CHAPTER 114: LEAVE MY CASTLE

"Oh, Kathy. Kathy," Hades interrupted, laughing coldly. "You really think everyone’s a whore like you?"

His eyes narrowed, the humor draining from his face, replaced by a dangerous stillness.

Kathryn’s eyes widened. "What!? How dare you call me a whore? I’ve never been with any man but you! Unlike you, I’ve been loyal and committed to our relationship."

Hades chuckled again, running a hand through his hair. "I’m impressed by how easily you lie. Unfortunately, your words don’t fool me."

"I would never lie to you, Hades," she said, moving closer. "If only you could see how much I love you... how deeply I care for you."

"And yet... you still lie, Kathy." He sighed. "This conversation is fraying what little patience I have left. If you’ve got nothing worthwhile to say, leave."

"I’ll do anything you want!" she cried, desperation breaking through her voice. "If you want me to dye my hair blonde, I’ll do it! I’ll change myself to look like her if that is what you want."

She reached out to touch his cheek, but before her fingers could graze his skin, Hades grabbed her arm mid-air.

In one swift motion, he pulled her close until she was leaning over the chair, his grip tightening around her arm.

"This will be your last warning, Kathryn," he whispered, his voice low and cold, "Don’t you fucking try to touch me again. Don’t speak Lilith’s name. And when we return from the Dubliton, I want you to pack your things and get out of my castle. I’m done playing games with you. Do you understand me?"

Kathryn’s eyes brimmed with tears as her jaw clenched.

"Do. You. Understand?" he repeated, his gaze burning into hers.

She swallowed hard and gave a stiff nod.

Hades let go of her arm roughly, causing her to stumble back a step, though not enough to fall.

"Now, get the fuck out of my study."

Kathryn inhaled a shaky breath, turned on her heels, and walked out, slamming the door behind her. Fury and humiliation boiled in her chest as hot tears streamed down her cheeks.

She stormed into her chambers, pacing back and forth with her fingers tangled in her hair. Her heart was racing, her thoughts a tangled mess. Hades had humiliated her, cast her aside like she meant nothing. She had never imagined, even in her darkest nightmares, that he could treat her like this.

Leave his castle? The very thought was absurd. An insult.

All this because of that stupid little witch.

Kathryn couldn’t let Lilith steal her dream, the future she had crafted so carefully in her mind. The future where she stood beside Hades as his wife and Queen of Valyron, not that peasant girl. She couldn’t bear the thought of Lilith being more than a mistress. And if—gods forbid—he ever married her, made her princess...

Kathryn shook the thought from her mind.

No. She wouldn’t let it happen.

She forced herself to calm down, inhaling deeply before walking over to her desk. She sat down, pulled out a sheet of parchment, and dipped her pen into the inkwell. She closed her eyes for a moment, steadying her breath.

It was time to put her plan into motion, before it was too late.

~~~

The days went by quicker than expected. Prince Hades, Viktor, Charlotte, Kathryn, and Lilith were all preparing for their departure to Dubliton for the king’s annual ball. Since the ball was taking place in the evening, they planned to leave in the morning to arrive just in time.

The prince and Lilith were to share one carriage, while Viktor, Charlotte, and Kathryn would ride in another. The servants had already loaded their luggage into the back compartments of the carriages.

The morning was cooler than usual. Though the sun was out, it lacked the usual heat. Lilith sat quietly by the window, gazing outside, lost in her thoughts. She still hadn’t changed her mind about not wanting to attend the ball, but there was no point resisting Hades’ decision not when he had made valid arguments for bringing her along, and she had reluctantly agreed.

The door to her carriage opened, and Hades stepped in, taking his seat across from her. He offered her a brief glance, but neither of them said a word. A calm, comfortable silence settled between them as the carriage began to roll forward, the castle gates disappearing behind them.

But while the prince and Lilith enjoyed a peaceful ride, the atmosphere in the second carriage was noticeably different.

Charlotte sat beside Kathryn, while Viktor was seated across from them. The carriage was spacious enough to allow a comfortable distance between the passengers.

Bored, Charlotte leaned against the window and began humming softly to herself. Her eyes drifted across the passing trees until something caught her attention, movement deep within the woods. At first, she dismissed it as a trick of the light or perhaps a deer darting through the trees.

A few minutes later, she saw it again, something dark, shifting rapidly from one tree to another. It was so fast she only caught a glimpse of its silhouette.

Charlotte narrowed her eyes, staring more intently. Then she saw it again—long, black claws curling around the trunk of a tree as the figure peeked out from behind it.

She gasped audibly.

Viktor, who had been drifting to sleep, jolted awake at the sound. "What’s going on, Lucy?" he asked, his voice groggy.

"There’s something out there, behind that tree," she whispered, eyes locked on the spot.

Viktor followed her gaze and squinted through the window. "What are you talking about? I don’t see anything."

"It was right there, I swear. I don’t know where it went," Charlotte said, her frown deepening as the creature vanished from sight.

They waited, watching in silence for another minute.

But nothing else appeared.

Viktor let out a sigh. "It’s probably just an animal. I don’t think it’s anything to worry about," he said, leaning his head back against the headrest and closing his eyes.

"It wasn’t an animal. I’m sure of that," Charlotte replied, her gaze still fixed on the woods outside.

Kathryn sighed dramatically and rolled her eyes. "Then what was it? If it wasn’t an animal, what exactly was it?" she asked in a bored tone.

"I didn’t get a good look at it, but I know it wasn’t an animal. It had long black claws and these large, inhuman eyes," Charlotte explained, trying to recall every detail.

Kathryn arched an eyebrow. "You do know animals can have long claws and large eyes too, right?"

Charlotte snapped, "If you don’t have anything useful to say, please just shut up."

Kathryn rolled her eyes again and turned to face her window, clearly done with the conversation.

"I’m sure whatever you saw wasn’t a big deal," Viktor said gently, offering Charlotte a small, understanding smile. "Let’s just try to enjoy the rest of the journey. It’s going to be a long ride."

Charlotte didn’t like that no one believed her, but she didn’t argue further. She understood why they were skeptical, she had no proof, only what she saw. Still uneasy, she turned away from the window, closed her eyes, and tried to rest.