"Brother, I'm heading back to the small building first. I'll explain everything later," Seraphina Ashworth said as soon as she got out of the car. She knew they must have a lot of questions, but she had to get to the bottom of this first.
"Alright, you go ahead," Jasper Ashworth said, nodding at Seraphina Ashworth.
Seraphina Ashworth turned and walked toward the small building, with Nina Winters following close behind.
It was the weekend, so the Ashworth family were all in the living room, drinking tea and chatting. They were surprised to see the children return so soon after they had left, and stranger still, Seraphina wasn't with them.
"Why are you back so soon? And where's Seraphina?" Mr. Ashworth, who was sitting in the living room reading the newspaper, found it quite strange to see the children return.
"Yes, where's Seraphina? Didn't you say you were going out to have fun?" Sharon Forrest was also completely baffled. She knew her own daughter's fun-loving personality very well; having finally dragged Seraphina out to have a good time, there was no way she would have returned this early.
"Mom, don't get me started. You have no idea, we ran into Kiera Winters and her mother at Stellarium Plaza Center. You wouldn't believe how shameless and horrid they were." Cecilia Ashworth walked over to her mother and flopped onto the sofa. The mere mention of the Winters mother and daughter made her teeth itch with rage.
"What happened? Maurice, you explain," Mr. Ashworth said, putting down his newspaper and looking at Maurice Ashworth.
"We were just shopping at Yushang Plaza Center and wanted to buy Seraphina some clothes. But the Winters mother and daughter came out of nowhere and tried to take the same dress we were looking at. They were incredibly rude about it, too." Maurice Ashworth summed up the situation in a few brief sentences.
"Grandpa, you have no idea how detestable that mother and daughter were. Kiera Winters's mom actually called Seraphina a sickly invalid! They looked down on her, saying she wasn't worthy of that dress." Cecilia Ashworth practically bristled, just thinking about their smug faces.
"It seems the Winters family has decided to stop showing our Ashworth Family any respect. How dare they treat my precious daughter that way." Paul Ashworth was furious to hear someone had dared to insult his daughter so brazenly.
"Jasper, why isn't Seraphina back with you?" Sylvia Blaine grew anxious, seeing that all the other children had returned except for her own daughter.
"Mom, don't worry. As we were leaving the boutique, Seraphina ran into Nina Winters, the family's illegitimate daughter, right at the door. Seraphina seemed to know her, and she brought her back. She's with her in the small building now." Jasper Ashworth quickly explained, seeing the worry on his mother's face.
"How is that possible? Seraphina has never even made a public appearance. How could she know someone from the Winters family?" Susan Lindsey asked, setting down her teacup in confusion.
"It's true, Mom. And the way Seraphina acted, she seemed to know Nina Winters very well. I've rarely seen Seraphina so emotional. She and Nina were like old friends who hadn't seen each other in ages." Victor Ashworth found it quite strange as he recalled the expression on Seraphina Ashworth's face.
"There's no point in us guessing. Seraphina said she would explain later," Jasper Ashworth said languidly, seeing everyone's confused expressions. He himself found it incredible, but they would just have to wait for his sister to explain.
"Mr., Nina is late." The moment they were back in the small building, Nina Winters immediately dropped to one knee before Seraphina Ashworth, her eyes welling with tears.
Seraphina Ashworth stepped forward to help her up, only to see that Nina's hands were covered in bruises, old and new. The sight was too horrible to bear.
"Get up. Haven't I told you there's no need to kneel before me? And these injuries… were they caused by the Winters mother and daughter?" Seraphina Ashworth led Nina to sit on the sofa.
Hearing her Mr.'s words, Nina's heart warmed. 'This is the Mr. I respect most, always caring for us no matter what.' She wiped away her tears and said with a smile, "It's nothing. Just being able to see you again, Mr., makes it all worth it."
"How did you end up here? And what about the other three?" She had never imagined that her protector would be reborn in this place as well.
"I don't know where the other three are. I just woke up one day and found I had been reborn into the Winters family. Because I'm the illegitimate daughter of the family's eldest son, the mother and daughter have always seen me as a thorn in their side and constantly abused me. Today they went shopping, and I had to trail after them and carry their bags. It's only because of that I was lucky enough to run into you, Mr." Nina slowly explained to Seraphina Ashworth everything that had happened since her rebirth.
"Seraphina, you are the master of the Azurelight Bracelet. Anyone who has sworn a Blood Oath to you will follow you through reincarnation, forever remaining your subordinate. Your Four Great Guardians all swore a Blood Oath to you in their past lives, which is why they followed you in rebirth into this world. The absolute power of the Blood Oath means that if the master dies, so do all subordinates bound by it. Furthermore, any betrayal will cause the oath-taker to be reduced to dust and ashes. You can also allow anyone who has sworn a Blood Oath to you to enter this space." Trudy suddenly popped out of the dimension, explaining things from beside Seraphina Ashworth.
'So that's how it is.' Seraphina Ashworth finally understood. No wonder her Four Great Guardians had also come to this world—it was because of the Blood Oath.
"Nina, you don't have to return to the Winters family. There are guest rooms on the first floor; pick one and stay here. From now on, your name is Nina Ashworth." Seraphina Ashworth pointed to a large, red sandalwood cabinet in the living room. "There are Elixirs and topical ointments in that cabinet. Take them for your injuries; you'll heal faster. For now, focus on your cultivation here. I'll handle the rest. I will make them pay for what they did to you." She added, "And from now on, call me Miss. Calling me 'Mr.' will make my family suspicious."
"Yes, Miss," Nina Ashworth said with a nod.
"Go get yourself cleaned up. There are clothes in the walk-in closet; find something to change into. I have to go explain things to my family now. Trudy, you stay here. If Nina has any questions, you answer them," Seraphina Ashworth instructed, standing up and looking at Trudy, who was sitting dazedly on the sofa. She needed to go explain the situation to her family.
"Okay, Seraphina, I will. But I want a bottle of Bone Marrow Cleansing Pills," Trudy said, seizing the chance to extort her. The last time, it had accidentally gobbled up all the Bone Marrow Cleansing Pills Seraphina had refined, and as punishment, she'd banned it from eating any Elixirs for two weeks. 'Bone Marrow Cleansing Pills are my favorite snack! How can I go without them?'
"Fine." Seraphina Ashworth decided to let it slide this time, since it had cleared up her confusion. Besides, she had only been trying to scare it.
"Seraphina, you're here. Come sit with me," Jasper Ashworth said. He was sitting on the sofa directly facing the door and his sharp eyes spotted her the moment she walked in.
Seraphina Ashworth walked in and saw that everyone was there, realizing that Maurice and the others must have already explained what happened. She went and sat down next to Jasper Ashworth.
"Seraphina, what is the situation with that girl from the Winters family?" Miss Ashworth asked, putting down her needlework to look at Seraphina Ashworth.
All eyes in the room turned to her.
"I know Nina. She's one of my people. Her name is no longer Nina Winters; it's Nina Ashworth. She won't be returning to the Winters family. From now on, she'll live here at the Ashworth estate with me, and she'll be taking care of my daily needs," Seraphina Ashworth said nonchalantly, twisting the Azurelight Bracelet on her wrist.
"One of your people? Do you mean she was sent by your master?" Chester Ashworth asked in a soft voice, resting his chin on his hand.
Seraphina Ashworth hadn't expected her family to make the connection to her master, but 'this works out well,' she thought. 'Otherwise, this would be much harder to explain.'
She decided to just go along with their assumption. "Yes, that's right."
"Then why was she with the Winters family? She's the daughter of their eldest son. Besides, I saw Kiera Winters bullying her terribly once," Cecilia Ashworth said, her words muffled by the pastry she was eating.
"Even though she's the daughter of the Winters' eldest son, she is one of my people, and completely trustworthy. I can't explain the details to you right now. Cecilia, you have to promise you won't let it slip that she's staying with us." Seraphina Ashworth warned her seriously, worried her fourth sister would accidentally spill the beans.
"Seraphina, your brothers told me the Winters mother and daughter gave you trouble. Don't you worry, Dad will make them pay," Paul Ashworth said softly, ruffling his precious daughter's hair as a vicious glint flashed in his eyes.
"Dad, you don't need to get involved. I'll personally settle this score—and Nina's as well," Seraphina Ashworth said in a cold voice, lowering her gaze to hide the bloodthirsty look in her eyes.
"Alright, but if you need your dad's help with anything, just ask," Paul Ashworth agreed, his tone a mixture of resignation and adoration. 'Even though my precious daughter said she doesn't need me to interfere,' he thought, 'I still have to trip up the Winters family behind the scenes.'
"Seraphina, in three days, the Winters family is holding a birthday banquet for their patriarch. The Ashworth family is invited. Do you want to go?" Maurice Ashworth suddenly recalled, turning slightly to look at Seraphina Ashworth.
"I'll go. It's the perfect opportunity to settle accounts, isn't it?"
"That's good. It'll let everyone in Aethelburg get a look at you. That way, we can avoid any more clueless fools trying to stir up trouble," Mr. Ashworth said gravely.
"Yes, Dad has a point," Zachary Ashworth chimed in.