4. DISCOVERING DECEIT
Chapter four
DISCOVERING DECEIT
He knows. Grand Lord Vladya knows.
Emeriel's mind reeled, a dizzying sense of lightheadedness threatening to consume her.
In that moment, she welcomed the darkness that beckoned, yearning to be anywhere but here. If fainting was the only escape from this reality, she would gladly embrace it.
"Don't you dare."
The sharp command, delivered in a growl, shattered her hope of unconsciousness. Emeriel's eyes locked with Lord Vladya's in a silent plea for mercy.
The grand lord took a few steps back, granting her reprieve. Some of the yellow in his eyes receded.
"You know," he began, "to actually detect anything from your scent, one must allow their beast really close to surface and channel its senses with a specific intent. I suppose that is how you managed to evade discovery for so long. None of us truly suspected, none of us channeled with that intention in mind."
Emeriel felt like a trapped animal. Her heart was pounding.
Lord Vladya pinned her with his hawk-like eyes. "So you are female, Emeriel?" he asked, his voice devoid of any warmth.
"Y-yes, your highness," Emeriel confessed.
"You have been deceiving us all this while. Making fools of us."
Emeriel's legs gave way, and she sank to the floor, covering her chest. "It was never my intention, Your Majesty, I swear it!"
"You understand the consequences for a slave harboring secrets, don't you?" Vladya asked, his voice measured. "Zaiper would have reminded you at every turn, I'm sure. Do you know the punishment for deception, Emeriel?"
A tear escaped Emeriel's eye. "Yes, Your Highness."
"And yet, you did it anyway. You knew the penalty for those who lie to us, human or Urekai alike, yet you dared to deceive."
"I know, but it was not a deliberate deception.” Emeriel's shoulders slumped, defeated. “I... I was raised this way. My parents hid my gender to protect me the moment I was born. I have lived this lie for so long that it feels more like a part of me than a secret."
"When you and Lord Ottai purchased my sister, I didn't hesitate to follow her. I didn't consider the consequences, the dangers. All I wanted was to be with Aekeira... we've always looked out for each other."
She paused. "But then, the first day I arrived here, I went into heat."
Lord Vladya's expression remained impassive, but his eyebrows arched slightly.
"It was the first time I acutely became aware of my feminine side," she confessed, looking away. "My menstrual flow was something normal. A mundane task I'd gotten used to. But the heat? It was something entirely different. And when the beast took an interest in me, I knew I was in trouble. Even more so because my heats are irregular and unpredictable.
But I couldn't bring myself to reveal my true gender. I was terrified. I know the consequences, and the hatred the rulers hold for my kind. How could I confess to any of them? I was already facing a death sentence when the truth came out. So, I thought... why not just live one day at a time?"
With a final, resigned shrug, Emeriel wiped away a stray tear. "Punish me as you see fit, Your Highness. I accept my fate."
A heavy silence descended.
"Your sister was well aware of your true gender, was she not?" Lord Vladya asked at last.
Emeriel’s eyes went wide.
Light-gods, no. Not Keira.
Emeriel began to shake her head, “No, she doesn’t—”
"Careful, Emeriel.” The third ruler gave a warning growl. “Remember what I said about lying to me?”
A sob escaped Emeriel's lips. "Please, My Lord. Not Aekeira, please. Do whatever you wish to me but spare my sister. She was only trying to protect me. Everything she does is to protect me."
"Hmm. Everything she does is to protect you," he repeated, his brow furrowed in thought.
"Y-yes, My Lord. Please, don’t hurt her, it was all my fault. Punish me."
"During the introduction of slaves when Lord Zaiper ordered you to undress, your sister took your place. Was it also to protect you or because she wants him?"
Emeriel's eyes snapped up to meet Lord Vladya’s. "Want him? Lord Zaiper? Aekeira hates him! He repulses her! She once said she'd rather lay with a seventy-year-old corpse than willingly lay with Lord Zaiper—" she gasped, hand flying to her mouth in horror.
Lord Vladya's eyebrow shot up, nearly vanishing into his hair.
Did she really just say that? To a fellow grand lord? A blush stained Emeriel’s cheeks.
She cleared her throat. "What I meant to say was, that Aekeira harbors no affection for Lord Zaiper whatsoever . I apologize for my outburst, Your Highness.”
Moments passed. A shadow crossed Lord Vladya's face, a subtle shift in his expression that Emeriel couldn't quite decipher.
"No attraction towards him?" the grand lord pressed. "None at all? Are you saying your sister feels no lust for him?"
Emeriel hesitated.
He waved a dismissive hand. “You may speak freely. Tell me the truth as you know it.”
"Never," Emeriel stated vehemently. "Aekeira avoids Lord Zaiper like the plague. She goes to great lengths to ensure their paths never cross. The day he forced her to undress and... touched her in her chambers, she was nauseated. Lust? Aekeira feels no sexual attraction towards anyone. Certainly NOT for Lord Zaiper.”
Lord Vladya turned away. He appeared as though he had swallowed a particularly bitter pill.
Emeriel sighed. "Back in Navia, King Orestus treated Aekeira badly. He used her as a pawn, wagering her in bets and duels. He would even offer her to the victor as a prize." The familiar anger simmered within her, but with effort, she tamped it down.
"All my sister has ever known from men is pain and humiliation, Your Highness. She would never attempt to seduce or entice a male unless it was to protect me. That is the only reason she acted as she did in court."
Lord Vladya strode to the window, and stared out into the night, a flicker of… something passing across his features. Sadness? Guilt? Emeriel wasn’t sure.
"Please, spare Aekeira. Her only crime was being born my sister. And loving me fiercely. Please, Lord Vladya, I beg you."
"Your sister is exempt from punishment."
A wave of relief washed over Emeriel. "Thank you, Your Highness," she murmured, her voice thick with gratitude.
“Deception is not something I forgive.”
She knelt straighter, head bowed. “I accept whatever punishment you deem fit."
With a sigh that seemed to stir the heavy drapes of his study, Lord Vladya sank back into his plush armchair. "You did me a favor. Now, I will give your life back to you."
"Huh?" Emeriel's head shot up. Confusion clouded her features as she glanced at him. She couldn't comprehend his words.
"For all your deception, Daemonikai is here today because of you. You saved his life. I saw you both that day when you bloodfed him, and it got me thinking. It was either the constant mounting of you—his Soulbond, or the drinking of your blood. Or perhaps both. But I know you are a major factor in his awakening."
Lord Vladya turned to face her fully, his mask of inscrutability back in place. "You gave him back to me. And in return, I will not take your life for what you did."
Emeriel stared at him. Her jaw slack.
"I-I don't know what to say. Th-Thank you, Your Highness," she finally managed to stammer out.
"Do not thank me." He picked up a jeweled goblet from the desk, staring at it distractedly. "Let's be clear. This is a temporary reprieve. I will not intervene on your behalf, nor will I appeal to the court. I will only pretend tonight never happened. As long as the court, as long as no one else discovers your secret, I will turn a blind eye."
He dropped the goblet back with a clink, looking up at her. "But the moment your deception is revealed, all bets are off."
She lowered her eyes to the floor.
“As for you being Daemonikai’s Soulbond.” He tapped a silver letter opener rhythmically against the desk, his gaze on her. “My first thought is to move you to one of our territories in the mountainside. As far from Daemonikai as possible. He does not need this right now. He has lost his entire family—his bondmate and offsprings. After centuries of madness, he is forced to confront that loss. To truly feel it. He does NOT need this right now."
Emeriel swallowed the lump in her throat, refusing to let lord Vladya's words wound her.
She had never harbored any illusions of acceptance once the truth was out. But the mere thought of being so distant from Daemonikai sent a wave of nausea through her.
"But if I do that—keep you so far away from your Soulbond after your entire being has recognized him—your soul will begin to yearn and wither away. Eventually, when your soul cannot take it anymore, you will die. He does not know you yet, so he would be fine, but you? You will die."
Lord Vladya's brow furrowed, his head tilted in thought. "I might not have any love for your kind, but I will not do that to you. To Daemonikai. He may not be ready for this now, but that does not mean he will not be in the future."
"Once he has grieved, once he's had time to process and accept that tiny little detail that your people literally turned his entire world upside down, he might come around.” Lord Vladya's gaze bore into her. “Let’s say, in nine-hundred years. Maybe a hundred years sooner.”
Emeriel averted her eyes, the meaning he was implying crushing her.
He clicked his tongue. “Anyway, since I do not want your soul to wither away, you may remain here, close to him. But, as of today, I will put you on scent suppressors. Do you understand?"
Emeriel did not like the sound of that. At all.
Tears prickled the back of her eyes, but she blinked them away and gave a nod anyway. It wasn’t like she had any other choice.
"That is the only role I will play in this matter. I will not actively interfere to keep you two apart—no one meddles with that son-of-a-gun fate. I have no idea what game she is playing now, but I suppose we will all have to wait and see, will we not?”
Emeriel bit her lips not to say a word.
“Rise.”
Rising unsteadily, she hastily wiped away the tears that had escaped her eyes.
For a moment, Lord Vladya studied her intently. His stern features finally softened. "It may not seem like it, but I am also doing you a favor. Perhaps, if five hundred years ago hadn't happened, if your kind hadn't played a role in the death of his family and his descent into madness, this wouldn't be such a disaster waiting to unfold." He sighed.
"But you are human, and he is the Urekai's grand king. Our people will never accept this, accept you . And Daemonikai himself… You are too small for all that rage building inside him, Emeriel. He will crush you, before you get close enough to attempt replacing all he lost."
"I didn't wish for this," Emeriel whispered, staring at her trembling hands. Tears blurred her vision. "I didn't wish for any of this, Lord Vladya."
"Fate is a cruel bastard, Emeriel," he said, weariness in his voice. "I, more than anyone, know that to be true. As for your gender, you can either go to the grand high court and reveal the truth, or you can continue living as you have. The choice is yours."
Lord Vladya drummed his fingers on the armrest. “My advice to you? Continue living the way you are now. It will solve all your problems. Simply ensure you do not get caught, and stay away from Daemonikai."
That night, Emeriel lay upon her bed, her heart a heavyweight in her chest. The tears had ceased, leaving behind an emptiness that permeated her entire being.
She looked at the scent suppressants neatly arranged on the nightstand. Lord Vladya had sent a generous supply.
His final words echoed in her mind, replaying like a haunting melody.
"I could still send you to the mountainside. No one knows you there. You could live as a female, become a servant, and work for a household. Our people may despise humans, but we hold Syrens in high regard. Every unbonded Urekai yearns for a Syren, hoping that maybe, just maybe, she might be their bondmate."
"You could spend your heats with other males there. Who knows, you might even find someone you're compatible with. He may not be your Soulbond, but if a bond forms after the ritual, you will have a new life. Your soul will not wither if a new bond takes root. You will have a bondmate who loves you, offspring, a sense of belonging, a new home."
"No one will notice or care that you're gone. Zaiper will be overjoyed to hear of your departure. If you agree, I will make it happen. Think it over carefully and give me your answer when you have made up your mind." He leaned back in his high-backed chair, his gaze lingering on her for a moment. "Consider it my final gift to you."
Emeriel exhaled, rolling onto her side. The offer was tempting, a life free from fear and deception. A glimmer of hope in the darkness that had enveloped her life.
To live as a female, free from the shackles of slavery, with no fear of discovery or retribution. To live a simple, peaceful life, far removed from the cruelties of Ravenshadow. It was a dream come true.
But that dream would not include Aekeira. Any life without her sister would not be worth living. And the thought of never seeing her Beloved again made it difficult to breathe.
Just the idea of it brought fresh tears to her already swollen, tired eyes.
Why is my life so complicated? What do I do now?