The Swordswoman's Revenge Story after Rebirth

Chapter 7 Havoc at Pearl Tower Mary's face was swollen, blood seeping from the corners of her mouth and nose. She glared at Isolde with hatred. "Don't get cocky. Duchess won't let this go." Suddenly, Leonis sprang from Isolde's arms, lunging at Mary and sinking its teeth into her nose. "Help!" Mary's shrill scream echoed across the Duke's estate. The butler and guards arrived in a hurry, only to be greeted by a horrifying sight. Mary was tied to a pillar, her face bloodied beyond recognition, with a pool of crimson spreading beneath her. Standing in the corridor was Isolde, her icy gaze colder than frost, her expression grim and unmoved. “My Lady, what's going on here?" the butler asked cautiously, stepping forward. "Call for Madam! Now!" Mary cried, her voice hoarse and desperate, tears mixing with blood as they streamed down her disfigured face. One of the guards immediately turned and ran off. Isolde cradled Leonis in her arms, stroking its sleek black fur with a calm hand. The butler took a closer look at the creature and gasped. "Good heavens, that's not a dog-it's a wolf!" A pure black wolf-extremely rare, fiercely dangerous. And yet the Lady of the estate had tamed one. Isolde dragged a chair forward and sat down, her cold gaze settling on the butler. The butler hesitated, unsure of what to do. One of the guards, however, moved toward Mary, likely to untie her. After all, everyone knew Mary was Matilda's right-hand woman. Though overbearing, she was not someone to be slighted. Before he could reach her, a whip cracked through the air, its tail striking his arm before lashing his face, leaving a vivid red gash. The guard recoiled in pain. “Who dares untie her?" Isolde's voice was sharp and commanding, her gaze like a storm cloud. The butler stepped forward, his tone placating. "My lady, Mary is gravely injured. If she isn't treated, she may not survive. Madam has always been merciful-" "She's merciful. I am not." Isolde cut him off icily. "Whoever unties her will take her place on that pillar." The butler froze, her sinister tone leaving no room for doubt. He began to wonder if the rumors were true. Could Isolde truly know sword fighting? For two years, she'd endured humiliation quietly, never once fighting back. She'd been treated as a fool, and she'd accepted it without complaint-until now. Mary groaned weakly, her voice barely audible. "Quick... remove the breakfast..." The butler stiffened, his eyes darting to the untouched breakfast laid out in the room. "My lady, may I go in to clear it away?" he asked carefully, inwardly cursing Mary's foolishness. Poisoning the food? After Duke Langley just reprimanded Madam last night? Is she trying to ruin them all? "Go ahead," Isolde said with a chilling smile, flicking her whip lazily. "If you dare." The butler, wary of her whip, forced a strained laugh. “On second thought... perhaps I won't." Turning to the guards, he gestured for them to handle it. Isolde's voice cut through the tension like ice. "I wouldn't, if I were you. Why suffer needlessly? This has nothing to do with you. But touch what's inside, and you'll be accomplices." The butler forced a thin smile. “My Lady, surely there are no accomplices here. We all serve Duke Langley and Duchess." Geoffery would never let this matter escalate. Besides, Matilda wouldn't be implicated, and he was likely already at the High Court of Parliament. If all the food was cleared away, no evidence would remain. Isolde could say nothing to defend herself. At the butler's order, three guards rushed in from the left, center, and right. Isolde's whip lashed out like a serpent, coiling around the neck of the leftmost guard. With a sharp tug, she flung him into the one in the center, sending both sprawling to the ground. The guard on the right lunged forward, but a black shadow darted past. Leonis pounced, its teeth sinking into the back of his neck. A blood-curdling scream pierced the air. The butler turned, only to recoil in horror. A chunk of flesh had been torn from the guard's neck, leaving blood pouring down his back. The black wolf snarled, its eyes gleaming with malice. The injured guard stumbled backward, trembling, as Leonis advanced, its movements slow and predatory. "I'd suggest you stay put," Isolde said, her voice calm, her back turned. "Wait here for the doctor." The metallic tang of blood hung thick in the air, and her eyes glinted with a chilling bloodlust. The lanterns on the veranda swayed in the wind, casting restless shadows across the walls. The dappled light filtering through the locust tree painted her face with a sinister, fractured pattern. Her ferocity froze everyone in place. Not a single soul dared move. Matilda arrived in a flurry, flanked by a group of maidservants and a few guards. Mary, as if clinging to salvation, cried out, "Madam, save me! Miss Langley is trying to kill me!" The sight of the guards and Mary lying lifeless on the ground made Matilda's stomach twist. Mary's face was a ruin-her nose gone, blood pooling on the ground-but she was somehow still conscious. Matilda's face darkened, and she snapped, "Isolde, what is wrong with you?" Isolde lifted her head slowly, a cruel, almost amused smirk tugging at her lips. "Oh, Madam. Fancy seeing you here." A chill slithered down Matilda's spine. There was something off about the way Isolde looked at her—like a predator toying with its prey, enjoying every moment of the hunt. Ever since Isolde found out Eleanor was pregnant, Matilda had felt something was off. But now, staring into those wild, unhinged eyes, she knew for sure -Isolde had totally lost it. "What is the meaning of this?" Matilda demanded, her voice sharp and commanding. "Careful, Madam," Isolde said with a cold smile. "Don't get too close. Leonis doesn't differentiate between friend and foe." "What could she possibly have done to deserve this?" Matilda snapped. "She followed your orders and poisoned my food," Isolde replied evenly. Matilda's head snapped up, her expression incredulous. "Poison? When did I ever give such an order?" "Wasn't it you?" Isolde asked coolly. “That's what she claimed.” “That's a lie!" Mary shrieked, panic etched into her battered features. "I never said Madam ordered it!" Isolde's lips curled into an icy smile. "So, you admit to poisoning me?" "It wasn't poison!" Mary stammered. "It was just Painroot Extract. It causes stomach pain—it doesn't kill!” Isolde rose from her seat and strode over to Mary, tilting her chin up with a finger. Her ruined face trembled under Isolde's gaze. "Oh? Then I suppose I should thank you for your mercy," she said softly, her tone dripping with menace. “No—” Mary began, but before she could finish, Isolde plucked the hairpin from her head and shoved it into her mouth, twisting it mercilessly. Blood gushed as Mary gagged, her cries choked into gurgles. The brutality of the act silenced everyone, even Matilda. Fixing Isolde with a steely glare, Matilda said coldly, "Isolde, you tied her up and tortured her with no evidence of poisoning? Such cruelty has no place in the Duke's estate." Isolde said nothing. She returned to her chair, her expression unreadable, and casually flicked the whip in her hand. One of Matilda's older attendants, Anne, emboldened by the numbers at their side, stepped forward and pointed a finger at Isolde. "How dare you act so violently in front of Duchess?" she shouted. Isolde's gaze snapped to her, venomous and icy. Anne froze, then scurried back behind Matilda, trembling. With a wry, mocking smile, Isolde looked at Matilda. "Madam, do you truly have no capable people at your side?"