The arrival of a messenger from the House of Snow was usually an event that threw the ’old’ Evelina into a state of frantic preparation.

She would have ordered the finest tea, smoothed her skirts a thousand times, and waited with a racing heart, hoping for a single word of praise from the father who had treated her like a strategic pawn for eighteen years.

But today, when her father’s servant was announced, Evelina didn’t even stand up.

She remained in her study, her eyes fixed on the map of Oakhaven’s trade routes, until the man had been cooling his heels in the drafty entrance hall for over an hour.

When he was finally admitted, he bowed to her with a superficial grace. "Your Grace," he said, holding out a parchment sealed with the familiar crest of a snowflake, "A missive from your father, the Baron. He sends his deepest love and his most fervent wishes for your happiness in your new home."

Evelina took the letter, the heavy wax seal feeling cold beneath her thumb. "His deepest love," she repeated, her voice flat, "I’m surprised he could spare the breath to say it, considering how busy he must be counting the dowry he stole from me."

The messenger’s face paled, his eyes darting toward the door. He didn’t know how to respond to such a blunt accusation.

The Evelina Snow he knew was a fragile girl who apologized even for existing. This woman in front of him had eyes that looked right through his uniform to the cowardice beneath.

"You may wait in the kitchen," Evelina said, already breaking the seal, "The servants are having a feast. I’m sure you’ll find the hospitality... interesting."

Evelina walked to the small fireplace in the corner of the room. The morning air was chilly, and the hearth fire crackled with a orange light.

She sat in a low armchair and unfurled the parchment.

The handwriting was elegant..

"My dearest, most precious daughter," the letter began. "The halls of Snow Manor feel tragically empty without your radiant smile. I find myself staring at your empty chair at dinner, mourning the distance between us. I trust the Duke is treating you with the reverence you deserve?"

Evelina felt an ache in her chest, it had probably lingered since her past life.

Once, these words would have moved her to tears. She would have spent hours drafting a reply, promising to make him proud. But as she read on, the so-called deep love quickly dissolved into the true purpose of the letter.

"However, even in my grief, the duties of the estate press upon me. The new tariffs the Duke has placed on textile exports through the Northern Pass are... aggressive. They threaten the very prosperity of our house, Evelina. Surely, as the Duchess of Alvarez, a few sweet whispers in your husband’s ear could resolve this? Remind him of the bonds of family. Tell him that a favor for the Snows is a favor for his own bride. I know I can count on your loyalty."

The letter ended with a flourish and a reminder that her sister Selene was missing her terribly and needed new silks for the season.

Evelina sat in the silence, the paper crinkling in her grip. In her first life, she had done exactly what he asked.

She had begged Ace to lower the tariffs, enduring his his accusations that she was nothing but a spy for her father. She had sacrificed her own standing to help a man who had already stripped her of her dowry.

She looked at the letter again. Instead of thinking of her father, she thought of a parasite; a man who lived on the her lifeblood, using ’love’ as the anesthetic so she wouldn’t feel the pain he inflicted upon her.

[Notification: ’Emotional Resonance’ detected.]

[System Note: Residual trauma from ’Life 1’ is being processed. Would you like to activate ’Stoic Heart’ for 10 Gold?]

"No," Evelina whispered, her eyes glowing with a dark light, "I want to feel this. I want to remember exactly how much he thinks I’m worth."

He didn’t care if she was happy. He didn’t care if Ace hated her. He only cared that the textile carts kept moving. He had sent her into a den of lions and was now asking her to bring him back a steak.

Evelina leaned forward, the heat of the fire warming her face. With a slow, deliberate motion, she held the corner of the parchment to the dancing flames.

The fire took hold instantly. The ’deepest love’ turned into a blackened curl as the ’precious daughter’ shriveled into ash.

She watched as the Baron’s demands for lower tariffs were consumed by the embers, the smoke rising in a thin line toward the chimney.

When the paper was nothing but a scorched husk in her hand, she didn’t throw it away. She carefully set the black remains on a silver tray.

Using a small spoon, she gathered the ashes and funneled them into a fresh envelope. She didn’t write a single word of greeting nor did she offer an explanation.

She pressed her heavy gold Duchess signet, the Alvarez crest, a roaring lion into a pool of blood-red wax, sealing the envelope shut. The weight of the seal was a declaration: she was no longer a Snow.

She walked back to the doorway and summoned the messenger. The man looked confused, his mouth still greasy from the pork he’d been eating in the kitchen.

"Is... is there a reply, Your Grace?" he asked, looking at the thin envelope in her hand, "The Baron was expecting a lengthy explanation of your progress with the Duke."

Evelina handed him the letter. It was almost weightless, save for the heavy wax seal.

"Tell my father," Evelina said, her voice dropping into a chillingly calm tone that made the messenger’s breath hitch, "that I have read his letter with great care and I have finally understood the ’warmth’ he has always offered me."

She glanced at the fireplace, where the last spark of the original parchment died out.

"Also, tell him," she continued, a sharp, cold smile touching her lips, "that I’ve found his advice... very eye-opening. This is all the response he will ever receive from this house."

The messenger bowed and scrambled away, sensing that the air in the Alvarez estate had become far too thin for a man of his position to breathe.

[Notification: Quest ’The Parasite’s Demand’ Failed (Intentionally)]

[Hidden Achievement Unlocked: ’Bridge Burner’]

[System Note: Your ’Vengeance’ stat has increased. The House of Snow has been marked as a ’Hostile Entity’.]

[Reward: 300 Gold]

[Current Balance: 1100 Gold]

Evelina turned back to her desk. She began to write a new letter, to Marta who was on her way to the merchant in Oakhaven.

Double the order. I want it all.