Where is she?

Ruby held her breath as she made her way to Anna's room. In her hands was a tray with a small porcelain cup on top of it. It was the herbal drink that Anna requested the day before.

When she stopped for a breather, the bitter smell seeped into her nose, almost causing her to vomit. She glanced down at the cup and shivered. The sharp, pungent smell terrified her. She thought of giving it a test, but the smell was enough to make her surrender. It was unthinkable!

"Good morning~" her nasal voice came out once she entered Anna's room. She stepped inside and looked around.

"Heaven!" she exclaimed. Her mouth agape, and her eyes were fixed on the position her young miss was currently at.

She was sleeping horizontally across the bed with her head hung, and her long, wavy hair spread across the floor.

Ruby shrieked when Anna suddenly opened her eyes.

"You're here," Anna spoke, unbothered with the way her maid was overreacting.

"How about the thing I asked you yesterday?" she asked while placing her palm on the floor, slowly getting her feet up into a handstand.

"I-I made it," Ruby quickly answered and placed the tray on the table at the lounging area. She moved a few steps back and inhaled sharply.

"Young miss, are you doing yoga?" she asked while wafting away the smell remnant with her hands.

"I'm thinking," Anna replied while closing her eyes. She submerged herself in the rush of adrenaline. Last night's revelation was hunting her.

The content of Camellia's letter, the man's identity, and his relationship with Anna — these things occupied her mind since she woke up.

Moreover, Avery's silence was another unresolved issue.

All these questions with no answer made her jittery. The mystery of her new life was getting thicker, making her feel like a small bird flying in an endless fog. She thought she was flying in the right direction until she hit a blank wall. In the end, everything went back to square one.

"Damn it!" she cursed as she quickly let down her legs and stood up.

"What time is it?" she asked Ruby, who was tidying her bed.

Ruby glanced at the small alarm clock on one of the bedside tables. "5:55," she announced.

Anna exhaled and walked towards the single sofa in the room. Before taking a seat, she examined the herbal drink that Ruby brought.

She opened the lid of the porcelain cup and saw a thick green liquid inside. The fine crush of the herbal leaves made her nod approvingly.

"How was the preparation? Did you do as I told you?" she asked and held the cup closer to her nose. The strong smell of bitterness assaulted her nostril. In the corner of her eyes, she saw Ruby nod her head.

"Good job," she commended and took a sip of the herbal drink. When Ruby looked away for a second, she bit one of her fingers and let it dissolve in the liquid. When the trace of her blood disappeared, she devoured the entire drink.

Ruby was closing her eyes with her hands when Anna drank the herbal drink. She opened an eye to look but was horrified when she realized that the cup was already empty.

Earlier, she had to wear layers of masks when preparing the herbal drink in defense against the strong disagreeable flavor.

Yet, her young miss was taking her time sniffing and sipping the drink without a look of disgust on her face. Besides, there was no look of discomfort on her face even after drinking the unfavorable drink.

'Amazing!' Ruby couldn't help but praise Anna inside her head.

The bewilderment in Ruby's face was noticed by Anna, but she ignored it. Instead, she told her to prepare the same drink for the next thirteen days. The objective could only be achieved after fourteen days of consumption. Whether it was a success or a failure, everything would be known on the final day.

"Young miss, does that really work?" Ruby asked. "I believe there are many tolerable products out there that serve the same purpose," she added.

This was a modern world where everything could be obtained with money. If her young miss wanted to buy a thousand years ginseng or hire the most prominent doctor in the world, she believed that with the connection the Gunnars had, it was a sure deal.

"I have my own reason," Anna gave an immediate answer - one that prohibited further discussion.

Initially, she planned to buy all the herbs she needed after the thanksgiving party, but the unexpected finding in the botanical garden made the plan unnecessary.

However, the fact that the Gunnars planted all the bitter herbs surprised her. She found it quite bizarre, especially when it was the only type of herbs found in the garden.

Nevertheless, all was good as long as her plan could be executed without a hassle.

Ruby stared at Anna, who was in deep thought. The room became quiet all of a sudden, and she could feel sweats start to form all over her body. The silence was torturing her.

"M-Miss, I'll go prepare the bath," Ruby said a soon as she saw an opportunity.

Anna rose from the sofa and eyed Ruby with the corner of her eyes. The little maid of hers was getting bolder. If it was before, she would remain standing no matter the situation and would only move when asked to.

Once again, Anna reminded herself to scold Dominic for messing with Ruby's personality the next time she met him.

She yawned and stretched her body when a repetitive banging sound entered her ears. A line appeared between her brows as she stared at the door.

'Who?' she thought while taking her time to the door. However, someone ran passed her and opened it before she could. Naturally, it was Ruby, who was also bothered by the noise in this early morning.

"Yun!" Ruby spoke the name of the person who was in front of her. Anna peeked from behind and saw Avery's personal maid standing at the door while gasping for air.

"Why are you so loud in the morning?" Ruby complained, but the woman pushed her to the side and entered the room.

Yun bent her body forward while gasping for air.

"What are you doing?!" Ruby yelled as her face glowed in annoyance. Still, when she saw Yun almost out of breath, she kindly patted her on the back to calm her down.

Anna sat on a chair, slightly amused. She was surprised that Ruby wasn't affected by the harsh push Yun did to her earlier. Instead, she cared for her like a friend.

Yun smiled thankfully at Ruby and looked in the direction where Anna was at. She wanted to say something but choked on the first word. Tears welled her eyes.

"Take your time," Anna comforted her, although she was curious as to why Avery's personal maid suddenly made an appearance here.

"Miss Avery assigned me to give this letter to Miss Anna," Yun passed an envelope to Anna, which the other took with a crease on her face.

"What is it about?" Anna asked and glanced at Yun before looking at the sealed envelope in her hand. It was a plain brown envelope with her name written on it.

"Why aren't you answering?" Ruby nudged Yun in the hand. The maid, who was about Ruby's age, only looked at her in response.

"Hey!" Ruby shouted. She was annoyed when Yun wasn't giving any definite response.

Anna paid attention to the duo when she heard Ruby raise her voice. She stared at Yun, who expressed a troubled look on her face. Her eyes met her gaze with a firm stare as if telling her that everything would be explained once she read the letter.

"Ruby, give her something to drink," Anna instructed as she walked to her bed. She sat on it with her legs folded. Her eyes stared at the letter that was already taken out of its envelope, followed by a subtle sigh coming from her lips.

She had a gut feeling that some of the answers she sought were written inside.

Anna scanned the paper and realized that the entire piece was scribbled with neatly written words. She took a deep breath and started reading. Her eyes were twitching all the time she read the letter, and gradually, they turned emotional. Finally, a few drops of tears wet her cheek.

"You idiot!" she muttered slowly and wiped the tears away. Her amber eyes glowed in determination.

Of all the scenarios she had envisioned, this was the worst but was also the one that she wasn't expecting.

She read the letter once again before tearing it apart that disallowed others to read it even though they meticulously piece it together.

"Yun, where is she?" Anna asked as she paced to the door. Her right hand was already holding the doorknob when she looked at Yun.

Yun looked at Anna with teary eyes, and she gently shook her head.

"Damn!" Anna couldn't help but curse as she opened the door only to see a few men outside. They were wearing black from head to toe. One of the men stepped forward and spoke in a cold voice.

"Miss Anna, you're under arrest for attempted murder," he stated and showed a police badge.

Anna inhaled as she closed her eyes. "You guys are early. It's only 6 in the morning," she said calmly. Her eyes opened when a familiar voice entered her ear.

"Anna, how dare you do this to us!" it was the voice of a woman. One that sounded angry and disappointed.

Anna looked to her right and saw a man and a woman walking towards her. Mrs. Gunnar was crying with her husband supporting her from the side.

"You're a disappointment!" Mr. Gunnar sneered when he saw her. There was a look of disgust on his face.

Anna snickered.

"You guys are right on time," she uttered with a faint smile on her face.