After Kapri left, the greenhouse was eerily silent asides from Kraxil struggling through the blood pouring back into his nose and mouth. Jiron, Kavi, and Nyxith huddle in a secluded corner of the green house as they watched while the guards finally hauled Kraxil's beaten body out and into the snow. Dark bruises and swollen features left him almost unrecognizable. A reminder that sobered Jiron to what they were in now that Kapri unyielding fury was unleashed on him, uncontained.
Kavi broke the silence first, her voice trembling with a mix of fear and confusion. "What's wrong with Lady Kaprice?" She winced as Nyxith gently pressed a bandage to the fresh scratch on her cheek.
Nyxith sighed, her gaze shifting uneasily to Jiron, who looked away as if he'd rather not say. But when he finally met Nyxith's eyes, they both spoke in unison.
"Intimacy pact."
Kavi blinked, her confusion deepening. "An intimacy pact? What does that even mean?"
Jiron crossed his arms and leaned back against the greenhouse wall, his face shadowed.
"This whole town is caught in one," he muttered, his voice barely above a whisper. "That's why it's still standing, why it hasn't fallen apart even with the famine and the strange happenings… why Lord Dazriel hasn't laid a hand on it."
Kavi's eyes widened. "So, that's why everyone here worships Count Lirael and his sister like… like they're some kind of gods?"
Jiron nodded. "This pact ties the people to them. Keeps them tethered, even when everything around them is falling to pieces. And now, with Countess Lirael nowhere to be found, they're losing their minds. It's like a parasite needing its host—they're all coming undone."
Nyxith frowned, wrapping the last of the bandages around Kavi's hand. "But… what exactly happened to the Countess? Why isn't she here?"
Jiron shook his head. "Something we don't want to be caught in, that's for sure. But if I had to guess, Lord Dazriel knows exactly what went wrong. He sent us here without so much as a warning—probably hoping we'd clean up his mess before he'd have to admit to it."
Kavi clenched her fists, her voice bitter. "So we're just here to deal with his mess? Sent here to save face for someone who couldn't care less?"
"I'm not sure that is the word, Lord Dazriel he's afraid to come here for a reason too? He as much a victim under that spell just like Lady Kaprice," Nyxith said remembering seeing Dazriel's name in the tome after they spread Count LIrael blood on it.
Jiron exhaled slowly, sinking down to sit on the damp grass. "Our best chance is to finish what we came here to do. We find what Lord Dazriel wants, and only then do we contact Jugo." He rubbed his temples as if warding off a headache. "The last thing we need is Jugo storming in here and also being caught when Lord Dazriel can't do much either."
Just then, the greenhouse doors creaked open again, and a fresh wave of guards entered. Their eyes settled on Jiron with cold, unspoken authority. In a swift motion, two of them stepped forward, seizing him by the arms. Before he could protest, they hauled him to his feet and dragged him out of the greenhouse, his feet scraping the stone path as he shot a warning glance back at Kavi and Nyxith.
The two young girl barely had a moment to react before more guards surrounded them, lifting them roughly by their shoulders and steering them back toward the castle. As they passed through the halls, they caught sight of Kapri from a distance.
There she was, nestled close to Count Lirael, her fingers tracing delicate patterns along his sleeve as she leaned against him with a dazed smile. The familiar fire in her eyes had dimmed, replaced by a strange, almost enchanted softness. She didn't even seem to notice Kavi and Nyxith as they were escorted past her.
"Lady Kaprice!" Kavi's voice was a hoarse whisper, her stomach twisting at the sight. But Kapri merely tightened her grip on Lirael's arm, her eyes never meeting theirs as they were led away.
Once they reached their quarters, the guards shoved them inside, locking the doors with a heavy thud. Kavi and Nyxith sank to the floor, stunned by everything they had seen.
"We can't do much for Lady Kaprice, right now," Nyxith muttered as she sat on the bed. "That thing in the library, in the pocket above it. There were probably more up there."
Kavi shook her head, her eyes wide and troubled. "But that thing we saw is up there."
"If we don't we may end up having to face Lady Kaprice as our enemy instead," Nyxith said digging her fingers into the duvet underneath her. "Don't worry, I will not put your life in danger over my own so I will look."
•••
Kapri sat amidst a lavish array of gifts, each more exquisite than the last—silken fabrics in rich hues of emerald, sapphire, and crimson cascaded around her. Intricate dresses adorned with delicate embroidery, matched with elegantly crafted shoes, seemed to whisper promises of grandeur and beauty. She felt a rush of joy, as they were not only luxurious but perfectly suited to her style. A contented smile danced on her lips, the tension of the week momentarily forgotten. Yet, the joy was fleeting, clouded by a lingering thought that gnawed at her heart.
"Speaking of which," she said, a lightness in her voice masking the storm brewing inside her, "hasn't it been a while since Countess Lirael has been around?"
Her companion, Count Lirael, paused for a moment, his gaze shifting as if weighing his words carefully. "Yes, she's still off on business," he replied, but there was a tightness in his tone.
"Here or somewhere else?" Kapri asked, her curiosity piqued. The moment she spoke, she sensed his hesitation, the way his jaw clenched slightly, a telltale sign that he was grappling with something he didn't wish to share.
"I need to get back to work," he said abruptly, rising to his feet. A frown tugged at Kapri's lips, confusion and disappointment swirling within her.
"Already? You've spent most of your week with me. Now you're leaving?" she stood up, her voice a blend of hurt and insistence. "You've been spending all week with me. Now you wanna leave when I asked questions?"
"Yes, but if I don't get back to work, there will be an issue," he replied, the weight of responsibility heavy in his tone. He leaned forward, pressing a quick, tender kiss against her lips, an act that sent shivers down her spine.
"What issue? This county is already shit, I figure its because the Countess hasn't been properly doing her job," she said with a smile as she grabbed his wrist. "So, tell me my love, is your wife here?"
"Yes," he admitted, his expression faltering for an instant as he brushed his lips, seemingly surprised that she had extracted that much from him. She let his wrist go as she chucklef while she backed away.
"Good boy," she said clasping her hands together.
"So your wife is here," she said, tilting her head, a mask of feigned nonchalance concealing the tumult within her. But behind that facade was a well of seething jealousy, thick and suffocating, boiling just beneath the surface. It pulsed through her veins, igniting a flame of rage that painted her vision red.
"Yes, but she is busy," Count Lirael explained, his voice steady but his eyes betraying a hint of conflict.
"Where is she?" Kapri pressed, her heart racing, each thud echoing the tempest in her mind. "In the castle, I mean? I told you I needed to speak with her to save this poor excuse of a county she let go to shit by having you do it."
"You're saying I'm not doing my job well?" He asked his eyebrows furrowing as he raised his voice.
"No, I'm saying you don't know what the hell you're doing at all," she said. "Don't worry, after I speak with the Countess I will fix everything."
"She's busy," he replied as he lowered his voice because of what she said, though irritation crept in his voice. "That's enough questions for tonight."
"Are you going back to her?" Kapri shot back, her nails digging into her palm, the pain grounding her from the act of violence playing in her mind. "Are you scared of your wife seeing me? Or of me seeing her?"
"I have to get back to work. Enough!" Count Lirael's tone hardened, and he made a hasty exit, leaving Kapri standing alone amidst the silks and satin, the laughter and joy of the day evaporating into the air around her. She could hear him say, "Do not let her out of her room for nothing!"
In that moment of solitude, Kapri's jealousy surged, overwhelming her senses like a tidal wave. The elegant fabrics around her felt suffocating now, each piece a reminder of what she had not fully possessed. Even though she was aware of the affect of the pact. It's just the image of Countess Lirael, the wife of power, filled her mind—a woman of grace, authority, and the very embodiment of what Count Lirael married, and she hated her. A dark desire twisted in her chest as she could only imagine blood on her hands and it belonging to the woman.
She could feel the heat rising in her cheeks as a rush of adrenaline sparking a thrill she only felt on the battlefield filled her body. How dare she occupy the space in Count Lirael's life, a life Kapri had longed to entwine with her own? The jealousy festered, curling around her thoughts like smoke and ignited a new mission.
"I must kill the Countess," Kapri whispered to herself, the word dripping with bitterness. "And destroy this county to save the Count from all this stress."
Kapri's breath quickened as her thoughts spiraled further and further and further.
Loving a man you just met this hard? You really are quite an easy woman Lady Voss.
"Don't mess with me right now, Ose," she said as she stared up at the ceiling. A pair of solid hands pressed against her stomach, but she couldn't see anything as she felt it come up past her breasts and up to her face. Her hand extended as if she could grab it but all she felt was empty air, though she felt a man lying next to her. "I'm trying not to commit murder against an entire community."
Why not? Such a tiny thing compared to the number of lives your already taken.
"Yes, and yet I still don't want to," she said as she turned on her side to face the empty space though she knew Ose, or at least what represented him was there. "I want to so badly, but I don't want to."
If you say "Save me, Great Lord Ose" I'll fix everything. You know I'm weak to a puppy who begs.
"I will not," she sighed, his voice oddly keeping her sane for the time being as she closed her eyes. "If you have nothing to say, stay next to me until I fall asleep."
You're such an easy woman to please.
She felt his arm wrap over her chest and his chin on top of her head. Her ear could even sense his heartbeat next to her and his breathing.
"Are you really here?" she asked.
"Of course not, I don't have time to leave to entertain some girl," Ose voice sounded more external now.
"So, you sent another body of yours to entertain me instead? How romantic, like a long distance relationship," she teased as she smiled. "How evil of you."
"You have too much to worry about to be joking, Lady Kaprice," he said to her as he squeezed her tighter until she finally fell asleep.