Chapter - 51
"That was how I got in," Seraphine told Leo, her voice cold. "I washed dishes. I scrubbed the floors. I was invisible."
"I watched, and I learned."
"I needed to get closer to the family. Closer to the girl who killed my mother and brother."
But it was hard, Aliana was never at the castle. It was hard to get an audience with her, let alone become a part of her servants. Lord Caelum was rarely seen. So her only option was Lady Isolde.
Isolde was Lord Caelum’s first wife, and Aliana’s mother.
She was a fading beauty, a woman in her late thirties with grey hair and early signs of wrinkles.
She was clinging desperately to her youth. She was fragile and profoundly unhappy. She was obsessed with her husband, but Lord Caelum ignored her completely.
Seraphine used her beauty. She made sure she was seen. She was diligent, quiet, and perfect. She perfectly played the limited role of someone Isolde wanted to be. And within a month, Seraphine was promoted from the kitchens to her, Lady Isolde’s personal service.
And in no time, Seraphine became indispensable. She brushed Isolde’s hair for hours. She listened to the woman weep about Caelum’s coldness. She fed Isolde’s insecurities, whispering validation into her ear.
"He never looks at me," Isolde would sob, drinking wine in the middle of the day, "He eats in his study, sleeps in his study. And I don’t seen him for days."
"What do you think, Seraphine? Does he have another woman? Is it because I am ugly?"
"Oh no, My Lady," Seraphine would play the loyal servant. "You are radiant, like the shining star at night. Like the sun lighting up the whole world."
"The Lord... He surely loves you. He is just... busy. The burdens of the state are keeping him away from you."
"He doesn’t show it!" Isolde cried, "I haven’t felt his touch in months!"
Seraphine saw her opening.
"You must remind him, My Lady," Seraphine suggested softly. "You must remind him of the passion you once shared. You must rekindle the fire."
Isolde looked up, hopeful, "How? Tell me. I will do anything."
"Write to him," Seraphine said, "Send him a letter. Pour your heart out. Tell him of your desires. Tell him how much you long for his touch. Tell him how long you have been waiting for him."
"Let him feel your heart."
But just as she heard Seraphine, the hope she once had shattered, her face fell. She looked away, ashamed.
"I... I cannot," she whispered.
"Why not?" Seraphine asked, with a smile on her face that Isolde couldn’t see.
"I... I... Don’t know how to read and write," Isolde admitted, "My father didn’t think it necessary for a wife."
Seraphine suppressed her smile. She already knew this.
"Then let me help you, My lady." Seraphine volunteered, "I learned to write from a traveler when I was young. Let me be your hand, My Lady. Tell me what is in your heart, and I will put it on parchment for the Lord."
Isolde grabbed Seraphine’s hands. "You would do that for me?"
"Anything for you, My Lady," Seraphine nodded, "Anything."
They spent the afternoon composing the letter. It was flowery, desperate, and clingy. It begged for attention. It complained about his absence. It was pathetic.
"My heart hurts like a cow stepping on it."
"Every night I hug your pillow so hard it almost bursts, wishing it was you."
"Come back soon my love, or I will cry so much the castle might flood."
It was so bad that even Seraphine when she heard those words felt repulsed to Isolde. No wonder Lord Caelum was spending the nights alone. Rather than lie beside Isolde and listen to that whine, he would snuggle a corpse, at least it would be quiet.
Isolde thought it was romantic. But Seraphine knew it was a death sentence for their marriage.
"It is perfect!" Seraphine beamed as she gave the letter to Isolde, "My Lady, give it a... Ohh! I am sorry, you can’t read. But let me tell you, this is just perfect. You have conveyed your feelings so romantically. Even I feel like falling for you."
"You really think so?" Isolde was so happy. Sealing the letter with wax, she gave it to Seraphine, "Take it to him! Deliver it to his study yourself! Make sure he reads it!"
"Yes, My lady!"
This was it. Seraphine’s chance. She had been in the house for nearly 3 months, but she had never seen the Lord up close. She had never seen the monster who raised the monster.
She took the letter. "At once, My Lady."
Seraphine walked through the high corridors of the Lord’s private wing. Her heart was hammering against her ribs, but her face was a mask of calm servitude.
The guards at the end of the hall crossed their spears.
"Halt. Private quarters."
Seraphine held up the letter with Lady Isolde’s personal seal, "A message from the Lady for the Lord. It is urgent."
The guards glanced at the seal, then at Seraphine’s pretty face. They stepped aside.
She walked to the heavy oak door at the end of the hall. The Lord’s Study.
She knocked. Three sharp raps.
"Enter," After waiting for about 10 breaths, a voice commanded from inside.
Seraphine pushed the heavy door open and stepped inside.
The room was dimly lit, smelling of paper, ink, and dust. The curtains were drawn.
Behind a massive desk cluttered with stacks of documents sat Lord Caelum Dargan.
He looked exactly the same as now. Those long grey hair, the nicely trimmed beard, and the wrinkles set from keeping that annoyed, serious face all the time.
He didn’t even look up as she entered. He kept writing, his quill scratching loudly in the silence.
Seraphine walked to the desk, keeping her head bowed, playing the meek little maid.
"A letter from Lady Isolde, My Lord," she said softly.
Caelum’s hand stopped moving. He let out a sigh of exhausted irritation, "What does she want this time?" He muttered to himself.
Then he waved a hand dismissively without lifting his eyes from the document he was reading.
"Leave it on the table," he ordered, "And tell her I am busy. Once I am done, I will reply to her."
Seraphine looked at the non-chalant attitude of the Lord and felt something odd. But before she could think any further, her gaze fell on the letter opener placed right in front of her on the desk. It was well within her reach. She could just place the letter, grab that sharp, silver letter opener and drive it through her neck.
Her hand twitched, but she held her thoughts back. It is not his time yet. She needed to punish his daughter first.
"And yes! Do tell her that I will not be coming to her chambers tonight. Or this week. So she should stop interrupting my work."
She placed the letter gently on the side table.
"Yes, My Lord," she whispered.
She turned to leave. She walked back to the heavy door. She grasped the iron handle and began to pull it closed behind her.
The door was almost shut. But just as a sliver of light from the hallway remained, Seraphine heard a voice speaking from inside the room.
It was definitely not Caelum’s voice.
"My Lord..." the voice purred, "Did you like it?"
Seraphine froze. Her hand stopped on the door handle, leaving it slightly open for her to peek through the small crack.
Lord Caelum finally looked away from his papers. The mask of cold irritation vanished. A warm and genuine smile appeared in his face as he looked down the desk with affection.
"Yes, I enjoyed it. Like always!"
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