The next time Neriah had that dream that she had been having time and time again since the incident, it did not end the same way it had always ended.
Yes, like always Erik had used her to stab her husband in the heart but no, she did not bawl and wail like a helpless fool as she usually used to.
Not at all, this time, her eyes were as red as blood but not because of tears but because of her anger and the brewing storm inside her.
Until that storm burst uncontrollably and her anger gave her strength to pull the dagger out of her husband’s chest and turn to the man behind her. With everything she had in her she plunged the dagger into his heart. And as she did she suddenly began to laugh.
For it was satisfying to stab him. With that maniacal laugh and tears finally trailing down her eyes, Neriah plunged the knife into Lyle’s chest again and again and again, with her laughs growing louder and louder with every stab.
Blood was all over her hands and Lyle was dead but she kept stabbing and kept laughing and crying at the same time.
And when Neriah finally awoke from that dream she began laughing in real life as it finally dawned on her what she wanted to do. What she had to do.
She rose from her chair in front of her husband’s portrait where she had drifted to sleep, made her way to the shelf where the box was and brought it down.
She opened it and the dagger was there. Her fingers traced it and she now realized why he had left her with this. Lyle had wanted it to be a reminder that directly or indirectly, she was the one who killed her husband.
What he must not have expected was that she would harbor thoughts of ending his life with this very same dagger. And now after that dream, Neriah not only harbored the thought in her head...
She planned to carry it out.
"Just you wait, Lyle... I am coming for you."
...
Neriah needed no disguise to enter the dungeon this time around. She went as herself and didn’t have to say too much for them to let her in. And also it was a different dungeon. Not the one the orcs and other strong entities were kept.
The knight on duty ushered her through the dungeon taking her to where she had asked to be taken and when they stood before the prison of the minion of Lyle, she turned to the knight and said, "Leave us."
The man hesitated, "I will not go close to the bars, do not worry, no harm will come to me. I just want to ask him some questions." She reassured the knight.
His gaze shifted between the princess and the man locked behind bars then he bowed to Neriah and walked away.
From what Neriah had heard, force did not work. They had been trying every possible means to get some information out of this man for months now and nothing had worked. The bruises and burns on his body were evidence of the immense torture he had undergone in their hands and yet he remained loyal to Lyle.
So Neriah was certain threatening him was not going to work at all.
In that case there was only one thing left to do.
She had promised herself that she would not lie and act to get what she wanted anymore because all her lies ended up causing troubles and she regretted them. But this was a different case. This time around she would not regret a thing.
"Please help me! You have to help me please." She begged in a very low whisper with her eyes full of tears. And her hands holding onto the prison bars with desperation.
"Please help me. You have to help me get to Lyle." She said.
"Like I told them already, I have no idea what you are talking about."
"I know you know where he is!" She almost screamed, almost losing focus due to her anger but she quickly cautioned herself.
"Please," her voice returned to a pitiful and pleading whisper, "I need to see Lyle, I now realize how foolish I was to think I had lost my love for him." She lied remarkably. Neriah knew if she was to fool him, she would have to put in her best act yet.
"I was only blinded for a moment. But now I know I love him. I love Lyle so much and I need his help to save me. He is the only one who can keep me safe from the clutches of these disgusting barbarians." She said, because if she was to fool this man she had to be that selfish, foolish princess again.
That princess who only thought about saving herself, not caring what happened to others. She had to be that foolish princess.
The man scoffed and spat on the ground, "You are carrying the child of one of those disgusting barbarians." He reminded her and it took all she had in her to not kill him that instant with her powers.
"You do not know how much I disgust myself now for this!" She lied with her hand on her stomach. "I was foolish! These mad people, they plan to make me have this child and then kill me afterwards!"
Desperately she placed her hands on the prison bars again, looking at him with tears trailing down her cheek.
"Please, you have to help me escape. Lyle left me a hint before we parted. He said I would know how to come find him when I wanted to. He knew I would come to my senses eventually." She continued, this part was true. To fully deceive a person you had to skillfully mix a little hint of truth with a huge portion of lies. It would be hard for the person to doubt your lie when they already know a portion of the truth you have laced the lies with.