Capítulo 17: Under The Chevalier's Mercy
Samantha nervously gulped down her saliva when his handsome face loomed over hers, his eyes trapping her like a fox about to enjoy its new plaything before devouring her to bits. She felt totally anxious considering his unknown intentions towards her and gently bit down on her already chapped lips.
When he was starting to get too close with their faces drawing nearer, she immediately lowered her head in a bow, almost colliding it with his if he hadn't paused mid-way, and once again, she was forced to deal with their close proximity.
Why won't he keep his distance? She looked anything but attractive in this state, yet he seems to have trouble with the gap forged between them. Was he doing this because he knew she hated it? Cause she hated him??
"What are you thinking? Little lamb?" The question in his tone made Samantha snap her head up to meet his eyes. "I find it offensive seeing you distracted when I'm right in front of you, and you wouldn't want to unleash my annoyance on such a good day. Don't repeat the same mistake, or I might take actions you may not like." Taking a strand of her hair in his gloved finger, he toyed with it, wrapping it around his index finger, and Samantha would hate to reveal what was on her mind.
"I asked you to run," his eyes lazily lifted to meet hers, "you didn't run far enough, but I must applaud how you survived your five years escaping punishment. Everyone thinks you're dead by now, but I'm tempted to open the memories of fresh wounds." And he pulled back, but not enough to be called a distance.
"We'll arrive at the palace soon, and do you know what will happen when we do? If someone recognizes you as the daughter of a murderer, you'll be done for." The insane smile on his lips wasn't friendly, but taunting. He ignored the glare Samantha's eyes casted at him and continuously toyed with her hair.
"Just think, if I end up exposing your name to the royal court, your head will roll right off your neck in a snap." He snapped his fingers at her face before smiling with cruelty as though he could already picture the scene in his head. "The shock in your eyes would be a beautiful sight to witness, don't you think? And I wonder.. who's going to take it as a trophy, hmm… I have a better idea that should please you, they'll place your dangling head in my late Father's room, hanging it right next to the head of your loving Father, so you both can rot together as family." His eyes glinted wickedly.
"You.!!.."
Samantha grabbed the glass cup from the floor and wanted to smash his head with it in a fit of rage, but he caught her wrist and pulled her close instead, burying his nose against the nape of her neck. Samantha felt conflicted as his malignant words rang in her head, sounding more evil than anything she's had to encounter.
She wondered if he was capable of doing something so monstrous, but then she's reminded of Havory and how he ordered his men to dismember the body.
Did he… could he possibly have done something like that to her innocent Father? Did they rip him apart?
She closed her eyes when anger and guilt boiled within her. Her weak body shuddered relentlessly as she hated herself for being unable to do anything, all she could do was stay trapped as the tip of his cold nose traced the column of her neck, his breathing fanning her neck, and Samantha's never felt this irritated by the touch of someone before.
If she could stab him again.
"These anger won't be good for your health, it gives your emotions away." He pulled away, taking hold of the cup in her hand and shaking his head. "You still have so much to learn my dear."
"I am not your dear."
"Of course, you're my slave. How skeptical of me to be informal." His gaze turned to the window, watching the hills they passed as the carriage continued to move smoothly. "We won't be stopping the carriage anytime soon, if you wish to sleep, then do it here." A look of amusement suddenly flickered in his red optics, "who knows if this is the last sleep you'll get to enjoy. I'm giving you the privilege to be able to wake up one last time before being sent to eternal rest."
Hearing him say horrible things so casually, a bitter smile curved Samantha's pale lips, but he couldn't see it since he was staring out the window. If he could offer her the death that doesn't even want her soul, then she'll gladly take it. If he thinks he was placing her under a dilemma by telling her all these things, then he was wrong, because she'd rather accept death with open arms than fall to her knees in front of him again.
Just as he said, the ride to the palace was a long journey, and Samantha eventually fell asleep on the carriage without notice. When it felt like she had just blinked her eyes, the next thing she heard was the groaning sound of a gate in the morning air, and that made her sit up out of impulse.
It was already dawn, and the sun was barely out.
"Just at the right time, little lamb." Ivan's voice jolted her from her seat, and she had nearly forgotten that she was with someone in the carriage.
"Did you have a good sleep?" He asked, but Samantha didn't respond to his question as her gaze and attention were fixed on the window. She didn't need anyone to tell her before she knew they had made it to his palace.
As their carriage approached the gate that was being open, Samantha could feel her racing heart skip multiple beats as she peered out. The gates were tall and twisted, made from wrought iron and adorned with spikes that seemed to reach towards the sky. She watched the black armored guards at the gate close it up behind them, and when Samantha shifted her eyes to the dried forest behind the gate, she couldn't help but wonder if the palace was situated close to the woods, the same way her Father's home was close to the woods.
Her thoughts were cut short when the carriage pulled over, and all Ivan did was knock against the window before one of his Coachmen moved forward to open the door.
He stepped down, and Samantha knew she had no choice but to do the same. Opening the carriage door, she stepped down from the other side, her bare feet and the hem of her peach gown came in contact with the bare ground.
In front of them, a huge palace loomed, a towering monolith of dark stones that seemed to stretch on forever. The front yard gave Samantha the eerie chills as she looked around like an abandoned lost puppy.
The front yard where they stood was paved with gray stones, and a grand fountain stood at the center, not too far from where the Coachman had stopped the carriage. The fountain was adorned with bronze statues, depicting creatures that seemed both familiar and strange.
What caught Samantha's notice was how the water in the fountain went still, as if frozen in time. The air was heavy with silence, broken by the sound of the wistful breeze and the hooting of owls coming from the woods behind them.
Despite the haunting atmosphere, there was an undeniable elegance and grandeur to this place. The palace in front of her loomed with gothic architecture and imposing presence. The windows were dark, and Samantha couldn't help but wonder what lay within.
"I see you have returned." A blonde-haired man in his early forties stepped out of the palace that seemed empty, regally draped in a crimson robe adorned with golden embroidery. The man's hollow, not-smiling eyes shifted to Samantha who couldn't help but shiver under the intensity of his gaze, and she immediately lowered hers.
"Move." Ivan's orders were meant for Samantha who forced her weak feet to move forward, and Ivan followed, taking unhurried stride's till he was two feet away from the man who switched gazes between the two of them.
"I heard the sound of the carriage and knew it had to be you." The man's deep intimidating voice made Samantha realize why Lord Ivan carried such regal bearing that was indisputably overwhelming.
"Yes, Uncle, it felt like a journey to discovery, but scratch that, I brought you a new trophy, as promised." Like his guards knew exactly what they needed to do without being told, one of his men stepped forward with a brown sack that dripped with blood.
The sight was so sickening to Samantha, but clearly, this wasn't a new thing to the Chevalier family.
"You have never disappointed me." The man acknowledged the gift before shifting his attention to Samantha. "But who is she?"
"Can't you guess, uncle?" Ivan stood behind her and lifted her head up so she could stare into the piercing, yet quizzical eyes of his uncle. "Let me introduce you, she's THE Samantha Woods, the name should ring a bell especially to you, Uncle, she's daughter of my Father's most trusted advisor - my Father's perpetrator."
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