The Devil Duchess Adopts The Villainess - Chapter 3

(Ashley’s POV)

The first emotion I experienced was loneliness and jealousy, I did not understand why my life was so different from that of my siblings. We had the same hair colour, we had the same eyes but the treatment could not have been more different.

While they laughed and played around the garden, I was locked up in a cottage overlooking their happy faces. All I had were books to accompany me as even the servants would only stay long enough to bring me a meal and then depart. I told myself if I simply acted like how they did, I would experience same level of love and care . No matter what I did. No matter how I would act.

It was never good enough.

It was only later through the eavesdropping on one of the servants outside that I learned the truth. I was simply an unwanted child. The Duke having been away from his household due to business ended up getting a minor noblewoman pregnant during one of his many affairs.

Originally the child would simply be born a bastard and abandoned but the noblewoman’s family intervened, and the Duke reluctantly brought the child into his house. I never saw the man known as my father up close and his features remained a mystery in my eyes. My mother died during birth, but I can still recall a soft gentle hand pressing down on my head and a kind voice singing to me.

The duke’s first wife was not pleased at an outside woman’s child in the house but was afraid of incurring the wrath of her husband, so she simply banished the child to the edge of the mansion and kept her alive. In reality she was simply overthinking, the duke having fulfilled his end of the bargain to the noblewoman’s family and no longer concerned himself with my well being.

I was asleep when the fire started, the air turned smoky and hot. I remember hearing screams and noises as the night suddenly lit up with a roaring inferno below. I panicked and ran outside the cottage door to see the mansion engulfed in flames. The family I had never known was now dead, there were many suspicious points about the fire but at the time I was too much in shock to contemplate them.

A dark emotion flashed briefly in my heart and I turned without a second thought and ran outside the gate to safety. A gatekeeper saw me running and brought me to the imperial knights sent to investigate the incident. I was then brought into the palace where I was told a decision would be made in two days to decide my fate.

It hardly matters, I don’t care anymore.

(Main Story)

At first Ashley was afraid when the stern muscular guards escorted her from the room into a wide chamber. She saw more people than she had ever seen in her life, they wore the strange luxurious clothing that only her sisters and mother wore. Each stared intensely at her as she walked slowly through the chamber.

Their gazes felt unpleasant and made her skin crawl, every face she turned at looked at had traces of greed hidden behind their calm looks and gentle smiles. She was led to the center of the room and a strange man on a throne spoke a command and suddenly there was a line in front of her. Ashley could not understand everything that was happening but recalled a conversation she overheard the maids having outside her room in the palace.

“Ah I feel sorry for the girl, her whole family was killed, and she is the only one left poor thing”

“Rumour has it there’s going to be an adoption held at the royal assembly tomorrow!” Wuxiaworld for visiting.

Maybe this time she would get a loving family that she always dreamed of; Ashley quickly had a smile flash across her face but as she looked at the line her smile faded just as fast. Each of the men and women in the line had the same emotion in their eyes.

Greed.

The first group of nobles to approach the child were her relatives, one of them a balding middle age man flashed her a gentle smile as he spoke softly,” Ashley dearest, do you remember uncle? We visited your family very often”.

Elise frowned slightly as the girl looked up and the man then immediately dropped her head back down. Undeterred by the lack of apparent recognition in her eyes the man tried to continue,” You must be so scared and afraid but don’t worry, I will look after you and treat you as my own daughter!”. He warmly gazed at the little girl but failed to notice the flash of cunning that danced across his eyes when he looked at the child.

The little girl continued to remain unresponsive and as the minutes ticked by, the man became gradually more and more impatient. Mocking whispers began to fill the chamber and he clenched his fist tightly and cursed in his heart.

“This ungrateful brat!”

Ashley was merely the daughter of an affair of the Duke but the fire killed him and all remaining heirs to his house. It was plain to see this girl was clearly not raised to be the head of a family but rather as just an afterthought. Any house that adopted her would simply siphon the wealth from her inheritance into their own pockets.

More murmurs began to spread behind him, and the man knew his time was up. Taking a deep breath, he calmed the emotions on his face and silently went back to the rest of the family.

“This will be interesting, don’t you think Duchess?”, a voice sounded out behind Elise. Elise replied without turning around,” She clearly isn’t going to choose any of her family here which means this has to be a scheme planned by his majesty.”

A clear bell- like laughter sounded out behind her as a woman moved to take a seat beside her. Elise glanced at her from the corner of her eye, “You seem to be awfully free Lady Lithea”. The woman next to her was a member of house Sepetine and inherited all the traits that made her family famous for their beauty. Gorgeous flowing red hair with a tall well-built body to match, her dress was elegantly designed with red roses lining the patterns.

She was one of Elise’s few friends. Although friend was a bit of a stretch as behind her perfect lady facade was her true nature as a battle junkie who constantly travelled up north to spar with Elise. Despite constantly complaining about her, Elise would secretly look forward to their spars and would leave her entire day free when Lithea visited.

“Unfortunately, her personality is awful,” Elise muttered to herself. Lithea smiled at her warmly and leaned back to watch the next group attempt.

Elise looked as well but internally her mind was a mess, the voice said that she would die to the little girl. Should she kill her? Elise was a vicious woman and the nickname of the ‘Devil Duchess’ was well deserved. The blood of her enemies and those who wanted her death had long stained her hands crimson red.

The first lesson the smallest child was taught in her family was at the age of seven where they were tossed in a cage with a live boar and a sword. Only one would exit the cage alive, the north was a harsh treacherous place with seasons of attacks by magical beasts and barbarians. Kindness towards your enemies would get you killed in a heartbeat.

She unconsciously grabbed the handle of her sword and the shadows shifted under her dress as if sensing her mood. Ever since these dreams started occurring Elise was on edge constantly, this little girl was clearly a key to her dream but what piece of the puzzle was she?

Meanwhile several groups had already tried to reach out to the girl, but the lack of response was now starting to show its effect as each candidate became more and more impatient. Suddenly a voice cried out from the crowd,

“My king she is obvious just a little girl, this humble subject begs you to be the one to decide which house should adopt her”

The clamour of voices began to surge as each noble looked at each other and then at the king.

“Exactly as he said the plan is working”, the king chuckled to himself. It was a happy moment when he received the word that the Duke and has family were killed, it was written off as an accident but the king and others well informed knew it was deliberately planned but the culprits were intentionally hidden as unknown assailants.

It was pure coincidence that a member of his family survived but she could be a useful piece. The duke households were getting more and more powerful and the king was anxious to preserve more of the royal family’s strength.

He would simply appoint one his puppet nobles as the guardian family and gradually transfer the assets into the imperial forces under the guise of stewardship. When the transfers were complete a simple accident would take the life of the young girl. Everything piece of the plan was finally falling into place and in his grasp.