Elsewhere in the mansion—
Aleric stirred.
His eyes opened slowly.
Soft warmth surrounded him.
He realized he was lying on a bed — not a normal one.
The fabric beneath him was smoother than anything he had ever touched. The pillows felt like clouds pressed into silk. The blanket shimmered faintly, woven with threads that caught light like water.
He sat up too quickly, then froze.
The room was enormous.
Golden pillars. Carved walls. A ceiling painted with moving constellations.
"…This bed alone could buy four cities," he whispered in disbelief.
His heart raced — not in fear.
In awe.
He had never seen luxury.
He had only heard stories.
And now he was inside one.
Maze wandered the halls quietly, hands brushing along glowing walls.
She smiled softly.
She had seen many of Blaze's mansions.
But each one…
Each carried a different presence.
Some felt like battlefields.
Some like tombs.
Some like temples.
This one felt like memory.
Power layered with silence.
She paused at a window overlooking endless flame-lit gardens.
"…Every place of hers is different," Maze murmured. "Not just in shape. In soul."
She felt it clearly.
This mansion was not built to impress the world.
It was built for Blaze alone.
Maze's expression softened.
"She never brings anyone here…" she whispered.
And behind a closed door…
Blaze continued brushing her hair.
Her eyes lingered on her reflection.
They all see the veil, she thought.
They never see me.
Her fingers slowed.
For a fraction of a second—
Her expression changed.
Not sadness.
Not warmth.
Something quieter.
Something she refused to name.
Then her eyes hardened again.
She lifted her chin.
And Blaze returned.
Blaze did not leave her room.
The doors remained closed.
Yet her voice did not.
It traveled.
It slipped through marble, through flame-veined walls, through distance itself—
And entered Aleric's ears like a command carved into his bones.
"Cook."
Aleric jolted upright in the luxurious bed.
He looked around, confused. "…Sister?"
Her voice echoed again, calm and merciless.
"Let me see why that little flame keeps praising you."
His heart thudded.
She could speak to him from that far away?
He swallowed and hurried out of the room, feet sinking into carpets worth kingdoms, hands trembling.
Maze looked up when she saw him rush past. "Aleric?"
"She… she told me to cook," he said quickly. "I think she's… testing me."
Maze smiled gently. "Then do your best."
He nodded, determination replacing fear.
Back in her chamber,
Blaze sat before the mirror, comb still in hand.
Her eyes were half-lidded.
If you do not meet my standard, she thought coldly, I will not keep you.
Tools that disappoint me are discarded.
She continued brushing her hair slowly, listening faintly as servants of flame lit the distant kitchen for him.
Entertain me, she thought.
Aleric stopped in the middle of the hallway.
"…Maze?" he asked softly. "Where is the kitchen?"
Maze turned, smiling. "Come. I'll show you."
They walked together through long corridors lined with flame-lit pillars and walls carved with moving patterns. The mansion felt alive—breathing heat, power, and history.
Then the doors opened.
Aleric froze.
His mouth fell open.
The kitchen was vast.
Golden counters floated slightly above the floor. Crystal shelves held spices from worlds he had never imagined. Knives shimmered with enchantments. Pots stirred themselves gently over invisible flames.
"This…" he whispered. "This is a kitchen?"
Maze laughed softly. "Master likes efficiency."
"I've never seen anything like this…" he said, stepping inside carefully, afraid to touch anything.
Maze gestured kindly. "Use whatever you need."
Some utensils floated forward on their own, responding to his presence. Others slid neatly into his hands.
Aleric swallowed, nervous but excited.
"Okay… okay… I can do this…"
He started slowly.
He chopped vegetables carefully. Cleaned mushrooms. Peeled carrots.
Maze stood nearby, watching quietly, warmth in her eyes.
He prepared a few small dishes, simple but thoughtful.
Then he began a warm carrot soup.
He tasted it
"…It's missing something."
He added a pinch of salt, careful, controlled.
He stirred slowly, then tasted again.
Better.
He nodded to himself, relieved.
Behind him, Maze leaned closer to the pot, curious. She tasted a drop from the spoon.
It could use just a little more, she thought.
She added the smallest sprinkle, barely enough to notice.
Aleric didn't see.
Maze didn't mention it.
They both believed they had fixed it.
The soup simmered gently, warm and fragrant.
Golden carrots softened, herbs drifting quietly through the steam.
Aleric smiled faintly. "It smells really good."
Maze nodded. "It does."
They poured it into a delicate bowl, unaware that the balance had already shifted.
Neither of them tasted it again.
Neither of them doubted it.
And the soup waited.
Blaze descended the stairs.
With a snap of her fingers, a curtain of crimson flame fell between the kitchen and dining hall, hiding her face completely.
Aleric could only see her back.
Her red silk robes shimmered like flowing blood. Her hair spilled below her knees in a dark, flawless curtain.
He stood behind the flames as he placed the dishes on the table.
Blaze did not turn.
She sat.
Slowly.
Elegantly.
She lifted one plate, bringing it close to her face.
She inhaled.
The scent was warm. Earthy. Rich.
It does not smell unpleasant.
She tasted the side dish.
Once.
Twice.
Her fingers paused.
Why does this feel… familiar?
Then she reached for the soup.
The spoon barely touched her lips.
Her eyes sharpened.
The table exploded under her palm.
"What filth is this."
The words cut through the hall like a blade.
The flame curtain vanished.
Blaze rose.
Her veil slid back into place.
She walked toward Aleric.
Each step was slow.
Measured.
Final.
She stopped in front of him.
Aleric's knees trembled. "S-sister—"
Her hand moved.
He did not feel pain.
He felt weight.
The world spun.
Then his face was slammed into the massive stone water basin.
Cold water rushed into his mouth.
His body thrashed.
Blaze held him down effortlessly.
He was dragged up,
choking, eyes wide with terror.
She looked at him.
"I do not make mistakes," she said calmly.
She pushed his head back under.
Water swallowed his scream.
She leaned closer.
"But you," she whispered, "were indeed a mistake."
Her fingers tightened.
Aleric's hands beat weakly against the stone.
Blaze did not move.
Her expression did not change.
If he dies, so be it.
The water closed over his face.
And Blaze did not pull him back up.