“Milady, that’s…!” Olivia’s eyes widen in shock as her mind processes my words.

“I don’t think it was a request, wouldn’t you agree?” I glance and see her gulp right before she begins to leave, “So, will you apologize?”

“You can’t do this!” a guard in his twenties yells and dashes towards me. Martin places his large body between us, letting him know to restrain his emotions.

‘Pitiful,’ I move around the head of the guards and face the young man.

“Will you stop me?” I speak in a low tone as he clenches his fists and averts his eyes, “Wise choice.”

As Olivia’s steps were heard, whenever her feet touched the ground, the mood became more restrained. The guards were nervous and anxious, waiting for a leader to make a call, regardless of being right or wrong.

“I consider myself a just person so I will give you one final chance,” I turn around and face Martin once again right before whispering into his ear, “Apologize or your wife will be fucking a scarred man for the rest of her life.”

He remains quiet but his veins were showing from containing all his rage.

“Just imagine Martin…” I place my hand on his right cheek, caressing it softly, “No matter where you go or who you’re with… You will always be called a freak… Do you think this lot will remain loyal to someone like that?”

Sweat drops dripped down his forehead, finding their way onto my delicate hands. Understanding his situation, he finally gives in.

The proud head of the guards, Martin, kneels right in front of me making the men standing behind him puzzled. A prideful smile sneaks from my lips as I turn to Jade.

Words like “cold” and “disgust” couldn’t begin to describe his expression. I stretch my arm and see his emotions shift as his eyes displayed his loyalty.

“Come,” he grabs my hand gently and walks a couple of steps, stopping right in front of the kneeled man. Swiftly, I place some distance between us and shift my attention to the confused guards, “What are you waiting for?”

“Kneel!” Martin's strong yet rough voice yells from the ground, making the men immediately obey, “I ask for your forgiveness.”

“Do you consider that an apology?” I comment after seeing his pitiful display of regret.

“I’m sorry, please forgive my rudeness,” his speech was clear and loud, making the guards repeat his words in unison.

“I trust this won’t happen again, yes?” I snap my fingers and Jade quickly runs, catching Olivia who was about to pass through the trees that led to the stables.

✽ ✼ ✽ ✼ ✽ ✼ ✽

“I wish you a safe journey, son,” Edgar Wharton embraces Terrel as his lips held a kind smile.

It was finally time for that beast’s departure. I can’t say I am ecstatic or even happy since this is nothing more than a hindrance to my plans.

‘Why…!’ I wanted to get rid of him as soon as I could so that I could go back and spend all of my father’s money in luxury. Without his knowledge, of course.

A sigh escapes my body as my mind is focused on these trivial emotions.

The Duke quickly gets shoved away by Terrel’s rough hands as a fake smile appears on his lips.

‘So, you’re not even going to hide it,’ I roll my eyes, understanding how deep the darkness in this man's heart was.

“My dear, try not to miss me too much,” he grabs my hand forcefully right before pressing his lips onto its back. His lustful eyes were glimmering as he touched my skin.

‘Gross… Stop it…’ I could feel my emotions beginning to appear. It was as if, every time he was near, my mind just turned into a complete mess of negative thoughts.

“Yes, my lord,” I tried to remain calm but the uneasiness in my voice was noticed since, after hearing my words, that beast held a large grin, filled with satisfaction.

“I will be seeing you very soon,” he declares before closing the carriage door abruptly.

‘Not if you have an accident and die first,’ a polite smile appears on my lips as I curse him inside my mind with all my strength.

His carriage was large and decorated with different precious metals. It was excessively luxurious but, of course, for Terrel, only the most beautiful and expensive things would suffice.

“Are you alright Ophelia?” the Duke turns to me after the loud sound of the galloping horses fades away, “You look pale.”

“I think I might be coming down with a cold,” without a second thought, I brush the matter off.

I knew this was not due to any sickness or even something within those lines. This coldness in my soul, sending shivers down my spine was nothing more than pure fear and hatred all combined into one little body.

Edgar couldn’t know about my hate for Terrel. I needed him to think I was just a simple child, seeing nothing but marriage in front of my eyes, otherwise, everything could be ruined.

“Should I call for the doctor?” he questions me while holding my cold hands in his. Edgar’s eyes were filled with concern.

“There is no need for that father, a couple of days of rest and I should be fine,” I smile warmly.

It wasn’t unusual to have people with colds during Blistering even though, due to the extremely hot weather, it wasn’t a common occurrence.

“Alright… But you should warn me the moment you feel unwell,” even though his words were harsh I knew they were born out of care and worry.

The Duke turns around the moment one of his servants appears with a new report. After saying his goodbyes, he quickly leaves, arguing loudly with the poor man.

‘It’s as if he has two people inside…’ I couldn’t help but notice the sudden change of personality within him.

I remember when I managed to trick Bradley and was able to see this side of Edgar. It is cold, calculative, and ruthless, sometimes, even scary enough to make a shudder run down my body.

The sun was begging to set on the horizon, symbolizing the end of another dreadful day. A chill breeze blew as the temperature began to drop considerably.

“Ah…” a sigh escapes my body, “It’s…”

“Cold?” a warm light pink blanket is placed around my back right before I turned and saw Mace, “Can I have a moment of your time?”

His face was slightly flushed, probably due to the chill weather, however, his voice continued to be as sweet as it always had been.

“Of course, my lord,” I smile respectfully as he escorts me to his secluded study room.

“Would you care to play a game of chess?” he waves his hands, signaling his servants.

The several butlers then proceed to remove the board and the chess pieces from a box on the bottom of a wooden desk, before placing them on the medium-sized table in the center of the room.

I sit on the crimson divan and focus my attention on Mace. He looked calm and restrained but something was making me anxious.

‘What are you after…?’ it wasn’t unusual for him to request my presence since we played chess quite often but, even then, my gut was telling me this was not a simple visit.

“It seems like this morning was quite rowdy, wouldn’t you agree?” I glare at him as he adjusts his jacket. Mace’s back leans on the divan and he crosses his legs while the servants place the chess pieces in their rightful place.

“I wouldn’t know,” my guard was completely raised. His words were like complete riddles, not because I couldn’t begin to understand them but because I couldn’t figure out the hidden meaning behind them.

I didn’t trust Mace.

I couldn’t trust Mace.

I didn’t exactly have reasons to be suspicious of him. He was kind to me ever since I arrived but something kept on bothering me. His words were concise and so were his actions.

Maybe he was wearing a mask, a façade that made him look like the perfect man that obeyed the rules. Or maybe, he was nothing more than a kind person who actually cared. Nevertheless, the possibilities were too distinct, and one can never be too careful.

“Really? That’s quite unfortunate, you lost quite a show,” he moves his pawn two houses right before glaring at me intensely.

“I see,” I counter his move and our pieces become complete opposites, facing each other directly. He stretches his back before leaning forward.

“What did they do?” he questions while defending his white pawn with his horse.

“How could I know, my lord?” I comment before moving another piece. No matter how I saw it, this was a provocation. He knew I was there.

‘Did he see it…?’ gossip ran fast so it is a possibility that Mace had learned the events through the maids or butlers but, simultaneously, he could have seen it happen in person.

“Ophelia, one shouldn’t rule people by fear, or they might lose their reasoning…” he takes my pawn.

Finally, the reason for this encounter had been cleared. Mace never intended to play with me out of pure entertainment. This was nothing more than a warning or a piece of advice.

“Fear is only needed when people forget their morals,” in response to his bold play, I switch his horse with my piece, placing it beside the board. He looked as if he was about to say something but bit down his tongue.

Suddenly, his eyes become completely focused on the board and the situation at hand.

‘So, this is how you want to do it…’ Mace never really cared whether he won or lost, and I was well aware that, the majority of the time, he would allow me to win.

Losing this game would mean that he was right, that our argument would be decided by his ideals, and I would end up being labeled as the extremist lady who can’t begin to understand how other people feel.

We both become extremely focused on the game and the only sound heard were the pieces moving, rhythmically as if they were dancing within a symphony.

Mace moves his tower. I move my bishop.

I take his horse. He takes my pawn.

He moves his Queen. I take his King.

“Checkmate,” I smile coldly as he lowers his king on the board, “The fall from the highest horse is always the most painful my lord.”

“So it seems…” his eyes kept on wandering through the board as he pictured the moves that had been done. It was clear he couldn’t understand how he had lost.

“The moment you began to fear my attacks, you lost, Mace,” I get up and glare onto his coffee-colored eyes.

I never cared if I was a winner or a loser. In chess, that is only a trivial matter that only wounds the pride of the weak.

Mace thought that he had a guaranteed win, but I already know how he plays: if his opponent is offensive, he defends and stretches the game onto its limit right before turning the tables in a couple of moves, on the other hand, if his opponent is someone defensive, he becomes extremely aggressive on the board.

The pride that surrounded his mind, the wrong idea that he possessed regarding my skills, was what made him lose. He undervalued me.

“I shall take my leave then,” my hands push the wrinkles off my dress with harsh gestures right before turning my heels and heading towards the door.

Suddenly, my body spins as if I was a ballet dancer right before feeling the tight grab of someone’s hand on my wrist. My face hits Mace’s chest harshly as he places his arms around my shoulders, embracing me gently. A sweet fragrance begins to flow within me.

“My lord?” I look up and see his eyes focused on mine right before trying to push him away. It was in vain since his grip around me only grew tighter.

“Quiet! We’re being watched,” his voice was low as his attention shifted between me and the semi-closed cedar wooden door.

Our faces were the closest they had ever been making it possible to see Mace’s complexion. His skin looked smooth, and his curly hair looked as soft as sheep wool. His eyes were embraced by long dark eyelashes and, right below them, there was a small brown spot.

Some minutes pass and footsteps are heard as someone ran down the hall hurriedly.

Our eyes connect and I see his interest float between the different areas in my face. He raises one of his arms and places his hand on my cheek.

‘What…?’ Mace looked almost as if he had been bewitched by something or someone.

“My lord, this isn’t proper,” my hands push his torso away while my lips display a cold smile.

“I’m sorry,” he looks at me, confused and frustrated, “I don’t know what came over me.”

‘What a terrible excuse,’ I open the door but, as I was about to head out, he grabs my wrist once again.

“Be careful Ophelia, there are a lot more eyes and ears in the mansion now,” I frown at his remark, “It’s not just your father anymore.”

“Thank you for the game, my lord,” I shove his hand away and leave.

✽ ✼ ✽ ✼ ✽ ✼ ✽

「Several days later 」

“What did you just say!?” Catherine’s fork falls on the floor as her eyes widen with surprise at her spy’s statement.

The lady was eating her lunch, a thick piece of grilled steak with perfectly cut baked potatoes and a delicious sauce on top. Her room was tainted in different shades of red due to her high belief that it was the color of lust. A man in a black colored cape stood in the middle, however, his hood hid his face.

‘She tried to…!’ a large smirk was displayed on Catherine’s lips as her eyes glimmered with expectation. It was clear her excitement was uncontrollable.

“Lady Ophelia threatened to brand the head of the guards,” the man’s rough voice is heard.

“Incredible… When I think nothing else can surprise me…!” she leans her back on her golden-colored chair, “Ah…! Ophelia…!”

Swiftly, she gets up and begins walking towards her special chambers.

“There are more spies inside,” he follows her and, as his words echo in her ears, she stops.

“More spies?” Catherine frowns at his statement, “From the Criswell’s?”

“I’m not sure milady,” he kneels before her right before her hands push the large doors open.

A naked woman with beautiful caramel skin and an hourglass-shaped figure appears holding a red wine glass and, beside her were two tall men with strong muscles and stiff expressions.

The pleasant rose fragrance was impregnated in Catherine’s nose as she begins to feel her lust accumulate even further. Her chest was compelled by a warmth and a desire she would often feel during her long nights.

“You already know what to do,” she grins right before grabbing the wine glass against her bright red lips.

“As you command,” quickly he stands up and Catherine enters the room.