Aaron went to visit Lucian, as he wanted to talk about Rina. She had been staying at his ho, and no one from the Rainier estate had co to check on her, which surprised him and made him wonder what exactly was going on.
When Aaron reached Lucian’s study, he found Lucian lost in his thoughts, staring blankly out of the window, his mind seemingly elsewhere.
"Lucian?" Aaron called, noticing that Lucian hadn’t even realized soone had entered his study.
Lucian snapped back to reality and turned to see Aaron standing across from his desk. "Aaron? I’m sorry. I didn’t notice you arrive. Please, have a seat."
"It’s alright," Aaron said, settling into the chair while Lucian asked the servant to bring tea.
"What were you thinking about so deeply?" Aaron asked. "Is sothing troubling you?"
"It’s nothing," Lucian replied honestly. "I was just staring outside and didn’t even realize where my mind had wandered."
Aaron humd, then shifted to the reason for his visit. "I ca to talk about Rina."
"Is she troubling you?" Lucian asked. "I know she ca to your ho after we had an argunt."
"No, she’s not troubling , but she was crying, saying she misses you," Aaron explained. "But then she didn’t want to bring you to her either. If there’s sothing between you two, as her older brother, you should talk it out and try to make her understand. Sisters are supposed to be treasured by brothers."
"There is nothing worry, Aaron. But she’s not a child anymore. She’s been too pampered by us here. Let her stay away for a little while," Lucian replied, eting Aaron’s gaze. "But if she’s troubling you, I’ll arrange for her to go sowhere else."
"No. She’s not troubling ," Aaron denied imdiately. "She’s still a child, and a girl at that. How can you think about sending her sowhere else? She can stay either at Rainiers or Wynters. We shouldn’t trust anyone else with the daughter of our family. If you’re that adamant about sending her away, then she’ll stay at my ho as long as she wants."
Lucian noticed how suddenly protective Aaron had beco of Rina, and this was what he wanted.
"Alright, but if she becos too much of a handful, you can tell ," Lucian said. "I’ve been with her since she was born, and I know she’s not always easy to deal with."
"She’s a good child. Even if she causes trouble, it’s nothing to worry about. As long as she stays at Wynters, she’s my responsibility," Aaron declared firmly.
"Well then, I can be relieved," Lucian replied with a hint of a smile.
With the matter of Rina settled, Lucian shifted the conversation. "Elrod is dead. What do you expect to do with the Mortirs?"
Aaron knew that Elrod had taken his own life with the dagger Lucian had left for him, and he didn’t mind. He had already done enough to shatter Elrod’s spirit entirely.
"You can decide their fate," Aaron replied, giving Lucian the freedom to seek his own revenge.
"What’s left for ?" Lucian remarked. "Your punishnt for Elrod has already left everyone shattered and full of regret."
Lucian couldn’t deny that what had happened to Zyr was cruel beyond words, but Aaron had lost his sister in the most brutal way imaginable. Breaking soone as evil and shaless as Elrod that seed to be the only way to bring justice.
-----
The next morning, Aaron and Lucian returned to the prison base. Elrod’s dead body was being carried out after being left in the cell since the previous day. His throat had been slit, and his corpse was on display all night, forcing everyone to witness his end. The cruelty of the past two days had drained the life out of those who had seen it, leaving them with deep regret.
Luis and his two sons were the only ones clinging to their sanity, doing so for Grace’s sake. Grace, though still breathing, was like a shell of a person—her spirit utterly shattered by what she had witnessed.
Unlike Elrod, whose soul had only been broken, Grace’s mind had been completely destroyed. She hadn’t spoken a word since, nor had she eaten or drunk anything. The horrors they had seen had stolen their appetite and will to live.
When Aaron and Lucian entered the prison cell area, a guard announced to the prisoners, "All of you are being sent to the extre north of the territory, to work at the construction site for the boundary wall. You will labor there for the rest of your lives."
Luis felt a wave of terror wash over him. The extre north was nothing but ice, unbearable cold, and endless snow. Grace would never survive there, and he knew it. She would suffer greatly and die.
"Lord Wynter," Luis called out, gripping the cold iron bars of the prison cell. If he could have broken free, he would have thrown himself at Aaron’s feet to beg for rcy.
Aaron turned his gaze toward him, his expression cold and unforgiving, as if Luis were nothing more than a bug beneath his feet.
"Lord Wynter, please don’t send my daughter to the construction site. Look at her—she already seems half-dead," Luis begged, his voice trembling with desperation. "I beg you, show so rcy to her. She’s nothing but a weak woman. You can punish her by making her a maid or giving her so lowly work in your residence, but don’t send her outside. She’s always been protected within the walls of a ho. She had been born and raised there. She will live there however you want her to be. Please."
Tears stread down Luis’s face as he pleaded, his hands gripping the bars. "I beg you, for the sake of my daughter. That construction site is full of criminals. She won’t survive there."
Aaron took a step forward, kneeling on one knee before Luis, who was crumbling on the ground. Aaron’s gaze was filled with cold hatred, devoid of any trace of kindness.
"Luis Mortir," Aaron began, his voice sharp and rciless, "do you actually believe your blood is worthy to step inside my ho? Have you lost your mind? And what makes you think your daughter would be safe with around? Don’t you realize I could hurt her in ways you can’t even begin to imagine?"
Reviews
All reviews (0)