I had been torn apart by countless vicious beastmen. They bit into me, devoured me. My eyes were gouged out and eaten, and my tongue was sliced off. By the time I died, there wasn't a single patch of skin left untouched.

The night before I was sent to the Beast Den, I begged Blair to help me escape. But he went against my orders.

He said, "You're no longer my master. Mr. Roffe already used a secret spell to break our contract. Your life or death has nothing to do with me."

And when I tried to run, he blocked my way. He ignored my desperate pleas and shoved me into the Beast Den himself. His last words to me were, "You're a half-beast. You won't die."

But there was something he didn't know: Justin had ripped away the beast bone that carried my powers as a half-beast and given it to Maisie.

Right now, I was even weaker than a human.

"What's wrong, Claudia? You look so pale," Maisie said gently, but the cold smirk tugging at her lips didn't escape my eyes.

"It's none of your business." I took a deep breath, forcing down the flood of hatred rising inside me.

"Why are you being so rude? We're sisters." She pretended to look hurt, but her tone dripped with calculation.

"If you really see me as your sister, then give back what's mine."

With that, I turned and walked away without a second glance.

Not long after I got back to my room, Justin stormed in and slammed the door open, his face twisted in fury.

"Claudia! Who the hell do you think you are, talking to your sister like that?"

I stared at him coldly. In my previous life, this was the same brother who had thrown me into the Beast Den to save Maisie. And in this life, he was still just as disgusting.

"What? Did I say something wrong? Maisie doesn't even deserve to be my sister."

"You little…" Justin's face turned red. He stepped toward me and raised his hand to strike.

I didn't flinch and looked straight at him, my eyes as sharp as knives.

His hand froze in mid-air. In the end, it never came down.

"You're just like your damned beastman father, so vulgar and savage."

I let out a cold laugh. "Aren't you his child, too?"

I had heard that insult so many times. But even in this second life, being rejected so harshly by my brother still made my heart ache.

Justin got even angrier at my question. "Guards! Lock her up!"

"Why not just kill me? That way, no one would know what you and Maisie have done."

His expression shifted, and his eyes darted away. I'd hit a nerve.

"What are you talking about? I'm just giving you time to reflect!"

"Reflect? What exactly should I reflect on? That I was born to a beastman father? Or that I dared to ask Maisie for what's rightfully mine?"

I stepped toward him, my voice icy.

In a flash, Justin slapped me hard across the face. I was already weak, and the force of it knocked me to the floor.

Dusty had been napping on the bed. Hearing the noise, he jumped down and tried to bite Justin's hand.

But how could a small fox take on a grown man? With one blow, Justin sent him flying across the room. Dusty hit the floor hard and let out a weak cry.

"Dusty!"

My heart dropped. He was still so fragile; there was no way he could take a hit like that.

Justin stepped on my hand as I tried to crawl toward Dusty. Looking down at me with cold disdain, he spat, "As long as you behave, I'll let you and that thing live. But if you ever upset Maisie again, I'll kill him myself."

Ten days later, they finally let me out, and I noticed right away that Dusty was gone.

I searched the entire courtyard, calling out for him, but there was no sign of him anywhere.

He never wandered off on his own.

A sinking feeling settled in my chest. Something was wrong.

Then, behind a rock formation, I spotted a small gray figure.

"Dusty!"

He was lying on the ground, covered in wounds and barely breathing. His body felt cold to the touch. I tried pouring my spiritual energy into him, desperate to save him, but it was like trying to fill a bottomless pit.

No matter how hard I tried, it didn't work.

Dusty died in my arms. His little body stiffened slowly as the warmth faded away.

I buried him under the magnolia tree in the yard, the spot where he used to love playing the most.

I closed my eyes, and memories came flooding back—Dusty curled up in my lap, warming my feet… The way he would turn his head in a huff when he got mad…

The pain in my chest felt like something had been torn apart. Eyes burning, I gripped my sword tightly.

I swore Maisie would pay for this.

I kicked open the door and found Maisie laughing with a maid, completely unaware of the storm about to hit her.

"I heard your little gray fox died," she said with a smirk. "He was so weak. I barely played with him, and—"

Smack!

I slapped her across the face before she could finish that vile sentence.

"What…" Maisie clutched her cheek, staring at me in disbelief.

"You think you even deserve to say his name?" I shot her a cold glare, a murderous aura emanating off of me.

I raised my sword and pointed it straight at her throat.

"Stop!"

A voice rang out behind me before Blair came lunging at me.

In a blur of swordlight and thunderous roars, we clashed. I twisted to dodge his attack and punched him hard in the gut.

With a loud thud, Blair was sent flying and slammed into a tree.

Even though pain burned through my body, I forced myself to move forward, step by step.

Blair tried to get up but collapsed again, looking up at me with wide, pitiful eyes, his face full of confusion and hurt.

For a second, it felt like I was in another lifetime. Memories of our past flickered through my mind.

But I shook them off.

I raised my sword, ready to strike the final blow.

"What are you doing?!"

That familiar voice made me pause.

I turned and saw Justin rushing over with a group of guards behind him.

"Justin!" Maisie cried, throwing herself into his arms like she'd just been saved from death itself.

The second Justin saw her face, his expression darkened.

He looked at Blair and asked, "What happened?"

Blair glanced at me weakly, then lowered his head without saying a word.

Justin's eyes flared with anger as he turned back to me, his voice ice-cold.

"You hurt Maisie?"

I let out a bitter laugh and pointed at Maisie. "She killed Dusty. I'm just returning the favor."

Justin stared at me for a long moment, and then he turned and carried Maisie away without another word.

Back in my room, I treated my wounds and sat cross-legged on the bed to cultivate.

I had to grow stronger—strong enough to protect myself and take revenge.

It was late, and the night was silent. Suddenly, I heard a knock at the door.

"Who is it?" I asked cautiously.

"It's me." Blair's voice came from outside.

I opened the door and looked at him coldly. "What do you want?"

He didn't answer. He just stood there, looking at me, his eyes full of emotions I couldn't read.

The way Blair was staring at me made me uneasy. I frowned and asked, "What do you really want?"

He took a deep breath and slowly said, "I came here to tell you to leave."

I let out a cold laugh. "Leave? Why should I?"

Blair hesitated. "Because if you don't, things will end badly. You'll die."

His words were strange, but something about them made me feel certain that he must have been reborn, too.

Was that why he had shown me mercy today?

Too bad I didn't need his pity.

Blair went on, "I know you hate Ms. Maisie. But staying alive matters more than getting revenge. Dusty was just a low-ranking beast servant. He's dead, and that's that. It's not worth losing your life over him."

I clenched my fists and cut him off. "Dusty wasn't some lowly servant! All of you owe me, and I will make sure you pay me back—every bit of it!"

With that, I turned around and slammed the door shut.

Blair stood outside for a long time without leaving.

I had nothing left to lose, so what was there to fear?

The only thing I had now was hatred.

Blair had barely left when Justin came storming in.

Looking at the man in front of me—whom I once regarded as a brother—all I felt now was pure hatred.

Smack!

Justin slapped me hard across the face. The sting burned instantly, and the taste of blood spread in my mouth.

"It was just a filthy animal that died!" he roared, staring at me like I was a corpse.

From up high, he looked down at me with pure disgust and rage.

"You really are just like your beastman father! You injured your sister over a beast servant. She's barely hanging on now, thanks to you!"

Seriously? It was just one slap.

When he helped Maisie strip my beast bone back then, that pain was a thousand times worse.

Justin dragged me out of the room and threw me into the hall, where the entire Roffe family waited to judge me.

"Claudia, you hurt your kin and attacked a beast servant. Your crimes are unforgivable! Do you admit your guilt?"

The Roffes' patriarch sat high above, his expression full of authority and cold, murderous intent.

I looked around. Everyone's faces were twisted with disgust and scorn. Not a single person stood up for me.

"You accuse me of hurting a beast servant, but what about Maisie killing Dusty?"

"Shut up!" Justin shot up and pointed at me, yelling furiously.

"How dare you make excuses! Maisie is kindhearted. Why would she hurt your beast servant for no reason? Clearly, you're jealous and trying to frame her!"

"Enough!" the patriarch barked, cutting off my chance to explain with a wave of his hand. "The facts are right in front of us. There's no need to deny your crimes.

"Guards! Tie her up and execute her in public!"

They bound me tightly and dragged me to the dueling platform, the same place where they'd executed my father. Now, they were going to kill me, too.

As I watched the executioner raise his massive, blood-stained blade, my heart sank into a pit of ice.

Death loomed over me, and I was powerless to stop it.

Was this really how my second chance at life was going to end?

"I'd like to see who dares touch her!" A deep voice boomed through the square like thunder.

My eyes flew open. The clear blue sky had suddenly turned dark and stormy.

A man in white slowly stepped forward, like a god descending from the heavens.

He was tall and elegant, his eyes deep and captivating, and he radiated an overwhelming power that silenced the world around him.