"I'll blame you, Aleksi."
The situation froze for a moment. He couldn't believe his ears, and Kyle was also shocked, smiling.
"See? My little sister loves me so much…"
"Are they threatening you or…?"
"No." Eris interrupted the men's chatter. "Take them and lock them in a cell. Everyone here has a servitude engraving. I can take care of impersonating my brother as their owner."
"They have a what?" The veins in Aleksi's forehead nearly exploded from fury. This was worse, much worse than he had thought. A servitude engraving was a forbidden practice even before the Kassias pact. Not even illegal auctions dared to use it on their wares because of the unbearable consequences.
But here Kyle was doing whatever he wanted? Was he a king in a degenerate world with no one to stop him? What was really happening in this isolated area, cut off from everything and everyone?
The Stella mansion had been built 20 years ago, in the middle of nowhere, at the request of the late lords, who claimed it was necessary for their perfume experiments, and that it had immediate support from the center in emergencies, just half an hour away.
But what was the point of all this?
Since when had the Stella family done whatever they wanted? Was Kyle the culprit, or was this something that had existed long before?
"The world is worse than the big bad wolf thought," Eris scoffed, seeing his expression. It was good that she wasn't the only one suffering from what she saw and knew; at last, her burden felt lighter.
She continued, "You think you're some kind of villain, Aleksi, and maybe you are to the cleaner and more important circles, but the truth is that the shadows are thicker and more dangerous than you imagine. No one sends you to clean up the trash in the corners because it's necessary and backed by those same great powers… And even if it hurts your pride, you're not so strong or imposing on those who really want to end the period of peace. You're just another stone in the road."
Eris had never spoken this much. Her words stumbled, she stuttered, and even lowered her voice in some sentences. Her throat felt dry and scratchy, but she didn't stop. She blurted out everything she knew.
She would bet everything she saw in her bad endings on this one path. The only one she was living in her present.
"So, Aleksi, lock them up quickly. Under the stairs used by the servants, there's a closet, and inside it, there's a false wall leading to the cells. There's no entrance through the basement. And there are two laboratories: one with perfumes, and the other, which you must never speak about, not even to your superiors. If we want to survive, we must make use of the gray resources and connections of the Stella family. Do you understand?"
Eris tilted her head as she received no response after a while.
She was betting everything she had on a bad horse.
Aleksi was proud and stubborn; she didn't think he believed her, but still, she had no other options, again.
He was staring at her, but he no longer looked as big and powerful as before. He just looked like any other trained man.
Had the truth been a big blow to him too?
"How much do you know, Eris? Do you have proof?"
Eris sighed, defeated. If she heard one more time that he was demanding proof from her, she'd better try to run away alone… "I don't know how much I know, but at this point, you should have suspicions too, right? Ah, but I'm sure there's a spy in your lovely pack."
"Shut up." Kyle reacted like a spring. Eris's whole conversation had shocked him to death, but what she had just said was taboo. He couldn't say it out loud, let alone in this mansion.
He lunged to punch her, but Aleksi was quicker and knocked him unconscious with a single punch.
Eris frowned as she heard the crunch.
Then, the wolf approached her. He tried to control his temper and voice so as not to hurt Eris, but it proved almost impossible.
"Who?" he asked.
"You really don't know?"
"Who?" he repeated without the same patience.
Eris pursed her lips. She could no longer hold anything back, although she didn't know if what she was saying was the right thing or if, on the contrary, she was damaging everything.
"My brother has dealings with the Crimson Peak, and they always mention Salem as their informant. You probably don't know this, but Salem is related to Sabrina."
"Impossible." Aleksi automatically refuted. How could he mistake his friend's scent?
"No, it isn't. If Salem were a half-breed and wore our perfume, and whispered words of praise to you every day… After all, Sabrina and he come from the mermaid race."
Like a puzzle, the story began to fit together in Aleksi's mind. Leaked plans; manipulated secrets…
Still, he refused to believe that anyone was fabricating an event as big as what happened with Kassian.
He was careful because if it was discovered that Eris was an abused creator, it would cause such an outrage that a perfumer's strike would erupt.
The halt in the creation of perfumes would skyrocket demand.
And the veil of the supernatural would be lifted, bestial instincts would awaken and humans would be the first affected.
But if she was "saved" and "hidden," who would doubt the higher-ups? They could do whatever they wanted with her. And if anyone doubted or evidence surfaced, real or fabricated, opposition to the peace treaties would gain momentum.
For the first time since becoming an adult, Aleksi felt fear.
Forget about protecting humans from them. They themselves would be in danger of an all-out war. The first to be destroyed would be guardians like him.
Only bad endings existed in such a scenario.
Altering the entire present and future with a single decision. That was the power of a creator in her present age.
Eris was now able to create any formula, any possibility, any destiny if she wanted. Most recipes were strictly controlled, and not just anyone could recreate them, even if they found them. But Eris was different. Recipes meant nothing to her. And her entire existence represented something different, but too much, for everyone.
Aleksi felt suffocated. Too many thoughts and feelings clouded his mind.
"Nothing has happened yet," Eris interrupted him, saving him from the abyss of his mind. "Nothing has happened, nor will anything happen if this house is still standing."
"So, what's your plan?" He decided to ask her. From the beginning, she seemed to know much more than she appeared.
"I already told you. We'll pose as my brother and Sabrina until you figure out the situation and come up with a better plan. I know things, but I don't know how the world really works. You do. Besides, don't take it all so personally. It's normal for hunting dogs to stop serving when there's nothing to hunt, or when their owner finds better entertainment. Oh, there's also another saying: 'A sharp sword from a nation becomes dangerous when it points at its king and not its enemies. That's why it was destroyed when the peace period arrived'… I think that's how it goes, even if it doesn't sound quite right…"
"Mm," he interrupted.
"Ahem… So, will you help me move them?"