They would certainly pay

Everything hurt, Selah's entire body felt like a burden she couldn't wait to get rid of. The night sky with its millions of scattered glittering dots looked on in indifference at her dying figure.

She forced her eyes to open and looked towards the heavens but could not see them clearly through the blood that seeped into her eyes from one of her head wounds. A tear mixed with blood escaped her eye and glided down the side of her face, the salt in her tear made her face wounds hurt more.

A string of broken silent tears started falling from her eyes like a water fall, she looked at the night sky through the haze of her tears.

"Why," came a sorrowful moan from her bloody lips, followed by a blood filled cough that made her lungs feel like someone was continuously beating them with a hammer.

She wheezed in a forced breath of air. What did she ever do to deserve this, was the last thought she had as her head that was facing the heavens fell to the side limpidly, a single blood soaked tear containing all her unwillingness over her fate escaped her eye and fell on a wild flower's petal and stained it red.

Cold, Selah felt very cold. Is a person supposed to feel cold when they are dead? She heard hasty knocks as they hit a wooden door, Wait, Knocks?

Selah opened her heavy eyes and looked around the familiar looking dilapidated room she stayed in at Marquis Wormwood's mansion. She couldn't understand what was happening, was her entire life flashing before her eyes before she completely died?

Another set of heavy knocks battered the old door threatening to break it off its already worn out hinges. Selah sat up quickly in reflex and hit her elbow on the bed frame when she tried she get up.

"Owww," she cried out in pain, pain?, yes pain

She looked at the small trickle of blood on her elbow with bewildered eyes. She pinched her fore arm and still felt pain, it wasn't a dream. But how did this happen, she was supposed to be dead at the bottom of a canyon.

Her bedroom door flew open and she recognized the person who entered as one of the servants beside the Marchioness.

The maid said with disgust laced in her voice, "The Marchioness would like to meet you, get yourself ready and follow me to meet her."

Selah had disbelief written all over her face, this was a scene she remembered happened almost 15 years ago.

The maid seeing this said with irritation, "What? You don't believe me? Should I go and inform the Marchioness that you don't want to?"

Selah quickly shook her head, "I will go and get ready immediately," her voice was calm compared to the earlier violent shaking of her head.

The maid for some reason felt a shill on her back, "Don't keep me waiting." She said trying to keep the fear out of her voice.

Selah had a very small selection of clothes so it didn't take her long to finish getting ready and followed the maid out of her courtyard, she looked back as she walked out the gate and confirmed it was the same as she remembered before she hurried after the maid as they made their way to the Marchioness's courtyard.

There were two guards dressed in finer clothes than her standing outside the entrance of the courtyard and they stood ramrod straight on either side of the gate. After entering the gates, she was greeted by that unforgettable scent of gardenias in full bloom. Glancing to her side she saw familiar white flowers she was beaten over for plucking one. She gave a small laugh, had she really been reborn?

She didn't look at any of the other colourful flowers again as she followed the maid to the Marchioness's dining hall. The maid announced her arrival and there was a short reply allowing her to enter.

The fragrance of many dishes of food assaulted her nose as she entered before she finally came face to face with a luxurious spread of food on the table. The middle aged Marchioness sat on a velvet chair as her hand that was heavily decorated in gold bangles and sapphire rings kept on sending spoon after spoon of soup into her mouth.

Her once youthful black hair was tied in a neat bun and was now littered with strands after strands of white hair which was mostly caused by a stressful life of dealing with her husband's concubines and the countless maids he kept on bringing to his bed.

She put down the spoon and glanced up at her with that all so familiar blank stare before she silently scoffed under her breath while hiding her mouth behind her hand which Selah mistook for a cough in her past life.

The Marchioness gestured to the other sit with her hand, "sit."

Selah sat down silently and just looked down at her hands.

"Eat," another one word command came from the Marchioness.

Selah was feeling hungry anyway so she gladly started staffing her face without saying another word. The silent dining hall was filled with the sound of slurping at one moment then the sound of loud chewing the next.

Selah had come to terms with the fact that she had really been reborn to fifteen years earlier. This was the time when the Marchioness had summoned her to inform her that she would be going along with them to the princess's coming of age ceremony and she tried to sweet talk her into volunteering to be the princess's study partner when the time came.

At that time, Selah had tried to be as neat as possible intimidated by this legendary figure in front of her and the beautiful looking hall that was decorated with exquisite looking porcelain vases that surrounded her, this time however she was being as annoying as ever. They wanted a favour from her so they better take whatever she throws at them because she knew that to be the princess's study partner she had to volunteer herself willingly, neither the Marquis nor the Marchioness could speak for her, so the Marchioness will not scold her no matter how much her blood boils since she is trying to win her over.

The Marchioness's face looked like she had swallowed a fly as she looked at the table manners that Selah presented, she cleared her throat very loudly. Selah secretly rolled her eyes and couldn't help thinking, here it comes.

"Was the food to your liking?" Said the Marchioness with a forced soft voice that sounded stiff more than anything,

"It was very delicious thank you," Selah kept her head lowered to hide the disgust she felt for this woman.

"That is good to hear, I only just heard of how the others have been treating you," she gave a pained sigh as she continued, "I had no idea you were suffering so much, as soon as I knew about it I got the cooks to make something for you and sent for you."

Selah felt like laughing, same as before indeed. How did she fall for this nonsense in her past life? How can a mother not know what her daughters have been doing when every servant knew and they even nicknamed her the first and second miss's punching bag. No, she has always known but just turned a blind eye to it.

The Marchioness went on thinking that Selah was not saying anything because she was too touched by her gesture to speak.

"I have arranged a room for you right here in my courtyard that you can immediately move in to, it already has everything you will need."

Selah still said nothing.

The Marchioness sighed dramatically, "Look at how thin you are, you should eat well from now onwards and treat those bruises on your body."

Selah pinched her thigh hard until tears formed in her eyes then looked up at the Marchioness with her tear filled eyes.

"I….I…I," She didn't finish her sentence and looked back down as if overwhelmed by the feeling of gratitude.

"No need to thank me, I am only doing what I am supposed to," The Marchioness said all so self-righteously.

Selah got up from her chair and gave the Marchioness a back breaking hug as she cried loudly on her shoulder while making sure to wipe snot on her treasured clothes. The Marchioness gave a shrill scream as she pushed Selah away and even got up from her chair quickly to make distance between them causing the chair to fall down due to the sudden movement.

She forced a smile through the disgust she felt, "One of the servants will lead you to your new room, excuse me."

After which she proceeded to practically ran out of the room, definitely to bath and burn the clothes she wore. This thought brought a smile to Selah's face as she watched the hastily retreating figure. They would certainly pay for all the grievances she went through.