The moment Berryanna and Greyhouse Jr entered the room where the noise was coming from, naked women and men rushed past them in panic. Bodies brushed against shoulders. Hands slipped free. Feet stumbled as people tripped over each other trying to escape. Someone cried out. Someone else laughed hysterically before breaking into sobs. The air was thick with fear and the sharp sting of blood.
"You should run, that man has gone crazy," one woman said to Berryanna before running out.
Her voice cracked as she spoke. Her eyes were wide, unfocused, her skin slick with sweat. She did not wait for a response. She disappeared into the corridor like she had never been there.
Berryanna walked in. She did not rush. Her boots met the floor steadily, one step after another, each one deliberate. Her gaze moved slowly, taking in everything without flinching.
She walked in to see people's dead bodies on the floor, smashed and bloody.
Limbs lay twisted in ways they should not. Arms bent backward. Legs folded at impossible angles. Faces were frozen mid scream, mouths open, eyes staring at nothing. Blood pooled beneath them, thick and dark, clinging to skin and fabric.
Some bodies were already cold. Others still twitched faintly, as if the soul had not fully let go yet.
Levi was in a corner shivering from fear. His back was pressed hard against the wall, shoulders hunched, as though he wished he could sink into the stone and vanish. His hands shook violently, fingers curled in on themselves. His breathing was shallow, uneven, each breath sounding like it might be his last.
And Vinegario was busy punching the life out of a noble who looked like he had already given up his ghost.
The man lay limp beneath him. His body jerked weakly with each blow, more from reflex than resistance. There was no fight left in him. No pleading. No strength to scream.
Vinegario's fist rose and fell again and again, wet sounds echoing with every impact.
The bloody big room which was once filled with laughter and moans now looked like a bloody field.
The echoes of pleasure were gone. No music. No teasing voices. No soft cries. Only silence, broken by heavy breathing and the dull sound of flesh meeting flesh. Blood soaked into the floor, into cushions, into anything it touched.
At the center of the room was a big fat roasted full pork dangling in the air. It swung slowly, back and forth, as if mocking the carnage beneath it. It was held by a thread. The smell was unmistakable.
"What is the meaning of this, Vinegario," Berryanna said.
Her voice cut through the room. Vinegario stopped hitting the dead man. His fist hovered in the air for a moment longer, knuckles dripping red, before finally dropping to his side. He straightened slowly.
His whole attire was now drenched in blood. It clung to him like a second skin. His sleeves were soaked. His boots squelched faintly when he shifted his weight. His hands were slick, fingers stained dark.
He turned to Berryanna. His eyes gleamed beneath the mess, bright and alive.
"Did you get the names of my big brother's killers," he said as he walked closer.
Each step left a mark behind him. Footprints bloomed red where he passed.
"Like you care about your own brother," Berryanna said.
Her gaze flicked briefly to the corpse at Vinegario's feet, then back to his face.
"I do. He was the only sibling who was kind to me," he said.
For a moment, something almost human passed through his eyes. It was gone just as quickly.
Greyhouse Jr looked around the bodies Vinegario had killed. His breath came shallow. His chest rose and fell rapidly. His face drained of color, lips paling as his eyes darted from corpse to corpse.
"Oh my goodness, they are foreigners, you killed Hale's nobles," Greyhouse Jr said in a panic voice.
His hands trembled as he spoke. His voice cracked halfway through the sentence.
"No wonder, mustache man, they should have known that killing or eating pigs is illegal in Anthony," Vinegario said.
His lips curved into a cruel smile. Then he looked at Berryanna. Blood dripped from his fingers, falling to the floor in slow, steady drops.
"Did you get the names, and I hope you killed the inn keeper for allowing such act."
His tone was casual, almost bored, as though he were asking about the weather.
"My lady, this is going to be a big trouble," Greyhouse Jr said.
His voice dropped low, heavy with dread.
"When were they supposed to arrive anyway, wasn't I told today about them, so why are they here," Berryanna said.
She ignored Vinegario completely. Her eyes scanned the room again, slower this time. Every detail burned itself into her memory, every face, every mistake.
"I have no idea," Greyhouse Jr said.
His shoulders slumped, the weight of the situation pressing down on him. Berryanna turned to the Lord of ginance, who was folded in a corner. Levi barely reacted.
"How are you part of the Lords if you can't stand a scene like this," Berryanna said to Levi.
Her tone was sharp, unforgiving. Greyhouse Jr moved quickly to help him to his feet. The moment Levi was upright, he clung to him immediately, fingers digging into Greyhouse Jr's sleeves. He was still clutching onto Greyhouse Jr for support. His legs wobbled beneath him. His face had gone pale, sweat beading on his forehead. He looked like someone who was about to barf.
"Pardon me, my lady, I only know numbers and not this kind of violence. And I am new to this kind of things. I have never seen this much violence," Levi said.
His voice shook with every word. He had to pause between sentences just to breathe.
"Oh, daddy never prepared you for this kind of scene, and do you know where he is from, Eastside," Vinegario said.
His eyes flicked knowingly between Levi and Berryanna.
"I wonder how Lady Fayrouza will view you if you ever come home bloody looking, will she still utter the words of love to…"
He trailed off deliberately, letting the threat linger. Vinegario began to rub his bloody hands on Berryanna. The contact was sudden. Warmth smeared across her skin.
"What is the meaning of this?" Berryanna said, stepping away from him.
Her voice hardened, sharp enough to cut. But Vinegario ran some blood on her face too. A red smear crossed her cheek.
Levi and Greyhouse Jr looked at the two of them. Neither dared to intervene. Neither dared to breathe.
"Would you stop this childish act of yours, you just murdered foreigners, inviting a means for war," Berryanna said.
Her eyes burned with anger now, fire flashing beneath her calm exterior.
"War, we can handle this situation, aren't we made for that?" Vinegario said.
His shoulders rose in a careless shrug.
"You can, but what about the people, their lives will be put in danger," Greyhouse Jr said.
His voice was steady despite the fear pounding in his chest.
"I don't give a damn about the people. If I am handling the situation, it's because I am protecting what my father built, not for the people," Berryanna said.
Her words landed heavy in the room. The room went still.
"Mind me, princess, the late king served the people. This nation is built for the people to sleep peacefully every night and not in fear," Greyhouse Jr said.
He swallowed hard after speaking, bracing himself for what might come next.
"Is that why you sell weapons to them illegally," Berryanna said.
She changed the topic without warning. Greyhouse Jr went quiet. His mind raced. His heart pounded. He searched for words, for anything that would keep him alive.
"Not asking for permission before doing what I did was wrong, princess, but as the Lord of War my role is to do anything possible to avoid war happening in this nation," he said.
His voice trembled slightly.
"And if selling weapons to commoners for protection is a crime, then I deserve to be punished."
His heart skipped with every word he spoke.
"For protection, you should have given them for free instead," Vinegario added.
His tone was mocking, amused.
"I will spare you because I do not wish to kill you, and you were the one who gave me this information about this inn," Berryanna said.
Her voice was final. Greyhouse Jr finally breathed freely. Relief washed over him, almost dizzying. He was not going to die tonight. That alone felt like a blessing.
"It took him six years to get the information, I still say kill him for being this sluggish," Vinegario added. The tension rose again, thick and suffocating.
Berryanna ignored him. She had heard enough. Vinegario had been whispering the word kill since the beginning. She no longer took him serious.
She left them alone in the room. Her steps were steady, controlled. She went to find a place to wash herself before going home. She needed to look clean. Clean enough to face her wife.