-HER-

I couldn't tell what Krifaris was up to with Fiona, but I was sure about one thing— he was up to no good. If my brother had ordered him to 'work on' Fiona, it would be something terribly unspeakable. For the first time since meeting Fiona after such a long time, I was feeling worried about her.

Though I couldn't really do much here. If I oppose it openly, then I would draw suspicion toward myself. I kept quiet and watched them pensively as Krifaris led Fiona out of the wing to take her to the Mage's Tower. I shuddered, thinking about that place.

I couldn't help but keep thinking about what Krifaris meant by ′working on' her? Fiona wouldn't need much magical assistance to help look like me. We had the same eye and hair colour and almost the same height. She had enough features to hold in common with my brother, keeping any doubts on resemblance at bay. I was also aware that Krifaris hated working with anything related to vanity, so it was most likely that he wouldn't be putting up with it even if my brother had ordered it. Then what could it be?

After thinking hard and long, I couldn't come up with anything. There was only one way to find out what Krifaris was up to — by waiting for Fiona's return. However, my patience didn't seem to want to cooperate with me.

It didn't feel like Krifaris' work would be done with the snap of a finger. It was going to take time. The longer I waited for her, the longer she seemed to delay her return. I was getting frustrated and was contemplating going to the Mage's Tower. The idea terrified me to the core. It had always done so.

Would it be worth it to go there for Fiona? I wondered to myself.

I was progressively spiralling down into my thoughts, drowning deeper and deeper under the myriad of suppressed fears I had learned to ignore well, but they often surfaced into my consciousness to haunt me.

I shuddered.

I closed the book I had decided to use to distract myself and stood up. I needed to do something. My instincts told me that something veil was happening in the Mage's Tower. I needed to go there! I needed to help Fiona even if I hated her. No reason was good enough to leave her with that manifestation of evil in human flesh.

I was about to leave when someone rang the bell outside the wing. Deeming it to be Fiona, I rushed to the door and opened it. Instead of Fiona, I was met with shock. My eyes widened when I saw Viscount standing at the wing door instead of Fiona. He looked intrigued to see the reactions on my face.

"I'm sorry, I was expecting someone else," I apologised right away, trying hard not to have all the blood in my body collect in my cheeks. My heart was digging into my chest, but for a different reason.

"I see," He responded, "It must be someone special. I'm sorry to disappoint you," He added, running his eyes from my head to toe. I tried not to get carried away.

"It's Fiona," I told him instead, "The Arch Mage had taken her to the Mage's Tower to work on her,"

I was expecting him to look surprised and worried for Fiona. Instead, his expression remained unchanged, nothing replacing that cold, unreadable facade he always had.

"I didn't know the Emperor had his Mages trained as cosmetician as well," He quipped, stepping inside the wing and looking around as if he was reminiscing about the place. "There's nothing left of her in this place anymore," I thought as I heard him mutter. I cleared my throat to draw his attention.

"Where are the others?" He snapped, remembering that I was still there.

"Nuncia's working, and the other two are out somewhere," I answered nonchalantly, keenly studying him. "You can wait in the study until Fiona returns. Princess Theresa has an extraordinary collection of books," I boasted, earning a raised eyebrow from him.

"I'm not here to see Fiona," He said, turning towards me. I froze, unaware of where this was heading. He pinned me with his eyes while he reached into his coat to pull out a scroll bearing the Lagrifiri's emblem. "I've been sent here to deliver this to you," He said, stepping closer and holding the scroll up for me with both hands as if he was handing me something utterly delicate.

"Vittoria sent you?" I asked, knowing my answer already. I brushed my fingertips over the scroll and his fingers with a touch more delicate than a feather.

"Yes," He answered, sounding slightly breathless as I took the scroll from him.

"So you're a messenger now?" I joked, peering into his eyes while he watched me pensively.

"I'm a medium," He replied thoughtfully as I opened the scroll.

"You haven't stopped talking in those jumbled words, have you?" I laughed, but it was late when I realised that I had said that out loud. He was still watching me but with some confusion.

"You sound like you've known me for a long time," He commented, tilting his head to a side and staying me with intensive pensiveness. I clenched my jaw and turned away from him to open the scroll and read the message, hoping he wouldn't read too much into my comment.

"Did Vittoria say something when she gave this to you?" I asked, trying to change the subject. An unwavering silence stretched after my question as I opened the scroll and read the message.

My eyes widened when my eyes traced the letters swirled into Vittoria's unmistakable handwriting.

'Look after your brother,' Read her message.

That's it.

That's the only thing she had written on the scroll. I wanted to smack it on the ground and stomp on it. Why would I want to look after my brother when he did the most veil things to me? He was the reason I was living in shadows!

I didn't let the scroll make me lose my calm. After all, Viscount was still here, watching me.

"She told me to see you keep out of trouble," said Viscount.

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