Barbaric Spouse, Descry the Night's Lure-Chapter 204: Scene CCIV

Standing before the woman... Aslak called for the one slave who had told everything to help his now indifferent self decide on a punishment. — “Slave. Come here.”

“!... Wait here, Rhea.”

“But...”

“It is alright.” — Selene, the slim young woman who had been embracing her little sister with happiness and hopeful spirit, separated at the summon from the sibling to obey the one that had freed them. Walking towards him, respectful in silence and with a lowered head as she had come to accustom as a slave. — “How may I be of help to the Archduke?”

“... What exactly was it that this woman did?”

“... This woman is called Kelly, good lord. A servant that was raised to serve the Orteu household. At her Master’s order, Baron Orteu, she... she is the one that served the Archduchess Skreh Bloom’s tea.”

Silence was held by those before the dull Kelly, who kneeling unmoving on the harsh ground blankly stared somewhere with lost mind and sight, provoking curiosity in those that were not accustomed to witness such reaction against fear... yet could understand the woman had lost any will to escape within herself.

"...."

Aslak’s eyes traced her small and common appearance, finding her slight tremble pleasant, for her lack of reaction could tell much more than the proud spout those before threw in his presence.

“... She did that ‘cause I gave that order to her waste of a Master.” — Aslak then said. Taking a moment to think before directly talking to the woman. — “Kelly. Stand.”

“!!! No! I don’t want to die!! Your Grace!! They were your orders as you say!! Please!! Ewelina!! I-I did not wish bad for Ewelina!!! Yet my life!! My life would have ended if I was to disobey!!! Please!!”

“...”

“Please your Illustrious Grace!! I beg of you, mercy!!”

“Oi. What do you think-!?”

“Leave her alone.” — Aslak even if displeased by Kelly’s sudden and desperate cling to his limb ordered to his annoyed Constable to remain placed. Listening a little more to what the woman in her grief continued to tell.

“Your Grace! Ewelina! S- She is a good woman!! I never deserved her goodwill towards myself!!... I should’ve told the truth!... Even until the last moment... nh!... hic! Ewelina... her grace... she considered my selfish self as a friend... Your Illustrious Grace... please... if I am to die... let myself beg her forgiveness... Please! Please, my Lord!”

“... Did you share many days with my wife?”

“... yes... she... Her Illustrious Grace was always warm towards myself... even though she was not respected as she should have been...”

“... Your punishment... It’s not for my hand to decide then.”

"?!?"

"Release me. You’ll live til she says otherwise."

"T-thank you! Thank you, my lord!!!"

Thinking about the wife in dire health he had come down to seek revenge for, Aslak’s wish for retribution was satiated. Now only being filled with concerns and fears... for once back at his chambers the news he was to receive scared him senseless.

The King who had been watching the whole of the scene then decided to walk towards the savages, providing before, the instructions to those who served him so no word from those nobles present would leave the Kingdom.

“Aslak.” — Jollveld addressed his cousin with clear concern in his expression and sound, placing his hand on the shoulder of a downcast Archduke. — “It’s enough with what you’ve done here... Go to your woman’s side... where you should be.” 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

“... Jollveld... I... my fatædi... Ewelina... she...!”

“You don’t need to tell me anything right now. I get the gist... Go to her, leave the rest to me. Like we are used to.”

The sympathetic smile of the cousin made Aslak lower his head with a deeper frown and conflict. Gripping the axe he continued to hold onto, even if stained with the blood of a distasteful one... smudging the sense of his touch with a colder toxicity as Jollveld’s words sunk in his mind.

“Alright...... although, this... this isn’t like usual, Jollveld...” — Aslak muttered as his steps commenced to take him back into the palace, pensive with placated distress.

The height of the castle was stared at as he paced through the path he had previously marched alongside his wife to meet the now appalled and frightened nobles, hearing the echo of her broken sound from the deepest of his memories with every step, reviving the pain in the strong root within his lungs, aching and suffering by the distress her expression portrayed while despising his being.

— Don’t even address me... —

“. . ..”

— It’s sickening. —

The expression of disgust she had shown, hurt him further at the recall, and yet, the words she had cried out continued to resound, stronger and clearer now that time was allowed for him to drown in grief.

— I want to die, Archduke. —

‘!!!... no... p-please don’t... Fatædi...’ — Biting his lips with helpless sorrow and fear, the remembrance of the brown eyes he had seen, yearning for an end... for a certain separation from himself with the help of a desired death sent an unbearable pain to his core. — ‘... I swear... this pain we feel, I’ll make you forget it... only... only don’t die, Ewelina...’

*******

It was a frozen stillness she had woken up to.

With hazy memories of a man’s request to come to her side, a deep emptiness made tears flow from her void umber hues. Feeling an unstoppable tremble traverse her body in sadness while her thin and weak fingers touched a thick bandage, wrapping her wrist while laying in a mattress that made it as if she was gradually absorbed by the sheets of a once shared nest.

“.....”

Somehow, only silence was filling her chamber in a palace... at a time she could tell was the peak of the end of a warm afternoon... and yet, after blankly letting reality sink into her consciousness... Ewelina rose from the sheets, aching all over while her heart throbbed with every breath she took.

— Why isn’t she waking up?! —

“...”

— If she’s fine then let me stay with her!! —

“..... hypocrite...” — To the voice she knew so well, Ewelina muttered as she reminisced of his yells that trespassed her slumber.