[Ishu's POV]
I stood in the hallway of the House of Crisis, shivering. The stones were cold, and the silence was deafening. No one had checked on me. No one had asked if I was scared.
I saw Lord Wayne standing outside the room where that maid, Mia, was being treated. He looked so powerful—a shield of a man. I realized then: if I could win his heart, I wouldn't need Iris. I would be a Regulus myself.
I approached him, making sure to let my lower lip tremble. "My Lord... I am so frightened. The forest... those men..."
Wayne didn't even turn his head. His eyes remained fixed on the door. "Then go to the servants' quarters and stay out of the way, girl. My sister bled for you today. If she didn't care for you so much, I would have left you in that forest myself."
Why? Why?! How could he be so cold to me? He was so gentle, so attentive whenever Iris spoke to him, even though nothing that came out of her mouth was ever sweet. I was far more "ladylike" than she could ever be. Why did she get all the devotion while I was treated like trash?
His words were like a slap. My face burned with shame as I turned and wandered down the dark hall, my heart twisting with a new, bitter poison. I found myself standing near a set of double doors—the Duke's private chambers.
I peered through the slight crack in the door, and my breath hitched.
[Back to Iris]
The Duke unbuttoned the top two buttons of my shirt, exposing my collarbone. My eyes met his, but he wasn't staring at my skin. His gaze was locked on the jagged cut on my neck with a strange, clinical intensity.
The silk cloth was warm. Theodore's fingers were surprisingly steady, though his touch felt like fire against my skin. He was leaning so close that I could see the dark rings in his eyes—the mark of a man who never slept.
"You fought well," he murmured, his voice a low vibration. "The way you used that chair... the way you broke the leader's ribs. That wasn't the work of a panicked lady. That was a soldier's instinct."
He cupped my jaw, his thumb pressing against my skin to force me to look at him. "Who taught the Witch how to kill?"
My eyes blazed with anger. "A Witch doesn't need to learn. I've been doing this since before you even knew my name."
His eyes searched mine, and he paused, his voice dropping to a whisper. "Truly... the Child of God."
The words made my stomach turn. In this world, they said God chose a 'child' every century to protect the kingdom. The last one was a hundred years ago. When I was born with these eyes, the prophecy began to ring out again. I didn't care for it. I didn't want to be anyone's savior.
"Let go," I snapped, my golden eyes flashing. "Move. You're too close."
Instead of moving, he leaned in. The tension in the room snapped, becoming thick and dangerous. Just as his breath grazed my lips, the doors flew open.
"Get your hands off her!"
Wayne stood there, his hand white-knuckled on his sword hilt, his eyes wild with protective rage. I felt Theodore's smirk against my skin before he slowly, mockingly, pulled away.
In the shadows of the hallway, I caught a glimpse of a pale face. Ishu. She was watching us, and for the first time, her eyes didn't look innocent. They looked like they wanted to watch me burn.