"Judged?" I repeated, my voice brittle.
Leo’s smile stretched. "Yes. She is being brought before the council... to stand trial for premeditated harm against a noble household."
The words dripped like venom. Too neat. Too rehearsed.
"What?" My chest tightened, fury crawling up my throat.
Premeditated harm? Miranda? The thought screamed in my head. She would never... She could never.
I bit the inside of my cheek, forcing myself to stay calm, to form questions instead of simply letting Avin’s rabid emotions tear free. But the effort was like holding back a flood with my bare hands.
Leo tilted his head at me, his green eyes narrowing like a cat about to pounce. "You are far too incompetent. Too naïve. You know nothing of this world."
But I kept my mouth shut.
He leaned forward, voice dropping low, smooth as oil. "When someone from a noble family suddenly turns into an abyss creature, the stain it leaves is not merely personal. It is political. Reputation cracks like glass. And in our precious Chrono household, such a scandal cannot simply be left to fester."
He paused, his grin widening as if savoring the tension.
"So how does a noble family diffuse such a situation? They recast it. They tell a better story. They declare that the one who transformed was no true servant at all, but a spy. A secret weapon of an enemy house, placed deep within our halls, only to turn at the perfect moment and unleash chaos from within."
The way he said it was almost gleeful, like a bard relishing the twist in his tale.
"With that," Leo continued, leaning back into his seat, hands clasped loosely in his lap, "the family salvages its reputation. They transform shame into justification. Suddenly, we are not the victims of misfortune, but the survivors of an attack. And with that story, we gain the perfect grounds for war. Two birds with one stone."
He exhaled, smugness radiating from every gesture. "And unfortunately, your little friend has been caught in the crossfire."
Unfortunately... it all made sense.
Politically, strategically, it was airtight. Preserve the family name. Weaponize the tragedy. Point the finger elsewhere. It was an elegant solution.
And that was exactly why it sickened me.
I clenched my fists in my lap, nails biting my palms, thoughts spiraling into one furious question: How did they even get into the family in the first place?
Leo’s eyes flicked toward me at once, as though he had been waiting for that exact line.
"You mean the head maid and her daughter?" he said, savoring the words.
"Yes." My voice was clipped, my jaw tight.
He leaned forward again, his grin twitching sharper, suspicion glinting behind it. "Strange..."
His eyes narrowed, searching my face, and a cold fear stabbed through me — fear of being seen through, of being found out.
"I would have thought," he said slowly, "that with how close you are to her, she would have told you already."
My words stumbled over themselves. "U-uhm... She actually never liked talking about it. And... I was never that curious."
His gaze lingered, piercing, holding me in place like a pinned insect. Then, at last, he leaned back with a small shrug. "Understandable. Considering... they are not from the best of places."
He steepled his fingers, eyes glinting. "About fourteen years ago, the Chrono family waged a territorial war. It was over fertile land — plantations, resources, rivers fat with fish. Both sides coveted it, and both were prepared to bleed for it."
His tone was calm, but his smile remained, as if he enjoyed watching the images twist in my mind.
"The war was fierce, but brief. Some call it the shortest in history. Just two days, and the enemy collapsed. Completely one-sided. The final battle unfolded before a small, nameless village caught in the disputed land. Insignificant. Not on any maps. To most, it did not even exist."
He tilted his head slightly, watching my face as he continued.
"The village was razed. Fire swept through it, buildings turned to ash, lives snuffed out like sparks. Everything lost. Everything... except one."
"The patrols, led by the Duke himself, stumbled upon the ruins. Everyone was gone — everyone except the head maid. And the Duke, for reasons I will never claim to understand, formed... an attachment. Perhaps pity. Perhaps something else. But regardless, she was brought into the mansion. And thus... her daughter with her."
Pieces clicked in my mind. Threads forming.
The question slipped from my lips before I could stop it. "So Miranda is the Du— I mean, Father’s—"
Leo’s eyes widened, and then his whole body jerked back as he burst into laughter.
The sound filled the carriage, sharp and cruel, his hand pressed against his stomach as his body shook.
"No!" he barked through his laughter. "The head maid already had the maid girl."
Relief washed through me, heavy and sudden, though it did nothing to cool my anger.
Leo chuckled low, shaking his head. "Still, as I suspected, she was always an Abandoned. The village she came from had no temples, no ties to the gods. It was bound to happen. Some saw it, some ignored it... perhaps even the Duke himself had his reasons. But if mother is an Abandoned, then so is the daughter. That much cannot be ignored."
His voice sharpened again, his grin crueler than ever. "And so, to avoid another embarrassment, she must be taken care of. Quietly. Efficiently. And the best way is to hand her over to the Temple itself."
The words twisted in my chest, each one heavier than the last.
And as though the world itself had been listening, the carriage screeched to a halt.
Leo’s grin widened. "Ah. It seems we are here."
The guard beside me opened the door with practiced precision.
Light poured in, blinding for a moment. And beyond it — a spectacle.
A sea of figures in long golden garments crowded the steps of a massive stone structure, their faces solemn, their eyes turned toward us. They had been waiting.
Leo rose to his feet with a flourish, every motion dripping with theatricality. He turned, meeting my glare with a smile that could cut glass. This update is available on n0velfire.net
"After you?" he said, voice sly, mocking, offering me the exit as if this were nothing but a pleasant stroll.