Ви Корс
The Mist and the Lightning. Part 10

“You do everything. You are smart. Everything is good,” and Nikto handed her a glass of red wine.

Arel wanted to punish Karina, tie her to a post and whip her with a whip, just as he regularly did with servants. But Nikto ordered not to touch her. For the time being.

Chapter two. News from Vil

Prince Arel looked doubtfully at the plump stack of sheets.

Lis went down into the living room and, seeing the papers in Arel's hands, asked skeptically:

“Has Vil sent a book?”

Arel put aside the message:

“I won't read this,” he said firmly.

“I won't either,” replied Lis. “My tongue has not yet fully healed, and it is difficult for me to speak, let alone read such voluminous texts aloud. Or maybe he's loading you with accounting again? I see there are some numbers.”

“It looks like he sent a full report,” Arel said in confusion.

“That’s what happens when one makes a fool pray to the gods!” Lis grinned.

“Here Vil managed to white a whole book, but there is still no news from the idiot Tol!” Arel said indignantly. “He’s definitely an idiot!”

“Well, don't you know Tol? He will send his report, I'm sure,” Lis reassured him.

“Come on, I'll try to read it,” volunteered Karina, seeing that none of her friends were eager to do this.

Arel readily thrust a sheaf of sheets into her.

She took the first page:

“Sooo… Arel, well, here he describes on a whole page how happy he is that we are alive and well. And how he loves us all. And… he calls you his big brother!”

“Then don't read it,” Arel said. “Look further.”

Karina began to read. Vil described in detail how he arrived at the Castle that ill-fated day and didn’t find anyone in the main hall. How he read Arel's note, how he found the will.

“Pass it,” Arel said quickly. “I don't want to listen to this!”

“And I'm already wondering,” said Lis.

“It's too personal, Lis,” Arel retorted. “It's none of your business.”

Karina dutifully skipped Vil’s outpourings on the topic of brotherly love and moved on to the story of how Vil found Enriki unconscious in the room. Vil described what happened in bright colors, and the friends froze, listening to how he injected water into Enriki’s vein to dilute the concentration of the poison, how he took him to the doctor and how Enriki survived thanks to Vil’s feat and the fact that he was not taken aback at a critical moment.

“And Kors lied to me that Enriki had overdosed,” Arel said quietly.

“I don't think he knew,” Karina tried to protect her father. “Vil writes that Caspar Janti kept everything a secret.”

Then Vil told how he met Zara. And Lis laughed:

“Zara! I remember that stripper whore!”

“Here he writes that they fell in love at first sight,” said Karina. She also remembered Zara, but was not sure what to tell about it.

“I don't want to hear anything about Zara!” Arel said too nervously, according to Karina, and she didn’t understand him. She wanted to answer him:

“Yes, Arel, I don’t want to hear anything about Zara either.” But she said:

“Arel, you tell me to skip everything. What then is the point of reading? How do we get news from the city? There is a lot about Zara and more…”

Then Vil told how Zara helped him and introduced him to very good people. How Morgan Talas began to help him and how they hold the Castle and Upper. And all the time he noted how great he was and how Arel can be proud of him.

At some point, looking up from reading, Karina looked at her friends and, seeing their bored faces, could not stand it, laughed:

“Arel, there are ten pages of layouts: all regulations, payments, income, expenses and accounting. Should I read?”

Arel, who was sitting with his hand on his cheek, shuddered:

“Eh? Of course not! Let it all go to hell! All this shit!”

Nikto held out his hand:

“Give it here, Karina, I'll figure it out. And I'll write Las what to do next.”

“Will you write it yourself?” Arel asked hopefully.

“Myself. Take it easy.”

“Right here, at the end,” said Karina, and her voice trembled:

“The lies about Enriki's death were revealed, and he, his sister Mily, doctor Caspar Janti and other accomplices were arrested and will be brought to trial. This was done by Leonardo, who now took over as Vitor Kors, and we could not do anything…”

“What?” Arel barely uttered, he put his hand on his throat, as if something prevented him from speaking, and looked questioningly at Nikto.

“Are you sure, Nik, that everything is going according to plan?” He asked carefully and with excitement.

And Nikto smiled torturedly:

“Yes.”

“It was easier to pretend to be a lamb, wasn't it, Nik?” Lis said, looking closely at the upset Nikto. “No expectations from you. And now we've put everything on you. And we are waiting for the results. Don't let us down!”

“Don’t be afraid of anything!” Nikto said firmly. “You are just people, and your fear will get you nowhere.”

“Are these the words of a Demon or a human?” Lis asked and smiled as he had not smiled for a long time. And, opening his mouth, showed them the tip of his tongue, which was now bifurcated, like the sting of a snake.

And Nikto turned away.

“Enriki’ss girl, Agatha, turned out to be alive, she served Caspar Janti in the hospital until his arrest, and later was sent to an orphanage in the “Lower City”. Agatha escaped from the shelter and returned to our Castle. Zara likes her a lot and allowed her to pick up a kitten. The kitty has grown up and has now brought three kittens,” Karina read, but, looking up and seeing the expression on their faces, stopped short.

Nikto had studied Vil’s report for a couple of hours and wrote a response to him and Morgan Talas. And Prince Arel was lying on the bed, unable to fall asleep, and now he drank, then smoked, then admired his Nik, then tossed and turned from side to side. Finally, he could not resist:

“Nik?”

“Yes. What? Arel, I'm a little busy, you see. I'll fuck you later. Be patient.”

“I am not talking about that…”

“Come on! And what about then?” Nikto spoke distantly, without taking his eyes off the notes.

“Will you… will you take revenge on Leonardo? He… he… did a lot of harm to me. And Enriki and Mily, and this favorite doctor of yours. So? The one who saved you from death and from whom you studied. Is that so?”

Nikto looked up, looking up from the papers:

“Everyone will get what they deserve,” he said very seriously. “Don't worry, Arel.”

He looked down at the papers again.

And Arel sighed, he lay on the bed and looked at the ceiling. And his face was sad, as if he was remembering or thinking about something bad.

“The devil is perfectly aware of his weakness and impotence. He understands that he has no real power to influence people. That is why he tries to persuade them to cooperate, to assist. Having found a weak point in a person, he tries to influence him in one way or another, and often he succeeds. First of all, the devil wants us to fear him, thinking that he has real power. And if a person falls for this bait, he becomes vulnerable and susceptible to “demonic arrows”, that is, those arrows that the devil and demons shoot into the soul of a person.

Mily looked gratefully at Vil, Zara, Morgan Talas and his friends who stood next to her in the Temple of the Gods.

“How can I thank you?! For saving me from prison and finding laws that made me innocent!”

Vil looked at her with an affectionate smile.

“Mily, don't thank us. Thank our Gods, they saved you!”

“Yes, yes!” Mily warmly supported, folding her hands in a prayer gesture. “I, too, will go to the Temple now, like you, and thank the Gods, and pray to them for the salvation of my precious Enriki!”

She looked with benevolent lust at the preacher, who continued his sermon to the audience.

“The entrance of the devil into the soul of a person is opened, as I said, by magic, witchcraft, drugs, alcoholic addiction. Sexual, mental and other forms of addiction pose a tremendous spiritual danger. We must take care not to be dependent on anything in life, in order to be spiritually and physically as free as possible. A person who controls his mind, his heart, his actions can always resist the devil. The one who turns out to be a slave to some passion or vice becomes unable to repel the onslaught of the devil.”

You may ask: to what extent is the devil able to influence our thought at all? How much does he even know what is happening in our thoughts, in our heart? How competent is he in matters of spiritual life? I have formed the conviction, on the basis of the holy scriptures and my personal observations, that the devil has no direct knowledge of our internal processes. At the same time, being very experienced, he dealt with many people, and worked with each one individually, he uses these skills and recognizes what is going on inside a person by external signs. And looking for the most vulnerable spots. For example, when a person is in pride, it is very easy for the devil to influence him. But the only thing that the devil is capable of is to throw some sinful thought into a person. For example, the thought of even greater power, the crown. And he does this not because the inner world of a person, his heart is open to him, but only focusing on external signs. Having instilled in a person some thoughts, the devil is not able to control what will happen to him next. And if a person knows how to distinguish which thought came from the Gods, and which – from the demons, and reject sinful thoughts at their very appearance, the devil cannot do anything. The devil grows stronger as a sinful or passionate thought enters the human mind. There is a teaching about the gradual, step-by-step penetration of sinful thoughts into the soul of a person. The essence of this teaching is that if a person is on guard of his mind, he can reject this thought, “blow and spit” on it, and the devil will disappear. If a person becomes interested in a thought, begins to consider it, to talk with it, he conquers more and more territories in a person's mind until he embraces his whole nature, soul, heart and body!

“The rich gentlemen are mired in sins, they are allowed everything!” Said Morgan Talas with indignation when they left the Temple of the Gods after the sermon. “Their hearts can't be reached, only strength will help! It's time to overthrow them all and divide the wealth among ordinary people! To build a new order in the Black City!”

“Are you talking about the revolution?” Vil asked carefully.

“Yes,” Morgan Talas agreed with him. “This is my cherished dream!”

Chapter three. The cat

And life in the Estate of Prince Arel went on as usual. Everything had more or less settled down. The militia peasants moved to a renovated barrack near the stables and started building additional barracks. During this time, they already understood a little about military affairs and learned how to fight more professionally. Now they were not just a village rabble.

Karina tried together with everyone, trained every day. She was instructed to carry out rather general physical training, to teach the simplest techniques and links. Whereas Nikto and Arel trained promising Shrad and several more warriors, giving them more complex techniques. Because of this, Karina was a little offended, and it was still very boring to teach them such simple things.

Since she tried to practically exclude the “restorative” from her life and not take it anymore, it was hard for her. Nikto’s medicine – “Lyric” – helped, but still it was not at all what she needed. Karina began, as they called it, “to withdraw with the help of alcohol”, and fell into a new ambush. She began to drink.

In the morning she was bored to go to train the soldiers, but after drinking a couple of glasses of wine or a glass of something stronger, it became much more fun. Life began to play with new colors. Routine activities and duties no longer seemed so dreary. She even became interested. Boredom disappeared, and enthusiasm appeared. It was no longer a pity for the time spent on a tedious business. She began to train with imagination. She arranged various competitions and contests between the soldiers: whoever pulls up more, pushes up more, runs in full uniform. Nikto and Arel didn’t limit her. They saw that she was cheerful and drunk.

Arel called it “to get hammered”.

“Hey, Karina, have you gotten hammered again?” He laughed.

But they didn’t make comments to her, didn’t limit her in alcohol, allowing her to train in any state. As for the militia themselves, they looked at her as at a goddess, a warrior who had descended from heaven, and didn’t understand at all whether she was sober or not.

Lis asked her a couple of times, displeased, whether it was necessary to deal with the peasants in a short bra-top with a bare belly and short tight-fitting shorts. She didn't care. By the evening, she was usually already drunk. And when she was so hammered, they didn’t touch her and didn’t take her to their room to fuck.

In this state, she felt calm and relaxed, she was not afraid. Anxiety and fear let go, and Karina laughed carelessly along with everyone, for example, at the fact that Arel couldn’t cut off evenly a piece of bread for herself, to which he snapped that the prince was not obliged to be able to cut bread. Yes, but the prince knew how to cut people very well.

They also laughed at her because she called them “guys”. Karina said:

“Listen, guys…”

And they began to laugh, for some reason they were very amused.

“I won't play cards with you, guys!”

And they were laughing again.

Despite the fact that Nikto seemed to have given her to Arel, the prince didn’t touch her. With this order, which at first seemed to be so cruel, in fact, Nikto did her a favor. Because Lis was spurred on, and Lis was now with her, as if in spite of Arel and in spite of the order. He began to demonstrate that she was his, not the prince’s.

“You are mine, and I don’t care that Nikto gave you to Arel!” He told her arrogantly.

And Karina thought that Nikto helped her. Knowing how ambitious Lis was, Nikto fueled interest in him. Yes, in a terrible, rude and harsh way, but Nikto knew them and knew how to handle them. And now Lis was jealous that they had given her to Arel, and he wanted her. He fell for this ruse.

Karina practically moved into his room. Although the room was very small and most of it was occupied by a huge uncomfortable closet with all kinds of old stuff. But now Karina was living with Lis, and they spent all the nights together. Lis, as it were, appropriated her, and Karina was happy about it. Although from time to time he yelled at her “fucking scum” and all the stuff like that, and a couple of times, dragging her drunk body into the room, beat the shit out of her. Once at that moment Karina sobered up a little from pain, and therefore remembered how Lis yelled at her and hit her. And the second time, it was only from the new bruises and blood spots on her body that she realized that Lis had beaten her a little in the evening. But he didn’t hit her in the face and didn’t say anything in the morning, he hugged her as usual, caressed and fucked her. And in the morning her conscience began to torment her, a feeling of guilt gnawed at her that she got drunk again. Therefore, she tried to be gentle and careful with Lis. However, not for long, because she again took alcohol to alleviate her physical and moral condition. She was hungover. But Lis definitely loved her, it was somehow visible, and everything between them, on the whole, was not bad and was beginning to improve.

His tongue healed in a couple of weeks, and the dye on his face faded noticeably. However, she was already used to his painted appearance, accustomed to the discordant tinkling of bells in his ears when he fucked her. She really loved him very much! And she was a little offended that in the hierarchy designated by Nikto, Lis occupied only the last place after Nikto himself and his beloved prince. She liked to sleep with him, everything was similar to what happened in the past when they were together and she was his captive. In bed, he didn’t emanate that kind of demonic energy that flowed from Nikto, and he was not as uninhibited, unpredictable and dangerous as Arel. Sex with him was kind of… human, or something. Usual. But it was not bad at all. He never fucked her in the ass, generally rarely put her on all fours, mostly either he was on top or she was on top of him. And then Lis groaned, bending towards her, closed his eyes, coming, and she controlled everything, and she liked it. Smiling, he told her that there were flashes in his eyes for some time after he came. They felt good together.

Nikto didn’t punish Lis anymore, he didn’t force him to paint his face again. They split into pairs: Nikto – Arel, Lis – Karina. And somehow quite calmly they existed in this regime. It was difficult, but things were moving forward.

Arel stood on the back porch of his Estate, and Shrad and Karina were downstairs on the training ground. Arel handed out to Shrad some instructions, asked something. Karina listened inattentively, half-heartedly, with curiosity she looked at the big fat black-and-white cat that lived in the Estate and constantly climbed near the outbuildings. Now he sat down right under the feet of the prince. And Karina waited with bated breath for Arel to take a step forward and stumble over the cat. And the cat didn’t even think about the danger that threatened him, he raised his hind leg and began to slowly and thoroughly lick himself. Karina was literally bursting with laughter, and she was also a little sorry for the stupid cat. Finally, Arel really began to descend from the porch, without looking at his feet, stumbled over the cat, and… and nothing happened. Arel looked at his feet in confusion, and the cat slowly walked away. And he didn't even get a kick! Arel approached them, his face completely calm. Did he even notice the cat?! Maybe not, but he definitely noticed the fact that Karina, smiling, was looking at him. He raised his eyebrows a little in surprise and then smiled back at her. And his smile was really something cool!

He walked over and took her hand and led her towards the barn. And Karina went. And she went with him into the barn like a pretty one, and bent down the way he bent her businesslikely on some kind of workbench, feeling his strong arms, his confident movements. He leaned on her from behind and at some point almost lay down, his long hair tickling her ear and cheek. The workbench staggered, Karina wanted to moan loudly under Arel, but she was afraid that they would hear her in the yard. And then she still couldn’t resist and groaned, because she even more wanted him to understand how good she felt and as if to thank him. Arel, coming, groaned too, she went crazy from such sincere direct groans. The prince was very strange, he loved guys, but he also enjoyed women. He could take pleasure and give it in any interaction. And now he fucked her with pleasure, apparently, understanding for himself her smile in that way. It was like it was an invitation, and he accepted it. And Karina didn't want it to end. She then despised him, then pitied him, then adored him, and it was not clear how to combine all this. And now, he dominated her much more than when he used force. Then Karina resisted inside and was angry. And now she was simply angry with herself – for being a whore, for being wet under the prince, and for betraying Lis. Arel let her go and, zipping up his fly, left as if nothing had happened. And she, all in languor, suddenly decided to conduct a stupid experiment. Apparently, what she had drunk in the morning already affected her actions.

Karina took the cat (he absolutely didn’t resist) and went with him to Lis’ room. Lis was counting something, bending over some report, he turned his head when she entered, and… immediately saw the cat.

And he, to her surprise, laughed and said:

“Well, why the hell did you bring him?”

“Just for no reason,” she replied, not knowing what to say.

Karina put the cat on the floor, he went up to Lis and began to sniff his boots. Lis, reaching out his hand, stroked his head, scratched behind his ear.

He stood up, collecting the papers:

“I have plenty to do.”

“What about the cat?”

“You can leave him here if you want.”

Lis left the room. He drew attention to the cat and even stroked him, but Karina thought that she didn’t regret at all that Lis had left now. And nothing happened between them, she didn't want him.

Continuing her research, Karina again took the cat in her arms and went into the room to Nikto. Nikto, fully assembled, lay on the bed. Was he sleeping? There was a sharp, specific smell of chemistry in the room, and Karina realized that Nikto had switched from the “restorative” to very heavy drugs, which she was terrified of and which she had never taken at all. He raised his head and, narrowing his eyes strongly, looked at her (apparently, the room was too light for him). Karina was at a loss, she put the cat right on the bed, and Nikto noticed him right away and didn't drive him away either, but stroked him. The cat purred.

“He’s good, isn’t he?” Karina asked; in fact, she didn't care anymore. She thought about the creepy stimulants he was using.

“Do you know what beautiful cats I have in the limit?” Nikto said. “And a bunch of other beautiful animals. I'll show you when we get there.”

Karina took the cat in her arms:

“Forgive me for interrupting you, have a rest”.

“No, it's ok. I have to work.” He shook his head. “Are Arel and Lis already downstairs?”

“Yes. And I have just finished training with the peasants. And Lis made an estimate.”

“Okay.”

Nikto got up, and they left with Karina. Now on his chest was always a mask that their father had given him back. And out on the street, Nikto always put it on. Moreover, in the narrow slits for the eyes, through which, in Karina's opinion, it was already impossible to see normally, he additionally inserted black glass, probably so the bright southern sun blinded his converted eyes less.

They returned to the backyard and Karina put the cat on the porch. He raised his paw and began to lick himself. Arel and Lis approached them. And she and Nikto began to discuss some economic issues, Karina didn’t listen to them. She thought that she was horny and wanted a man who was the only one of all three to shit on a cat, and he didn’t even notice him. And she also thought she was stupid and worthy to be fucked in the barn.

Chapter four. News from Tol

They gathered at a common table, although no one wanted this. Lis was distracted from the construction of the barracks and was clearly nervous, because he had a lot of things to do on the construction. Arel looked exhausted, and they knew that Nikto tormented him every night until dawn, and during the day, Arel also did a lot of things, taking care of the servants and soldiers from the Estate and nearby villages. Karina was amazed at his endurance, he was really chosen, not like other people, not a single ordinary person could bear the Demon's “love”, and the prince endured and did routine things during the day: watched the servants and peasants, trained the militia soldiers. Now she respected him. Because she felt completely exhausted herself; the presence of Nikto, who every day developed more and more active activity, literally sucked her out, and this despite the fact that, fortunately, he hardly touched her. He didn’t tug her with constant reports and questions, like he did with Lis, much less mocked her as he did with the prince. Otherwise, she would have simply died, so it seemed to her. But Arel was alive, he was haggard, and bruises appeared on his face, but he walked, sat and was still thinking about solving some endless economic issues. Now Karina understood that being a master and having soldiers, servants and slaves under his command was not at all easy, and it was boring and daily work. But Arel seemed to have been trained to do this, trained to watch and deal with them; of course, he often went too far, using his whip on every occasion, and more often, as it seemed to Karina, for no reason at all. But he worked, took it for granted and did not shirk. And he was not so bad, the discipline was iron. And he didn't complain either. And she respected him more and more every day.

Now he was sincerely delighted with the letter from Tol. Probably, yet, unlike Karina, the prince believed that everything was in order with them and he was living a good life, maybe because he didn’t know another.

“Finally! He has given a birth to a report. The very last! Even Kors has already noted, and Tol, as always, is fucking slow!”

“Not the last, my Ver has not arrived yet,” said Nikto.

“And the soldiers?” Arel started at once. “Does he have soldiers behind?”

Nikto nodded.

“Yes. And more will come.”

“We will win! We will win!” Arel didn’t hide his joy.

“Are they unclean?” Lis asked.

“Half-breeds, unclean, everyone I have, Lis. You know, only you are my people.”

“What's the difference, Lis! They are soldiers! This is power!!!”

“Absolutely none,” agreed Lis with the prince. “I'm glad about it too.”

“You will have an army! Your army, Lis!” Arel said. “Right, Nik?”

Nikto nodded.

“Yes,” he smiled at Lis.

And he was embarrassed:

“Okay, Arel, let's open the envelope.”

Arel opened the envelope and took out a small cardboard with a colored picture painted on it.

They froze. Arel twirled the cardboard rectangle in his hands.

“Tol sent a greeting card?” With some surprise, he asked a little dumbfounded.

“Fucking shit…” Lis drawled. “He's hopeless. It's good that there are Borgan and Coal, otherwise I would have worried about Lower.”

Arel turned the card over and read:

“Hi everyone! You, prince, red-haired half-breed (I have forgiven you, Lis), Karina (I dream to drink with her again) and Nikto.”

Hearing that Tol dreamed of drinking with her, Karina blushed, she hoped that he had forgotten that shameful evening.

“We are great!” continued to read Arel in syllables. “And I invite you to the wedding, I will marry Lila. Come, my dear friends!”

And then the date of the wedding was indicated.

That was all. Arel tossed the message away from him.

“Is he mad? He's getting married! Again, Tol, damn him! We need soldiers! Get your ass up and come here with the army! What an idiot! What a moron?!” Arel clasped his head in his hands.

Lis took the discarded postcard and read it too. He saw nothing new there, turned it over in confusion, and suddenly his face stretched out:

“Arel! This is our street. Exactly, Rat Dead End, where we somehow lost fifty soldiers, remember?”

“Come on?” Arel didn’t believe. “I remember very well, but…”

He began to examine the drawing too:

“Now this place is unrecognizable. Is it a fountain?”

Arel passed the message on. Karina saw that the picture depicted beautiful tall houses, all in patterns and decorations, painted in light pastel colors: pink, yellow, blue. The trees were green. There was a fountain. Smartly dressed people were walking around. It was written in gold lettering at the top: “Congratulations! We wish you happiness!” And at the bottom, smaller – the name of the street.

“It looks like Upper,” said Karina in surprise. “These postcards with the beautiful streets of the Upper Town are sold at fairs and bookstores.”

“This is our Rat Dead End,” Arel said. “It’s on postcards now too.”

“No, Arel, this is no longer Rat Dead End,” said Lis, grinning. “Read the street name. Now it is Asa street.”

And his grin came out bitter.

“What does it mean?” Karina didn’t understand. And jealousy sounded in her voice. “Why was the street named after her?!”

Lis was silent, and Karina turned to Arel:

“What for does Tol forgive him?”

Arel nodded towards Lis:

“Let him tell you.”

“Do you have any pretensions to me now?” Lis said defiantly, he tensed, and his face became angry.

“What are you saying,” Arel said indifferently. “Nobody gives a shit.”

Lis looked at Nikto.

And Nikto smiled at him, he held a postcard in his hands and looked at the smart Lower. And he smiled.

“Let’s write to Tol, let him take as many soldiers as possible and come here for a honeymoon. It will be an unforgettable honeymoon trip, he will love it!” Nikto said.

“I’ll write a letter to my father,” Karina suddenly interrupted their blissful state. “I will explain the situation and ask to help you. To send everyone who stayed with him too.”

Arel looked at her in surprise:

“But…”

“I want to contribute to the common cause. Arel, is this a common cause? I'm on the team, right? And I sit and do nothing!”

“Karina! For the fact that you didn’t give up Lis at the trial and pulled Nik out of the cell, for this I will be grateful to you for the rest of my life!” Arel said quite sincerely, and she felt very good from these words.

“This is Nik…” She hesitated. “It was he who taught me not to give up and bring things to the end.”

Karina thought that even if Lis did something to Asa (and it looked like it was), she didn’t care about it. Surely this aggressive and arrogant creature itself asked for it. And yet, when they were alone in the room, she could not resist and asked:

“So what happened to Asa?”

And Lis looked at her, straight in the eyes, without a shadow of embarrassment or remorse, and answered with a challenge:

“I killed her.”

“Oh! Wow! But why?”

“She talked too much shit.”

“Yes, that's for sure. Well, since Tol has forgiven you, it means that he himself understands that Asa provoked you.”

“Yes. And so it was. She provoked me. I wouldn't do that now. I was just… at that moment acting under the influence of emotion.” Some unspoken bitterness was reflected on his face, and he stubbornly shook his head so sharply that the bells tinkled. “And this bitch… she laughed at me, she brought me out.”

He ran his hands over his face as if tired, and smoothed his hair.

“Dumb unclean! She messed up the banks of the river?” Karina said, repeating Arel’s expression. The prince spoke like this when one of his servants did not follow the order well. “There she goes! How did you kill her?”

“With a knife. In the chest.”