Surrendered To The Lord Of Sin-Chapter 45: Into the fold

By the time she finished, Lucrezia looked at her appearance in the mirror at the corner of the room. Just like before, the fabric clung deep into her skin from the bodice, and the skirt exposed her thighs through the slits. She draped the cloak across her shoulders, welcoming the warmth aside from the morning’s air.

She tied her hair into a bun, securing it with a plain pin and tucking away the loose strands that refused to stay in place. The woman in the mirror looked older than she felt, steadier, and sharpened by purpose. The woman in the mirror looked like her stepsister, Anastasia.

But unlike her, those soft delicate features refused to remain cold and expressionless. They defined her naivety more than her actions clearly.

Lucrezia studied her reflection only a moment longer, then reached for her gloves. She slid them on, letting their warmth spread around her fingers before taking a deep breath.

For the past three weeks, she didn’t feel like a pose or a disguise of someone else. She’d lived her true self, welcomed the domain that aligned with her true nature, not in the guise of someone’s skin. Not as her step-sister, but as herself.

As risky as it was, Lucrezia felt herself open to the warmth the home offered. Realizing how it would all crumble the moment she stepped through that door made her inhale softly. She’d felt herself breathe the air of verismo over the weeks, and the realistic world where her fate had been sealed felt foreign.

It was now or never.

She walked towards the table where she hid the small vial and tucked it inside the pocket of her cloak. There certainly weren’t any options for forgetting her tonic this time around.

Although she could still feel the faint press of something warm inside of her, it was cooled by the effect of the pills. Of anything detrimental that could happen, Lucrezia didn’t wish to lose control over her abilities once again, especially at Blackvale.

She almost screwed everything up as a result of her carelessness, and the last thing she desired was its recurrence. She couldn’t begin to imagine the abuse her mama would face if King Vladimir came to know of this catastrophe.

No one must know she’s a witch. No one must know she wasn’t the desired Punishment. Not a soul must know that Lucrezia Bathory lived. To the world, that... person was dead, and as much as it hurts, she believed it best that way.

She recited the words of the people that brought more harm than good as she gathered herself. Lucrezia moved to the door and paused, resting her hand against the wood. For a heartbeat, she entitled herself to breathe, to remember the quiet of places where no one expected anything from her. But it was only wishful thinking.

Finally, she straightened, shoulders squared beneath the cloak. The latch clicked softly as she stepped into the corridor. Cool air brushed her face, carrying the scent of stone, old incense, and herbs. Lucrezia pulled the cloak closer and started down the stairs with each step measured and deliberate.

Her eyes met the middle-aged woman standing beside the door. She was draped in her usual layered robe darkened by years of use. Her eyes maintained their usual sternness, not unkindness—she’d realized over the past weeks. It softened for a fleeting moment, before she gave the barest nod.

Lucrezia returned to gesture, subconsciously inhaling softly as she proceeded towards the exit.

The morning’s air was cool and clean, scented with pine resin and damp earth, a sharp contrast to the warmth lingering inside the cottage. It filled her lungs with something almost like clarity. Almost, and the door creaked shut behind, swallowed quickly by the forest.

Sunlight filtered through the canopy above, scattering in uneven patches across the ground. Somewhere in the distance, a bird called once, then fell silent, and her gaze drifted towards the forest.

For a moment, Lucrezia remained still and felt a cold shiver run down her spine. The memory threatened to surge at the back of her mind, and she released a shaky breath, turning her face away.

She only paused on the threshold, letting the weight of the place settle over her one last time. From the quiet routines, the unasked questions, and the fragile mercy of being unremarkable.

Her gaze fell behind one last time, evoking the place to memory. Lucrezia was reminded of little Elia, and her heart sank. She had hoped to see her before leaving, but her departure had been unplanned, leaving her unable to wish her well but a silent goodbye.

Lucrezia pulled her cloak tighter and stepped forward. The clearing opened slowly, as if the forest were reluctant to reveal it all at once. The cottage stood small behind her now, as smoke thinned into the sky. Ahead, the path widened into packed earth darkened by old rain, bordered by moss and low ferns brushed silver by the light. That was when she felt his unmistakable presence. Not seen at first, but sensed him somewhere closer. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

The air grew warmer by degrees with a deeper stillness. Lucrezia lifted her gaze, heart steady despite itself, and followed the pull toward the far edge of the clearing.

He was waiting there, standing where the packed earth gave way to moss and fallen needles. Even with the mask on, it didn’t fail to hide even the slightest beauty within. Though the scars successfully malformed his skin, they didn’t thrive in obscuring his magnificence.

For a fleeting moment, Lucrezia wished to catch a glimpse of what she witnessed in the forest the other day. Instead, he appeared as he always did when he wished to be seen plainly; tall, dark-haired, dressed in his usual armor too fine for the wilderness and boots unmarked by mud. His presence bent the world subtly, like heat above stone, and his grace couldn’t be matched.

His eyes found her at once.

They were not cruel, but cold and detached. They were ancient, yes, and sharp with knowing, but there was something measured in them, something that waited rather than demanded, and disappeared immediately it came.

In an instant, fragments of her earlier dream resurfaced unbiddenly, stealing the breath from her lungs.

She remembered the nearness of him in that dream; the way his presence lingered, every trace of a touch that seemed to follow the line of her skin. The memory made her inhale sharply, startled by how quickly her thoughts had shifted.

Oh gods... Lucrezia shuddered. How in the seven gods could she be thinking of such?! Gathering herself, she moved forward, her steps carrying her toward him before she could think to stop them.

Her eyes searched the clearing, expecting to see an awaiting carriage and his men on standby. Instead, he was all alone, standing like a creature born to tempt and destroy.

How were they going to travel? She thought. And where are his men?

Lucrezia looked confused, scanning the place once more, to be greeted by that same sight and the realization it was just the two of them. Or had she mistaken?

Before her thought wandered further, he offered his hand towards her. Her eyes fell on his, waiting for hers, and her heart skipped. Why does he want my hand? She thought.

The idea of accepting his hands seemed to freak her more than the thought that he’d once touched her. Both in her dreams and in reality, but no matter how many times she tried forcing herself to remain neutral, her body betrayed her.

Noticing that his hand still waited for hers, Lucrezia hesitated before finally placing her gloved fingers in his palm. The moment his larger hand closed gently around her smaller one, her breath hitched and she flinched instinctively.

He anticipated her startled retreat, stepping forward as she moved back and closing the distance between them. Before she could process anything, his arms swept her off her feet. Lucrezia’s eyes widened in shock; her mind struggled to grasp what had just happened as her body went rigid in his hold.

"M-Milord?" She protested with a thin, unsteady voice, as her heart hammered against her ribs. "W-what are you...?" Her gloved hands clenched his chest, feeling the firm solidity between his armor and her cloak as she tried to push him away.

"Hold still," he said, but his order went deaf to the ears of the woman in his arms. Despite the impossibility of gaining even the slightest leverage, her small hands tried to push him away. His lips twitched in response, disappearing in the blink of an eye. "You’ll only make things harder than they ought to be,"

Lucrezia refused to oblige, trying to free herself from his unyielding grip that matched hers. Her struggles earned nothing more than a faint tightening of his hold, secure without being cruel. "L-Let me go-"

Before she could finish, the world lurched with air rushing past her senses as the clearing dissolved into motion. The forest folded inward, light warping at its edges, and Lucrezia gasped as the ground vanished beneath them.

Her protest died in her throat, replaced by the sharp pull of vertigo and the heat of his presence anchoring her where nothing else could, so that she felt herself cling desperately to him. Terror laced her features, as she shut her eyes tightly, air whipping unmercifully against her skin.

When the movement stilled, it did so abruptly, leaving silence in its wake and her breath tangled somewhere between fear and disbelief. W-What just happened?!

Lucrezia dared lift her face, meeting those hazel eyes barely a few inches away, filled with... amusement? It struck her without warning as the realization dawned upon her. Did he just do that for fun?!

Now he was closer, Lucrezia could clearly see the brutality of the scars on his skin and she inhaled sharply. It wasn’t just horrific but terrifying, a vicious sore to the eyes. Each one of them was inflicted so deeply that it made her heart clench. She allowed herself for a fleeting moment to imagine running her hands through the ugliness of them all. To feel every mark, every line, and every savagery.

Silence ensued between them, deeper this time. Lucrezia caught something flickering in those orbs before fading away, as it had never appeared and his eyes grew colder.

"Hold still," She heard him repeat, and immediately looked away. Unlike before, Lucrezia found herself obeying without complaint, holding onto him with everything she had.

Without warning, a tearing sensation split the air and folded it inward, crushing the breath from her lungs as they disappeared into light and darkness collapsing together.