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CONTENT WARNING:
This short story may contain content not suited for all viewers. The following is a list of all topics in this story that may be disturbing. Paranoia, blood, gore, mutilation, religious delusions and torture.
Continue at your own digression.
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There once was a scholar whom wrote that falling in love is destined by the Gods themselves. An experience that shakes one to their core, one that changes a person's very essence, making thou breathe solely for thy partner. This was something that rang true for me. All other thoughts were erased once I had realized my deep desire for my husband. My life was made for him, the man made by the Gods just for me. He is my sole reason for remaining on this earth and I couldn't imagine being in a world without him in it.
Once we were married, I made sure I always acted in a way that didn't harm his reputation, I made sure to know every one of his likes and dislikes. My life's goal, what I need is to make him fall for me so I am the only thought on his mind. There will not be any room after the depths of my love intertwine into the very essence of his soul. Doing this would lead us to spending eternity together.
As it would seem however, he did not share the same desire… He had enough room in his heart to allow another in. This allowed a new thought to come to my lovestruck mind since we were promised to each other. 'He thinks he can just replace me? How dare he? When I have done nothing, but love him.' A fire started raging in my body that day. One that would not be extinguished with a simple apology. 'I will show him just how deeply I love him, but first he will experience the pain he has brought me and tenfold.'
'He must repent.'
"Hah~" I laugh at myself as I stroll down the barren hallway. As the wind blasts through the corridor, the sounds remind me of people screaming. That delightful sound poured all around me. It makes my heart skip a beat as I listen to every squeal. 'Scream more, please.' I twirl with joy as I wander down the beautifully decorated hall. I enjoyed the elegant paintings that were hung in gold frames, but of course I would, I was the one whom curated them after all. 'I have such a keen eye, do I not?' I boast to myself as my jolly mood filled to the brim. I start to hum a nursery rhyme to relieve some of my happiness. I increase my volume as I reach the room I was searching for. "Oh, there thou are!" I giggle, smiling brightly at the man laying on the floor below me. "My dearest husband~"
He trembled like a leaf as he looked up at me, his emerald green eyes which were normally filled with a strong vigor, were now filled completely with terror. "W-Why are thou gripping that knife so tightly?" He asked as he backed up, crawling on the floor. The wounds on his legs were leaking as they slumped behind him. "M-my love, why are thy doing this?"
I glanced down at the weapon that I somehow forgot was in my hand. "My dear!" I gasped as I brought the blood soaked blade to my face. "I hadn't noticed how deeply I had stabbed thou ! So sorry!" As I watch the crimson water drip to the floor, my shocked expression melts away. "But wait?" I ran my finger along the edge of the blade. The liquid gathered on my finger, pooling as it ran into my palm. I brought my hand close to my face as I examined the consistency of the now cold liquid. It was viscous as I stroked my hand. 'This was once pumping warm inside him!' My heart fluttered as I thought about how this blood had once filled his veins. I felt my blood freeze as a thought came to mind. 'Was his blood pumping hard while he was holding someone else?' "Why were thou gripping that servant so tightly? Hmm?" I peek at him over my shoulder and he has cornered himself behind the desk. 'Very knightly of him.'
"I-I don't know what thou speak of, my dear." He stammers as I hear him scumble under the desk. "T-thou art the only one in my heart, I swear."
My eye twitches as I hear his falsificated blabber. This man whom has fought a great many battles is whining like a kitten freshly taken from its mother's teat. 'Oh, this is such a grand display of the amazing powers of poison at play. I will have to remember to highly compensate the apothecary that gave me this.' "Oh, is that right?" I slowly walked up to the dark oak table, tracing the edge. "I wonder…" After silently examining the scruffs on the desk, I slammed my palms on the surface, causing a gasp from my husband. "Do thou remember when thou swore to me the world?... After thy grand return from the war?"
"Of course! I've made sure to give thou everything that I swore." His breathing became shallow as he spoke. "Please, don't do anything thou will regret. Thou are the only person I ever think about. Please believe me! I love only thou!" His begging faded into white noise as I think back to the day he had returned to our kingdom.
A tepid breath of wind gusts over the meadow, causing my blood red curls to gust over my shoulder. I was standing under the monstrous willow at my family's estate. I was awaiting my knight's grandiose return. I clutched my hand to my bosom, bracing my heart in the chance of grievous news. That my destined love would not return for our sworn reunion. My heartbeat stilled as I noticed a dark figure in the distance.
When the details of his appearance could be noted, only then had I realized; It was the young lord, my marvelous partner. His face has not yet felt the effects of the years to come. He was battleworn, dressed in his bloodied chainmail armour. He was the image of a true knight of the Kingdom. As his gaze met my own, his sombered expression brightened with the heat of the summer sun blazing above us. Once within his grasp, he embraces me tightly, sweeping me off my feet.
"I have returned to thy side mine dearest Daphné, as I sworn to the Gods above." The lord whispers into my reddening ear. "The thought of thy was the only reason I did not give into madness. Now that we have reunited, I swear to grant thy everything, but the world below. And if that is all thy craves, I shall conquer the great world serpent themselves to grant thy lady what thy desires the most."
Hot tears poured down my cheeks as his loving words sunk deep into my heart. Before I can give him my response, my now husband fades into nothing but dust, threading through my trembling fingers. As I go to scream the world fractures to black, crashing me into reality.
I am taken out of my thoughts by my husband scuring out of the office. "Oh, so thy legs do work, how interesting." I chuckle to myself as I follow the drips of blood that lead out the room. "I should have put more of that paralytic in thy tea…A shame really." As I peek my head outside the door, I see the lord has started towards the East tower. "Ohhh nooo~ Thou mustn't go that direction! Thou will discover thy surprise I have stornoway up there…" I started slowly following him, allowing him a handicap. 'It's only fair since I was the one whom stabbed him at the dinner table.' I slowly skip with each step, starting to enjoy this game. "Oh well, thou would have seen it at some point. I should thank thou for saving me the trouble of lifting thou up all those steep stairs. As thoughtful as always, honey."
"Where is a single member of my staff? Someone must be here!" His whimpers echoed off the stone walls of the spiral staircase. "Please Daphné, thou have my dearest apologies. Do not do this!"
"Hmm, I thought thou did nothing wrong~" I jest as I hear the sound of him tripping, from the volume of the bang, the fall was hard. "What may thy apologies be for I wonder?" I glanced down at the stone stairs, his blood had dripped a trail to his whereabouts. 'Such a waste.'
"Please." He whimpers again. "No more~" His pleas echo off the stone walls once more. I wait for the reverberation to dissipate before I speak again.
"Thou does know," I say loudly, letting my voice bounce off the walls. I giggle as I lift my dress into my hands. 'I can't have my undercarriage stained with blood. It would be unfathomable to be seen in such a garish manor. Though, now that I think about it further, the only ones to witness me like this, will not be able to tell another soul.' I click my tongue so he can hear it. "Alice just cleansed these stairs for me. They were practically sparkling. I can't believe thou have already soiled them so soon." The knife in my hand scraped the wall as I climbed up the stairs. The metal scraping on the stone reverberated through the tower, causing me to smile at the exciting noise. "I am sure she will be overjoyed to know she's cleaning for the great Marquess of Costraria. The brilliant lord whom fought in many a nasty battle, whom runs this Kingdom without much complaints, and whom treats his subjects kindly, especially his servants."
When I reach the top of the stairs, the Marquess is nowhere to be found. I glance around and see the trail leading further down the breezy corridor. I let my dress fall to the floor and continued down the skinny hallway. As I gazed out the window, I was reminded of exactly how tall this tower is. A hectic storm swept across the courtyard as I watched the rain pelt the ground. 'I am glad I sent all the staff home to be with their families. It would cause me grief if someone was caught in this.' The trees were dancing in the hailstorm that overtook our beloved estate. 'It seems even the Gods are crying over our loss.' I close my eyes and embrace the ambiance the Gods have blessed me with.
As I open my eyes, I am looking up at the leaves of my grandfather's great willow. My father told me it was a gift he gave his wife, declaring his undying love for her. He claimed that as the sapling grew, so did his desire for her. Decades later it still stands as a symbol of true love for the youths to come. At this time, I was lounging under it, as it created a massive shadow from its size. My head is nested on the young lord's lap as I gaze up at his handsome features. His combed chocolate colored hair blew with the leaves as he gazed down at me with a saddened expression. As I reach up to comfort him, he grasps my hand in both of his. I raise my eyebrow in confusion as he tightens his grip.
"What seems to be the issue, my lord?" I ask as I place my hand gently on our intertwined fingers. "I have never seen thou with such a brooding expression before."
"I am afraid this will be the last time we see each other like this." He sits there silently for a moment, only intensifying my concern. "The duke has summoned me to the battlefield."
"Thou mustn't go! What if thou perish?" I yell as I sit up to gaze into his emerald eyes. I felt my emotions swell inside of me as he gazed back, responsibility fueling his resolve. "I will be left to my loneliness…" I whisper desperately wanting him to stay by my side.
"Many men are dying on the battlefield as I lounge with thou at this very moment." He brings my hand to his lips and gives it a small peck. "Tis my duty as a Costrariain knight."
"What about me?" I yawped as the tears I was dueling with cloud my vision. "I thought thy duty was protecting me!"
"Tis is, my dear!" He says as he pulls me close, rubbing the small of my back. "If I can end this war, I can prove myself to this Kingdom. After I achieve this great accomplishment, a part of this Kingdom will be ours. I need thou to believe I will return." He kisses my forehead. "Because, I will return to thou."
"I do not need my own Kingdom! I only need thou to be safe!" I bury my face into his chest. "I will be overtaken by grief if thou do not return."
Suddenly he pulls out a small, pink flower from his pocket. "As is custom, I bestow upon thou a clipping of an alyssum I hand picked for thou. I picked such a flower because thy worth far surpasses thy beauty." He braids the stim into my hair. "Please wear this until I return. Let everyone know thou are mine."
"Of course, my dear Leonard" I am overcome with joy as I throw myself into his arms. "I am thys and thys only."
As lightning struck, I was brought out of my memories. I waited as the thunder poured through the halls. "Did thou know, my dear Leonard, that the unprepossessing flower of the alyssum is a symbol of madness?" I ask as I continue slowly down the hall. "Tis also known as madwort." I snicker quietly as I trace the brick with my blade. "I wonder, perhaps thou possess the ability to predict the future?" I allow my steps to drag, not wanting to catch up with him so soon.
"Gods… Daphné." I heard the Marquess gasp, making me grin ear to ear. 'It appears he found my big surprise. I can't wait to see his expression right now.'
"However, if that was indeed true, we would not be in this very situation." I chuckle as I continue my thought. I sway as my excitement can no longer be hidden and walk into the doorway of the dungeon. "Then thou would have known the intensity of my love for thou and never even thought to betray me." Leonard was cowering on the floor, his hand covering his mouth. Pure disgust painted on his perfectly crafted face. My heart skips a beat as I think about what he wants to say.
"H-How could thou do something so devilish?" He stammered while gazing upon my tedious workmanship. Every piece of her painstakingly carved to garner the exact expression I wanted him to have plastered upon himself. The same expression I had when I witnessed his infidelity.
"The devil works hard, my dear." I snicker as I peek down at him, noticing his posture stiffen as I gaze at his back. 'As muscular as ever, still brings a rosiness to my cheeks despite him shaking like such a weakling.' I smile softly to myself as I think back to how I would surprise him with an embrace from behind. Normally, when he was too caught up with work to give me the attention I needed. 'Surely, the poison and exhaustion has settled in now, right?' I quietly sit behind him as I gently wrap my arms around his neck, holding him close. "But I work harder…" He trembled like a newborn calf as I nuzzled into him. "Because I love thou~" I whisper into his ear softly as I take a small nibble. "I always will." I kissed his cheek and my lips were wet from his sweat moistened skin. "Don't forget that this time, yes?"
"T-Thy graces, please!" A feminine voice interrupts our embrace as she weeps. "Please forgive my indiscretions!"
"Oh, are thou ready to confess to thy sins now?" I chuckle as I slowly let go of my husband and glance over to the girl. 'My masterpiece…' Her straw colored hair was stained by her countless bleeding wounds. I can't remember which wound was the cause of the dye, nor do I know which was the first or the last. It was as if I was possessed while carving her, my fingers moved purely on their own. I was sensible enough to make sure not one of the slices were fatal when I was cutting her delicate skin. I even poured alcohol right into the wounds to be sure they would not be infected. 'I would have been stricken with grief if she had perished before Leonard could lay an eye on her.' Chills trail down my body as I remember her screams last night. They were such a delectable noise.
"Please M'lady…Thou has my deepest apologies…" She mumbled as she quivered under my pleasurable gaze. Knowing she could only see me through her sole unsewn eye, I ignored her digression of making direct eye contact with a member of nobility. 'Eye for an eye and all that seemed fair.'
I steaded myself before I spoke again, not wanting to lose my composure so quickly. "My beloved husband has claimed there was no wrong done between the two of thou. So which is it?" I ask as I walk closer to my art piece, admiring my work. I had her adhered to the wall with three short metal chains. Two on her skinny wrists and one around her scrawny neck. I was told she wanted to be bestowed with luxurious things. 'These are indeed very expensive accessories to be gifted from a noble, if I must say.'
"I confess, my lady!" She screams out so loudly that I have to cover my ears. Her pitch could pierce the heavens if she tried hard enough.
"Shush now," I click my tongue as I tower over my subject, her singular blue eye filled with tears. Her crying irritates me as I watch the tears run down her cheek. 'I have yet to shed one tear, but this leech thinks it's appropriate for her to sob? Do thou not recognize the pain thou put me through? Still?' I tug on the metal clasp around her neck, bringing her disgusting face a breaths away from mine. "Remember what I said last time? Inside voices only." I hissed as I let go of her, not wanting to touch her with my bare hands.
"M-my apologies, thy grace." She shudders as she speaks, the chains shaking with her. I close my eyes, enjoying the tune of the chains. 'Ah, just like the relaxing sounds of wind chimes. Marvelous!'
I open my eyes and my features stiffen. "So are thou ready to admit that thou seduced my husband? Or did I have a fit of madness and imagined thy embrace a time ago?"
"I did not seduce him! His grace used his authority against me! I swear to the Gods around us!" She raises her heaven piercing her voice again, causing my head to throb. "I extremely wanted to deny his advances, but I know I don't have the right to." She starts to weep as she hangs her head in disgrace. "Since tis was my duty to serve his every need…"
"Amelia!" Leonard screamed as he reached for her. "I gave thou anything thou desired, so why?..." He trailed off before he could finish his statement.
Though I tried to ignore his comment, the rage boiled inside me anyways. 'He finally admitted to it.' I close my eyes and take a deep breath. 'You mustn't lose thy head, Daphné. Calm thyself. Breathe.' When the world around me was no longer ringing, I opened my eyes to find Amelia's face was full of disrelish as she gazed upon Leonard. 'My Leonard.'
"All I wanted was a life void of worries, but clearly I made a mistake." She confesses. "My lord had promised me the world as long as I was in his good graces…" She snapped her head up and her ocean colored eye stared intensely into my golden irises. Her sudden resolve repulsed me as I glanced down at her tattered clothing. Soaked in a mixture of blood, alcohol and urine, this pest has the gaul to look me directly in the eyes. "We were both fooled, my lady. Please forgive me!"
Hearing her place all the blame onto my husband forced my vision to blur red. 'How dare she?' I took a deep breath. 'Calm thyself.' I closed my eyes and put my hand to my bosom to steady thyself. 'He promised her the world?' I feel my blood turn into molten as the thought pops into my mind. 'Breathe.'
"He does not value us! He would not make us suffer if he loved us so much!" The girl squeaks reverberated around the small cell, causing my body to tremble with more rage as the echoes increased.
"Filthy wrench!" I grabbed a handful of her nappy hair and yanked it to force her gaze into mine. "You had my husband at the tips of thy scrawny fingers, yet thou point the blame solely on him? Claim we are the same? In what world are we the same! I am his wife! The Marchioness of this Kingdom! You are nothing more than scat that his lord stepped in!" I scoff as I notice that I was gripping the knife tighter in my grasp. 'Breathe.' I reminded myself as I fume. "If thou truly did not want his advances, why did thou readily accept his gifts and empty promises?" I put the curved blade to her mouth. "When thou know the Marquess belongs to me!?" I tighten my grip on her hair, causing her to wince in pain.
"Daphné, please stop!" I hear my husband screech behind me. "She doesn't deserve this! Please!"
The world stills as I hear Leonard beg for this treacherous woman's safety. 'Do thou still not see my pain? Do thou not care for the wounds thou have caused thy dear wife?' I feel my world shatter around me once more. 'You truly care more for a peasant than someone whom was destined to thou by the Gods…' All color drains from my vision, all but the color of blood splattered on the floor around me. I glance at the harlot in my grasp, covered head to toe in her own blood. 'This is thy fault!' I started trembling from my rage, my teeth chattering as I looked upon this woman. I watch as she opens her mouth, but before I can actually hear her voice, an agonizing ringing echoed through my head. Everything snapped to black. Before I realized what I had done, I felt a warm liquid spray onto my face, painting my cheeks.
As the ringing stopped, it was replaced by Amelia screeching at the top of her lungs. She writhes in pain underneath me, dangling from the chains on her neck and arms. When my vision had returned, I realized that I had stabbed my knife deep into her shoulder. The golden hilt was touching her bare skin. When I yanked the blade out, I could feel it scrape against her bones. As more hot blood bathes my cheeks, I gaze at the blade, watching her plasma drip onto my pink dress. 'Oh no!' As I am examining the blade I remember that there was still Leonard's blood encrusted on the knife before I had stabbed her. 'I just injected my Godcrafted husband's blood into this lowly sow's. She can now feel his essence every time her heartbeats.'
A sharp pain causes me to grasp my heart as I realize what I have done. 'There is nothing closer than blood…and I just gifted her with something I could not give myself.' I feel the world spin around me and I hear the storm intensifies outside the tower. 'Even bringing them to the point of terror would cause them to unify as one.' The wind around us swirls as my thoughts follow its current. 'How he was screaming for her, despite her accusing him of the worse. How can he not see my love for him? After everything I've endured for us?' I take a deep breath, trying to calm my inner thoughts. 'Was she his destined one?' The screaming of the wind overtook the sound of my thoughts. Suddenly I heard a snap.
It was a faint noise, below a ghost's whisper. I could feel the sensation in the back of my head. A warm sensation, engulfing my entire body. It felt like I was being hugged by the Gods themselves. 'That must be it! I can see it now!' The baggage that had weighed on my shoulders for months, now felt as light as a feather. 'It does not matter if I am not his destined love.' I straighten my posture as I let go of all my rage. 'All that matters is that he is mine!' I gave a small smile as I glanced up at the ceiling, gazing at the heavens. 'I see the way now! Bless thou divine ones for guiding me to my true path!'
'If he wants her so bad, I'll make sure they can never be apart again.' I slowly start to giggle as I look back at my husband, his face melted in pure terror. As I start to imagine what I am about to do, I can feel the fluttering of butterflies pour into my stomach. Suddenly, I am overtaken with a laughter whose volume overpowered the raging storm outside. I held onto my sides as they started to sting from the force of my fit.
When my laughter slowly dissipated, I wiped my eyes that had become full of tears. I slowly composed myself with a deep breath as I gaze down at the bloodied whore underneath me. "Ohh, sorry~" I say with pure glee in my voice and I stomp the heel of my shoe into Ameila's freshly opened wound. "That must hurt like the dickens, does it not?" I chuckle as her screams of agony fill the tower. I close my eyes as I savor the sweet tune. I feel a crunch as I step off of the insolent pest's shoulder. I turn back to my husband, whom has started to shed tears. "Hey!" I swung my arm as I pointed at him with the blade. "Tis too early to start feeling emotional!" As I swing my arm again, my grasp on the knife slips and impales Leonard's dominant arm. "Oh no, I seem to have stabbed thou dear!" I gasp as I skip over to Leonard whom is now screaming. "How can thou ever hold a sword again if thy arm does not work?"
"Why are thou doing this?!" He yells as he tries to remove the blade, but seemingly unable to do so. "We could have discussed this like the human beings we are!"
"Hmm, if only the Gods had told thou to love me as much as I loved thou." I say as I tap on the hilt of the blade, causing him to wince with each stab. The blade goes deeper and deeper with each tap. "But tis okay! I have been shown that all that matters is my undying love for thou! Is that not amazing of them?" I reach into my corset and retrieve a glass vile from it. It housed a clear liquid that could easily be mistaken as plain water.
"W-What is that? Uh…D-darling?" He stammers as I mount his lap, pinning his arms to his sides with my legs. I start unscrewing the cap of the flask as I gaze once again into his gorgeous green eyes. 'I am so glad I can still dive deep into those eyes of his! I will make sure I can always do so.'
"As I have told thou many times tonight, I love thou more than anything." I grab his jaw and force his mouth open. He tries to struggle, but is clearly still weak because of the earlier poison. "What is about to happen will be extremely painful, which I think thou deserve to feel, but because I am such an adoring wife, I will make sure thou do not feel a thing." I tilt his head back as I keep his mouth pried open. With my other hand I quickly pour the entire vile into his mouth before I toss it to the other side of the room. I covered his mouth with my now free hand, I could feel him trying to spit the liquid back into my palm. I took my hand away from his jaw and clamped his nose as I pressed my entire body onto his face, pushing him against the wall behind us. I felt him trying to struggle with all his remaining might underneath me. "Just swallow, my dear. You will need to breathe eventually." I whisper into his ear before I sit there silently. Before too long I heard him gulp. I smiled as I kissed him though my hand that was over his mouth, trying to not poison myself in the process.
I released his head from my grip and stood up. Allowing him to gasp and cough. "What… did thou just force me to drink,... Daphné?" He asked through his choking.
"Hmmm…" I tapped my finger against my lips as I tried to recall the name of the poison. "Seems like I forgot. The apothecary did inform me not to give thou too much because thou may never walk again, but seeing as thou art never going to leave this room, that will not be an issue."
"Wha…Whaa…" Slowly Leonard started sliding down the wall, his face hitting the floor. "Dap…"
"Oh my," I squatted down and brushed a strand of his soft chocolate locks out of his face. "That stuff activates with a quickness. I should really offer that apothecary a job here at the estate! They are worth every coin!" I boast as I grab both of my husbands arms and start dragging him to the other side of the room. "Well, hmpf." I let out a huff as I sat him next to the jezebel. "I should have moved thou before giving thou the poison." As I wipe the sweat off my forehead, I notice blood smearing onto the back of my hand. I just shrugged my shoulders as I glanced at them. "Oh well, always next time!" I stop as the words leave my mouth. 'Next time?' I feel my heart beating with joy as I imagine it. 'This must be my true passion! I have never felt so alive before!'
"W-What are thou going to do to us?" The bug asked, interrupting my eureka moment.
I click my tongue as I reach into the pocket in my dress. "Since the Gods have decided thou two are bonded, I just wanted to ensure thou remained that way! You should be thanking me really! Since I really really really want to stab that knife into thy skull!" I say as I dig through my pocket, unable to get what I need out. "But I cannot take my husbands destined one away from him. I love him too much for such a horrid thing!" Finally I retrieve the small, red checked sewing box from my pocket. "There we are!" I yell loudly with a chuckle.
"N-no, please!"
I giggle at her pleas as I place each of their wounded arms beside one another. "I am not all that sorry to say this, but thou will feel every bit of this. I do not have any more poison, a shame I am willing to live with." I snicker as I open up the box and try to decide on the needle to use. "Hmm, should I do the chain stitch, block stitch, or the slip stitch?" I ask rhetorically as I thread the needle with red thread. "You know what, let me just do them all! There is enough canvas between the two of thou to do everything!" I hum another nursery rhyme as I stick the needle into the liar's arm first, her screaming adding to the melody to my singing.
My body feels like tis floating as I drift in and out of consciousness. A sleep brought on by exhausting myself doing what I love. The Gods have led me down the path to my true purpose. While Leonard will be the only true love in my life, I must carve a future where I am truly fulfilled. A few months have passed since that fateful night and I have spent my time cultivating my craft.
As I slowly open my eyes, there is a woman whom is around my age shaking her head, her charcoal hair moving from side to side. "My lady, thou will catch death if thou keep falling asleep here!" Alice warns as she gently helps me up from the messy stone floor. "Let us hurry thou to the bath! It seems thou were intensely inspired last night. Just look at the condition of thy dress!"
I peek down to my dress which was originally baby blue in color, to see it splattered in crimson stains. I rub the sleep out of my eyes, leaving a moist trail as I touch my face. As I gazed at my fingers, also stained scarlet, I tried to compose myself. "We will simply have to purchase a new dress for my wardrobe. Perhaps something crimson or charcoal so I can wear them while I create." I state to Alice as I admire my newest piece of art. "What do thou think, Alice? I am entirely proud of this one!"
"Thou are a master at thy craft as always, thy grace. Where did the canvas for this piece come from, may I ask?" She asks as she ushers us out of the tower.
"Oh, a trusted individual informed me that he was someone the Marquess spent a lot of extracurricular time with. Since my husband seems to have acquired yet another destined one, I decided to simply add him to my gallery." I snicker as I skip down the stairs, feeling as light as the autumn breeze outside.
After a cleansing bath, I wash the messes of the night away. When I am cleaned, my ladies-in-waiting start preparing me for the day. I smile as I imagine that night again, the night when I made my first masterpiece. I tune in to the world around me for a moment as I take notice that my cheeks are as rosy as my hair from the paint that I accidentally applied to them earlier. 'Another blessing from the Gods.' I smile as I focus on Alice treading a black lace through my unruly curls. My gaze focuses on the allocations on my vanity. A task I have to prepare for today.
'I am the illustrious Marchioness Daphné La Lauri, married to the brillant Marquess, Leonard of Costraria.' I think to myself as I organize my thoughts. 'I am proud of the Kingdom we created together, a nation widely known for their mighty military facilities and compassion.' As my ladies-in-waiting finish preparing me for the busy day, I am struck with the image I curated of my dear husband leaving for a long winded battle.
Our allies to the North sought aid to expand their ever growing Kingdom, which caused the Marquess to dash with haste to their side on the battlefield. He was to train their troops in the tactics of this Kingdom so only he and his most trusted knight were needed. He had left a letter that I read to his remaining troops, informing them of his departure. This left maintaining the entire Kingdom and estate to myself in his stead.
It was a duty that I took with great pride. Within my duties included bookkeeping, managing our governing officials with their own responsibilities, and maintaining my social standing among the other nobles. My schedule today was especially full, consisting of organizing the components of a masquerade for the Marquess' grand return. He had sworn to return on the third moon of his departure. As he is a lord true to his word, I am steadfast with the preparations.
The vision of my virtuous husband faded away as a burning sensation pulsed through my hand. When I peek downwards, the maid clipping my fingernails stills as our gazes collide. She still had the naivete that children possess naturally. Her straw colored locks were tied with a pure lily, surely bestowed upon her by a suitor. The custom of Costraria is to gift thy beloved a flower that describes her character. If she addhears the flower to herself, especially to her hair, she has accepted his offer to court her. The young servant trembles under my golden stare as I study her features.
"M-my deepest apologies, my lady. I was in awe of the beauty of thyn delicate fingers that my own had slipped."
"Clearly, that would be the only reason for my bleeding." I watch as the thick blood pools into my hand, enjoying the warmth of it. The girl quickly wraps a cloth around my palm and holds it tightly, taking away my inner fascination. When the pain has subsided, I watch as the young lady is holding back tears as she slowly backs away. "Begone with thy. I will now have to complete all of my salient duties with such an injury." I command as I gesture my hand to dismiss all of my servants. When it was just myself and Alice, I whispered a demand into her ear.
"Of course, my lady." She complies as she bows and starts for the door. "Oh, my apologies, thy grace. It must have slipped my mind to inform thou that the Baron of the North and his wife have confirmed their attendance to the masquerade. I have heard from trusted sources that they want to clear up rumors of the Marquess ever taking a role in the war up North. Claiming he never arrived. What would thou like to be done?
"Hmm…" I stare at the wound on my hand as I think of a plan. "Oh, I know!" I yell with glee as the plan comes to mind. "Inform them that I would like to speak with them privately about my husband before my party. Once they have arrived and become comfortable, have the apothecary prepare twice the usual poison. Once they are paralysed, have one of our trusted knights take them upstairs." I gesture with my hands as I explain. "We will be sure to make it look like they simply never made it here, along with the Marquess. My poor husband will never make it back to our Kingdom. We will have to host a memorial to grieve our loss."
"As thou wish, thy excellency. " She curtsies before walking out of the room. I gaze at myself once again as I go over my plan again. 'I wonder if Alice has had a similar fate to mine, she is always eager to help with my creations. She even helped me organize the events of that night.'
"My collection is growing again!" I giggle as I think of what to sow next. "And so soon, after my last! I am excited! I am sure Leonard would enjoy seeing his friends after such a long period apart, hopefully they can look past him having a few extra body parts now."