Surrendered To The Lord Of Sin-Chapter 53: To sleep… or explore

Lord Vaeron did not wait for further permission and stepped forward, offering his arm. Oddly, his presence was a solid thing at her side as she moved despite the lingering tremor beneath her skin.

Lucrezia did not look back as they turned away from the table, though she felt the weight of gazes following her departure. It was only when they passed beyond the threshold of the hall that she realized how tightly she had been holding herself together.

The doors closed behind them with a muted finality. Lucrezia exhaled, slow and careful, as though any sudden breath might shatter the fragile composure she had stitched together, and her fingers brushed the fabric of her gown, grounding herself in its weight, in its reality.

What in the seven just happened? That was the first thing her mind could process as they stepped out and into the corridor. Lucrezia couldn’t think or reprocess whatever had just occurred back there, but the fact that she was away, grounded by fresh air that signified her freedom. For now.

Her body was weak, her mind equally exhausted, and all she longed for was deep, undisturbed rest. Yet she doubted sleep would come easily tonight—especially after realizing her secret had been exposed to the person she least expected.

Lucrezia inhaled deeply, allowing the rich scent of old wood spice fill her lungs, and shuddered right after. The walk back was quieter than the banquet, and somehow more unsettling for it.

She was alone. With... him.

The corridors stretched long and narrow, torchlight casting slow-moving shadows that climbed the walls like living things.

Lucrezia walked half a step behind him, as was proper, her hands folded neatly at her waist, her posture composed despite the storm still turning in her chest.

She counted her steps at first and then she stopped counting when the silence pressed too heavily.

Lucrezia hesitated only a fraction of a moment before deciding. "If I may, milord..." Her voice sounded smaller here, not weak, but carefully measured.

Lord Vaeron did not slow, nor did he turn, but he did not dismiss her either. Lucresia took that as a sign, and so she continued. "The Trial," She started, genuinely concerned. "What is it about?"

The silence that followed right after was palpable in the air. Lucrezia believed the question would remain unanswered, especially when he didn’t reply immediately.

"A duel," he responded, so casually it made her surprised. Her soft footsteps were silenced by his sharp ones against the stone floor. "Just like mortals and their demand to be heard, we mimic that same path,"

"By blood?" She was curious. It didn’t make any sense. Why go through all those when it can be settled through proofs and summons?

"There’s no proof without bloodshed, little wolf, and justification doesn’t matter without evidence. Certain charges don’t require reconciliation and are best handled in ways that verifies ones innocence or guilt,"

Lucrezia was surprised that he’d answer her questions without thinking, but more surprised at the knowledge. "A duel," She echoed softly. "So the Trial of Severance is... blood sworn?"

"It is sworn by essence," He corrected. "Blood is merely the medium."

That did nothing to calm the chill unfurling along her spine and they turned a corner, the corridor narrowing further as the ceiling dipped lower.

Here, the torches burned dimmer, their flames tinged faintly blue, casting shadows that refused to settle properly against the walls. The air felt heavier or older, perhaps. Lucrezia sensed it then, the subtle shift in pressure, like stepping into water without realizing it until it climbed past one’s ankles.

She lifted her skirt, half-walking, half-running to meet up with his unyielding pace.

"This Trial," She said carefully, "What exactly does it seek to sever?"

"Pretense," he said. "Influence. Corruption," he listed, maintaining the sharp intensity of his boot. "Deceit,"

Lucrezia’s breath caught at the knowledge.

That was really... odd, she thought, and expectedly terrifying. But nothing had been less since she arrived. "And if the Trial decides-"

"-that I am compromised," he finished evenly, interrupting her before she concluded. "Then my will is stripped of its claim. My authority ends. Permanently."

The finality of it struck harder than she expected, and her step slightly faltered. Again, she’d once believed Blackvale of all places would be quite easier to unfold, but it was quite the opposite.

She’d always wondered and desired to decipher the mystery of Sins and their ways of living. Lucrezia knew without any doubt, that Sins lived quite the opposite of mortals, and their hierarchy.

She swallowed, fingers curling into the folds of her gown, and cleared her throat before proceeding with her curiosity. "And if it decides you are innocent?"

A pause followed after that. However, not too long when that voice echoed in the empty corridor.

"Then those who questioned my return will be forced to accept what they fear,"

She studied him in silence, failing to mask the unease threading with something far more dangerous; understanding. This wasn’t merely about him, she thought. It had never been. The Trial was a spectacle, a reckoning meant to reassure the ancient order that the world still bent the way it always had and that they still ruled unchallenged.

"And mortality?" she asked before she could stop herself. "Does the Trial punish that too?"

Something subtle shifted, almost imperceptible in his gaze. Lucrezia failed to catch a glimpse but she noticed the way the atmosphere cinched, not with anger, but with intent.

"The trial does not judge mortals," he said at last. "But it does not ignore them either,"

Her heart sank. That answer unsettled her more than any threat could have and they continued in silence after that.

Do they know? She allowed herself the thought of explaining this knowledge to them. How they believe their verdicts, whether fair or unfair, are to be bypassed, only to be watched solely here without their knowledge.

Lucrezia found herself stealing glances at him, cautious not to draw notice. His expression had not changed, not when he spoke of losing everything, and not when he acknowledged the weight of the trial. He walked as if the corridor itself yielded to his stride, and worse, as if the verdict had already been passed and accepted long ago.

And that unsettled her.

She wondered - briefly, foolishly perhaps - how it felt to walk toward a reckoning one had no intention of avoiding. To speak of ruin with such calm finality. To accept loss as a possible outcome and still move forward without hesitation.

She knew that feeling. She’d been there almost all her life. Lucrezia had believed it didn’t make any difference mainly because of her condition as the cursed blood of the Bathory’s. However, watching those unreadable expressions only made her feel... concerned.

The corridor widened then, opening into a familiar wing carrying the warm, faint, clean scent of linen and oil rather than ancient stone, and her steps slowed instinctively.

They reached her chamber moments later and Vaeron came to stand before it. The guards stationed outside bowed and withdrew, leaving the corridor eerily empty.

Leaving them all alone.

Lucrezia cleared her throat softly, shaking away the thought, and turned toward him. "Thank you," she said, unaware her voice appeared as a whisper. "For earlier. At the table,"

He said nothing, but when those hazel eyes found hers, Lucrezia felt her pulse race instantly, especially with the silence that stretched, taut enough to snap and something dark swirling in those orbs.

Just when she thought he would leave, he stepped closer. Just one step, and Lucrezia’s breath hitched.

She had not realized how far apart they had been until the space vanished. His presence filled the air, quiet, controlled, and overwhelming in its restraint.

"You handled yourself," his voice was lower now when he said at last. "You did not need saving."

Her pulse raced traitorously at the distance she found themselves. "Perhaps," She managed, despite the manner in which her mind went blank for words.

His gaze dropped, traveling from her collarbone, to the line of her throat, and to the dark fabric of her gown, still immaculate despite the long night. Lucrezia felt his gaze like a scalding brand on her skin and his breath when he was close enough to feel it brush her neck.

"This dress," he murmured, almost to himself. It sounded unforgiving, though dark enough it made her shiver in fear. Liar, the word struck her. "It was a deliberate choice."

Lucrezia swallowed, "I..." struggling to form more than a word. "I-I don’t know what you’re talking about, M-Milord,"

He didn’t sound displeased, but his eyes maintained something that sent a chill down her spine. "It makes you look unassuming," He continued as an answer. "Vulnerable. Demanding. Soft," his eyes lifted back to hers that struggled greatly to keep up with his. "Inviting," he added in a tone that made her flinch as she blundered, trying to move away.

Far away from the hands of her tormentor, but she was grounded when the huge door met trapped her body at the mercy of this creature. "That is rarely accidental,"

Her breath caught sharply too loud and revealing before she could stop herself. Lucrezia’s heart raced uncontrollably especially when she caught the curve of his mouth behind that mask, just barely enough that made her knees weak.

"M-Milord..."

Was he hungry?! She thought through the haze of her mind. Does he need to... feed? Right now? Lucrezia slowly started to panic, realizing she hadn’t taken her tonic yet.

N-no, no, no, no.

His body pinned hers against the door, one finger traveling from her wrist above in a slow, careful manner, drawing a sharp inhale at the contact.

Lucrezia’s breath stuttered as she struggled against his rigid hold, only to worsen her position by granting him the advantage. Every movement gave him leverage, yet stillness offered the same result.

She had to stop him! Gods, she had to, but it was difficult to keep up this close!

When those deft fingers traveled behind, tracing her spine, Lucrezia felt her body react as she arched almost immediately.

"Tell me, little wolf," He said quietly, even closer enough that she could feel the warmth of him. "Do you prefer to sleep... or explore the history behind the seams of this dress?"