Chapter - 52

"So that bastard was just bored of his wife," Leo asked, his hand idly traced the curve of her hip under the silk sheet.

"But did he ever reply? Did the bastard finally acknowledge his wife?" Leo asked.

Seraphine lay against Leo's chest, her eyes fixed on the canopy above.

Seraphine shook her head, a cold, humorless smile touching her lips.

"The reply never came," she whispered, "And even if it had come, it wouldn't have mattered."

"Isolde would never have been able to read it."

She turned her head, looking Leo dead in the eye. Her expression was devoid of guilt.

"Because she died that night."

Leo raised an eyebrow, "And I presume, you killed her."

"I did," Seraphine admitted.

"It wasn't in any rush. I had prepared for it for weeks."

"I didn't stab her or strangle her."

"I needed it to look natural. I had kept a pouch of Nightshade Root powder from my time in the forest. It's a herb hunters use to paralyze prey before the kill. In small doses, it weakens the heart. But in large doses... it stops it."

"I had been dosing her wine for weeks," she continued, her voice flat.

"Just a pinch here and there. Making her lethargic. Making her weak. And that night, after I delivered the letter, I went back to her chambers. She looked so happy. She thought her husband was finally going to love her again."

"Instead of small doses, I mixed a massive dose into her late night drink."

"Poor woman… She drank it all, smiling at me. She even thanked me."

"She died in her sleep. She died dreaming of a love that didn't exist."

"Efficient," Leo muttered, "And the Lord? How did he take it?"

"I went to him the next morning," Seraphine said, "I played the grieving maid perfectly. Tears, trembling hands. I told him, 'My Lord... the Lady... She is not waking up.'"

She let out a bitter laugh, "I expected some shock. Maybe a little bit of surprise maybe."

"But that guy Caelum? He didn't even stand up from his breakfast. He just looked at me, sighed, and shook his head."

"'How fragile life is,' I remember him muttering. Like he was commenting on a broken vase. 'She always was weak. Must have caught a chill.'"

"That was it. He dismissed me with a wave of his hand. He ordered no doctor to confirm. No investigation. This news was just an inconvenience he had to schedule around."

Leo scoffed, "Cold bastard. Already planning his life with a mistress."

"Three days later, we held the funeral," Seraphine continued. "The Grand Hall was draped in black silk. The entire town was in mourning."

"You should have seen him, Leo. It was a masterclass. He stood by the casket, tears streaming down his face. He spoke of his 'beloved Isolde,' the 'light of his life.' He talked about how his heart was shattered."

"I stood at the back, among the other servants as I watched him. I realized then that he wasn't just a bad husband. He was a monster. A sociopath. A lot like me."

"And then came the final act."

"A week passed. The town was still whispering about the tragedy. I heard Caelum summoned his Steward. He is a young man named Malcom. He ordered a public address from the castle walls."

"The entire town of Auravale gathered in the main square. They thought the Lord was going to announce a new tax, a new law or a period of mourning."

"Caelum stood on the edge of the stone wall. He looked haggard. He must have spent an hour getting into the act to look that pale."

"He held up the letter. The letter I wrote. He held the letter such that the broken seal was visible to everyone."

"'My friends,' he boomed, his voice cracking with 'emotion.' 'In her final hours, my beloved left me this. A final wish.'"

"He read it to them. He read every pathetic, flowery word I had written for her. The crowd wept. Women were fainting in the streets. To them, it was so beautiful."

"But then he got to the part I had added. The part Isolde never dictated."

Seraphine recited the words from memory, her voice dripping with irony.

"I know I leave you, my love. You might not find love ever again. But our daughter... She needs a mother. She needs guidance I can no longer give."

"There is one... A sister of my soul... A woman who has cared for me in my final days. Seraphine. She is kind. She is noble in spirit. Please... Let her take my place. Let her be the mother Aliana needs."

Leo smirked. "You wrote yourself into the will. Nice."

"It was a dying wish," Seraphine rolled her eyes, "To deny it would be sacrilege. And this was a perfect opportunity for him to get some sympathy among the people? Even those who hated him would have to wait now."

"Caelum called me forward. I stepped out from behind. That day, I wasn't dressed like a servant. I was wearing a modest blue dress I had stolen from Isolde's wardrobe."

"The people gasped. They saw a beautiful, humble woman, an angel sent to heal the Lord's broken heart."

"But Aliana..." Seraphine's face darkened.

"She was standing right there. She wasn't crying. She was staring at the letter, and then at me. She knew her mother couldn't read or write. She couldn't believe her mother had a 'soul sister'."

"She looked at me with pure, unadulterated hatred. If looks could kill, I would have burned on the spot."

"She didn't say a word. She just kicked the stone wall of the battlements, hard enough to scuff her boots, turned on her heel, and stormed off in front of the entire town."

"And that," Seraphine finished, leaning her head back against Leo's shoulder, "Is how I became the Lady of Auravale."

The room went silent for a moment as Leo processed the story.

"It has been a year and a half since that day," Seraphine said softly, coming back to the present, "I married him a month later. Ever since that day, I have been playing the role of the loving wife and the caring mother."

Leo frowned, his hand stopping its caress on her back.

"You have access," he said, his voice puzzled, "You have been so close to him. You have his trust, or at least his tolerance. Why are they still alive? Why haven't you slit their throats in their sleep?"

Seraphine looked down at her hands, the hands that had once butchered wild animals and even the whole village. They were trembling slightly.

"Because I am weak, Leo," she whispered.

"Ever since that day... Ever since I woke up in the field of corpses at Greenleaf... something changed. The strength I had found in the forest? The speed? It vanished."

"It was like... like a door slammed shut inside me. Maybe it was the trauma. Maybe the gods punished me for what I did. But I am just a woman now. I have no skills. I have no power."

She looked at him helplessly. "Caelum is always surrounded by guards. If I miss... I won't have a second chance. I fail... I die. And I can't waste my life before I get my revenge."

"And Aliana... She despises me. She won't let me within ten feet of her. I cannot get close enough to plan anything."

Leo nodded slowly. It made sense. Seraphine was like a sleeper agent who had lost her weapon.

"And the Lord?" Leo asked, leaning back against the headboard, "Why did I feel like he has been ignoring you.?"

Seraphine flinched, shame coloring her cheeks pink. She pulled the sheet higher, covering her breasts.

"He has never touched me," she admitted, her voice barely audible, "Not even once. Not even on our wedding night."

"He sleeps in his study. He says he is too grieved and busy with the affairs of the state."

"What an idiot? He has such a beautiful wife. Maybe he has a screw loose in his head."

"Or he was really grieving."

"Mr Leo," Lady Seraphine grinned, "He's not grieving, that's for sure."

"My Lady?" Leo looked at him, confused and hurt, "Why are you laughing?"

Leo stared at her confused. The most beautiful woman in the territory, untouched? It didn't add up. Caelum was a man. Men didn't ignore women like Seraphine unless they were dead or...

"The voice," Lady Seraphine said, looking him in the eye, "The voice I heard in the study the day Isolde died. You remember?"

"Yes..." Leo nodded, he was starting to think along the same lines, "It was..."

"It was a man," Lady Seraphine stated bluntly.

Lady Seraphine then told him about the late nights locked in the study. The constant rotation of young, handsome male stewards. The lack of interest in two beautiful wives. The absolute coldness.

"Oh gods," He whispered.

"He prefers a pole to a hole," Leo quickly said, "That son of a bitch. He's just looking for the wrong plumbing."

"He tricked us," Seraphine said, "He needed a wife for the image. For the lineage. But he never... he never wanted..."

"Exactly," Leo said, "He's a fraud. A hypocrite hiding in a closet made of stone."

"I still don't have my memories," she said changing her tone and the subject, "I don't know who I was before the river. I don't know if I can ever be that strong again."

She looked at Leo, her amber eyes searching his face. She looked vulnerable, stripped of all her defenses.

"Tell me, Mr Leo, can I trust you? Truly?"

Leo didn't answer with words immediately. He leaned in and kissed her, hard and possessive, a kiss that claimed her soul as much as her body.

"Watch this," he whispered.

He reached into his inventory. There was a shimmer of golden light, and an object materialized in his hand.

It was a silver amulet shaped like a stylized eye, hanging on a fine chain. The Amulet of Keen Observation.

"Trust is good," Leo said, unclasping the chain and fastening it around her neck. The cool silver metal rested in the valley between her breasts. "I would love to take advantage of you."

"What is this?" Seraphine asked, fingering the artifact.

"It is a gift," Leo lied smoothly. "A rare artifact I found in my travels. It is a one-time use item, Seraphine, so listen carefully."

"When you activate it, it will allow you to see the truth. It reads emotions. Heart rates. Lies. It will tell you who is loyal and who is a snake."

He looked at her intensely. "Use it in the court. Use it on Aliana. Find out what she fears. Find out who she trusts."

He leaned close to her ear, his breath warm against her skin, "But don't waste it on me, Seraphine."

"Why?" she looked at Leo, teasingly, "Are you afraid I will know something I shouldn't?"

"Because I will know," Leo smirked, pressing his body against hers, "And I won't like it."

Seraphine looked down at the amulet, then up at him. Her eyes were shining with tears of gratitude. He had given her more than just pleasure; he had given her a weapon. He had given her a way to fight back.

"Why?" she asked, her voice trembling, "Why are you so good to me? I am a murderer. A liar. A fraud."

"I don't care what you are," Leo corrected her, brushing a strand of hair from her face, "You are mine."

"How can I ever repay you?" she whispered, moving closer, her body molding against his.

Leo smiled, the predatory glint returning to his eyes. He took her hand and guided it under the silk sheet.

He pressed her palm against the rock-hard dick of his.

"Oh, my Lady," Leo purrs, his voice thick with desire, "There is always a way."

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