Kapri and her team followed Bilbo down the dimly lit hallway. The sound of his hooves clicking sharply against the marble floor. The dimension was eerily silent without the Librarian as the Donn on top of the others heads lit their way. No one spoke; the exhaustion from their hours-long ordeal in the pocket dimensions had drained them of both energy and the will to banter. Kapri worried a little if this may have traumatized the juniors, even if Nyxith looked calm and Kavi still laughed.
Kapri swayed slightly, leaning side to side as she trudged forward with her sword resting heavily on her shoulder. Her voice broke the silence, muttered and half-slurred. "I want to sleep. I want to sleep."
Half of Lord Dazriel's child sized heart was bound with rope as it swayed gently on the hilt of her sword—a grim trophy from what they went through. She wasn't sure if it were of still any used to him though.
As they neared where windows and mirrors reflected many parts of the estate. She came across the arched window and she stopped suddenly with her gaze locked on what was inside. There, in the soft glow of the lights was where she saw Count Lirael seated in the library. His brows furrowed deeply as he scanned a thick book with confusion. He didn't seem to notice that she were gone, he didn't seem to notice her raising heart. Being at a distance really does help alleviate some of the symptoms of the intimacy pact, because she wanted kill him right then.
She stiffened, her grip tightening on the sword as her team walked further away from her. There light starting to fade as she sat in the darkness only watching through the window. She turned her head in theit direction, her voice echoed in a commanding tone, "You guys sneak back to where you're supposed to. I'll handle this."
Jiron stopped as he turned around glancing at her figure illuminated by the interdimensional window. "You sure?"
Kapri nodded her head. "Thirty minutes. That's all you need to get back, right?"
"Perhaps an hour," Jiron said shrugging his shoulders.
Kapri nodded her head in agreement. He hesistated turned forward as he urged the other to move ahead before their lights completely faded. Alone, Kapri faced the window as her mood soured now she could freely think on her own. About Countess Lirael and what she did there with Lord Dazriel. The memory of what she's done and Count Lirael being on her side, whether he knew or not. It made him as much as an opp as Count Lirael in the depth of her soul no matter how much the intimacy pact forced her not to. Her jaw tightened as she exhaled.
Exactly an hour later, she pushed open the window as she vaulted on the other side with her bare foot landing on the warm polished floor. The grime from the pocket dimension still clung to her-her nightgown tattered and see through with a mess of brown and crimson. The librarian blood mixing with her own that fell from her wound in her side. Kapri sword slid from her grasp as it clattered loudly upon the floor her desire to attack him slipping.
Count Lirael stood abruptly with his eyes widening at the sight of her. His pupils trembled as they flicked to the stains on her clothes. "Lady Kaprice, what were you doing outside the estate? What... what did you do?" he asked, his voice a mix of fear and disbelief.
Kapri grinned, though it was more feral than amused.
"Don't worry, it was self-defense," she said breezily, before her legs gave out and she stumbled into his arms. The intimacy pact burned hot as it forced her to seek comfort in his embrace, despite every instinct telling her to pull away. She rested her forehead against his chest and her voice thick with weariness. "I'm so sleepy... wash me and take me to bed."
Count Lirael hesitated, his body stiff beneath her grip. " Lady Kapri—"
"Don't," she snapped softly, as she cutted him off before her voice softened again. Her arms wrapped tightly around his waist which elicited a groan from him as she squeezed too hard since she can't kill him. "Just do it. I'm too tired for a lecture."
"Fine, as you wish," he muttered reluctantly as he eased her weight against him despite the mess on his own clothes. She grabbed her sword as he guided her towards her quarters, Kapri caught sight of the painted portrait of Countess Lirael hanging on the far wall.
A necklace with their family crest on it. Her lips curled into a frown at her image as Count Lirael led her out.
Count Lirael noticed her gaze lingering and stopped. "My Lady... what's wrong?"
She turned her head away sharply as she pulled out of his grasp despite the pull of the pact, just as they got to the bathroom.
"Don't ask me that," she murmured. "Just... just do what I asked. I don't want to think about nothing right now."
Count Lirael sighed but said nothing as he ran the water in the sink while she leaned against the sink and then the tub. She knew he was starting to realize he bit more he could chew getting into any contract with her at this point, especially when she killed the library.
"It's ready," he said quietly, and she leaned her sword against the wall before she took off her nightgown letting it fall by her feet.
She watched as he walked near her, and dipped a washcloth into the sink. The domestic act strangely out of place even if his lineage wasn't actually royalty.
"I didn't think you'd still be here," she said finally as her voice cutting through the quiet like a knife.
He paused as his hand hovered over the basin. "Where else would I be, Lady Kaprice?"
"Anywhere but here," she replied, her tone bitter. "Cleaning up after the mess I made before Countess Lirael's finds out, maybe. Isn't that what you're supposed to do? Or are you finally too scared of me?"
His shoulders tensed at the jab, but he didn't answer immediately. Instead, he leaned over her and dipped a cloth into the water behind her.
"Hold out your hands," he said quietly.
Kapri didn't move, her brown eyes narrowing as she studied him. "What are exactly are you planning, Count Lirael? I doubt this is part of Countess Lirael plans."
"Right now," he said wringing out the cloth as she hissed as he pressed it along the outline of her wound and he groaned also feeling it, "I'm just trying to keep you from bleeding all over my floods,"
She scoffed but obeyed as she extended her hands toward him. As he gently cleaned the blood from her skin, the room once again settled into a fragile silence which was broken only by the soft splash of water and the crackle of the winds against the window.
Kapri watched him work with her expression softening despite herself. For all his faults—and there were many— the intimacy pact was working over time making him seem almost disadming with the quiet care he was showing rihht now.
Then her mind drifted back to the portrait of Countess Lirael, the knot of anger in her chest tightened once more. The memories of Lord Dazriel's suffering, the manipulations, and the betrayal all rushed back, and she clenched her fists instinctively. This is a feeling she can't let herself easily forget.
"I'm going to kill her, you know," she said suddenly with her voice low and devoid of the lightness from when she said it earlier. "And not just because the intimacy pact is making me jealous of her over you. It's personal."
Lirael froze with his hand stopping mid-motion. He looked up at her as his eyes searching hers for any hint of hesitation—and found none.
"You can't," he said quietly as he rasied his voice a little. "I won't let you."
"I can," she countered with her voice unwavering. "And I will regardless of he you feel."
She looked at him uneasily as she tilted her head. "Are you trying to figure out ways to kill me. You'e staring quite a lot over there."
Lirael's hand paused for a moment before he resumed cleaning the blood from her hands as he looked away from her sword.
"No, It's just hard not to notice," he replied, his tone careful. "Lord Dazriel's heart... or at least half of it. And smaller than I thought."
Her lips curled into a wry smile. "Yes, the heart your wife stope when Lord Dazriel was a mere child. Now, its white and useless ," she murmured with her voice carrying a faint edge. "It wasn't easy getting this, you know. It would've been a shame to leave it behind with no going to be around to see it."
Lirael leaned back slightly, his eyes narrowing as he studied her. A smirk finally appearing on his face. "And the other half?"
Kapri tilted her head further when she watched his reaction carefully. "I'll find it," she said with quietly. "I didn't come all this way just to leave the job undone."
A faint smirk tugged wider on Count Lirael's lips. "I've known what you were here for from the start," he admitted with his voice dropping to a more intimate level.
Kapri's gaze sharpened.
"So?" she began, "Though, I do wonder…why let me stay? Why haven't you tried to kill me yet, Count Lirael? And why," her eyes narrowed further, "won't you tell me where it or Countess Lirael is if you want to protect either?"
For a moment, he said nothing. Then, with a deliberate slowness, he placed the damp cloth in thr sink and met her eyes with a faint and almost amused smile. She was confused because he was half scared just now, wait, she didn't actually sense it now that she thought about it.
"Well..." he began, his voice calm but tinged with an underlying mischief, "I can't fully tell you the truth, I must admit."
Kapri's eyes flashed with irritation. "Yes, not surprised by that," she said. "So, tell me."
"It's not any harm to you, Lady Kaprice," Lirael added quickly, his smirk deepening as if that might soothe her growing ire.
She scoffed, leaning back slightly and crossing her arms despite the fatigue weighing her down. "So, are you even truly worried about me getting either half of the heart?" she asked pointedly.
Lirael leaned forward as he pressed his lips against lightly against hers. "No," he said with his voice. "As long as you don't leave."
Kapri blinked, as she found herself momentarily caught off by what he said. Before she could respond, he reached out and his fingers brushed against hers. He brought her hand to his lips and pressed a kiss to her knuckles.
"I need your image," he admits, with his words carrying a strangeness. His silver eyes locked onto hers and it darkened with something unreadable. "I need you."
The intimacy pact burned hot between them and it forced Kapri to remain still even as her mind screamed for her to pull away. She stared at him, as she remained silent then she smiled.
"Count Lirael," she said finally with amusement, "don't try to play games you can't possible win."
His smirk softening into something that almost looked genuine. "I'm not playing to win easily," he said with sincerity.
She shook her head to force herself to focus. "If you know what I'm here for, then you know I won't stop until I have it," she said firmly. "It's funny, I only wanted information about where the heart could be and you and your "sister wife" only pissed me off a little more."
Then she stepped in the tub, the warmth enclosing sround her body as she leaned back against the porcelain tub. "Also, keeping me here? You think Lord Dazriel would allow that?"
"I don't doubt that," Lirael replied. "but Lord Dazrie would not dare step foot here and everyone else in his army I can surely slaughter."
He took a step behind her, his hand on her shoulder as he leaned forward and dipped his hand on the surface of the water. She leaned her head against his face as she hummed in satisfaction. "Not Hyaku Jugo."
"Want to bet, Lady Kaprice?" He pressed his lips along her neck.
She reached back to touch the back of his head. "I bet both of our lives on it, Count Lirael."