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ROXANA (Chapter 37)

*E/N: Thanks for 100 followers! I'm having a lot of fun editing these chapters, and I hope you're all having as much fun reading them :)

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As he ran, Cassis shot a sharp glance back at Jeremy, who had recovered from his surprise and was now looking far more relaxed. Cassis could hear Jeremy’s nasty laugh echoing behind him.

Disoriented by the initial chaos, Cassis had accidentally gotten stabbed by the Karantul’s pincer-like legs, and he was starting to feel its effects. First, the numbness spread through his limbs, before it was replaced by a cold, tingling sensation.

‘Shit,’ he thought. ‘Why are they breeding such things here?’

The surrounding atmosphere was now completely engulfed in the dense smell of poison emanating from the escaped monsters.

“Help me- HEUK!”

Cassis stopped and swung his head around just in time to see the woman who had cried for help get crushed in the jaws of another huge monster.

More monsters were advancing towards Cassis in the meantime, and while his chains were effective in curbing their attacks, there was a limit to how much he could attack without a proper weapon.

He clenched his teeth while shaking off a monster that had tried to bite him, hurriedly looking backwards for a possible escape route- but not before the monster’s poison tail sank its spike into him.

* * *

“Your clothes are getting dirty, my lady.”

As soon as Emily’s hand touched the monster, its black body withdrew with a terrible and piercing scream.

“You don’t have to do anything, so please step back.” Roxana extended her arm towards Emily’s ungloved hand. “Try not to use your power- I don’t want your life force depleting for nothing.”

Emily bowed her head in acknowledgement.

Behind us, Grizelda dislodged an iron bar from a cage, using it as a weapon to defend herself from the monsters.

Those who couldn’t fend for themselves huddled the middle of the greenhouse, away from the glass walls and fighting members of the Agriche soldiers.

I moved toward Grizelda, breaking off an overturned table leg and stabbing it in an advancing monster’s eye to kill it.

“I have to leave,” I said.

“Because of Cassis?” She asked, almost sympathetically. I nodded.

“Yeah,” she sighed. “I have a feeling this is all Jeremy’s fault. Just one of his stupid pranks. I hope your toy isn’t too badly hurt.”

 * * *

Cassis had been running for what seemed like centuries, and yet… he had no idea where he was, or where he was going. The Agriche mansion was truly a labyrinth. His limbs were tiring, and his brain was aching. Yet another monster appeared in front of him; Cassis grabbed the sword of a fallen Agriche soldier, and lunged.

* * *

“Someone- someone save me!”

Just then, someone jumped over the monster’s head. The man moved deftly, driving a sword through its forehead. The Karantul fell with a shrill cry.

“Oh… thank you, sir!”

Cassis had no reason to help the people of Agriche. But he also couldn’t ignore a person’s cry for help.

Moreover, it was partly his fault that people were getting hurt by the monsters- after all, Jeremy had only released the monsters to hurt Cassis.

“Oh, good. You’re alive.”

As if summoned by Cassis’ thoughts, Jeremy appeared in the tree above him.

 Cassis cocked his head. “You’re happy to see me alive?”

“Yeah. I guess. If you died, I’d kind of be in a lot of shit, so…” Jeremy trailed off.

“Bullshit. You were the one who let the monsters out in the first place.”

Jeremy opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by the thumping of dismembered Karantul body parts landing several feet away from Jeremy and Cassis.

“What’s going on?”

A deep, languid voice emerged from behind the Karantul’s corpse. The man had black hair and red eyes- an exact- but much younger- carbon copy of Lanche Agriche.

“Are you in the middle of walking your dog?” The man continued, wiping his sword on the coattails of his blazer.

Cassis looked at Jeremy, who was gritting his teeth in frustration. “Fucking Dion… fucking bitchass,” the younger Agriche muttered under his breath.

Dion ignored the jibe. “Jeremy. Did you open the door to the feedlot?”

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Update – 26/04

Hello everyone, just a quick update on my sudden 10-day disappearance.

I'll be busy preparing for college (packing, saving up, etc.) and helping my family move countries over the next few months. Since I don't get paid to edit, my IRL jobs take priority (i.e. taking extra shifts when I can, which may not give me enough time per week to edit and publish chapters on here). I know that sounds a bit shitty of me, but saving money is important to me, especially since living costs in the US are high.

So if updates are a little slow, please bear with me.

The next update will be published in a few days.

Thanks for your time :)

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ROXANA (Chapter 36)

“M-Master Jeremy- Ugh!” Jeremy continued kicking and stepping on the hand of the guard on the floor. In doing so, he accidentally let go of Cassis’ chain, which he had snatched from the guards’ hands.

“Hey, look at me, you bitch!” Jeremy cried at the guard, who had buried his head in his hands in fear.

Cassis had been taking in the situation in silence for a while, and it dawned on him that no matter how much the black-haired boy wanted to be angry at Cassis, he couldn’t take it out on him because he was Roxana’s toy.

A mean smile graced Jeremy’s lips, and Cassis watched as Jeremy beat the guard to a pulp.

‘There doesn’t seem to be anyone sane in Agriche,’ Cassis thought. ‘I’ve got to get out of here.’

As soon as Jeremy turned his back on him again, Cassis rushed towards the door.

* * *

Cassis stepped outside and was greeted by the harsh bright sunlight. As he stepped onto the lawn, his ears were flooded by sounds he’d been deprived of for so long.

Suddenly, at that moment, he saw Jeremy moving towards him, hot on his trail.

When Cassis tried to take a step further, he found his movements so restricted by the chains attached to his feet. But as Jeremy neared him, Cassis decided to turn his weakness into a weapon, and whipped the chain in Jeremy’s direction.

When Jeremy lifted his arm to block the attack, Cassis jumped on it, pushing Jeremy’s entire body down with full force.

Jeremy got up and licked his lips, tasting blood. Cassis was more agile than he thought. “Fuck.” Cassis could have killed him right then and there, so the fact that he didn’t meant Cassis wasn’t focused on fighting, but escape.

“Leave me alone,” Cassis said. “I don’t have time to deal with you.”

“You fucking bastard…” Jeremy’s face boiled in rage, despite having no intention of killing any toy of Roxana’s.

Cassis broke free of his restraints, and was intending to run away, but Agriche guards in the vicinity had gotten wind of the commotion and formed a blockade to surround Cassis.

“Mister Jeremy! What’s going on? What are you doing?!” The guards shouted in horror.

Cassis continued swinging his chain to attack Jeremy, while gradually increasing his distance from both Jeremy and the Agriche guards.

However, he was so focused on fighting Jeremy that he didn’t take notice of the recoil direction of his chain. Every time he swung it, it snapped back violently, and as he kept backing up, it eventually hit a solid material behind him.

He turned around, surprised, watching as the large metal door creaked open to reveal an infinite darkness within it.

Then, the eerie sounds of rattling, clicking, and scuttling emerged from the darkness, gradually getting closer to the party outside. Black lumps spewed out the door at high speeds, claiming the first few casualties.

“You…” Jeremy said, completely shocked.  

Everyone turned to flee.

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ROXANA (Chapter 35)

[30 minutes before Cassis’ escape]

Two guards opened the door to Cassis’ room, approaching him to unlock his chains.

“Be quick,” the senior guard ordered.

“Where are you taking me?” Cassis asked.

“Damn… these toys are getting so arrogant.”

“Watch your mouth. This is Miss Roxana’s toy.”

The younger guard shut his mouth.

“We received an order to bring you to Mistress Maria’s tea party. Don’t play rough, and don’t cause trouble. Just stay silent.”

At that moment, Cassis thought about the red mark Roxana had left on his neck. It was in such a conspicuous place, and something inside his stomach wriggled at the thought of other people noticing it. Cassis tilted his head to stretch his neck; he felt uncomfortable.

“Can’t you just sit still for one second?”

Cassis’ gaze shifted towards the now-open door for two reasons- firstly, he felt another person’s presence outside, and secondly, he was witnessing an unprecedented opportunity.

“Wow… It’s the first time I’ve seen this door opened.” A boy with black hair and blue eyes walked through the entrance.

“Ah, Mister Jeremy!”

The boy ignored the man’s greetings, looking straight at Cassis.

“What’s up, bitch?” Jeremy sauntered over to the bed where Cassis was sitting. Cassis didn’t answer.

“Are your ears clogged or what?! Answer me!” Cassis replied with a silent stare.

“What are you doing here, Mister Jeremy?” The senior guard asked again.

“Why are you here? Are you taking him outside? Are you walking this son of a bitch?” Then Jeremy laughed. “My God, you’re going to walk him like a dog. Shit, that’s funny.”

“No, Mister Jeremy. We were ordered to escort him to Maria’s tea party.”

“Oh.” Jeremy looked deep in thought. “That was today? Ah, that stupid bitch Maria. Always inviting people to such dumbass, boring fucking events.”

The curses that Jeremy directed at Maria were so vulgar that they shocked the guards.

“But Xana never mentioned anything about taking Cassis outside…” Jeremy wondered out loud. “Are you sure she ordered you to do this?”

“Hah… People change their minds, don’t they? We also heard about it not long ago, when Mister Dion told us to being Miss Roxana’s toy to the greenhouse. You can check-” But the guard didn’t get to finish his sentence, because Jeremy had launched an explosive kick to the older man’s chest.

“Ugh!”

“Do you shitheads get trained anymore?” Jeremy kicked him again. “To bring up that douchebag’s name in front of me…” The other guard backed up into the corner of the room, cowering.  

Then he stopped and turned to face Cassis instead. “You look so goddamn creepy, you know. Are you aware of how fucked you are right now? To be caught up in Dion’s mess.”

Then he caught sight of the marks on Cassis’ neck and sighed in frustration, running his fingers through his hair. “Oi, you.” Jeremy said, grabbing Cassis’ chin with rough hands. “I’ll turn away from the door. Why don’t you take your first steps to freedom?”

Cassis deliberated the situation silently. “Why should I trust you?” He said finally.

Suddenly, Jeremy threw a punch, which Cassis easily dodged. Jeremy’s fist met drywall, the force of his movements so strong that white dust was now floating in the air.

Jeremy ground his teeth. “You motherfucker. Stay stuck here, then.” Cassis had not acted as Jeremy intended, and it annoyed him to no end. But with Roxana’s inevitable fury in mind, he drew back, instead lashing his anger out on the younger guard huddled in the corner.  

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ROXANA (Chapter 34)

… But to say I was ‘enjoying’ the tea party was an overstatement. Really, everyone here is so boring.

“Your toy looks quite interesting- do you want to swap toys for a day?” One guest would say.

“Hmm… But I don’t like your toy.” The other guest would reply.

I glazed over the conversations with lazy ears and a drifting mind.

“Then let’s make a bet. We’ll make both toys compete, and if yours wins, we’ll swap. If mine wins, we won’t.” One of my stepbrothers said.  

“Deal!” Another stepbrother replied. They called in a butler, who was ordered to open the their toy’s cage door.

 The man in the cage walked toward us; his hands drooped, his breathing was laboured, and his eyes had a blue glaze to them- he was clearly under the influence of a strong stimulant.

Like this man, all the other toys present here were in strange conditions. But clearly the stress wasn’t enough- their owners were still trying to pit them against each other, betting on toys like fighting dogs in an arena.

“Who do you think will win?”

“The one with the brown hair.”

“Surely not. Look at him, he’s staggering as we speak. He’s had too much drugs.”

“Well, that just means he can’t feel pain. Isn’t that a good thing?”

Sunlight passed through the glass ceiling of the greenhouse in shimmering waves, and the warmth enlivened the calming scent of the flowers around us. Despite the chaotic conversations raging around me, there was still some beauty to be appreciated here.

When I tuned into the main conversation again, I saw that the toys had begun a melee-style battle. The more blood that was shed and the louder the toys groaned, the more the attendees were enjoying the show.

Truly, it was a good thing for my mother to have left early.

But the match was ended abruptly by the entrance of a servant, who ran and collapsed into the greenhouse, screaming. His face was swollen, and there was blood drenching his clothes.

Maria, the host, turned her head sharply towards him. “What is the meaning of this?”

“Miss Roxana’s toy has escaped!”

Everyone’s eyes flew to meet my eye, but I remained calm. “My toy unlocked and escaped his room?”

“No- we went into the room to invite him to the tea party, but he got past us and escaped.”

“Who asked you to bring my toy to the tea party?”

At that moment, the man shut his mouth as if realizing his mistake. I set my teacup down, swiping the rim with a napkin. “I don’t remember ordering anyone to do that. And yet, you did it anyway.”

“Um… that… W-We were told that Master Dion ordered it, s-so we thought that the order had also been approved by you, Miss Roxana.”

I saw Maria open her mouth to speak, but I was quicker. “That’s funny.”

“You would dare make fun of me in public like this?” I knew they were acting under Dion’s orders, but understanding and forgiving were two very different things when my reputation was coming under fire because of them. Because as of right now, they seemed to be more afraid of Dion than of me.

“N-No! There’s been a misunderstanding! I was wrong, Miss! Please forgive me!”

It wasn’t a petty crime to release my toy without my permission. “So why are you still standing? Shouldn’t you be on your knees, begging for forgiveness?”

I struck the man’s kneecaps with a knife on the table. His knees buckled, and he moaned in pain. “Ahhh…!”

I lowered the cane. “That’s better.” He collapsed completely onto the floor, lying prostrate and garbling apologies.

 “Now,” I said, stepping closer and onto the pool of blood, “What was Cassis’ last confirmed location?”

“A… a corridor heading southwest. Master Jeremy is already after him.”

I thought it best not to delay this any longer, and called to Emily.

“Yes,” she said with a nod of her head. “I will handle it.”

I turned to Maria. “Thank you for the tea party. I’ll take my leave now.”

As I turned to leave, a roar came from outside. The greenhouse, previously illuminated with gentle, suffused sunlight, suddenly became dark. A black lump flew into the walls at such a high speed that the glass cracked.

“What is going on?!” The guests were in a frenzy.

“It’s a monster!”

A monster the size of a house hit the glass of the greenhouse again. It was a ‘Karantul,’ an Agriche-farmed monster that looked like a spider, save for its four legs and scorpion-like tail.

“Miss!”At that moment, a woman drenched in venom entered the greenhouse. It was one of Maria’s maids, and in a high-pitched voice, informed the party that the door to Feedlot 5 had been opened.

I prayed inwardly that this had nothing to do with Cassis’ escape.

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ROXANA (Chapter 33)

“Have you started it on drugs?”

The maids wheeled in the other guests’ toys from outside; they all appeared drugged, eyes glazed and hunched over the wounds in their arms.

In the process of being tamed, it seems that some of these toys had become addicted to their sedatives.

“I’m not against using sedatives, but I’d hate for my toy to become docile,” I said. “Submissive prey aren’t as satisfying to kill, after all.”

The silence was deafening, but then a laugh erupted from beside me.

“Ah… Of course! It’s your first toy, so of course you should make its death a memorable one!”

The other attendees murmured, some in agreement, and others in amusement.

“I’ve never thought about that before. But I agree, drugging just makes them stupid.”

“What’s the problem? I love when they just do everything I say.”

“True- I hate it when they disobey me.”

“But Xana,” an older woman’s voice rang out from amongst the chatter. “Considering your toy’s temperament, drugging it may not be a bad idea.”

“Yes,” Maria mused. “I heard why Charlotte was sent to the punishment chamber. Lanche said it was the scion of Pedelian- such a fuss that stupid thing caused.”

Someone cleared their throat, ending the silence. I was Grizelda, my half-sister, tucking her brown locks behind her ear and studying me with her ruby eyes.

Grizelda and I were the same age, and got along decently. She glanced over at the older woman, and appeared to be embarrassed about Charlotte’s juvenile outburst. “Hm… I was looking forward to seeing Xana’s new toy, but he’ll just have to pay a visit some other time.”

Maria clapped her hands again. She seems to be in a good mood today.

“Now that everyone has gathered, I’d like to show you all my new doll!”

Something inside me groaned at the sight of Maria’s bright face. She laughed, beckoning over a maid who was waiting in the corner of the greenhouse.

I looked at my mother, whose face had visibly crumpled.

After a while, a woman stumbled into the greenhouse, hands and legs shackled. Her face was made up garishly, but she really did look like a doll. As she neared out table, however, we saw past the nymphic make-up to reveal a hollow, scarred face.

“Everyone welcome Lewell. We all remember Lewell, right?”

Ah. Lewell. The head maid. Or ex-head maid, I should say.

 Without Maria’s introduction, however, it would have been difficult to recognise Lewell’s face like this. How could you, when her face was so horribly disfigured?

“Come, Lewell. Don’t be rude. Greet our esteemed guests.”

Lewell’s head slowly rose to meet Maria. “… Oh… uh… ah.”

Maria didn’t elaborate on the reason for Lewell’s punishment- though did she ever need a reason to torture someone?- but it appeared that Lewell’s tongue had been cut off.

It was such a bizarre sight- a corpse-like woman wearing a beautiful, brand-new gown, wandering limply from table to table while the guests fawned over her ghastly appearance. My mother’s face had turned ashen.

“Sierra,” Maria chirped. “How do you like my new doll? Isn’t it cuter than my last one?”

Maria grabbed Lewell’s palm and placed it in front of Sierra’s plate. The funny thing was, Maria wasn’t doing this to my mother in bad faith- she truly believed that showing Lewell off was the equivalent to two friends having amicable conversations about how their day went, etcetera.

My mother replied by stuttering out a few syllables. A relieved smile bloomed on Maria’s face.

“Lewell! Isn’t that wonderful?! Sierra must like you. Why don’t you return the favour and pour her another cup of tea?”

Lewell bowed brokenly, reaching for the teapot. When she tried to lift it up, however, her arm slacked and she dropped it, shattering the porcelain and spilling the tea on my mother.

“Oh, Sierra!” Maria got up and began fussing over Sierra with napkins. “Sierra, are you okay, the tea must be hot. Were you burned at all?”

“No…” Sierra let out a nervous chuckle. “I’m quite alright.”

Maria turned curtly towards Lewell. “Lewell, how are you so incompetent? To go so far as spilling tea on an esteemed guest…”

Lewell’s mistakes would surely not go unpunished, and my mother must have realized the gravity of the situation.

“… Ah, Maria…” my mother began. “Lewell didn’t do anything wrong. It was an accident. So there’s no need for her to be punished…”

“Sierra, you’re really too kind.” Though Maria admired the softness of my mother’s heart, she shook her head. “But I can’t let it go. Your hands could have been burned and scarred by Lewell. Sarah, take Lewell away.”

Then, amidst the chatter, a sharp clang of breaking porcelain rang out. I laughed softly, saying, “Oh, apologies. I dropped my teacup by mistake.”

“Mother.” I continued. “I think your hands are a little red. Should we go cool it off with some cold water before it starts to swell?”

Fortunately, my mother seemed to understand the meaning of my words. “It may be better to get your hands examined by a physician.”

“Oh, yes, Sierra.” Maria chimed in. “We can’t have your beautiful skin be ruined.” She called for another maid to escort my mother to the physician’s office.

Only after my mother had left could I enjoy Maria’s tea party with a lighter conscience.  

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ROXANA (Chapter 32)

“Miss Roxana, you’ve received an invitation from Madame Maria.”

I frowned. It was inevitable, but still… it made me unhappy. After all, I’d already dealt with my fair share of annoyances today.

This morning, Jeremy had approached me to confess about his meeting with Maria. In trying to escape the conversation, he’d accidentally told her about Cassis. God, Jeremy can be so stupid sometimes. I suppose that’s how he let slip to Sylvia about Cassis’ death in the novel.

Jeremy continued to complain about Cassis and Maria. I knew he was jealous of Cassis because of how much time I spent with him, but I also knew how much Maria pissed him off, too.

Usually, Maria isn’t this persistent about following up on her offers, so she must really be interested in Cassis. Which means… It would be best not to bring him to the tea party.

* * *

Maria’s tea party was held in a glass greenhouse in the centre of the mansion. Unlike the typical Agriche greenhouses that keep poisonous plants, this one was built solely for lounging and conversation.

Of course, members of the Agriche family are extremely independent, so this greenhouse is rarely used for gatherings. Instead, the only time the family got together was for our evaluation ‘dinners’, held once a month… But even that only consisted of Father and a select three children.

For that reason, Maria was special because she was the only person who actually tried to bring the family together.

“Welcome, Xana.”

Sunlight flitted gently through the vaulted glass ceiling. Maria smiled as she got out of her seat to greet me.

“I guess I’m the last one,” I replied coolly. “Thank you for the invitation.”

I took the only empty seat left- which was annoyingly next to Maria’s- and greeted my mother, Sierra, who was seated to my right.

“Xana…” My mother looked surprised to see me. I suppose she thought I would decline the invitation as per usual.

That was another difference between us- she was never courageous enough to refuse Maria’s invitations, no matter how casual the offer. Truly, she was a weak-hearted woman.

Perhaps she was afraid of being killed by Maria, just as Maria’s son, Dion, killed Asil.

“Xana, I didn’t know you were coming. You didn’t say anything in advance.” Her face had darkened, and I was starting to feel like I was unwelcome.

“I kept it secret on purpose, Sierra.” Maria chimed in. “That’s what makes this a surprise party.” She emphasized ‘surprise’ with a flourish of her hands. My mother just kept getting paler and paler, and I wondered if she would still be conscious by the time cake was served.

Sigh. I guess nothing’s changed.

“It’s nice to have you at a tea party again, Xana. It’s been too long!”

“I’ve just been busy these days,” I replied, raising my teacup to acknowledge her. The tea tasted deep and flavourful, but it wasn’t to my liking.

“Hmm. But these parties are getting too predictable. Don’t you think the atmosphere would be livelier if Cana brought her new toy along?”

Everyone murmured in agreement.

“Right?! I was really surprised when I heard about her receiving her first ever toy!” Maria clapped her hands together in earnest, looking around at all the attendees.

Everyone turned to look at me curiously, awaiting my response.

“I’m really disappointed. We even prepared a special cage for it today.” She gestured to the large cage inside the greenhouse, lined with colourful drapes- it was a degrading enclosure not even fit for a party animal, much less a human.

If I’d brought Cassis here… God.

“My toy is very shy,” I said, setting my cup down. “He’s a little antagonistic towards people who aren’t me.”

At my words, the attendees of the party began staring at me more intently.

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ROXANA (Chapter 31)

Soon enough, Cassis realized that the wrist he was holding was the wounded one, and he released his grip. It was then that I began to feel slightly guilty. Even in a situation like this, he’s still being a gentleman.

“Sorry.” I whispered. But I couldn’t quit here. The marks left on Cassis’ neck were still too light- it wasn’t enough. “I’ll finish as soon as I can.” I whispered, lowering my gaze to look as pathetic as possible.

Cassis held the hand I’d placed on his face. “Wait, you…”

But I didn’t stop, and his grip around my wrist grew stronger. For a second, I thought he was going to push me off, but he didn’t. Maybe my erratic behaviour had shocked him into submission.

As I marked his neck, I felt his heartbeat, stronger than ever. Gradually, I felt him move his hand up my back and over my hair, which he gently pulled on.

When I’d finished my work, I pulled away and saw his eyes- despite my cornering Cassis, his eyes were shining as if he were the one preying on me.

“Thank you for your help, Cassis.” I whispered tenderly. His fingers relaxed.

* * *

I stared at Father and Dion as they conversed on the path ahead.

We were all playing games, each as dangerous and inhumane as the others’. ��I could only imagine the verbal sparring and veiled threats being hurled at each other.

Finally, Father raised his hand to pat Dion on the shoulder, seemingly complimenting him on his work. I turned away coldly, wary of being seen by Dion. I couldn’t afford to appear weak to either of them.

As I walked away, memories of Dion on the day of Asil’s death flooded my mind.

/

“Can’t you?”

His voice was low and dry, cutting through my ears like a dagger. I was so stunned that I’d forgotten he was next to me.

… “There is no room for useless scum like you here.”

/

I placed a palm on the wall to steady myself. Yet again, being in close proximity to Dion had weakened me. I clenched my teeth in frustration, grunting as I straightened my knees.

Asil was crying before me. Or was it just my imagination? There was no way he… No, he’s dead. You’re just imagining things. It’s not real.

I walked towards the vision of my dead brother as he collapsed onto the floor, bloody and unconscious.

I could feel Dion’s gaze on me, cold and unrelenting. Or was it all in my head? Why did I see Asil?

Am I going insane?

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ROXANA (Chapter 30)

“Thanks.”

I gently handed the towel back to Cassis; the once-white fabric had now been stained red with the blood from my wrist.

“Maybe you should sit down and rest for a while.” Cassis laid another towel and some bandages onto the bed next to him. I sat down on the towel, thinking it was placed there so the blood and water from my dress wouldn’t dirty the bed. But then Cassis narrowed his eyebrows.

He exhaled, before speaking again. “Your body is wet. You should wipe it down with that towels.”

He handed me a folded blanket, but I refused. I hadn’t planned on staying for long, after all, and I didn’t want to bother Cassis more.

“Just put some clothes on.” He had been avoiding my eye for a while now, and only when he turned his head sharply after offering me the towel that I realized why.

My clothes had turned sheer after being soaked in the rain, and judging by his avoidant behaviour, he was embarrassed. How cute.

“Alright. Thank you.”

I took the blanket from his hands and wrapped it around my shoulders. Then I began unwrapping the bandage, spilling an obscene amount of blood in the process. If not for Dion, I would have already been in my room, I would have already called the butterflies, and the wound would have already been closed. God!

Obviously I can’t call the butterflies in front of Cassis now, which means my blood is going to waste.

“It looks like a knife wound.” Cassis muttered. “And the bandaging is a mess. I thought you said you were good at it?”

Well, it was only a temporary dressing so the butterflies could feed on the blood later…

“Well, it was decent before. I just encountered an… incident on the way here.” I looked at Cassis, but he looked unconvinced. Then he took my arm and started dressing it with the new bandages.

“You must be a good brother,” I said; his hands stopped for a second. “Last I heard, you have a sister? I can’t imagine only having one sibling…” I trailed off. “I have nine, but I suppose that sometimes it’s like I might as well have none. The mansion is so huge- I rarely see most of them.” It sounded like I was rambling now, and I stopped myself before I blurted out too much.

Cassis continued to move his hands silently.

“You know, you remind me of my brother.” Cassis stared at me. The moment our eyes met, I smiled internally. Yes, that’s it. This is your weakness.

I was already aware of how deeply Cassis cared about his family. His relationship with his sister, Sylvia, was mentioned several times throughout the novel, and his death proved to be the main motivation for Sylvia’s revenge. This was the one thing that would get a reaction out of him.

Cassis finished dressing my wound in silence, but before he could let go of me completely, I reached my hand out to him. My fingertips touched his chest, and I pushed him back onto the bed.

He grabbed my wrist gently but narrowed his eyebrows. “What’s the meaning of this? Why are you suddenly…”

“Don’t you think it’d been too peaceful so far?”

Cassis’ eye flickered at my whisper. He opened his mouth as if to speak, but I was faster.

“You know, the situation we’re in isn’t very safe.” Water from my dress dripped onto Cassis’ shirt.

The blanket I’d previously wrapped around my shoulder was falling off my back, and I felt Cassis’ heartbeat under my palm.

“Help me, Cassis.”

“… Help you?” His low voice tickled my ears. I could sense his reluctance, and decided to dig further into his compassion.

“Promise me that you won’t be angry… Promise me that you won’t hit me.” This time, I could see his eyes trembling slightly in defensiveness.

Of course, I knew that Cassis would never resort to use violence on me. But I had to take it one step further.

“And… don’t hate me.” I gently bowed my head, and my hair fell onto his shirt.

Cassis seemed to understand what I was doing when I spread my palms across his chest and buried my head into the nape of his neck. As soon as my lips touched his skin, he stiffened, but also seemed frozen at the same time. I started moving my lips.

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ROXANA (Chapter 29)

Dion’s touch on my skin was cold, both in feeling and intention. He gazed down at my face with unrelenting eyes.

“Does it have anything to do with poison butterflies?”

It sounded like he was confirming a suspicion; his voice and tone unnerved me. Was he concerned or merely searching for a weakness?

Did he notice the butterfly I sent to the Western border? That can’t be possible.

“I heard one egg hasn’t hatched yet.” His grip grew stronger on my wrist and digging into the bandage over it. This fucking bastard. Is he trying to re-open my wound?

But I didn’t intend on letting him see my face screw up in pain, so I smiled sweetly at him with expressionless eyes.

“Let go.” I said sternly, pulling my arm towards me to free myself from his grip. He let go easier than I thought.

“When did you get back?”

“A few hours ago.”

“Have you greeted Father yet?”

Dion ignored my question this time. “I heard Cassis Pedelian became your toy.”

I couldn’t read Dion’s expression clearly because of how dark and gloomy the sky had turned around us, so I wasn’t sure if he was sniffing around for clues, or just merely making small talk.

But with Dion, it was safer to assume hostility, because it was almost always the case. Dion was a truly cold person, and sometimes he didn’t feel human.

As a child,  I used to wonder if there was anything in this world that could possibly draw an ounce of emotion from him.

“You seem to be very well caught up on the mansion’s goings-on for someone who just came back.” The atmosphere of conflict was uncomfortable for me to bear, and I conceded. “But I know my toy is quite famous.”

“It’s my job to be interested in these happenings.”

His answer came as a slight surprise to me. I shut my mouth, and countered his inscrutable expression with mine. Dion was never one to be interested in the affairs of others, so… Why now? Why me? Does he actually care about me?

Finally, he spoke. “What is it?”

I screamed internally. “Nothing. It was a silly thought.”

I walked away with a heavy and unsettled heart.

* * *

Cassis removed the bandage and examined the wound. It hadn’t completely healed, of course, but its state was definitely improving. His body as a whole, too- he was feeling fresher with time. If he made sure to be careful and not reopen the wound, his recovery would no doubt go very smoothly.

Still, he couldn’t sit still. He needed to train and recover the muscle he’d lost while incapacitated and starved.

Suddenly, the door opened, and Roxana entered the room.

It wasn’t her usual visiting time, and Cassis felt the unusualness of her arrival heightened by the strange expression on her face. She stood by the door with her head tilted downwards, drenched in rainwater and the scent of grass.

Then he saw the blood dripping down her arm.

“Roxana.” He called, a little anxious. She didn’t seem to hear him; he called again, but to no avail.

He tried to move towards her, but his restraints prevented him from doing so. He raised his voice more- “Roxana!”

Their eyes finally met.

* * *

I had unconsciously been listening for any signs of Dion’s presence outside the room, paranoid that he might have followed me to Cassis’ room.

I wondered if he was standing outside, plotting, and thought about all the possible ways he could have walked from our previous conversation spot to this room without me noticing.

“Roxana.”

I didn’t know how long I had been zoning out for, but Cassis’ voice was tinged with slight worry. My vision cleared a little. Since when did he get so close to the door?

I chastised myself for not having noticed him moving towards me, and rubbed my eyes to clear the rainwater from my face.

“First of all, let’s stop the bleeding.” His eyes shifted downwards, and I followed his gaze.

Shit. Dion had clearly reopened the wound on my wrist, and I hadn’t even seen the amount of blood gushing out of it! My knees felt weak. Was I always this helpless around Dion?

“I’ll give you something to stop the bleeding, so just wait here.”

I couldn’t decide between trusting the indifferent expression on his face, or the slight anxiety of his voice. I suppose it didn’t matter either way.

[bb-editing]

ROXANA (Chapter 28)

*E/N: Sorry for the wait!

–––

My God, today really is a shitty day.

Roxana nearly laughed out loud- I felt this meeting to be ridiculously awkward. Father, on the other hand, seemed to utter every word as if it were gospel. Why is he taking this so seriously?

I finally replied. “When I was young, you didn’t seem to think so.”

Father clucked his tongue in response. “Ah, that. That was before Asil died, right? I’m glad his death prevented you from continuing to be as useless as him.”

He continued. “It’s good that we got rid of him. He was a bad influence on you.”

I stared at him silently, calculating my next words with care. “I’m glad, too. My time with Asil seems like a long distant memory now, and honestly, it’s not a name you need to dirty your mouth with again. My mother and I are ashamed enough that you ever saw that side of us.” I smiled.

Father obviously couldn’t tell how disingenuous I was being. Forcing his children to master the art of deception really was a double-edged sword.

“I’m truly glad that you think I resemble you,” I said, bowing slightly.

He tilted his glass toward me in acknowledgement, grinning once again.

* * *

“You may leave.”

“Yes, Miss Roxana,” Emily said.

I consumed my daily dose of Emily’s poison tea after returning to my room, calling upon two butterflies after I’d dismissed her.

Somehow, I was more tired than usual today; though I wanted nothing more than to lie down in bed and sleep away the endless day, I knew I had no choice but to work.

I raised my hand for the butterflies to make contact with and form a mental connection to me. Visions of the Western border and its surrounding dark forest entered my mind. The red moon. The screeches of crows. Blood-soaked blades, and corpses everywhere.

Then, a black-haired man standing in the midst of all the chaos.

I sat up in surprise; the butterfly flew away, severing the connection and cutting off the visions. However, I didn’t need to see more. I already knew.

Dion Agriche, Father’s most beloved child…

He had returned.

* * *

I had been on edge since morning. There was a time delay since the butterfly saw Dion at the border, so I could expect to see Dion in the Agriche mansion within the next few days.  

The vision of Dion standing over the carnage was etched into my mind, and it entered my conscious thoughts abundantly and impulsively through the day. It made me want to throw up.

The people he’d killed were likely Pedelian soldiers dispatched to locate Cassis. Shit. Was Father the one who ordered Dion to patrol the border for Pedelian intruders?

“If you have something to say, just say it.”

It seemed my troubling thoughts had slipped past my nonchalant façade, and Cassis had picked up on them. However, he remained cool and calm as usual.

“Cassis…” I blurted, before quickly shutting my mouth. … No, I shouldn’t tell him just yet. I shouldn’t give him the idea that rescuing him is impossible.

“… Get better quickly.”

Cassis studied me with suspicious eyes, but let me leave the room without further questions.

* * *

I had just finished feeding the butterfly egg when I saw a dark cloud forming in the morning sky. Before I had walked another couple of steps forward, I began to feel soft rain drizzling onto me.

If Emily were with me, she would have prepared with umbrella and prevented me from getting wet. But I was alone in the garden, immersed in the smell of poisonous plants, now more pungent thanks to the rain.

My mind had been frazzled these past few days in the wake of Dion’s impending return, and I made a beeline for my room to freshen up before visiting Cassis.

Suddenly, I felt a presence behind me and turned around.

The smell of blood, grass, and rain entered my nostrils. The figure towered over me, piercing me with his cold eyes.

“Dion.”

I almost stepped back instinctively, but he reached out to grab my wrist. The feeling of his cold skin against mine inadvertently made me flinch, and his low voice made my ears tremble.

“Why are you hurt?”

[bb-editing]

ROXANA (Chapter 27)

Roxana was suspicious. That’s weird… How could he tell that these flowers were poisonous?

They were extremely ordinary in appearance, after all, and it was a flower native only to the Agriche, so it was impossible for him to have encountered it before today.

In addition, while picking them, Yoan had broken the flower stems’ midsections, meaning that there was no longer a poison sac present in the bouquet.

“If you don’t like it, I’ll just take it back with me, then.”

“No. Leave it.”

For a moment, Cassis felt embarrassed; he had answered in haste, making him look impulsive. “There’s no need for you to bother taking it back,” he lowered his voice and hardened his face. Once again, I couldn’t figure out what he was thinking.

Whatever. Let’s just show him. I reached into the cloth covering my chest, and Cassis grunted in surprise.

“What are you doing…?!” His mouth gaped in surprise.

I pulled out a piece of paper; I unfolded and smoothed it out. “There was nowhere else to hide this,” I said in a matter-of-fact tone.

“What is it?”

“The blueprints of the Agriche mansion.”

Cassis was silent; instead of studying the paper, however, he was staring at me.

“What’s with that look? I said I’d help you escape, didn’t I?” I questioned calmly. “Take a good look and memorize the structure. I know you still have doubts, but I’ll take you around the mansion soon to confirm if this is the true layout or not.”

Roxana was correct. Indeed, Cassis had many doubts about Roxana’s loyalties, and wasn’t actually expecting anyone’s help to escape. This was why he had been focused on recovering his body without asking anything of Roxana.

Cassis looked down. “Where is this room on the map?”

“Here.”

Cassis remembered Roxana’s words from before. True enough, the Agriche mansion was built like a giant, complicated maze or labyrinth.

“Here is the shortcut I mentioned a while ago. I think I’m the only one in this mansion who knows of its existence. I discovered it by accident, after all.”

“It’s a secret passage out of the mansion?”

“Correct. There are minor issues with it, I believe, but it’s still the best way to escape.”

Cassis seemed to be absorbing the information well. It had taken me a few days to make this, but for him to memorize it all in just a few minutes…

I let him study the paper for a while longer, before burning it with the candlestick and leaving the room.

* * *

Cassis frowned while staring at the flowers Roxana had brought. It was clearly poisonous, but he couldn’t confirm it because he’d never seen it before.

It didn’t seem too potent, but it would’ve been stupid if he’d told Roxana of his suspicions without any hard proof.

It was also apparent that receiving gifts was normal for her. She said a ‘guard’ had given this to her, and as far was Cassis was concerned, guards worked exclusively for her father, Lanche Agriche. Was it normal for a father to send such dangerous gifts to their daughter?

Not only that, but Roxana didn’t seem to notice the poison emanating from the bouquet. ‘Why?’ he thought.

He unconsciously reached out to touch the petals while deep in thought- upon making contact, however, the flowers immediately wilted and died. He crushed the now-dried petals in his palm.

Not that they advertised it, but having the power of purification was a secret ability of the Pedelians. That’s why Cassis’ affinity for identifying poison was so strong.

This was also why Cassis didn’t really care if Roxana had given him poisoned or spiked food, because the effects of all poison would have been nullified the moment they entered his body.

* * *

“Roxana. Has the toy submitted to you?”

What an unfortunate day. First I run into Maria, and now Father?!

I swallowed my annoyance and faced my father, who was currently  sitting cross-legged in a chair in the dining room. He was holding a wine glass in one hand, and his chin in another, looking extremely indolent.

“It’s the first time I’ve seen you since I handed it over to you, has it not?”

I took a step towards him. “He’s very ignorant, so I have a lot to teach him.”

“Excellent!” He let out a laugh from deep within his stomach. “With bastard blood like that, he can’t survive anywhere!” Father snorted.

Father was a cruel and egotistic man, but also relatively simple to manipulate. Just as long as I criticized his enemies and complimented him, the conversation would go smoothly. Despite this, however, he was always draining to deal with.

“I’d like to thank you again, Father.” I continued. “I like the toy more since it was given by you. I can’t wait to beat it into shape quickly so I can play with it.”

Father gazed at me, a smile tugging at the edge of his lips. “The more I look at you, the more I feel like I’m staring into a mirror.” He grinned maniacally.

[bb-editing]

ROXANA (Chapter 26)

“Miss Roxana!”

The voice calling me was vaguely familiar, and I turned in the direction of it; it was Cassis’ former dungeon guard.

“Yoan.” His eyes seemed brighter when I mentioned his name. “It’s been a while.”

“It’s really an honour that you remembered m-m-my name, Miss Roxana.” He paused for a second. “Um, I’m really sorry to call out to you like this… I-I wasn’t trying to be rude...” Yoan looked he was out of breath. “Um! Anyways, I’m feeling much better now.”

It turned out that he had been hurt during Charlotte’s raid of the dungeon, and had to be treated. This was the first time that Roxana had seen him since then. But why would he think that I care about his physical condition? Unless…

“I-I heard someone say that the Miss was worried about me. Th-Thank you very much. I hope you continue to pay attention to me…”

It was then that Roxana understood Yoan’s words. It seemed that her passing question to the new guard about Yoan was misconstrued as worry. Yoan seems to have taken this a bit too far, though.

“I heard you got into some trouble because of Charlotte. I’m glad you’re better now.” My words and tone were mechanical, lacking any compassion or concern. However, Yoan was thrilled at the attention, and pulled something out of his pocket.

“This... This is a gift for you, my lady.”

 “A gift? For me?”

“Yes! Of course! It’s nothing compared to your beauty, but I hope you’d be happy to accept it…” Yoan couldn’t finish his words properly. My gaze turned to the bouquet that he had pushed towards me.

Then I laughed. Yoan didn’t seem to realize why I’d laughed, or even why his neck was turning red at the moment. Indeed, the purple flowers he had hand-picked for me were a kind of poisonous plant being experimented on by the Agriche. Currently, at worst, it only produced tingling sensations in the limbs, but at best…

“Thank you.” It was a flower with no discernible value, but there was no reason to throw it away in front of him. I would never know when I’d need to use him again, after all.

“See you soon, Yoan.”

* * *

“What are you holding?” Cassis asked as I entered the room.

“I received a gift on my way here.”

To him, Roxana’s face looked brighter, perhaps because of the flowers she was holding. Purple flowers with white spots… They appeared commonplace, but they also looked unsettling. It was quite the contradictory sentiment, so he tried to focus his attention elsewhere.

He looked away. Since regaining his eyesight, he couldn’t help but acknowledge Roxana’s beauty. He knew anyone else would have been completely captivated by her appearance, but there was an uncomfortable feeling that built up in his chest every time he made eye contact with her. Not out of displeasure, but of a fear of danger.

“It hardly smells.” I bent over slightly to take in the flower’s faint scent, before raising my eyes to meet Cassis.

“You look like you’re feeling better today. I guess you like flowers.”

“Well…” My voice was languid. “It’s pretty, but it dies so quickly.”

Like medicinal herbs, poisonous plants and flowers were very sensitive, so their effects depended on their freshness. Their efficiency was maximum at the time of harvest, though their health and toxicity deteriorated quickly as time passed.

“Would you like these?” I held the bouquet up to him.

“Why?”

“Because your room feels stuffy. These will make it prettier.”

I approached Cassis, moving the bouquet closer towards him. When he was nearly in arm’s reach of it, he suddenly spoke.

“Who gave you this?”

I was surprised by the question. “Why are you asking me a question like that? It was a guard, if you must know.” I was puzzled.

“Do you often receive poisonous gifts like these?” His face was hard.  

[bb-editing]

ROXANA (Chapter 25)

As it turned out, the maids were also heading in the same direction, and after a while, Jeremy ran into Maria.

She was standing in a field of flowers; the red petals around her made it look like she was standing in a sea of blood.

“Aunt Maria,” greeted Jeremy.

“Jeremy!” Maria welcomed him with a bright smile. “I take it you’re here to see me? That makes me so glad.”

“Why do you always have the habit of killing your maids?” Jeremy loved starting fights with Maria. “Maybe you should start going to the feedlots more. I’m sure the beasts would recognise you as one of their own.”

“Jeremy,” Maria answered after a languid pause. “I only punish people who don’t listen to me. You’re so cute, misunderstanding my intentions.”

Jeremy pretended to vomit. Maria watched him, laughing sweetly. Of course, Jeremy knew better.

“Jeremy, are you really on your way to another feedlot? You already have so much black gunk on you- I can’t even see your pretty face!”

Jeremy snorted at Maria’s comment. For the first time, he felt that being covered in monster guts was a good thing. But as he listened to her speak, he suddenly felt the fishy taste of the venom in his mouth. He took a handful of red petals and put them into his mouth to chew.

Red flowers had the capability to nullify the effects of venom.

“Xana seems busy too,” Maria continued. “Studying should be easy, and it’s not good for your body to overwork yourself.”

“Why do you care… Wait, you met Xana?”

“I met her by chance a while ago. I wanted to call her and Dion for tea, but he was out of town, and she was busy.”

Jeremy knew that Roxana hated both Dion and Maria- which was, in his eyes, reason enough to hate them, too.

“I thought I told you and Dion to stay away from Roxana,” Jeremy growled.

“Hmm?” Maria tilted her head, feigning ignorance. “I don’t remember you saying that?”

‘Is this bitch crazy?!’ Jeremy thought. “Oi!” He yelled. “Listen carefully. There’s only one person in this entire world who can be called Roxana’s sibling.”

Jeremy declared this with such conviction and vigour that any passer-by would have thought he was reciting a bonafide truth about the world.

Maria seemed to understand the meaning of Jeremy’s words, and said, “Alright- well, next time, I won’t just invite Dion and Xana, but you, too! I’m only bored because I miss you all.”

A moment passed. “Are you done?” Jeremy was more annoyed than before. He couldn’t understand Maria at all, and felt the sudden urge to set this entire garden, which was in Maria’s care, on fire. “It’s all because she’s so busy with her new fucking toy…” He muttered.

But Maria’s reaction to those words were strangely animated. “What, you didn’t know?” Jeremy clucked his tongue mockingly.

“Ah… So Xana has a toy now…” She said. “I wonder what he’s like?” Her attention had completely shifted away from Jeremy now, as she called upon her servant. “You! Bring Lewell to me now.” Then she stopped. “No, let’s just go back to my room. Jeremy, would you like to come and play with us? I’ll feed you some delicious food.”

“Fuck no!” Jeremy made a face. “I’m not one of your fucking dolls.”

Maria stared at him as he walk away, before turning to head back to the mansion. “I must send an invitation to Roxana soon! How much fun we’ll have- a tea party with toys!”

[bb-editing]

ROXANA (Chapter 24)

Everyone knew that Dion was currently away on a mission, but perhaps Maria had missed the memo- but I knew that this was because she had no interest in any of her children.

I suppose that’s where Dion gets his indifference from…

“Why are all the Agriche children so busy all the time? I never see them anymore. Now, let’s send someone to go get Dion.”

It was a ludicrous idea. Even if Dion were here, he and I weren’t close enough to sit down at the same small tea table and chat.

“Madam, Master Dion is currently out of the house.” One of the maids announced from behind Maria.

“What happened this time?”

“I’m not sure, Madam.”

“I see… By the way, are you the maid who arrived under Lewell’s recommendation? What’s your name again?”

“Yes, Madam. My name is Lana.”

“That’s a very pretty name.”

The maid’s smile grew, and she deepened her bow. Maria regarded her with soft eyes.

“But who gave you permission to speak?”

At that moment, dark red liquid gushed down the maid’s face, and her body slumped to the ground. Maria had stabbed her eye with the tip of her parasol.

“Feed it to the monsters,” Maria said quietly. The other maids received her orders and began moving in unison.

“Oh! I’m sorry, Xana. Did you get any blood on your clothes?”

Fortunately, I had stepped aside the second Maria’s hand moved, knowing that the maid’s blood would reach me had I not moved.

“No.”

“Good! Shall we go to the garden, then?”

I glanced at Maria’s figure. Her face, dress, and limbs were all covered in the maid’s blood, yet her face was bright and naïve.

“Sorry, but I’m busy. Let’s do it some other time.” Thankfully, Maria didn’t grumble at my words.

“Okay. Then come by my room later. I bought some clothes that would look good on you.”

Over my dead body. But I smiled genially.

“Master, it’s dirty.”

Jeremy’s face crumpled in annoyance. His body, on the other hand, was covered in poisonous fluids, and his vision was blurry. “Shit…”

As part of the drug and poison trade sector, Jeremy’s mission today was to collect poison from the monsters in Zone B.

Suddenly, he saw a group of people approaching, and wiped the venom off his face with an irritated hand. His vision was clearing slightly.

“What, did you come to collect, too?”

“Yes, Master Jeremy.”

“It would be better for you to move to another feedlot, Master. If you go deeper, you’ll die.”

“I’m fine. I can hold off the monsters for a while longer,” Jeremy muttered. “Wait, why are those maids here?”

“They’re Maria’s maids, Master.”

Jeremy’s expression soured. “I hope they’re quick about it.” He stepped out of the kennel and leaned against the outside wall, watching the maids pass him with a corpse and enter.

He could hear the cries of the monsters- cries of glee, no doubt. The maids left, empty-handed this time. They were both sweating heavily.

“Let’s go to another farm.”

Jeremy pushed his back off the wall, deep in thought. The distance to the other feedlots was rather long and would waste too much time, but if he failed to collect sufficient poison, the owner of the feedlot might suffer.

“Fine,” he said after a while. “Let’s go.”

[bb-editing]

ROXANA (Chapter 23)

/

“I don’t want to die…”

/

Cassis was only pretending to be unconscious, so Roxana didn’t know if he was listening or not.

At the time,  he wasn’t sure what she’d meant, so he’d pushed her words to the back of his mind. But now… after seeing the blood dripping out of her mouth, he remembered what she said.

That, and the words of the soldiers who dragged him into the room.

/

“I guess they kind of look the same…”

“Weren’t you here when Mister Asil died? Surely you can vouch for their similar appearances.”

“… Maybe? I can’t be sure.”

/

Cassis’ heart tightened. Why did that memory resurface?

He pushed the tray of food away from him, but stopped. Yes, he had no appetite, but restoring his body to full health was still his main priority.

He began silently pushing the soup into his mouth, still mulling over the thoughts of Roxana’s condition.

* * *

I washed the blood off my hands as soon as I entered the room. Jeremy had left for his bedroom once we cleared the stairwell just then.

As I rolled up my sleeve, I saw the bandage covering the wound from when I’d fed the poison butterfly egg. Blood was still oozing from the gash, and the gauze had become quite saturated. I removed the

 “Everyone, it’s time to eat.”

Soon, dark red butterflies appeared in the air, lingering over my wound.

Actually, I’d lied about my progress- or lack thereof- with the poison butterfly hatching. The first two eggs hadn’t been complete failures- twelve butterflies had managed to survive, thanks to their reproduction, which was asexual and similar to mitosis- they had a habit of multiplying in twos.

Fortunately, the poison butterflies loved my blood, probably because it had already contained so many poisons.

The only people who knew of these butterflies’ existence were Jeremy, my mother, and Emily. This would stay the same for a while, or at least until the day Cassis escaped House Agriche.

Finally, the wound on my arm had become hemostatic*.

*I.e. Blood stopped flowing out from the wound.

 “Go to the Western border,” I ordered one butterfly.

This was the first time it had been ordered to travel such a long distance, so I was slightly worried that our connection would teeter out, given my inexperience and the butterflies’ youth.

To sooth my worries, I called Emily into the room to increase my poison intake.

* * *

On my way back to my room, I encountered someone unexpected- Dion’s mother, Maria.

She was standing on the garden path with a parasol. Her brown hair and purple eyes regarded me joyfully.

“Hello,” I said politely, suppressing the displeasure of my heart. “You must have been going for a walk.”

“Roxana, you really seem to get prettier by the day.”

Sometimes it was difficult to believe that someone this innocent and gentle-looking could produce such a monster. But then again… there was something about Maria that made me uncomfortable. Was it because of her maids, who kept their distance and their heads sullenly low? Or her speech, which was overly affectionate and borderline disingenuous?

“It truly is a beautiful day. Why don’t we have some tea in the garden?”

[bb-editing]

ROXANA (Chapter 22)

“Sister!”

As I was exiting Cassis’ room, I ran into Jeremy, who had been running towards me from the end of the hallway.

“Is that blood on your clothes?” He moved towards me with more urgency. Oh. The blood.

I wiped my damp sleeve over my cheek deliberately, smearing blood onto my cheek. “Ah… The toy didn’t listen well, so I punished him.”

“Oh, I’m gonna avoid that son of a bitch.”

Fortunately, Jeremy bought my lie- he seemed more interested in my punishing Cassis, in fact.

Every Agriche child ingests poison from young, but none of us know what kind of poison or what side effects they’d experience, so they couldn’t use the information against each other.

Of course, I don’t think that Jeremy would use it against me if he found out.

“Sister, I think it would be better if you stop rubbing it. I don’t want your clothes stained permanently with that bastard’s dirty blood.”

“Alright. I’ll go wash up.” I paused. “But what are you doing here? Were you coming to see me?”

“Well, yeah, but you weren’t in your room.”

I stepped towards Jeremy, who suddenly sniffed. “Did you go visit the poison butterfly hatchery again?”

I was embarrassed. How did he smell it?

“You just smell like poison, that’s all.” Jeremy said, seemingly having read my thoughts. Not that I was trying to keep the hatchery a secret, but making it public knowledge would create more variables and uncertainties in my life that I didn’t particularly want to deal with.

“Yes,” I answered slightly defeatedly, “I stopped by a while ago.”

No matter how faint it was, I suppose the smell of poison had remained on my body for some time already. It wasn’t suprising for Jeremy to be able to withstand its effects, with the Agriche poison tolerance and all, but… Why didn’t Cassis react to it at all?

I made a mental note not to visit the greenhouse before visiting Cassis.

“Do you think it will hatch successfully this time?” Jeremy, who was walking next to me, asked politely. “Why haven’t you thrown the egg away already? Or given it to someone else?”

I remembered his comments from our last discussion about the topic; Jeremy was never supportive of my breeding the butterflies. When I’d first received the eggs, he pretended to hold one clumsily and drop it accidentally, though he’d obviously wanted to let it go and break it from the start.

“Jeremy, if you try and interfere again, I’ll become very angry.”

“It’s not that!” Jeremy cried angrily. He seemed to be slightly scared of my punishment for his previous mistake. “I just don’t want you to lose so much blood for something that’s bound to fail…” he muttered. “They’re monsters- parasites! They’re not worth it.”

It’s not like he didn’t have cause for concern. If by chance, the butterflies’ master was no longer able to feed them their blood, the butterflies would turn to consuming their master’s body instead.

Sigh. I raised my hand, but stopped. “I would pat you on the head, but my hands are bloody.”

“It’s okay, I can always wash it off.” He answered. I laughed a little and stroked his head as we walked up the stairs to my room.

But what Jeremy said was wrong. I hadn’t failed- indeed, I’d succeeded in hatching a poison butterfly egg.

* * *

Cassis studied the closed door with harder eyes than before. The sight of Roxana’s back as she left seemed to remain despite her faint footsteps getting quieter in the distance.

He finally lowered his head in silence with a frown. Despite the appetizing meal in front of him, his appetite had been ruined by Roxana’s words and actions from earlier. ‘Vomiting blood is considered normal in this house,’ he thought. ‘How could she say that so obliviously?’

Cassis often felt strange when he was around Roxana. Was it because of the faint smell of poison he smelt on her body? The smell of poison meant one of two things- either she was ill, or she had been poisoned. Cassis couldn’t figure out which, but he knew that she’d been in this state for a while- even since the first time they’d met in the dungeon.

Then, he suddenly remembered her words…