Stone Cold

Chapter 32

Read and guess which part made the author all sentimental.

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Her index finger kept hitting the glass surface with rhythmic movements as her eyes stared out of the transparent window, looking over the huge property. The dull glow coming from a lone lamp bathed one half of her face in an orange hue, whilst the other half that faced the window was casted in a dark shadow, indicating the arrival of a fast approaching night.

Propped on a wooden chair with her legs curled beneath her, she appeared every bit as lifeless as she felt in that moment.

'He hasn't returned today, either.'

She could feel a lump forming in her throat as the painful thought crossed her mind.

It had been days since he had left the town, days since that omnious incident happend, days since she had had a good rest. Albeit alone physically, numerous thoughts always accompanied her wherever she went, following her like an unshakable shadow, haunting her even in her sleep.

What if she had just stayed with Ares instead of going to look for Henry? What if she had run away instead of staying there to confront the woman? What if she hadn't sought Ares in this world? What if she had just refused to go along with Ruth's request?

The 'What ifs' were killing her, and the most irritable thing out of all the mess was the missing piece of her memory.

She clearly remembered getting injured at the hands of the woman, but everything after that was a big dark blank. Henry had told her that she had fainted due to blood loss when they had arrived and in order to save her from the woman, Ares had to kill the maid.

She curled her fingers into a clenched fist, almost digging her nails into the soft skin of her palm. No matter how much she tried to believe the story Henry had been feeding her for days, she just couldn't bring herself to believe it. It did not settle well.

A man who had let the killers of his beloved go only because he didn't wish to ruin their families—a just ruler, how could he possibly kill one of his citizens?

'Ares...'

She hadn't seen Ares after their wedding night. The news of a citizen dying at the foreign lord's manor had travelled like wildfire, causing Ares to leave for the capital the immediate morning. He was to answer the King's court. Although the King favoured him, but she couldn't shake the fact that Ares was despised by all the other court officals, further complicating his situation. 

Heaving out a displeased sigh, she turned her head to glance at the letter resting on the table before her.

It was an invitation from the Abbot of the church to the lady of the manor. He had offered his help in the ongoing matter in return for a meeting.

Gabriel was the head of an ecclesiastical court. Churches held great influence over political matters in this era. She knew he could help them a great deal, but Henricus had asked her to ignore the invitation for now and wait for any news from Ares' side.

'What do I do?!'

A wave of helplessness washed over her hunched frame as she passed a frustrated hand through her tangled hair.

A sudden knock at the door caused her alarmed frame to sit upright. Her hand left her messy hair, letting them fall down her back in a heap of unruly locks.

"May I enter, Milady?"

Henry's urgent voice reached through the closed doors, alerting her further.