As I walked within the beautiful woods my mind kept on thinking about Ivy. Her slim figure holding the dagger as her hands were trembling non-stop. Something felt out of place as if a piece was missing in this puzzle.
Ever since Ivy confessed her motives in the carriage I had already planned her participation in this late-night activity but I didn't think so many doubts would arise.
I already knew that she would kill Gilbert, any normal person would since, at the end of the day, she was being threatened. Even if I didn't state it she knew it. "Kill him or you'll die" is basically what I told her with my actions.
The real test wasn't her strength in killing that rat. The real reason was to see how she did it. How did she act when she stabbed him? What expressions did she show? Fear? Regret? None?
I thought that by pushing her to this extent I would be able to see her true colors but, instead, I only got cursed with more questions.
'Was it pure coincidence?' my thoughts take me back to the moment before the dagger pierced Gilbert's flesh. I clearly saw her hold it with her dominating hand and I noticed that she was aiming for his heart but then, out of a sudden, she grabbed it with both hands and swayed to the other side, stabbing the lungs.
'Is she a spy? An assassin maybe?' I couldn't conclude, however, one thing I was sure of, 'She is hiding something,' and I needed to dig it out. Being left in the dark is the worst crime of all because being ignorant is nothing more than being blind to everything around you. You easily become a tool to be used and I wasn't going to allow such a future, as small as it might be.
I arrive at the river and start undressing. I unbutton my shirt and remove it, followed by my shoes and trousers. The clothes drop on the dirt floor as I walk towards the calm water.
My naked body was tainted in blood and, as the moon shun down on me, I swiftly entered, feeling the coldness of the stream running through my bones. Even then, it didn't bother me.
The bloodstains begin to leave as they become one with the clear water and then, as the wind blew and the trees spoke, I dived.
I love water. It is calm, peaceful, and harmless. Fire couldn't hurt me here. This was the only place where I was truly safe from those murdering flames.
I gasp for air as I remove my head from the water right before pushing my hair back.
"Do you think you've won...?" a voice echoes within the leaves.
"Who's there!?" I look around me just to see overwhelming darkness. If someone was hiding behind the trees there was no way I could see them.
"It doesn't matter who I am Ophelia..." I had heard this voice before but I couldn't recall where, "Do you regret it?"
"I regret nothing," I dive again in a hope that this voice I am hearing is nothing but the remnants of my consciousness, trying their best to show their meaningless forms.
'He deserved it,' my conscious was clear. I couldn't feel guilt for murdering that man who had killed hundreds.
"Do you think you can escape me in here?" I quickly swim to the surface and cough.
"Who are you!?" I yell as fear began growing in my soul.
"You will know soon enough Ophelia Criswell..." a harsh wind passes by, making me close my eyes and, once I open them, everything was peaceful, quiet, and dark.
'I swear... Am I really not becoming insane?' I look around me as my mind blinded me with confusion. I didn't know what to believe anymore, 'First was a ghost man, a broken mirror and the miraculously healed cuts, then a water glass, then my dream and now this...' I let out a sigh. Some things were not meant for human comprehension and my mind was one of them.
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"Milady, everything is settled," Jade appears holding a cloth bag as his body was filled with blood and dirt, "I took the liberty to bring some cloth..."
Ophelia begins leaving the water and with every step she took, the more visible her body got. Her pearly skin was shining as the moon blessed it with its light. Jade couldn't finish his sentence as he saw her bare chest and without a second thought, he turned around, covering his face which was flushed.
'Interesting...' she thought as she removed the water from her hair and body.
Even though Jade was eighteen he had never seen a naked woman before and, in this society, one should only show their bodies on the wedding night. Those were the rightful customs, the rules one should follow in order to preserve their chastity.
"Are you embarrassed?" Ophelia's cold hand touches Jade's neck making a shiver run down his spine.
"Master... You should..." as Jade was speaking, her hand slides up his back from beneath his shirt, "Please milady!"
"I am already dressed," he turns around and sees Ophelia in the nightgown he brought. A sigh of relief leaves his body, "I like men who can control their desires."
Jade's expression turns pained as he hears her words. He knew this wasn't praise. This was a warning, telling him to know his place, to control his lust, and to keep things are they are. This wasn't because she despised him, he was aware of that, but, even then, he still felt slightly hurt.
"Wash yourself and burn the clothes, I'll head back now," Ophelia declares right before leaving.
The slave looked dazzled, without knowing what to do as he saw her figure disappear in the darkness of the night.
"Stop it..." he presses his hand on his chest in a pitiful attempt to store his memories somewhere far away but, no matter how much he tried, his figure came back to haunt him.
Her skin was pale like a pearl and her medium-sized breasts fit perfectly in her form. Her light pink nipples contrasted with her black hair that fell onto the ending of her waist. Ophelia was like a doll and, even if she was only fifteen right now, he knew that her beauty would become greater than anyone's he'd ever seen once she grew older.
To cool his head off, Jade undresses and dives onto the river. He was not a stupid man, he was well aware of the deep attraction he felt for Ophelia and he knew she was aware of it too but, even then, he had to conceal it.
He couldn't begin to explain when this attraction had begun. Maybe when they met, maybe later, but, even then, he was sure that something was there. The slave wasn't sure of why he felt like this, why he always felt a necessity to be close to her, and a terrifying wish for her body and soul. It was almost as if he had been put under an unbreaking spell that he tried so hard to deny.
'I won't bring her more troubles...' he dives his platinum hair in the water as his resolve began to settle.
Jade knew some things she had gone through and how much it had ruined her. He had also seen how uninterested she was in romance even when the most eligible man showered her with his attention. It was almost as if she thought love and desire were diseases that needed to be restrained and kept hidden away, in a chest whose key had been lost.
He would serve her as she desired, he would devote everything to her, and then, at that dreadful night, he would save her from harm.
'She won't go through that again,' he thought to himself as he scrubbed his body. He would do whatever he could to protect her, even if he had to offer his own life. That's how far his feelings went.
It was hard to understand if his emotions were due to his loyalty or to some other type of affection that had been created in the middle and so, that only made his reason more confused. Part of him felt conflicted, not understanding if he loved her as a woman or as a master. Two different, yet pretty similar feelings.
'But what do you like about her?' in his mind Jade could hear his older sister speaking. She used to be an extroverted girl and was always the first one to pester him. One time he told her he liked a girl from a neighboring villa but then, she shot him with this question and he didn't know what to reply.
Jade wondered what he liked about Ophelia.
'Yes she is exceedingly beautiful but...' there was something else laying deep in his heart that he couldn't quite put into words yet, something bigger, flowing between love and loyalty, floating between affection and respect.
Jade lets out a sigh. He missed his family but he knew he couldn't go back. Even if Ophelia releases him that night, he won't be able to return, for the house he once knew is gone and he was the only one to blame.
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「 The next morning 」
"Olivia, prepare my dress, I'm going to the palace" the next morning arrives swiftly and I knew that things were about to change. Ivy was nowhere to be seen and, according to the other maids she was stuck to bed with a harsh cold but, deep down, I perceived she wasn't sick at all.
"Who are you taking milady?" I glare at her impertinence.
"I just gave you an order but you seem to be more interested in talking," immediately she turns and heads to the closet as I got up.
'This girl...' as I watched her I couldn't help but think that Olivia was nothing but a clouded-headed girl with a conflicting personality and, that only made me even more suspicious, 'The fact that I am considering this possibility is unsettling...'
"What color would you like milady?" she questions me as she rummages through the several dresses. They were all somewhat plain except two: the red crimson one I wore to Catherine's ball and the one Duke Wharton bought for my first meeting with his son.
"Blood," I smile coldly and Olivia flinches. The rest of the maids were quiet, without saying a word while trading glares with each other.
"That's funny milady... The red one then?" she tries to lighten the mood but I could notice her nervous movements. For once, she was being careful with her words.
'Why is she so scared? Does she know something?' I wondered about Olivia's strange behavior but, once again, I had been the one that had brought this situation forward.
"Yes," I declare and, right after, Olivia and the other maids begin to pamper me carefully, as if walking on a thin thread.
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「 Some hours later 」
"Lady Ophelia, please state your business in the palace," a guard asks me politely.
"I want to see Millicia, I heard her execution is tomorrow," I respectfully respond but the man frowns, unsure of my words.
"Do you have any proper authorization?" he was indeed persistent.
"I'm sure you are aware of what happened so I will be honest with you..." I let out a sigh while grabbing a handkerchief to clean my flowing tears, "I need to understand what made her do such a thing if I don't..."
"I understand milady but..." the guard had become flustered and I understood he had become conflicted.
"Is there a problem?" a man with caramel-colored hair appears. By his attire and his posture I immediately recognized his importance.
'An aide...?' I thought as he approaches us and I managed to appraise the details on his clothing.
"Lady Ophelia, I presume?" he smiles politely.
"Yes, and you are...?" I question him while storing the handkerchief once again.
"Aldrich, I am the crown prince's personal servant," he bows down gracefully.
"The thing is mister, Lady Ophelia wants to visit a prisoner but she doesn't have permission," the guard scratches his head as he tried to settle this matter peacefully.
"I understand. I will vouch for Lady Ophelia," Aldrich stretches out his hand to escort me and we head towards the dungeons. I glanced at him as we walked slowly but he looked unbothered.
'Isn't he going to question this?' I couldn't help but feel the anxiety growing within me. Any smart and rational human being would be curious as to why I intended to visit someone who had attempted to end my life but, as we walked, the only sound that echoed was the rattling of the leaves and our footsteps.
After passing through the palace and a large area filled with trees we reach one of the borders, embraced by two big steel gates. We cross it and are greeted by a massive forest, filled with trees that clouded the bright blue sky and then, a perfect plain with nothing in sight but the dungeon itself. A big tower made of stone bricks pierced the sky and, on its bottom, there were several guards, all stationed properly. Around it, there were two smaller wooden towers that, I assume, held archers.
"I'm sorry milady but only you and your escort can come inside," one of the guards affirmed with his thick mustache.
"I understand. Please wait here," Olivia and the other maid bow, respecting my decision.
Aldrich continued to remain silent as he escorted me up the stairs. The silence was nothing more than the slash of a sharp knife, making my worry increase.
'What does he want? What is his purpose?' were some of the thoughts that ran wild in my mind as I glanced at the man accompanying me.
"This is no place for a lady but since it was your personal request please bear with the smell," Aldrich states right before opening the big door.
An intense smell of feces, urine, vomit and sweat filled my nostrils and I had to strongly contain my gag reflexes. I couldn't permit such a disgrace.
As we walked down the big passage I couldn't help but sense a strange feeling of familiarity with it, almost as if I had already been here before. All the cells and where their objects belonged, the stones and the steel bars... Everything seemed, strangely, known to me.
"You have a visitor," we stop at a cell with only a small window that allowed some light to come inside. The floor was bloody and the smell of urine and excretions was stronger here. I looked ahead just to see Millicia, in filthy clothes, almost as thin as a paper sheet, shaking.
'Does she have a fever?' I thought as I noticed her blushed cheeks and uneasy breathing.
"Millicia, do you remember me?" her eyes looked lifeless and, even after hearing my voice, her lack of interest remained the same. Understanding how far her consciousness was, I turn to Aldrich, "Do you mind if I have a moment?"
"Lady Ophelia I'm afraid but that's..." his eyes focus on mine, weighting the consequences of my request.
"We're both women, I am afraid that I won't get the information I need if you remain here," I sigh and start carrying a desolate expression, "Just a couple of minutes, please Aldrich."
"Very well, I'll return in a couple of minutes," even conflicted, the aide sighs and heads down the passage. As I hear the big door close I knew we were finally alone.
"Millicia Swan, do you know why I am here?" I ask her coldly as my personality quickly changes. The response I receive is nothing more but pure silence, "It would be wise to respond."
'So it's going to be like this?' as she continued to ignore me I knew I had no other way.
"I'm sure Charles would agree," she immediately rushes towards me and grabs the iron bars, growling like a beast. I promptly step back and grin.
"If you touch my brother I will kill you," is what she would be saying if she had a tongue.
"Good Millicia, good," I grab her hands strongly and she looks at me shocked as I approached my body and face to hers, becoming so close that I could feel her hot breath, "Those eyes are beautiful but they shouldn't be aimed at me, isn't that right?"
Her frowned brows relax and so does her tight grip on the bars. I remove my hands and we both calm ourselves down.
"Milly, I am not here to ask you for reasons or to settle matters, I already know everything," I can see her nerves running through her body as she listens to my words and call her by the nickname given by my sister, "I just came here to ask you something, do you want to live?"
She looks at me confused, I could tell she was not understanding what I was asserting.
"Let me clarify... Do you want to get revenge on my father? The man who betrayed your trust? The man that will leave your little brother to die?" in a rush she runs towards the bars again, her eyes filled with hatred.
I was very surprised to learn yesterday that Jade, during the time I was unconscious, took the initiative to gather information regarding Millicia and her family through the maids.
Part of me had already given up on him as a way to gather information since he failed to find the man who was in my room several weeks ago. He searched the whole property and the towns surrounding it but no one could've done it. The leads were scarce, to begin with, but, even then, it was something of extreme importance.
Duke Criswell made a deal with Millicia, a maid working for him in the mansion: if she would infiltrate the party and poison my drink he would give her a handsome sum of money that would allow her to buy the medicine she needed for her brother and, in the case of something happening to her, he would still deliver the money to him. Of course, knowing Alvin, none of this happened because that man is moved by greed.
"So Millicia Swan, I will ask you again... Do you want to live?" her eyes sparkled with contempt, with a thirst for revenge, and the more I looked at them, the more beautiful they became. Unconsciously, a grin is formed on my lips, "Then devote yourself to me and I will give you satisfaction until your heart's content."
She looks at me astonished, and, without being able to utter a single word, she immediately kneels right before bowing her head, showing me the extent of her loyalty.
'Smart choice,' I smirk before hearing the opening of the door.
"Wait for me, I will come and get you soon," I head towards Aldrich who was looking at me with a bewildered expression on his face.