Leomaris found himself exactly where he didn’t want to be, back at the Runerth estate, in a position he hadn’t hoped for. He’d wanted something to clear his mind from the mission his servants were on. Samael had no intention of letting that happen. Once again, he’d secured permission from their mother for a chess game with Leomaris.

"What do you think of my wager, little brother? If this mission succeeds, you will have my absolute loyalty for a year. If it fails, you will hand over Hazel."

Leomaris wasn’t particularly in the right headspace, he couldn’t even concentrate on the chess game. But this offer was one he’d been anticipating.

Prideful and cruel, that was Samael. He did terrible things to people and smiled through all of it. For him to put his loyalty on the line meant he was certain this was already his victory. Which made Leomaris more paranoid than he should be.

’This isn’t so bad, is it? If I succeed, I gain a better life, a clear path to strength, and Samael’s loyalty. If I fail, I will most likely be disowned and die, meaning Hazel will no longer be able to serve me as my butler.’

Samael smiled.

"You appear to be in quite a pickle. If you wish, we can have Mother oversee this and ensure neither side cheats the other."

A slight narrowing of the eyes. He’d been moments away from accepting, and now he was relieved he’d kept his mouth shut. With Rosemary involved, paying debts would be a great deal easier.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

A moment’s pause. He let it linger, emphasising the difficulty of the decision.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

"Okay, let’s do it."

Samael smiled, his lips stretching from one ear to the next.

—

Aboard the train, Aaron’s wound had been perfectly bandaged by Ren. He lay there, steadying his nerves, doing his best to keep the wound from worsening.

Raine watched Aaron with guarded eyes. Her concern wasn’t really with Aaron, it was his master, Leomaris, that occupied her thoughts.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

"What exactly did he do? I knew he was a terrible person, but how did he manage to get me into this trouble?"

Aaron took a deep breath and rubbed his bald hair gently.

"You must be mistaken, Lady Raine. The young master simply has too many enemies. Some despise him merely for being the Duke’s son."

A frown crossed Raine’s face. She knew well enough that no organisation in this part of the kingdom would dare attack a train of this caliber. None except the Unholy Priests. And those people didn’t move without reason.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

"Just tell me already. I just want to know who I’m supposed to be with."

Aaron met Raine’s gaze. The unwavering glare sitting behind those eyes made one thing clear: he couldn’t keep his mouth shut for long.

"He is a terrible person. He treats people like trash and stretches things out far longer than necessary. He never pays his workers, misuses the Duke’s reputation, beats up anyone weaker who crosses him, and even destroys people’s shops simply for asking for payment... but there is more... a worse side to him."

Raine cut Aaron off before he could say another word. She pressed her fingers to her temples, the thought of what Leomaris had done alone already making her head hurt.

"How is he still walking freely?"

The words had barely left her when Aaron’s attention shifted to the broken window. He was on his feet in an instant. They’d arrived in the mountains, and he knew exactly what awaited them. War.

"Stay alert. The guards on board have all been killed."

He locked the door and asked Ren and Raine to stand behind him.

"What are you doing? You are injured. You cannot fight."

Aaron flashed them a soft smile.

"Don’t worry about me. I will be fine."

Ren nudged him to the side and pulled her revolver and dagger without hesitation. "Don’t look down on me, old man. I am here to protect Lady Raine."​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Something on the train caught their attention all at once. Raine pulled her revolver. Compared to the last time they’d been attacked, she was very calm.

Above them, the sounds multiplied, as though a great many people were jumping onto the train all at once. The atmosphere grew thick. Time seemed to freeze.

Without warning, someone tried to get into the cabin. Shot down without a moment’s hesitation. And as though death meant nothing to them, more came, shooting through the cabin, but Ren and Aaron were enough to cut them down.

Five, by the sound of it. There could have been more, but the dropping bodies told their own story.

Then, while all eyes were on the door, a swift sound from the window pulled their attention away.

Her heart skipped. Her eyes moved slowly, tracking the movement as though time itself had frozen around her. She saw it far too clearly than she wanted to.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

It was a man in an expensive suit, with grey hair and a mustache, every part of him covered in blood. Chilling enough to freeze her where she stood, but confusing all the same. He held a butchering knife. He could have killed her in one swing. Instead, he went straight for Aaron.

Raine snapped back to reality. The man’s knees had already come down hard on Aaron’s head, smashing it. Ren attacked. He blocked the bullets with ease and destroyed both her revolver and Ren’s in the process.

’No... I can’t die here,’ she thought.

At incredible speed, she struck directly at his head. The old man blocked it, barely, and with effort. Ren followed, launching her dagger toward his head. The man let it pierce clean through his hand and struck back, knocking Ren unconscious.

Raine gritted her teeth at the sight of Ren lying unresponsive, but just as she moved to attack, something caught her attention and gave her pause.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

He’d removed his knee from Aaron’s head before going for Ren, and in that split second, Aaron’s smashed head was already reforming. The old man took full advantage of Raine’s hesitation and struck.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

The blow caught her chin. She saw Aaron rise to his feet, looking reborn, the old man launching at him in an instant. She didn’t know what was going on anymore, and for some reason, she didn’t want to. She wanted to sleep.

Soft touches on her cheeks brought her back. She opened her eyes to find the grey-haired old man smiling at her. She snapped into her stance at once, then noticed Ren sitting nearby, casually helping herself to snacks.

At this point, she didn’t know what to believe. The cabin was destroyed, drenched in blood. She could even see the people in the next compartment, terrified, every one of them.

"What is going on here? Someone explain immediately!"

The old man reached for a sack and pulled something free. Her body cringed before her mind caught up. Aaron’s head. Cut clean, as though there’d been no struggle whatsoever.

"This man is a traitor to the Runerth family. He was meant to serve the young master, but instead he sided with the Unholy Priests."

Raine scowled.

"Why should I believe you? Aaron came in here saying the same thing."

Ren spoke in a hurry, mouth crammed with snacks that were very much meant for Raine. And somehow, that alone made Raine’s blood boil hotter than anything else going on around her.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

"Because this is my master. I told you about him, didn’t I? He is Sebastian, the sole butler of Duchess Rosemary Runerth. The blood on his face made it difficult for me to recognise him when he arrived."

Her expression didn’t change. She believed Ren well enough, but something didn’t add up. Why hadn’t Aaron killed them if he was truly a bad person?

"His plan was not to kill you, Lady Raine. They intended to capture you and lure the young master out so that both of you could be killed."

Sebastian motioned for her to take her seat, and strangely, she did.

"I’m sorry for all the bloodshed. This wasn’t what the young master intended for this trip... but it happened anyway."

Raine exhaled deeply.

"Let me guess... we’re still not out of danger yet, are we?"

Sebastian smiled softly.

"Unless you reach the Runerth estate, you are still in danger. I do not think they intend to capture you anymore... this time, they intend to kill you."

Raine felt the weight of it, clearer than ever before. It consumed her entirely.