- il y a 6 heures
Catégorie
🦄
Art et designTranscription
00:30Fate played a cruel trick on my kind-hearted sister
00:32She was sent by our heartless father to marry the brutal Serpent King
00:36She was cruelly cut open on schedule, made into a living blood font
00:40Her blood drained to sustain the Serpent King's mistress
00:45The Serpent King later slaughtered our friend
00:49And I, alone and hopeless, died with Cecilia Tragico
00:55When I opened my eyes, I was back on the day of the matching ball
00:59I swear I shall avenge us in this life
01:02In my past life, it was a pity that I married the kind
01:05Lion Arbiter
01:08Serpent King, and I would have been a perfect match in hell
01:11I would only be a thousand times more wicked than him
01:14So when Serpent King and Lion Abider stood in front of me
01:17And Cecilia at the same time
01:19I walked towards Serpent King without hesitation
01:25I shook my head and clutched the marriage contract and laughed
01:29This time, neither of us will die
01:34Three days later, two matching ceremonies were held at once
01:37Lucien, the Lion Arbiter, came to collect Cecilia himself
01:41He arrived in formal white and gold
01:43The kind of man who made ceremonial dress look effortless
01:46Be good to her, I thought
01:48Watching him help Cecilia into the carriage
01:51She deserves your love
01:52Then I turned and stepped into my own
01:54Kale had not come to meet me
01:56He'd spent last night at a brothel house with his mistress
01:59And couldn't drag himself out of bed before noon
02:03I thought Kale not coming to meet my procession was insult enough
02:06It wasn't
02:07When the matching ceremony began, he still hadn't appeared
02:11What came in his place was a spider, larger than my fist
02:14Its legs polished black, adorned with a ceremonial ribbon tied around its midsection
02:19It was placed on the altar before me
02:22Who's the Serpent King really doing this?
02:24A human bride, bound to a pest
02:26How fitting
02:27If I were her, I'd kill myself
02:29What's left to preserve?
02:31Kale's attendant stepped forward
02:32My lady, the king was occupied through the night and could not rise in time
02:36This is his most prized companion
02:37He felt it appropriate that it stand in his place for the ceremony
02:40The king despises me
02:42Even his servants don't bother hiding it
02:44I said nothing
02:45I looked past him to the queen mother seated on the high dais
02:49Your husband returned from campaign exhausted
02:51As his mate, Grace is expected of you
02:53The guests are waiting
02:55Complete the ceremony
02:56This was what Cecilia had endured in our past life
02:59She never told me
03:01Vespo
03:02Stop stalling
03:04You're asking me to complete a matching ceremony with a bug?
03:08So the Serpent King is equivalent to this bug?
03:11How dare you?
03:14I dare nothing
03:16I came here to bind myself to a king
03:18Not a bug
03:19Silence, then scattered laughter
03:21Nervous, surprised, quickly smothered
03:24The queen mother's composure cracked at the edges
03:26The spider felt the shift in the air
03:28It lunged, spitting venom
03:30I dodged and drove the candlestick spike through it in one clean motion
03:34A black stain spread outward from the altar
03:37Droplets caught the front of my wedding wights
03:40Dark, deliberate looking, like I'd planned it
03:42The hall erupted
03:44She killed it!
03:45She killed the king's companion!
03:46The queen mother was on her feet
03:48You!
03:49It attacked me
03:51I pulled the spike free and wiped it on the altar cloth
03:54What would you have had me do?
03:56Seize her!
03:57Someone fetch the king!
03:58The doors opened
03:59The ground trembled faintly as Kale walked in
04:02Eyes that swept the room and landed on me
04:04On the crushed creature
04:06On the stain spreading across the altar stone
04:08And the absolute calm on my face
04:10You killed my spider
04:12It started first
04:14I'm going to kill you
04:15I smiled
04:16I knew he'd come eventually
04:18Kale crossed the hall in a few strides and beckoned
04:21Then thousands of serpents swarmed forward
04:23I didn't move
04:24The guests held their breath
04:26Half terrified, half fascinated
04:28Wondering if he'd actually do it
04:30A swarm of serpents had crawled up to my waist
04:32Kale
04:33Just before the a-serpent's tail stopped an inch from my throat
04:36Kill me and you'll die
04:39Bold words from a human
04:41Your father holds a border post, that's all
04:45This is a good point
04:46But more than that
04:47I took out the candlestick spike and cut into my wrist
04:50There wasn't a single drop of blood on my wrist
04:53Yet black blood began to seep from the Kale's wrist
04:55Kale looked at me in disbelief
04:57What did you do to me?
05:00Nothing
05:01Remember
05:03I was born evil and cursed
05:05I am more monstrous than you
05:07Any harm done to my body can be transferred to others
05:10Kale dispersed the serpent swarm
05:12The spider was just a spider
05:14I won't hold it against you
05:16Generous
05:17We still haven't completed the matching ceremony
05:20You killed my pet and you want to
05:23He stopped, stared
05:24The ceremony isn't finished
05:27Then it stays unfinished
05:28Be grateful I'm not having you thrown out
05:31I smiled and turned toward the crowd
05:33My eyes landed on the royal physician Idris
05:36Standing near the far pillar
05:38Young, silver-robed and cruel
05:40Watching the spectacle with an expression of profound discomfort
05:43I walked toward him
05:44In my past life, it was him who made Cecilia a living blood pot
05:48Cutting her alive
05:49If Kale won't complete the ceremony
05:51Perhaps you would be willing to stand in
05:53Idris was shocked
05:54Looking at Kale in horror
05:56This was an insult to the king
05:58Though in a passive way
06:00Execute him
06:00Anyone suspected of cuckolding the serpent king will never survive
06:04I said nothing
06:05Just waited
06:06Kale's jaw tightened
06:07Idris was taken away in despair
06:10Kale turned back to the altar
06:11Fine
06:12He completed the ceremony
06:14I did not make it easy for him
06:19That night, he didn't come to the chamber
06:25In our past life, Cecilia had waited until dawn
06:28Sitting alone in her wedding dress, hoping
06:30I gave him exactly one hour
06:32Pack his things
06:34All of them
06:36If he doesn't want to share the chamber, we shouldn't inconvenient him by leaving his belongings here
06:40They didn't hesitate by the time
06:41They didn't hesitate by the time Sale heard what was happening and came to the courtyard in a fury
06:44I was already asleep
06:46My guards, my father's people, loyal to me, blocked the door
06:49Vesper
06:51He said my name like a threat
06:53Open this door
06:55I didn't respond
06:56He transformed into a snake and slithered into the chamber
06:59Suddenly, I felt something cold wrapping itself around my body
07:08Do you know how the last person who provoked me like that ended up?
07:14If you want to kill me, it won't be tonight
07:16My lord, you still need the border garrison
07:19The night was long
07:20The next morning, the Queen Mother's attendant arrived before dawn
07:23She forced me to attend her morning ritual
07:26I dressed without hurrying
07:27The moment I stepped into the Queen Mother's chamber, I saw a pot boiling on the stove
07:31Hold that pot
07:33I looked at the Queen Mother and the boiling pot in a past life
07:36I noticed that every time Cecilia came home, her hands were covered in blisters
07:40So that's how it was
07:41Do you really want me to hold it?
07:43You will learn your place here
07:45I waited until she had finished dressing
07:47Until she was standing in her finest robes
07:50Silver-threaded ancient
07:51Then, I calmly walked over
07:54And dipped my arm into the boiling water
07:57With a blood-curdling scream
07:59Blisters instantly broke out all over the Queen Mother's arm
08:02Her shriek brought Seal through the door in under a minute
08:05He stood in the doorway and looked at his mother
08:07Shocked, furious
08:08Extensive burns on one arm
08:10And then at me, standing beside her with a provocative expression
08:15Throw her out
08:17Void the contract
08:19She's a devil
08:21We can't
08:23We need the garrison
08:25Worthless, Liss
08:26The Queen Mother slammed her goblet into Kale's chest
08:29And shrieked that he was good for nothing
08:31That he didn't even have the spine to cast me out of the fortress
08:34She was right
08:35He didn't
08:36Call the Serpent King had pledged his sword to the Great King of the Ironman
08:40The most powerful orc warlord on the step
08:42He needs grain routes
08:44City gates left unbarred
08:45And human nobles
08:46My family controlled the Eastern Pass
08:48His advisor would have made certain he understood that before the betrothal seal was pressed
08:53In my past life, he had broken my sister Cecilia slowly
08:56And deliberately because he had only learned after the vows were spoken that she carried no political weight
09:01This time, he knew exactly what he was acquiring
09:04I had made sure of it
09:05I left the Queen Mother to her collapse
09:07And walked out alongside Kale into the cold corridor beyond her chambers
09:11Three days later came the customary return to my family's estate
09:14Kale had not intended to come
09:16He had been keeping his nights at a private house in the lower city
09:19Where he kept his first love
09:21Waiting for the right season to bring her through the fortress gates
09:24And to install her as a favored consort
09:26In the past life, he had not returned to Cecilia at all
09:29She went alone
09:30Her mother called her useless for being unable to manage her own husband
09:33Cecilia had stood with her eyes downcast and received every word in silence
09:37No one had known what she endured inside these walls
09:40I found Kale before he could vanish
09:42And had him escorted firmly into the carriage
09:44He tried his best to control Fury
09:47Vesper, have I shown you too much patience?
09:50If Serpent King fails to appear at my family's state, the insult falls on them
09:54That is not my concern
09:55I have obligations today
09:57It is his fox lover Lucia's name day, naturally
10:01Then stay, and I'll make sure to have that fox's daughter killed before evening bells
10:05You wouldn't
10:07I held his gaze until he understood I was not performing
10:09Lady Lucia, the daughter of the condemned fox moor
10:13Did you imagine you could quietly bury her origins and bring her through the gates as a consort?
10:18If I had her killed, your people will love me
10:21Cell went very still
10:22He had not known I had gone that deep
10:24A condemned lineage was not something he could afford to have surfaced
10:27Not what the great king of the Iron Ma claim
10:30Still fragile
10:31The temperature in the carriage dropped
10:32Sit quietly, ride with me, and Lucia lives another day
10:38If you get out of this carriage
10:41She's dead
10:42I raised my hand and drew one finger slowly across my own neck
10:47Kale looked like he wanted to put his hands around mine
10:50Viper, you absolute viper
10:53He came unwillingly
10:55When we arrived, my sister Cecilia was already there with her husband, Lucian, the Lion Arbiter
11:00She had brought half a cartload of gifts
11:02Pressed remedies and silk from the eastern provinces
11:05My mother received them with polite indifference
11:07How thoughtful
11:09And handed everything to the steward without looking
11:11Cecilia's expression did not change
11:13She had long since learned to carry disappointment without showing it
11:17But Lucian noticed
11:18He reached over and covered her hand with his
11:20Tenderly
11:21Sister
11:21Cecilia saw me and smiled
11:23She inspected me carefully
11:25And then exhaled when she found me safe and sound
11:27Have they treated you bad?
11:29Before I could answer, Kale stepped forward
11:33Who would dare?
11:34She's turned the entire fortress upside down
11:37She threatened to kill me before we'd been married
11:40He was still furious about it
11:42Cecilia blinked at him
11:43In the past life he had not come here
11:45His presence surprised her and scared her
11:47She flinched
11:48Lucian noticed her fear
11:49Come, let's walk the garden
11:51They left together
11:52Kale watched her go
11:53Something shifted in his expression
11:55Your sister
11:57Is gentle
11:59Composed
12:00Gracious
12:00He turned to look at me
12:01You and she share the same blood
12:03How is it possible you are so entirely unlike her?
12:06I should have taken her instead of you
12:08I turned to face him
12:10In the past life he had taken Cecilia
12:12And he had unmade her
12:13Piece by piece
12:14Season by season
12:15Until there was nothing left that resembled the girl
12:18Who had once circled me in the courtyard
12:19Checking for bruises
12:20Even his stablemen could land a hand on her
12:23He had used her as a blood vessel
12:24To sustain that Lucia's life
12:26Regrets?
12:27Say her name once more
12:28And I'll have Luis's tongue cut out
12:31I misspoke
12:32Don't touch her
12:33Then go
12:33I need to speak with my mother
12:35I left him there
12:36And went inside
12:39We returned to the fortress by late afternoon
12:41Kale still had somewhere to be tonight
12:43He went to Lady Lucia's place
12:45Lucia rose when he entered
12:47Her eyes filling at once
12:48My lord
12:49I feared you had forgotten me
12:51I was detained
12:52The viper forced my hand
12:55Of course
12:56I knew it was she
12:58She threw herself into Kale's arms
13:02Good girl
13:04Kale's hand slipped beneath Lucia's clothes
13:06And the two became entwined
13:08After the tenderness subsided
13:10Lucia held onto Kale
13:11Her eyes and cheeks still flushed with the afterglow of passion
13:14Our son is old enough to find a tutor
13:17Could I not bring him to the palace
13:19Pack your things
13:21In two days I will send for you
13:23You are coming to the palace
13:24Lucia lowered her eyes and smiled
13:26Thank you my lord
13:27And behind the smile
13:29Behind the downcast lashes
13:30Emerged the calculating slyness
13:32When we returned to the fortress
13:34A child came at me and shouted
13:37You!
13:38It's because of you my mother can't come home
13:40I'll kill you!
13:42A woman came scrambling after him
13:43I'll kill you!
13:43Snatching at his collar
13:44Her face white with terror
13:46It was Lucia
13:48She hauled him back and turned to leave
13:50The boy still thrashing in her arms
13:52Still screaming
13:53Wait!
13:54She stopped then
13:55Slowly she sank to her knees
13:57With the child still clutched against her chest
13:59My lady
14:00He is only small
14:01Children say foolish things
14:03Please
14:04He means nothing by it
14:06What do you call him?
14:09The young lord
14:10My handmaid quickly stepped forward
14:12And struck Lucia across the face
14:14The boy erupted
14:15Witch!
14:16You hit my mother!
14:18I'll have my father kill you!
14:20I'll have you all killed!
14:22In the past life
14:22This same child had put serpents in Cecilia's bedchamber
14:25Serpents in her shoes
14:27He had tormented her until she fell ill with fright
14:29And lay shaking for days
14:31This life I would teach him differently
14:32I looked at him for a moment
14:34Then I crossed the distance between us and slapped him
14:37I had not particularly wanted to
14:39But he had raised his hand to me first in my own house
14:42And there are rules about that
14:45How dare you touch my son?
14:47He's the future lord!
14:49Lucia shrieked in fury
14:50My handmaid struck her again
14:51You are confused
14:52The lady has no children yet
14:54There is no young lord
14:56Everyone calls him
14:58Even the queen mother has never objected
15:00Everyone
15:01Has been imprecise
15:02A young lord is born of a lady and a king
15:05You are neither legitimate nor formally acknowledged
15:07You are a bastard
15:08I looked down at the boy who had gone very still
15:11And since you are the king's blood
15:12However informally
15:14You will come and live in my wing
15:16Lucia suddenly lunged at me like a madwoman
15:19If you dare lay a finger upon my son
15:21I'll kill you!
15:23In the struggle Lucia suddenly took advantage of my distraction
15:26To snatch the dagger I was using for self-defense
15:28Then gritted her teeth and plunged it into her right shoulder
15:31Causing blood to gush out
15:34Kale arrived with a drawn sword
15:36He crossed the courtyard
15:38Sword leveled
15:39The markings along his jaw pulled taut with fury
15:41Lucia with eyes already wet
15:43When she saw Shale coming
15:44She threw herself into his arms with all her might
15:47Kale's eyes were filled with pity
15:49And then he looked up and shot me an angry glance
15:53Vesper
15:53You touched Luia and my son
15:56Your son charged at me in my own hall
15:58And threatened to kill my servants
16:00I disciplined him
16:01That is my right
16:03Apologize to my son
16:04I almost laughed
16:05Or I will end you for this
16:07Your bastard has no acknowledged title
16:09No formal standing
16:10And no right to that courtyard without my lead
16:12He is here only because I permit it
16:14While this bitch
16:15She deserves to die
16:17In the past life
16:18This Lucia framed my sister in the same way
16:20She deliberately bled herself
16:22But when she stabbed herself
16:24She avoided the vital areas
16:25Although the wound looked scary
16:27It was only a superficial injury
16:28But Kale cut Cecilia open
16:30And drained her blood for Lucia
16:33Kale, please
16:35She is the lady of the house
16:37You cannot
16:38But I could tell she wasn't using much force
16:40He shook her off easily and kept walking
16:43I stood where I was
16:44Lucia
16:45Do you really want me to die?
16:48Lucia lowered her head
16:49Pretending not to dare to see what would happen next
16:51But her eyes betrayed an uncontrollable triumphant smile
16:54The sword stayed raised for another moment
16:57The tip of the sword was just an inch away from me
17:00Seizing the moment
17:01I grabbed the blade and thrust it straight into my chest
17:04Right into my heart
17:05A blood curdling scream rang off the walls
17:08Not mine, but Lucia's
17:10Blood gushed from Lucia's chest like a fountain
17:13Kale faced
17:14She pressed her hand against the wound
17:16Only to find the blood flowing faster and faster
17:18This can't be
17:20Lucia!
17:21Mother!
17:22Kale and the boy rushed over to Lucia at the same time
17:25Fetch the royal position!
17:28Kale shouted
17:28Extremely furious
17:29He looked at me as if his eyes were about to shoot fire
17:33Guards!
17:34Cut this woman into pieces!
17:36The serpent guards
17:38After witnessing all this
17:39None of them dared to touch me
17:41Idris was executed
17:43In your hands
17:45The look on his face suddenly changed into disbelief and fear
17:49So it was you all along
17:52You planned this from the very beginning
17:54Looks like you're not all that dumb after all
17:58But why?
18:00Why are you doing this to me?
18:03We had no history of conflict before we met!
18:06He cried out in despair
18:09No conflict?
18:11You seem to have no recollection of how you mistreated my sister
18:15That really is a bit unfair
18:18Here's the deal
18:18If you want to save this woman
18:20Come with me to the spring hunt organized by Lucian the lion aboutger
18:24He had no reason to object
18:27Lucian organized a spring hunting expedition
18:29A riding party into the hills beyond the city
18:32Ostensibly for the season
18:34Practically for the politics
18:35The guest list reads like a map of every alliance and rivalry in the capital
18:40The moment Cecilia and I appeared the whispers started
18:43Isn't that the serpent king's mate?
18:45The one who was wed to his pet spider
18:47She still shows her face
18:48Remarkable
18:49He doesn't even treat her as a person
18:53I'd have drowned myself
18:55That last one came from Lady Marin from Snake Clan
18:58Old enemy of mine
18:59And I know she had a crush on Kale for years
19:02She was standing with a cluster of other ladies near the tree line
19:05Not bothering to lower her voice
19:07She had never needed a reason to look at me with contempt
19:10And today she considered herself well supplied
19:13Cecilia's eyes went red
19:14My sister has done nothing wrong
19:17The fault lies with the serpent king
19:19Not with her
19:22I squeezed her hand
19:23Don't
19:24In the past life
19:25They had said these things to Cecilia
19:27I only learned later
19:28Cecilia walking alone through the snow
19:30While they called after her
19:32No one standing beside her
19:33No one speaking
19:34I crossed the grass toward Lady Marin
19:36She didn't step back
19:38She thought I wouldn't dare
19:39Out here
19:40In front of everyone
19:41I slapped her
19:42The crowd went quiet
19:43Somewhere in the trees
19:44A bird startled and fled
19:48You...
19:48You struck me
19:50Do you know who my father is?
19:52I know exactly who your father is
19:54And when a king's mate is present
19:56You bow
19:57You don't perform for your friends at her expense
20:00Your father failed to teach you that
20:01Consider this a correction
20:03You think you're untouchable?
20:05My cousin is serpent king's favorite
20:07She will discipline you
20:08And your father
20:09And your brothers
20:10She had been rattled into saying something she couldn't take back
20:13You mean Luezza
20:16What's so funny?
20:18I called for my maid
20:19And she came in carrying a tray
20:22Lady Marin took one look at the tray
20:25And nearly three
20:27Lady Marin left
20:28Quickly and without her friends
20:30The tray held a fox's paw
20:31Still adorned with a signet ring
20:33It was Lucia's
20:34This is exactly morbid of you Vesper
20:36A gentle but calm voice rang at my ear
20:39I looked over my shoulder
20:40And saw a handsome man wearing dark green riding gear
20:43Roland
20:44The prince of the serpent clan
20:45Kale's nephew
20:46I stood there for a moment
20:48Genuinely caught off guard
20:49In another life
20:50When the serpent king's coup collapsed
20:52And my father was swept up in the wreckage
20:55It had been Roland who stepped forward
20:56He had argued my father's case
20:58Before the great king of Iron Ma
21:00He had taken 30 lashes for it
21:02And 30 lashes had nearly killed him
21:04I had never thanked him
21:05I hadn't known
21:07Roland, thank you
21:09I only said you're Morid
21:11What are you thanking me for?
21:12He turned to go
21:13I caught his sleeve
21:16You ran
21:18When I told you I wanted to mate you
21:21You actually ran
21:25My lady, I would strongly advise against pursuing this particular
21:28I licked his hand
21:32He went completely still
21:33Then he pulled his hand back
21:35And stared at me the way a man stares
21:37At something that has justified his understanding of how the world works
21:41You
21:43We are outside
21:44There are people
21:45You cannot simply
21:46There are horses the horses can see
21:48I know
21:50He stared at me for another moment
21:52Color climbing steadily up the back of his neck
21:54And then turned and walked away with tremendous dignity
21:57And absolutely no idea where he was going
22:00Kale and I never completed the binding rites
22:03Nor did we ever sleep together
22:05By any strict reading of the law
22:07We are not truly wed
22:09Roland's face had gone the color of fresh linen
22:11Whatever is between you and the serpent king
22:14Has nothing to do with me
22:15You should not
22:15You must not
22:16This is entirely
22:16He stopped
22:17Seemed to decide that finishing the sentence was too dangerous
22:20Then he turned and walked away very quickly
22:23Roland!
22:24I called after him
22:25He kept walking
22:26If you're willing
22:27Once I've dissolved the arrangement with Kale
22:29I'd mate you
22:31He walked faster
22:33He was almost at the treeline
22:34I was fairly certain he was considering breaking into a run
22:37And had only his dignity to lose
22:39Coward I thought
22:40With great affection
22:41Absolute coward
22:42You viper
22:43Kale appeared from my left
22:45Materializing out of the expedition crowd
22:47Setting his teeth on edge
22:50I'm not dead yet
22:52You'd like to dissolve our arrangement and mate Roland
22:56Over my living body
22:57He had come after all
22:59Some belated instinct about appearances most likely
23:02And he had arrived at exactly the wrong moment
23:04I'm considering my options
23:07I'm considering
23:10He said very quietly
23:13Finding a convenient moment to have you removed
23:17Are you?
23:18Yes
23:19I looked at him
23:22That would be
23:25A miscalculation
23:27He stared at me
23:28His jaw worked
23:29He knew I was right
23:30He couldn't touch me without consequences
23:32He wasn't prepared to face
23:34He couldn't risk to lose my father's support
23:36And Lucia's fate lies in my hands
23:39You asked me to come here with you
23:40Was it just so I could watch you cheat on me?
23:44Not exactly
23:47Cecilia
23:48Come here
23:49I saw my younger sister standing not far away
23:52But I didn't dare to approach us
23:53She feared Kale deep to bone
23:55She approached cautiously
23:56Holding the sacred artifact of the lion clan
23:59A deer antler
24:00In her hands
24:01It was no ordinary antler
24:02I picked up the antler
24:03And stabbed the serpent king with its sharpest point
24:06You want to kill me?
24:08That would be too easy for you
24:10The antler is a relic of the lion clan's prophet
24:12When it come into contact with blood
24:14They reveal the truths of past lives
24:16You should repent for everything you did to my sister
24:19Kale
24:19Remember this
24:20It's a fight to the death between us
24:22And of course you're the one who's going to die
24:24But I won't let you die easily
24:26Kale left
24:27Ladder
24:27Someone told me he had spent the ride home
24:30In uncharacteristic silence
24:31I was told he kept reaching up
24:33To touch the back of his neck
24:34As though feeling a draft from somewhere he couldn't locate
24:37Good
24:38I thought
24:38He should start getting used to that feeling
24:41The son of Lucea
24:43That bastard
24:44Was brought into my courtyard
24:45Screaming threats
24:46That he would have me expelled
24:48That his father would come
24:49That I would regret it
24:50I let him exhaust himself
24:52Then I crouched to his level
24:54And closed my hand around his throat
24:55Not crushing
24:56Just present
24:57His screaming stopped
24:59Listen to me carefully
25:00You are not what you think you are
25:01You have no title
25:02No protection that I cannot remove
25:04I could end you and call it a household matter
25:06And no one with any authority would tell me I was wrong
25:09He stared at me
25:10His lip was trembling
25:11Your mother if she ever enters these walls will have no standing to raise you
25:14That right belongs to me
25:16Which means that by every law in this kingdom
25:17I am the closest thing to a mother you have in this house
25:19You are not my mother
25:20No
25:21I am not
25:24But I am the woman you will address accordingly
25:26Or you will kneel in that courtyard
25:28Until you change your mind
25:30He was not stupid
25:31He could feel my grip
25:32He went limp
25:33I released him
25:34Of course I wouldn't really kill him
25:36He's just a kid
25:37I just wanted to make his mother submit
25:39I kept my promise
25:40And spared Lucia's life
25:42But she wasn't satisfied
25:43She still wanted to be the consort of Kale
25:47Lucia curtsy it did
25:48Holding her hand over the wound on her chest
25:50Which still ached faintly
25:52I sipped my wine
25:53In the past life
25:54Cecilia had been here
25:56Which meant Lucia had Kale to lean on
25:58This life
25:59With me occupying this position
26:01Kale didn't dare move against me openly
26:03Which meant Lucia had no lever to pull
26:06Except me
26:07So here she was
26:08Please
26:09I am asking for a way forward
26:11We are both women
26:12You know what it is to have no ground beneath you
26:16If I am not brought into the fortress properly
26:20I have nowhere to go
26:21She let her voice break on the last word
26:24She was playing the sympathy card with both hands
26:27I had no sympathy for Lucia
26:29She had watched Cecilia being bled on a schedule
26:32And called it none of her business
26:34She had benefited from every drop
26:36She can find no soft feeling in me
26:38You may stay
26:40She exhaled
26:43As a chambermaid
26:44The exhale stopped
26:46My lady
26:48A condemned lord's daughter
26:50Does not become a favored concord
26:52You have no name
26:53No title
26:55And no standing
26:56I am obgraged to recognize
26:58I bore him a son
26:59The softness had thinned at the edges now
27:02That counts for something
27:03It counts for the boy's existence
27:05It does not count for yours
27:07You produced an illegitimate child
27:09Outside of any formal arrangement
27:11And called it a service
27:12In most households
27:14That gets you killed
27:15She stood there
27:16Not quite able to speak
27:18In truth
27:19I didn't particularly care what she was called
27:22What I cared about was Cecilia
27:24And the years Lucia had spent comfortable
27:26While Cecilia bled
27:29Let her kneel for a while
27:30Let her learn the texture of the floor
27:33I understand
27:34She bowed her head and went down
27:36The weeks that followed had a rhythm
27:38Lucia came to attend me every morning
27:41Dutiful and precise
27:42And every evening went to Kale
27:44To describe in soft detail
27:46How difficult I had made her day
27:47Kale
27:48Caught between two immovable objects
27:51Eventually lost patience
27:52And snapped at her
27:55She is the lady
27:57Serving her is not beneath you
27:59I was told Lucia did not speak to him
28:02For three days after that
28:04Meanwhile I worked through
28:06The fortress household piece by piece
28:08Repositioning those who could be turned
28:10Removing those who couldn't
28:12Watching the architecture of loyalty shift
28:15Beneath my hands
28:16And I watched Kale
28:17He was planning something
28:19The signs were there
28:20Meetings that ended when I entered rooms
28:22Correspondence sealed with unfamiliar marks
28:25Certain lords appearing in the fortress
28:27With no announced purpose
28:29A coup in preparation
28:31Moves like weather
28:32You feel it before you can name it
28:35I needed evidence
28:36Which meant staying close to Kale
28:39Close enough to search
28:40Close enough to be seen
28:42And there was Roland as my ally
28:45Kale had been summoned to the great king
28:48Roland had seen us arrive together
28:50Side by side like a happy couple
28:52While Kale was inside with the great king
28:55Roland materialized at my elbow
28:57With the particular expression
28:59Of a man assembling a complaint
29:01Since when have you and the serpent king
29:03Become so
29:07Companionally
29:09Since it suited me
29:12There's nothing
29:13He has his uses
29:14Don't stay too close to him
29:16Go back to your family's estate for a while
29:18Say you're unwell
29:19A few weeks
29:20He wasn't asking
29:21Roland
29:22He was warning
29:22He knew about the coup
29:24If I dissolved my arrangement with Kale
29:26Formally
29:27Legally me
29:28Would you mate me
29:29He went still
29:30You have been mated
29:32The binding rites were never completed at the altar
29:34Technically
29:34Vespa
29:35Is it because I've been another man's mate
29:37He turned to look at me
29:38Eyes darkened
29:39That is not the reason
29:42I have never cared about such things
29:44If someone devilish like me
29:46Could be worth the effort of becoming better
29:48It would only ever be for someone like him
29:51Then I'll wait for you to come for me
29:54And I walked away before he could answer
29:56Kale was waiting when I returned
29:58Who were you with?
29:59Roland?
30:00Something moved across his face
30:01When I have what I owe
30:03When the throne is settled
30:05He'll be the first one I remove
30:08Then I'll look forward to that day
30:09He stared at me
30:10I went inside
30:11A fortnight later
30:13Kale and his allies moved on the palace
30:15They were surrounded before they reached the inner gates
30:18I had given Roland everything
30:21The documents
30:22The correspondence
30:23The names
30:24The dates
30:25Roland had gone to the crow prince
30:27The crow prince had gone to my father
30:30My father had arrived at the palace first
30:33And waited in the dark
30:34With 15,000 men at his back
30:37The coup lasted approximately one hour
30:41Kale's household was seized three days later
30:43He looked at me across the courtyard of the fortress he no longer owned
30:47And his expression dimmed like a smoldering candle
30:50You gave the evidence all to Roland
30:52You were going to destroy my family
30:54I wasn't going to let that happen twice
31:00The fortress was stripped
31:01The household condemned
31:03Those who had served the coup
31:05Were dealt with according to the law
31:07Lucia ran
31:08Lucia ran
31:09She took the boy
31:10And tried for the eastern road
31:12They were caught before nightfall
31:14She had miscalculated
31:16As people often do
31:18When they have spent too long
31:19Believing themselves protected
31:21She had spent years cultivating Kale as her shelter
31:24In the end
31:26He could not shelter even himself
31:29The great king received me personally
31:31My father had defended the palace
31:34I had provided the intelligence
31:36That made the defense possible
31:37By every accounting
31:39I had been on the right side of this from the beginning
31:41By the following week
31:43I was the talk of the capital again
31:45Though the nature of the talk had shifted
31:47Less mockery now
31:48More of the uneasy fascination
31:51I'm sorry
31:53This should have been me
31:54If I had been the one
31:55You wouldn't have had to
31:56You have nothing to apologize for
31:58You and Lucia are well
31:59That's enough
32:04A fortnight passed
32:06Roland did not come
32:07I sat with that for several days
32:09Perhaps I had been, after all
32:11Something he admired from a distance
32:13And preferred to keep there
32:15Mother
32:16I'm going south
32:17The carriage was ready at dawn
32:19I had one foot on the step
32:20When I heard hoofbeats
32:22Fast, deliberate
32:23Coming from the direction of the city
32:25It was Roland
32:25He pulled up in front of the carriage
32:27And looked down at me from the saddle
32:30You
32:30Do you always treat people like pieces on a board?
32:33You didn't come
32:34I waited
32:35A fortnight
32:36You waited a fortnight
32:38And then decided I wasn't coming
32:39It seemed like a reasonable conclusion
32:41I had to send for my parents
32:43There are protocols
32:43Formal arrangements
32:45A betrothal requires preparation
32:47The morning was very quiet around us
32:49Vester
32:50I have been waiting for you for ten years
32:55You were fifteen the first time I saw your father's winter reception
32:58You hit three eagles with a single arrow
33:03And I thought there's a person I would very much like to mate
33:06You never said anything
33:07You were promised elsewhere
33:10Then you were wed
33:11You were in the middle of dismantling a coup
33:12And I was trying to keep the kingdom from catching fire
33:15I am saying something now
33:16I looked back at him for a long moment
33:18Your parents
33:19How long before they arrive?
33:21A week
33:22Perhaps ten days
33:23Then you have ten days
33:25To prepare something worth waiting for
33:27Roland looked at me
33:28The corner of his mouth moved
33:30I've had ten years of practice
33:34Had you?
33:36You should know I'm a voodoo doll
33:38So
33:40The heat you're feeling right now
33:42I'm feeling it too
33:44I barely felt myself grow lighter
33:46Before he wordlessly swept me up into the carriage
33:49His warm lips met mine
33:50We should have had the wedding first
33:52But since you want it this way
33:55I stared into his deep eyes
33:57And kissed him harder
33:58The road should have been empty
34:01Roland's carriage was steady
34:03The horses pulling slow in the thin light
34:06The valley smelled of cold iron and mud
34:08A shout cut our moment of tenderness
34:11Men erupted from the hedgerow
34:14Arrows bit
34:14One wheel shattered
34:16A hidden crossbow spit
34:18And the carriage lurched
34:19Throwing Roland against the cushions
34:21Men fell
34:22We closed like a net
34:24My bear captain Tarek
34:25Gave orders in short orc's breaths
34:28Shield up
34:29Hold the left
34:30Save the driver
34:31I moved with them
34:32Every step measured
34:33A man who had taken an arrow furled
34:35His pupils dilating
34:37Foaming at the mouth
34:38He died in three breaths
34:39The smell of the toxin was sharp
34:41Metallic
34:42They had used poison on the bolts
34:44I stooped beside the fallen man
34:47Lifted his eyelids
34:48Who does this?
34:49I saw the black fleck at the corner
34:51And I knew it
34:52Serpent clan's poison
34:54Kale
34:56He is still alive
34:57Kale's household was condemned
34:59But he made it to escape
35:01I suddenly remembered the frail figure in Kale's dress on the guillotine
35:05It was Lucia
35:06Lucia's existence remained unknown
35:08She was his best substitute for death
35:11Two riders broke from the attackers
35:13Trying to run
35:14We captured one
35:16He was young
35:16Hair clotted with blood
35:18Eyes too bright with fear
35:19I leaned close
35:21Who sent you?
35:23He spat out a curse
35:25You wudzu bitch!
35:26I stepped back
35:27Letting the other men move
35:29I tapped the arrowhead that had struck him earlier
35:32Took its shaft into my hand
35:34And held it like a question
35:35It was Kale, wasn't it?
35:38He laughed, sudden and brittle
35:39You think killing the serpent will stop it?
35:43We, his most loyal supportants
35:45Will swear to avenge him to the death
35:48I felt the room of the road tilt
35:49Anger, old memory
35:51I took out a dagger and slit my skin
35:53One cut after another
35:54Blood flowed from his chest and arms
35:57But he gritted his teeth and didn't utter a sound
35:59A tough nut to cut
36:01I slowly raised the dagger to my throat
36:03If I can make you suffer, I can make your master suffer too
36:08Where is he?
36:09Speak before I run out of my patience
36:11The captive's laugh died
36:13He swallowed
36:14He's in the green tavern by the gold smiller
36:16I sneered
36:18Satisfied
36:18I tricked him
36:20My magic only works while the enemy is within my line of sight
36:24But regardless, I got the information I wanted
36:28I looked at Roland sitting in the broken carriage
36:30His hand bleeding where a splinter had pressed
36:33He met my eyes
36:34The questions in his face were not about strategy
36:37But me
36:38You're going to see him yourself?
36:42You're welcome to go with me
36:43Later, as we rode back
36:45I sent a runner to the lower watch
36:47The tavern was filthy and loud
36:49Kale was easy to find
36:50He was injured during his escape
36:52A scar ran through his lip
36:55He scoffed when they dragged him out
36:57The moment he saw me again
36:59His eyes brightened for a second
37:00And then quickly went dark
37:02He turned his face away
37:03The scar slipping into shadow
37:05Seeing me again
37:06Seeing me again
37:06You must hate me terribly
37:07It's because of me that you're in this miserable state now
37:13If you want to kill me, I can't blame you
37:15He turned his head even further
37:17I forced his face back toward me
37:19And looked him straight in the eyes
37:20His eyes held unwillingness, anger
37:23And a faint, barely noticeable attachment
37:25My breath stalled over a moment
37:28You should hate me
37:29I won't let you die that easily
37:31I ordered, looking at him
37:33Find him
37:34From now on, you won't leave my sight
37:36We had time
37:37I wanted the names, the routes
37:39The small details that made a conspiracy a machine
37:42I shut my hand around Kale's wrist
37:44And let the old reflex do its work
37:46I did not think of mercy
37:48I thought of force
37:50Kale's breath hitched
37:51His face contorted
37:53As if someone had struck him in the chest
37:55He keeled and went rigid
37:56Not dead, not yet
37:58That night, when I sat alone with the maps
38:00Roland beside me
38:01His hand found mine
38:03You saw him?
38:04I heard you didn't let him leave your side even for a second
38:07He's just a prisoner
38:08Don't worry
38:09I never had any feelings for him
38:11But he does for you
38:13Eyes don't lie
38:15Perfect
38:15Then we can make good use of that
38:20You
38:21Vesper
38:22He yanked me into his arms
38:24And bit down hard on my lip
38:25Candlelight flickered red
38:27The long night stretched on
38:29Dawn came earlier than I expected
38:31The banquet hall had been a long room of banners and polished wood
38:35Elders sat on low benches
38:36My father's men went through the motions of courtesy
38:39The engagement trial required witnesses
38:42Camel merchants
38:43Deer captains
38:44A cluster of neighboring beast lords
38:47The cups were heavy
38:48The stew rich
38:49I watched faces as the wine was passed
38:52Politics moved by small gestures
38:54I kept my eyes on hands
38:56Cale's presence at the edge of the room felt like a held cord
38:59He did not sit
39:00He stood under the shadow of a pillar
39:04Halfway through the night
39:05An attendant shouted
39:06A goblet trembled
39:07And a canary female who had taken a draft fell
39:10Her skin went gray
39:11Feathers scattered
39:12Another clutched her hood
39:14Chaos opened like a wound
39:16Poison!
39:17Someone fell
39:19Tarik moved before anyone else could
39:21He was across the hall in two strides
39:24Slamming a cloth over the nearest cup
39:26The serpent poison moved fast
39:28Different from the field toxin
39:29This cuts nerves and sends them into spasm
39:32A wave of old cold touched my spine
39:34This was not random
39:35This was precise
39:36Poured at service
39:37The cup the canary woman touched
39:39I clearly remember it had been set out for Roland
39:42It was swapped at the last minute
39:44Because he doesn't drink wine
39:45Someone was trying to kill Roland
39:47I saw Cale move like a shadow
39:49He was clearly the prime suspect
39:51He did not look at me
39:52Then he drew close enough
39:54So the air warmed with his breath
39:56Not me
39:57I didn't do it
39:58I've run out of serpent venom
40:00I don't believe it
40:01Prove it to me
40:03His face instantly turned bright red
40:05The serpent's poison is stored in the belly
40:07To test for it
40:08He'd have to strip in public
40:10For a proud man like him
40:11That kind of humiliation would be worse than death
40:16Roland stepped forward
40:18You're a woman
40:19It's indeed not proper for you to inspect a man
40:21I'll do it
40:22Roland walked up to the pillar where Cale stood
40:25He didn't hesitate
40:26Cale stiffened
40:27He looked at Roland
40:28Then at me
40:29His jaw tightened
40:30You would strip me in front of them
40:32If you want to be cleared
40:34Do it
40:34Or refuse and look guilty
40:36Cale laughed once
40:38Hollow
40:38He undid his outer cloak
40:40And lifted his shirt slowly
40:41The hall watched him
40:42He exposed his belly without flinching
40:44The belt marks and old scars showed
40:46Roland and two guards inspected him
40:48There was no sign of a venom sack
40:50Or recent injections
40:51Cale turned his face away
40:53And red came to his neck
40:54He pulled his shirt down
40:55And buttoned it
40:56With hands that did not tremble Roland
40:58So?
41:00Clearing you
41:01I said
41:02Loud enough for the room
41:04The cup was swapped
41:05Someone knew the seating
41:07And Roland's habit
41:08This was planned
41:10A murmur ran through the hall
41:12Cale's gaze met mine just once
41:14There was something like accusation in it
41:16And something else
41:17Relief that the indignity had been born
41:20We took the cups and servants aside
41:23Tarek and two men
41:24Searched the steward's pantry
41:26A small scrap of cloth
41:27Damp with wine
41:28Lay hidden under a tray
41:30This was used to wipe a cup
41:31The steward
41:33Pale and shaking
41:34Denied it
41:35We kept him in the hall until night
41:36I sat with him later
41:37Who told you to switch the cups?
41:40I...
41:40I was paid
41:41A silver coin under a tray
41:44A woman
41:44She wore fox fur
41:46Fox fur?
41:47She said she served Lady Marin
41:49She gave me coin
41:50And told me which goblet to swap
41:53Who saw you?
41:54The steward whispered names
41:56Of two serving girls
41:57And a runner
41:58We had a lead
41:59It was small but it moved
42:00Cale watched from the doorway
42:02He did not speak
42:03I could feel him in the room
42:05Like a shadow
42:08We rounded the serving girls up
42:09Marta, the runner
42:10Broke when Tarek
42:11Brought her to the lockup
42:13I swapped the cup
42:14I didn't know who it was for
42:15I thought it was for the old lady
42:17Who gave you the order?
42:18Who paid you?
42:19Marta's eyes were wet
42:21A woman with a fox pen
42:22She handed me a silver
42:23And told me to serve this to you
42:25But it somehow went
42:26To the canary duchess
42:28Roland's mouth tightened
42:29He remembered Lady Marin's
42:31Fly smile from the hunt
42:33I went to Lady Marin's pavilion
42:34She sat with two women
42:36And tasted wine
42:37As if nothing had happened
42:38Did you give an order
42:39To a runner tonight?
42:40I gave no order
42:42Why would I?
42:43Because someone wanted
42:44Roland dead
42:45And thought to blame Cale
42:46Her eyes flicked
42:48You accuse me?
42:49Ridiculous
42:50I barely know your fiancé
42:52The argument ended with no proof
42:54Marta had small coins
42:56With a fox stamp
42:57Hidden in her hair
42:58The stamp matched
42:59A merchant family
43:00Known to trade with Lady Marin
43:01It was circumstantial
43:03But enough to raise the alarm
43:06I called a private meeting
43:08With Roland and Cale that night
43:10The three of us stood in the courtyard
43:11Under a single lamp
43:12What's he doing here?
43:14There was serpent venom in your cup
43:16Cale is more familiar with it
43:18Vipers tricks
43:20If she did this
43:21She wants to split us
43:22We won't let it happen
43:23If Lady Marin arranged it
43:25She serves someone higher
43:26They want unrest
43:27Then find out who hires
43:28Lady Marin's merchants
43:29Follow the money
43:30Cale hesitated
43:31Then nodded
43:32I will look
43:33Do not trust him without proof
43:34I won't
43:35But if you are working
43:37Against Gensstmore blood
43:38Show me the proof you find
43:39Do it in my sight
43:40He did not like it
43:42But he agreed
43:43He went away with a small bruise
44:13Of regret on his face
44:14Harker
44:15Harker was a minor lord
44:17With large debts
44:18And an old grudge
44:19Against Roland's family
44:20For control of a river crossing
44:22He had motive
44:25We moved fast
44:27When they took Harker
44:28He wore an expression
44:29Of anger and surprise
44:31You cannot touch me
44:32You have no cause
44:34You bought death
44:35You bought a swapped cup
44:36To cut a life
44:37Why?
44:38Because Vessar and Roland
44:38Together means too much power
44:40On one side
44:41I wanted the council
44:42To balance
44:42I did not mean to kill
44:43Only to scare
44:44The man who made the poison
44:46Added more
44:46He named a name
44:47I had heard before
44:48A healer in the city
44:50Who sold poisons
44:51And secret methods
44:52The healer had dealt
44:54With Cale's former camps
44:55Years ago
45:00They brought her out
45:01Of a low tent
45:01That smelled of vinegar
45:02And drying herbs
45:04She was small and bent
45:05A thin woman
45:06With a face like old paper
45:08You sold the formula
45:09And tried to poison
45:10Lady Vessel and Sir Roland
45:11She laughed once
45:12Small and bitter
45:13I did it
45:14I won't deny
45:16Why sell it all?
45:18Why help people
45:19Who would kill?
45:20Because I was afraid
45:21Afraid of what
45:22She would become
45:23She pointed a finger
45:24At me
45:24Her voice snagged
45:26On the last syllable
45:27Tarek's hand
45:28Moved to the rope
45:29At his belt
45:29Cale watched
45:30From the doorway
45:31His face said nothing
45:32But his fingers
45:33Flexed once
45:34Tell me exactly
45:35What you meant
45:36I was the midwife
45:37Who helped your mother labor
45:39You were a child
45:40Who did not breathe
45:41Your mother begged me
45:42To do something
45:43Anything
45:43I made a choice
45:45That I thought
45:45Would save you
45:46Save me?
45:48You made me
45:48Into what I am
45:50You were not born whole
45:52I put life
45:53Back on a thread
45:54I made a binding
45:55So the soul
45:56Could find its body
45:57If the body
45:57Was taken or broken
45:58I used a pin
46:00I used a charm
46:01It was desperate
46:03Your mother
46:04Wanted you to live
46:05Roland's hand
46:05Tightened on my arm
46:07You call that saving?
46:08At first
46:08Yes
46:09It returned you
46:10When you died
46:10Short returns
46:12Easy ones
46:13I thought it was a mercy
46:14Then you began
46:15To come back
46:16With memories
46:16Each time
46:17Your power
46:18Woke stronger
46:19Each time
46:20You walked
46:21More dangerous
46:22Her eyes
46:23Flicked to Kale
46:24And then away
46:24I watched you
46:25Grow a thing
46:26That could twist
46:27Fates
46:27And send it
46:27Back through time
46:28I felt it
46:29In the air
46:29After deaths
46:30You did not
46:30Stay gone
46:31I heard you
46:32Move in the world
46:32When you were
46:33Not meant to
46:33It made men
46:34Hungry to use you
46:35And terrified
46:35To lose you
46:38Kale flinched
46:39As if struck
46:41So you tried to murder
46:42In a hall full of witnesses
46:45The murderer was caught
46:46And we went back
46:47To the palace
46:48The courtyard was colder
46:49Than I expected
46:50Moonlight lay flat
46:51Across flagstones
46:52And the rose beds
46:54I stood with my back
46:56To the wall
46:56And watched the moon
46:57Till the memory of my birth
46:58And the black pin
47:00Crawled under my skin again
47:01The past kept knocking
47:02The present felt brittle
47:04In my hands
47:05A rustle in the roses
47:06Broke the quiet
47:07Someone moved
47:08Among the bushes
47:09Deliberate
47:10Careful
47:10I stepped forward
47:11Without thinking
47:12And found him
47:13Half crouched
47:14One hand
47:14In a tangle of thorns
47:16The other
47:16Holding a single rose
47:17Kale looked up at me
47:19As if he'd been caught
47:20Doing something petty
47:21For a second
47:22The moonlight softened him
47:23In a way it never did
47:24In daylight
47:26You shouldn't be here
47:28He straightened slowly
47:29Neither should you
47:30His tone was low
47:31Almost amused
47:32I closed the distance
47:33In two long steps
47:34And seized his arm
47:35He didn't resist
47:36He looked surprised
47:37At my boldness
47:38And then something like
47:39Pleasure passed
47:40Through his expression
47:41An old habit
47:42Of being the one
47:43Who provoked
47:44Before I could speak
47:45He covered my mouth
47:46With his hand
47:47His palm was warm
47:48His fingers firm
47:49The motion was possessive
47:51In the old way
47:51The way men
47:52Who think in ownership
47:53Move
47:54Shh
47:54Don't shout
48:24His nearness was a provocation
48:25At a map he remembered
48:26From long ago
48:27I remember you
48:28Not in one life
48:29In every life
48:31I saw pieces
48:32Glimpses
48:34Sometimes I think
48:35Those pieces line up
48:36And make the same person again
48:38I felt something cold
48:39Move through me
48:40Pity
48:40Or old fear
48:42You remember me
48:43And bit the question
48:44Into two
48:45He searched my face
48:46Yes
48:47I remember
48:48I remember more than I should
48:50In every life
48:52I have lost you
48:53I won't let you go this life
48:56The rose was heavy at my hair
48:57The scent was sharp
48:58For a moment
48:59The courtyard narrowed
49:00To two people
49:00And one small bloom
49:03I don't want your memory
49:04I pushed the rose down
49:05And the thorn pricked my palm
49:07I dropped it at my feet
49:08And slammed my heel down on it
49:10Until the petals gave
49:11With a wet
49:12Petulant sound
49:13You should know
49:15I will not forgive you
49:16You hurt Cecilia
49:18In the last life
49:19You tore her apart
49:20Now you circle
49:21Lou Eraser
49:21Like you did before
49:22And you bloody the same ground
49:23I am done pretending
49:24I don't know
49:25What your hands can do
49:26His face changed
49:28When I said Cecilia's name
49:29There was an instant of pain
49:31That did not look like pretense
49:32You cannot put the past
49:34All on me
49:35It was
49:35Enough
49:36Do not make excuses
49:37You had choices
49:39You used them
49:40He took a step forward
49:42As if to close the space
49:43Between reproach
49:44And understanding
49:44I did wrong
49:47Not all of it was my will
49:49Not all of it was my fault
49:51But I
49:53Save your reasons
49:54They are cheap coin
49:56After the damage
49:59And Roland
49:59He looked past me
50:02You are promised to him
50:04Yes
50:04I am promised
50:05I chose a life
50:07That protects more people
50:08Than our quarrel
50:09Will ever do
50:09He watched me
50:10Like a man
50:11Counting losses
50:12You choose him
50:14I do
50:15Don't speak of love
50:16To me
50:17As if your being sorry
50:18Will remake the blood
50:19You spilled
50:19The moon caught his profile
50:21And made his face
50:22Look very old
50:23Forgiveness is not
50:24What I wanted to ask
50:25His hand found the rose
50:27Crushed under my boot
50:28And closed over its stem
50:30I wanted you to know
50:32I remember enough
50:33To keep me awake
50:34I looked at him
50:35He was telling the truth
50:36The unmistakable melancholy
50:38Then remember this
50:39I remember what you did too
50:41Remember that the next time
50:43You think of stepping across a line
50:44That ends in someone else's ruin
50:47Roland's steps came quick
50:48On the flagstones
50:49He had circled the courtyard
50:51And stopped when he saw us
50:52The two of us faced each other
50:54By the crushed rose
50:55His face went closed
50:57Then raw
50:58Vester
50:58He did not call like a friend
51:00The name came out like a claim
51:02He pushed between us
51:04Without waiting for permission
51:05And took my hand
51:06His fingers hard and hot around mine
51:09What is he doing here?
51:11Kale did not move back
51:12He kept his hands loose at his sides
51:14But his eyes found Roland
51:16And folded inward
51:17Like a blade being softened
51:19You promised me some privacy
51:21Privacy?
51:23Not with some other strange man
51:24Stood alone face to face
51:26I felt Roland's grip tighten
51:27He pulled me a fraction closer
51:29As if proximity could be a barricade
51:32Roland
51:32He came to speak
51:35Speak?
51:36Or plot?
51:38Kale's face changed then
51:39He let out a laugh
51:40You always make me into what I am not
51:44Do you think I did not lose more than I gained?
51:47Roland's hand left mine and went to the pommel at his hip
51:50The motion was a warning
51:51He did not draw
51:52But the air altered
51:55I watched Kale's eyes
51:56They were the same green grey I had stared into once before
52:00In a life that felt both distant and sharp
52:03I was a child then
52:04And a small snake had slithered from under a stone in the courtyard
52:08It had been hurt
52:09One side of its face torn
52:11I had cupped it in my palms and held it while it stilled
52:14And when it looked up
52:16The light caught its eyes
52:17And they were exactly like Kale's now
52:19Slow
52:20Wet
52:20Aware in a way that was neither animal nor human
52:23I had fed it milk
52:24And wrapped it in linen until the wound closed
52:27Its gaze had stayed on me the way this man's did now
52:31Like a debt unpaid
52:32The memory slid through me
52:34And softened something I had bolted shut
52:36But it did not make me to forgive him
52:38It complicated the shape of my anger
52:42You're looking at him like you remember him
52:44You're not supposed to be looking at him
52:47I never wanted you to be torn
52:49Roland laughed
52:49But it had no joy
52:51You have torn people since you learned to keep a blade
52:53I pushed back on Roland's hand and stepped between them
52:56Stop
52:57We are not settling this with blades in the moonlight
53:00Roland would not let go at once
53:02He kept a grip on me as if my being there proved something
53:06Vesper, tell him to leave
53:09Kale looked at me as if asking permission
53:11Not with words, but with the whole tilt of his head
53:14For a second his sorrow was a question
53:16Would I send him away or let him stay and make some further claim?
53:20I thought of the snake, of its patient eyes, of the smell of milk and linen
53:24I thought of Cecilia and all the reasons I had closed my hand against him before
53:29I thought of Roland's steady warmth and the life we were building that was not scraped from violence
53:34I choose Roland
53:36Kale's face did not harden into anger, but grief
53:39He bowed his head very slightly
53:40The rose still crushed under our feet
53:42And stepped back into the shadowed bushes as silently as he had come
53:46I hesitated a beat
53:47The moon sharp on the stones
53:49Kale had already stepped into shadow when I called him back
53:52Wait
53:52He paused
53:53One hand still in the rose bush
53:55When he turned his face
53:56This was a study in calm
53:59I'll make you an offer
54:00You can stay here, in my house
54:02But if you want to stand in my courtyard and plant flowers at my feet
54:05You will do it as my slave
54:06You will serve me to repay what you've done
54:10You will answer to my will
54:13Publicly
54:14You will undo what your name has set loose
54:17And you will submit to my terms
54:19A single invisible line had been drawn
54:21The three of us held our breaths
54:23Kale's eyes widened
54:24For a moment he looked almost stunned
54:26As if the words had landed on him like a physical blow
54:29Then something moved through him
54:31Surprise
54:31Then a very small, almost childlike joy
54:34You mean
54:35You mean you would have me stay
54:38And bow?
54:39Yes
54:40You will be seen
54:42You will confess your deeds
54:43You will work under my command
54:45You will atone publicly every sunrise for a season
54:48If you refuse
54:50You leave and never return
54:52And if I accept
54:55You will do as I say
54:56No tricks
54:58No secrecy
55:00You will be watched
55:01You will answer me
55:03Kale's breath came out like steam
55:05To refuse is to choose the road you have walked
55:09If service keeps me near you
55:11If kneeling at your feet is the price for seeing you breathe in the same air
55:17Then I will take it
55:18It sounded like relief
55:19I will be yours
55:20And something else
55:21Relief laced with hunger
55:23Roland's face changed the way thunder changes a sky
55:26He moved in between us with an impatient raw force
55:30Without hesitation
55:31In front of Kale and the moon
55:33And the crushed rose at our feet
55:36He seized me and kissed me
55:37Hard and claiming
55:38Right where we had stood arguing
55:40The kiss was sudden, fierce
55:43Roland's hands were heavy at my waist
55:45His mouth left no doubt
55:46It was a mark and a warning
55:48The courtyard held its breath
55:50Even the wind broke
55:52Kale flinched as if struck
55:54His expression folded
55:56Shock, a flash of pain
55:57He watched the kiss
55:59As if it were a blade cutting the air between us
56:02There was pain in his green-gray eyes that made my own stomach twist
56:06Roland broke away after a long measure and kept his forehead near mine
56:10Breathing hot
56:11You said he could stay?
56:14Yes
56:16Under my rules
56:17He will answer to me
56:19He looked at Kale with an animal
56:20Narrow-eyed protectiveness
56:22You will be watched
56:24You will not touch what is mine
56:26Kale's response was slow
56:28He drew himself up
56:30Straightened his shoulders despite the smallness in him
56:33And inclined his head like a soldier accepting an order
56:37I will serve
56:39Guards
56:40Prepare the papers
56:41He will swear in the hall at first light
56:44He will live in the western wing under watch
56:46Anyone who hides him
56:48Will answer to me
56:51I will keep my oath
56:53Then keep your oath
56:55We stood there under the moon
56:56Three figures tied into a new arrangement
56:58The rose under my boot had gone limp in the cold
57:01Above us, the sky showed a thinning band of stars
57:04And everything felt suddenly precise
57:07Bu kg saw a light
57:09Tell him that he saw a full shot
57:11authorities
57:11Hezilla
57:11It's good to see that all had gone limp
57:13And the rain
57:13You have been that
Commentaires