My blood dripped onto the white snake’s body.

In the next instant, the snake opened its eyes.

It looked at my battered form with shock and sorrow, then darted forward, hissing at Martha and Chloe.

Through my haze, I thought I saw that gentle figure from memory—Grace—standing in front of me, shielding me from harm.

“A snake? Where did this come from!”

“Ugh, disgusting! I hate snakes the most.”

“Not only stealing, but now bringing snakes into the master’s house?”

“Relax, Mom, it’s not poisonous.”

But the snake had been dormant for too long; its body was weak. Chloe seemed to notice and grabbed a stool, smashing it down hard on the snake.

The snake writhed in pain. Even without human consciousness, it had always been gentle, never striking at people.

Martha, emboldened, picked up a nail-studded stick and beat the snake again and again until blood seeped between its scales.

“No!” I cried.

Grace had been weakened after protecting Richard and Ethan. If she were injured again, this sleep wouldn’t last just ten years—it could be forever. The high priest had told us to protect the snake at all costs. If it died, Grace would vanish from this world as well.

I threw myself over the snake, shielding it with my body. Nails drove into my back, tearing flesh. Blood poured from my mouth, staining its scales red.

The snake looked at me with sorrow, then shot forward, wrapping itself around Martha’s wrist to stop her from striking again.

“Damn snake, get off me!” Martha roared.

She seized its tail, swinging it violently, smashing it to the ground over and over. Blood streaks marked the floor.

Still, it fought to hold her wrist, determined to protect me.

Chloe sneered, “You like tying things up? Let’s see how you like this.”

She wound the snake around the nail-studded stick, driving the spikes through its body.

The snake let out a low whimper, a tear of blood sliding from its eye as it looked at me.

“Stop! Don’t hurt it! Mom…” I screamed.

Chloe’s eyes gleamed with cruelty. She twisted the snake’s body into a grotesque knot and tied it to the stick.

“Two filthy creatures. Disgusting.”

At that moment, my phone buzzed violently.

By now, Richard and Ethan’s flight should have landed. They had told me to care for the snake, that important guests were bringing rare medicinal herbs to prepare for Grace’s awakening.

Before I could answer, Chloe snatched the phone, her lips curling into a sneer when she saw the caller ID: “Precious One.”

“See, Mom? I told you she’s just a gold-digger,” she mocked.

“Who knows how many old men she’s slept with. Filthy slut.”

Martha frowned. “Chloe, stop for now. They’ll be back any minute. Today’s some big occasion, and I was told to tidy the house for important guests…”

“So many people have come, and I hear they’re bringing treasures worth a fortune!”

Chloe Brown looked at me like I was nothing but filth.

“If you want to stay alive, you’d better learn your place.”

Her eyes brimmed with threats.

Martha Brown frowned. “Chloe, maybe we should drag this slut out first.”

“You need to show your face more. These people are all important. If one of them notices you, it could be your big chance…”

“But I heard they came to see a patient…”

“Who else? Your godfather and your godbrother haven’t been in good health. Of course, they came to visit them.”

“That makes sense.”

Chloe glared at me with pure disgust.

“I bet you sneaked in here on purpose today—not only to seduce my godfather and my brother, but also to cast your net wide, right?”

“Sluts like you, I’ve seen plenty. Do you know how many maids I’ve had to deal with before?”

She sneered and dragged me toward the backyard.

So that was it! I had asked Dad and Ethan to hire more maids, but they always said only Martha and Chloe remained—others quit mysteriously after a short time.

Now I understood. These two had been running rampant in our house all along!

I struggled and lunged at Chloe.

She looked down at her blood-stained dress and shrieked in horror.

I couldn’t help but laugh bitterly at her pathetic act of forced elegance. A beast is still a beast—even dressed in the mistress’s clothes, it can’t hide its nature.

That only enraged her further.

“You bitch!”

“Somebody come! Grab this thief!”

“Sticky fingers, huh? Let’s see how clean I can make you.”

Martha struck me over and over with a stick.

My screams roused the dying white snake, which managed to break free. Just as the stick was about to smash down on my head, the snake bit Martha’s hand hard.

“Damn creature!” Chloe snatched up a knife and, with one swift motion, brought it down.

The snake’s head was severed.

“No, Mom…”

Despair washed over me as I trembled, cradling the broken body.

“If you care this much about this snake, calling it your mom…” Chloe sneered. Then, before my eyes, she chopped the body into several pieces.

“Tie this thief up in the backyard. If she loves snakes so much, cut off her hands and feet—let her crawl like one for the rest of her life.”

“No…” Terror gripped me. As a music student, if I lost my hands, I’d lose my future.

“Just one more thing…” Chloe’s eyes gleamed with excitement as she forced open my mouth.

The scissors cut. Salt and iron filled my mouth, and the pain drove me into darkness.

“Now you look like a snake.”

“Drag her away.” Chloe waved dismissively. “Dad and Ethan will be back soon. We need to prepare dinner. They say Dad’s been feeling better lately.”

Martha’s eyes flickered with shyness. “I’ll make sure to take good care of him. Who knows what could happen…”

Chloe looked at the snake pieces on the floor, a cruel smile tugging at her lips.

“They say snakes are earthly dragons—the most nourishing of all.”

A group of men dragged me into the backyard.

Only then did I realize that the old servants had already been replaced.

“This woman’s yours to deal with. Do whatever you want with her.”

“Make sure she learns her lesson.”

“Miss Brown… isn’t this going too far?”

The young man looked at me, guilt in his eyes.

“What’s wrong with it? She’s just a thief trying to sleep her way up. Shameless!”

“If we hadn’t caught her, you all would’ve had to answer to the master today.”

My mouth was full of blood, pain stealing my voice. My arms and legs hung limp.

These jewels—they had all been gifts from Dad and Ethan. But the newcomers had no idea who I really was.

“Mr. Smith has lived like a saint all these years, always kindhearted, letting struggling families like ours stay and work.”

“Exactly. She’s too much. The last ones were the same. Only Mrs. Brown and Miss Brown have shown kindness.”

Several men stared at me, eyes gleaming with lust.

The young one shook his head. “She’s just a girl. That’s enough. Why don’t we hand her over to the police and let them deal with it?”

“Kid, you’re too soft,” one of the older men smirked, his eyes sliding over my body.

This girl was a gift served on a platter. How could they not take advantage?

With skin so soft and delicate, she was obviously from privilege. They wanted to know what it was like to taste what only the rich enjoyed.

“Girls like her need to be taught a lesson. Tie her up here. The masters will be back soon. Once they’re done, we’ll deal with her.”

Martha nodded. “Enough talking. Get back to work. You’ll have your fun later.”

Reluctantly, the men chained me up inside a dog cage.

Barely conscious, I felt the young man’s unease. He had been educated, and he knew this was illegal. And Richard had helped his family before.

Quietly, he decided to tell Dad and Ethan what was happening. No one wanted a death on their hands.

Not long after, the sound of car horns echoed at the gate.

“Your godfather and your godbrother are back,” Martha said with delight, hurrying to her feet.

Richard and Ethan walked in, smiling, accompanied by several elderly men with white hair.

Martha gasped—these were men you only saw on television.

“Richard, I hear your wife will soon awaken.”

“At last, I can thank her before I die.”

Richard and Ethan’s faces lit up with joy.

“Yes, if it weren’t for Grace curing me of poison, I wouldn’t be alive today.”

Even I would have recognized the speaker—he was a scientist who had once risked his life by testing his own medicine for the country.

“Grace wasn’t just my savior. She was a savior to the entire scientific community.”

“That’s right. Without her foresight and sacrifice, none of us old men would still be here.”

“We just hope to see her one last time. We brought rare herbs for her recovery—hundreds of years old. They might help when she awakens.”

Martha’s eyes widened. She knew their value. Even a single piece could buy a mansion in New York City. This was pure gold.

“Richard, why are you bringing us to the backyard?”

“Yes, Grace is waiting for the herbs inside.”

Richard frowned. “A boy just told Ethan there was a thief—someone sneaking in, stealing, even bringing a snake to bite people.”