Chapter 14
Scott brought Scarlett to the villa. It was her decision.
“Keep it a secret.”
Even after getting off the carriage and lying down in bed, Scarlett kept murmuring the same thing.
Scott had no choice but to promise he would, and after taking various medications, she fell asleep as if unconscious.
Once Scarlett was asleep, Scott walked past Noah.
He had been receiving reports about the kidnapping all night, and by dawn, he summoned Noah.
The light from the magic stone embedded in the wall cast shadows over Scott’s sharp features.
Scott had bold, striking lines—especially his intense eyes, defined jawline, and full lips. He was a handsome man, the kind you might imagine as a god from ancient mythology.
Perhaps that’s why Noah found Scott White intimidating. No, it was more the heavy aura he gave off that made Noah straighten his shoulders without realizing it.
“You did a fine job hiding the fact that you’re a mage.”
“…”
“Hah. An Ashford child, a mage! There’s no mage blood in the White family—must’ve gotten it from your mother.”
Scott’s tone was just like Scarlett’s. Or more accurately, Scarlett had taken after him.
“Even if I’m a mage, nothing will change. I’ll do as Scarlett wishes… and I want to make it clear that I have no intention of threatening her.”
“If you so much as think about it, I’ll make sure both you and your mother vanish from this world as if you never existed.”
Scott White had the power to make that happen. He was no man to be underestimated. He was a beast always ready to tear his enemies apart.
But Noah was no pushover either. Though much younger, he had grown strong, hiding his claws while waiting for the perfect time to strike.
Still…
“Scarlett is also my younger sister. Don’t forget that. You will have to acknowledge it someday. We are brothers—brothers who share Scarlett as a sister.”
Scott’s fist clenched so tightly it turned pale. Veins bulged on his forehead.
“You’re always so damn lucky.”
“No. I’d say it’s just fortune in the midst of misfortune. I may bear the misfortune of being at odds with you, but even so, I feel hope because I have Scarlett.”
Noah left the room, making it clear he wasn’t open to further conversation.
Left alone, Scott stared at the door Noah had exited through, then closed his eyes, trying to calm his emotions.
Just then, a knock sounded, and Marie peeked in.
“Miss is awake.”
“How is she?”
“Surprisingly, she’s not physically hurt. But she’s quite shaken, and the shock is causing nightmares.”
“She’s had nightmares before.”
Scott knew that Scarlett had begun suffering from insomnia months ago. She’d experience seizures in her sleep or show severe signs of neurosis. Even Cravitz’s information network hadn’t uncovered the cause.
What on earth happened to her?
Scarlett had kept everything to herself. The only clue was the intense nightmares she had in her sleep.
“How is she now? Has she had any hysterics?”
“She should’ve taken a sedative by now. She’s asking for you. Her anxiety is severe, so please be gentle with her.”
“Don’t worry.”
Scott quickly got up and went to Scarlett’s room. She was sitting on the bed, wrapped in a blanket.
Her face had noticeably lost its color, but she greeted Scott with a bright smile. However, Scott didn’t return it. His face remained stern.
Scarlett studied him with tired eyes as he spoke in a heavy tone.
“If I’d known you’d get hurt, I never would’ve allowed your reckless behavior.”
“It wasn’t my fault.”
“Right. It was Noah Ashford’s fault. And getting involved with him was your choice.”
Scarlett frowned and fiddled with the ends of her dry red hair. She snorted.
“Why are you blaming me? It’s the fault of those thugs who were after money.”
“How many opportunities do you get to mingle with loan sharks or the mafia?”
“Oh, please. You think I didn’t know Aaron was involved with them? He’s the one who told me to always carry meds in case I got kidnapped.”
“Callie, this isn’t the time for that.”
Scarlett’s voice was bitterly sarcastic, and her lips twisted into a sneer.
Even under Scott’s stern expression, she didn’t shrink. She kept her spine straight and spoke her mind.
“If just knowing Noah Ashford makes it my fault, then what is left that I can do in this world? Anyone born into the White family is a potential kidnapping target. Don’t forget, even Auntie was kidnapped and killed at eight years old. You must’ve read that in the family history.”
“…”
“And let me say it again—I don’t mind being treated like a flower in a greenhouse. But don’t you dare turn me into a clueless, brainless doll. And let me add something else: I’m an adult now. I can do what I want. Don’t stop me. Don’t interfere. I won’t tolerate it.”
Scott bit his lower lip, seemingly unable to believe Scarlett was defending Noah. His eyes flickered with deeper hatred than hers. Seeing that, Scarlett’s gaze wavered, and she pleaded:
“I want this incident to be erased.”
“…That’s impossible. It was too big. The news has likely reached the council. John must’ve heard.”
“Then just erase Noah Ashford’s involvement. He’s mine. My puppet. My possession.”
“What are you trying to do?”
Scott ran a hand through his disheveled hair. Gone was the usual ease and sly tone he typically carried.
Scarlett thought Scott might’ve been the one most shaken by this ordeal.
“We’ll dirty our hands so you don’t have to. Just say the word.”
That’s what Scott had said just two weeks ago. It was a promise born from vengeance. He had vowed to support his sister’s every move. He loved his family, and he cherished Scarlett more than anyone.
“I’m trying to do what’s right. What’s certain is that Noah Ashford saved me. To be clear, I threw a check at those loan sharks. I did it because I couldn’t stand the way they acted. You know me—how arrogant and insufferable I can be. Maybe that’s why they held a grudge and kidnapped me.”
“Scarlett White!”
Scott shouted, and Scarlett screamed back with a tearful voice:
“Can’t you just let this go? Do you know how miserable I am right now?”
She looked like someone teetering on the edge of a cliff.
The intensity of it all gave Scott the gut feeling that something was going horribly wrong.
“What are you talking about?”
“We owe him a debt! We—I—owe him! I owe Noah Ashford! He saved me! How is that even possible? How could he be the one to save me? We should’ve sent someone faster! How could I—a White—be left in danger until an Ashford came to my rescue! He’s the kind of bastard I should’ve killed myself!”
But now… she wasn’t sure if he really was the murderer destined for hellfire.
More than anything, she felt at ease around him. And that terrified her.
Feeling something like this toward him was absurd.
Scarlett collapsed under the covers and began to sob.
The chaos was sickening. She was furious—at her kidnappers, at Noah Ashford, and most of all, at herself for feeling this way.
“This is insane. And those dreams—what are they? How did I end up like this…?”
“Dreams? Callie, let’s calm down first.”
Scott rummaged through the nightstand for a sedative.
She hadn’t had a seizure yet, but she was on the verge—so agitated it wouldn’t be surprising if she suddenly gasped for breath and clutched her throat.
Scarlett was drowning in confusion, her body shaking under the blanket as she choked out her words.
“I’m going to die. I’m going to die…”
Her brows furrowed, and her tear-filled eyes trembled like a child about to be scolded.
“That’s not going to happen.”
“You really think I’ll make it to nineteen? No. I won’t. I know I won’t.”
Even making it to eighteen had been called a miracle. Scarlett couldn’t bear the cruel fate she felt was closing in. In her past life and this one, the end had always come too soon.
Gripping the blanket with trembling hands, she cried out:
“I can feel it. My body’s dying day by day. I’m going to die. I will die.”
“They said you wouldn’t survive eighteen, and yet you did.”
“Nineteen is different. I… I…”
Scarlett bit her lip, nearly voicing the future where she would be murdered. She shut her eyes tightly, and tears spilled down like a flood. Her lips trembled as she begged:
“Don’t blame me. Don’t scold me. Just watch me. Whatever I plan, whatever I want to do—just accept it.”
It was a plea full of resignation. Scott’s face went pale.
“You…”
Scott’s eyes turned red as tears welled up. He pulled her into a hug. Scarlett wept in his arms, small and fragile.
“I don’t want to die.”
“You won’t. Callie, oh, please…”
“I’m scared I’ll regret it the moment I die.”
“Don’t worry. Don’t be afraid. I’ll make sure that never happens. If you want the world, I’ll give it to you. Just stop crying. Please. Callie. It’s all going to be okay. You’ll… you’ll…”
Tears ran down Scott’s cheek and dropped onto her red hair, soaking into the crimson strands like blood.
“Scott. I’m Scarlett White. I’m a White… who can become anything.”
When blood is spilled, it turns red. When it swallows the darkness, it turns black. That is White.
Scarlett feared that Noah’s blue eyes might stain her own world. That if she were consumed by that color, she could never return to white again.
But she was Scarlett White. Eternal in white.
Scarlett White.
