"If that's the case," mom started, her voice tinged with a hint of concern that I hadn't quite expected. "Then I think the problem wouldn't be her death itself, but when it's going to happen!" Somehow, as much as I hated to admit it, her voice sounded genuinely worried. It wasn't the usual cold indifference I expected from her, but something softer, something more human. She glanced at me, her eyes filled with that motherly concern I couldn't shake no matter how much I tried to distance myself from it. "Are you sure you want to make her join the Trials, Dai?"
What a stupid question. What the hell did she think I was going to say? I couldn't believe she was even asking me that. "Of course, I do, mom! Come on, guys," I shot a look around the room, meeting the eyes of my family, "We are talking about Nsomi Eileithya D'Arcy!" The name alone sent a sickening chill down my spine. "I can't let her get away with what she did." I paused, letting my words sink in. "And I believe each and all of us hate her for causing the death of our loved ones! Take her own family and my sister as an example. They all had horrible deaths because of her damn power."
I could feel the tension in the room as my words hung in the air. It wasn't just my mother who was concerned. My father, my siblings—they were all caught up in the same twisted web of anger and resentment. They had every right to be. Every damn one of us had lost something precious because of her. We were all victims of Nsomi's presence, one way or another.
"Do you think it's okay to let her go like that just because she saw her own death?" my mother shot back, her voice gaining strength as she found her rhythm. "Yes, it must have been fucked up. But she's used to that now. As she said, everyone will die someday, so what's the problem with her death? I would one hundred percent prefer to see her dying than the people I love. What about you? Is she important to any of you?"
Her words stung, but I couldn't deny there was a certain truth to them. Sure, I hated her, but was it worth letting her go just because she'd had a glimpse of her own end? Was it really going to be enough to destroy her? I wasn't so sure anymore, but I didn't back down. I wasn't about to let any of that cloud my judgment.
I may have been a little harsh, but it was nothing that all of us weren't already thinking about. Even my parents, deep down, knew it. We weren't going to let her walk away without paying for everything she had caused.
"Dai's right," my mother exclaimed. "Let her get a good taste of her own poison!" She was angry now, the edge in her voice unmistakable. Her brother, my uncle, seemed to be a little calmer, but he didn't disagree with her. He gave a simple nod, and that was enough for my mom. "And except for me, my husband and her brothers," mom continued, clearly settling into her role of the one in charge of this whole mess, "None of you can look at that girl in the eyes. She was right when she said that she used the blindfold because she wanted it and not because she was ordered to. And now she decided not to use it anymore, so take care. And if she does anything against any of you, come to us or go to Dai! Right, son?"
"Yes!" I answered, perhaps a bit too eagerly. But I couldn't help it. I needed to let her know that I was in control here. It was my palace, my rules, and Nsomi would learn to obey that.
"Also, she seems to be losing her sanity," mom added, grinning a little, clearly enjoying the chaos of it all. "So let's just let her do what she wants and act how she wants. Just ignore her. That will probably frustrate her and be even more effective. Because if I saw it right, she'll start acting bitterly now." There was a sharpness in her eyes as she looked around at everyone, waiting for them to agree. They did, of course. Everyone agreed with her—except for me.
I wasn't about to let that girl do what she pleased. Not in my palace. Not on my watch.
"When you have to be in the same place as her, son," my father's voice cut through the murmurs of agreement. I could tell he had thought about this carefully, maybe even more than I had. "Use a pair of dark glasses on." He paused for a moment, letting the seriousness of his words sink in. "She can only use that power of hers if she can get a good look at your eyes."
After I nodded in agreement, the conversation shifted. They moved on to other topics, but my mind was still stuck on Nsomi. The whole thing just gnawed at me. I wasn't satisfied with what had just happened. I couldn't be.
I left the room, already preparing some surprises for when she arrived in three days. The thought of her face when she saw my sister's nanny—imagine if I chose her to take care of Nsomi. She'd hate it. Especially when Emilia had the same kind of hatred for her as the rest of us did. The thought alone was delicious.
One of the knights gave me a pair of dark glasses as I'd asked. I slipped them on, ensuring I wouldn't end up staring into her eyes by accident.
I made my way to the training grounds, where I was expecting to find someone familiar. To my surprise, I heard the unmistakable sound of someone training alone, far off from the rest of the group. Could it be Adonis or Sohan? Maybe someone who needed some alone time to clear their head. My curiosity got the better of me, so I decided to give in. Without announcing myself, I moved closer, stepping lightly so I wouldn't alert the person to my presence.
What I saw shocked me.
I didn't need to see her face to know who it was. I could sense it in the air. I could smell her scent from here, a bitter mixture of something familiar and something new. It was unmistakable. I glanced down at the ground and saw a piece of her skirt lying discarded, torn in half. She had cut it with a sword. What kind of person did that? She was so out of her mind that she'd gone to the extreme of shredding her dress, but more than that—when had she learned how to use a sword?
Kneeling down, I stayed hidden in the shadows, careful not to reveal myself. My legs grew tired, but I couldn't bring myself to leave. I couldn't look away from her. She was so lost in her frustration, her movements so sharp, so calculated, that I couldn't help but feel a twisted sense of amusement. There she was, in her own little world, completely unaware of me.
She seemed beyond frustrated. As I watched her, I couldn't help but smirk. It was almost pitiful, how much she had unraveled. And yet, in the back of my mind, a dark thought lingered. It wasn't enough. It would never be enough. Seeing her like this only made me want to make her suffer more.
How amusing.