Why was I given a quest to banish Derrick?
What purpose does that serve me?
What do they all gain from him being gone?
What does the Duke gain from him being gone?
At the same time, someone knocked hurriedly on the door and broke me out of my trance.
"Father? It's us. We're worried about Ria! Can we come in?"
The Duke asks carefully."Nia?"
"Of course. They must be terribly shocked by what happened. Let them in Helen."
She's still here? Helen is a trained knight and a werewolf. Yet, she showed up just in the nick of time—right after the incident occurred. Was it a coincidence?
Niathe's behavior is strange as well, especially considering how she dealt with Druvis and the guests at the tea party. She's not an extremely benevolent person. Yet she's allowing Helen to guard both her and me. Even after she failed in her duty to protect me. Could this be a coincidence?
I don't think so.
You'd think a baby wouldn't be able to outsmart or outrun her. But what if that's part of the trap?
I've always been curious about the world around me, so it makes sense that I would try to escape and eventually wander around the house. However, it doesn't make sense how few guards and servants I have.
I know my siblings have an entourage around them at all times. I previously attributed my smaller number of attendants to my age, as I am still physically a child. But that's not accurate. Niathe did this on purpose.
Niathe set this up deliberately; she chose to place me in just enough danger. For what?
"Is she ok?"
The baby.
Her son. She left the estate looking for the perpetrator. For an undisclosed reason. If it was me. I would have looked at those around me for clues into what happened instead of those outside.
And then she was forced to come back by her mother. Forced to be his wife again.
Forced to have his kid again. I would hate this asshole's guts if I was her.
What if all this time she's really been trying to find out who killed her son?
The realization sends a chill down my spine. No. I mean…that's just ridiculous.
It never really made sense why she returned and settled down again, falling in love once more. She could have fought this longer, but she didn't.
She's been playing the dutiful wife—perfectly. Even in front of me. It's just weird. How can she not be angry?
But if this has all been a ruse…If she has been working the long con to uncover the hidden orchestrator behind her son's death, it would make sense now.
Like her neglect when I was younger. Maybe she didn't leave me alone in those first few months out of trauma and cowardice.
Maybe…She left me as bait. Ouch.
Whoever it was probably didn't rise to the challenge because it was too obvious, so she waited.
And then they struck. They sent a child after me to a secluded area behind the kitchen, where nobody would have noticed me being abused by Derrick.
Even if they did notice, Derrick is a very strong, angry noble child with a vendetta against me. It probably would have been dismissed as sibling rivalry, not abuse.
So, what changed?
An accident. The boy—Gillard.
The pageboy said Derrick was seen near the kitchen. He interrupted Derrick unintentionally, saving me, giving me time to escape, and providing a witness to the—
He's a witness.
Oh god. They're going to kill him.
"She's shivering, is she cold?"
I wiggle away from the Duke. Uncomfortable and queasy. He's trying to kill me. It has to be him. He's the one who told Derrick to apologize.
Warm hands pick me up and hug me to their beating heart. Smoked wood with a metallic tinge to it. Erichean.
He pats my back softly and sways with me in his arms. I nestle into his embrace and feel the cogs turn.
What do I know now?
Someone—Most likely the Duke is trying to kill me.
He's willing to sacrifice his son to avoid blame and stay undercover.
Gillard is going to be very dead soon.
Niathe is using me as bait to figure out who killed her son and I think she knows who now.
I have no doubt in my mind that she's been planning this for a very long time. Which means she's not going to stop using me as bait in her plans anytime soon.
People are hiding in the shadows. The hidden guards work for him. They're everywhere in the shadows. Which means he's everywhere in the shadows.
He probably knows everything I've done. My little trips to the library. My intelligence gathering.
There's a bunch of pieces from the puzzle that I'm missing.
Why? How?
Why does he want me and my deceased brother dead?
And how did he kill him?
"What if she can't attend the party?"
The children worry over me and touch my small feet sympathetically. Do they know? Do the other wives know? Who else besides Niathe and maybe Helen knows?
Do they even know why?
"Oh, it's ok. It's ok."
Erichean shushes me and wipes away tears I didn't realize I had shed. I don't know why I'm crying. I don't understand why I feel so betrayed. Deep down, I've known for a long time that love isn't real.
Love is often just an excuse for obsession, inaction, and violence.
I never expected anything from them anyway.
So why do I feel this way?
Why does this hurt so much?
"What's upsetting our little princess? Hmm? Are you hungry? Is that it?"
Soft kisses that I'm hesitant to accept press to the crown of my head and leave a promise in its wake. Those little kisses might be little lies but I can't push them away right now.
My stomach growls and I groan. Really?
"Hunger it is. You must be starving. What would you like? Can I guess? Bloody sausages, red rice, and mapo tofu?"
I sniffle and nod because fuck that sounds good. Even if he's lying. Even if this is all fake. He's good at being a big brother.
I've never had a good one before. If the me before…If I had such a good brother back then. Could I have been saved?
"Alright. Helen, did you hear that?!"
"Yes. The kitchen has just been informed eldest young master."
Harley eagerly asks."Can I have a turn?"
"Let me ask. Are you up to it? Can Harley hold you? She's been worried about you. All of us have been."
"Ok."
Erichean squats down on the soft furry floor and holds me against his chest. My back to his front. My eyes are swollen and my face heats up in embarrassment. I don't think I've ever cried like that before.
"Aw! It's ok. Here."
Harleen pulls out and holds up a noisy pouch decorated with beads from behind her back. Where did that come from?
"I was going to give it to you tomorrow but you look so sad. Will you smile if I give it to you?"
I studied the brown leather pouch with wooden beads decorating it. My skin prickled as I felt their gazes on me.
Act normal."What is it?"
"It's a spacial magic pouch! You can put almost anything in it and take it with you anywhere. They're super rare and only made in the Adronic Empire. Give me your hand."
I hold my hand out warily and she bites my fingertips.
"Ow!?" Her teeth are so sharp. Are those little fangs?
"I need your blood to mark it."
The Duke asks seemingly nonchalantly."Where did you get that pouch, Harley?"
Holy shit. My hair raises and I glance through my eyelashes at him. Why is he staring like that? He better not hurt her.
"I was at school and these girls were making such a fuss about the newest Temple Wars...I saw an opportunity and I made a bet with them. So…If the Followers of the Temple of Nemesis won the battle I would be able to ask anything of them and they'd have no choice but to give it to me. Long story short I won and this was one of my trophies."
She slathered my blood along a raised pattern of thread and it glowed white. The leather bag glowed for a minute more and then dimmed on its own.
"Ok. Now say hide."
"Why?"
"Just do it!"
I sighed and said the word. "Hide?"
The bag dissipated into motes of white light and rushed towards my arm. My arm burned briefly and I waved it around anxiously.
Eventually, the burning sensation went away and the only evidence of its existence was a small raised pattern made of skin on my arm.
The brand didn't hurt anymore. It kind of looked like a bunch of shapes layered over one another.
"Now say appear!"
"Appear?"
The bag popped out of the new birthmark on my arm and landed in my lap.
Woah! That's actually pretty cool.
"Isn't it awesome?!"
I sniffled."Yeah. It's amazing. Thank you, Harley."
"Would you say it's the best gift you've ever—"
"Hey!"
"Harley, that's cheating."
"That's not fair!"
The triplets piped up and started to talk over one another. Harley argued back to them that it was almost time anyway.
"What's not fair?" Is this about the birthday present bet?
"…"
"…"
"Um…"
"Young master. The food is ready to be served."
Erichean sighed in relief and called out."Perfect! Just bring it in. You don't mind eating in here right Ria?"
Of course, I don't."Food!"
Harley snorted."Yeah, she's ok with it." She reached out for me and plopped me down on her chiffon-covered lap.
I really like her dress. She's always dressed nicely. It's a lovely off-white with a fitted bodice that's embroidered with golden thread. On her shoulders and at her waist are small lace roses. The skirt I'm lying on has ruffles and frills everywhere. It's so soft.
Meng Yu Sheng whispered to his brother."Can we share?"
Meng Yuchen whisper-yelled."Are you nuts? We can't take food from her."
Meng Yucheng whispered chidingly."She's been sick and starving."
They don't have to argue."We can share."
The triplets raised their heads and turned towards me.
"Really? Aren't you hungry?"
"Aren't you?"
Meng Yucheng's stomach grumbles and I smile. The more the merrier I guess and the kitchen always makes extra anyway. I'm known for my appetite.
Right on time. Helen announces the food is ready. The door opens and a kitchen maid rolls the metal trolley inside.
On the top row are six full glasses of milk, down on the second row there are four covered metal dishes, and finally sitting on the last row has a bunch of napkins and cutlery.
"Six?"
Lady Helen answered. "I took the liberty of ordering milk for all of the young masters and misses. Please forgive me."
Erichean responded good-naturedly."Of course Lady Helen. How considerate of you."
The kitchen maid addressed my mother."Madam, where shall they be eating?"
"The children said they are comfortable to eat on the floor."
The kitchen maid gawked and hesitantly looked at us. Hungry and impatient. The triplets stood up and carried the plates onto the floor.
Frazzled the kitchen maid helped them blankly. I think we've broken her. It's not that big of a deal.
Puzzled at how tall the cart was, they asked her sheepishly."Can you help us with the milk?"
"Yes! Yes! Please forgive me."
She helps them out with the hot milk and settles it on the floor in front of each of us carefully. After she was done the triplets grabbed the contents of the last row on the trolley and shooed her away.
She nodded, bowed, and said her farewells to all of us.
The door closed and all of that carefully practiced etiquette everyone had been faking fell out a window.
Meng Yuchen threw away his manners almost immediately and his brothers followed suit. He opened up one of the metal dishes, sucked in a breath, and went to town on it with his bare hands.
Bon appetit!
The rest of us except Erichean behaved similarly. He still prefers cutlery over savagery. Boring.
Harley almost dropped a piece of tofu on my hair and he snatched me back in a millisecond. He brought my plate over so I could eat and I shrugged and continued grabbing my rice with my bare hands.