Chapter 134: Reluctance
Lucrezia felt her soul disappear from her body for the briefest moment. H-He escaped?
"How?" She couldn’t help but ask.
"That, I think, is something you should hear from Lord Lust himself."
The mention of his name immediately made Lucrezia’s thoughts falter.
She looked away. "I see."
Nalia rose from her seat. "And if I may say so, my lady, I have already spoken more than I ought."
Lucrezia gave a faint nod. "I will not repeat it." She swore.
"I know."
Nalia walked towards the table and began straightening the things she had already arranged, giving herself something to do.
Lucrezia remained quiet—the eighth Sin.
She had never heard of it before.
And yet, somehow, the knowledge felt less like an answer and more like the opening of another door. One she wasn’t sure she wanted to walk through.
Nalia finished arranging the dishes and turned towards her. "Shall I accompany you back to your chamber, my lady?"
"You needn’t."
"Of course, my lady. But I was instructed to ensure you did not overexert yourself."
Lucrezia raised an eyebrow. "By whom?"
Nalia hesitated. "The household staff, my lady."
It was a careful answer. Perhaps too careful.
Lucrezia studied her for a moment, wondering whether the instruction had come from the healers or from someone else.
She decided not to ask. There was little point in making Nalia uncomfortable over something she was unlikely to disclose.
"Very well," she said, rising from her chair. "You may accompany me."
Nalia immediately stepped forward, setting the tray aside before moving to the door.
"My lady."
She opened it and waited for Lucrezia to pass.
The corridors were considerably busier than they had been the previous morning. Servants moved between the rooms carrying folded linen, fresh flowers, and baskets of supplies. A pair of guards stood near the far end of the passage, their dark uniforms contrasting with the pale stone walls.
Lucrezia slowed as she noticed them. They had not been there the day before.
One of the guards turned his head as she approached. His gaze settled on her briefly before he straightened and bowed.
"My lady."
She inclined her head in acknowledgement and continued walking.
She wondered what had prompted the increased activity. The castle had seemed strangely unsettled since the previous day, with servants moving in greater numbers and certain passages closed without explanation.
Perhaps there had been some matter of importance among the Sins. She remembered Nalia mentioning how the patrols had been doubled due to the recent occurrences.
Although, it was hardly unusual. Their affairs were rarely explained to her, and she had learned that asking too many questions could invite more attention than she wanted.
Still, curiosity tugged at her. "Has something happened?" she asked.
Nalia glanced towards the guards before looking back at her. "Not that I have been informed of, my lady."
"Then why are there so many guards?"
She shook her head. "I could not say."
Lucrezia looked at her, waiting for more.
Nalia lowered her voice slightly. "Perhaps there is a matter being attended to by the lords. It would not be proper for me to speculate."
Lucrezia pressed her lips together. There it was again. The careful distance between what she wished to know and what anyone was willing to tell her.
They continued down the corridor.
As they neared her chamber, Lucrezia began to feel a familiar reluctance settle over her. The thought of returning to the room where she had spent so many miserable days was enough to make her steps falter.
She had wanted fresh air. She had wanted to walk without someone reminding her to sit down, rest, or take another dose of medicine. And now she was returning because the healers were coming.
How quickly freedom had become another thing she could not quite reach.
When they arrived, Nalia opened the door and stepped aside. "Your chamber, my lady."
Lucrezia entered slowly.
The room was exactly as she had left it. The bed had been made, the curtains drawn back to admit the morning light, and the faint scent of herbs lingered in the air.
She took a few steps inside and stopped. "Must they come so early?" she asked.
Nalia closed the door behind them. "I believe they wished to examine you before the day becomes too occupied, my lady."
"Did they say when?" She asked when she settled fully into the room.
"They should be here shortly," Nalia replied.
Lucrezia turned towards the bed, then reconsidered and moved instead to the window. She rested her fingers against the cool stone ledge and looked out over the grounds.
Somewhere beyond the castle walls lay the lands she had yet to see. Beyond those lands were kingdoms she knew only through the pages of Greed’s book. And beyond them, somewhere she could not reach, was the life she had left behind.
Her mother.
The thought came so abruptly that she closed her eyes. How was she? Did her father keep his promise by letting her live without that horrible sedation? Did she sleep properly? Does she ask of her?
There were so many questions running through her mind. It’s already been two months, and she wondered if her father sent letters occasionally. She wondered if he knew that the task she was sent to accomplish wasn’t even halfway done.
A soft knock interrupted her thoughts.
Nalia immediately straightened. "That must be the healers, my lady."
Lucrezia’s stomach tightened.
For a moment, she remained by the window, reluctant to turn around. She knew the examination would be ordinary. They would check her temperature, ask about her appetite, and perhaps inquire whether the fever had returned.
There was nothing unusual about any of it.
And yet she could not rid herself of the feeling that this was the beginning of something she had been dreading.
𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮
"My lady?" Nalia prompted gently.
Lucrezia drew a slow breath and turned away from the window. "Let them in."
Nalia crossed the chamber and opened the door.
Unlike the man who attended to her the other day, two healers entered: an older woman carrying a leather case and a younger man holding a small wooden box.