Chapter 10: The Night That Should Have Ended Everything
Count Sebastian Arclay slammed his goblet onto the table.
Count Sebastian: "It has been two months, Caius."
Count Sebastian: "Two months since I ordered you to eliminate Octavia."
Count Sebastian: "That woman was supposed to die quietly—so I could weaken the Baron, sway the council, and force those spineless nobles to vote in my favor."
His eyes burned with fury.
Count Sebastian: "Do you understand me, Caius?"
Count Sebastian: "Or has The Muted forgotten how to kill a fragile Baroness?"
Caius knelt on one knee, his head lowered.
Caius: "My lord… I don't understand it myself."
Caius: "I took every precaution."
Caius: "The poison was flawless."
Caius: "By all logic, she should be dead."
The Count leaned forward, his voice dropping into something cold and venomous.
Count Sebastian: "You will get one more chance."
Count Sebastian: "This time, I don't want precautions."
Count Sebastian: "I want results."
Caius stiffened.
Caius: "My lord… if you wish to delay the council vote, why not simply eliminate the Baron?"
Count Sebastian's lips curled into a sneer.
Count Sebastian: "Are you an idiot?"
Count Sebastian: "If the Baron dies, suspicion falls on me immediately."
Count Sebastian: "But the Baroness?"
Count Sebastian: "That's different."
He smiled.
Count Sebastian: "Kill her."
Count Sebastian: "Then spread rumors."
Count Sebastian: "Say they fought constantly."
Count Sebastian: "Say she was infertile."
Count Sebastian: "Say the Baron wanted to divorce her to take a second wife—because she refused concubinage."
Count Sebastian: "Let the nobles feast on scandal."
Count Sebastian: "Make the Baron look weak."
Caius lowered his head.
Caius: "A brilliant plan, my lord."
Caius: "I will proceed tonight."
Count Sebastian: "Failure is not an option."
---
Late Night — Baron Saint John's Mansion
The mansion slept.
Moonlight washed over stone walls and silent corridors.
Caius appeared at the front gate without a sound.
Shadow Step.
Caius: "Two guards below. Two above."
Shadow Step.
Caius: "The yard is clear."
Shadow Step.
Caius: "No movement inside."
His senses sharpened.
Caius: "Perfect."
Shadow Step.
He appeared near the Baroness's chamber.
Inside, Baroness Octavia slept peacefully.
Caius: "Efficient and quiet."
He raised a small dart.
Chtk.
The dart struck her neck.
Seconds passed.
Her breathing slowed.
Caius: "Now."
He flicked his wrist.
A throwing knife flew straight toward her temple—
—
CLANG.
The knife struck an invisible barrier and dropped harmlessly to the floor.
Caius froze.
Caius: "…What?"
The room distorted.
The bed shimmered.
The Baroness vanished.
Caius stepped back.
Caius: "An illusion…?"
The walls shifted.
The shadows twisted.
Suddenly—
SNAP.
Metal bars slammed shut around him.
Caius: "A cage?!"
He reacted instantly.
Caius: "Shadow Ste—"
A blinding white light exploded.
Caius screamed.
Caius: "AAAH— MY EYES!"
Daniel: "Poison Shot."
A needle of darkened liquid pierced Caius's cheek.
Caius gasped.
Caius: "I… can't breathe…"
His strength drained rapidly.
Caius: "W-what… are you—"
He collapsed.
Lifeless.
---
Daniel exhaled slowly, his tiny chest rising and falling.
Daniel: "Uff… done."
Daniel: "Sensei—status?"
Sensei: "All residents are safe."
Sensei: "Execution was clean."
Sensei: "Your planning speed and adaptability match your past-life proficiency."
Daniel allowed himself a faint smile.
Daniel: "All that training paid off."
Daniel: "Mixing elements was the key."
Daniel: "Light and water for holy mist."
Daniel: "Water and dark for poison."
Daniel: "Fire and air to simulate body heat."
Daniel: "Wind alone to mimic breathing sounds."
Daniel: "Even the snoring."
Daniel: "He never questioned it."
Sensei: "Your control was precise."
Sensei: "You illuminated the entire mansion except the prison cell."
Sensei: "You guided his Shadow Step destination."
Sensei: "Then blinded him before termination."
Sensei: "Exceptional execution."
Daniel shook his head.
Daniel: "The real MVPs were my undead mice and ants."
Daniel: "Eyes and ears everywhere."
Daniel: "I knew someone would try again eventually."
Daniel glanced around.
Daniel: "Let's move before anyone notices."
Shadow Step.
A hidden chamber.
Fire Shot.
The body burned to ash.
Shadow Step.
Back to his room.
---
Inside the nursery.
Daniel lay down carefully.
Daniel: "Sensei… the Count won't stop."
Daniel: "And we can't tell anyone."
Daniel: "They think I'm a five-month-old baby."
Sensei: "A five-month-old who can walk."
Daniel: "Not helping."
Sensei: "Observation is our only option."
Sensei: "We act when necessary."
Daniel sighed.
Daniel: "Good night, Sensei."
Sensei: "Notification."
Sensei: "Original timeline deviation detected."
Sensei: "Baroness Octavia was meant to die before the council vote."
Sensei: "Her survival has created a butterfly effect."
Daniel groaned.
Daniel: "Sometimes I forget you're just a system."
Daniel: "Still… I'm glad."
Daniel: "They deserve happiness."
---
Next Morning
Octavia burst into Leslie's room, breathless.
Octavia: "Leslie!"
Octavia: "Wake up!"
Leslie jolted upright.
Leslie: "My lady? What's wrong? The sun isn't even up—"
Octavia grabbed her hands, trembling.
Octavia: "Leslie… I'm pregnant."
Leslie froze.
Octavia: "I missed my period."
Octavia: "I checked again this morning."
Octavia: "It's real."
Octavia: "I'm going to be a mother!"
Tears streamed down her face.
Leslie: "My lady… congratulations."
Leslie: "You and my lord deserve this."
Octavia laughed through her tears.
Octavia: "Daniel will have a sibling."
Octavia: "Just like you and me."
Leslie smiled warmly.
Leslie: "You're too kind, my lady."
Octavia: "Call the doctor."
Octavia: "We're going shopping today."
Leslie: "Yes, my lady."
---
Daniel lay quietly in his cradle.
Daniel: "Sensei… is this the butterfly effect?"
Sensei: "Yes."
Sensei: "They were never meant to conceive."
Sensei: "By preventing her death, destiny shifted."
Daniel: "So she's safe now?"
Sensei: "Time will tell."
Sensei: "They are about to give birth to someone who was never meant to exist."
Sensei: "Even God cannot predict the outcome."
Daniel stared at the ceiling.
Daniel: "Then nothing changes."
Daniel: "We stay ready."
The world had been rewritten.
And the consequences were only beginning.