Chapter 133: Quiet Cruelty
Standing a few meters behind Kael, watching him grabbing a woman's throat tightly with that cold, restrained expression of his, Seraphina frowned slightly, but she didn't move even an inch from her place.
It wasn't because she trusted him entirely in this matter; she simply couldn't do anything since Arwyn was stopping her from interfering or even attempting to stop him. She didn't quite understand why Arwyn was taking his side so firmly, but she knew well that Arwyn always had her own reasons, or perhaps she had found something within him worth trusting.
Whatever it was, Arwyn's tendril coiled around her leg like a silent command, telling her not to move, and that strange, soft but firm grip made her feel terribly uncomfortable in ways she couldn't quite put into words. And she had a very good reason to feel that way, truthfully.
Even so, Seraphina wasn't exactly surprised by Kael's coldness or the anger radiating from his eyes. What she felt instead was a quiet kind of contempt toward this version of him, or rather, the remnant of his old self that still lingered deep within him. She had seen that very same side of him countless times before. In fact, she had endured it for more than a year, maybe even longer... she could hardly recall how much time had truly passed back then, but the memory of what he had been was still painfully vivid.
That was exactly how Kael had behaved after their marriage, perhaps even before it. Back in those days, his eyes rarely held any warmth, his words always came out sharp and dry, and he often acted as though she didn't exist at all. He kept himself isolated, doing whatever he pleased, and listening to her rules or her voice whenever he wanted to.
And yet, even in those times when he was cold and distant, she used to catch a peculiar glint in his eyes, a soft spark of curiosity as though he was quietly studying her... maybe not her as a person but the way she spoke to him, the way she looked at him, the way she carried herself. It was as if he was trying to understand something about her without ever saying it aloud.
Somewhere along the way, almost without her noticing, that soft trace of curiosity in him grew into something livelier, something with a strange dramatic tone.
To be honest, he had always had that slight touch of dramaticness hidden somewhere inside him, but for reasons unknown, he never let it show before. It was difficult for her to describe exactly when it started changing, but gradually, that little grain of dramaticness grew into a well, then into a lake, and soon it became an entire river that overflowed from within him, turning him into the dramatic, mischievous man he was now.
And in witnessing that change, she had also found herself caught up in that strange current, unknowingly becoming a part of his growth. What an irony, really, that she ended up being changed by the very man she had once despised for being unchangeable. But deep within her, she couldn't bring herself to hate him for that.
She never hated him for changing her, not even once. What she truly hated was her own inability to trust him completely, the endless struggle she still carried within her heart. She had been trying, for a very long time, to trust him fully, maybe even blindly, but she hadn't yet reached that point. That was the reason she had begun forcing herself to ask him things directly instead of assuming, to speak without overthinking, based only on the fragments she understood.
Through that, she came to realize something painful... that Kael had never actually hidden anything from her, that it was she who had never tried to understand him deeply enough. She had no excuse for that kind of neglect, and she knew it. But even while acknowledging it, her heart still carried its own grudges, its own old reasons for hating him.
Taking a slow breath, Seraphina looked at his face again, his expression frozen in that cold fury, and muttered softly, "But… no matter how I look at him, or from whichever side I try, I still feel like I want to kill him so badly. I really do wish I could, especially this cold, savage, heartless version of him standing right there."
She crossed her arms gently over her chest, her lips curving slightly as she added in a quieter tone, "Then again, if I do kill him, that would make me a widow, and I have no intention of becoming one just yet. I'm far too young to let that happen."
Even so, the longer she kept staring at him, the more irritated she began to feel. It wasn't exactly anger, but something close to a sharp itch in her chest that wouldn't leave her alone.
Her brow twitched as she muttered again under her breath, "How dare he touch another woman right in front of my eyes like that, huh? Maybe I should just cut his hand so he can never do it again."
She paused, thinking for a second, and sighed softly, "No, that wouldn't work at all. If I did that, he would never be able to learn my sword techniques. How lucky he truly is today."
...At that very moment, Emy moved her trembling hand upward and gripped Kael's wrist tightly, trying to loosen his hold around her throat just enough to breathe.
She clenched her teeth, her entire body shaking from both fear and desperation, but her eyes refused to look away from him. When she finally managed to speak, her voice came out uneven and strained, "I… don't… know. I never knew anything… from the beginning. You're… the one who's been… forcing me… into this."
Kael stared deep into her eyes and thought bitterly within himself, "This woman... why is she so stubborn? Does she really believe rejecting the truth will somehow change it? Or does she still want to gather sympathy from the people around me?"
He briefly turned his gaze to both sides, his eyes wandering through the gathered maids and guards who stood uncertain of what to do.
Some had their eyes wide open as though witnessing something too frightening to process, some looked at Emy with pity in their expressions as if her frailty touched their hearts, and others tried to appear indifferent, pretending it had nothing to do with them. A few among them looked as though they wanted to step forward and defend her, but none of them dared to take that step.
When his eyes returned to Emy, the anger in them faded into a distant calm. He loosened his grip on her neck and slowly let out a long, heavy breath.
The moment his hand left her throat, Emy gasped sharply, her chest heaving as she took in air like one who had nearly drowned. Her trembling hand went to her neck and rubbed the skin that had turned slightly red from his fingers.
She gritted her teeth tightly and glared at him, but her silence spoke louder than her defiance.
Kael, however, did not stop there. Without even sparing her a second glance, he turned around and began to walk away. His steps were steady, heavy, and filled with quiet resolve as he made his way to where Seraphina stood.
When he stopped before her, he lifted his hand slightly, his fingers half-open as he tilted his head just enough to meet her eyes.
"Give me your knife," he said.
Seraphina's expression darkened as her gaze sharpened on him. Her lips parted slowly, and her voice came out low and heavy, "Why? Why do you need a knife? What are you planning to do, Kael? You're not going to—"
He did not allow her to finish her words. His gray eyes lifted and locked on her with such a cold glare that the air between them grew tense in an instant. "I. Said. Give. Me. The. Knife."
Seraphina met his gaze without a single sign of retreat. Her blue eyes were cold, distant, and unwavering, and the weight of that look pressed against him so powerfully that his spine tingled. Had it not been for the resentment boiling in his chest and his own desperate need to drag out the truth from Emy, he might have taken a step back.
"Oh, look at her, giving me that killing intent again. What a lovely wife she is," he thought quietly to himself. "Still, it must be hard for her to stand there and watch me throw my nonsense around like this. But she has endured worse, hasn't she?"
The room was filled with silence so deep that even the soft rustle of a dreby outside by wind seemed to echo.
Then came the low murmurs spreading among the people as they began whispering to one another. All eyes were now on the two of them, especially Emy's, which widened with disbelief. The only one who remained untouched by the tension was Arwyn, who stood calmly at the side, her expression unreadable as though nothing around her carried any importance.
Seraphina exhaled softly, the faintest sign of her irritation slipping through that composed face. Then, Kael heard it... a sharp sound, the click of a heel striking marble.
His eyes darted downward in confusion, but her feet had not moved at all. If not for the subtle shift in her gown and the thin thread of lightning sparking faintly around her, he might have believed she hadn't moved a muscle.
Kael's face turned pale for a moment, his thoughts dry and bitter. "So she's taking her anger out on the floor now, huh. Yeah, that's just so like her. But... why the hell am I feeling like I wouldn't be welcomed in her bed tonight? Wait... that doesn't sound right, does it? Ugh... what am I even saying."
Without another word, Seraphina lifted her hand and threw the knife at him. The movement was swift and precise.
Kael caught it instantly, the blade glinting faintly as he turned around without hesitation and began walking back toward Emy. He could feel two cold gazes stabbing into his back... Seraphina's and Arwyn's.
"Yeah, yeah, I get it," he thought. "I won't do anything stupid. At least not if killing someone counts as stupid."
He stopped in front of Emy once again. This time he raised the knife before her eyes, turning it slowly in his hand as its sharp edge caught the light. Then, with deliberate slowness, he rubbed the flat side of the blade against his palm.
The soft scrape of metal against skin made Emy's shoulders tense. Her breathing quickened and her eyes flickered with unease as she took an involuntary step back.
Kael tilted his head slightly, his gray eyes lowering to the knife and then lifting back to her. "Are you still going to deny the truth? Think carefully before you answer."
For a moment, Emy said nothing. Her lips trembled, but when she finally spoke, her voice came out sharp and trembling with pride, "Like I said before, I have done nothing wrong. Why would I accept something I never did? Your cheap threats won't work on me. They never will."
Kael let out a slow sigh, his eyes lowering to her stomach, and his lips curved into a darker grin. "What if I threatened to kill your unborn child instead? Would you still be able to lie then? Tell me, Emy. Would you?"
The color drained from her face in an instant. Her eyes widened as she looked around the room in shock, her lips parting as if searching for words that would not come. "H-how did you know that I'm pregnant? Who told you that?"
Kael's grin deepened, quiet and cruel. "No one. It was just my little guess. So, tell me now, what do you think about this threat? Will it work on you? Should I kill them?"
Emy's eyes trembled, but then, as though something inside her snapped, her expression changed entirely. Her voice rose louder, trembling not with fear but with anger and desperation. "So what if you knew? It doesn't change anything, not at all. Your threats are meaningless, Kael. I don't fear them, not even for a moment. You wouldn't dare lay a finger on me. And not my child either."
Kael chuckled, but even within that soft sound, his expression remained dark. "Is that so?"
The instant those words escaped his mouth, he moved forward without the slightest hesitation, his speed so sudden that the air itself seemed to shiver.
Behind him, both Seraphina and Arwyn stayed completely still, their eyes following his movement but their bodies refusing to intervene. None of them spoke a single word to stop him.
The others around them widened their eyes, some gasped softly as if wanting to say something but could not, their voices swallowed by the silence that followed his motion.
Emy's eyes darted toward the knife in his hand, her instincts screaming at her to block the incoming attack, but her reaction was just a fraction too slow.
A piercing cry tore through the quiet hall as Kael drove the knife deep into one side of her stomach, the steel biting through her flesh with a sound that echoed against the marble floor.
A few drops of blood splashed onto the white stone, bright and vivid, trailing down like tiny rubies scattered in the light.
Still holding the knife, slightly crouched, Kael lifted his gaze toward her and spoke in a tone that mixed cruelty and mockery, "Oops, my mistake. Seems my hand must have slipped at the last moment, and the knife missed your children. But well, accidents happen, don't they? I suppose I'll just have to thrust again to make sure the target doesn't escape. What do you think, Emy?"
With that, he pulled the knife out in one sharp motion, the sound of it slicing through her body making her groan painfully.
She staggered backward, her legs trembling before she collapsed, her limbs twisted weakly across the marble as she tried to support herself. Her eyes fluttered, and she glanced down at the wound that was now bleeding freely, the crimson color spreading slowly through the white of her apron.
A cough escaped her lips and blood stained them, though not too heavily, just enough to make her look both pained and fragile.
Kael straightened his posture, the knife still dripping in his hand. He stretched his arm slightly in front of him and began walking toward her with slow and deliberate steps.
Step. Step. Another step.
Each movement echoed clearly across the room, loud and rhythmic in the heavy silence.
Emy raised her head weakly, her wide eyes filled with fear and disbelief. The red hue on her lips, the drops running down her chin, and the deep stain of blood spreading across her apron painted an image that was both pitiful and strangely haunting.
Kael stopped right in front of her, his shadow falling over her trembling figure. His gray eyes burned with a dark light, filled with something unreadable, as he stared down at her and said coldly, "So?"
Emy did not reply. She simply stared at him, her lips parting slightly, but no sound came out.
Kael's expression hardened. He lifted the knife, his hand steady, and aimed the blade toward her eyes. "Are you planning to tell me the truth, or should I just continue? Huh? What's your choice? Are you going to tell us what you did last night? Yes or no?"
No answer came.
She stayed still, frozen by both pain and fear.
He sighed, tilting his head slightly with visible disappointment. "Alright then, if that's your decision, so be it. Oh, I almost forgot to mention something. Don't worry, you'll live. I'm not going to kill you, no matter how tempting it might be. If I kill you, you'll never get to feel regret, and where's the fun in that? It's much better if you live long enough to remember this pain, over and over again, until you wish you had died instead. Wouldn't that be wonderful?"
He took a step back, raised his hand again, and thrust the knife downward in a swift motion, directly toward her stomach where her child rested.
The air whistled sharply as the blade descended, cutting through the silence like a scream that never reached the throat.
At that very moment, Emy clenched her fists and shouted with trembling desperation, tears spilling down her face, "Don't kill them! I'll tell you everything! Everything you want to know! Please, don't kill my child! Please, let them live! Please!"
Kael froze mid-motion, the tip of the knife hovering above her body, his lips curving into a satisfied smile. Slowly, he pulled the blade back and straightened, his tone shifting into something calm but heavy, "Then speak. Tell me everything you know. But before that..."
He crouched down in front of her, placing his palm gently over the wound he had inflicted earlier.
A soft green glow flickered beneath his hand, warm and almost divine, spreading through her abdomen. Within moments, the torn flesh sealed itself, the pain faded, and the wound vanished completely as if it had never existed.
Emy blinked several times, staring at the now-healed spot in confusion and disbelief.
Kael met her gaze and raised an eyebrow, "What is it?"
Emy shook her head slightly and took a slow breath, her voice weak but strangely calm, "It's nothing… I just didn't expect you to be a healer. It makes sense now, your rude and ruthless behavior toward me, I suppose. You fooled me quite well."
Kael looked at her blankly, his mind momentarily caught off guard, "Oh, right?"
Was she seriously saying that now? Wasn't she supposed to be confessing?
She touched her stomach gently and rubbed it once, her tone soft but still carrying that odd trace of composure, "Don't worry. I'm not going to take back my words. But…"
Kael tilted his head slightly, his patience thinning, "But what?"
Emy coughed lightly, her eyes lifting toward him with an expression that almost looked amused, "It's just that I couldn't help but notice you smell nice. What kind of perfume do you use? I've noticed it before, always lingering around you, and my sense of smell is sharp so it's been bothering me for quite some time. It's strange, really. Almost irritating."
Kael's expression flattened instantly, his tone dropping into disbelief, "That's what you're worried about?"
Before he could even react further, he heard footsteps approaching behind him, and before he turned around, a light slap landed against his back. He didn't need to look to know it was Arwyn.
She gave him a brief glance before her eyes turned to Emy, her tone casual yet laced with a faint smirk. "True, Emy. I hate to admit it, but I've noticed that scent too, several times actually. It really does remind me of fresh flowers in the morning. It's refreshing and… I suppose the better word would be mesmerizing. No matter how much you try to ignore it, it always ends up catching your attention."
Kael stayed still, not entirely sure how he was supposed to react to either of their comments. His thoughts scattered for a moment as he tried to process whether they were mocking him or simply being honest.
Before he could say anything in return, another figure stepped closer. Her presence carried a cold, heavy air that immediately drew the attention of everyone around.
She stopped right beside him, her eyes filled with quiet sharpness as a cold smile appeared on her face. "You both are actually correct about that. I've felt that sweet smell from him too. It made it hard to ignore him completely."
She paused, letting her words hang for a moment before continuing in a tone that almost sounded like a warning, "So, Kael. I advise you not to use this kind of perfume ever again. It only makes you seem like an attention seeker... especially toward women."
Everyone nodded quickly.
For a few seconds, Kael could do nothing but blink several times, his thoughts freezing as he tried to decide whether to laugh, defend himself, or just stay there quietly and let them have their way.
'Um... does that make me a womanizer?'
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(Chapter Ended)
To be continued...