewoman of nineteen years.

Her parents had died years ago in an accident while traveling by sea. Since then, Sienna's guardianship had passed into the hands of her father's brother... Lord Sarco Gray.

Her uncle.

And his wife.

However, Sienna soon understood something disturbing.

The memories that appeared in her mind... fragments of the real Sienna's life... were full of sadness.

Of loneliness.

Of fear.

Because although the Gray family was noble...

Sienna was not treated as such.

After the death of her parents, her uncles sent her away.

Far away.

To a small rural property of the family, almost forgotten.

There she grew up with the bare minimum.

Few letters.

Few visits.

Almost no affection.

Meanwhile, in the main mansion in the capital grew the true jewel of the family.

Her uncles' daughter.

Sage Gray.

Sienna saw her for the first time three days after waking up.

And she understood immediately.

Sage was about her same age.

Shiny hair.

Elegant dresses.

Proud posture.

Everything about her screamed favorite.

The servants treated her with adoration.

Lord and Lady Gray looked at her as if she were the most precious treasure in the world.

When Sage saw Sienna in the living room, she simply raised an eyebrow.

"So you woke up."

Her voice had no joy.

No worry.

Just a slight annoyance.

"I thought the blow had left you useless."

Sienna lowered her gaze discreetly.

Not out of submission.

But because she was observing.

Analyzing.

Arrogant. Accustomed to being the center.

Sage sighed.

"I hope you recover soon. Father needs you to be presentable."

"Presentable?"

Sienna didn't respond.

But that word stuck in her mind.

The last piece of the puzzle came two nights later.

Sienna had quietly gone out into the hallway to get some air.

And then she heard voices coming from the study.

Her uncles' voices.

The door was ajar.

"The proposal is too good to turn down," Lord Gray was saying.

"But Julian Bridge... His previous two wives died."

Sienna remained completely still.

"Accidents... That's what they say."

"Even so... Sage..."

There was silence.

Then Lord Gray spoke in a firm tone.

"Precisely for that reason."

Sienna felt her stomach tighten.

"I won't send my daughter into that marriage."

The woman hesitated.

"But the duke specifically asked for a wife from the Gray family..."

Lord Gray let out a small laugh.

A cold laugh.

"And he will have one."

"Sienna Gray is also a Gray."

The silence that followed was heavy.

"The duke is offering a huge dowry... Titles, lands, influence."

"And if she also dies?"

Lord Gray responded with utter indifference.

"Then it will be a tragedy... but Sage will still be safe."

Sienna felt something very familiar rise inside her chest.

Not fear.

Not sadness.

It was something else.

A feeling she knew well.

The same one she felt before arresting someone despicable.

Cold rage.

Now everything was clear.

They had gone to get her in the countryside for one reason only.

Because Duke Julian Bridge had asked for a wife.

A man whose reputation was surrounded by rumors.

A man whose previous two wives had died.

And her dear uncles... didn't want to risk their beloved daughter Sage.

So they would use the other one.

The forgotten one.

The replaceable one.

Sienna Gray.

At that moment Sienna quietly returned to her room.

She sat on the bed.

And took a deep breath.

In her previous life she had faced criminals.

She had survived life-or-death situations.

She had died saving someone.

And now they wanted to use her as a sacrifice?

A small smile slowly appeared on her face.

But it wasn't a sweet smile.

It was the smile of someone who had learned to survive.

"What bad luck for you..."

Her uncles thought they were sending a weak young woman into the marriage of a dangerous man.

But the truth was different.

In the body of Sienna Gray... lived the soul of a woman who had been a police officer.

And if that duke was hiding secrets... Sienna intended to uncover them.

Because if anyone in that mansion believed that she would be an easy victim... they were about to make the biggest mistake of their lives.

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