"Who is it!?"
"I…"
Vivia waited for the name to slip past his lips, but it never came. She could sense it - the name lingered at the tip of his tongue, yet his gaze turned fearful and distant, as though uttering it alone would somehow cost him his life.
She sneered. "Your noble will be the first to abandon you. Better think smartly and pick your side now."
"I…don't know…really don't…" the pressure on his neck gradually began to knock the air out of his chest - when a hand suddenly grabbed Vivia's wrist and pushed her back with force.
Vivia stared at Claudia standing between her and Raffert, her body trembling and tears streaming down her cheeks. She quivered as if cold, yet remained undeterred in the face of royalty.
Benjamin's gaze hardened. "Lady Claudia, pushing the royal princess-"
Vivia raised her hand, allowing Claudia to speak.
"Th-This is enough…my lady…Please."
Fear consumed Claudia, yet with every last bit of strength, she stood her ground.
"I respect my lady immensely…I couldn't contain my joy when y-you came to my tea party. But…" her voice choked, "ever since then, it has been a nightmare. Everyone began looking at my husband differently because of those accusations…! Everything turned out to be a misunderstanding anyway, b-but you never once apologized…"
"Lady Claudia," Vivia said quietly, "You don't understand. The man you married have betrayed-"
"Y-You have no evidence…!"
"Sir Walterce is the evidence! He confessed that Raffert had threatened him. If you don't believe me, ask Erissa and Sir Benjamin. They were there too!"
Claudia clenched her jaw. "Now…you choose to believe that man? W-when he spoke in Raffert's defense, you opposed it. But now that he has changed his stance, m-my lady suddenly believes him?"
"Because he never wanted to lie in the first place! That's what you don't understand. I know Sir Walterce-"
"How! How do you know a-anything about Sir Walterce? Or my husband? Or the red-haired woman who has caused us nothing but nuisance ever since she has appeared? Or her friend you claim was killed? What does my lady know about any of them?"
Vivia froze.
"You don't. Y-you don't…! Yet you're obsessed with tarnishing Raffert's name…" Her shoulders trembled uncontrollably. "Please…please stop…I beg you, my lady…"
Claudia drew a shaky breath and looked straight into her eyes. "Please leave, my lady. You may punish me for my insolence but right now…please just leave."
Vivia stood rooted, her fists clenched tight. She glanced at Raffert, who seemed too stunned to react, watching a docile woman like Claudia dare oppose the royal princess.
Her gaze returned to Claudia. "I'll leave, Lady Claudia. But mark my words. This is not over. Your husband will pay for every crime he has committed. It's only a matter of time. And lastly…"
Her unblinking stare held a fierce, cold glint, akin to a storm that would threaten to swallow them whole. Her voice fell sharp as a blade.
"That man you're defending with all your heart has married the Grisbane name, not Claudia. Remember that."
—
"My lady, where are you going now? Please wait!" Erissa's legs were close to giving out. Ever since they had snuck out of the Covenant, it had been nothing but back and forth across Orseth. But to her relief, Benjamin stepped into Vivia's path this time.
"You must return, my lady."
Vivia's eyes narrowed. "I need to find Audreya. If Raffert won't give me the answers I need, I have to find another way."
"His Majesty has already dispatched knights to search for her. It won't be long before she's found."
"So I should just sit here and do nothing?"
"Is my lady suggesting she personally conduct the search herself? His Majesty would never permit it. That's not what a princess does."
Princess this, princess that…
Her fists clenched. The title of the royal princess stood as a wall every single time. Royalty was supposed to grant her power and freedom, yet the longer she lived as Clairette, the more she felt shackled.
But I cannot rely on King Rosrell! He'd find Audreya and then what? Have her executed? Yes, that's what he'd do. She's already branded as Emberlain's enemy!
Erissa pressed gently. "Sir Benjamin is right, my lady. Please leave this matter with His Majesty. You've already put yourself in danger today. Sir Walterce was poisoned right in front of you. What if it had been you instead?"
Vivia closed her eyes and exhaled a tired breath. She looked up at the distant sky. Fatigue was beginning to weigh her down.
"... Let's go."
Audreya…Please be safe…
—
Audreya clutched onto the prison bars. "Why am I here? Who brought me here! Release me this instant!"
Her heart hammered as if it would break out of her ribcage. Her breaths turned ragged. No matter where she looked, stone walls and iron bars were all that met her. The air was thick with a musty stench. A sense of peril tingled through every cell of her body, ringing loud sirens in her mind.
"Ahh..!" She hissed sharply, pressing her hand on her cheek.
A bitter pain shot through her face and with it - broken fragments of memories came flooding back. Masked men breaking into her home, rough hands dragging her around violently. Being made to write a letter she would have never written herself. Then came a spell of darkness, being taken somewhere unknown. Resistance had only brought more violence. The numbing pain threatened to spill tears from her eyes, but she bit down on her lip and held them in.
Those bastards…I'll kill every single one of them with my own hands! She trembled, livid and enraged.
At first, Raffert came to her mind. She was a direct threat to him. But watching other women trapped in prison cells just like her, she reconsidered his involvement.
His only enmity is with me. Why'd he abduct all these women? Or is Raffert involved in some other suspicious business altogether?
A pair of footsteps tapped lightly against the ground floor. Audreya's head snapped towards the figure making their way in. As it drew closer, she realized it was a woman.
From every gesture, her movements exuberated an effortless poise and grace. The beautifully embroidered dress that swept across her legs spoke clearly of her noble standing. She tried to get a look at her, but a delicate black veil had concealed her features.
Two guards had followed her in and stood at a distance behind her. Their faces were partially covered with masks as well. The woman was silent for several long moments, her eyes moving steadily from one cell to the next. Eventually she raised her hand and pointed.
The guards moved swiftly and reached that cell, dragging a woman outside. Judging her state and lack of resistance, Audreya could tell the woman was slipping in and out of consciousness. The other prisoners didn't utter a single word. Their backs were pressed against the walls and heads turned to the side as though drawing any attention was the last thing they wanted.
As the guards led the woman away, the veiled woman at the center turned to leave.
"Stop!"
She did and turned toward her, staring at her in silence.
"What's going on here? Why was I brought here! Where did you take that woman away? Answer me!"
Her eyes narrowed. With her hands lightly clasped together against her stomach, she walked over towards Audreya's cell. She stopped a few inches away, not approaching too close.
"Your face glows as red as your hair," her whisper of a voice was only audible to Audreya.
Audreya gritted her teeth, her crimson eyes glaring. "Release us right now!"
The woman watched her as if in a trance. "I'm afraid that isn't possible. You must serve your purpose here."
"Purpose? What are you even talking about? Don't tell me…You abducted us all to sell us as slaves?"
She didn't respond.
"Slavery is illegal! Your heads will roll once you're caught!"
"That won't happen."
She sneered. "You're awfully sure of yourself, aren't you?"
"Because nobody has been able to find us yet," she whispered in a calm, lullaby-like voice.
Yet?
It gave her an impression that this slave-selling business might have been running for a long time.
Her gaze turned cold. "Time changes for everyone. You might be hiding away from the whole world, but not from God."
The veiled woman studied her, her gaze unreadable and indecipherable.
"God…? Who is God? What is God? Where is God? God didn't prevent your tragedy, nor saved any woman you see here. God won't save you either when your time comes. God…doesn't save anyone," a distinct chill crept into her soft voice, a fog settling over her eyes.
She returned her attention to Audreya. "So you're wrong. God is not watching you."
"How are you so sure of that?"
At that moment, Audreya felt like she saw the faintest smile beneath her veil.
"Because if God had been watching, nobody would've lived in torment. Years and years of torment that nobody wished for and nobody ever deserved..."
"Breaking through torment is what makes us stronger."
"Living in torment is what breaks a person's will."
She leaned in slightly, her eyes softening with something that looked almost like kindness.
"But I'll be generous and entertain your point of view. If you truly believe God is watching - then prove it to me. Escape from here. Nobody ever has. So show me what it looks like when God saves someone."