Chapter 75
The scent of sandalwood permeated Charles Lowell's chamber. Rosewood furniture gleamed softly in the sunlight. These priceless antiques had now become perfect kindling. Delicate curtains swayed, and scrolls of rice paper artwork hung low—a single spark was all it took to consume the entire space.
Evelyn Roland carefully rolled up a calligraphy scroll, her fingertips brushing against the yellowed paper. Suddenly, searing heat licked at her back.
She whirled around. Flames danced along the edge of a curtain, hungrily devouring the wooden window frame. The fire spread with terrifying speed.
"Victoria!" Evelyn's pupils constricted as she spotted the deranged woman hurling a burning tablecloth toward a stack of priceless scrolls.
The blaze erupted instantly, thick smoke billowing upward.
"Are you insane? These were Grandfather's treasures!" Evelyn lunged for the burning artworks but recoiled from the blistering heat.
Victoria stood by the doorway, eyes glittering with manic glee. "Burn! Let it all burn to ashes!" She tossed aside the lighter and fled.
Flames crawled up the wooden beams, the structure groaning under the assault. Gritting her teeth, Evelyn charged into the inferno to salvage what she could.
One scroll. Two. She darted through the firestorm, arms laden with precious artworks. Smoke seared her lungs, tears streaming down her soot-streaked face. The heat scorched her skin.
"Grandfather..." In the haze, she glimpsed the old man's silhouette—his patient hands guiding hers as he taught her calligraphy on tranquil afternoons. These memories lived within these very scrolls.
She couldn't give up.
Outside, servants scrambled in panic.
"Fire! Call emergency services!"
"Miss Roland is still inside!"
Sebastian Valdemar had just entered the courtyard when the commotion reached him. His gaze snapped to the black smoke pouring from the second-floor window.
"Evelyn?" His chest tightened.
A flicker of movement caught his eye—Victoria slipping out a side entrance, her smile chillingly serene. Understanding dawned instantly.
Without hesitation, he sprinted toward the burning mansion.
Blistering heat slammed into him as he kicked open the partially collapsed door. Inside, Evelyn staggered toward safety, arms clutching salvaged scrolls. Her hair was singed, face smeared with ash.
"Have you lost your mind?" He grabbed her arm.
She fought against him. "Let go! There's one more!"
Flames blocked their exit. Sebastian hauled her backward just as the ceiling beam crashed down where she'd stood moments before.
"No—" Evelyn collapsed to her knees, the rescued scrolls scattering across the floor. Trembling fingers traced the fire-scorched edges as tears splashed onto charred paper.
Sebastian watched in silence. This stubborn woman now seemed as fragile as the delicate rice paper she'd risked her life to save.
Sirens wailed in the distance. On the periphery of the gathering crowd, Victoria's triumphant smile slowly froze.