Chapter 8

Yvette hurried to her feet and walked toward the door.

She lifted the curtain and said, "Master Marvin, Ms. Julia has not yet changed and washed up. You cannot enter—Hey!"

Before she could finish speaking, Marvin stormed in, knocking her off balance and sending her stumbling backward.

Seeing that she was about to fall to the floor, Julia kicked the chair beside her. The chair slid behind Yvette and caught her securely. Her movement was so swift that it happened in the blink of an eye. Marvin had not even fully entered the room.

By the time he appeared in the doorway, a sharp object sliced diagonally past his ear. Freezing, he turned his head and saw that it was a fork, now deeply embedded in the doorframe behind him.

"Julia, you wretched jinx! How dare you attack me!" His fury flared up even more.

Marvin was only 17 years old, but he was already part of Ashbourne's Patrol Command. One would say he was a rising star.

Although his current duties involved patrolling the city streets, the next step up would be joining the Royal Guards. If he continued rising through the ranks and eventually became commander of the Royal Guards, he would become one of the emperor's most trusted aides.

Children from ordinary families couldn't enter the Patrol Command. Even those who attempted the examinations had to pass all three rounds of the military assessment.

Marvin had begun taking the military assessment when he was 15, but he had repeatedly failed. After the death of the Apex General, Ezekiel was given a dukedom, and Marvin was immediately recruited into the Patrol Command through special exemption.

He wasn't home yesterday because he had gone to report for duty at the Patrol Command.

Julia remained seated at the table, her cold eyes devoid of any emotion. "Watch your mouth. If I'm a jinx, then what does that make you?"

"Hah! You think you're worthy of being compared to me?" Marvin sneered. "I already heard everything from Mother. The moment you came home, you turned this entire household upside down. If I had been here yesterday, you think I would've let you walk all over everyone else like that?"

Julia snorted. The look of utter disdain on her face stabbed right at Marvin's pride.

"What? You think I'm just trying to scare you?" he said. "I'm warning you, Julia. You can move back in with us, but I won't let you make Rebecca suffer even in the slightest!"

He crossed his arms and issued a command.

"Starting today, keep your head down and behave yourself in this family. Don't cause trouble for Father and Mother. Otherwise, don't blame me for making you toe the line."

"The likes of you?" Julia calmly lifted her spoon and continued drinking her boiled oats, her expression unchanged.

Marvin was completely outraged. His youthful face, full of the hot-blooded arrogance of a 17-year-old, twisted with sinister anger.

"What an arrogant troublemaker you are!" he snarled before throwing a punch.

Julia didn't even bother to dodge. She merely raised her arm slightly and blocked his full-force strike. Then, using his own momentum against him, she struck the back of his hand with her fist.

Marvin was forced to stumble backward until his lower back slammed into the protruding corner of a cabinet. Pain shot through him, and cold sweat immediately broke out across his forehead.

Julia wiped the corner of her lips with a handkerchief.

"You're too slow. How did you even get into the Patrol Command with skills like yours?"

He wasn't nearly good enough to be her opponent.

Marvin's eyes reddened with fury. He drew the sword at his waist in one swift motion and charged toward her. It was clear from the way he moved that he was fully intent on hurting her. The blade was aimed directly at her chest.

Julia remained calm. She rose and avoided his attacks, using the round table to her advantage, ensuring that he couldn't even get close.

Marvin lost his patience. "You coward! If you're so good, then engage in a proper fight with me! Let's see whose martial skills are better!"

Julia ignored his provocation.

She reached out and pulled on the tablecloth, which slid off the table in one smooth motion. But shockingly, the tableware and cutlery landed back in their original positions without a single crack.

She flung the tablecloth outward, and it spread like a net, dropping over Marvin's head. He tried to shake it off, but before he could, she'd already wrapped the cloth around him like a cocoon.

And without the slightest hesitation, her fists slammed into his abdomen in rapid succession, though she only used half her strength. After about eight blows, she finally stopped, and he crumpled to the floor before spitting out a mouthful of blood.

"How dare you hit me, you jinx! Mother and Father won't let you get away with this!" he roared.

Julia stood before him and looked down. Her voice carried a faint, mocking indifference. "With abilities like yours, if you were placed in the military camp, you would only ever serve as a punching bag."

Marvin's eyes widened.

"H-How dare you act so arrogantly just because of your military achievements? You think you're something special? If I hadn't been too young back then, you would never have had the chance to take Father's place and join the army. I would've been the one to bring honor to the family!"

Yvette's face went pale with fear. She rushed forward and stuffed a handkerchief into his mouth.

Julia glanced at her approvingly. "Throw him out."

Yvette dragged Marvin until she managed to get him into the courtyard. Not long after, a couple of servants came in and carried Marvin away while he continued to curse nonstop.

After lowering the curtain, Yvette said nervously, "Miss, the Duke and the Duchess will be very mad."

Julia had already returned to her seat and was slowly drinking her boiled oats again.

"Don't worry about it. I'm waiting for them to come over."

Food had to be eaten a spoonful at a time, and things had to be settled a step at a time, too.

Suddenly, Julia realized that her hand was trembling. She could barely keep the spoon steady. She opened her palm and stared at her faintly shaking fingertips.

Earlier on, she'd wanted nothing more than to kill Marvin on the spot. Her thirst for murderous vengeance was too strong. It'd taken all of her willpower to stop herself from ending his life there and then.

Otherwise, that fork wouldn't have been embedded in the doorframe. It would have been driven straight into Marvin's skull.

Julia had never missed a mark, not unless she decided to show mercy. She clenched her fingers and slowly exhaled. There was no rush. She'd be letting him off too easily if she let him die just like that.

In her previous life, after she'd returned, Marvin kept calling her a jinx and a troublemaker.

At first, she couldn't understand why. When she left the family at 14 years old, he'd cried his heart out, saying he couldn't bear for her to go. How did he end up hating her so much?

Later on, she found out that it was because Rebecca had constantly told Marvin that he was inferior to Julia. She never would've been able to achieve anything if he'd been good enough in the first place.

Rebecca had planted the seed of discord in Marvin's heart by pitting him against Julia. The greater Julia's achievements were, the more despicable she was in his eyes.

He hated that she was an indomitable mountain standing before him. He loathed that she had brought honor and accomplishments to the entire family. He despised the fact that she, despite being born a woman, surpassed him in every way.

Yvette went to pull out the fork. She used both hands and exerted so much force that her face turned red before finally removing it.

After finishing her meal, Julia calmly went to practice her calligraphy. Practicing calligraphy could help a person cultivate their mind and patience. Her thirst for blood was too strong, so she needed to learn restraint and to conceal her emotions—to take things slow and be methodical. That was the true strategy of warfare.

It was almost noon when someone from Francine's place appeared with a message for her.

"Ms. Julia, the Duke and the Duchess want to see you in the main residence."

Yvette glanced back at Julia sitting by the table. She was still practicing her calligraphy, completely ignoring everything happening outside.

15 minutes later, the same maid showed up again. This time, she kneeled at the door and cried out tearfully, "Ms. Julia, the Duke and Duchess said that since they're asking you to come, you must go to them. If I don't get you to come with me this time, the Duke will skin me alive!"

The curtain lifted. Julia stood in the doorway in a pale blue dress, her figure cold and composed.

"What's your name?"

"My name is Melissa Somner…"

Julia remembered that name. Melissa was one of the maids in Francine's place.

In her previous life, when Julia had refused to be married off to Euverin, the servants in the household had gossiped about the situation, and Melissa had taken her side then. Rebecca somehow heard about it later on, and within days, Melissa's body was found in a well. No one knew how she died.

Julia ordered Yvette to help Melissa up before heading toward the main residence.

Melissa wiped away her tears and hurried after her, lowering her voice to say cautiously, "Ms. Julia, Master Marvin coughed up blood earlier. The Duke was so angry that he smashed a teacup. You mustn't defy him later."

Julia said nothing.

When they entered the main residence, Francine's hysterical crying could be heard from behind the screen.

"Is she a curse upon the family or what? When have we ever done her wrong? How could she attack Marvin like that?"

Ezekiel's voice followed. "Once she comes here, I will break her legs!"