Hovering near the ceiling, the System let out a dramatic, digital sigh. "Oh, you know, just some light housekeeping. Maybe sweep the floors, fold some towels, hide three bodies in a bathtub..."
Heena ignored the glowing blue lion. She reached down, grabbing the cuffs of her soaked, blood-spattered champagne robes, and calmly began to roll her heavy sleeves up past her elbows.
"Nothing," Heena replied, her tone as casual as if she were preparing to wash the dishes. "Just going to clear them all up."
The Third Wife swallowed hard, her bruised throat bobbing. She didn't dare question the Vanguard Madam again. Clinging to the walls for support, she stumbled out of the ruined bathroom and made her way toward the splintered front doors of the pavilion, her heart hammering against her ribs.
Left alone with the dead, Heena cracked her neck. The sharp, agonizing pain at the base of her skull was a steady reminder of how close she had come to death, but her mind was terrifyingly clear.
