Chapter 1 Chapter 1

Seven years ago, Gareth Lancaster, my husband, whom I loved dearly, had me exiled to the Everfrost Plains. It was there that I met my tragic death. Now, after seven years had passed, he brought my older sister, Jillian Fawkes, over in his arms. He proclaimed that he wanted to carve out my heart. When he found out that I was dead, he was furious. He grabbed my daughter, Ivory Fawkes, by the collar and hoisted her into the air. "That's impossible! How could Willow Fawkes be dead?" Gareth snarled. After scrutinizing Ivory, he sneered. "How dare a cheap slut who's probably slept with half the men in the world claim to want to reveal the 'truth' to me? I bet that you're some bastard spawn yourself. Now tell where that whore has run off to!" Ivory's feet dangled in the air. Her skin turned blue from lack of air, yet she seemed unfazed. Her expression remained as calm as ever, as if death didn't matter to her. "My mother is dead," she said evenly. "All you have to do is enter the house she lived in, and you'll find out everything that happened." Despite being the Human King, Gareth found that he couldn't even intimidate a little girl. Outraged, he flung Ivory with all his might, tossing her several yards away. "If that bitch doesn't show herself today, I'll carve your flesh off bit by bit and feed it back to you. Let's see if she can stand by and do nothing while her child comes to a slow, painful death." Ivory's tiny body tumbled through the snow. Her head slammed hard against a hard rock and instantly started bleeding. My father—a Foxkin—had followed Gareth to retrieve my heart. After seeing what happened, he came up to Ivory, his eyes glinting ferociously. "You're a filthy bastard spawn, alright, just like your mother," he said with a sneer. "Still, it'd be a shame to waste such fine white fox fur. Since Jillian needs a pair of fur boots, we'll use your hide to make them." Father uses his magic to rip the fur off Ivory's tail, the sickening sound echoing across the Everfrost Plains. They despised me, so naturally, they despised my daughter. Ivory! My Ivory! I screamed in anguish, desperately wanting to rush forward and stop them from hurting her. But alas, I was just a fragmented piece of my soul. I couldn't even be considered whole. After I'd died, I placed what little remained of my conscience into the crystal necklace I'd left to Ivory. The living couldn't even see me, let alone hear me. I had no means of stopping Father, nor could I tell Gareth that Ivory was his biological daughter. She'd been torn from my womb by the malicious local beastkins the first year I arrived at the Everfrost Plains. That was why her growth was stunted. Meanwhile, all of the humans and beastkins who'd come with Gareth didn't care that Ivory was just a little girl. They all began carving pieces of flesh off her bones to vent their anger. "Willow had committed endless atrocities! She forced my daughter to sleep with the Snake King! My poor daughter was still so young when she had her innocence stolen from her, so why should Willow's daughter get to live in peace?""Willow, that vicious bitch! When we find her, we must force her to get a taste of how it feels to watch your daughter violated before your own eyes!" Before long, Ivory was completely covered in injuries. She lay bleeding on the snow, her hands still clutching the crystal necklace I'd given her. She didn't attempt to fight back against those who were attacking her. On the contrary, she had a faint, unreadable smile on her face. Gareth kicked open the door to the hut where I'd stayed. He smashed all of the scant remaining furniture into smithereens while hollering, "Willow! If you don't want your daughter to die, you'd better get out of here right this instant!" As he ransacked the hut in search of me, he bumped into the closet. A flurry of letters drifted in the air like snowflakes before scattering onto the floor. After picking one up, Gareth tensed, his gaze widening in shock. They were the 999 love letters we'd written to each other, each one harboring the immense love we had for each other. Strewn among them were the letters I'd personally written to Gareth after I'd been banished to the Everfrost Plains. Legend had it that if a couple wrote a thousand love letters, they would be together forever. However, by the time it came to the last one, Gareth hated me with every fiber of his being. He exiled me to the Everfrost Plains and never once came to see me. Gareth's hands shook as he clutched the yellowed paper. Just then, Jillian, who'd stood in silence the whole time, suddenly stumbled into Gareth's arms. "My head hurts, darling. Do you think it's because of the cold?" Her voice snapped Gareth out of his reverie, and his expression turned icy once more. He was just about to respond when Ivory crawled back onto her feet. Still drenched in blood, she snorted. "It seems to me that you're just afraid that you'll get exposed for all the deplorable things you did to my mother." All the blood drained out of Jillian's face.

Chapter 2 Chapter 2

Gareth stepped forward and clamped his hand around Ivory's throat. "Like mother, like daughter, huh? Didn't that whore Willow ever teach you manners? How dare you taunt my wife in my presence?" He lifted Ivory clean off the floor, and with a single swing of his sword, he severed her tail. For a Foxkin, the tail is directly connected to the heart. The agony of losing it was akin to having one's heart ripped out. Having lost her tail, Ivory gasped in pain. But despite knowing that she would die, she clenched her jaw and refused to let her tears spill. She'd already known that the man who just cut off her tail was her father, whom she had never met. The howling snowstorm came in through the window, sweeping up the letters I'd written and making them land on Gareth's hand. Gareth kicked Ivory aside and snarled, "Let me see what kind of malicious curses you've directed at Jillian and me." He unfolded the yellowed paper, but he didn't see any curses at all. Instead, the words were filled with sorrow. It was as if I'd rested my head against his shoulder and whispered the words into his ear. "It's July 28th today. Although it's our tenth wedding anniversary, Jillian was the woman Gareth slept with on this day ten years ago. Gareth stiffened, his hands still clutching the letter. He would never forget that night. "He'd gotten drunk and entered Jillian's room instead. My parents kept me locked in the tiny room next to hers. The walls were thin, and the sounds they made throughout the night felt like daggers stabbing me in the heart. "The next day, he came to me and kneeled before me. He slapped himself across the face, saying that he had done me wrong. I loved him. I felt bad for him. Why would I blame him? "All I could do was comfort him by repeatedly assuring him everything was alright. I knew he didn't do it on purpose. Out of everyone in the whole wide world, he loved me the most." Gareth continued reading the words I'd written. "I'm the illegitimate child Father had with a mistress, while Jillian is the oldest daughter of the family. She was incredibly talented too. She's always the one everyone chooses. "Mother loathes me, so she rips my fur off to turn it into clothing for Jillian. She also cut my tail off to make a scarf for Jillian. In the dead of winter, she kicked me out of the house. I had to cower in the snow while covered in blood. "Just as I was about to lose consciousness, I collapsed into a warm embrace. He wrapped his coat around me. It was the first time I felt warmth from another." Perhaps the words stirred up the memory of a beautiful past in Gareth's mind, for his expression became a little distant. He flipped the letter over and continued reading. "I still remember the ghastly scar beside Gareth's heart. He'd gotten it when he'd gone to the East Sea in search of merfolk tears to heal me. A merfolk had stabbed him, and the blade had struck a little over an inch away from his heart. "Carefully holding onto the merfolk tears he'd gathered, he traveled over tens of thousands of miles, making the arduous journey back to me. He protected me for seven years, and once I was of marriageable age, he proposed to me. "On the day of our wedding, he took me by the hand and swore to treat me well for the rest of my life. After the wedding, he fulfilled his promise. He did everything I asked of him. At the time, I thought I was the most blessed being in the world." There was a darkened patch on the letter that made it look like the person who wrote it couldn't stop herself from shedding a tear. Ivory struggled back onto her feet and said, "You used to love my mother so much. Why did you betray her?" Infuriated, Gareth roared, "She's the one who betrayed me first! What right does a promiscuous slut like her have to speak of love and devotion? She deserves to be torn from limb to limb!" Jillian hastily hid her uneasiness and threw herself into Gareth's arms. Weeping, she said, "I'm sorry. Willow only got jealous and chose to betray you because I showed up in your life." Gareth's expression instantly softened. Taking Jillian's hand, he comforted her. "It's not your fault. I know you're a kind-hearted soul. If not for her, you wouldn't have been pushed down the stairs, and I wouldn't have lost my child." Everyone began sticking up for Jillian, listing all the ways she'd been wronged. However, Ivory simply shook her head and chuckled. "What a bunch of ignorant fools. Is this what Mother fought to protect with her life?" She whispered, "Wait for me, Mother. I'll come and join you once I clear your name." Ivory secretly drew out the crystal necklace, which was tainted with blood, and murmured a spell.

Chapter 3 Chapter 3

Gareth continued reading what I'd written. "When Jillian announced that she was pregnant, I knew she was lying, but I couldn't tell Gareth that. He wouldn't believe me. Jillian fell down the stairs and used a bag of blood to fake a miscarriage. Then, she falsely accused me of being responsible for her accident. "Gareth refused to believe me then. His expression was cold and unrecognizable as he accused me of pushing Jillian down the stairs out of jealousy because she carried his child. He asked me how I could be so vicious. "I had no way to defend myself, so he had me locked in the car. In the summer heat, the car felt like an oven. All of the moisture in my body was sucked out of me. I kept banging on the window, begging for him to let me out, but he simply stared icily at me. "I spent an entire afternoon in the sweltering car. I fainted at some point, and I had no idea how long I'd been unconscious. But when I saw the blood flowing out beneath me, I finally knew I'd lost a child, too." An even more harrowing memory followed what I'd just written. "Gareth ignored me for six whole months until that fateful winter day when he entered my room. Thinking that he'd learned of the truth and had come to apologize, I was filled with joy. However, the first thing out of his mouth was a demand that I give birth to a child for Jillian. "He said it was only fair since I'd made Jillian lose a child. Just the mention of that incident from half a year ago filled his eyes with detest. He also said he wouldn't even be willing to touch me if not to give Jillian a child. And for that, I should be grateful. "We had sex that night, but I couldn't feel a shred of happiness. Instead, my heart was filled with a bitter ache. Nine months later, I gave Jillian the child that I'd carried with great difficulty. "That was when I inadvertently stumbled across her secret. She used my newborn child to threaten me into silence. I promised her I'd do it in exchange for ensuring that my child lived a blissful life. "Although she pretended to agree to my condition, I received word of my child's death a month later. His body had been abandoned in the wilderness, covered in nothing but a floor mat. She claimed his death had been an accident. "I felt as though my heart had been ripped into pieces. I carefully buried my child in a small pit and apologized to him. It was all my fault. I'd failed him." At this point, my handwriting had gotten rather shaky. It was obvious just how much pain and grief I was in as I wrote this letter. Gareth's fingers paled as they clenched the letter. He instinctively asked Jillian, "What secret is she talking about?" Smiling coyly, Jillian replied, "What secret could I possibly have? That bitch is just rambling out of jealousy." Gareth's expression hardened again. "Let me see what other lies she can spin."

Chapter 4 Chapter 4

Gareth read on. "The bitter coldness of the Everfrost Plains made my wounds ache in agony. These were the result of the Heartlock Curse Jillian had used on me. They ensured that I was tormented with a pain worse than death. "At the time, she used this to blackmail me and forced me to sell my body at a nightclub. If I dared to resist, she would chant the spell to inflict me with unbearable pain. "I couldn't remember how many times I'd been violated. Some of them were even decades older than me. All of them disgusted me. "Not a day went by that I didn't suffer endless humiliation. It got so bad that I couldn't stop bleeding from between my legs. "One night, when I was being assaulted by a slovenly Pigkin, I saw Gareth, who'd come to the nightclub for a drink. I could still remember the terrifying look in his eyes. "After he'd turned the nightclub into a bloodbath, I huddled in his arms, completely naked. My throat was completely raw. I couldn't say a word. I desperately wished I could tell him what happened to me. I wanted him to take pity on me. "When I met his bloodshot eyes, I was shocked to find tears in his eyes. His jaw was clenched as he declared he hated me." There was a lot more to this painful memory I'd documented in my letter. "Soon, everyone found out I'd worked as a prostitute at the nightclub. The rumors and insults branding me a promiscuous slut spread like wildfire, nearly drowning me. For the sake of his dignity, Gareth had me sent to the countryside to make up for my wrongdoing through manual labor. "I'd spent three months in those harsh conditions when he suddenly appeared before me. With mixed emotions in his eyes, he took me in his arms and brought me into the hut, where we shared a tender night together. "Though my body was sore and tired, my heart was filled with immeasurable joy. If this had been a dream, I sorely wished I would never wake up from it. "Before dawn the next day, he reluctantly departed. But before leaving, he told me he would give me one last chance. If I betrayed him yet again, he would never forgive me. "I wobbled as I ran to the village entrance, but he was already gone by the time I got there. He'd gone off to wage a war against the Serpent clan. I was going to wait for him. I was going to tell him in person just how much I loved him." Gareth ripped the letter into shreds and stomped on them with his feet. "That's… impossible!" Gareth finally looked a little panicked. However, Jillian began weeping softly. "Even now, Willow is trying to frame me. Why would I ever do such things?" The others swiftly piped up in agreement. "That's right. Everyone knows what kind of person Queen Jillian is. Willow's nothing but a wretched bitch who secretly colluded with the Serpent clan! How dare she smear the name of our queen?""She handed over all our most beautiful women to the Serpent King! She deserves death for that alone.""Maybe this bastard spawn is the result of her fooling around with the Serpent King." Ignoring their barbed comments and insults, Ivory carefully pieced together the ripped pieces of the letter and read the words out loud. "The day the enemy broke through the city gates, I left the village. I wanted to protect the women and the children left in the city. I couldn't wait till he got back. Instead, I hoped he would see the letters I wrote to him. Throughout all lifetimes, I would never abandon him. I love—" Gareth kicked Ivory before she could finish reading. "The nerve of that slut to talk about loving me when she got in bed with the Serpent King!" Brandishing his sword, he marched up to Ivory and pointed it at her chest as he demanded, "Speak! Tell me where that slut is, or else, you're going to die here today!" Ivory flashed a weak smile at him. "You don't need to do it yourself, Father." Gareth was stunned to hear her call her that. At the very next second, Ivory stepped forward. Gareth couldn't withdraw his sword in time. Just like that, the sword went right through her heart. The crystal necklace she held began gleaming with a golden light. "This is a spell that requires the sacrifice of the flesh and blood from a family member," she said. "It will now reveal my mother's memories before her death." When Gareth saw the scenes from my life that led up to my death, his heart lurched, and his sword fell to the floor with a loud clatter.