For some logical reasons, Veronica decided that since Leon was a soldier, there should be weapons in his office, but she couldn't imagine that looking for copper she would found gold. She found a revolver in a secret drawer of the desk. This idea was attractive only the first couple of seconds, until the girl returned the gun to its place.
"The shot will be too loud, and empty threats made no sense." So she thought and remained content with a small dagger.
Veronica decided to meet the "Long-Awaited" guest in her office.
***
The black muscular, sharp horse stopped right in front of the main doors of the Kir-Erdey estate. A young man jumped to the ground. His black, slightly hair barely reaching his shoulders fell off. The black long cloak flickered from every sharp and nervous movement. His whole appearance spoke of his not friendly mood. The ride didn't cool his passion.
The guy jumped off his horse and shouted.
"Where is she?"
"My lady is waiting for you in the office." Deya said, lowering her head.
"Then what are you waiting for?" Coming very close to the girl, he roared menacingly, pressing her with his whole body.
"Please follow me, Your Grace."
Accustomed to such an attitude, Deya answered with complete calmness. She couldn't show her fear to avoid the hot hand of the second son of the Rosenblatt family, Eric.
The servants of Rosenblatt's estate were often replaced. Because of the cruelty and specificity of Eric's upbringing, when things went wrong as he wanted, the servants always suffered. He raised his hand without remorse to the servants, sometimes even for fun. No one cared at all about his behavior, probably because of this, his actions became tougher every time.
"My lady..."
Deya hadn't yet reported that behind the door in which they came, is Veronica as the boy pushed the door, completely ignoring the existence of the maid.
Veronica stood by the window with her back to him. The loud clapping of the door and the heavy knocks approaching his boot, the girl unwittingly strained, clenching her jaw.
In less than five steps he had reached the room, and grabbed her by the shoulder. Pulling her towards him, he hit her in the face with all his strength that the girl fell to the floor. The blow landed on the ear. She heard nothing, saw nothing, she passed by some of his first insults.
"Are you seriously thinking of running away from me?" Grabbed the girl by the throat, he lifted her up, leaning against the wall. "Something wrong with your gold cage? Soft bed, healthy food, beautiful dresses - what else do you need for your carefree existence? What the hell else didn't suit you?
Shouting in her face, he burned her with his gaze. At last, Veronica's consciousness cleared, but she immediately regretted it when she saw the hateful face. One eye is golden brown, the other purple with a scar. Disgusting.
"We got along so well, Veronica." His tone softened sharply.
He continued to squeeze her throat, stroking her cheek with his other hand.
"Have you forgotten how much fun we had in your room, dear? You were so kind to share a piece of yourself. You love your brother so much that you couldn't let me die. Right?" His crooked smile was full of mockery and slight contempt. The guy didn't hesitate at all to look down at her.
With her eyelids closed, a hot tear ran down her cheek. Veronica was shaking unknowingly. The nauseating smell of iron and the rotting it caused her head to spin. The girl felt something like a vase with right hand and grabbed it. She swung, and hit the boy on the head with the vase.
Eric fell on the floor, and the girl grabbed her throat, breathing in a nervous way.
"Oh, you little....!" The boy said, red with anger.
He jumped up and headed towards the girl. She grabbed the book from the same chest of drawers, and struck again.
"Don't come!!" She screamed until her throat hurt, looking at him with eyes full of burning hatred. "What do you want, you sick bastard!? Why the hell did you get so attached to me!!"
She struck him between the legs, and when he began to creak in pain, she kicked him on the inside of knee. Eric immediately fell down on knees. Veronica grabbed his long hair and punched him in the face. The girl didn't have exceptional power, but by calculating the speed and angle of the impact, she could easily bring down anyone. When Eric finally landed on the floor, the girl grabbed a shard nearby. Having sat on top of him, Veronica pressed a shard into his pulsating carotid artery.
"You find this funny, creep? For the rest of my dog life you were going to keep me on a short leash!? Veronica this, Veronica that!" She quipped, twisting her face. "I'm fed up with this!! You took everything from me! All!!" She screamed again to the point of an unpleasant sore throat, turning hoarse. "I can't finally breathe calmly!?"
He was silent.
Eric didn't take her seriously at all. It looked like another little girl's whim to him. The little strand of hair fell on her face. With his cold hand, Eric tucked it behind her little ear.
"Finished? Your performances don't work on me."
Veronica hated him with all her being. She was shaking in anger, mingling with fear. The words are stuck in throat, although she wanted to say so much, but will it make sense Every time everything ends the same: she was locked as a wild animal in the room. She refused food, water, but Eric didn't care. He forced food down her throat, sometimes drugged her with tranquilizers so she wouldn't fight back. This guy didn't think of Veronica as a human being. For him, she was a beautiful doll that could be torn apart, broken.
"What?" With a happy venomous grin, he held out, observing the sister's undecidedness.
Veronica was gripped by the shard of glass, which had spilled her blood. A couple of red drops rolled down Eric's neck.
"Your beautiful hands are already covered in blood, but now what? You doubt? Don't laugh at me!" His voice sounded somewhere far away and hadn't come to the consciousness of the girl for a long time.
Her detached face was filled with tears of fire from empty eyes. She was just paralyzed. The desired goal was right in front of her. Only one short movement remains and her nightmare will rest forever in the ground. But why? Why is it always the same?
"Why...?" The guy started answering questions that she didn't even notice, just out loud.
The guy pointed to his right eye, which was a complete copy of Veronica's left eye. It glowed brightly red. Eric moved his hand down to his right side and then to left lower abdomen.
"Because these are all parts of your body, my dear sister. You won't get back what you lost if I die."
"You're wrong." She snapped coldly. "If you die, then I'll just get it all back."
"Is it?" He moaned again, taking her words for a joke. "Then go ahead."
He even put his hands out, showing that he would not resist. This behavior made Veronica more angry. She felt like a little girl who was just being played with.
The years of bullying, attacks, and all the torment she had to go through continued to spin in her head. She was suddenly short of air. Taking deep breaths, as if the air was completely not felt in the lungs. It's like she's underwater. The head was spinning. Climbing to the floor and feeling the hard surface, the girl closed her mouth, trying to catch her breath.
Eric got up, shaking off his clothes.
"Tchk-Tchk-Tchk!" He clicked his tongue accusingly. "Veronica, you're so pathetic. Why are you so attached to? Do you love your brother or your organs? Don't be like that!" He drawled in frustration.
While his sister was choking, the boy stroked her silky hair, watching her face lose color.
"Brother lets you have a little fun. When you've played enough, come home, okay? The house is empty without my beautiful flower."
He poked her in the head and gave her a loving look, not rushing to move from foot to foot, leaving the room content. There was no trace of his anger.
"Milady!" Called Deya.
This is the last thing Veronica heard before she fell into unconsciousness.
Interesting fact unrelated to story: Deya is very devoted to Veronica. One day, a girl saved a maid's life during one of Eric's staged attacks. Deya never doubted milady's orders.