A sick girl leaned against the wall of a narrow alleyway, a wet, rattling cough tearing through her thin chest. She wiped the blood from her lips with a trembling hand, her feverish eyes locked onto the chaotic scene unfolding in the main square.
Just a few minutes ago, she had expected to watch another arrogant noble get bought off or slaughtered by the corrupt local houses.
But instead of begging or negotiating, the white-haired boy had simply reached out and taken Lord Vance's head in a single, terrifying motion.
A strange, unfamiliar heat blossomed deep inside her chest, completely overpowering the freezing chills of the regional fever that was slowly killing her. For her entire life, the local houses had been untouchable monsters who starved the towns and ruled through absolute, suffocating terror.
Now, one of those untouchable monsters was lying in the dirt, his expensive blood soaking into the ruined street just like everyone else.
