Rebirth Of The Duke's Daughter

Chapter 4

In the stillness of the night, Mila awoke with a start. The room was cloaked in darkness, but a sense of unease gripped her tiny form. Her eyes fluttered open, adjusting to the dim light that filtered through the curtains. As her vision cleared, she saw a shadowy figure looming over her crib.

It was her mother, Lady Sydney. The sight of her brought no comfort—instead, it filled Mila with a cold dread. Lady Sydney's expression was twisted, her face bathed in the pale moonlight that streamed through the window. In her hand, she clutched a kitchen knife, the blade glinting ominously in the faint light.

Terror surged through Mila, and she instinctively tried to cry out, to alert someone—anyone—to the danger she was in. "Wahhhh—!" The cry had barely escaped her lips when Lady Sydney's hand shot out, covering Mila's mouth with a force that stifled her voice.

Mila's tiny body squirmed and struggled against her mother's grip, but she was powerless against the adult's strength. The muffled sound of her cries filled the room, mixing with the rapid thudding of her heart. Panic welled up inside her, and she fought desperately to free herself from the hold, but Lady Sydney's hand remained firmly in place, silencing her completely.

Lady Sydney's voice dripped with cold malice as she leaned closer to the helpless infant. "Since you are no help, I will just end your miserable life here rather than let you live miserably," she hissed, her words laced with venom. The kitchen knife in her hand gleamed as she raised it high, ready to bring it down upon Mila.

Mila's heart pounded wildly in her tiny chest, her instincts screaming for survival. In a desperate act, she clamped down on Lady Sydney's hand with all the strength she could muster. Her teeth, though small and just beginning to grow, sank into her mother's flesh with a force fueled by sheer desperation.

Lady Sydney gasped in pain and surprise, her grip on Mila loosening as she instinctively recoiled. In one harsh motion, she flung Mila aside. The infant tumbled out of the crib and landed on the cold floor with a soft thud. The shock of the fall stunned her for a moment, but survival instincts kicked in quickly. Mila began to crawl, her tiny limbs scrambling to escape the room that had suddenly become a place of mortal danger.

As she crawled, her mind was a whirlwind of fear and pain. She could hear Lady Sydney's footsteps behind her, each one heavy with murderous intent. "Don't think that I will let you off," her mother's voice called out, filled with dark determination.

Mila's breath came in ragged gasps as she inched forward, the distance between her and the door feeling like an endless stretch. But before she could get far, she felt a sharp, searing pain slice through her leg. The knife had found its mark.

A cry tore from Mila's throat, loud and piercing, as the pain surged through her tiny body. The wound burned, and the agony was unlike anything she had ever felt. She continued to cry out, her wails echoing through the room, filled with the raw, primal fear of a child fighting for her life.

Despite the pain, Mila kept moving, her small body fueled by the instinct to survive. But the injury slowed her down, making each movement excruciating. She could feel the warm blood trickling down her leg, soaking into the fabric of her clothing, but she didn't stop. She couldn't stop. Every inch she crawled was a defiance against the fate her mother had intended for her.

"Lady Sydney, please!" Sara's voice trembled as she burst into the dimly lit room, her breath coming in frantic gasps. She lunged forward, her fingers gripping Lady Sydney's wrist with desperate strength, halting the blade that gleamed ominously in the candlelight. "You must stop this madness!" she pleaded, her voice a mixture of fear and resolve.

The sudden commotion stirred the stillness of the grand mansion, echoing through its silent corridors. Doors creaked open as the household began to wake, their footsteps thudding on the wooden floors above. Mila, the youngest of the servants, sensed the tension and let out a wail, her cries sharp and piercing, cutting through the heavy air.