[Third Person].
Another deep sigh left her lips. Straightening slightly, she called inward, "Valmora."
The response ca slowly, like a presence rising from deep water. "I’m here."
"Do you think I went too far with the poison tactic?" redith asked quietly.
"No," Valmora replied without hesitation. "If I were in your place, I would carry it out. Not pretend."
redith wasn’t surprised. Valmora’s hatred of Xamira was raw and unhidden.
"Now, I want to know sothing," she said calmly. "Why are you always so... cold when it cos to dealing with people?"
A long, heavy silence followed. For a mont, redith wondered if Valmora would refuse to answer. Then her wolf’s voice ca again, lower than before.
"Did you forget so soon how Serena died? I clearly told you."
redith stiffened slightly. "Yes, you did. You told you were poisoned," she said. "Both of you."
"Yes," Valmora acknowledged. "We were poisoned." There was a small pause before she continued. "We underestimated our enemies."
redith leaned back against the table, listening.
"I thought they would challenge us openly like before," Valmora went on. "Declare war. et on the battlefield. I was prepared for all that."
Just then, her presence darkened with mory. "I did not expect them to stoop so low."
"How?" redith asked softly. "How was it done?"
"They poisoned the water," Valmora answered. "A stream along a route they knew I would take."
The image unfolded vividly in redith’s mind.
"They knew I was too strong for them to be ambushed directly," Valmora continued. "Too powerful to overpower with blades or claws. So they chose patience. They chose cowardice."
Her words sharpened.
"Serena and most of our soldiers drank from that stream. They died without ever raising a weapon."
redith’s chest tightened. "They hated you because you were a woman," she said quietly, understanding dawning fully now.
"Yes," Valmora replied. "A woman who wielded power they believed belonged only to n."
redith closed her eyes. Now she truly did understand why Valmora trusted nothing, why she believed rcy was weakness, and why she would rather strike first than risk betrayal.
"I don’t bla you anymore," redith said softly.
Valmora said nothing, but for the first ti, the silence did not feel hostile.
redith opened her eyes and looked back at the pot on her worktable, at the dicine she was preparing, at the path she was choosing—walking the thin line between fear and compassion, between darkness and restraint.
She straightened, her resolve settling firmly back into place. Villain or not, she would decide how this story unfolded.
A long while later, when the herbal mixture had finally cooled down a bit, redith moved again.
She poured a small portion into a narrow glass bottle and sealed it carefully, setting it aside. The rest, she carried to her bedroom.
Steam curled faintly as she poured the liquid into the bathtub, the scent of crushed roots and leaves filling the air. She added cool water, adjusting the temperature until it was just right. Then she stripped and stepped in.
The dicinal bath seeped into her skin almost imdiately—warming, cleansing, coaxing tension from her muscles and opening her pores. redith leaned back, eyes closed, letting the weight of the morning dissolve for a full half hour.
When the ti passed, she drained the tub, refilled it with fresh water, and washed her body thoroughly until the herbal scent faded from her skin. Only then did she wrap herself in a robe and return to the bedroom.
The bed welcod her like a trap. She lay down, and sleep took her instantly.
---
When redith woke again, the light outside had softened into evening hues.
She blinked, montarily disoriented, then realized she had slept straight through lunch. Her stomach stirred, but she wasn’t bothered. She could already sll the aroma of food in the room.
Sitting up, she glanced toward the sitting area only to see Draven there. He was sitting comfortably with one ankle resting over his knee, and a chicken drumstick held loosely in one hand.
His gaze was fixed on her—unapologetic, mildly amused. Then slowly, the corner of his lips curved upward.
"And just how long were you planning to sleep?" he asked.
redith stared at him for half a second, then it clicked. "You did that on purpose," she said flatly.
Draven’s smile widened just a touch.
She growled—soft, instinctive, unmistakably wolfish—and swung her legs off the bed. Without ceremony, she crossed the room and dropped down beside him on the sofa, close enough that her shoulder brushed his arm.
He chuckled, offering her another drumstick with his free hand. "Welco back to the world," he said.
Without reservation, she took the drumstick from him and started eating.
redith wasn’t surprised that Draven wasn’t angry anymore, or distant, or cold. She had grown used to this version of him: one who no longer punished her with silence when displeased.
Still, she had been prepared for it. After declaring she would poison Xamira, she had expected distance, days of restraint, and even careful politeness.
Instead, he had co straight to her the mont he returned from his eting. That alone told her a lot.
Between bites, she glanced at him. "How was your eting?"
Draven snorted softly. "Tedious. A lot of talking that could have been cut in half." He shook his head. "I nearly lost my patience."
redith humd, reaching for the bowl beside her. "You should get used to it," she said calmly. "When you beco King, you will drown in etings like that."
He gave her a sidelong look. "Unfortunately... you’re right."
She picked up her spoon and dug into the rice. It had been cooked with coconut cream, so it was rich, fragrant, and comforting.
Stir-fried vegetables also sat neatly to the side, still warm. redith ate like soone who had been starving. Her spoon moving quickly, her attention wholly on the food, so she didn’t notice Draven’s gaze.
He watched her quietly. The curve of her jaw as she chewed, the side of her neck, and the robe she was putting on.
His eyes lingered there longer than necessary, observing her. Then he looked away, took another bite of his own food, and said nothing.
When redith reached for the bowl again, he was already pouring her a glass of water. Then he slid it toward her without comnt.
She took it absently, drained half of it, and went right back to eating.
Draven leaned back slightly, thoughtfully studying her from the corner of his eyes once again.
Reviews
All reviews (0)