Episode 3

Two weeks had passed since she awoke in the grand general's mansion as Elizabeth. Her father had insisted she rest during this time. To her, this was unusual; in her previous life, she never knew what having a father was like. She grew up motherless, with a father who despised her. On top of that, she had a sister and stepmother who sought her out only to ridicule her or, even worse, to mistreat her.

Seated in a small gazebo amidst a garden, she stared intently at an artificial pond covered with blooming lotus flowers, lost in thought.

"How painful is it for a heart to be trampled until not a single piece remains?" she wondered, adding, "and by the person one loves the most?" Elyana, now Elizabeth, lifted her gaze towards the blue sky, sighing deeply. She raised a hand as if trying to reach that beautiful blue sky, then answered herself;

"It feels like thousands of needles piercing your body, deep enough to reach the bones. Just as when the beautiful scenery of peach blossoms suddenly turns to bare branches with neither leaves nor flowers where a butterfly has no place and vanishes." With this thought, she smiled to herself.

"A butterfly, her butterfly."

At that moment, she stood and extended her hand; several golden butterflies appeared to land on her and fluttered around.

"Sebastian, I will not leave you in peace. First you will fall into disgrace, be tortured to madness, and then you will die. What I suffered, you will suffer twice over."

Just then, her father arrived, witnessing the golden butterflies surrounding his daughter. The sight reminded him of his beautiful, beloved late wife. Until that moment he was unaware that his daughter had inherited her mother's magic. Surprised, he asked, "How long have you had this ability?" He remembered that Elizabeth had never used her magic and had not revealed it so that her father wouldn't suffer more from missing the woman he deeply loved. Deciding to be honest, she replied;

"I've always had it, Father. I feared that it might bring sadness to you, reminding you of Mother. She had this magic, and I inherited it, though I must admit I do not know how to use it properly," said Elizabeth with a pout and a somewhat embarrassed face.

"My child, my Eli, I will always miss your mother and cherish every memory of her. Your inheritance of this golden magic will not make me miss her more or love you any less." With that, he embraced his daughter. "But I'm curious about something, why butterflies?" he inquired as he held her.

"Because they are free and beautiful... Though fragile, they remind me of a friend," she replied.

In the arms of the man who was now her father, Elizabeth felt happy and thought to herself (Elizabeth, I will always take care of our father). She hugged him tightly.

A few minutes later, he mentioned that her cousin wanted to visit, concerned for her. Elizabeth thought to herself (it's not convenient to see her at the moment. I need more time to adapt to everything and to plan my revenge on her behalf). After reflecting further, she said to her father;

"Father, if possible, I'd prefer not to see anyone. I have just recovered and wish to rest. Ask her not to come for now. Also, I want to ask you something. I wish to learn everything about Mother's magic; I want to learn to use it, and once I gain a bit more strength, I want to train with you. After all, I am the daughter of the great General of this empire and wish to bring honor to my father and our house," she spoke seriously.

Though she possessed the training from her previous life, it was in knowledge only, as her current body had no physical training and was quite frail.

"You've often wanted to learn before, and you've refused. What has made you change your mind now?" the general asked cautiously as he stroked his daughter's head.

"I know I refused before, but being so close to death has made me reconsider. I nearly died from poisoning, and in the future, attempts might be made to kill me directly. I want to be prepared. Please father, this daughter of yours is asking for your help," she said with a slight bow.

"You make me proud, my child. Of course, I will teach you everything. You are my daughter, and surely, as the daughter of the great general, you must be the best. I will let it be known you haven't yet recovered, and you will receive no visitors until further notice. We will use your convalescence to start magic training from tomorrow. Something basic because I don't want you to overexert yourself. You are still weak," concluded the great general.

"Father, you are the best!" Elizabeth exclaimed, embracing him once again.

That same afternoon at the mansion of the general's brother, a girl received news that Miss Elizabeth had been targeted in an attack and had not yet recovered; therefore, she would not receive visitors since her condition was somewhat delicate.

"I feared she might suspect; perhaps she didn't hear what I said as she was fainting. Nonetheless, she is delicate. I will find a way to end her life once and for all," the girl said with a smiling face.

She was Estefani, Elizabeth's cousin, who had always envied everything her cousin had—her father, her wealth, her beauty, and, above all, her fiance. This hatred for her cousin had been and was being fueled daily by her mother, Alicia, who initially wanted to be the wife of the great general but never received a glance from him as he was hopelessly in love with Elizabeth's mother, who at the time was just his betrothed.

Alicia, in an attempt to seize the general, tried to sleep with him using an aphrodisiac and sneaking into his room, but to her misfortune, the servant she had paid made a mistake, and Alicia ended up in bed with the general's brother. This led to them having to marry. That night she conceived Estefani, and her husband never touched her again, blaming her for his unhappiness. At the time, he had been in unrequited love with his brother's fiancee, and because of Alicia, he never even had the chance to at least try to win her over.

Remembering all that her mother had told her so many times, only fueled her hatred for Elizabeth. Rising, she began to throw things randomly.

"Damned be she. I was meant to be the general's daughter. Because of your stupid mother and you, I'm stuck in this miserable life within an unhappy family," she said, continuing to throw items.

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