Chapter 3: The Return of the Ugly Daughter

By the time Scarlett reached the capital, the eastern sky had begun to brighten.

The city gates were not yet fully open, so she slipped through a damaged section of the outer wall and entered a maze of narrow alleyways. Her torn clothing and disheveled hair made her resemble a beggar, allowing her to pass unnoticed among the servants and laborers beginning their morning work.

As she walked, unfamiliar memories continued to surface.

The body’s original owner had also been named Scarlett.

She was the eldest daughter of Harrison, the First-Rank Duke and one of the most influential officials in the Great Yuan Dynasty. By birth, Scarlett should have enjoyed wealth, protection, and respect.

Instead, the capital knew her by another name.

The Ugly Fool.

The ugliness came from dark blemishes covering most of her face. The foolishness came from years of confusion, weakness, and impaired judgment.

Neither condition was natural.

Scarlett touched the rough skin of her cheek and reviewed the memories more carefully. After the death of Scarlett’s birth mother, Lady Eleanor had taken control of the household. She presented herself as a loving stepmother, personally supervising Scarlett’s meals and medicine.

In reality, the so-called medicine contained small amounts of poison.

Day after day, year after year, Lady Eleanor had destroyed the girl’s health, clouded her mind, and ruined her appearance. Whenever Scarlett attempted to complain, Harrison dismissed her as foolish and ungrateful.

Tiffany, Lady Eleanor’s daughter, had been even crueler.

She stole Scarlett’s jewelry, tore her dresses, mocked her appearance, and encouraged the servants to abuse her. The previous night, Tiffany had arranged for several men to abduct Scarlett before her royal marriage.

The original Scarlett had died from terror, poison, and injury.

Then another soul had awakened in her body.

“They treated you worse than an animal,” Scarlett murmured.

A cold smile touched her lips.

“Rest now. Since I inherited your life, I’ll also inherit your grudges.”

She reached the Duke’s estate shortly after sunrise. Rather than entering through the main gate, Scarlett scaled the outer wall and dropped into the neglected courtyard assigned to her.

Weeds grew between cracked stones. Several windows were broken, and the roof of the small residence sagged from years without repair. It was difficult to believe that the eldest daughter of a First-Rank Duke lived in such a place.

The moment her feet touched the ground, mocking laughter filled the courtyard.

“Oh, look who decided to crawl back.”

Tiffany stood near the residence steps, dressed in embroidered pink silk. Gold ornaments glittered in her carefully arranged hair. Beside her stood Lady Eleanor, wearing an expression of practiced sorrow.

A dozen guards surrounded them.

Tiffany looked Scarlett up and down before covering her mouth with a silk handkerchief.

“I told you, Mother. Even wild dogs refuse to eat her.”

Lady Eleanor sighed theatrically.

“Scarlett, where have you been? We searched for you all night.”

“Did you?” Scarlett asked.

“Of course.” Lady Eleanor’s expression remained gentle, but her eyes were cold. “Your wedding is approaching. Leaving the estate before marriage is a serious offense. What will people say if they learn you spent the night outside?”

Tiffany laughed.

“Look at her clothes. Perhaps the men who found her had too much fun.”

Several guards snickered.

Lady Eleanor lowered her voice as though offering compassionate advice.

“You have already brought enough shame upon your father. Kneel, confess what happened, and perhaps we can prevent this scandal from destroying the Duke’s estate.”

Scarlett looked at her torn sleeve, then at the guards.

Their positions were deliberate. They had not come to question her.

They had come to silence her.

“Are you finished?” Scarlett asked.

Her voice was calm and flat.

Tiffany’s smile disappeared.

The original Scarlett always stuttered when frightened. She lowered her head, cried easily, and apologized even when she had done nothing wrong.

The woman standing before them showed none of that fear.

“How dare you speak to Mother that way?” Tiffany shouted. “Guards, drag her to the ancestral hall. Beat her until she admits how she disgraced the family!”

Two large guards advanced.

The first reached for Scarlett’s shoulder.

She moved before his fingers touched her.

Scarlett shifted sideways, seized his wrist, and twisted. A sharp crack echoed through the courtyard as the joint broke. Before the man could scream, she drove her elbow into his throat.

He collapsed, gasping and clutching his neck.

The second guard hesitated for a fraction of a second.

It was enough.

Scarlett swept one leg behind his knees and sent him crashing onto the stone path. Her heel struck the center of his chest, forcing the air from his lungs.

Both men lay helpless at her feet.

The courtyard fell silent.

Scarlett slowly raised her gaze to the remaining guards.

“Who else wants a turn?”

Every guard stepped back.

Tiffany’s face turned pale.

Lady Eleanor stared at Scarlett as though seeing a stranger wearing her stepdaughter’s skin.

For the first time, fear replaced contempt in her eyes.

Chapter 4: The Imperial Decree

“You are not Scarlett!” Tiffany screamed.

She retreated behind Lady Eleanor, pointing a trembling finger.

“Scarlett is weak. Scarlett is stupid. She would never dare strike anyone!”

Scarlett stepped over the fallen guards.

“I am Scarlett.”

Her voice remained quiet, but each word carried a chilling certainty.

“I simply woke up.”

Lady Eleanor forced herself to remain composed.

“You must have suffered a terrible shock. Come inside, and I will prepare your medicine.”

“The medicine you have served me for five years?”

Scarlett’s gaze settled on her.

Lady Eleanor’s smile stiffened.

“It was prescribed for your illness.”

“It certainly had a powerful effect.” Scarlett touched one of the dark blemishes on her face. “But I think I’ve taken enough.”

A flicker of panic crossed Lady Eleanor’s eyes.

She knows.

The thought was clear on her face even though she said nothing.

Her hand shifted slightly, signaling the guards to draw their weapons.

Before they could act, a loud voice rang from the courtyard entrance.

“The Imperial Decree has arrived! All members of the Duke’s Estate shall kneel and receive the Emperor’s command!”

An elderly eunuch entered while holding a golden silk scroll above his hands. Several imperial guards followed him.

Harrison hurried behind them, his face pale and his forehead covered with sweat. When he saw the injured guards and Scarlett’s ragged appearance, rage flashed across his face.

He had no opportunity to question her.

“Kneel!” Harrison hissed.

Everyone dropped to the ground.

Scarlett studied the imperial guards before lowering herself onto one knee. It was not complete obedience, but the eunuch chose not to comment.

The scroll opened with a soft rustle.

“By the mandate of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: Scarlett, eldest daughter of the Duke’s Estate, is of noble birth, virtuous character, and suitable conduct. She is hereby granted in marriage to Arthur, Regent King and Grand General of the Great Yuan Dynasty. The wedding shall take place in three days. All parties shall obey without delay. Respect this decree.”

Silence followed.

Harrison bowed until his forehead touched the ground.

“We thank the Emperor for his boundless grace.”

Scarlett’s eyes narrowed slightly.

The decree praised her noble character and virtue, yet everyone in the capital supposedly believed her to be ugly and foolish. The marriage was clearly not a reward.

It was a political arrangement—or an execution disguised as one.

The eunuch handed the decree to Harrison and gave Scarlett a curious glance before leaving with the imperial guards.

The moment they were gone, Harrison rose and struck the nearest pillar with his fist.

“Scarlett!”

His voice shook with fury.

“You shameless disgrace! Do you understand what you have done?”

Scarlett stood and brushed dust from her robe.

“I returned home. Apparently, that was enough to upset everyone.”

“The Emperor has married you to a crippled monster!”

“A crippled monster?” Scarlett raised an eyebrow. “That sounds peaceful compared with this household.”

“You fool!” Harrison snapped. “Arthur was once the terror of every kingdom surrounding the Great Yuan Dynasty. He controlled half the empire’s military forces before he was poisoned. Now he is said to be paralyzed from the waist down, and his temper has become violent and unpredictable.”

Tiffany recovered enough courage to step from behind her mother.

“He has already killed three women sent to marry him,” she said with a delighted sneer. “Everyone knows it. None of them survived more than a month inside the Regent King’s estate.”

Lady Eleanor pretended to look distressed.

“Scarlett, we tried to protect you. Unfortunately, an imperial decree cannot be refused.”

Scarlett understood the situation.

Lady Eleanor and Tiffany had likely expected her to disappear before the marriage. With Scarlett dead, another daughter might have been offered in her place—or the Duke’s estate might have used the scandal to bargain for a different arrangement.

Now that she had returned, she would be delivered directly to Arthur.

Scarlett thought of the freezing man in the forest and the predatory darkness of his eyes.

Could that stranger have been Arthur?

The possibility was amusing, but she had too little information to reach a conclusion.

Tiffany folded her arms.

“Enjoy your final three days, sister. Once you enter the Regent King’s gates, you will never come out alive.”

Scarlett smiled.

“Is that a promise?”

Tiffany’s confidence faltered.

Scarlett approached until only a few steps separated them.

“Because if I survive, I will return.”

Her gaze moved from Tiffany to Lady Eleanor and finally to Harrison.

“And when I do, we will settle every account.”

Chapter 5: Purging the Venom

For the following two days, Scarlett remained inside her ruined courtyard.

Harrison forbade the servants from visiting her, partly to prevent rumors and partly because he considered her a dead woman awaiting burial. No one wanted to waste resources on a daughter destined for the Regent King’s estate.

The isolation suited Scarlett perfectly.

Before confronting her enemies, she needed to restore her body.

Through careful examination, she identified the chronic poison in her bloodstream as Ghost Weed. In small doses, it caused fatigue, confusion, memory loss, and emotional instability. With prolonged exposure, it damaged the skin and gradually weakened the meridians.

Lady Eleanor had administered it for years.

The poison explained the original Scarlett’s foolish behavior and the dark blemishes covering her face. It had also made her easier to manipulate, ensuring that no one would believe her accusations.

Scarlett sat cross-legged on the narrow bed and regulated her breathing.

“The frost energy weakened the poison’s core,” she murmured.

Her encounter with the mysterious man had done more than neutralize the aphrodisiac. The freezing toxin inside Arthur had clashed with the Ghost Weed, breaking apart several of its most dangerous components.

Without that accidental treatment, Scarlett would have required months to recover.

Even so, traces remained in her organs and meridians.

Mia, the only servant who had consistently shown kindness to the original Scarlett, secretly returned that evening carrying several bundles of herbs.

The young maid’s eyes filled with tears when she saw her mistress.

“My lady, everyone said you were missing. I thought…”

“I’m alive,” Scarlett said gently.

Mia wiped her face.

“The estate physician refused to see you, so I bought everything you requested. But these herbs are common. Can they truly help?”

“They can when prepared correctly.”

Scarlett examined the ingredients. None were rare, but each served a specific purpose. Combined in precise quantities, they would force the Ghost Weed from her bloodstream.

She crushed the herbs, added them to a small clay pot, and heated the mixture over a low flame. A foul smell soon filled the room.

Mia covered her nose.

“My lady, are you certain this is medicine?”

“Medicine is rarely required to smell pleasant.”

When the liquid turned black, Scarlett poured it into a chipped bowl and drank it without hesitation.

Pain struck almost immediately.

Her stomach felt as though it had been cut open. Heat spread through her chest, followed by waves of nausea and dizziness. Thick black sweat emerged from her pores, carrying years of accumulated toxins.

Mia rushed forward.

“My lady!”

“Stay back,” Scarlett ordered. “Whatever happens, do not interrupt me.”

She returned to the bed and used controlled breathing techniques from her previous life. Although this world’s understanding of meridians and qi differed from modern medicine, the principles of circulation, nerve control, and pressure remained familiar.

Hour after hour, Scarlett guided the toxins toward the surface.

Several times, the pain became so intense that darkness crept across her vision. She refused to surrender.

The original Scarlett had endured years of suffering without understanding why.

This single night was nothing by comparison.

Shortly before sunrise, Scarlett exhaled slowly.

The pressure inside her body vanished.

She opened her eyes.

For the first time since entering this world, her thoughts were completely clear. Her limbs felt lighter, her hearing sharper, and her breathing deeper. Even the weakness in her meridians had begun to improve.

Scarlett crossed the room and stood before the cracked bronze mirror.

She dipped a cloth into cold water and wiped the black residue from her face.

Layer by layer, the blemishes disappeared.

A face of astonishing beauty emerged beneath them.

Her skin was smooth and pale like polished jade. Her lips held a natural crimson color, while her dark eyes shone with sharp intelligence. The features once hidden beneath poison were delicate yet striking, possessing a beauty capable of drawing attention in any court.

Mia stared at her reflection.

“My lady…”

Scarlett touched her jaw.

“Not bad.”

Tears filled Mia’s eyes again.

“You were never ugly.”

“No,” Scarlett said. “I was poisoned.”

Mia’s expression changed from wonder to horror.

Scarlett placed a finger against her lips.

“Not a word to anyone.”

She understood the danger immediately. Lady Eleanor’s spies were everywhere, and the imperial marriage remained suspicious. If the household discovered that Scarlett had recovered both her appearance and intelligence, they would act before she could defend herself.

For the moment, the Ugly Fool was a useful disguise.

Scarlett mixed charcoal with yellow herbal paste. With careful strokes, she recreated the dark marks that had previously covered her skin. She changed her posture as well, lowering her shoulders and allowing her eyes to appear unfocused.

Within minutes, the breathtaking woman vanished.

The mocked eldest daughter of the Duke’s estate had returned.

Mia watched in confusion.

“Why hide your face?”

“Because people reveal their true intentions when they believe you are weak.”

Scarlett looked toward the distant walls of the estate.

Lady Eleanor believed she was still poisoned. Tiffany believed she would soon die. Harrison believed she was nothing more than a burden being sent away.

And somewhere in the capital, a dangerous man might be searching for the owner of a broken jade hairpin.

Scarlett’s lips curved into a cold smile.

“Let the show begin.”