Chapter 277: If discovered

Her heart felt heavy, but her resolve didn’t waver. She slammed the door shut with finality, cutting off her mother’s voice mid-plea. She hardened her heart as she knocked against the wall for the driver to move."Go," she ordered, her tone sharp.

The carriage jolted forward, wheels grinding against the gravel. Outside, she could faintly hear her mother’s cries fading into the distance, her voice weak and pleading—but Aria didn’t allow herself to look back. Her fists clenched tightly in her lap until her knuckles turned white.

The journey back to the castle passed in tense silence. The streets were dark, lined with faintly glowing lanterns that flickered against the passing mist. Aria’s reflection in the carriage window looked pale and strained, her eyes distant as thoughts raced through her mind like a storm she could not quiet.

Her mother’s voice still lingered in her ears. It made Aria’s chest ache. She wanted to believe that some part of Selira still remained but it was hard to. The emptiness in her mother’s eyes haunted her. That hollow, obedient calm—so unlike the woman she remembered.

Aria pressed a trembling hand to her mouth, forcing herself to breathe steadily. She couldn’t afford to lose control. Not now.

The carriage swayed gently with each turn, and the rhythmic sound of the horse’s hooves filled the silence.

He’s taunting me, she thought bitterly. Dangrey wanted me to see what he’s done. To let me know he can reach anyone I care about.

Her jaw tightened. Rage and guilt mixed within her until she couldn’t tell which was stronger. If she went to him tonight, she would be walking into a trap. But if she ignored him completely, what would he do to her mother next? The thought of Selira suffering more because of her made Aria’s stomach twist painfully.

She exhaled shakily and turned her gaze out the window. The fog had thickened, cloaking the road in a ghostly white.

When the carriage finally rolled up to the castle gates, the guards opened them without question. The great iron bars creaked, and the carriage rattled forward, echoing beneath the stone archway. Aria straightened her back, brushing the exhaustion from her face as best she could. She didn’t want anyone to see her shaken.

As soon as the carriage stopped, she stepped out quickly, her cloak trailing behind her. The cold air bit at her cheeks, grounding her again. The courtyard was quiet save for the soft crackle of torches lining the walls. Not a soul dared approach her—not the servants waiting by the entrance, not the guards standing rigid at their posts. Everyone seemed to sense the tension radiating from her.

But instead of heading to her chambers, Aria turned sharply toward the west wing of the castle—the royal library.

Her footsteps echoed along the marble corridors, each one sharper than the last. The faint scent of old parchment and burning wax reached her before she even entered. The library was dimly lit, its chandeliers burning low, casting the room in a deep amber gloom. Long rows of shelves towered around her, heavy with centuries of knowledge, secrets, and forgotten histories.

At the far end of the hall sat the vampire caretaker. His pale skin was almost translucent under the lamplight, his hair a washed-out silver that brushed against his shoulders. He sat behind a long oaken desk, a massive tome open before him, turning the pages with slow, deliberate movements.

Aria approached him swiftly, her boots barely making a sound on the carpeted floor. "I need to ask you something," she said without preamble, her voice cutting through the silence.

The old vampire lifted his head. His crimson eyes, dulled by age, fixed on her with quiet curiosity. "Of course, my lady," he murmured. "What troubles you?"

"What happens," she asked, her tone sharp and steady despite the storm in her chest, "when a vampire kidnaps a free human woman and hypnotizes her?"

The caretaker’s expression didn’t change, but Aria could see the flicker of recognition in his eyes. The question was too specific to be taken as hypothetical. Word of her mother’s fate must have spread farther than she thought.

He closed the tome gently, resting his hands atop it. "That would depend on many factors," he said at first, cautiously. Then, after a pause, he continued, his voice lower and more deliberate. "But for him to turn her into his slave, there must be proof that she went to him willingly—and that she lay with him of her own accord."

Aria’s breath hitched. "Willingly?" she repeated with disbelief.

The old vampire gave a slow nod. "It is not considered coercion under the council’s laws. Vampires—especially those of the Noctare bloodline—possess natural abilities of persuasion. The line between magic and will is... blurred." He sighed, as if burdened by centuries of injustice. "Passive use of such powers is not forbidden. It merely makes them more charming to their victims."

Aria’s lips parted, outrage flickering in her eyes. "Charming?" she repeated bitterly.

A heavy silence settled between them. Aria’s mind spun as she tried to process what she’d heard.

"The only way to free a slave under a noble’s claim," the old vampire continued slowly, "is for the master to die. Their control breaks with their life. But..." He hesitated. "Open killing of a royal or noble carries dire consequences. You know this."

Aria’s heart pounded harder. The only freedom Selira could ever have again would come at the end of Lord Dangrey’s life.

She turned, her cloak swirling softly behind her, preparing to leave—but his voice stopped her just as she reached the door.

"There is one exception," he murmured, barely above a whisper. Aria froze, turning back to him. His eyes, though dim, gleamed faintly red in the low light. "If the noble’s death goes undiscovered... if it appears as though nature, accident, or fate took him"

He leaned slightly forward, his voice lowering to a conspiratorial tone. "Only if discovered."

The implication sank into Aria like a blade. For a long moment, she said nothing. Her gaze hardened, her mind already calculating the meaning behind his words.

She gave a small nod of acknowledgment, turned, and walked out of the library without another word.

"Only if discovered," she whispered under her breath, repeating the words as though sealing them into her heart.

And in that moment, her resolve solidified like steel. One way or another, Lord Dangrey’s reign over her mother’s mind would end. Even if it meant breaking every law written in blood.