Blood and Lilies - Part VIII

Almost two hours had slipped by, or so the steady ticking of the old grandfather clock in the reception hall suggested. At last, Alice and I left the dining room. She carried a bowl of warm porridge, while I balanced a cup of herbal tea for our ailing sister. Step by step, I followed beside her, determined to see for myself how Karen was faring.

We reached the corridor leading to her room, and I opened the door for Alice, expecting to find Karen resting in bed.

"..."

But the bed was empty.

“Oh… looks like Karen isn’t here yet.”

A chill swept over me. Crows cawed outside the balcony again and again, their cries echoing like omens. Clouds thickened above. A sharp throb pulsed in my left eye.

This was definitely not good.

"..."

“...Alice!” Panic surged into my voice. “Does Karen usually take this long to bathe?”

"No… sometimes we linger, but never this long. Not alone at least.”

This was bad.
Definitely bad.

I didn’t waste another second. Grabbing Alice’s hand, I pulled her into a desperate run down the hall. In our haste, the porridge bowl and teacup slipped from our grasp, shattering into shards across the floor, their contents spilling messily over the tiles.

“What’s wrong, Elias!? Where are you taking me!?”

“Not now, Alice!” I snapped. I hadn’t meant to shout, but the look on my face silenced her. She followed in fearful silence.

At last, we reached the bathhouse door. My chest was tight. I dared not enter myself, so I turned to Alice. “Alice. Check on her... please.”

Alice read the urgency in my expression. She nodded, then slipped inside. Before disappearing fully, she raised a finger at me, signalling 'Don’t come in just yet'.

"!"

“AHHHHHHHHHHHH!”

Alice’s scream tore through the hall. Without hesitation, I slammed the door open.

A pool of blood spread across the floor, flowing from behind a bathing curtain. A shadow slumped within. Alice had fallen to the ground, trembling, pointing at the silhouette.

“E-Elias!” she gasped.

I ripped the curtain aside.

"..."

And there she was.

Karen.

Pale. Lifeless. Drained of all vigour.

Her wrist was slit open, blood still dripping from the wound. In her other hand, a knife.

“Karen!!” My voice broke as I rushed to her side.

Alice crawled forward, pulling Karen’s limp body into her arms. “No, no! Karen, wake up! Wake up! Elias, call for help! Karen!!”

I pressed my thumb to her other wrist, praying for even the faintest beat.

Nothing.

Her pulse was gone.

I looked at Alice, my face pale, shaking my head. “...She's…she’s gone.”

“No… no… NOOOOOOO!” Alice’s scream echoed, drawing the maids. Some collapsed in shock, others shrieked. A butler barked orders in panic, “Quickly! Call the Duke! Get the doctor, bandages, anything!”

But it was far too late.

Karen was long gone.

"..."

I sank to my knees, heart pounding with fury and grief. Why hadn’t I acted sooner? Why hadn’t I challenged the unease I felt the moment I saw her this morning?

And then it struck me.

Her symptoms, nausea, fatigue, weakness…
This wasn't just any illness.
That was...

Pregnancy.

"..."

But...how?

I grabbed Alice by the shoulders, desperate. “Alice! Think carefully, are you absolutely sure you and Karen never met that pig bastard during your stay?”

“What are you saying, Elias!? Karen is dying here!”

“She’s already dead,” I said flatly.

Alice’s eyes blazed. “How dare you! Don’t say that, there’s still a chance!”

“Just answer me! Are you sure!?”

“I’ve told you already, Elias! We were always together, why are you—”

“Then, what about at nighttime?” I pressed, my voice trembling.

Alice froze. “At night…? What do you mean—”

“Yes.” My voice broke, sorrow choking me. “At night, it’s possible she wasn’t with you.”

Alice’s lips quivered. “You don’t mean—”

“Yes. He defiled her.”

Her face drained of colour. “But… how…?”

“Think. You said Karen had been sick for a week, didn't you? Nausea. Fatigue. It's clearly a classic sign of pregnancy!”

Alice’s eyes widened in horror, her soul seeming to slip from her body.

“No… no, that can’t be… I thought it worked. I told him to his face… he backed down then… how is it possible!?”

"..."

I searched the room desperately, praying Karen had left something, anything. Then I spotted a corner of paper sticking from her blood-stained dress pocket. Hands trembling, I pulled it free and unfolded it.

The words blurred from the blood, but I forced them out loud so Alice could hear.

By the time you read this, I’m probably gone already, haha.

I wanted to spend more time with you.
To laugh, to cry, and to grow older together.
But I can’t. Not like this.

He broke me. That pig. That monster.
Our mother had told him everything.
She betrayed us.
At night, he came to me, threatened me.
But I wanted to protect you, Alice.
No matter what.
So, I endured.
Night after night. Until I couldn’t anymore.

Now I carry his child.
I cannot think of bringing such filth into this world.

I feel filthy.
Worthless.
Wrong.

I’m sorry for being weak. For leaving you.

Alice. Elias. I love you.
Please forgive me.

— Karen

Tears stained the page. She must have wept while writing it. Poor Karen… enduring such torment in silence. Used, broken, abandoned, all while protecting the very people she loved.

"..."

My fists clenched. Rage boiled inside me. That pig bastard… and her, that wench who betrayed her own daughter.

I wanted to kill them... kill them so bad!

But instead, I could only kneel there, trembling, as the letter slipped from my hands. My vision blurred red with grief.

“Why, Karen… why didn’t you tell me?” Alice wailed, shaking as her tears poured. “You didn’t have to suffer alone, you idiot! You idiot!”

The doctor finally arrived, but his silence said everything. No miracle could save her.

Father arrived soon after. For once, the great Duke was reduced to nothing more than a broken man. He collapsed onto the floor, crawling toward Karen’s lifeless body. His voice cracked, raw and unguarded.

“Karen… no… my Karen. My daughter… my Karen!!”

"..."

Moans and cries spread everywhere. The atmosphere had shifted from calm to chaos in a matter of minutes. I walked out slowly as many collapsed on the floor, weeping. I could not remain idle. My next move had to begin.

As expected, there was no sight of the wench. Only her son, Timothy, knelt near the doorway, sobbing for his sister. Annoying as he was, at least he possessed human emotion, unlike his mother.

"..."

I searched for my angel.
My angel of death.

Tessa.

I was ready to die in her hands again, ready to suffer once more, desperate to change the hands of destiny. As I wandered the corridor, hollow-eyed, I spotted her. Tessa stood frozen in panic at the sight of her colleagues huddled outside the bathroom.

“Tessa!” I barked, gesturing sharply for her to follow.

“M-Master… are you alright?”

I gave no answer. She obeyed regardless, trailing behind me until we reached a remote space far from prying eyes. 

It was time to put the mask back on again.

"..."

“Tessa…” My voice was coarse, cracked.

“Y-yes, Master?”

“Guess what?” I tilted my head, eyes uneven, smile stretched too wide. “I killed Karen.”

“Wh-what do you mean, Master?” She stepped back, her voice trembling.

“Oh, Tessa, don’t be like that.” I waved dismissively, grinning madly. “You should’ve seen her face, the agony when her own brother killed her. Hahaha! Can you imagine it?” I slicked my hair back, raising one hand in mock triumph.

Her eyes widened. She staggered another step away, fear etched into her every movement.

It was time for the final act.

"..."

“And guess who’s next?” I leaned forward with a twisted grin. “That’s right—Cla—”

Before I could finish, steel flashed. From beneath her skirt, Tessa drew a hidden knife and drove it into my mouth.

I’m sorry, Tessa. For using you this way.
But you were my only hope. My only way out.

Blood poured, but instead of silence, I laughed.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

The sound tore through me as life drained away, and consciousness slipped once more.

I wondered how many more deaths would follow.