Her Gilded Revenge For Stolen Fate novel Chapter 5

Chapter 5 Feeding On Her Fortune

The System continued, “When you were little, you believed Sylvia was only using you to get closer to the Duchess of Aurea. But that wasn’t the case.

“Think back. When you were ten, you fell terribly ill. You drifted in and out for a month, barely conscious.”

Vivian frowned at the memory.

The System added, “Host, it wasn’t you who was sick. It was the Duchess of Aurea. The doctor said she needed her child’s blood for the cure, but her son was still a fragile baby. Only her daughter could help.”

Vivian’s expression stayed calm. “Celia couldn’t save her,” she stated.

“True,” the System replied. “But Celia couldn’t refuse. If she had, people would have questioned her origins or called her cruel for letting her mother die.”

Sylvia always gave Celia whatever she wanted. That time was no different.

Vivian rolled up her sleeve, her eyes resting on the rough, uneven scar across her wrist. Her gaze darkened.

‘No wonder I was out for a whole month,’ she thought. ‘Once again, I was just used to make Celia look good.’

Even as a child, Vivian had heard how everyone praised Celia for her devotion. Even the Queen Mother had commended her.

The System continued, “When you were sixteen, Beatrice tried to set you up with her nephew. Then came her birthday.

“You’d spent ages picking the perfect crystal statue, but when you opened the box at the party, it was split clean down the middle. Beatrice was devastated.

“You tried to explain, but no one believed you. Everyone thought you were cold and difficult, that you’d be so against the match you’d ruin your grandmother’s gift. In the end, the engagement was called off.”

Vivian gave a faint smile. “No use crying over spilled milk. I have to focus on what’s next.”

“What do you mean?” the System asked.

“The Duchess’s poor health goes back to a difficult childbirth. It flares up now and then, but that attack was the worst,” Vivian said calmly.

The System, knowing Vivian’s previous life and the history between her and Celia, suddenly put the pieces together. “In about two weeks, she’ll have another attack.

“And this time, if you keep Sylvia from getting your blood, Celia won’t be able to play the devoted daughter again.”

“I remember all those setbacks you mentioned,” Vivian said slowly. “Each time I’m attacked and my Fortune is drained, Celia climbs higher on my coattails. So if I’m right, the more she suffers, the more Fortune I can reclaim from her?”

The System couldn’t help a flicker of admiration and thought, ‘Phoenix Fate indeed. She connects the dots in an instant.’

“You got it,” it said.

Vivian tuned out the presence of Celia and Sylvia, speaking to the System silently in her mind. “But one thing still doesn’t add up.

“You told me Celia stole five Golden Plumes from me at birth. We share the exact same birthday—year, month, and day. How could a newborn steal someone’s Fortune?”

A cold suspicion tightened in her chest. ‘Could that theft be the key to my true identity?’ she wondered.

The System explained, “Exactly. Sylvia might just be a concubine, but she knew her place and played by the rules.

“She took good care of the Duchess, so she earned the Duchess’s complete trust. The Duchess even put her and the wet nurse in charge of both you and Celia.

“That day, only Sylvia and the wet nurse were in the nursery. But the wet nurse had a stomachache and ran to the bathroom, leaving Sylvia alone with the two babies.

“It works as a pair. The Host Enchantment drains Fortune, while the Vessel Enchantment hunts for prey and funnels Fortune back to the Host.

“You carry the Phoenix Fate. You’re the only woman in Aurea Manor, maybe even all of Aurestus, who does. If she drains you dry, she will fully evolve. You are the perfect target for her.

Vivian’s gaze turned ice-cold. “So, what you’re saying is, I have a Vessel Enchantment inside me?”

The System replied, “Yes.”

“Actually, carrying the Vessel Enchantment might work in your favor,” the System added. “You just took that silk shop from Celia. Run it right, and you can start pulling your Fortune back.”

Vivian realized the enchantments were just a pipeline connecting them. Her initial anger cooled, replaced by a cold, calculating resolve.

She had been given a second chance at life; she already had the upper hand. Now, she just needed to press that advantage until she reclaimed everything Celia had stolen.

“When can I get this thing out of me for good?” Vivian asked.

“Once you gather all eight Golden Plumes and undergo your rebirth as the true Phoenix, the bond will break,” the System explained. “The enchantment will detach on its own. And when it does, the backlash will hit the one bearing the Host Enchantment hard.”

Vivian was just settling into her thoughts when the System gently interrupted.

It said, “Host, I’m only an auxiliary system, and my energy is running low. I have to stop projecting the manifestations of Fate for now.”

As the voice fell silent, the phoenix over Vivian and the cuckoo over Celia faded into thin air.