Harmonia Calendar 715, Thal 24 - Ashspire Estate, Elandor
Late Evening - Cell
The cell was small, with damp stone closing in on every side.
A single lightstone flickered weakly in the corridor, its glow barely enough to create shadows.
I sat on the bench, hands pressed to my knees, head bowed.
Then her voice reached me.
"Adonis."
Faint.
But it reached me.
Theodora.
Her voice cut through the stone and iron like a blade.
It hurt to hear her cry, yet it steadied me to know that she was there.
Step.
The echo faded, replaced by footsteps.
Step.
Slow.
Step.
Measured.
Step.
Each step drew closer until they stopped before my cell.
I pushed myself up from the bench, my eyes lifting toward him.
The Marquis stood there in the dull glow, broad-shouldered, stern-faced.
His eyes met mine without a trace of warmth.
Silence stretched, heavy as the air itself.
At last, I forced the words out.
"You know I didn't do this."
His reply came flat, unshaken.
"I know."
The word struck.
My fists clenched, voice hoarse.
"Then why?"
He didn't flinch.
He just stood there, red eyes fixed on me, tone flat.
"To save the family. I had to make a decision."
Anger rose in my chest as I stepped closer, the chains at my wrists clinking.
My hands curled around the iron bars.
"Why me? I tried to be useful…I even awakened?"
His gaze stayed, his tone showed no hesitation.
"I chose you. That's it."
For a moment, the silence rang louder than shouting.
Then his voice came again, colder than before.
"I will see your life spared. That is the last mercy I can give you."
I swallowed hard, breath shaking.
My eyes burned, but I kept my voice steady.
"I will tell the truth. I will make them believe me. Your plan will fall."
The Marquis's face didn't change.
He neither denied nor acknowledged. He just turned, cloak
shifting with the movement, and then he was gone.
I stood there for a moment before sinking back onto the bench.
It felt colder now, as though the stone itself had turned against me.
***
Late Evening - Corridor
The corridor stretched long, lightstones burning dim along the walls.
My steps echoed as I waited near the stairs.
It didn't take long until she appeared, moving up slowly.
Her face was pale, lips pressed tight, her eyes heavy as if she had aged years in a single evening.
I blocked her way.
My voice came before she reached me.
"He will blame him."
Her steps faltered.
I let the words stand, then pressed on, the tremor still in my voice.
"If you let this happen, I am gone. I will take Master's offer."
Her hand lifted at once, trembling as it reached for me.
She whispered.
"Lucien…Please."
Step.
I stepped back, just beyond her reach.
Her fingers hung in the air.
I locked my eyes with hers, my voice sharper than I meant.
The words flowed, and I let it all out.
"I can't. It's enough. I'm done with this family with this house. If strength is all that matters here, then I'll go and find some. And when I return…I won't bow ever again."
Her hand lowered slowly, falling limp at her side.
She spoke, voice shaking.
"I tried...Again and again. But he doesn't listen. I am nothing but a tool in this house, Lucien."
Her hand pressed to her mouth, as if to hold the sob that rose, but it broke free anyway.
Tears flowed as she whispered.
"Please, Lucien. Don't leave me..."
I stood frozen, this was the first time.
The first time I made mother cry.
My heart ached, but I forced myself to look straight into her eyes.
I took a deep breath to steady myself.
My voice trembled.
"If he goes through with this...I'm gone."
The words echoed between us, heavier than any vow.
I turned before I could falter, her soft sobs following me down the corridor.
Night - Lord's Chamber
I closed the door with my back pressed against it, the latch clicking into place.
Click.
Anton sat at the edge of the bed, boots still on, hands resting on his knees.
I breathed to calm myself and took a step forward.
My hands clenched at my sides, voice shaking as I spoke.
"How could you…"
The words rose sharper, until I could not stop them.
"I thought it was a ledger, a tax, something small! But you…you blamed a child with assault!?"
His gaze lifted to me, cold.
One word left his mouth, sharp like steel.
"Rowena."
My chest tightened, but I pushed further against his warning.
"No."
My voice cracked, but I found strength in it.
I stepped closer, my voice rising.
"You speak of saving a family...what family is left? Lucien will leave. Theodora will break. And I…I
will not forgive you. You will be lord of an empty house."
His jaw tightened, but his tone stayed flat.
"I keep the house. The rest will follow."
My hands trembled.
I hated that he could sit there calmly, while I broke apart.
"The rest will not follow. We will leave you behind."
I heard my own uneven breathing fill the silence.
'No answer...Of course, he wouldn't. He never did.'
I forced one more plea, softer than the anger that came before.
"Spare his life...at least. If there is anything human left in you."
Anton's eyes narrowed, but his calm stayed.
I hated how he could speak such words in a flat tone.
"He will survive."
The words were delivered like an already decided verdict.
Hope settled in my heart next to all the anger and frustration.
I couldn't bear the sight of him any longer.
My body turned on its own, hand finding the knob.
Thud.
The door slammed behind me, and I stood in the corridor, hands shaking.
***
Night - Tribunal Clerk's Office
The chamber was cramped, lined with shelves of ledgers stacked in uneven rows.
Ink stains decorated the table, a scatter of stamps and quills piled at the edges.
The clerk bent over his work, pausing only to blot the ink before moving on, hands steady with
years of routine.
A knock carried through the silence.
"Enter."
The door creaked open.
A servant stepped inside, his cloak damp from the night air.
Without a word, he crossed the room and placed a sealed note on the desk.
The Ashspire crest glowed red in the dim light.
The clerk's eyes glanced to it, then to the servant.
His fingers brushed the wax seal, but he didn't break it.
He waited.
The servant's voice came firm.
"Afternoon docket. Witnesses are ready. The Baron requests swiftness. So do we."
He drew a small purse from his belt and set it beside the parchment.
The clerk didn't bother to count.
He reached for the stamp, pressed it into ink, and brought it down on the parchment.
Thud.
The sound echoed in the quiet room.
The clerk leaned back, voice flat.
"Afternoon. Bring him early."
The servant gave a small nod, then slipped back out, leaving the lamp's dim glow and the scratch
of the clerk's pen behind.
***
Late at Night - Cell
The runes on the shackles pulsed faintly, casting a pale glow around me.
I sat on the bench, leaning back until my head touched the cold walls.
The chill calmed me.
My lips moved, whispering into the darkness.
"They will believe me. I will tell the truth. I am innocent."
The words vanished into the darkness, so I forced them again.
"I am innocent."
Again.
And again.
Like a prayer.
A crack ran through the ceiling above.
Water dripped down, steady as a clock.
Drip.
I closed my eyes, listening to the count.
Drip.
Drip.
Sleep came at last.