Ethel Blackmoore was the only child of the family.
Her mother passed away during her birth. Ethel expected her father to resent her for his wife's death. Melvin Blackmoore, however, took care of her. There was no hint of bitterness in his action. Her father loved her just like she loved him. Ethel was content with a family consisting of her father and herself.
Everything changed on a cold winter day. Due to the lack of servants, the Blackmoore family employed new servants. Astrid came with her daughter to work as a maid. Her appearance was bewitching: black hair as ebony, white silky skin and red tempting lips. She was gorgeous. Even Melvin was captivated by that beauty during her first arrival.
Ethel realized her family would not remain the same. Her father began to meet the maid instead of working. He wandered around the house to speak with the new maid and gave her small gifts. The maid reciprocated his feelings with affection. It was clear that they had a close relationship.
Ethel's nightmare came true when her father announced his engagement with the maid. Of course, he asked her permission first. Her opinion was worthy of the matter. Ethel was about to object to their marriage, but she stopped herself. She did not have the heart to step on his happiness. Ethel saw how delighted her father was. She pretended to be happy toward his remarriage.
The maid's daughter became a part of Blackmoore. Ethel later learnt her name was Helena. She was a plain girl with a mature personality. Unlike her sensual mother, the daughter had ethereal beauty with deep emotion in her grey eyes.
Perhaps the child was well-behaved because of the circumstances of her harsh childhood. She was liked by other servants because she helped them with their jobs. Yet Ethel hated her new family. The maid and her daughter were nothing but a parasite for her. Ethel made sure Helena would never be happy in that household.
It was easy making Helena suffer. Ethel used her status as the owner of the house. She taunted the maids to harass and spread rumours about her. Helena did not fight back since she did not want to cause problems for her mother.
Ethel used her further influence as a noble to push Helena away. It was successful at first. Many noble ladies took Ethel's side. However, the favour slowly shifted away from her. Helena's knowledge, hard work and effort proved to be fruitful. She received the title "Saint of Angles Street" from people around Angles Street. The young lady transformed a slum into a better living place. Her achievement made it hard for others to insult her. Her background was no longer crucial since no noble could achieve her impressive feat.
Helena had changed after she went missing for one day. She did not cower or hide anymore. Any servants who showed contempt would be punished. She also got a new weird hobby of running and wielding a whip.
Ethel's provocation was futile since Helena ignored it. Everyone began to judge her one-sided behaviour. It was clear that Ethel harassed her sister. She lost some of her influence after some nobles learnt her true personality.
That night, Ethel could not sleep. She wondered about her behaviour the whole time. Ethel forced herself to forget about it and rest. She fell asleep until awakened by the sound of faint noises. Ethel was surprised when a stranger with a bloody cloak opened the balcony door. Her first instinct was to run and scream.
"Help-"
That man's movement was faster. He strangled Ethel and raised her body up like nothing. Ethel struggled by kicking her leg and hitting a vase in the process.
"DAMN IT, ETHEL! IT'S ONE O'CLOCK. WHAT ARE YOU-"
Helena and Eric gasped when they opened the door. She commanded her knight without a second thought. "Eric, get that man!"
The knight sheathed his sword. "Got it!"
The assassin was surprised by their appearance. He threw Ethel to the floor and blocked Eric's attack. Helena rushed to Ethel's side while Eric fought against the assassin. "Are you okay?"
Ethel coughed with tears in her eyes. She still had a hard time breathing and could not answer Helena. Ethel was lucky that her kick broke the vase. No one else would come to her room otherwise.
Helena must prevent the hired killer from escaping. She pulled the sheet from the bed and threw it to the assassin. The assassin was distracted by the sheet and could not see anything. Eric used the opportunity to give the final blow by stabbing the man. Blood was staining the white sheet as the man fell to the floor.
Helena's heart was beating fast. "Is he... dead?"
"Urgh, let's just hope so."
Eric opened the sheet and was relieved. The assassin was confirmed dead. "Who is this man? He was crazy enough to sneak in when the estate was under the royal knight's surveillance."
"I know who he is..." Helena frowned at the symbol of snake, sword and star on his cape. "Paradise Star's member."
The commotion of the assassination attempt in the house shocked the whole house. They found the corpses of royal knights below the balcony. Her father almost got a heart attack while her mother fainted after hearing the news. Everyone spoke about it in the morning and thought the assassin had entered the wrong room.
The situation did not affect Helena. It was her time to turn things around. Helena had one more way to obtain information. She could not do this in the past, but the assassin gave her an opportunity. Helena called Violet, Azure and Scarlet to prepare tea and cake in the garden. She dressed up and wore her best dress for that occasion. All she needed to do was wait while sipping the tea.
The guest arrived earlier than she expected.
"Welcome, Ethel."
Ethel appeared with a frown on her face. Helena paid no attention to it. "Aren't you going to sit? My maids worked hard for this."
She sat across from Helena while glaring at her. Helena gave the whole servants a sign to leave them. She must speak with her step-sister in private.
"What do you want?"
Helena huffed. She should not expect appreciation from her step-sister. "I just saved you last night. Will it kill you to say thanks?"
"Did you invite me for this? You want my gratitude?"
"Forget it. I'll cut to the chase." She sipped her tea and looked at her reflection in the teacup. "Are you the one who framed me?"
There was silence between them. Ethel drank her tea as she never heard Helena question. "It did not matter. You are free of charge now."
Helena banged her cups against the table. Ethel almost jumped from her chair out of surprise. For the first time, she saw anger in Helena's eyes. Helena glared at her while speaking in a taut voice.
"The assassin did not come for me but you."
Ethel's eyes were widened. Based on her expression, Helena's prediction was correct. She did not expect her bluffing to hit the bullseye. Helena pushed her step-sister to utter the truth.
"There are three rooms on our floors. The left room was empty, the middle was yours, and mine was on the right. I found it weird the assassin could make a small mistake like that." Helena stopped talking for a moment. "Tell me, are you a member of Paradise Star?"
Ethel was surprised. "What? No! What gives you that idea?"
Helena was perplexed. Her prediction was wrong this time. "Uuuuh... the assassin came after you?"
"No, the assassin came because of something else!" Ethel was on the edge of spilling everything but terrified to speak the truth.
"The royal's knights died in our house, Ethel. Prince Sapphire will send an investigation to this estate soon. You can hide and live in fear forever or talk about this to me."
"But if I do that, this family and father-"
"Both of us have been involved with Paradise Star. It is only a matter of time before they target father or mother."
Ethel did not have much choice. She was reluctant but decided to come clear. "Several months ago, I received an unknown letter. The content was about a way to get rid of you and your mother. The instruction told me to come into a tavern on the Noble backstreet. I met a man wearing a white mask."
Helena was stunned when she heard about the Masked Man. She felt a chill crawl down her spine. Ethel bit her nail out of anxiety and continued her story. "He gave me a poison. He told me it was a special deadly mix. However, I lost it and got poisoned instead. I decided to never be involved with him anymore. Yet, that man appeared when I went out shopping. I told him I did not want to do his bid anymore. That man blackmailed me. He had proof that I owned a dangerous drug. I did not want my father to learn about it, so I gave in. I did not need to attend the trial. All I had to do was inform the authorities and put a mask in your room. I did not know that man was part of Paradise Star! I swear!"
Helena's world was spinning. "You are not the one who bribes others to frame me?"
"No, how could I do that? I do not know anyone to bribe. Besides, they will recognize my identity as a noble lady at one glance."
Helena was horrified to learn all of these new facts. Her sister might be trying to rid and frame her, but she was not the main culprit. This whole time, Ethel was a pawn. She was only a puppet to greater power.
However, why did the framing never happen in her second life? Did Helena being evil give an advantage to someone? Helena barely had presence and never invoked anyone in her first life. She lived with her head hung down without ever giving anyone a problem. Why did the Masked Man target her? The question inside her mind grew bigger instead of receiving any answer.
"Helena?"
Ethel broke her concentration. Helena had been silent the whole time. She touched her head and stood up from her seat. "This conversation was over."
"Wait!" Ethel stopped her. "Is father- Is this family going to be fine?"
"I don't have the answer to that question," Helena recalled her first life. Perhaps after her death, the whole house was slaughtered, assuming Bloody Riot still happened. "We can only pray that the future changes."
Helena left her step-sister alone in the garden. They separated without any word. Ethel's question remained in her mind at night. Was the same thing also happened in the past? Helena knew nothing. That woman could not alter the past. She decided to shut her eyes and slept.
The next day, the atmosphere in her house was rigid. The royal family investigated the house. Every member of the family and servants must give their statement. Eric and Helena were the first to be interrogated. The knight complained after his turn was over.
"Uuuuh, that was a pain. The officers are so strict."
Helena agreed and tapped his back. "You did well."
"Pardon me, Lady Helena." Violet knocked on the door and entered the room. "I am sorry to disturb your afternoon break. Lord Blackmoore is calling you."
Helena went to his office and saw him sitting with a face full of sorrow. That man looked crushed.
"I am sorry, Helena. I am a failure as a father..."
Helena was puzzled. "Father, what's wrong?"
Tears began to swell in his eyes. "Ethel... she admits the truth. She accepted Paradise Star's offer to kill your mother and you... She is also one of the people who caused you to be apprehended. Your mother already knows about this."
Helena did not expect Ethel to tell everything. She had no feelings or any pity toward her. Ethel just reaped what she sowed. However, Helena felt sad about her father. He was destroyed learning the fact that his daughter tried to harm his wife and step-daughter. Helena spent the entire afternoon comforting her father.
The news of Ethel's offence spread in high society. No one thought a noble lady like her would do such a crime. Ethel would face a trial to determine her punishment. Everyone was there to watch her apprehension except her father. He could not bear to see it and locked himself in his office.
Everything transpired right in front of Helena's eyes. Both of Ethel's hands were handcuffed. Before the officers took her away, Helena's lips murmured one question.
"Why did you confess?"
Ethel turned her head and smiled weakly at her. "I make an offer. In exchange for my confession, they would give protection to the family. I don't mind bearing the consequences of my action, but father... He does not deserve to be in danger because of me."
Her answer gained Helena's respect. She admitted her mistakes to save her father. Fortunately, there were no dead people involved in her crime. Her punishment was a mere house arrest. Yet, she now truly lost everything. No more noble support, saloon invitation or any news from her friends. All that was left was her father's love.
Nevertheless, Ethel's confession made the investigation progress faster. Some people who framed others for money had been arrested. The tavern in Noble Street was full of them.
The investigation of her trial was finally over. Helena's house arrest was finally lifted.