Ch 8.5

Aisha stood alone in one of the quiet rooms, unmoving.

Her expression was solemn, lips pressed thin, worry etched deep into her eyes.

On the bed before her lay a beastwoman wrapped in layers of bandages. Feathers littered the floor like fallen snow—soft, broken remnants torn away to expose pale wing-bones beneath. The girl slept fitfully, fingers clutching the bedsheets as if even unconsciousness couldn’t fully dull the pain.

“I’m sorry, Meriath,” Aisha whispered.

The harpy didn’t stir. She couldn’t hear her.

Meriath had taken the brunt of the Spineblossom blast—spreading her wings without hesitation to shield her sisters. The needles had driven deep, lodging beneath feathers and flesh alike. To remove them, the healers had been forced to pluck her wings bare, feather by feather, just to reach the embedded spines.

It had been a brutal process. One that cost her pride, her beauty, and weeks—if not months—of recovery.

Aisha clenched her fists.

If I had restrained him sooner…
If I hadn’t misjudged him…

This is my fault.

The door creaked open.

“So you were here!”

Gina’s voice rang out—too loud.

Aisha snapped her head around, eyes blazing. “Hush,” she hissed. “Lower your voice.”

Gina froze, realisation dawning. She glanced at the sleeping harpy, then stepped inside more carefully, closing the door behind her.

“Right… sorry,” she muttered. Then her tone shifted, urgency replacing irritation. “But there’s a problem. You need to come. Now.”

Aisha felt her stomach tighten.
“… What's the matter?”

Haria moved quickly through the corridor, silk sleeves gathered in her hands. Mesphine followed close behind, her pace brisk, senses already flaring. The smell hit first—spices, burnt and acrid, biting as they lingered thick in the air.

Then she saw him.

A naked body lay sprawled across the floor, unconscious, skin flushed an ugly red. Powder clung to his face, crusted around his eyes and mouth. His chest rose shallowly, every breath labored.

Mesphine’s eyes hardened. “What the hell happened here?”

Tevu stepped forward at once. “My lady—let me explain.” She gave a rough account—not every detail, but enough. The client. The scream. The spice. The chaos. Tevu didn’t know everything, but she knew enough to piece together the obvious truth.

Mesphine listened without interruption, her expression unchanged. When Tevu finished, she spoke coldly and decisively. “We will address the cause later. First priority is the client.”

She turned sharply. “Take Mr. Gother to the healing chamber immediately. Wash the spices off—carefully—and summon the healers at once.” Two servants rushed forward.

“Careful how you handle him,” Mesphine added. “That powder will burn you just as badly if you’re careless.” They nodded and moved to lift the deerman.

Only then did Mesphine turn.

At the edge of the room stood the culprit—Chloe.

Her wrists were bound. A strip of cloth gagged her mouth. She stood barefoot, wrapped in a bedsheet, eyes blazing even now, defiant and unbroken.

Mesphine’s gaze sharpened. “So,” she said calmly, “this girl did this?”

Tevu nodded. “Yes, my lady. I found her roaming outside her quarters—armed, wrapped in a sheet. She was searching for her companions and wandered into the wrong room. She’s refusing to speak.” Tevu’s eyes darkened. “If you permit, I can loosen her tongue.”

Kazyak cracked her knuckles. “Let me handle it. I’ll teach her some fucking manners.”

Haria snorted. “How very elegant. No wonder neither of you has regular patrons.”

Kazyak spun on her. “Oh shut the hell up, Haria. I’ve got fans.”

“Enough,” Mesphine snapped.

Silence fell instantly.

She turned back to Tevu. “Who was responsible for overseeing this girl?”

Tevu hesitated. “…It was—”

“What is going on here?!”

Aisha’s voice cut through the room as she and Gina entered together, stopping short at the sight before them—the unconscious client being dragged away, the chaos, the bound girl standing at the centre of it all. Aisha’s eyes landed on Chloe, and her breath caught.

For a moment, she said nothing.

Chloe met her gaze without flinching. No guilt. No fear. Only resolve.

Mesphine’s golden eyes flicked to Aisha, sharp and unforgiving. “My office. Now.” She didn’t raise her voice, but it carried absolute authority. “Bring the human brat with you.”

Mesphine turned on her heel and strode out, the weight of what had just happened hanging heavily in the air.

Aisha knelt on the floor, forehead lowered until it almost touched the polished wood. Her tail lay still behind her, ears flattened in submission.

Mesphine sat behind the desk, fingers steepled, golden eyes moving from Aisha’s bowed figure to the girl beside her. Chloe stood bound, wrists tied in front of her, the bedsheet replaced with borrowed clothes that still hung awkwardly on her frame. Despite the restraints, her spine remained straight.

“I take full responsibility, Madam,” Aisha said quietly. “I misjudged her. I acted too hastily.”

Mesphine leaned back in her chair. “That’s becoming a habit, Miss Aisha,” she replied coolly. “And in less than a week.”

Aisha’s shoulders sank further. She had no answer.

Mesphine pressed her fingers to her temples, irritation bleeding through her composure. “Now tell me—how do you intend for us to contain the fallout? A paying client was assaulted on our grounds. Rumours like this can rot an establishment from the inside. And when Madam Onteko hears of it…” She exhaled sharply. “I’m already in her crosshairs for the wolf incident. Now this happened under my watch.”

Aisha lowered her head fully, palms pressed to the floor. “Punish me, my lady. I’ll take the blame. I truly believed the girl was ready.” Her gaze flicked sideways, sharp and resentful. “But I underestimated her will.”

She straightened slightly, voice hardening. “I’ll break it properly this time. I’ll give her the same suffering she inflicted on Mr Gother—let her understand pain.”

Mesphine raised a hand. “That will not happen.”

Aisha froze.

“You had your chance to mould her,” Mesphine continued. “You failed.” Her gaze shifted to Chloe, slow and assessing. “And yet… for a frail human to fend off a beastman alone is no small thing.”

Chloe stiffened as Mesphine’s eyes lingered. “Tell me,” Mesphine said calmly, “did you keep your purity?”

Chloe flinched despite herself, shoulders trembling as her breath hitched before she could stop it.

Mesphine noticed—and smiled faintly. “Relax. I won’t force you back into that room.” She tilted her head. “I admire stubborn girls. You may be human, but you have a spine.”

Aisha looked up sharply. “Madam—she caused chaos. Mr Gother—”

“Is filth,” Mesphine cut in flatly. “A wealthy one, yes, but filth all the same.” Her expression darkened. “His obsession with robbing girls of their innocence only to discard them makes my blood run cold. He treats women like used rags.”

Aisha swallowed. “But—”

“Yes, I know,” Mesphine said, exhaling. “He has deep pockets. And Madam Onteko would lick his boots if it kept gold flowing. So we’ll do damage control.”

She turned crisply to Aisha,
“Refund his payment for the human girl. Post a notice—three willing virgins, paid in gold, charged to my account. If that fails, I’ll apologise personally and offer potions and complimentary services for a year.”

Aisha bowed. “Understood.”

Mesphine’s gaze returned to Chloe. “Untie her mouth. I want to hear her speak.”

Aisha hesitated for a moment, then obeyed. Once the gag was removed, Chloe lifted her chin, her eyes sharp with guarded defiance.

“So,” Mesphine said calmly, “you refuse to become a courtesan. Are you saving yourself for someone?”

Chloe shook her head. “My body and soul exist to serve my lord. I would fight to my last breath to preserve my dignity.”

Mesphine studied her for a moment. “You had a chance to escape, yet instead of running, you lingered behind searching for your friends. And look where that has brought you.”

“There was no way I could abandon them,” Chloe replied firmly. “Mr. Ben helped me when no one else would. I only wanted to free him… and then leave.”

“Escape is impossible,” Mesphine said. “Your debt is enormous. Becoming a courtesan is the fastest way to repay it.”

“I will not,” Chloe answered without hesitation. “I swore a vow to my lord. I will not allow myself to be defiled in this place.”

A faint smile touched Mesphine’s lips. “And why should your vow matter to me? I could sell you to the wild beastmen and earn twice as much. What would you do then?”

Chloe met her gaze without flinching. “Then I will fight. I will bite. I will struggle until my dying breath.”

Silence filled the room.

Mesphine studied her for a long moment, then chuckled softly. “Church devotees truly are mad in their own way.” She closed her ledger with a soft thud. “Very well. You won’t work as a courtesan.”

Aisha jerked her head up. “Madam—Lady Onteko ordered—”

“I am the acting guildmaster,” Mesphine said coolly. “And I won’t force a girl who might stab the next client—or herself.” She glanced at Chloe again. “You’ll work as a servant instead. Slower pay. Longer debt.”

Chloe opened her mouth, then closed it, choosing silence.

Aisha frowned. “But she still needs punishment. We must set an example.”

Mesphine sighed, fingers tapping the desk once. “Rules are rules.” She straightened. “Chloe will be demoted to full servant status and assigned septic chamber duty. Inform the staff.”

Aisha bowed. “Yes, Madam.”

Chloe exhaled quietly, relief washing over her despite the weight of the punishment. For now, at least—she had kept her body her own.