“S-shit…” Karla groaned.
“I-it hurts.”
She felt hot, as though something was… burning. She shook her head, trying to snap herself out of the overwhelming disorientation that clouded her mind.
‘Where am I?’
Karla peered her eyes open, but all she saw was pure darkness through her blurry vision. The surroundings were eerily silent, and the air held a kind of chill she couldn’t explain.
‘W-what the hell happened…?’
She tried to move past the cloud that enveloped her thoughts, to remember what had happened.
‘I-I failed my mission last night, and this morning I planned to…’
The realization slammed into her, hard. She remembered now. Everything. She had wanted to search Malakai’s room, to discover other ways to win him over… only to run into…
‘That witch!’
A splitting headache hit her, and Karla tried to clutch her head in pain, only to realize she couldn’t move. Her body was stiff, frozen like stone.
‘S-she’s still here.’ Her heart trembled. There was only one person who could freeze her in place like this, Nyx.
‘Shit! Shit! Shit!’ The words thundered in Karla’s head. ‘This is bad! I’m screwed…’
She had been caught red handed, right before entering Malakai’s room. What could she possibly say she wanted to do? Enter a Vein’s chambers without permission?
Karla bit her lips, at least she could still move those.
‘Wait.’ Her thoughts froze. ‘I can talk!’
The chances were slim, but she had to try something. Anything.
‘She hasn’t killed me yet. There’s still a chance,’ Karla hoped.
“G-good m-morning, Lady N-Nyx,” she spoke in the most helpless voice she had. “I know I made a mistake trying to enter the Ninth Vein’s chambers, but I promise you, I meant no harm! It’s just… the Ninth Vein was so angry yesterday that I wanted to make it up to him by cleaning his room…”
It was an absurd statement. One that not even the most naive person should believe. But it was Karla’s only chance to escape this crisis.
Seconds passed. No response.
‘Shit.’ Karla cursed inwardly.
Growing desperate, she blurted out, “You don’t have any right to do this! Bloom or not, we’re all servants in this manor, only the Ninth Vein can pass judgment!”
She took another approach in panic. Nyx was a bloodthirsty monster, but maybe… just maybe… the 14-year-old Ninth Vein would pity her.
“The Ninth Vein is the one in cont—”
Karla had barely finished her words before an icy voice cut in.
“Shut her up.”
Karla’s words halted instantly. She tried to speak but couldn’t. She couldn’t even shake her head anymore.
‘D-don’t tell me…’ Her thoughts trembled.
The blur in her eyes began to fade, revealing two pairs of faintly glowing crimson eyes staring at her in the dark.
‘No…’
Her worst fears had just been realized. She had attempted to enter Malakai’s room in the morning, but now, it was night.
Nyx had kept her there, frozen, until the Ninth Vein returned.
A sound reached her ears from just beside her. Karla’s eyes shifted slightly to the side, and there she saw Unoa, still and kneeling, staring forward with trembling eyes.
‘T-they got him too.’
Karla turned her eyes back toward the two crimson gazes. They stared at her like predators watching prey in the dark.
‘I have to say something.’
She tried to speak, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t.
“Who do you work for?”
The familiar cold voice chilled Karla’s heart. Malakai had just spoken. And as the restriction on her mouth faded, her words came rushing out.
“N-Ninth Vein! P-please listen, I meant no harm, I just wanted to—”
“Increase it.”
Malakai’s voice rang out again, and in the next instant, Karla felt it.
The pain that had consumed her body before was now rising again. She turned her focus inward, and froze.
‘M-my blood…’
The burning she’d felt earlier, it had been her blood boiling.
Unimaginable pain roared through her. She tried to scream but couldn’t. Her voice was gone.
‘Ahhhhh!’
Hot blood streaked down from her eyes and nose. Her mind could no longer form full thoughts.
Then… the pain subsided.
The cold voice returned.
“Who are you working for?”
Karla felt her mouth loosen again, but she didn’t care. She could barely think. She breathed raggedly, forcing her head up to face those glowing crimson eyes again.
She couldn’t see much, but she could tell now. One pair of eyes was lower than the other.
The Ninth Vein was seated.
And for the first time, Karla really saw them. Those eyes. They weren’t the eyes of an innocent 14-year-old child.
‘H-he knows.’ Karla realized. Malakai had known she was a spy from the beginning.
The information she had gotten before arriving had said Nyx followed him everywhere. But she had found Nyx alone at the manor. Which could only mean; Malakai had sent her back.
‘What kind of 14-year-old is he…?’
“It—I work for the C-Crimson hold N-Ninth Vein…” Karla managed to speak, praying the answer would save her.
It didn’t.
“More.”
Malakai’s voice cut again. And just as Karla was about to speak, the pain returned, even worse than before. Her blood began to boil once more.
“Who do you work for?”
Unoa’s eyes trembled as the crimson gazes turned toward him.
“I-I s-serve you, N-Ninth Vein…” His calm was gone. His suit was in tatters.
Malakai didn’t wait.
“Him too.”
“Wa—”
A searing pain exploded through Unoa’s body. He tried to scream, but nothing came out.
Both servants now writhed in silence, suffering through pain no words could capture. And all the while, Malakai’s cold crimson eyes stayed on them, unmoving.
‘M-Malakai…’
Valentine’s hesitant voice echoed in his mind.
‘Just close your eyes and ignore it. It’ll be over soon.’
‘This is torture!’ Valentine snapped.
‘So? You want me to stop?’ Malakai’s response came without emotion. ‘You said you weren’t going to interfere in things like this again. Did you forget?’
Valentine fell silent.
‘No… but—’
‘You think they don’t deserve it?’
Valentine didn’t answer.
‘That’s the difference between the both of us,’ Malakai continued. ‘I’m not going to give you any justification for this. I will only tell you, I won’t stop. If you have a problem with it, you’re free to leave.’
Malakai had thought back to the day he’d admitted fault when his maids messed up the manor and spoke ill of him. At the time, he’d wondered if it had been the right thing to do. And truthfully… it hadn’t been wrong.
In a fair world, no one should be punished for speaking their mind.
But this wasn’t a fair world.
This was a world where saying the wrong words could get you killed.
In such a world, fairness wasn’t something Malakai could afford, especially not toward his enemies.
So he’d made his choice. Just like the day he killed for the first time. Anyone who tried to harm him… would not be spared.
No matter how bloody it got.
Malakai’s gaze burned cold.
“Stop.”