After the Duke left, I turned back to the High Priest. "Listen, old man. Don't waste my time again, or I'll make sure I'm wearing something you never imagined." He turned pale and nodded frantically.
"Mia, let's go."
Having finished my business, we set off for home. We were in the middle of the forest when Ishu made us stop. She claimed she saw flowers she wanted to pick—a childish request that felt out of place. Ever since we left the estate, she had been acting strangely... too 'ladylike,' as if she had forgotten she was my maid.
Before I realized the trap, it was too late. We were ambushed and knocked unconscious.
When I opened my eyes, we were in the basement of an abandoned shack. It smelled of rot and damp earth. My hands were tied, and my lip was bleeding where one of the bastards had struck me for my "foul mouth."
"Mia? Mia, are you okay?" I whispered.
Beside me, Mia was slumped over, her shoulder badly bruised from the fall. "My Lady..." she murmured painfully. "Your lip... they hurt you..."
"Shh, no more talking," I cut her off. It angered me to see her like this.
Then there was Ishu. She sat in the corner, her dress pristine, her face pale but untouched. I had made sure of that. I had thrown myself in front of her the moment the blades were drawn in the forest, leaving a thin, stinging cut across my own neck.
"The Prince will pay a fortune for the 'Saint of Regulus,'" the leader laughed, sharpening a rusty knife.
"You've made two mistakes," I said, my voice cold enough to drop the temperature in the room. I had already picked the cut the rope on my bindings using a hidden dragger from my sleeve that i had kept it hidden. "First, you thought I was a Saint. Second... you touched my precious maid."
In a blur of motion, I was up. I didn't need a sword. I used their own momentum, a heavy chair, and the sheer ruthlessness of a woman with nothing to lose. I fought with everything I had until I was breathing heavily, covered in a mixture of my blood and theirs.
By the time the door was kicked in, the leader was unconscious and the others were groaning in heaps on the floor.
[Brother's POV]
I had sent a knight to trail her, just in case. I couldn't be careless; she was my little sister, after all. When the knight returned with news of her kidnapping, my blood ran cold. I didn't think twice.
I rode until my horse's lungs nearly burst. If a single hair on Iris's head was harmed, I would burn the city down. I reached the shack first, sword drawn for a massacre—only to find my sister standing over a pile of broken men, wiping blood from her neck. I was too late. She had already saved herself.
[Duketheodore's POV]
My shadow knight reported the kidnapping immediately. I hadn't intended to protect her; I wanted to watch her cold facade break. I wanted to hear the Witch beg me to save her.
Instead, I followed the scent of iron and found her magnificent. Covered in the blood of her enemies, she looked like a dark goddess. I felt a surge of something possessive. She was mine to 'play' with, and these common filth had dared to lay a finger on her.
[Back to iris]
Theodore and my brother stood in the doorway, both breathing hard.
"Iris, come here," my brother commanded, his voice shaking. "You're going home."
"She's coming with me," Theodore stepped forward, his massive frame blocking the light. "My estate is closer, and she needs a medic now."
I looked at them both, then at Ishu. She wasn't looking at me with relief. Her eyes were dark with envy. She didn't see the blood on my neck or the bruise on my lip. She only saw two of the most powerful men in the empire fighting over who got to carry me home.