Aurelia's fingers trembled as she opened the book, the cover cool under her touch. Pages whispered under her fingertips, filled with words curling like smoke across the paper. She hadn't looked closely before—maybe in her rush or distraction—and now the careful script drew her in.
Each line seemed alive, as if someone had poured their thoughts directly into the ink. Her eyes moved quickly, scanning, lingering on phrases that felt like they were written just for her. Some words made her pause, others made her breath catch.
Aurelia leaned closer, her violet eyes tracing each line.
Maybe this book could hold her secrets, or maybe it could hold more than she even realized.
She wasn't sure yet—but she needed to find out.
Aurelia's fingers trembled as she turned the pages. The words were sharp, jagged, and full of pain.
Sorana's past unfolded like a storm. She had been ripped from her home at a young age, thrown into a world of cruelty and fear by humans.
Her mother had tried to shield her, whispering words of comfort and hope—but hope was a luxury she could not afford.
Sorana had been left to survive by any means, learning quickly that kindness could be deadly, and trust was a weapon others wielded to destroy you.
Her mother's death had been the breaking point.
Alone, hunted, betrayed, Sorana had learned the bitter truth: humans were cruel, and mercy often meant death.
Every harsh glance, every secretive action, every carefully measured word she now directed at Aurelia had its roots in that childhood of pain and survival.
And then Aurelia's eyes caught something worse.
A page described the drink. The one she had trusted Sorana to prepare. The ink spelled it out clearly: substances meant to weaken, to make the body fragile, to slowly kill.
Sorana had prepared it, intending for it to be lethal—but something had stopped her. Something in her loyalty to Aurelia, something in the memory of her own survival, had made her hesitate.
Aurelia's heart skipped. She traced the words with trembling fingers. Sorana had intended to poison her.
Poison her.
But she didn't, the partial mercy, the restraint, revealed the complexity of the woman before her: ruthless, cautious, and yet capable of protection.
Her throat tightened. She understood now.
Every act of anger, every secretive glance, every controlled word was born from that brutal past—and her desire to keep Aurelia alive, even if it meant deceiving her with lies, was the mark of someone shaped entirely by survival.
Aurelia swallowed, shivering. She had been lucky.
But the thought lingered, gnawing at her: Sorana's fury could have ended her life.
She wanted to kill me.
Click.
The door opened.
Aurelia quickly pushed the book aside, hiding it beneath the desk. Sorana entered, bowing gracefully. "My lady, you're back," she said, her voice calm, there was a trace of urgency in her eyes.
Aurelia nodded, trying to appear composed. "Yes… I returned," she replied cautiously.
Sorana's gaze softened as she stepped closer. "I have something to tell you, my lady," she said quietly, lowering her voice so no one outside could hear. "Lord Calvus… he brought flowers for you this morning, I think it's from Tenebrarum "
Aurelia blinked, her fingers still fidgeting with the black gown. "Flowers?" she murmured, surprised. "Why?"
Sorana's eyes flicked to the hidden book, then back to her mistress. "He said they were white asters. He… he wanted to make sure you were well after… yesterday. He asked me to give them to you."
Aurelia's heart stuttered, a mix of confusion and warmth rushing through her. "He… he did that?" she whispered, feeling a faint tug of something unfamiliar, something soft amid the storm of yesterday's memories.
Sorana nodded, bowing slightly. "Yes, my lady. I covered up for you, and I made sure the flowers were kept safe. You should see them—they are very beautiful."
Aurelia's eyes lingered on Sorana's careful hands.
She couldn't keep it to her self.
"You… you tried to poison me," Aurelia's voice was low, trembling but sharp. "Why?"
The flowers dropped from Sorana's hand when she heard that, Aurelia had read the book.
"I was beginning to trust you Sorana, even after the death of Felicia"
Sorana flinched, but didn't step back. Her eyes, dark and unreadable, met Aurelia's. "It was supposed to weaken you," she said finally, her voice calm but cold. "To make you… easier to control. Safer for the palace. I—" She paused, the words catching in her throat. "I stopped. Partially. I couldn't. Not completely kill you."
Aurelia's stomach churned. "Partially?" she repeated, disbelief cracking through her words. "You could have killed me!"
Sorana's expression didn't falter. If anything, it hardened. "My mother and I… we were trapped once, my lady. I saw what humans do. I saw the price of weakness. I swore I'd never let it happen again."
Her jaw tightened, her hands clenching at her sides. "I've killed enough, endured enough. But you… you are not my enemy. Not ever." Sorana's voice was quiet, but the weight of it pressed down like stone. "If I had let the poison finish… you would be dead. And I didn't let that happen."
Aurelia's chest heaved, and for the first time, she saw the shadow behind Sorana—the shadow of a girl who had survived horrors by humans Aurelia couldn't imagine, who had been shaped by blood, fear, and betrayal.
"And even if your mother died " Aurelia's voice softened, almost involuntarily. "After all of it… you survived?"
Sorana's lips pressed into a thin line, her eyes flickering with a storm Aurelia had never seen before.
"I survived," she whispered, voice low but unshakable. "Because I had to. Because I promised her—and because I promised myself I would never let anyone fall prey to humans again."
Aurelia stiffened.
"Really?" Her voice sharpened, frustration boiling up. "You put this all on humans—on my kind?"
She stepped forward, anger rising, her hands curling into fists.
"Have you even been to the auctions? Do you see how humans are treated? How we're dragged around like things? How we're sold, beaten, threatened, owned? And you dare say we're the monsters?"
Sorana's jaw tightened. "I didn't say that."
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To be continued...