Chapter 23: Vera Lambhart
The reverberating sound of footsteps grew louder and more distinct, resonating through the room with a distinct clack clack clack. Each footfall was accompanied by the distinct clicking of heels upon the floor, a clear indication of the approaching presence.
Sandra strained her eyes, desperately trying to pierce through the enveloping darkness, but all she could perceive was an impenetrable black void. Her senses heightened, she focused her attention on the approaching figure.
"I know you're here, Sandra," a voice rang out, a blend of youthful tones and feminine resonance. The words echoed through the darkness, penetrating the silence that enveloped the space. "Why are you here?"
Sandra, her heart pounding in her chest, remained silent, realizing that the mysterious figure before her was someone she knew all too well. The air grew heavy with an unsettling tension as the person's voice cut through the silence.
"...Reveal yourself to me... unless you want to meet your end," the person declared, their words laced with a bone-chilling intensity. Sandra shuddered, fully aware that defying this demand could cost her life.
Reluctantly, Sandra mustered the courage to step out of the shadows, exposing herself to the person's piercing gaze.
"So, this is your true nature?"
"True nature? Spare me your jests. I possess no such thing as a true nature. What you see before you is simply an unadulterated reflection of who I have been all along."
Standing before Sandra, the person who had demanded her revelation was none other than Vera, the head maid herself. With her penetrating red eyes, Vera stared at Sandra, as if attempting to see straight through her very soul.
"What knowledge have you acquired within these walls? What secrets have you uncovered?" Vera's voice carried a commanding tone, demanding answers from Sandra.
"Do you truly believe I would willingly divulge such information to you?"
"And do you believe that you possess the power necessary to prevent me from extracting that information from you?"
Sandra knew the answer all too well, but she was unwilling to admit it. In the ordinary days, Vera appeared to be nothing more than a strict head maid, issuing orders to the staff. Little did Sandra know that beneath that façade lay a terrifying entity, a force to be reckoned with.
Sandra's hand discreetly slid beneath the folds of her skirt, where she concealed a small but lethal pistol. With unwavering determination, she pointed it directly at Vera, her finger poised on the trigger.
"...Do you honestly believe I lack the means to defend myself?"
Yet, to Sandra's astonishment, the head maid remained unflinching, her gaze fixed upon Sandra with an unsettling lack of emotion. There was a haunting calmness in her eyes that sent a shiver down Sandra's spine.
"I have known your true nature since the moment we first crossed paths, Sandra," Vera spoke, her voice devoid of any hint of fear. "I have meticulously assessed your skills and your capacity for taking lives. But what you fail to comprehend is the depth of my own strength. Do you truly believe that a feeble gun could grant you victory over me?"
"Even the most skilled swordsman would falter in the presence of a gun. They would be cut down before ever closing the distance. Can you truly outrun the speed of a bullet? In this close proximity, a single second—or perhaps even less—is all it would take for you to be struck down. And I must warn you, I am a sharpshooter, always aiming for the head."
Vera's piercing gaze remained fixed on Sandra as she tilted her head slightly. "Is that so? Well then, let us put your claim to the test. Show me if you can truly hit me."
In an instant, the head maid vanished from sight, her form blurring into an indiscernible streak of movement. Sandra's eyes widened in disbelief, her mind struggling to comprehend the abrupt disappearance of her adversary. It was as if Vera had dissolved into thin air right before her eyes.
"...?!" Sandra gasped, her breath catching in her throat. She scanned her surroundings, desperately searching for any trace of the head maid's presence, but she found nothing—no hint, no sign.
A voice pierced through the silence from behind Sandra. "My, my... It seems you expected your weapon to secure my downfall. Yet, what do we have here?"
With lightning speed, Sandra whirled around, her finger tightening on the trigger as she fired the gun, hoping to catch Vera off guard. However, the bullet sailed through empty space, finding no target to strike.
"So, this is the extent of your abilities, Sandra? You claim to be an assassin, yet you prove to be sorely lacking. Is this truly the best you have to offer?"
Sandra's voice quivered as she confronted the enigma before her. "What exactly are you? You are no ordinary assassin, that much is certain. In fact, you are an enigma—an anomaly."
Vera's penetrating gaze bore into Sandra, holding her captive in a silent interrogation. After a pregnant pause, Vera finally spoke, her voice laced with an air of mystery.
"What am I, you ask? If simplicity is what you seek, then I shall grant you the satisfaction of knowing my full name," Vera replied. "I mentioned before that my name is Vera, but you were unaware of my last name, weren't you? Allow me to provide you with a most gratifying answer to your question. My complete name is... Vera..." Her words trailed off, teasingly drawing out the suspense.
In an instant, before Sandra could even register the movement, Vera materialized right in front of her, her hand poised to strike. The swiftness and precision of her actions were staggering, leaving Sandra frozen in shock and vulnerability.
"...Lambhart." Vera revealed her last name, her voice resonating with a chilling finality.
With a lightning-fast motion, Vera's hand made contact with Sandra's neck, effortlessly lifting her off the ground before violently slamming her onto the floor. The impact reverberated through Sandra's body, leaving her dazed and disoriented.
Wide-eyed and struggling for comprehension, Sandra struggled to process the reality of what had just transpired. In her rapidly fading consciousness, the final image that burned into her vision was the figure of Vera, towering above her, her crimson eyes seemingly ablaze with an otherworldly intensity.
•••••
Vera's gaze lingered on the defeated form of Sandra before a flicker of determination crossed her eyes. With a deliberate motion, she reached into the hidden recesses of her cleavage, retrieving an object concealed within. It was a small bottle, its contents a swirling darkness—a substance reminiscent of the one Ciel had once used to erase the memories of Maya and Cian.
A mixture of awe and realization colored Vera's voice as she whispered to herself, "You truly foresaw every possibility, didn't you? You detest being used as a pawn to such an extent?"
With a measured intent, Vera brought the bottle to Sandra's mouth, allowing the inky liquid to flow inside. Sandra's throat involuntarily swallowed the elixir, sealing her fate. Vera swiftly closed the bottle's lid and returned it to its place nestled between her ample bosom.
"Now, it is time for me to fulfill the duty you bestowed upon me eight years ago," Vera muttered under her breath. Her hand reached for the matchbox, igniting a match with a quick strike. Flames danced to life, casting an eerie glow across the room as Vera tossed the lit match onto the chaotic collage of papers and documents scattered about.
The room became engulfed in a consuming inferno, the flames devouring every trace of evidence, secrets, and memories that lay within. As the fire crackled and the smoke billowed, Vera stood amidst the chaos, her presence an epitome of calculated destruction.
"Now...what would you do next...my little brother?" she whispered softly, her voice barely audible above the roaring inferno. Memories flooded her mind, transporting her back to a time when her brother, Cian, was just a five-year-old child, innocence shining in his eyes.
•••••
"Vera, do you believe you can accomplish it?" Cian's innocent voice resonated in her ears, his crystal-blue eyes meeting her own fiery red gaze.
"I cannot guarantee that I will achieve it exactly as you envisioned, but I promise to give it my all. However, how did you anticipate that a spy would infiltrate our ranks?"
Cian turned around, his small form facing away from her as he contemplated his response. "It's a matter of deduction, really. Now that my mother has passed away, Duke Micesse, who harbored feelings for her, will stop at nothing to uncover the true cause of her death. He won't be satisfied with attributing it to a simple bandit attack. He seeks to assign blame, and his primary target is our father, the man she married. Concrete evidence won't dissuade him from sending a spy into our midst."
"I understand your deductive reasoning, but how could you possibly anticipate that the assigned assassin would stumble upon our father's secret? What basis did you have for such a prediction?"
"I didn't have a solid basis per se. It was purely a calculated anticipation that the spy would somehow come across the incriminating documents. If such an event were to occur, I wanted you to erase the spy's memories. Once their memories were erased, we could then proceed to burn every single document in that basement. Not a shred of evidence would be left behind. By destroying the documents, our father would be unable to replicate his vile experiments, as all the crucial data would be reduced to ashes. As for why I wished the spy to encounter the documents, I knew they would likely be an assassin—a profession capable of swiftly memorizing every detail within seconds. With this strategy, even if the physical evidence were to vanish, we would still possess a form of evidence within the spy's own recollections."
"But why bother erasing their memories? Wouldn't it be sufficient to let them remember the documents as we intended?"
"It would be troublesome for the spy to retrieve the evidence and escape without consequences. I aim to gain their trust first, using their cooperation to ensure the evidence remains within our grasp, even if it exists only within their recollection. The memory-erasing elixir will eventually wear off, allowing the spy to remember every last detail after a few years. In doing so, we can retain the valuable data, even if all physical evidence has been reduced to cinders."
Vera's voice trembled with confusion and concern as she sought to grasp the underlying purpose driving her brother's elaborate plan.
"But for what purpose do you embark on this path? Why do you involve yourself in all of this?" Vera implored, her tone laden with a mix of curiosity and apprehension.
Cian's eyes, clouded with a profound sadness, met Vera's unwavering gaze. "It is because I yearn for his demise... I wish for him to suffer... I want to exact revenge on behalf of my mother. If he believes that I am nothing more than a pawn, he is gravely mistaken. I aim to prove to him that even a pawn can achieve great things without resorting to the vile measures he has taken."
"...And why would you ask me to bring that girl into your room?" Vera inquired cautiously, her voice tinged with both curiosity and concern.
Cian's reply was laced with a hint of mischief. "It is because I yearn to taste the forbidden fruit that he has kept out of my reach. I desire to experience the intoxicating allure of wanting someone. I seek to corrupt our father's magnum opus, myself, by subjecting it to the intoxication of desire. Even if he were to attempt to erase the memory of such an experience from my mind, my body would retain the sensations. Moreover, I specifically requested the presence of a certain girl, not just any girl. The brown-haired girl from Heartwood is the perfect candidate for this mission to succeed. She possesses qualities reminiscent of both our mother and yours. She is capable of becoming another vessel for our father's twisted desires."
"You see, our father wouldn't be able to resist someone like her, someone who embodies the allure of both innocence and allure," he continued, a hint of disdain coloring his tone. "However, he wouldn't dare act on his desires when they involve a child. Instead, he would bide his time, patiently waiting for her to mature, all while maintaining a facade of normalcy. And the most inconspicuous way for him to keep a close watch on her would be to employ her as a maid in this very house, more specifically, as a maid for me."
Cian pivoted on his heel, a devilish smirk playing upon his lips as he contemplated the impending confrontation with their father. His eyes gleamed with a mix of determination and a hint of mischievous anticipation.
"Now, father," he whispered, his voice laced with a daring challenge. "Who shall be the one to claim checkmate in this treacherous game we play?"
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone