Aria spoke a bit more with her sister as they both sat on the bed in her room, cuddled up together, unwilling to let each other go. Their arms wrapped around each other like lifelines, fingers tangled tightly, as though loosening their grip might tear open the fragile peace between them.
They talked for a while longer, their voices trembling with emotion, crying half the time, their cheeks wet and eyes swollen. After everything, they had both decided that finding their mother was the one thing they had to do—something solid to cling to amid the wreckage.
"After that we’ll all escape together," Liora whispered under her breath, her voice soft and rushed, like she was afraid even saying it too loud might curse it. She continued talking, her words barely above a whisper.
"...it will be a mostly human city where we can live normal lives," she added, though a hint of worry clung to her voice like a shadow she couldn’t shake.
"As long as we have each other, I don’t really care about revenge," she admitted—but she was still speaking, still painting dreams of escape, when Aria felt a cold shudder of fear twist through her chest. It was a fear she hadn’t even been aware was still there, buried deep beneath her skin like a sleeping beast.
The last time she escaped, Zyren had ordered her leg broken—snapped like a branch beneath his will. She understood now that if she ever ran again, if she dared try to flee a second time, she couldn’t afford to be caught. Not for her sake—and certainly not for Liora’s.
"I’m not even sure what I’m supposed to do here," Liora admitted in a low voice, her uncertainty laid bare between them. Even Aria herself wasn’t sure. The only thing she did know—the only thing she could know—was that she wouldn’t let her sister be harmed. Not again. Not ever.
"I’ll ask and find out what—" But Aria was still speaking when she heard a light knock at her door. The kind that instantly filled her with unease.
There was no one she knew who would bother knocking—much less in a way so delicate it was as if the person were afraid of leaving a mark on the door.
Aria instantly got up, her muscles tensing, and reached for her walking stick even though she no longer needed it as much. Still, the last thing she needed was for Zyren to remember that she had once required chains.
She had just pulled the door open when she was met with the sight of a middle-aged woman—clearly human—bowing her head. She spoke in a respectful tone, one Aria had never heard anyone use for her in the castle, and yet...
Though her demeanor was polite, the hatred in her eyes was unmistakable. It flickered just beneath the surface, something she tried but failed to hide.
"I received orders to help the new maid settle in. She is to take shifts in the garden," the woman said, bowing her head lower, her tone soft and controlled.
All Aria could think about was what she might have done to earn the woman’s scorn—until the image returned to her: Zyren, cutting down servants like they were weeds.
She blames me, Aria realized. And deep in her heart, she couldn’t fault her. Any of those servants could have been the woman’s sister, her brother... someone she loved.
"I should also show her where she would stay," the woman added, just as Liora stepped down from the bed and moved closer, her face calm but her posture hesitant.
"I can’t stay here with you," she said in a composed tone, but the sadness beneath it clung to her voice like fog. Aria didn’t know how to respond. She simply nodded, her throat too tight to speak, even as tears welled in Liora’s eyes.
She moved to step out, but not before Aria caught her hand, gripping it tightly. She leaned in close, her voice trembling with quiet fury and sorrow.
"I promise that no one will ever touch you again," Aria swore under her breath.
Liora nodded, eyes glistening, and stepped out. Aria let go reluctantly as the maid—with a dark pin on her chest that marked her rank—bowed once more before turning and leaving.
Aria stepped back inside. She sat back down on the bed, her shoulders heavy with the weight of everything unspoken. For now, until she found their mother... until she escaped... until she made Zyren pay—Liora, her younger sister by a year, was her sole responsibility.
Out in the corridor, Liora walked with a steady pace, matching the woman beside her. The maid didn’t look at her, didn’t speak. Liora kept her expression still, but it had darkened.
She had seen her sister’s room. She had seen the luxury. The silks. The golden trim. She had heard enough already to know that Aria was the King’s favorite—his only pet.
The collar on her sister’s neck could’ve paid for a life of comfort and indulgence. Liora gritted her teeth, fury rising inside her like bile.
She lied, Liora thought, rage tightening her chest as she remembered asking Aria if she had slept with the King. You said no—but you smell of sex. Your skin is marked with love bites. The vampire’s bite on your neck is still fresh.
You slept with the enemy!
The only thing that stopped her from fully condemning her sister was the haunted look buried in Aria’s eyes—something broken, something too raw to fake.
But even then, Liora wasn’t sure she could forgive her.
She glanced sideways at the maid beside her, catching the dirty looks the woman kept tossing her way when she thought Liora wasn’t watching.
"I’ll show you your room first," the maid said stiffly. Liora nodded, silent.
But when they reached the room and the door creaked open, Liora’s stomach turned. It was dark, musty, barren. The air stank of damp stone.
Without hesitation, her anger surged to the surface.
She raised her hand and slapped the woman—so hard her head snapped to the side. The maid gasped, reeling in stunned silence.
"I don’t care what you have against my sister—but you forget your place," Liora said coldly, knowing that hiding their relationship wouldn’t serve her.
"She sleeps with the King. One word from her, and your entire family would be dead." Her voice dropped, venom curling around every syllable. "Unlike my sister—I’m not squeamish with blood."
She took a step closer, her gaze glinting with cruelty. "Get me a better room, or I’ll piss on the floor and make you lick it clean."
She had nothing left. Her father and brother—dead. Her mother—missing. Her sister—claimed by the very monster who destroyed their lives.
And while Aria was in silks and gold, Liora had been raped by beasts. She clenched her fists so tight her nails dug into her palms.
She had reached rock bottom. Although she didn’t look it and had acted otherwise deep down rage was the only thing keeping her warm.