“Let go of the dagger and I will let go of you,” Francis’ voice was as calm as the morning breeze. He leaned closer to whisperinto my ear, though the silence of the house turned his whisper into a shout. “Come now, Princess, it won’t be a great look if we wake the whole village up with the sounds of you brutally murdering this man.” His eyes landed on Gabriel. “Besides, we might need a fresh meal before tomorrow, in case you do wish him dead, nevertheless.”
“Thank you, Francis.” Gabriel rolled his eyes before taking a deep breath. “I thought we were friends.”
“Drop the dagger for me, love,” Francis’ voice softened, his breath tickling my ear.
Time passed as the four pairs of eyes watched me: Gabriel’s with remorse, Simon’s and Roxanne’s with confusion, Francis’ with... admiration.
I groaned, my eyes closing tight as my fingers loosen their grip around the hilt of my weapon.
The dagger fell onto the wooden floors of Gabriel’s house, a dull clang echoed through the silence as Francis kicked the dagger away from my reach, towards Roxanne standing by his side.
She picked up the dagger, sheathing it to an empty scabbard at her belt.
I had two more daggers on my person, though no one seemed to remember that.
“Let go of me,” I seethed, pushing against Francis' hand. “That was the deal.”
“All right.” Francis nodded, loosening his grip slightly. “You have calmed down,” he said, though it sounded more like a question.
I drew a deep breath in reply, yet I was far from calm. My heart still banged against my rib, threatening to escape for good; my blood poisoned with rage. “Yes,” my voice turned hoarse from shouting.
“All right, then.” Francis’ hands loosened around my body, reluctantly letting go of me; yet he still stood beside me: our shoulders touching.
My gaze dug into Gabriel’s guilty eyes, daring him to speak. He stayed silent, looking at me as though seeing for the first time.
“I am listening for your pathetic excuses.” My jaw clenched.
“I had no other choice, Lia—” he started.
“It’s Cordelia to you,” I seethed through my jaw, my glare burning holes into his flesh.
“Since when?” A choked laugh escaped him.
“Since the moment you disappeared.” I walked towards him, forcing him against the wall once again.
“Your mother would have killed me were I to stay, you must realize.” Gabriel’s voice turned soft—the soft that used to be my salvation and my only peace.
“You could have written to me!” My palm met his cheek again, adding onto the injury. “You could have let me know you were alive.” Another slap. My skin cried out in pain, yet my heart was satisfied. “You left me all alone after he died!”Slap.“You left me like—” I choked. “Like I didn’t mean anything.”
“Remind me to never get on her bad side,” Roxanne mumbled by the door.
“Brian would never forgive you,” I spat out before turning around, storming towards the door. “I’m not staying here.” I slammed the door behind me.
The snow caught my steps as I charged towards Annabelle. The door creaked open as expected; Francis walked out of the house, his long steps shortening our distance. “Princess—”
Gabriel stormed out after him, barefoot. “Don’t be ridiculous, Li—Cordelia.” He rushed after us. “Listen, I’m sorry I haven’t written to you, all right? I meant to, but then I heard of the engagement and thought you’d moved on.”
My fingers reached for Annabelle’s reins as Francis' hands fell atop them. “We have nowhere else to go, love. The sun is soon to rise,” he whispered, his soft eyes finding mine.
“I couldn’t write to you,” Gabriel pleaded when he reached us. “I needed your mother to believe I was dead, or else she’d have ended what she’d started. I barely escaped, Lia.” He wouldn’t give up, glancing between me and Francis. “She tortured me when she found out about us,” Gabriel’s voice dropped to a whisper.
The early spring’s frost reached my heart; my voice dropped a few octaves, “And whose fault was that?” I willed my gaze to meet his, despite the nausea that brought back the painful memories. “You bragged to the whole Kingdom,” I scoffed.
Francis’ brows furrowed as he glanced at Gabriel.
“A few guards saw me leaving your room once,” Gabriel eyed Francis by my side before continuing, “I had no choice but to confess.”
“Spare me your foolish stories.” I dropped the reins, facing him. “You knew exactly what you were doing. You hoped Mother would marry me off to you, in the hope of containing the rumor thatyouspread.” My hands turned to fists by my side; my abused skin still wailed. “You used my status, and when it was useless you ran.”
