Isolde stared at herself in the mirror for a long time before walking over to her meager closet. Her wardrobe was pathetic—other than her school uniform, she only owned two winter coats. Yet, she spent an eternity picking out her outfit. Today was the most important day of her life, and she refused to look anything less than perfect.
Fully ready, Isolde gently pushed open the rotting wooden door. The morning sunlight poured over her, making the soft smile on her lips look incredibly radiant and warm.
Hearing the commotion from the coal room, Rowena immediately poked her head out the window. "Where the hell are you sneaking off to this early?"
Isolde dropped her smile. "My scholarship for the semester came through. My teacher needs me to go to the school and fill out some paperwork."
Hearing that money was involved, Rowena didn't try to stop her. "Hurry back when you're done. There's a ton of chores waiting for you."
"Got it."
Isolde's voice was perfectly even as she walked away without looking back.
The Blackthorne Residence.
To celebrate Mina's birthday, the family had hired top-tier event planners a month in advance. After three days of frantic decorating, the entire estate had been transformed into a jaw-dropping fairytale castle.
Up in her room, Mina went through a solemn, incredibly serious ritual of hugging each and every one of her stuffed animals goodbye. Realizing it was time, she kept her chin held high and marched out of the room.
As soon as she stepped out of the grand mansion, she saw Theron Blackthorne, sharp and handsome in a black suit, waving at her from the driver's seat of an actual carriage. Mina's eyes immediately welled up with tears. "Where did you get a carriage?"
Theron patted her head affectionately. "Grandpa had it secretly prepared. Do you like it?"
For this particular birthday, Edmund Blackthorne had commissioned master craftsmen to forge The Pumpkin Carriage out of pure gold and crystalline glass. The cost was astronomical, but the real staggering part was the eight months of painstaking labor it took to build. Even the horses pulling it were purebred Arabians.
Mina nodded. "I love it."
She stepped forward and gently stroked the horse's mane, her eyes filled with sorrow. It didn't matter if she loved it. Soon, none of this would be hers.
Inside the Main Hall sat a ten-foot-tall strawberry cake. Every single strawberry had been hand-picked by Edmund himself to guarantee absolute sweetness.
As Mina walked in with Theron, every maid, butler, and staff member smiled warmly and bowed.
"Happy birthday, Miss Mina."
Edmund looked incredibly energetic, waving her over with a massive grin. "Look. Check out the cake Grandpa got for you."


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