Chapter 2 Backstab

◎The bell was placed not far away, but it had never been rung.◎

"Father."

Passing through the pearl curtains, Melia approached the bed curtain amidst the sound of tinkling.

Muala loved rubies and sapphires. He strung gold beads into triangular net bags, hanging a string of gems at the four corners of the giant bed, reflecting his pale face.

Maybe when he was young, he could roll around on the huge cushion with several concubines in his arms, but now the person lying on the bed is just an old man who is about to die.

Melia carefully lifted her feet to avoid stepping on the expensive white tiger fur blanket:

Even the slippers on her feet were inlaid with diamonds, and someone held them all day long, so they were very clean.

She finally reached the bedside and got a clear look at Muala, the man she hadn't dared approach. The legendary head of the family, her original body's father.

Muala is quite old, with age spots all over his cheeks. He looks more like a grandfather than a father.

It turns out he was an old man who had a daughter. No wonder he doted on her, letting her do whatever she wanted. Perhaps Muala himself was like this? Or was the entire slave society like this?

Muala was dying, his eyes were open and he seemed unable to see his daughter beside him.

Thinking about the will, Melia coughed softly: "Ahem, father? I'm here."

"Oh, oh." Muala gasped twice and struggled to raise one hand.

His servants had all withdrawn, and even Ali was not allowed to participate in his master's last will and testament. They were just slaves, the property of the next master.

Only relatives and servants were allowed to be present, such as Taffy, who hid in the shadow of the wardrobe.

Muala's servant died before his master. Because he was unable to accompany his master to the end, his body could only be buried in a separately purchased field and was not worthy of being buried with his master.

Melia put aside all distractions and gently held the old man's raised hand.

Looking at his dying face, a trace of pity arose spontaneously: Poor old man, the only one who stayed with him until his death was a fake daughter.

"Father, do you have anything else to say?"

She imitated Ani's tone, clapping her hands like a child, ready to pick up the bell beside her. If the bell rang, it meant the owner had died, and Ali would come in to clean up everything.

Unexpectedly, the light shone on Muala's face, as if bringing him some life.

His cloudy eyes suddenly lit up, and his daughter beside him was bathed in the reflection of the gem, her dark hair hazily shrouded in the phantom of the crown.

"Princess..." He struggled to stretch his body out, and with the last of his strength, his skinny fingers pushed a gold coin into Melia's palm. "You are a true... princess! Melia... you have the blood of a dragon."

"Hiccup," Melia almost burped in fear. "How do you know I'm a descendant of the dragon? No, that's not right... What about the real princess?!"

My God, she is here to inherit the family business and become a nobody, why would she play the role of a princess' revenge?

"Wealth...all prepared...you must...kill the false king!"

Muala stared at the dazzling light before him, his hands drooping helplessly as he breathed his last. The huge bed lay empty, with only the emaciated corpse and a brocade blanket remaining.

Melia didn't say anything, her head was bombarded by a huge stream of information.

Not only Muala's last words, but also a book appeared out of thin air and slowly unfolded in her mind.

The pages of the book turned rustlingly and closed again in an instant.

Melia was shocked and blinked: Oh no, she remembered.

This is not an ordinary different world, but the fictional Rome in "The Rose Princess"!

If a book hadn't suddenly appeared in her mind, she wouldn't have remembered: Melia was not the heroine, but just a stupid villain who obstructed the Rose Princess all the way.

In the foreseeable future, the original owner will go through untold hardships to redeem himself, will be despised by the entire kingdom, and will eventually be hanged on the city wall by the heroine and his body will be exposed in the wilderness.

She swallowed with a gulp.

The plot has progressed to the point where the richest man, Muala, dies, and the next step is to see Melia become a debt slave! According to the original novel, there are still ten days and nights left.

Ten days later, Muala's former business partners and several other elders will attack at the same time and dig out a pile of IOUs from nowhere.

The original owner was a big empty-headed person who rushed around the house, only to find that the valuable properties had either changed owners or the contracts could not be found. In the end, he was insolvent and could not even keep his status as a free man.

Being a slave in a slave society, oh, do you need to imagine what you will encounter?

Melia thought for a moment, put the gold coin in her pocket, walked quietly to the foot of the bed, and shook the bell in her hand.

Ali and the pallbearers who had been prepared long ago walked in silently, as neatly as if they were floating on the carpet.

They took out their astringent tools and wanted to put makeup on Muala first.

No one questioned Melia, who showed no sadness and didn't shed a single tear, that she was their new master.

"Xiao Fei, follow me."

"yes."

Melia walked in front with her head held high and chest puffed out in a confident posture, covering her injured arm with her sleeve.

Taffy followed closely behind, trying several times to pick up his little girl, but couldn't find the opportunity, so he had to follow behind obediently, like a little tail.

Stepping into the courtyard, Melia gestured to the slaves around her to retreat.

Everyone understood immediately and left the yard without hesitation. The slaves in the house also left the house quickly, fearing that they would be whipped by their masters if they were a step behind.

The young master even hits himself when he gets angry.

Melia breathed a sigh of relief and pushed open the bedroom door. "Taffy, you know where all my treasures are. I want good quality gems and gold beads, and some small silver coins. The more the better."

"yes."

Taffy nodded slightly, separated from Melia in the next aisle, and ran towards the warehouse.

As the daughter of the richest man, Melia owns three houses in this manor.

One leaned against the back mountain, one leaned against the main gate, and one leaned against his father's house. This large mansion was not located in Rome, but on the outskirts of the city.

Of course there are houses in the city. Half of the commercial street and a large residential area are Muala's property. God knows how the original owner lost those contracts.

The best strategy among the thirty-six strategies is to run away. Run away!

By the time Taffy entered the bedroom with a box of packed jewelry, Melia was already collapsed on the bed, exhausted.

The pearl necklace was scattered aside. The pearls were difficult to preserve, so she didn't plan to wear any of them. She only took the gems off it.

Now these clear and translucent gems are scattered around the girl's slender wrists, making her skin look as white as fat.

"Miss, is this enough?"

Taffy came over on the carpet and opened the box to her. She didn't know how many layers the box had, but the first layer was filled with crystal-clear rubies, which sparkled so brightly in the candlelight that it was impossible to look away.

"That's enough, that's definitely enough~"

Melia swallowed her saliva. Every single gem in front of her was of top quality. Even though she was young and easily deceived, selling just a few would guarantee her future livelihood.

People don't need to be too extravagant. I heard that Greece is free and prosperous. Wouldn't it be nice to buy some real estate there and invest in a small business to make a living?

She closed the box solemnly and waved to Taffy.

Taffy took a few steps forward and half-knelt.

Melia simply reached out her hand, pulled her onto the bed, and let her sit with her.

Taffy twisted her body and tried to take off her clothes, but the lady stopped her forcefully: "Xiaofei, let me ask you, where do you want to go in the future?"

"Miss, are you tired of me? Please don't sell me."

Even when she was begging, her expression was still pale and indifferent, with only her head buried deeply revealing her emotions.

"No, don't think that way."

Melia tried her best to understand her thoughts and persuaded her in a way that she could understand: "There will be many people chasing me in the future. It's not safe to follow me."

"Miss, you have inherited Lord Muala's status. No one dares to hunt you down," Tafi said firmly. "Even if someone does, my master, the captain of the guard, and I will make him disappear."

How naive! If she hadn't seen the plot, she might have been so naive too.

It is clearly written in the original novel that the person who will eventually inherit Muala's position as a elder is the second male lead, Muro, Muala's adopted son. He ran fast, first clinging to the second prince and then to the heroine, and was not affected by the bankruptcy or liquidation.

Melia smiled bitterly and patted her head: "Don't be silly, my father's property has been targeted by others, and I don't have any bargaining chips. It's too dangerous to stay here."

The book in her mind might be some kind of cheat, but she didn't have time to think about it right now. The original owner died so tragically, whoever wanted to meddle in it could do so.

"Then you can take me with you."

Taffy knelt down again when she was not paying attention, and rested his forehead against her knees. "I will be your shield, your dagger. If you really need to escape, I will use my life to clear all obstacles for you."

Melia's heart was moved for a moment: Who would want to reject someone who is wholeheartedly loyal to her?

What's more, she is unfamiliar with the place, so having a bodyguard will definitely help her get twice the result with half the effort.

But Taffy—she was only fourteen years old and shouldn't be going on adventures with ghosts from another world.

Taffy is mentioned in the book.

As servants, she and Melia were sold together. This was the last "kindness" of the slave owners.

There is very little description of Taffy in the book. We only know that Melia's final return to freedom has a lot to do with her efforts.

And Taffy's final outcome is naturally to die for Melia.

It was a destined bad ending, with a strong sense of irony.

Melia put aside her selfish thoughts, patted the back of Taffy's hand, stood up, and walked towards the door with the box in her hands.

The wound on her arm ached slightly, but she didn't let go.

"Taffy, I will announce it in front of everyone tomorrow - you are free."

She bathed in the warm light and closed her eyes slightly: "Don't worry, they will be free too."

Including herself.

She would return everyone's contracts and then make a grand escape to avoid the inevitable devastation.

"From now on, you can join everyone—"

Play together, learn together, and become whoever you want to be. Annie is good at business and optimistic about people, Apple makes delicious pastries, and as for you, little Taffy, you——

Intense pain burst out instantly.

Melia raised her head high, her pupils filled with the shimmering sunlight.

The last thing I heard was one sentence.

"You are not my lady."

As always...cold.

Taffy dropped the knife. She didn't scream or cry, she just slowly knelt down.

Then he picked up the head from the ground and placed it against his cheek.

Curled up like a child, he leaned gently against the warm corpse.

She closed her eyes, fumbled to untie the iron plate hanging around her neck, and aimed it at her soft neck.

"You... don't need me."

…

"You are not my lady"

The coldness penetrated into every part of his body, quickly taking away the pain and allowing his soul to gradually rise.

Oops, that's why?!

That's right, she didn't even put on an act, how could she possibly fool the loyal servant who had served the lady for years? He acted so loyal before, he must have been testing her.

Hey, the little guy has good acting skills.

A strong sense of loss surged deep in her soul, and Melia didn't know what she was jealous of.

Forget it, it’s better to be reborn.

I hope to vote for a more peaceful world and more loving families next time... so soon?!

A light appeared before my eyes, and in the center of the light was an open book.

The book automatically turns forward, allowing the soul to immerse accurately.

“…”

Melia slowly opened her eyes and was stunned by the scene in front of her.

Muala was lying on the bed, still holding the snake-shaped gold coin in her hand.

The bell was placed not far away and was never rung.

The author has something to say:

Thanks to the funny little mushroom for the irrigation~