Obey Me Now

Edzoff pressed a deep kiss to Messarina’s lips, whispering softly.

“At this banquet, Amelia will accept my proposal. She’s dragged it out for so long… Watching her slowly die has made me restless. But even if she dies, she has to marry me first.”

His gaze turned cold as he thought of Amelia.

“Count Cesaret claims to hate his daughter, yet he’s still passing down all the wealth of the count’s estate to her. Seems like even someone as unloved as her still benefits from blood ties. He must value lineage over spite.”

At those words, Messarina’s expression darkened.

“Amelia loves me sincerely. Giving me her entire inheritance and dying wouldn’t be a tragedy for her.”

Messarina clung to him more boldly, whispering in his ear.

“My sister will do everything she can to help me become the head of House Fiore. And once I take that position, it will support Your Grace’s claim to the throne, won’t it?”

Edzoff gently stroked her crimson hair, his voice laced with mockery.

“So, she’s planning to give away everything before she dies. How generous.”

“She’ll be happy for us. She’s always wished for our happiness, after all.”

Messarina’s breath quickened as their conversation dissolved into intimate murmurs.

Outside the door, Amelia stood frozen, unable to bear what she was hearing. Her trembling hand released the doorknob as tears welled in her eyes. Every person she had loved had betrayed her. No, it was worse—they had never truly loved her in the first place.

It had all been a lie.

“Was it the estate’s wealth? The ducal title? Is that all they wanted?”

Messarina’s gentle words echoed in her memory:

‘I just want you to be happy, Sister.’

“Was that happiness only possible if I wasn’t in the picture? Were you planning to be happy with him all along?”

Edzoff’s poetic plea from his proposal also clawed at her mind:

‘Amelia, please marry me. Give me everything you have.’

“So, his proposal wasn’t about love at all?”

The sounds of their passion on the other side of the door consumed her, each murmur and sigh a dagger to her heart.

“Edzoff… I truly loved you. I wanted you to be happy…”

The love she had yearned for was a lie.

“Messarina… I thought of you as family. I trusted you!”

Even her family’s love had been nothing but manipulation. The silver musket in her hand gleamed faintly, a mockery of her blind devotion.

“I was ready to give them everything—everything I had, without holding back, hoping only for their happiness.”

“Ugh!”

Pain stabbed through her chest, and Amelia collapsed to the floor.

“Hah… No… I don’t want this…”

Her trembling hand clutched at her chest, but the pain was unlike anything she had felt before. Was her heart finally giving out? Now, of all times? When everyone around her seemed to be waiting for her to die?

“No… not like this… not now…”

She tried to move, but her body wouldn’t obey. Her heartbeat slowed, the sound a deafening roar in her ears. The voices of Edzoff and Messarina intertwined with the hammering of her weakening heart, a cruel chorus that suffocated her.

Blood-red tears trickled from her eyes.

“This isn’t fair. I don’t want to die like this. Please… no…”

Her nails clawed desperately at the cold floor as she whimpered.

“No… I won’t die like this… Why is this happening to me? Why?”

She screamed her final plea, but her strength ebbed away, her consciousness fading.

“Am I really going to die here? Am I truly this disposable? Was there never a miracle waiting for me, like the violet I hoped for?”

As the last vestiges of hope drained from her, someone’s arms suddenly enveloped her, lifting her gently.

“Who… is this?”

The warmth of their touch was familiar. The faint, comforting scent of violets lingered at her nose. She couldn’t see them clearly, but her instincts clung to this presence—a fleeting fragment of salvation.

“…Please… help me… Stay with me… Save me…”

As darkness closed in, a soft, familiar whisper resonated deep within her fading consciousness.

“I’ll stay by your side, my precious little violet.”

As consciousness slipped away, Amelia wandered in the darkness, pierced by a sharp voice echoing in her mind.

“A girl who killed her own mother.”

It was none other than her father’s cruel words, spoken so many years ago. When her mother, Lady Ailie, succumbed to illness when Amelia was five, Count Cesaret had placed all the blame on his young daughter, seething with hatred.

“Don’t look at me with those dead eyes—it disgusts me. Never show yourself before me again.”

Abandoned by her father, Amelia grew up in the vast estate relying solely on her nanny. The nanny had been her mother, her father, her friend—her only family. Amelia tried to understand her father’s resentment, believing that his hatred stemmed from his deep love for her late mother. She thought that if she became a good daughter, he might change. But the Count never once looked at her with warmth.

When Amelia turned eight, her father remarried. The woman brought with her a daughter, Messarina, and Amelia had been genuinely thrilled to gain a new mother and sister. But to her stepmother, Amelia was no daughter.

“If you’re going to die anyway, just do it sooner!”

In the pitch-black darkness, her stepmother’s venomous words to the young Amelia echoed again. The reason for such hatred lay in the Count’s strict adherence to noble bloodlines. Despite his loathing for Amelia, he planned to pass all the wealth of the Cesaret estate to her, ignoring Messarina entirely. To her stepmother, Amelia was a constant thorn.

Even so, Amelia had endured. She had her nanny, and Messarina had seemed like a kind sister. She forgave their hatred and tried to fulfill every wish of her stepmother, thinking it would earn her love.

Now, however, Amelia realized the truth: no one had ever wanted her to live. Her life had been pitiful, hollow, and wretched all along.

“All I ever wanted was a little love in this short, fragile life. Was that so greedy? Was that such a crime? What did I do to deserve this?”

All the voices around her faded, and for the first time, anger and desire surged within her.

She wanted to live.

Yes, she wanted to live.

Her life had been so cruel, so unfair, and she couldn’t stand it any longer.

“Not for anyone else, but for me. I’ll love myself, if no one else will. I’ll take everything back—everything!”

Her once-lifeless heart thundered back to life, pulsing with a heat she had never felt before. Then came the voice.

“I will let your heart bloom for exactly one year.”

“One year?”

“Just one year.”

Her vision blurred as strength drained from her body, but Amelia didn’t struggle to stay awake. She let herself drift, soothed by the sound of her own heartbeat, like a lullaby. Somehow, she knew everything would be different when she woke up—like a violet blooming anew.

“Amelia! Sister!”

Amelia slowly opened her eyes to the sound of a frantic voice. Messarina was holding her hand tightly, relief evident in her face.

“You’re awake! I was so scared when I heard you collapsed!”

Amelia swallowed hard, gazing at Messarina. The vivid red of her hair glinted in the light, a reminder of the terrible memories from the night before. Her once-beloved sister—betrayer.

“Why aren’t you saying anything? Are you alright? Should I call a healer?”

Finally, Amelia found her voice.

“I’m fine. Don’t make a fuss.”

“But you look so pale—”

“I think the journey yesterday was too much for my heart,” Amelia interrupted. Then, in a tone laced with veiled meaning, she added, “Or perhaps this weak heart has simply reached its limit.”

Messarina, oblivious to the implication, panicked at the suggestion.

“Don’t say that, Sister! You still have so much to do!”

“Yes, of course. To hand over the Cesaret estate to Edzoff, to ensure you become the head of House Fiore. I can’t die yet—not while you two still need everything I have.”

Her heart thudded, not with pain, but with cold resolve.

“What kept you busy last night?” Amelia asked casually.

“Pardon?”

“You left for the estate ahead of me. I thought we could have traveled together. There were things I wanted to say.”

Messarina hesitated, then plastered on a regretful expression.

“I had something important to take care of.”

“Must’ve been very important, if it kept you so late. I arrived late myself and thought I’d see you right away.”

Messarina’s eyes darted nervously before filling with crocodile tears.

“I’m sorry, Sister. No matter how important it was, you should’ve come first. I should’ve been more considerate of your health. It’s all my fault! I’m so sorry!”