novelraw Chapter 48
Chapter 48
After finishing the white bread, Isolde's stomach was still not full. She reached for a loaf of the black bread.
Her small hand grasped at empty air.
Eh? That was odd. Why had she missed?
The plate in her vision slowly doubled, the two images wavering and shaking.
Thump.
The next second, Isolde's head pitched forward, and she collapsed onto the dining table, her consciousness extinguished.
Squeak…
The bedroom door opened, and a portly figure emerged. A shawl covered her face. Nerys stepped forward and lifted the unconscious Isolde into her arms. Now, to dispose of the body.
She wasn't dead, but she soon would be. The drug in the bread was merely a potent sedative. All Nerys had to do was find a secluded spot and leave Isolde there. By morning, she would be frozen solid.
Nerys shifted Isolde in her arms, letting the girl's head rest on her shoulder. She often carried Lorcan this way. It was a normal posture for a mother holding her child; no one they might encounter on the street would grow suspicious.
She pulled open the front door and stepped out, cradling Isolde. The wind howled. The bitter cold did not chill Nerys; on the contrary, it made her heart burn with a fiery satisfaction. The temperature tonight is exceptionally low. One night is all it will take. That little bitch will be dead. And then, all the family's money will belong to my Lorcan!
On the empty streets, the stout woman trudged through the thick snow, each step leaving a wide, deep footprint. She continued on, walking until she reached the Lower Quarter, the district of the common folk.
There were no clean-swept streets here, only a chaotic maze of alleys and dilapidated houses. In this bitter cold, the people of the Lower Quarter would be huddled inside their homes, not daring to venture out. This was the perfect spot.
Nerys's eyes scanned the surroundings. No one.
She grabbed Isolde by the collar of her dress and, with a heave, threw her into a snowdrift. The snow was deep, and Isolde vanished into it. Nerys knelt and began scooping more snow over the spot, piling it on until no trace of the body could be seen.
Staring at the mound of fresh snow, a look of profound relief smoothed the features of her face. That should do it. After tonight, Isolde will be dead. And once that little bitch is gone, the academy fees she consumed can be saved for Lorcan's education.
Nerys gave the snow one last look, then turned and began to retrace her steps.
What Nerys did not know was that atop a ruined building nearby, a figure clad in black stood silently, having witnessed everything. In his left hand, he held a notebook. A quill in his right began to write.
[Drugged]
[Abandoned]
[Dead]
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The quill paused. Something had changed.
Rip.
The page was torn from the notebook. He let it fall. In mid-air, the paper ignited, burning into black ash that settled gently on the snow below.
The snow continued to fall steadily, blanketing the ground in a quiet peace. Without any warning, a patch of snow began to glow with a soft, red light. The white flakes melted away, turning to water that seeped into the ground, revealing the person buried beneath.
Seeing the figure on the ground, the quill began to write once more.
[Drugged]
[Abandoned]
[ . ]
The quill paused again. The rest would have to wait for the outcome.
*****
A party. Another boring party.
CRASH!
The delicate silver goblet was thrown violently against the floor of the carriage. Red liquid, not blood but a sweet fruit wine, spattered across the plush carpet.
In the driver's seat sat a tall figure in a proper butler's livery. A long, blue ponytail reached her waist. Her hands held the reins firmly, her back ramrod straight. Hearing the commotion from within the carriage, the driver, Linda, remained unfazed. Her lady despised parties. The ride home was always punctuated by a tantrum. It was the old routine.
Suddenly, her blue eyes narrowed. A red glow up ahead, in the snow?
Linda stood up. On the road before them, there was a patch of ground miraculously free of snow. A small girl lay there, and a red radiance was emanating from the back of her hand. That girl… That uniform looked like the one from her lady's academy. Though her lady had only worn it once, Linda still remembered it.
She pulled back on the reins. Whatever was happening, she had to stop. If they continued, the carriage would run right over the child. The two strong, well-fed draft horses immediately halted. The abrupt stop caused the carriage to jolt.
“Oof!”
A delicate cry came from inside. Hearing it, Linda quickly pushed open the carriage door.
“My lady, are you alright?”
Inside, a petite figure in a long, black gossamer gown was sprawled on the floor, the elegant dress flipped over her head. Seeing this, Linda froze. It was the first time she had ever seen her lady in such an undignified state.
Seeing her butler standing there gawking, Thea's delicate, moon-shaped eyebrows furrowed. “Are you not going to help me up?” Her voice was laced with displeasure.
Her lady's voice snapped Linda back to reality. She instantly realized her breach of etiquette. “My apologies, my lady.”
“Quickly, help me up.”
“Yes, my lady.” Linda hurried forward and helped her mistress to her feet.
Once Thea was settled back on her seat, she looked at the figure standing before her with a bowed head.
“Report. What happened? Why did the carriage stop so suddenly?”
“My lady, there is someone lying in the road ahead.” Linda kept her head bowed, though even so, she was a half-head taller than Thea. “She is wearing the uniform of your academy, and she appears to be of a similar age.”
Hearing the description, a specific person immediately came to Thea's mind.
“Is she… very thin?”
“My lady, how did you know?”
Thea's heart began to beat faster. A deep flush rose in her pale cheeks. It might really be her! She swung her feet to the floor and strode forward, pushing open the carriage door.
A biting, ice-cold wind rushed in. So cold! Thea's small body instinctively shrank back into the carriage. Her black gown was designed for beauty, not for warmth.
“My lady, it is cold outside,” Linda reminded her, though the warning came too late. Thea had already felt the chill.
She turned to face Linda. “That person is very important to me,” she said, her black eyes holding a look of unprecedented seriousness. “Go and bring her here.”
“Yes, my lady,” Linda replied respectfully. She turned and stepped out of the carriage.
She hopped down and walked to the small girl's side. The howling wind vanished. Here, there was no chill. On the contrary, the temperature felt like a summer's day. She took a step back. Outside the circle of red light, the familiar cold assaulted her again. The space around the girl and the rest of the Deep Winter were two different seasons entirely.
Her expression grew cautious. This power, capable of reversing the season itself, even in such a small area, was proof of this girl's extraordinary nature. Should I obey my lady's command and bring her into the carriage? Linda's blue eyes were filled with contemplation.
Her gaze fell to the girl's right hand, from which the red light was emanating. On the back of her hand was… a contract mark.
She was the same age as her lady, perhaps even younger. What in the world, Linda wondered, her heart pounding with a mixture of awe and fear, did she make a contract with, to wield such terrifying power?