窃情谋欲

"The ice," he said, looking at the crystalized water, feeling a connection- an overwhelming emotion like he was reuniting with a lover after so long. He sucked in the icy air, rejuvenating on it. "I think I can call upon the ice."

Blaire looked at him with surprise and confusion. "You just awakened? Like just awakened without doing anything?"

He took a deep breath and exhaled, letting out a blast of cold air. The mist around him grew thicker and denser, and the snowflakes began to swirl around him.

"Holy!" she yelped in surprise. "How is that possible? How can you awaken without being hurt?"

His eyes glowed with a mysterious light, and a faint aura of magic surrounded him.

"I don't know," he replied calmly. "But I'm glad I did."

"Why are you so calm about this?" She asked, bewildered.

He reached out and grabbed a snowflake, it swirled around inside his palm, like a little child's dance, and finally rested on his palm.

"This is magic, uh?"

He whispered, gazing at the snowflake in wonder. "It's incredible."

He couldn't believe that he was actually capable of magic, something that he had only read about in books and watched in movies. It was like a dream come true, and he felt like he had been reborn into a new world full of possibilities.

Blaire looked at him with a mixture of awe and envy. "You're so lucky," she said.

Like him, she also gently touched the flake inside his palm, feeling its cold touch. "It's real." She said. "It's soothing. The year-end snow is damp and unbearable, we would rather be near a hearth fire, reading books, but this... this is so gentle." She gazed up at the sky, and her lips curled up, as if she were experiencing a revelation. "I've never felt this way before."

Damien was calm and collected. He was silent.

Silently gazing at the power, his power.

'This feeling...' he thought. 'This sensation, it's something I've always desired of. And now it's real.' He clenched his fist, breaking the

snowflake into pieces. Burying it within him.

'I want more.' The power that emanated from him, the simple undertaking of mana wielding felt like he owned the entire world. 'What else can I do?"

His mind wandered to the realm of darkness, it was calling him like he belonged there rather than following the rules; it compels him to be free. Be free of the shackles of this world that were binding him.

"...ien, Damien!" Blaire was shaking him, calling him. Only then he came back to his senses. His glowing red eyes trained on her. For a moment she thought he was someone else like he would just rip her apart, then the glow faded, slowly and gradually, revealing who he really was.

"Are you okay?" She asked, frightened by his eerie silence and the glimmering eyes.

"Yeah," he said. "Just feeling the mana." He smiled at her, the same goofy and aloof one.

She sighed. "Anyway, I was here for something else." She said, her expression straining.

He nodded to continue.

"What have you said to Augustus?"

"Nothing." He said. "He came to me asking whether I've spent time with you or not and I replied with a stern 'no.' Why?" He asked seeing her expression.

"Thought so," she said, sighing. Her creasing brows relaxed like she released a ton of tension in a second.

"What have he done?" He asked, watching her quick change in expression.

"He came to me, asking the same question," she said. "Saying you've admitted of us sleeping together. I had to admit we did talk, but nothing had happened between us. He was testing the waters."

"Clever one, he is." He said, smiling. Smiling to himself.

Blaire thought she had seen his eyes glowing again, but when she blinked and looked again, it was the normal dark shade colour.

"Damien," she touched his shoulders and grabbed his face to meet hers. "Are you sure you're okay? Do you need to see a healer?" She asked worriedly.

There was a momentary silence as both of them locked their eyes, one being concerned, the other being unexpressive and blank.

"I'm okay, truly okay." He touched her hand over his cheek. "Just adjusting to the power, that's all. I'll be alright after a good night's sleep. Don't worry about anything."

He leaned in, hoping for a tender kiss.

But she pulled back, her expression hesitant and uncertain. "I...I don't think we should do that," she said softly. "Why not?" he asked, his expression suddenly falling. "It's not that I don't want to," she said quickly, her eyes meeting his. "It's just that...things are complicated right now. With Augustus and everything..."

"You're afraid?" he asked.

"No. Not afraid," she said. "But cautious. Augustus is watching us, closely monitoring for anything to hold on."

"You think he wants something like a lever on you?" he asked, his expression was of ridicule. "You don't get it, do you?"

"Get what?" she asked, panic rising from her inside seeing his expression. "What are you talking about, Damien?"

He sighed, "Your husband can order everyone in the duchy to just kill themselves and they'll do it, without any complaints or without any questions."

"I...I don't get it." She stammered. "What're you saying?" She shifted uncomfortably in her position.

"It's not his manipulative words that sway the people, it's his ring. A magical artifact that can control people," he said, laughing loudly. "He can kill you, without a single soul from outside knowing, the best part is..." he looked straight into her eyes. "He can order your sister or your father to do the job, and they'll do it like the good puppy they are."

Realization dawned on her, it clutched her heart, and crippled her of her will.

"Th-then why hasn't he?" she asked, her voice, raspy and choky.

"Don't know." He shrugged. "You are, maybe, like an ultimate goal or something. You're not influenced by him. He knows it too. And he might want to influence you no matter the time, some perverse and absurd way of showing power."

She was silent, and the silence felt like an eternity.

"What is he planning?" She asked, shoulder slumped. She can't show her emotions to him. Not Damien. "What of my family and people? How can I save them before he does anything horrendous to them?" She looked straight at him, eyes glimmering with resolve.

"The only way the spell can be undone is by killing the wielder of the ring." He held her gaze. "Can you do that? Can you kill your own husband? The man you fell in love with."

"Of course, I can." She said. "The man I fell in love with is already dead. Whatever that thing is, it's not that man anymore." She nodded to herself.

Damien felt bad for her, having to ingest the new information and having no choice but to kill the man she fell in love with for the sake of her people and family. It was wrong, but such is life.

"Tomorrow's marriage." He said, pulling her from her sad and depressed thoughts. "I believe he's planning to do something there. The King is there. The lords are there. It's a perfect recipe for a gourmet."

She nodded. "Yes," she replied, taking her eyes off him and staring up at the sky. "We've to kill him today itself."

"I'm glad you're not that stupid." He said. "Ignorant, yes, but not stupid. Can you do it?"

She took a deep breath, reminding herself what was at stake, and then she nodded, eyes resolved and with a newfound air of confidence. "I'll do it tonight."

***

·ƈθm At midnight, in a large bed, Blaire suddenly opened her eyes.

She didn't stir, she simply laid there listening to her husband's snoring. His lungs expanding and contracting. She sat, eyes still on him as if he would run away from her if she takes her eyes off him even for a second.

Quietly, she slipped her hand beneath the pillow, her fingers closing around the cold, sharp blade of the knife she had hidden there. She took a deep breath, steadying herself, and then slowly raised the knife, poised to strike.

For a moment, she hesitated, her mind flooded with memories of the man lying next to her. The man she had loved for so long, the man who had betrayed her. But the memory of his actions was too fresh, too raw. She couldn't let him get away with it.

With a sudden, violent movement, she lunged at him, the knife flashing in the dim light. But he was quicker than she expected, and he jerked awake, grabbing her wrist with one hand and the knife with the other.

There was a moment of stunned silence as they stared at each other, their breathing ragged and uneven. Blaire's heart pounded in her chest, and she could feel the sweat breaking out on her forehead.

Then his face breaks out a thin smile, an evil smile. Blaire realized with a horror-struck expression that he knew. He knew she was going to kill him. He was prepared, and she was not.

Blood was dripping from his hand where he had grabbed the knife, but he didn't seem to notice. His eyes were fixed on her, full of malice and hatred.

"You thought you could kill me in my sleep, Blaire? How foolish," he sneered.

Blaire tried to pull away, but his grip was like iron. She felt a wave of panic wash over her, realizing the danger she was in.

"Let go of me!" She yelled.

He laughed a bitter sound that made her skin crawl. "Look how you've fallen, my dear. You're going to pay for what you've done."

Suddenly, he lunged at her, and she struggled to free herself, but he was too strong. The knife was still in his hand, and she knew that if she didn't do something fast, she would be the one bleeding on the bed.

With all her strength, she kicked out at him, catching him in the stomach. He doubled over, and she seized her chance, pulling her hand free and scrambling off the bed.

She ran towards the door, but he was quick to recover, grabbing her by the hair and yanking her back towards him. The knife glinted in the moonlight as he raised it high, ready to strike.

Blaire closed her eyes, bracing herself for the pain. But it never came.

"It's too early to be dead, dear. You've so much more to watch." He tightened his grip on her hands and dragged her to the window. "I was planning to do something grandiose tomorrow with all our guests but it seems I have miss calculated you." He took something from his shirt's pocket, a small square block with a little round button on it.

"Seems like I've to change the plan now. It was him, right? That little shit, Damien. I knew when I saw him for the first time that he was not a fool, but to think, he manipulated my own wife against me? he must be something else." He laughed out loud.

"What're you planning, Augustus?! Let--"

"I'll deal with him personally. Now watch what you have done, Blaire. Watch it and think about your mistakes." He pressed the button.

A single gong from a large bell from somewhere went off. It was only once. But the sound was melodious and soothing to the heart, and in the dead of the night, everyone in the castle must've heard it.

The ringing of the gong was quickly replaced by a deafening hush, but not for long, as soon the air was filled with laments and wailings.