Chapter 3 - to freedom

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When she arrived back at her family's house, Antoinette made her way straight to her room. On the circular table in the centre of the room, lay a mobile phone- specifically the phone that Jieun had before she had met her end in a car accident. Next to it, lay a pair of headphones. Antoinette moved towards it, unlocking it in confusion- the phone had never been there before she had regained her memories. Almost immediately after she did so, a maid rushed into the room and Antoinette chucked the phone and headphones under the bed.

"The Duke has summoned you to the main office."

She sighed.

'I guess this is where I have to pay attention.'

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"You useless girl!"

The minute she had stepped into the office, she had spotted a man with platinum-white hair, like her own. Haran Rosenburg- the Duke of the manor and her father. He was someone who had always held feelings of hatred towards Antoinette, as someone whose eyes resembled her mother's. Haran was forced into an engagement with Amelia Astello and during a drunk night, he was forced to have Amelia conceive Antoinette. Antoinette, who had spent almost all of her time with her mother,had grown to behave more like her mother every day and he hated that. Antoinette's mother had loved Antoinette. Amelia loved the little girl that she birthed, but as Antoinette grew up with her hair the colour of her father's, Amelia felt hatred towards the man who had turned to have an affair with another woman. She grew to find herself disgusting when seeing the hair on Antoinette's head, and how horrified at her own thoughts. In her self-hatred, she had fallen sick, passing away when Antoinette turned 8.

Behind her father, stood her stepmother, Lindsey Rosenburg, holding her 1 year old daughter, Victoria. Lindsey was the daughter of the Marquis of Ainsworth, and was the woman that Haran had his affair with. She conceived William mere days before Amelia had conceived Antoinette. Her and her son had moved into the manor a mere week after Amelia's passing. Unlike her imaginable timid personality, Lindsey had always hated Amelia and Antoinette, and Antoinette knew that. She had always seen the glares of hatred and looks of disgust that Lindsey sent her way, and now, she could see the smirk on her face as she stood behind Antoinette's father.

She was brought out of her internal monologue  by a slap to her right cheek, so hard that she turned to face left.

'Ha. What a father and son duo.'

"I've just received news that they want to annul the engagement- WHAT is wrong with you? You talentless being- to attack another because you hold no talent- you wish to bring shame to our family?"

Antoinette turned to look at him, eyes dead and quiet. She was tired. To think this was the man whose attention she had wanted. No, LONGED for. This was the father whom her mother had been so entranced by, both loving and hating him, and the man who had indirectly caused her mother's death. He continued to yell at her. Screaming for her 'impudence'. When he had finally gone quiet was when she spoke her first words.

"...then why don't you send me away?"

His eyes widened at her words before he laughed.

"I should have done that a long time ago."

Something in her heart shattered. Antoinette, who had received her memories of Jieun, had still lived the past 11 years as Antoinette Rosenburg, who had lived wanting to be loved.

"Send me away,"

she said, voice dead and empty.

"Send me away to Kou."

Her stepmother's eyes shined at those words as she turned to her husband,

"But she's just so young..."

Her voice was dripping with fake concern, sending shivers down Antoinette's spine. As expected, her father disagreed.

"Fine. You're leaving. This household has no need for you."

He continued on, saying that she would take whatever she needed and the rest would be thrown away. He would pay for her entrance fee for the token into the Royal Academy Of Kou and send her money for 3 months but after that, she would have to earn money for herself. His finals words to her were that once she stepped foot out of this house she would be disowned.

Antoinette's heart hurt. But she did not feel self pity, she only felt rage. She curtsied once before leaving to exit the room. Being sent away in 2 days, she had to pack her necessities. As she exited the room, she found William standing outside, glaring at her with cold, green eyes.

"Never come back here."

His words hurt her, but she would never show it.

"Fine. I'll do just that."

She slipped past him making her way down the corridor, just about hearing his final words,

"Your existence, alongside your mother's, was that of a sin, you home wrecker."

She kept walking. Faster. Faster. Not a run but not a walk. She wouldn't cry, no, she wouldn't. She would never give them the satisfaction of that, she would only move to live a new life, one not as the villainess of a stupid game.

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Antoinette :'(  but it'll be okay guys, we just have to wait for the plot to move ;))  i'd basically written like 10 chapters into my notes and I'm copying them onto here but, yoongi dropped agustd 2 today and that was W I L D and anyway enjoy your day today lovelies. I have a plan to write one more reincarnation story and I really can't wait to get started! perhaps when I reach 20 chapters on this story I'll start the 2nd?

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