The torchlight flickered against the iron sconces lining the corridor, but nothing shone brighter than the eagerness in Nemesis's eyes.
Erebus shifted uncomfortably. He was no good with children.
Jafar, ever perceptive, caught the tension and smirked. "You needn't worry, milady. He just doesn't know how to respond to children." He chuckled as he cast a glance at his lord.
Luciana tilted her head. "And with women?"
Jafar sighed theatrically. "Ah, well… yes. The master has never had a woman in his life. He remains indifferent to the female servants, so much so that the demons have mistaken him for a eunuch more than once."
Luciana raised a brow. "A eunuch?"
Jafar paled. "Forgive my loose tongue, milady! But I assure you, such talk is nothing but idle gossip. And as you know, rumors have the power to destroy even the innocent."
Erebus, who had been listening in silence, ignored them both. He reached down and lifted Nemesis by the collar of his shirt. The child gasped but did not resist. With an unreadable expression, Erebus strode toward Luciana and, without a word, placed Nemesis in her arms.
She held the boy close, her heart aching at the confusion in his small face.
Erebus turned to leave but hesitated. He reached out, his fingers brushing a strand of her hair before withdrawing. She flinched slightly, but he merely opened his hand, revealing two blades of grass.
"You had these in your hair," he murmured before letting them fall to the frost-kissed stone floor.
Luciana blinked. "Th-Thank you."
He left without another word.
Mina, who had been waiting nearby, immediately brightened. "Milady, shall I fix your hair again?"
Luciana gave a small laugh. "You enjoy dressing me up, don't you?"
"Of course, milady! Your beauty is unparalleled!"
Jafar groaned. "There she goes again."
Luciana shook her head in amusement, but her smile faded as she noticed Nemesis had fallen unnaturally quiet.
"What's wrong, sweetling?" she asked, brushing his hair from his forehead as she walked toward the courtyard's exit.
The boy hesitated, then spoke in a soft voice. "Dada…"
Luciana's breath caught. "What about Daddy?"
Nemesis looked up at her with wide, searching eyes. "He doesn't like me?"
For a moment, she forgot how to breathe. His words, spoken so clearly—without error—should have brought her joy. Instead, they filled her with sorrow.
She forced a smile. "My child… Daddy is always busy. He's only just met you after three years. It will take time for him to open up to us."
A lie.
Her first lie.
Nemesis was not Erebus's son. Their marriage was a contract, not a love story. She had not birthed this child, yet he had become hers.
Luciana recalled a story she once cherished—a tale of lovers bound by an invisible red thread, destined to find one another. Once, she had believed in such romance. But now…
"What is true love?" she wondered, gazing out a nearby window, her thoughts adrift.
She sighed heavily.
"Milady, you seem… distracted." Mina's voice pulled her back.
Luciana turned to her. "What does my husband do all day?"
Mina blinked. "You mean his daily routine?"
"Yes."
"I… wouldn't know precisely, milady. My brother handles the lord's schedule."
"So Jafar knows everything."
Mina nodded. "Yes, but there is one thing he always complains about…" She hesitated, then added, "He says the master is unpredictable. He never follows the schedule my brother sets for him, and in the end, it's Jafar who manages everything in the citadel."
Luciana exhaled. "He seems like a rough edge."
"Pardon?"
"Nothing," she said, shaking her head.
Nemesis had wandered to a large painting of a winter landscape, staring at it with unusual intensity.
Luciana turned to Mina. "What is the world like outside the Stygian Territory?"
Mina looked startled. "I… don't really know, milady. I've never left these lands. All I've ever seen is snow. My brother, however, often visits the capital. He tells me that flowers bloom there—bright, vibrant colors. Sometimes, there isn't any snow at all, and the air is warm."
Luciana's heart ached.
Mina's longing for such simple things—things Luciana had taken for granted in Amanécer—made her painfully aware of her own privilege.
"You love flowers, don't you?"
Mina nodded enthusiastically. "Yes! They bring color to this frozen world. I even tend to a small garden behind the main fortress…" She trailed off, suddenly looking nervous. "Ah—I apologize for speaking out of turn."
"No," Luciana murmured, "it's a relief."
Mina blinked. "Milady?"
"You are sincere. Cherish that virtue."
"Virtue?" Mina looked puzzled.
Luciana smiled wistfully. "You'll understand someday."
She turned to the window. The world outside was stark and lifeless, buried under an endless blanket of snow. The skeletal trees reached toward the sky like withered hands, drained of all warmth.
A sound—a soft giggle—echoed in the room.
Luciana stiffened. She glanced around, searching for its source.
Nemesis was curled up on the floor, resting atop Leo's thick fur. The great wolf lay still, unbothered by the child using him as a pillow. Occasionally, the beast shifted, causing Nemesis to slide slightly, but the boy remained peacefully asleep.
Luciana turned to Mina. "Does anyone else live on the third floor?"
Mina hesitated. "No, milady. Only the lord has access to the third and fourth floors. No one else may enter, except for his attendants—and even then, only when summoned."
Strange.
Then why do I keep hearing voices?
Shaking the thought away, she asked, "Mina, could you bring me a sewing kit and a piece of plain cloth?"
Mina paused. "I believe there are some supplies left in the servants' quarters. I'll fetch them."
She turned toward the door but suddenly stopped, standing still as though in deep thought.
Luciana called out. "Mina?"
"Milady… your new garments arrived today." Mina's voice brightened. "Please wait! I'll bring them to you—they're exactly the designs you requested!"
Before Luciana could protest, Mina had darted out of the room.
Luciana's mind reeled.
New clothes?
She remembered Jafar told her the same thing about clothes that Erebus ordered for her and Nemesis.