Inside the carriage Katherine was sewing. She knew it wasn't the ideal task for sitting in a carriage, but reading books while riding made her nauseous and she didn't have anyone to talk with. The only one who could talk in her entourage was riding at the very front and didn't really seem to be a nice character. But what could she expect with her cousin selecting them?
At least he assigned her a maid - a mute one, of course - and let her choose her own clothing. Not that that was worth anything, as clothing wouldn't help her get out of his claws and the maid apparently had a crush on Ethan, so she would be more of a hindrance than anything else. Naturally, that was all within his calculations.
Sighing, she wanted to set another stitch as the carriage rocked and she pricked her finger instead. The sixth time today. It was a wise decision to take the pricey red cloth, otherwise the blood would've already ruined it.
Three whole weeks of travel and she didn't get the slightest chance to flee. Every moment she was outside the carriage, at least two of the ten guards would be close by and even if she needed to, you know, do what every creature must, the maid would go with her and never too far out of sight. It was frustrating to no end. At times she was fuming inside, but didn't dare show it out of fear to alert them. But even if she didn't alert them, they were not letting their guard down. Damn. Why did he have to know her so well?
Anyway, there was nearly no time left now, because they would reach their destination tomorrow afternoon. If the Dukedom of Sleipnir wasn't next to the boarder, it would have taken much longer.
She should better make herself accustomed to the thought of marring some Earl she didn't know in the slightest instead of hoping for a miracle. Thinking about how rapidly this had developed made her head ache and she leaned back, closing her eyes. It still hurt. Everything hurt so much, and she had nobody to talk to. Ethan's ears were everywhere.
Maybe at least that would end after her marriage. Than it would be her husband who would poke his nose in every matter of hers. And what a nose it may be? She didn't even get to see a picture, much less the person. It could even be that Ethan was lying, and he was old and fat. On the other hand, why should he care? She couldn't get out of this anyway. She was just a little girl and didn't even have proper magic to help her survive.
Most magic users in all five kingdoms were trained to fight, but her magic wouldn't be of much help. It couldn't attack anyone. Ethan had always compensated that fault. Not anymore.
Downcast, she healed the prick in her finger, for whatever reason deciding to move in a way the maid wouldn't see it. Maybe it was a reflex. She should stop it next time. She wasn't Ethan's pet anymore and had no reason to hide herself.
.
The carriage was rattling over a rock before coming to a halt. For the last half a day, the maid had tried to beautify her with all means possible, driving Katherine nearly insane. Yes, she was pale, but didn't that match quite well with her ebony hair? Maybe she was a bit thin, but not a skeleton, thank you very much! No, she didn't want to wear this dress, it was too wide to even fit inside the carriage, much less trying to get through the door. Katherine didn't know how someone could express so much criticism with only their eyes and hands. Still, it was better than thinking of her future husband all the time.
She took a deep breath, looking down on the violet dress she decided to wear at last. It was a match with her eyes and fine silver embroidery extended over the wide skirt up to her slender waist. She wondered if the earl would like it, before she remembered that it didn't matter. The marriage was most likely set because of her skills, not her appearance. Still, maybe she should try hopping into the mud outside, just to test if her assumption was right. It was raining cats and dogs the whole day already, as if the sky was mirroring her depression.
No, she shouldn't ruin the dress. It was worth a try to please the earl - so long as he wasn't a big eyesore - and attempt to convince him to backstab her cousin. Or at least to find out what he was scheming. About getting back at her cousin she was realistic. She was just a seventeen-year-old girl, not worth much in their world. She wasn't even the daughter of a Duke anymore. Back then, maybe she would have looked down on a mere Earl. Never would she have imagined marrying one.
The door of the carriage opened, and she pulled a long dark coat over her dress to shelter it from the rain, before taking the hand of one of her guards to help her step outside. Instantly, another guard held a cloth over her head and she didn't even get a proper look at the building when they had already bought her inside.
Despite the chandelier over her head, the foyer was rather gloomy. Darkness poured through the big windows on both sides of the hall, raindrops drumming against them. Up on the wide staircase in front of her appeared an old man, inspecting her for a second, then smiling and walking towards her. He used the handrail to support his body, but apart from that, he looked quite fit and keen. She just hoped he was the butler, not her future husband. His gaze didn't seem indecent though.
When he reached her level, the one who could speak from her entourage stepped forward to receive him. He and two of the guards had followed her inside, the rest seemed to be left guarding the carriage. The man was short and plump, but without any of the kind features you would expect from a fat person. "Good evening, Sir.", he greeted.
Seeing that, the old man frowned displeased. He blatantly ignored the other and set his sharp blue eyes on Katherine instead, bowing. "Lady Katherine, his Lordship has been awaiting your arrival. If Milady would follow me, we were so free as to prepare chambers upstairs, so you could take a rest before meeting the Earl for dinner. The travel must have taken a toll on Milady's body."
Kathrine was pleased to hear that there were some people who hadn't forgotten that she was the one with the highest status here, therefor the one who should represent her entourage. But an even bigger impact had the assurance that the old man wasn't the Earl. Being ignored was nothing compared to that idea. Luckily, she was wrong.
Taking two steps forward she grinned triumphantly and replied: "Thank you. That would be lovely." Without giving the others a second glance, the butler showed her up the stairs, leaving the plump man behind stammering like an idiot.
.
Observing her chambers, Katherine was thrilled. They were twice the size of the salon back home, divided in an entrance area, a dressing room, and, of course, a bedroom with a gigantic poster bed. A soft ocean of peach-colored silk.
How could a mere earl afford such exuberance? Was the Iceland this much wealthier than her Dragsa kingdom? She didn't remember it this way… Maybe the Earl wanted to impress his future wife and compensate for not being in a Dukedom anymore. That was the only reason she could think of.
Someone knocked on the door. As Kathrine opened, she found a maid, a bit older than herself and clad in a black dress, the red hair braided into a bun. The maid curtsied. "My name is Hazel, Milady. If you allow, I will attend to you."
Hazel was a way better companion than the mute maid, and it wasn't only because she could talk. She was earnestly asking for her opinion and didn't merely see her as a puppet, who needed to make a good first impression on her new owner. She cleaned the dirt splashes from her dress, made her a better fitting hairstyle and even massaged her shoulders, since Katherine felt a bit stiff after the long ride. Still, thinking of the evening, Kathrine couldn't relax. "Have you seen him? The Earl, I mean.", she asked hesitantly.
"Yes, Milady.", Hazel replied simply, but standing behind her, Katherine couldn't see her face. She motioned her to stop and sit by her side.
"Do you know his name?" It was embarrassing to ask. As the bride, she should at least know that much, right? Yet she didn't, because she was only a bargain chip between the Earl and her cousin.
Surprised, Hazel's brows shot upwards. "Milady doesn't…?" she stopped, suddenly frowning. "To be honest, we have always referred to him by 'the lord of Hymirhall'. Let me think… Oh, I remember! The cook told us about one time, Samuel – that's the butler – was angry with the Lord. He seemed to have called him Nathaniel Julien … Ice- something. I'm sorry, I don't remember all of it. However, he seams to have a good connection to the youngest prince, since he visited here once."
Great. That didn't help much. Yes, she got a name, but if she wanted to associate him with some significant family, she needed the full surname. Almost all noble families in the Icelands had an Ice- attached to their surname. Even the royal family had it. The only interesting news was the connection to the youngest prince. A shame she didn't ask her cousin for more information about her husband. On the other hand, she didn't want to be in his presence any longer. It was disgusting.
"What is he like?" She wanted to know a bit more about him before meeting him in person. Since she had decided to try seducing him into spilling her cousin's secrets, knowing what he liked and disliked was a critical factor.
"Pardon me, Milady, I don't really know the Earl well. I just saw him once…" Hazel tailed off and bit her lips like she was afraid she would be scolded. Katherine wondered what may have happened for Hazel to be this wary of her.
"It's okay. Just tell me what you think.", she soothed her and held her hand. This seemed to jolt the maid out of her thoughts and she swiftly pulled her hand back. Maybe mistreated by someone, Katherine thought, and her image of the Earl sank. He couldn't even protect his own servants. Or worse, maybe he was the cause.
"I- I- I'm sorry, Milady. The Earl, he…" slowly, she got a hold of herself and took a deep breath to begin anew. "The Earl seems to be cold and detached, speaks seldom and had no visitors for the past two weeks. Aside from the butler, the other servants are afraid of him and try not to see him regularly." Hazels voice got softer with the word, until there was but a whisper left. "I heard one of them had called him a demon. She was fired the very next day and they kicked her out, though there was a snowstorm and she begged to let her stay."
Katherine put a hand on her chest. Had he no conscience? He seemed cold, detached and… demonic? How the hell should she gain the courage to seduce such a person? Would he even let her speak before eating her whole? "What about his looks? How old is he?" Hopefully, at least these two were fine, or else she should really think about running again. Far, far away.
The hesitation of the maid made her think this was most likely the best choice. "The Earl is twenty-four. His looks are a bit special. Not bad, I suppose, but … it's hard to describe. Like blood on a snow-white field, or something like that. It matches his aura quite well. I didn't get a look at much though, because I was too scared after meeting his eyes and ran away."
She sighed, then glanced up at Katherine again. "But Milady, you don't have to be afraid. I'm sure the Lord will be nice to you, since you are his future bride. Besides, I never heard of him doing anything improper or hurting someone who didn't deserve it."
This girl, Katherine thought, is hopelessly bad at consoling people. First recounting horror stories and then telling her everything was fine because she would marry the monster instead of being his prey? Who. would want. that?!
Also, didn't kicking a girl out in a snowstorm count as being unnecessarily cruel? She didn't deserve dying just for insulting him, right? All in all, Katherine would be better off fleeing. But what to do then? Now that she seriously thought about that, she was troubled because she didn't really have a place to flee to.
Yes, she could run, hide and maybe start a new live as a normal citizen, fade away like she never existed in the first place. However, always hiding from the government wasn't a life worth living. It wasn't what she really longed for. She wanted to have control of her own fate, and, after that, she wanted Ethan to pay for his sins. To have revenge, even if that was no more than a sky-high dream for now.
Her own kingdom didn't see through Ethan's plot. It was pointless to try convincing them, since Ethan had a way higher social status. If he thought she could endanger him, she would have died long ago. At most she was a fly, disturbing him for a second before being swept away.
To get what she wanted, she needed to do one thing first: endure. Endure everything that was coming her way and gather her strength until one day, the fly was a dragon, ready to burn them all to cinders.
So, her future husband was a demon? Let him be a demon then. It didn't matter even if he were the demon king! She just needed him to give all he had for the queen by his side… Even if she wasn't sure yet, how to get to that point.
Nibbling on her fingers, she was very clear about her inexperience in flirting and things like that. She didn't even have her first kiss up till now. The contact to male specimen had always been strictly regulated by her parents. Still, it couldn't be that hard, right? First, she just needed him to do what he intended anyway: marry her, so he couldn't chase her away. The seduction-part would follow afterwards.
Thinking about that, she remembered the hint her cousin gave her. The Earl needed her. 'He won't ever let you run away.' That sounded like the Earl had something urgent only she could help him with. Most likely something that had to do with her ability. Could she threaten him with that?
At last she decided that she knew too little. Therefore, her self-imposed mission for the dinner was to observe him throughly, and, if possible, find weaknesses she could exploit. Of course, she couldn't risk her life or marriage over it, she still needed to be careful. It knocked at the door for the second time today.
The butler stood outside. "Milady, dinner is ready."
At the entrance to the dining hall the butler halted. He knocked two times, before pushing the seemingly heavy oak door open. "Milord, Lady Katherine Mary Balder has arrived." With that he stepped to the side, holding the door open for her. Waking inside, Katherine felt the temperature drop suddenly. Her eyes searched for the cause, a swelling fear in her stomach. Although the storm was ceasing outside, the clouds still lingered and created a gloomy atmosphere. Her side of the long dining table was well-lit by candles, but the other end was shrouded in darkness. A shudder went through her body as she met a pair of blood-red eyes, looming in the darkest black. They were the eyes of the god of slaughter himself: cold, murderous, detached and overflowing with a calculating evil intent. His presence filled the room up to the ceiling, freezing the air. It was hard to even breathe. Aside from his eyes and a bight glimmer of hair, his lineaments were cast into shado
The butler closed the door behind the last maid carrying the remains of the dinner out. With only him and the Earl left, the tension vanished as well. The Earl seemed to deflate like a balloon, sinking deeper into his chair. The red eyes looked tired, as if he was dragging on with pure willpower earlier. A hint of desperation showed, before he closed them, leaning his head of white hair back against the wooden chair. Nothing was left of the person the maids deemed a demon. Only a tired youth overpowered by his fate. Silence lingered in the corners of the big dining hall, so present, that it seemed to slow time itself. The room stilled, while the wind in front of the windows whispered of times long past. The Earl though didn't remember any better years. There was no memory of the time before struggling to live. No good times, no sweet words, no smiles. Nothing. Why did he hold on still? He didn't know. Hope is the worst demon. It makes us try and try again while all common se
The morning sun wasn't half up, yet the trampling of foots and clinking of arms awoke Katherine from her sleep. Startled, she called for Hazel, who rushed in from the room next door. "Milady, there seems to be a disorder in the mansion. They have sealed off the whole building. Should I inquire about the circumstances?" "Please do." Katherine, meanwhile, washed herself and dressed in a simple green gown. Hazel was there in time again to lace her corsage. She should request for an extra maid soon to help her out. "So?" "The whole mansion is in chaos. Someone seemed to have poisoned the food. Fortunately, the Earl wasn't affected, but two maids, the gardener, the cook, and three servants have lost consciousness. They are searching for the culprit now." "Lost consciousness?", Katherine repeated. "Are there other symptoms? What is the Earl doing to help?" "He ordered the captain of the guards to investigate and his personal doctor to tend to the affected.
The symptoms were exactly as Hazel had described them. All seven of them were unconsciousness, sweating and had black veins under their skin. What confused her though, was the location and spreading of the veins. Six people only had few black veins in the abdominal area, while the seventh… it was hard to find places were he hadn't any. Not that she'd seen their whole bodies herself, but the doctor, an old man with glasses, had described it to her and he had taken off the seventh man shirt to let her see. She blushed looking at the bare skin. It wasn't right for a proper Lady to see this. Well, she had always been a bit to wild to be a 'proper' Lady anyways. And, oh my, he was such a magnificent piece of art. Starting from his perfect face over all this smooth naked skin down to his slender hips she couldn't find any flaw. Well, maybe his upper body was a bit haggard, but that was all. Somehow the black veins, like a confusing pattern on his slightly pronounced abs, m
"Did she infect herself?", the earl asked the butler. They were inside of his study. Rows and rows of bookshelves stood to both sides of an imposing dark-brown table. The Earl was seated behind it, the back facing a big window. According to the sun's position it was shortly after Katherine had treated the patient."Luckily, no.", Sam responded, pensive. "I'm afraid you underestimated her capability, Milord.""As I underestimated her impulsiveness. She's too easily offended, although this head of hers is working quite well otherwise." The Earl sighed. "Was I still as childish as her with seventeen, Sam?""No. But, if I may say so, Milord, that is incomparable.""Oh?" The Earl lifted an eyebrow. "How so?"Seemingly feeling uncomfortable, the butler pressed his lips together but decided to speak in the end. He phrased his words carefully. "Different from Milord, she never knew hate or sorrow while growing up. She met them only recently. Pure trust in
Slowly, Katherine lowered her spoon. She didn't think her question would touch such a sore spot in Hazel. To be exact, she thought nothing about it while asking. It was just curiosity. Now, however... Had the mistreating Hazel experienced something to do with sexual harassing? Rightful outrage filled Katherine's soul. Whoever dared to bully her maid, she would squash them. But before that... "Relax, Hazel. I won't force you to talk about it. But if you need help with something or someone to talk to, tell me. I hope you can see me as a friend some day." Surprised but still wary, Hazel blinked up to her. "... Thank you, Milady." "You're welcome." Katherine started eating again. "Can you answer the other questions then? About friends and what you like to do in your free time. Are there any nice spots around here?" Relieved, Hazel nodded. "You could say I'm friends with the cook. However, all servants other than me are past their fifties, so real friendsh
Although the mansion was gigantic, most of the rooms were empty shells. Well maintained, but otherwise forgotten. The only exception was the dining room she visited the day prior. "How long does the earl live here again?", she asked her two guards, who, after longer inspection, didn't seem to be as bad as she thought. "Almost two years.", the bigger one, Pete, replied. "And he never held a ball or social gathering or whatever?" "Never." "Any visitors?" "Only two were received by him personally: prince Aston and you, milady." "If you can call that personally.", she grumbled. She'd thought about bypassing the earl and finding someone else to help her reclaim her freedom in the row of his visitors. Without social gatherings, however, he really left her with no choice. "I don't want to seduce that demon." "What did you say, milady?", Hazel asked innocently. Katherine blushed. "I said... I want to search that dungeon
"Do you know the sound of a pig being slaughtered?", Frey asked and scooped the soup into his mouth. "I think I head one tonight. Couldn't sleep because of the squealing." Some heads nodded approvingly. Frey hopefully made puppy-eyes at the girl by his side "C'mon, Lady Kathrine, let's look for the corpse. It might still be out there!" He always had the weirdest hobbies. Or maybe he just used every possible way out of boredom. Katherine raised her head, her face uneasy, but serious. "I'm sorry, it is too dangerous. I can't let you into the forest…" Into the forest… into the forest…, the leaves whispered back. There was a clearing with a creek flowing between the weed. It was a hot summer day and birds flocked in the higher branches of the trees all around, singing mourning melodies. A little girl in a white summer dress played the flute to accompany them. She sat on a stone near the water, her black hair swaying softly with the wind.