Tyrant's Obsession With The Heiress-Chapter 38: Tread Carefully For Retaliation Requires Careful Thought

Chapter 38 - Tread Carefully For Retaliation Requires Careful Thought

Lady Drosera stood up abruptly, pacing about the room with a hand to her forehead.

"And do you truly believe now is the time to uphold our virtues and traditions, Rina?" She asked sharply, pivoting on her heels. "Moonveil will crumble even further if we do not gather our wits and drive away these demons back into the hellhole they crawled out of!"

Such bitterness.

It was nearly unthinkable to listen to her dear old friend speak with such venom.

Lady Drosera had always been a sweet lady, not knowing the vulgarity that ruffians spoke with, yet that was not the case anymore.

"Hush yourself, my darling," Lady Karina responded calmly, realising she needed to be careful and patient with her old friend for Lady seemed rather determined to retaliate against the Van Merikh army.

Furious, Lady Drosera plopped back down on the soft cushion she was seated on before.

"If we unleash our beasts to drive away Van Merikh and his men, what then?" Lady Karina said rhetorically, resuming her task of knitting. "We would draw more attention to ourselves and soon the world will come bearing down on our backs in a power struggle for these beasts. Is that what you desire?"

Lady Drosera knew her friend was sensible and her words were undeniably true.

All would come to discover that Moonveil's myths were no longer myths.

"It is not my place to speak, my lady," Kairie interjected with a respectful bow of her head. "I do believe Lady Karina is right. More warlords would hear of the beasts and it would be an easy feat to overpower us with numbers alone."

Lady Drosera massaged out the crease lines forming on her forehead, exhaling a deep breath.

"Then what are we to do, Rina? Is this to be our fate?"

"Nay, my darling." Lady Karina shook her head with smile. "Trust in me. Do what I have asked and we will find our way back to the reins of Moonveil again. Our circumstances are critical and require careful thought, so we must not rush into reckless decisions."

Lady Drosera was somewhat sceptical.

She knew very well how unreasonably optimistic her dear friend could be at times.

And she did not wish to argue with Lady Karina anymore than she did.

Her cold bitterness was getting the better of her with each passing day.

She decided she would no longer speak on the matter.

"May I rely on you to carry out this task, Rose?" Lady Karina questioned, her eyes fixed on the shawl she was knitting. "I must be certain that you are prepared."

Lady Drosera inhaled a deep breath this time, nodding.

"Aye, sweetheart, I have heard your instructions and will follow through with them," she consented, forcing on a lacklustre smile.

Lady Karina nodded gratefully and shifted her gaze to Kairie.

"Kairie, may I entrust you with the task of eavesdropping when Van Merikh's knights discuss the arrangements of who will accompany me and who will remain behind?"

"Aye, my lady."

"Be careful. If you are afraid, do not force yourself. I will speak with Van Merikh." Lady Karina offered an alternative, fearing for Kairie's well-being.

"Moonveil is my home, my lady. Lord Gerald and you have treated me as family and I am ready to serve in any way I can," Kairie affirmed, placing a hand over her heart sincerely.

"Then it is settled," Lady Karina agreed. "Once we know who it is that will remain behind and their usual patrol coordinations, we will work out a plan from there onwards."

The ladies laid the conversation to rest thereafter.

The hours passed as the ladies alternated between their tasks; Lady Karina took victory in two out of three games of chess against Lady Drosera.

Kairie sat on the rocking chair near the hearth where Lady Karina was before, finishing the seams on a gown for her mistress that she had been working on for some time.

The fabric was purchased in Bronwyn during autumn—a rich golden wool with ancient symbols woven into the hemline.

It had arrived all the way from the country of Irishala and Kairie was busy sewing ermine fur into the hem of the belled sleeves and around the scooped neckline.

And eventually, Lady Drosera grew weary of her losses in chess and took her turn at sewing her piece, which was a complicated one depicting hummingbirds and heather.

Lady Karina might have enjoyed sewing but she wasn't entirely talented in it. It was the needlework that usually kept her engrossed and busy, not so much the result of it.

Instead, she was quite talented with the violin. The instrument lay against the wall in its case and she pulled it out, running it, before she began to play.

The sound was both pleasant and haunting in a way.

And by noon the following day, Lady Karina had grown exceedingly restless.

She and the rest of the ladies had not eaten a single meal since the previous night, when Kairie had managed to slip to the kitchens and return with little food.

Orpheus made it quite clear they were not to leave their chambers, and the man had little consideration for their well-being.

Lady Karina had entertained far enough of Orpheus' ridiculousness. She decided she would procure food for them herself, but the ladies were opposed to that idea.

"Van Merikh ordered you to remain in your chambers," Lady Drosera said pointedly. "It was a miracle of the almighty that Kairie was able to go to the kitchens unnoticed. There is no understanding of what the man will do when you are caught; he is a vicious murderer after all."

"He will not do anything," Lady Karina stated with confidence. She stood in front of her long polished bronze mirror, leaning against the wall for support as she slipped her shoes on. "Only a madman would expect us to remain isolated up here without food."

"And he is indeed a madman, Rina. He warned you that there were ruthless knights roaming about," Lady Drosera insisted. "Those monstrous demons who arrived yesterday have not yet left and what do you think will happen when one of them discovers you?"

Lady Karina glanced over at her friend.

"Nought will happen," she said, giving the panicking lady a wink. "You worry far too much."

Lady Karina, while being naive for most of her life, was not entirely oblivious.

Orpheus desired her as a wife, and as obnoxious as that sounded, it could be used to her advantage.

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But a strange glimmer had come to Lady Drosera's eyes.

"I would advise you to take a blade with you, Rina," she suggested, her lips pressed into a thin line. "The almighty would be forgiving if you were compelled to wield it against those demons."