Chapter 4

Tristan's face, already contorted with grief, drained of all color the second those words left Lily's mouth.

He immediately clamped a hand over her lips.

"Stop talking nonsense!" he snapped at the girl in his arms. He turned back to me, cold sweat beading on his forehead, forcing a stiff, ugly smile. "Aurelia, don't listen to her. She... she reads too many fairy tales. She's just babbling."

Looking at the two of them, I felt nothing but disgust and amusement.

Even now, they still thought I was the same gullible fool from my past life. But I knew it wasn't time to tear off the masks just yet. I had to keep playing the game.

I massaged my temples, playing the part of the utterly exhausted wife, and let out a long, defeated sigh.

"Forget it. I don't want to fight anymore. I'm tired." I pointed at the twitching rabbit. "Take your lucky familiar and get out. I don't want to look at her for the rest of the night."

Tristan didn't dare argue. He carefully scooped up the rabbit, grabbed Lily, and hurried out of the room.

The room fell silent.

I walked into the bathroom to wash the mark the rabbit had left on my neck. Through the door, my Elven hearing picked up Tristan's venomous whispers.

"Damn it... I'll have to increase her dosage tomorrow. Seraphina, just hold on a little longer..."

I smiled.

Tomorrow?

He had no idea that tomorrow was going to be Seraphina's execution day.

The next morning, Tristan played the perfect husband again, bringing a steaming cup of black tea to the dining table and placing it by my hand.

Without even smelling it, I knew it was laced with a potion meant to weaken me.

Just like in my past life, this was exactly how it started. He spiked my food, ensuring I'd be too weak to fight back when the rabbit fed. It stopped biting just my wrist—I would wake up with bite marks on my neck, my collarbone, my chest.

When I grew paler by the day, Tristan would just smile and say, "Darling, are you just not sleeping well?"

And Lily would hide in the corner, covering her mouth to muffle her giggles.

Even today, I kept my silence.

Lily was glued to the cage, whispering to her "Sera." "I'll come play with you right after my lessons, okay?"

Before leaving, she ran up to me and demanded, "Mommy, you're not allowed to hide from Sera today. You have to bond with her, got it?"

"Of course," I said, lifting the drugged tea and pretending to take a sip. I smiled as I watched them head for the door. "Mommy will take very good care of her."

Right before leaving, Tristan gently stroked the rabbit.

I stood beside him and mimicked his action, reaching my hand into the cage.

The rabbit immediately lunged and bit my wrist.

Lily pushed me away. "Mommy is so stupid! Sera doesn't want you touching her!"

She reached in and smugly petted the rabbit for a long time. The rabbit didn't struggle once.

I lowered my eyes, hiding my smirk.

A few minutes later, they left.

It was just me and the rabbit.

Inside the cage, the white rabbit slowly raised her head. She tried to twitch her nose, but suddenly, her body began to tremble.

Her pristine white fur was falling out in clumps, revealing sickly, bruised purple skin, as if something was corroding her flesh.

She didn't know that last night, I had laced Tristan and Lily's clothes with an odorless, colorless contact poison specifically designed to kill rabbits.

They had held her all night, comforting her. Lily had petted her again this morning. Every loving touch, every embrace, had driven the lethal toxin deeper into her pores.

Clang!

Gathering her final ounce of strength, the rabbit shoved open the unlatched cage door and lunged at my face.

I didn't even blink.

The magic bracelet flared once more, blasting the beast violently onto the hardwood floor.

She lay there, half-dead, too weak to even twitch her nose. For the first time, true terror flashed in her pitch-red, beady eyes.

I walked over and looked down at the monster that had once drained my life away. My eyes were filled with mockery.

"Didn't expect this, did you? Your life is in my hands now."

I bent down, pinched her by the throat, and dangled her limp body in the air.

Then, I headed straight for the deep woods.

The Witch of the Deep Woods constantly craved rare monsters for her sinister brews.

I couldn't wait to see the looks on Tristan and his wicked daughter's faces when they got home and realized their beloved rabbit was already boiling in a pot.