Just as Viella finished changing into more covering clothes, she heard a commotion coming from downstairs.

She went out to check the source of the noise. Below, she saw new female bodyguards stopping Alina from entering the main hall.

Viella’s eyebrows raised, it seemed the entire security had been replaced.

The female guards noticed Viella and observing her refined appearance, the guards realized this must be the lady of the house and bowed in perfect unison.

"My lady, do you know this girl? Is she the maid of here as she’s claiming?" the lead guard asked, her voice professional.

Viella smirked as she looked down from the landing. Alina looked up, her face paling as she caught the glint in Viella’s eyes.

In that moment, Alina realized Viella was up to something.

"Hmm... we have so many maids, I can’t really remember everyone’s face, you know? And especially this one," Viella mused, her voice trailing off with a playful indifference.

She leaned over slightly, looking at Alina

"You know what? I don’t know her who knows what if she’s a spy or something. Kick her out!"

With that, Viella turned on her heel and casually walked away, the fabric of her new clothes swishing behind her.

Alina’s face went from pale to a frantic, blotchy red. She tried to lung forward, but the female guards’ grip tightened like iron bands. "My lady! It’s me, Alina!! Lord Dante’s personal maid!!! Lord Dante won’t tolerate it if you treat his personal maid like this!"

Alina gritted her teeth, her eyes burning.

"Wait until Dante comes back... Viella. I’ll make sure he hears how you’re abusing your power the moment he enters this gate." She muttered between her greeted teeth, yanked her hand away from the guards and walked away.

The guards outside saw Alina coming out with her unusual humming expression, and continued to do their working not giving her a second glance.

Viella didn’t even bother to look back. She simply lifted a hand, stuck her fingers inside her ears to block out the screeching, and kept walking toward the quiet hallways.

She reached the heavy oak doors of the study, her smirk returning. "Stupid Dante," she whispered. "Thanks for clearing out all the men. Now I continue with my mission without any interruption"

Suddenly, a cold hand touched her shoulder. Viella jolted, her heart leaping into her throat as she nearly tripped over the hem of her dress.

She slowly turned her eyes, expecting to see a guard or perhaps Dante himself, only to find Lily standing there with a worried expression.

Viella let out a long, shaky breath, pressing a hand to her chest.

"You scared me to death! Don’t sneak up on me like that." She looked around the empty hallway before narrowing her eyes at Her. "Also, why are you back so soon? I thought I told you to find the dagger."

Lily looked down at her feet, looking troubled.

"Well, my lady, as you can see, the security got tighter. It will be hard for me to go and come easily now." She leaned in, whispering, "Those new women guards... they aren’t like the old ones. They check every basket and every corner. I couldn’t move through the servant passages without being questioned twice already."

Viella huffed, crossing her arms.

"So the dagger is still somewhere out there, and I’m stuck in a house full of female guards"

Viella muttered to herself. She looked toward the end of the hall where Dante’s office sat.

"If you can’t move, Lily, then I will," Viella decided, her eyes glinting with a stubborn light.

"They won’t suspect the ’Lady’ of the house"

"Umm... but how are you going to leave the house?" Lily asked, her voice trembling with concern.

"Lord Dante locked you here in this mansion. For last 3 weeks already."

Viella tilted her head, a calculative glint appearing in her eyes. "Well things are different now, since he’s being controlled by the plot, then it means his obsession should shift to Alina now, not me. That’s how it’s written. If I’m no longer the target of his gaze, I can finally get back to my freedom." Viella could feel her headache coming back once again so she bit her lip.

Lily looked unconvinced.

"And what if Lord Dante is just pretending? What if this ’Ice King’ act is just another layer of his trap?"

Viella shrugged, her expression nonchalant.

"Then his act will get busted and I will finally get to know why he’s pretending. Isn’t that easy?"

"Sounds risky to me," Lily muttered.

"Risk is just another word for opportunity, Lily, if we never take it, we will never know" Viella whispered.

"Well, for now, keep an eye on things here. If anyone comes, let me know first," Viella told lily.

Lily nodded solemnly, taking her post by the door.

Viella slipped into the study and closed the door behind her. The room was deathly quiet.

"I should definitely find something here... any clue of what’s going on," she murmured to herself.

She moved with purpose, her eyes landing on the desk. The first thing she did was reach for the drawer where that cursed bracelet was kept.

I can’t take the risk of him seeing the bracelet and getting triggered by that old plot, she thought, her fingers trembling slightly.

She pulled the drawer open, and there it was. She found the small box and jumped happily, clutching it to her chest. But before she could open the box to confirm its contents, something else caught her eye. Tucked further back in the drawer was a much larger, heavier box.

Curiosity piqued, she struggled to haul it out. It was a dark, polished wood, and as she set it on the desk, she noticed it had a tiny silver lock. There was no key in sight.

"Tsk, it’s locked," Viella muttered, clicking her tongue in annoyance. She weighed the heavy box in her hands for a second before shoving it back into the drawer.

"I’ll check on it later. First, let me do something else."

Time was ticking, and Dante could return from the headquarters at any moment. She turned her attention to the stack of documents neatly arranged on the desk. Her fingers flew through the papers, scanning titles and seals until she froze.

A familiar name caught her eyes.

"My files?" she whispered, her brow furrowing. "I thought Dante burned them?"

She flipped the folder open, and her eyes widened. These weren’t just records, they were the original papers of her villas, the stock certificates for her father’s shipping company, and the titles to her private estates. These were her properties, the very foundation of her independence.

"Oh, these are the ones he kept..." she murmured, her thumb tracing the embossed gold seal of her family crest.

"So lily was telling the truth when she said he signed all my properties under his name"

"Tsk, my properties..." she hissed, her grip tightening on the paper until it crinkled.

"He didn’t just save them. He signed his name on every single one of them!"

In the eyes of the law, she wasn’t the owner anymore. He hadn’t destroyed her wealth, he had absorbed it. Every cent she owned was now legally tied to his signature.

"That greedy, overbearing... he didn’t want to leave me penniless, he wanted to make sure I couldn’t spend a single dime without his permission!"

Before she could do anything more, a sharp knock came at the door.

"My lady! Seems like Nonna is coming this way! Hurry up!" Lily’s voice came out with urgency.

"Dang it!" Viella hissed. She hurriedly shoved the larger locked box back into the dark recesses of the drawer, pulled the small box and bolted for the door.

She managed to slip out and pull the heavy oak doors shut, Just before they could leave the floor, Nonna appeared directly in front of them.

Nonna stood with her back straight, her eyes scanning Viella’s flushed face.

"Oh, you’re here. Well, Dante is down looking for you," Nonna said flatly. There was no warmth in her tone like before.

Viella felt the weight of the box tucked against her side. She nodded stiffly. Under the shadow of her shawl, she and Lily looked at each other for a fleeting second. With a deft, hidden movement, Viella slid the box into Lily’s hands, signaling her to place it in her room.

"Go," Viella mouthed silently.

Lily took the box and scurried off toward Viellas room while Viella smoothed her clothes and followed Nonna down the grand staircase.

Just as they reached the bottom of the stairs, Viella’s eyes landed on Alina’s disastrous state. She desperately wanted to laugh, the new bodyguards had clearly been harsh when they kicked her out.

But before a sound could escape, her eyes met Dante’s cold gaze. Oops. Viella quickly swallowed her laugh, noticing that even the formidable female guards looked a bit shaken under his stare.

"Took you long enough... the lady of the house,"

Dante said, his voice dripping with mockery.

Ahem. Viella cleared her throat, shifting gears instantly.

"Honeyyy~ you’re backk!!"

Viella practically flew across the marble floor and jumped, hugging Dante tightly. Despite the sudden, rough impact, he stood as still as a stone statue.

Alina’s smirk disappeared instantly, replaced by a look of pure shock.

"What is this behavior, Viella?" Dante’s voice was getting lower, angrier, but Viella didn’t let go. In fact, she squeezed harder, burying her face against his expensive coat.

"Oh darling, I missed you so badly! It’s been so lonely since you locked me here. I know how deep your love is for me, baby~"

The lady guards glanced at each other, sharing a knowing gaze.

Viella then turned her head slightly, her eyes landing on Alina, who was fuming once again.

"Oh, who’s she?" Viella asked with wide, innocent eyes. "Ah! She’s your personal maid. I just remembered now that I see her standing beside you. She looks exactly like the pickle that always stands besides you."

A small, muffled laugh erupted from the sidelines. Lily had appeared, quickly covering her mouth with her hand before snapping back to a nonchalant face.

Alina’s hands were shaking, her fingernails digging into her palms until they began to bleed.

Seeing the reaction, Viella decided to go all in. She took another massive risk. she leaned up and pressed a kiss right against Dante’s face. It only landed on the side of his lips because he wouldn’t move his head, but she could immediately feel the heat radiating off him. His skin was burning, and his grip on her waist tightened until it was almost painful...Almost

Dante’s eyes darkened, a storm brewing in the depths of his pupils.

Before Viella could process the victory in Alina’s horrified expression, Dante’s large hand clamped firmly around her waist. With a swift, powerful heave, he hoisted her up, throwing her over his shoulder like a sack of potato.

Viella’s world flipped upside down. Her stomach pressed against his hard shoulder, and her legs dangled uselessly in the air.

"Eh? Eh? Ehhhh??????"

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TO BE CONTINUED