The main mansion was in the ruins. Did my fatherâs men use some sort of explosive as well? Well, it certainly seemed like they did.Demian did not come to meet me. Instead, I was led by some servants to a mansion, quite smaller than the main one. Dela and Rosalia were staying on the mansion beside this one.The servants led me to a chamber. It was spacious and had red curtains which attracted my attention right away. Did Demian choose this chamber for me? For us?âWhere is my husband?â I asked the butler. His name was Michael. I knew because he introduced himself. Other servants were filling into the room with my belongings.âI do not know the whereabouts of Lord Demian. However, he told me to tell you that you should not worry about him and that he will be back soon,â Michael said. He had floppy brown hair that reminded me of Leo and small dark brown eyes that looked black. âAnd he also suggests that you should not accept any invitation from anyone.ââInvitation? Who is going to send
I sat in the carriage uncomfortably because comfort was not an option when you were traveling via a carriage.Dalia sat on the seat opposite mine. She was inspecting something in her nails.âI want to ask you a lot of questions, my lady. But I think you might get offended,â she said without looking at me.âIf you talk to me while looking me in the eye, I might not get offended,â I said. I hated it when someone did not look me in the eye while talking. Especially, if that act was deliberate, not something unconscious.Dalia raised her head and looked at me. Her eyes were blue like the ocean.âItâs about Leo, isnât it?â I said.She nodded.âHe talked to me about you and quite tenderly as well. He told me that you two have been friends for a long time, since you two were basically children. I wanted to know if you two had any previous physical relationship.â She was direct. She did not sound impolite, just direct.âI never had any physical relationship with anyone before my husband. Leo
Demian did not come. But he sent a carriage to take me back to the estate. I still did not know exactly what transpired there. But I knew the gist.Three days ago, in the early morning, I got the news from Asher that Jade Star was dead. Asher seemed rather pleased about it and he kept staring at me with curious eyes as if he wanted to see me break. He gave me the impression that he would enjoy to see me break very much.âIs he a sadist or something of that sorts?ââWho killed him?â I had asked.âNo one knows,â Asher had said in a way that clearly meant something else; it was as if he had been saying that- âno one but I knows.ââWhat do you mean by that?â I had asked again.âThe Head had him locked, but someone went in there and killed him. Decapitated his body. Before killing him, the killer tortured him as much as possible.âIt was Demian. I did not even have to ask anyone to know that. Perhaps there was no proof of Demian actually doing it, but I knew it was him. He did it for me. H
Jade Star was chained to the wall, blood dripping from the tips of his fingers where his nails had been.I felt nothing but anger when I looked at him. He should be suffering much more.âWhat are you doing here, boy? Came to talk?â Jade Star asked. He was angry too. He was frustrated. He just tried not to show it.âYou hurt my wife,â I said.âYour wife?â He let out a bitter laugh. âYou took away my daughter! Your father took away my sister! And you are saying I hurt your wife?ââSully went to you because she thought you would protect her, just like you should have, because she is your daughter. You asked her whether she was raped by me or not and she said she consented. You did not like it when she told you that she was pregnant. You beat her up cruelly and you caused a miscarriage.ââI do not regret a single thing I did,â he spat.âYou hurt the woman I love. You hurt her not just physically. You caused her to lose a father even when he is alive,â I said calmly. I did not feel calm.â
Ten days passed in horrifying waiting. I was worried about Demian. There had been no word from him. I heard that some of the members of the Silverclaw family were gravely injured. I just wished that my husband was not one of them.âAre you okay?â Leo asked. He handed me a cup of tea.I took the cup and peeked inside. âWhy is it green?ââItâs green tea?ââI hate green tea.â I handed the cup back to him. Leo shrugged and took a sip.âThatâs all they had,â he said.Leo sat down beside me on the bed.âYou are worried about your husband,â he said. It was not a question. He stated it like a fact.I nodded. âI havenât heard from him in a long time. Iâm worried about him. With all the news coming from everywhere⊠If he gets hurtâŠââThe Silverclaws basically won this stupid war,â Leo said. âSome of the men of House Star was doing rampage around here, but that will be sorted soon.ââLast night, I dreamed my fatherâs men coming to this inn andâŠâ I actually had a nightmare about those men trying
âI donât think my husband told you to keep an eye on me like that!ââLike what, my lady?â Asher asked. A smirk was playing on his face.âYou were eavesdropping,â I said. âNow, love, there is no reason for that, is there?ââI was wondering if the rumors were true,â he said.âThe rumors?â I repeated. For a while, it did not make sense. And then it clicked. âAh! The rumors about me and an alchemist!ââYour husband even put you two in the same chamber for the night. Well, that intrigued me,â Asher said.âYou kept an eye on us in the room as well, did you not?â I asked, although I did not have to.âI was disappointed though,â Asher said coolly.âSeriously? Why would I have an affair with another man when my husband is everything I wanted?â I said.Leo went out for a while. Asher and many of the guards were told to keep an eye on me in case someone tried to attack me. They were supposed to be stealthy, but Asher, for some reason, was not being so.âFor starters, he chained you up,â Asher sa