Sara could no longer walk through the halls without feeling watched.
Agatha's children had become permanent shadows in her life:
Victor, with his cutting mockery.
Diana, with her venomous smiles.
Lucien, with his silences that felt more dangerous than words themselves.
But the worst part was how they treated her when Persi was around.
"Still carrying that cat around?" Victor asked one morning at breakfast.
Sara clenched her fists under the table.
"She stays with me. It's not your problem."
Victor chuckled.
"She's just a cat. Or do you actually think she protects you?"
"She understands me," Sara replied, locking eyes with him. "More than you ever could."
Diana chimed in with a fake laugh.
"Of course she does. The lonely orphan and her feline friend.
It's almost sad… if it weren't so pathetic."
Persi meowed softly, as if understanding every word.
And maybe, at that moment, Sara understood something too:
These weren't just words.
This was war.
Cold War – The Humiliation Intensifies
The humiliation only got worse in the days that followed.
In the garden, Victor mocked how Sara spoke to Persi, using a childish voice and pretending to cry.
"Oh, Persi, tell me what to do… you're my only friend…"
Diana laughed hysterically.
"Do you really believe that cat cares about you?
She's only with you because you feed her."
Lucien, always silent, simply watched.
And that hurt more than any words could.
One afternoon in the library, Sara found a note written in elegant, cruel handwriting:
"The mad girl of the mansion and her disgusting cat. How much longer do you think you'll last here?"
It was stuck to the inside cover of one of her favourite books.
Her heart shattered into two.
She sat on the floor, hugged Persi close, and let the tears fall.
But not for long.
She couldn't afford to stay broken.
Because they would win.
And that was not going to happen.
The Dinner That Changes Everything
It was during dinner that everything exploded.
Agatha had organized a small family gathering.
Even invited the tutor she planned to assign to Sara.
Everyone was there: Clara, Evelyn, Melinda, Yuri… and of course, the three ravens.
Everything seemed civilized… until Victor decided to strike.
"Did you know Sara still sleeps with that cat?" he said, smirking at the tutor. "Like a five-year-old child."
The tutor raised an eyebrow, clearly uncomfortable.
"I don't think that's relevant…"
"Oh, but it is," Diana interrupted. "She even talks to it. Says they 'understand' each other.
Right, Sara?"
All eyes turned to her.
Even Agatha smiled.
Sara felt her blood boiling beneath her skin.
"At least I have someone who understands me," she said firmly. "Someone who doesn't lie. Who doesn't manipulate? Who doesn't deceive."
Victor laughed.
"You mean your cat?"
"Yes," Sara replied. "Unlike you, she's never betrayed me."
Lucien spoke for the first time, his voice low but clear:
"Your cat can't protect you.
No one can."
Sara stared at him.
"We'll see about that."
She slowly rose to her feet, Persi in her arms.
"You come here, take my house, my things, my space… and now you laugh at me like I'm some kind of joke.
But I'm not a joke.
I'm the owner of this house.
And I won't let you treat me like rubbish any more."
Then she looked straight at Agatha.
"And I'm going to prove it to all of you."
Without another word, she walked out of the dining room.
Persi meowed softly — as if saying: "I'm with you."
Final of the Chapter – A Silent Promise
Sara climbed the stairs with steady steps.
She didn't tremble.
Didn't cry.
Just walked — as if she'd made a decision she couldn't undo.
She entered her room and closed the door behind her.
Persi jumped onto the bed and stared at her, as if waiting for orders.
Sara pulled out the secret folder.
She took her mother's diary.
And for the last time, she read those words:
"If anything happens to me, trust Yuri. He knows who I really am."
Sara swallowed hard.
She had no doubts left.
No fear.
Only a path.
And she wasn't turning back.