Chapter 86 – Respect

Océane paused at the question. She turned her head, locking her green eyes on Sarah’s blue ones, seeing in them the fright and fear she understood all too well.

The fear of being nothing but a pawn in someone else’s game, someone who didn’t particularly care about how you felt or even what you thought.

That was the only thing coursing through Sarah’s mind, for she couldn’t believe — not even in the slightest — that Cassius Desdemona didn’t want something from her.

And it all made sense, honestly, considering everything that had occurred until now. From how she was made to guide them, to his gentle talk, to this little outing with his money.

All of it had a reason.

Sarah might have been nothing but a maid — a used maid, kept by a Prince who saw in her only the usefulness of a bed warmer — but if there was one thing she had been forced to learn while living with Raven and the Hood Family, it was how to read the intentions of those who sought you out. And most importantly...

"Everything has a price." Sarah said, eyes unwavering. "And if Mr. Desdemona is ready to spend all this on me, it means he wants something."

Then her face twisted, confused and utterly lost at once. "But what?" Her voice carried an anguished ignorance. "What could he possibly want from me? I am nothing but a maid. And if he thinks I am useful because I am the Prince’s maid, then he is thoroughly mistaken."

’After all,’ thoughts flashed, ’everything I could possibly know, everything that could be useful as leverage or information, has already been deleted from my memory.’

It was all useless.

"So you knew my master wanted something." Océane began, her lips pulling upward softly, "Yet you still accepted everything? The clothes, the rings and bracelets, the makeup, the food, the games, the good time..."

The more she spoke, the more Sarah’s face twisted and lost its colour. It was true she had guessed an underlying motive from the beginning. But it was equally true that she hadn’t been able to help herself falling into the temptation of luxury when Océane placed in front of her things she had never had.

For no matter how much she earned as Raven’s maid, she sent 80% of it to the orphanage that had raised her and stored the rest in her bank account.

Not because she didn’t want to spend it. But she had never had the opportunity, her duties consuming all her mental and physical resources.

’I made a mistake.’ She realised, cursing herself for being such an idiotic woman.

"Now tell me, after having enjoyed his money so thoroughly," Océane continued, "do you plan to refuse my master?"

"So you do admit he had an ulterior motive this whole time." Sarah spat, annoyed.

"Of course he did." Océane rolled her eyes, matter-of-factly. "What? Did you think my master was some kind of charity? The only people who can spend his money without cost are his wife, Lady Isolde, and his family. Sorry to break it to you, but you are neither."

Sarah gritted her teeth, stricken with confusion. "Aren’t you supposed to lie to me? Use our little time together to convince me of the great goodness of Mr. Desdemona? Make me believe he is not what the kingdom thinks he is?"

"He is indeed nothing like what this kingdom could possibly guess." Océane nodded, "However, you are not that much of a fool." She replied, "And my master respects you too much to treat you like one."

"W-What?" Sarah stuttered, eyes blown wide. "Respect? Him? Me?"

"Why are you so surprised?" Océane asked, genuinely puzzled. "Do you think my master would do all of this if he didn’t respect you? Oh, poor girl, there are many easier ways to convince someone like you, you know?"

"But why?" Sarah blurted out, her body shifting backward as if the words were something physically heavy pressing against her. "Why does he respect me? I am no one. I am nothing. I am a simple comm—!"

"There is no use trying to understand my master." Océane cut in, "I don’t know what makes him respect you, but he does. And because he respects you, I respect you too. And anyone in the Desdemona Household will respect you."

Océane paused, then continued with a smile. "From the masters of the house to the lowest guard. Everyone in House Desdemona will respect you because of one single thing."

She raised one finger. Sarah’s breath caught, her fingers shaking at the outrageous — yes, truly outrageous to her — words coming out of Océane’s mouth.

"All simply because Cassius Desdemona, the Last Born of the Desdemona, respects you, Sarah. And it’s because of that respect that he asked me to deliver some words to you."

"T-To me?" Sarah echoed, instinctively sitting straight, her heart pounding as she listened carefully.

"Friday." Océane said directly. "Friday night, my master wants an answer from you. An answer about whether you will accept what he seeks from you. And most importantly: do not lie to yourself, Sarah."

"How can I give an answer if I don’t even know what he wants?!" Sarah erupted, unable to keep her calm. "And that’s not even the point! What if I tell all of this to my prince? What will you do then? Kill me? Silence me? I wouldn’t be surprised! Not at all! And who in their right mind would want to help Cassius Desdemona? He is a devil! A devil! Everyone in the kingdom knows it!"

By the time Sarah finished her outburst, Océane was already on her feet, standing in front of her. The setting sun was directly behind her, casting an enchanting glow over her figure and her green eyes.

A strange smile spread across her face.

Sarah’s body tensed, blood rushing to her head, fingers trembling.

"You can tell everything to the Prince if you wish." Océane said, shrugging carelessly. "Though honestly, do you think he will care much after what happened between him and Miss Anesthesia?"

Sarah only bit her lip, neither knowing what to say nor do. It was the truth, after all.

"And as for my master being a devil." Océane shook her head. "My master is not a devil. My master is the devil. And so you know, he has a number of little devils who will clap for him every time he does something." She grinned coldly. "I am one of them. So don’t worry about anyone wanting to help him, many would die for him if needed. Now, Sarah, I have done my job. Let’s go back. I don’t want to make my master wait."

Océane chuckled softly. "This was honestly a good day. I enjoyed it a lot." She stretched her hand toward the still bewildered, confused and frightened Sarah. "Let’s do it again next time, shall we?"

Sarah looked at the hand for a long moment, feeling as though accepting it meant accepting the hand of a devil. Yet unknown to her, her own hand had already begun to move, nearly closing the distance.

She stopped it an inch from Océane’s hand and shook her head with overwhelming self-control.

"Thanks for the day." She muttered, got up on her own, and walked toward the carriage, her mind in complete chaos.

Watching her back, Océane’s lips twitched lightly.

"How rude." She whispered, then shrugged and followed, smiling. "Well. Mission accomplished."

...

Isolde stood in front of a brown, slightly worn door inside the Outer Zone of Vorn City, where low-level commoners, those who barely managed two meals a day for a family of three, lived.

The buildings around were many but small, two stories at most, made of stone that had turned a dirty brown and gone fragile with age.

The atmosphere was not as desolate as the Outskirts of Desde City, but something was missing nonetheless. A certain electric joy and excitement that constantly sizzled through the Core of Vorn City and other big cities of the Kingdom.

"I hope she’s here." Isolde muttered, and cocked her head upward, looking at Maxim standing on the roof of the tired house. "Do as you are told."

Maxim Onearm, the epithet now whispered in mocking tones throughout the Fangs Sect, looked at his Lady and nodded before disappearing, as if he was nothing but an illusion cast by the fading sun above.

Exhaling, Isolde raised her right hand and knocked three times softly, yet with enough intensity.

A short silence followed, then a loud girlish scream:

"Who is it?" A childish voice echoed. But not only.

"Emma! No! Don’t open the door without me! Emm—!"

CRINK—!

Too late.

The door swung open to a small, tidy living room with a few wooden pieces of furniture, and Isolde found herself face to face with a young girl, around four or five years old, with black hair and brown eyes, the tip of her pale nose deep red.

The young girl gave her a big innocent smile, her wide brown eyes a real sight for sore eyes.

"Who are you?" She asked in her cute tone. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

Isolde didn’t answer, looking instead at the woman who had frozen behind her, staring at Isolde with both apprehension and confusion.

’She doesn’t know me.’ Isolde thought. ’But she can feel something is wrong.’

Without a doubt, this was the woman Cassius and she had been looking for.

"Who are you, big sister!" The young girl said again, impatience now plain in her childish tone.

Isolde managed a fake yet stunning smile. "I am no one." She said, eyes shifting to the woman now approaching with hardening black eyes. "But I am here because I heard that a certain Emily Stone lives in this area."

She tilted her head at the woman. "Forgive my manners, can you tell me if you know her?"

"No, I don’t—!"

"That’s my mother!!" The young girl, in complete innocence, pointed directly at her own mother with a bright smile. "My mother’s name is Emily Stone!"

Isolde’s smile widened, eyes locking on the woman who was staring at her own daughter with intense irritation.

"Is that so?" Isolde whispered. "Pleased to meet you, Emily. I am no one. Do you have time for a talk about the mercy of Vorn, the Lord of Death?"

—End of Chapter 86—