"How much did they pay you to kill me?"
"I-I don't know what you mean… my Lord."
Alea struggled, but under Vanitas Astrea's grip, she found no strength to resist. His sheer power was baffling for a mage.
Though she was a full-fledged maid with no formal training in espionage, her true talent had always aligned with the ways of the Crusade.
However, lacking money, time, or the luxury of proper education, she had never been able to hone those skills. Instead, she had spent over a decade as a maid, serving under the Ainsley Family.
Vanitas tilted his head, watching her with a blank expression.
"I don't know why you're still pretending," he murmured, pulling back his collar.
Black veins pulsed along his skin. The clear sign of poison corroding his body.
"Did you think I wouldn't notice?" he said, his voice almost amused. "You weren't exactly subtle."
"...."
Alea went still. There was no longer any point in pretending.
Her gaze darkened as she met his eyes.
