Chapter 42

Chapter 42

* * *

As if he was waiting for me, Deon stood on the bottom step of the staircase.

“I should have slapped you a few more times earlier.”

I spoke without a shred of feeling.

“What would you have done if Cassis hadn’t stepped in to save my mother?”

As he looked at me with that unwavering gaze of his, Deon answered flippantly.

“Nothing, I suppose.”

Seriously, he was such a bastard! I glared at him icily while my insides burned with anger. I especially didn’t want to appear emotional in front of him.

“I’ve already told you...”

As he spoke, that terrifying grin that could instill the fear of God in someone spread across his face.

“...how much I enjoy watching you break down and cry.”

He was a certifiable sociopath all right. The worst of the worst.

“That’s a shame.”

I managed to keep my anger at bay as I spoke and glided past him coolly.

“That’s one thing you’ll never see again in this life.”

Once again, I felt his sticky gaze on my back, but ignored it like I always did. Even now I recall thinking it was such a disgusting display. As I walked through the quiet hallway, I looked up at the night sky only to catch sight of my own face reflected in the window. It was a face almost as cold and cruel as Deon’s. That’s right... I realized that my contempt and hatred weren’t just directed at the others.

“Yes, Mother. I have become a worthy Agrece just as you had hoped.”

“After all, I am a proud Agrece and a daughter who takes after my father—the man I respect—more than anyone else.”

Perhaps I had finally become what I would often repeat to my parents as a cover. I was a most Agrece-like villain.

“How revolting,” I whispered to my own reflection, then turned away to leave.

* * *

Meanwhile, Cassis was locked away in the hallucination room.

“No! Please don’t die. Open your eyes, please.”

There came a tearful moan, not unlike the one he had heard that afternoon. Since his eyes were closed, he wasn’t sure if he was dreaming or hallucinating, but a hazy image had appeared before him. A woman, who had been crying while embracing someone, turned toward him. It was his mother. There was so much blame and accusation etched onto her face. The sight of her made Cassis gulp for air.

Then he saw who she was holding and felt himself choking up even more. The floor surrounding her was dark with blood. The blood was seeping out of his one and only sister who was lying motionless in the middle of the puddle.

“Do you have any idea the trouble you’ve caused?!”

In the next scene, a man was looking down at him angrily.

“If your power gets out of control, it can be a source of disaster!”

That’s right... They were memories he had hidden from his own consciousness.

“Never, ever use your powers under such circumstances again!”

That was the first time he experienced what true regret was. His foolhardiness had resulted in despair.

“We are the righteous judges of the Pedelian clan. Our name and what it stands for are two things you should never forget.”

A voice as heavy as a boulder weighed down on him.

“A man devoid of dignity deserves only ruin.”

Suddenly the voice became less distinct.

“From now on, there will be a restraint spell on you.”

Cassis opened his eyes as the vision crumbled away like a sandcastle overpowered by a wave.

* * *

“I recommend you get more sleep.”

A voice like a soft breeze wafted over what remained of the words from the last vision. Then he felt a sudden warmth on his forehead. Possibly someone’s hand. Soon a familiar face began to take shape amidst the haze. Even drugged, Cassis instinctively tried to pull away from the source of the heat.

“Stay still.”

Whoever the commanding voice belonged to was holding him down.

“This is all a hallucination anyway.”

Cassis flinched at the whispered message.

“You’re in the hallucination room, which means even I’m not real.”

Cassis once again felt the gentle caress of a warm hand on his hair. Roxana adjusted his position so he would be more comfortable. He was inclined to believe her that everything happening at this point was truly just an extension of his visions.

“I must admit that I feel somewhat apologetic towards you, which is a feeling I thought I had lost a long time ago.”

After she spoke, everything fell silent again. What Roxana had just said was odd. What was it that she had to be sorry to him for? If anyone was to blame, it was him for putting her in such a difficult position. Not that he intended to apologize, of course.

She remained quiet, but that was fine with him. The silence didn’t make him feel the least bit awkward. The air flowing around him suddenly felt more like gentle waves rocking him.

“Thank you for saving my mother.”

She had finally broken the silence.

”You could have ignored her, but you didn’t.”

Then he felt the breath of a whisper pass over his forehead.

“It would actually make things easier for me if you were just a little less good.”

Her hand stopped stroking his hair and settled over his eyes.

“Rest up for now, okay?”

Such an odd night it had been. There were a number of things they should have discussed that afternoon, but they remained unspoken as if the matter was of a little to no importance.

“When you open your eyes again, you will return to reality.”

Although he knew it was impossible, at least in that moment the two seemed free from the mess they were in. Cassis opened his lips ever so slightly but decided to maintain the silence with her. The night seemed very long, as if it might last forever.

Escape into a different sort of confinement

Most of the blame had fallen on Jeremy. He had claimed that he only opened the monster hutch in order to recapture Cassis, but as he was the one who had enabled Cassis to escape from his room in the first place, Jeremy’s excuse fell on deaf ears. The butterfly I had left in Cassis’ room provided me with a very clear picture of what transpired. The verdict had been that Cassis for the most part only left his room in order to avoid Jeremy’s attack.

Of course, I did everything in my power to ensure everything was resolved along those lines. That hadn’t been too difficult, especially with how overjoyed Lante was over my hatchlings. All the same, it would have been out of the question for Cassis to escape punishment entirely, so I arranged for him to go to the hallucination room. It had been repurposed for torture as most people did not last a day inside of it before going irreparably insane. Thanks to that, no one suspected that the sentencing was too lenient.

However, I did use my sorcery stone to lessen the hallucinatory effects on him. I wasn’t worried about what others would say if they saw me go into the room since they would likely assume it was for fun or malice, or even to inflict more pain and humiliation on Cassis. When it came to Agreces, that sort of behavior was normal. Not to mention, I gave them no room to think otherwise.

They locked Jeremy away in the same cell Charlotte had been sent to. She had been released earlier than her sentence had originally warranted due to the decision that her misdeed was not as heinous as first judged. My plan hadn’t included Jeremy getting locked up, but he had gone overboard by releasing those demon monsters. He really could have thrown a wrench in my plans entirely, so on this occasion I refrained from helping him. He had appeared rather down as he was escorted to his cell. I imagined my being so upset with him likely made him even more upset in turn.

Meanwhile, Deon had already left for the carantuls’ natural habitat on Lante’s order earlier that morning. I had begged Lante to punish Deon more severely for overstepping his authority in ordering my toy around. I did so without fear since there were no living witnesses who could testify that he was actually innocent. On top of that, expelling him to the carantul habitat was not a real punishment. At least not in my book. Deon hadn’t been doing much of anything after his return to the compound, and there was no one better to send to lead a group of demon trappers than him. So although he had been sent away under the guise of reflecting on the error of his ways, he was really just going on another mission for the clan. I had seen right through Lante’s scheme, but thanks to my success with the butterflies, he did at least seem to be trying to coddle me a little. In the end, Deon’s absence was enough, so I did not press the issue further.

One thing that did leave me feeling uneasy was the fact that Deon had smirked at me before leaving. It was a look that said, “I know what you’re up to, but I’ll pretend I don’t know.” Nevertheless, the Agrece mansion was once again a peaceful place for me to carry out my plans, and that in itself was something.