February 25th, 2025
Tuesday; early evening
Entering the Cornerstone Pub, Ethan felt a distinct lack of ease and comfort this place was ordinarily able to provide for him.
Normally, the soothing and homely aura of this quaint little bar was enough to dismiss all of his mundane worries as Ethan would swagger in for a pint of beer, with the inviting barman being friendly in a non-committal way and the rest of the patrons displaying that perfect lack of judgment such places were known for. Therefore, this was just the spot to just chill for half an hour after a busy day at work; and a perfect place to take an occasional but needed break from his family. Even if you truly love a person, sometimes one needs to spend some time apart - and that applies even to your own wife and child, as well.
Today, however, that distinct aura of peace and relaxation was strikingly absent from the pub and Ethan couldn't help but swallow in fright as he entered the premises.
To an uninitiated person who happened to frequent this pub, nothing would appear out of place, except that maybe the place was a little more crowded than usual. That theoretical person would still waddle straight to the counter, none the wiser about the peculiarities of the patrons today. Of course, Ethan was not as blind to the faces that hid behind the carefree masks here today.
They might look just like random, every-day people with their joyful smiles as they cracked jokes and guzzled down lightly-alcoholic beverages, but Ethan knew them to be hardened killers, specialized on exterminating the so-called Bio-Organic Weapons. The notorious Hound Wolf Squad in full.
There were the inseparable trio Charlie Graham, John Perlman and Dion Wilson, drinking beer as they watched some football match, with an occasional sarcastic remark left loose that implied that they believed they could play better than the people on screen. Perfectly normal banter, among the perfectly normal-looking, if a bit on the athletic side guys. Yet Ethan couldn't help but shudder as he tried to imagine just how many corpses the three of them left in their wake. Not all of them were mindless monsters that lacked sentience, either. In their world, some of the monsters wore crisp business suits or pristine lab coats - they were slain just the same by these seemingly chill guys.
Then there was the more soft-spoken duo - Rolando Elba and Emily Berkhoof. While they kicked their own share of ass, these two were more known for planning, reconnaissance and mission control. That was reflected in the way they were conducting themselves, attracting little attention as they slowly sipped on their drinks and spoke to one another in barely audible tones. They might not have been directly responsible for a bodycount as formidable as the trio next to them, but they were just as aware that their actions would lead to a bloody resolution.
Of course, even these five battle-hardened operatives paled in comparison to the lonely figure of their captain, who sat by himself on a chair next to the counter. Chris Redfield was a legend and the number of monsters he put into the ground himself was incalculable.
On his best days, when Ethan would meet with the Hound Wolf Squad like that, he would not feel any particular discomfort due to their shared past. His own hands were more than a little bloodied, so he couldn't fault them for their murderous occupations - in fact, Ethan was grateful that men and women like these existed, as they helped keep the world save from terrors too horrible to contemplate.
Today, however, he felt slight moisture exuding through his skin, causing his palms to become a little sweaty as he nervously made his way in to join them.
When Dion Wilson noticed him and rushed to offer a handshake and a genuine smile of friendship, Ethan responded only with a sheepish smile of his own, as well as with a half-hearted shake. When the rest regarded him with friendly nods, Ethan felt mounting dread as a single thought process took dominion over all else.
What will these cold-blooded professionals think of me if they knew I harbored a B.O.W. of my own?
For Daniela was a B.O.W. - a mortal enemy for the Hound Wolf Squad. Anyone who created or traded bioweaponry would inevitably end up on their shit-list one day - a place nobody wanted to end up on.
Would they understand that Daniela was different? Would they care? Or would she become just another monster for them to dispatch in cold blood, with Ethan himself becoming a target due to his association with her? Harboring a known bioterrorist was a very serious crime nowadays; Ethan doubted that an actual bioweapon - or, at least, she would be seen by such - constituted a lesser offense.
Ethan could not afford to find out any of that - for both of their sake. Daniela had to remain a secret, no matter what. Despite his ongoing friendship with Chris, Ethan realized that he would rather have Mia find out about Daniela than the humorless Captain who now treated him to a chilling gaze.
"Hey, Ethan. Come, join me." Chris spoke in a neutral tone as he patted the chair next to him.
With some reluctance, Ethan accepted the invitation, while also quickly exchanging a friendly greeting with the ever-present barman Ethan knew and ordering a beer. While waiting for his order, Ethan took a moment to inspect Chris' haggard yet imposing features.
Chris did not appear to look particularly happy today, but Ethan knew better than to pay that any mind. It was likely that the captain simply had a lot on his mind right now, and had no energy left for displays of friendly manners,
The black bags under Chris' eyes certainly lent credence to that theory and Ethan winced as he further took in Chris' pale complexion and tired expression. He was definitely not looking like he was having the time of his life right now.
"You look like shit, Chris. What's going on?" Giving a second glance-over to the rest of the Hound Wolves, Ethan realized that his underlings looked as beat up as their captain.
In turn, Chris just sighed as he took a swig from his pint. "A bit more work than usual lately." Ethan mirrored his gesture as his own beer was delivered with perfect timing; though he did not forget to regard the bartender with a grateful nod. The cool beverage washed down his parched throat, providing a measure of relief to his frayed nerves.
Nevertheless, the casual way with which Chris referred to their 'work' sent chills running down Ethan's spine. Before Ethan could respond, however, Chris passed over a bundle of small bags over, with a genuine smile of affection finally lighting up his otherwise grim expression. "Rose should love these."
"She loves everything she gets from you, Chris." Ethan felt more at ease as he accepted the bundle of confectionery goods and souvenirs, with a soft smile also starting to play on his lips. Chris and Rose truly had a great chemistry together, with even this harsh and joyless man adopting a far more easy-going and open persona when in immediate proximity to the innocent child. Sometimes Ethan couldn't help but muse that Chris would've made a great father-like figure to Rose if he himself never made it out of that Romanian valley.
Chris huffed in amusement, and it marveled Ethan to see the stoic man visibly relaxing merely from having Rose mentioned. "Why don't you come over for a visit?"
The dark cloud came back to hover over Chris at the suggestion from Ethan. "Maybe next time," the man grumbled unhappily before taking another sip from his beer. "We are in transit. A couple of hours of downtime since our flight is getting refueled, as well as some basic maintenance done on it, but then off we go again." Chris motioned with his two fingers in some random direction.
"That's unfortunate," Ethan responded, trying his best to sound believable while suppressing a sigh of relief from breaking through. The notion that they would not be snooping around while Daniela was living in the house on his very street was quite liberating. "I appreciate you going out of your way to get this stuff for Rose, Chris."
Chris waved him off, as if saying 'it's nothing', while gazing into his pint of beer, as if he tried to find the meaning to life on the bottom of that glass. A couple of moments of silence passed, but then the captain averted his gaze from his glass to stare to the side, instead. "Say, do you remember the Duke?"
The question left Chris' mouth in a casual way, yet Ethan still felt the raw sensation of fear thrashing in his gut. He did his best to conceal that, as he answered, "Hard to forget that one."
A humorless chuckle escaped Chris' lips. "Indeed." The man fumbled a bit with his glass, uncertain if he should continue. Ultimately, he decided to do so after a moment of contemplation. "I thought you might be interested to know that a person who strongly resembles our mutual acquaintance was seen not so far away from here, in the company of a known associate of Los Iluminados, no less."
Ethan wetted his lips, nervous for reasons Chris likely didn't expect. He read somewhere that the dangerous cult by the name of Los Iluminados was growing in influence and power in the last years, but truthfully, as long as they contained their activities to rural and mountainous areas as they were known to, he didn't care all that much about them. Moreover, the implication that the Duke was selling stuff to them was hardly at all surprising, considering how undiscerning the merchant was in his choice of clientele. What was highly concerning for Ethan, however, that Chris apparently took interest in the Duke himself, and that there was a potential trail that could eventually connect Daniela to the obese merchant. "Huh… really? Didn't expect that he would travel so far from Romania…"
"Oh, he travels far and wide, trust me on that one." Chris noted, thankfully blind to Ethan's worries.
In turn, Ethan wasn't particularly surprised to hear that - not with him knowing that it was the Duke who was responsible for smuggling Daniela out of Romania and into Valencia. If he had the resources to safely transport a cold-sensitive vampire during the winter through the Carpathian mountains, he likely had a wide net of international contacts. Still, Ethan had to play the part of a clueless civilian for once. "Shit, really?" Ethan didn't sound that convincing even to himself, but it didn't appear that Chris caught onto him, as the large man merely finished his glass, before ordering another. A couple moments of silence ensued, but those didn't last long as Ethan's phone suddenly gave a ring from his pocket.
As Ethan's eyes fell upon the caller's identity, they widened almost to a comical degree.
"Excuse me…" the man muttered to Chris, before standing up from the stool and moving towards an unoccupied corner of the bar which offered a modicum of privacy.
He felt his anxiety rising, through the sweat that beaded at his palms as well as from an unpleasant tingle in the back of his throat. The man gave the caller ID one more look, as if to make sure he wasn't seeing things.
Mia
The three lettered name stared back at him unerringly, as if condemning him for his many transgressions.
Ethan truly didn't expect her to call him. They might have communicated through simple messages almost on a daily basis, but Mia would always claim that her trips took her to the far corners of the world that failed to deliver a stable connection that was required for an actual phone call.
It was always easy to respond to text messages. Ethan had no issues yesterday, when before going to bed he had casually replied to Mia's SMS that everything was going well before responding with an inquiry about her own well-being. She had written that all was well on her side, adding that she missed him, and that was that. There was no danger in simple text, no threat of exposure of his feelings and anxieties.
A phone call was a whole different beast to tackle. Could he trust his brain to produce coherent responses in real time without revealing compromising information? Could he trust his voice to hide his troubling thoughts?
Nervously swallowing, Ethan finally amassed enough courage to press accept. "Mia! What a pleasant surprise!" It was not entirely untruthful, either. While Ethan sensed a spark of something bursting into existence between himself and Daniela, he still loved his own wife, Mia Winters. He was anxious about her learning about everything that transpired during her absence, but a part of him still missed her and was eager to hear from her.
Hearing his wife's voice sent all kinds of conflicting thoughts rushing through his brain."Hi, honey." Mia spoke with a genuine affection, immediately making guilt prick at Ethan's heart as he recalled yesterday's reading session that got just a tad intimate. What would Mia think if she learnt about it?
"We got a reasonably good signal here, so I realized that it was my chance to finally talk with my husband, who must be so terribly lonely!" Mia continued in a chirpy tone, utterly ignorant of the inner turmoil she unleashed upon her poor partner. He was not nearly as lonely as she thought.
Ethan did his best to remain unperturbed. "I see… that's wonderful! How are you doing, love?"
"Excellent!" Mia appeared truly happy as she blurted out that word, "We've achieved some marvelous things here…" it seemed like she wanted to say more, but decided against it at the last moment, "but enough about my work! How are you and my beautiful little baby doing?"
Ethan could try and say that everything was going in the same mundane way it always did - that nothing happened and Ethan and Rose were both content with their lot; though they naturally missed their respective wife and mother. But things did happen that fell outside the norm - except Ethan saw no conceivable way to tell about them during a phone call. Just what could he say to start such a conversation?
'Yeah, everything is just peachy. Some vampire bug-girl that helped me save Rose four years ago suddenly showed up and confessed her undying love for me. We went to the zoo together with Rose and her. Oh, and she also slept with me - in our bed.'
Ethan felt a cold chill of dread creeping up his spine from all the implications of infidelity that flashed across his mind. He might not have physically cheated on his wife, but his actions would surely fall into the emotional cheating category - God knows he enjoyed Daniela's comforting touch and gentle voice far too much for their relationship to be purely platonic.
Realizing that the silence dragged on for a moment or two too long, Ethan finally forced himself to let out a meek-sounding response after nervously clearing his throat to buy himself a couple of more moments.
"Good… yeah, we are doing good, hon." A pedant at the back of his mind tried to remind Ethan that he was supposed to say 'well' rather than 'good' in such a context, but it was hopelessly muffled by the emotional conflict that raged at the forefront of Ethan's brain.
"Good? That's good then…" Mia responded, with a hint of suspicion creeping into her voice.
Ethan was a shitty liar, while Mia was a keen and perceptive person - two facts Ethan knew well. His mind immediately started to draw up various scenarios which could likely go through Mia's own mind now as she clearly saw through his pitiful answer. "Rose met a new friend in our neighborhood." The man blurted out without thinking, hoping to conceal his previous uncertainty.
"Oh yeah? That's nice, but I do hope you're keeping an eye on her, Ethan." Mia spoke with motherly overbearance; her previous notes of suspicion quickly forgotten - it seemed like Ethan's ploy worked.
"Of course hon. Always." It goes without saying that both parents knew that Rose was a very special girl and that some people would indubiously want to use her for their own purposes, if her true nature ever became public knowledge. Some things may have changed over the course of their lengthy relationship, but their undying love for their daughter would remain for as long as they lived - that much was beyond the shadow of a doubt for both Ethan and Mia.
Their conversation continued for several more minutes, consisting mostly of a casual small talk, with Ethan finding himself more comfortable with it as he forced the thoughts of Daniela down for now. They spoke about Rose, the babysitter Laura's potential access to the keys to their house, as well as about their trip to the zoo, with Daniela naturally omitted. Nothing incriminating was said, just the two partners catching up after not seeing one another for several days.
Eventually, however, Mia appeared to be eager to end the call. "It was lovely to hear your voice, dear, but I am afraid I gotta run now."
"Duty calls, huh? Any idea when you're coming back?" Ethan inquired, naturally curious about that last thing.
Mia squeaked in slight annoyance. "No idea. You know how it is. Probably at least a week more."
Ethan sighed. Mia's work trips always were like this - with no exact schedule or precise information. "I see."
"Don't be grumpy now." Mia immediately chided him. "I'll have a special gift for you once I come back." Someone on Mia's side yelled something in a language Ethan wasn't familiar with. "Sorry, gotta go now, hon. Give Rose a huge hug and a kiss from me, would you? Love you!"
Before Ethan could even respond, Mia terminated the call. "Love you too…"
As he returned to his stool, Ethan briefly wondered why he was fine with Mia's current place of employment. Sure, the money was good, but all this cloak and dagger stuff never sat well with him.
"I take it Mia is not back from her work trip yet?" Chris somehow sounded both amused and combative as he made the observation, while looking at his friend without turning his head.
"Nah."
"Hmm…" Chris appeared pensive as he processed Ethan's simple response, before addressing the lone father once more. "Out of curiosity, do you know where she is right now?"
Ethan didn't. Mia had explained that her job involved unusual outreach programs that assisted isolated settlement in exchange for the limited rights to their lands and resources, sometimes manpower. Due to - as she had called it - fierce competition in this particular area - her current whereabouts was a commercial secret, which she was contractually obligated to remain silent about - even to her own family.
Chris also knew that, that's why Ethan allowed the notes of annoyance to creep into his voice, "You know I don't, Chris." As a credit to his own perception, Ethan realized that every Hound Wolf in the bar quieted down, as if awaiting his response to the Captain's question, only to return to their previous activities once Ethan provided the answer. In this instance of time, Ethan felt like never before that some things were being kept away from him, maybe perhaps now he had a frame of reference in his own forbidden relationship with Daniela, helping him open his eyes just a bit. His friends, his family and himself - they were all stuck in a mire of secrets - at least that's what his suddenly paranoidal mind rationalized. The full truth was furtive - for all parties involved.
Giving him a non-committing grunt in response, Chris finished his second beer, before taking a glance at his wrist watch. Some would consider this as drinking on the job, but Hound Wolves were quite independent and reliable - all of them naturally knew how to handle their alcohol.
"Alright, boys and girls. We got a plane to catch." The large man spoke out as he stood up from his stool, with his five underlings grumbling in annoyance but, following his lead, started preparing for their departure.
Standing up from his own seat, Ethan turned to regard the Captain. Exchanging a manly handshake, the two men were about to go their separate ways, though not before Chris bid him an earnest-sounding farewell, "It was good to see you, Ethan."
"Likewise, Chris. Keep safe."
Chris smirked, but that expression of joy was short lived as he gave Ethan one last, serious look. "You too, Ethan. Watch your six."
That was what Chris often said, so normally Ethan wouldn't pay it much mind, though this time that grim saying was accompanied by a joyless expression that clearly meant business. Ethan felt goosebumps appearing all across his skin. "Sure. I'll do that."
Seeing that Ethan got his message, the gruff captain gave the smaller man a hearty slap on his shoulder before departing, with the rest of the Hound Wolf squad bidding their own farewells to Ethan and following their leader to the exit.
As he was left with his beer, the man returned back to the counter to finish it, while feeling an unspecified sensation of dread rampaging across his system, causing inexplicable anxiety to lay claim to his thoughts. Funnily, even though it was these six brave operatives who were departing to face monstrous horrors on behalf of humanity, it was Ethan who felt afraid and uncertain.
The weight of all the half-truths and evasive answers he had delivered today coalesced to become yet another burden he would have to bear. To conceal the truth from his friend and his wife was not something Ethan did lightly, but it was something that had to be done - at least for now. Eventually, he knew that he would have to come clean, at the very least with Mia.
More than that even, the man's sixth sense roiled throughout his body. There was no mistaking the dark clouds looming somewhere on the horizon. The threat was subtle, but Ethan did not live this long to disregard his gut feelings. Danger was out there, and it was coming his way. Its nature or shape was unknown to him, as was its time of arrival, but in that moment Ethan was certain that it would arrive at his doorstep eventually. He could only hope that he would be ready when that moment came… though could anyone ever be ready for something like that?
Finishing his beer, making sure to properly appreciate the last drops of the by-now lukewarm drink, Ethan bid the bartender a curt farewell and departed for the comforting confines of his house. In truth, there was a certain person who could also offer the comfort Ethan so desired at this moment; she could certainly ease his troubled mind - but Ethan would not dare to go to her house tonight, not with his weakened resolve that could easily see the bounds of all that was proper shattered for good.
No, for tonight Ethan was not going to see Daniela Dimitrescu, even though her very essence radiated comfort and her earnest smile offered solace. For tonight, the troubled man was determined to find the strength to collect himself on his own.
Ultimately, however, despite his inner turmoil and the uncertainty that plagued his troubled mind, the man was as resolute as always in one thing. Regardless of his actual readiness to face the vague threat, Ethan Winters was determined as always to protect those closest to him, whatever came their way. Perhaps unsurprisingly, that list of people closest to his heart saw a new addition in the face of the redhead that so frequently visited his thoughts.
While Ethan was not looking for trouble, if B.S.A.A. or anyone else would come for Daniela to cause her harm, they would have to go through him first. That was Ethan Winters' unspoken promise, and he would make sure that Daniela remained safe during her stay in Valencia. He owed her that much.
I hate Winter.
Much like she was normally known to do during the colder seasons that precluded excursions outside the castle, Cassandra spent her days aimlessly roaming the poorly-lit halls of her home.
Click click click…
Today was no exception, and the sound of sharp heels clicking against the stone floor resonated across the halls as the middle Dimitrescu daughter stalked through them; a figurative stormy cloud trailing right overhead the tall brunette. The foul mood Cassandra was infamous for during the cold seasons that confined her to the castle grounds was amplified even further by the string of recent events, etching a permanent scowl onto her admittedly pretty face. Her mind was a maelstrom of dark thoughts that would not relent even for a second. She hasn't had a restful sleep for two weeks.
It had been a week since Daniela vanished, leaving nothing but a scrap of paper saying that 'she would no longer be a burden on the family,' but the trouble started even before that.
The notion that it was all her fault was there from the inception in Cassandra's mind, but these unbearably long two weeks saw it fester and grow until it became an avalanche of crushing guilt that threatened to bury her underneath the enormous mountain of remorse the cruel sibling erected over her long life.
Of course, like she always tended to, Cassandra stubbornly refused to openly acknowledge her own shortcomings, instead desperately shifting the blame onto others.
Everything was good and proper until that vile man-thing Winters showed up to crash their festival of life, four years ago. That point marked the start of a downward spiral for Cassandra Dimitrescu's entire existence. She tried to blame him for everything bad that happened to her ever since.
As soon as the name of that horrid little man flashed across her mind, the old wounds he had managed to inflict upon her cold-weakened body flared up. It took months for her to recover from them, confining her to her bed; but even now, four years later, they have not fully healed, occasionally reminding the fierce sibling about her humiliating defeat with brief bursts of pain. The scars would remain forever - a permanent mark of her inadequacy, etched onto her pale flesh. Each time she would gaze at herself in the mirror, she would remember her dreadful failure.
For these affronts alone Cassandra would never forgive the man-thing Winters, though in truth, physical pain he inflicted upon her was responsible for the smallest of the grudges she held against him.
She could live with the pain, with the scars and even with the humiliation, but she could not live without a purpose. The man-thing Winters stole the very meaning behind her existence during his brief foray into their castle.
For so many decades, Cassandra Dimitrescu found purpose in two things: protecting her family and serving as Mother Miranda's chief jailor.
The haughty priestess had many people she wanted confined: the kidnapped humans that showed promise for her experiments, the trespassers upon her domain and even an occasional villager who made a fatal mistake of speaking against her rule in public - where a devout follower of Miranda would promptly rush to report him or her. All of these became her unwitting test subjects, but since Miranda's personal detainment facilities had been quite lacking, the vast majority of captives would naturally be rerouted towards the ever-welcoming Dimitrescu Family Dungeons.
Cassandra was the one who had been in charge of the captives for as long as they stayed under the Dimitrescu roof, and she had not been gentle or kind. By the time Miranda would send her people to retrieve a captive from Cassandra's cruel care, they would eagerly jump onto Miranda's operating table themselves if it meant getting away from the sadistic brunette. Even if Miranda had rarely lowered herself to addressing Cassandra directly, the middle Dimitrescu child had an inkling that the late priestess had appreciated her efforts in subduing the captives and preparing them for their unenviable fates as test subjects for the most horrifying of experiments.
The man-thing Winters made sure to put a permanent stop to that nice little arrangement by ending the priestess. True, Cassandra cared little about Miranda herself, but she could not just fill the sudden void that appeared in her life. Especially not with how even her primary purpose was put under question, considering that the man-thing Winters made her flee their encounter with her tail between her legs.
Over the years that passed since then, Cassandra had replayed that moment a great many times in her mind. She made excuses to herself, naturally. Excuses such as that she simply did not take the man-thing seriously and therefore was taken by surprise by his fierce resistance. Were she to go all out on him from the very start, surely he would have stood no chance against her onslaught. Just as she made such excuses, Cassandra understood that's all they were - mere excuses that could not hope to contest the cold harsh fact. A cold harsh fact that she had been thoroughly bested by the man-thing Winters; that she had escaped death by a hairbreadth and that only Daniela's ill-conceived pact prevented the man-thing from rampaging further across their castle.
With all that in mind - indeed, not merely in mind, but actively gnawing upon her very psyche - Cassandra's capacity to fulfill the role of the protector of the family was put under serious question, making her perpetually gloomy and incensed. Alcina's occasional disapproving glances and off-hand remarks did little to curtail Cassandra's growing sense of inadequacy, but again - Cassandra blamed the man-thing Winters for losing favor with her mother.
Even now, four years later, the embers of rage burned bright and hot in Cassandra's heart whenever she recalled that vile man-thing's hated name. If only fate was kind enough to let us cross paths once again. I would make him beg for death. I would put him through ten times as much agony as he put me through. Flay his skin… shatter his fingers, pluck out his eyes and teeth, pull out his guts… feed him his man-thing!
A cruel giggle left Cassandra's lips, followed by a maniacal half-chuckle, as she mused upon all the horror she would visit upon the man-thing Winters, though her amusement was as hollow and as short-lived as usual, since the overarching gloom was swift to reclaim its due once again.
'Blame him all you want, you know It's all your fault.'
The disembodied voice of Daniela had no source, but it irked Cassandra just the same. "Shut up!" Yelling out at nobody in particular - since nobody was around, Cassandra smashed her gloved fist against the nearby stone wall. The unyielding stone won in this brief exchange, making Cassandra hiss in mild pain as her knuckles protested her treatment of them with a burst of pain. Taking a moment to recover from her episode, the middle sibling proceeded on her trek through her vast abode.
Aimless, Cassandra continued prowling the halls of her home of so many years, every notch and cranny intrinsically known to her. A maid - one of the new ones, was cleaning a window in a corridor that would eventually lead to the library. As a person from a tiny village from beyond their isolated valley, this maid would've been dubbed an 'outsider' four years ago. And, if Miranda's rules were still in play - fated to be confined in their dungeons until Miranda or her cultists would come to pick her up, so she would never be seen again. Of course, Miranda's rules no longer mattered.
With the High Priestess' demise and the Village's destruction, time finally started to move forward for the remaining inhabitants of the valley. Heisenberg left soon after Miranda's death, claiming that there was nothing left for him here. Moreau, after mourning his beloved mother for an appropriate amount of time, surprisingly bounced back and announced that he would be following Karl into that brave new world. Donna remained in her house by the waterfall to this very day, leading a solitary and tedious existence. Finally, the Dimitrescu family themselves had unanimously, though with some grumbling from Daniela and Cassandra alike, opted to remain in their ancestral castle for the time being. Their isolated abode offered safety in this world filled with humans that would no doubt wish to do them harm, so until a better option would present itself, it would be wise to continue living a comfortable, if somewhat limiting, existence within its walls.
Of course, the Duke also stuck around to continue providing his services for the two remaining Lords, while pursuing his own enigmatic goals, no doubt.
Since the Dimitrescu family purged their staff on Miranda's orders - a demand that Alcina had obeyed only begrudgingly - the replacement had to be solicited from the wily merchant. It was no small feat even for that resourceful man, as he had to send his people all over the nearby communities to search for potential volunteers - young, poorly-educated village women with no real prospects, preferably from abusive households. For many months, the Dimitrescu family had only the four of themselves to maintain their impressive castle, and in that time a measure of respect for the humble work of the lower class was born in their noble hearts.
With their existing supply of blood being enough to last them a century and a simple maid suddenly becoming a treasured and extremely hard to replace resource, Alcina had decried that only the most serious affront to their family by the new members of their staff would be punished with death. Most mild-to-moderate shortcomings were punished by a humble lash nowadays, though the Dimitrescu family still demanded unquestioning respect from the lowborn servants - the maids' work might be important for maintaining the household and the Dimitrescu woman enjoyed having their needs catered to, but that didn't mean that the staff was their equals. Bela was very thorough in drilling their new maids in that particular subject - an honest mistake might be forgiven, but they would have only themselves to blame if they dared to talk back to their new mistresses or otherwise disrespect them.
Click click click…
The noise Cassandra's heels made against the stone floor immediately made the maid tense up and straighten her back - a very familiar reaction to Cassandra, which she had used to enjoy. Back then, Cassandra drank deeply upon the fear of the inferior humans, engorging herself on that feeling of domination she possessed over them. Power was a drug as potent as blood for her… or had been…
Now, that very same fear was more akin to a single drop of gas falling at the bottom of an empty tank - far too impotent to produce any reaction beyond mild annoyance.
Moreover, with a start, Cassandra realized that she had grown to hate this very sound herself. She could not stand this goddamn clicking anymore. In light of her continued failings, the notions of her supposed power or dominance made her want to vomit. She was pathetic - perhaps even more pathetic than this lowborn human wretch - at least the maid did her duty with diligence; she served her purpose. What purpose did Cassandra serve? She could not answer that question and that made waves of frustration rumble in her stomach.
Blind to Cassandra's inner conflict, the maid - a freckled little thing by the name of Gabriela, turned around to respectfully greet the passing noblewoman, after giving a small bow. "Good evening, Miss Cassandra." The fright was unmistakable in the maid's voice and expression, but she did her best to hide it, nevertheless. Cassandra's unraveling mind was something the brunette was unable to fully hide from the human staff, as her occasional fits of mad laughter would be spontaneously replaced by grievous sobbing.
In turn, Cassandra didn't care for the maid's manners or composure in this particular instance, nor did she care if the servant thought her insane. A spontaneous craving for a certain something overridden every other desire in her mind. She had to get rid of that fucking clicking. "Take off your shoes."
Gabriela ceased her work completely and stared at one of the mistresses' daughters, confused and scared. "I am sorry, Miss Cassandra?"
That teetered on the edge of an acceptable response from a servant to her master. Cassandra grit her teeth as she repeated, more forcefully this time, "Take off your shoes, now." The threat was obvious; the maid gulped in fright. Thinking better than to argue with the nefarious brunette, Gabriela swiftly nodded and knelt to untie the laces on her simple leather shoes.
Seeing the maid submit to her will gave Cassandra a ghost of satisfaction, though that feeling was quick to evaporate, giving way to apathetic indifference. Still, she was glad to at least rid herself of that annoying noise and, without hesitation, forcefully kicked off her high-heeled shoes, disregarding the expensive footwear. Not asking for permission from their owner, Cassandra quickly put on the maid's shoes after roughly grabbing them from the girl's unsteady hands.
Expressing no gratitude and sparing no further glance nor comment towards the maid, Cassandra swerved around and marched off in her new footwear. It was not entirely comfortable since Gabriela's feet were likely a size smaller than her own, but it was absolutely more preferable than to continue listening to that cursed clicking.
Walking away from the likely stupefied maid, Cassandra briefly wondered if Gabriela would be brave enough to put on her heels or whether she would continue working barefoot, though that particular train of thought was swiftly dismissed as she approached the library.
The last rays of the fading sun, piercing through the closed skylight, provided the place with an eerie illumination. No candles were lit, and the books were slowly but steadily gathering dust, as no one was left to care enough to attend to them.
'Happy now?'
Daniela's absence did more than any of them could've ever expected. Now that she was gone, it was painfully obvious that it was the redhead that was the true heart of their family. Her little jokes, annoying pranks, silly stories and carefree giggling all seemed irrelevant in the grand scheme of things, yet now that they were bereft of them, it became apparent that they had been taking something they should've treasured for granted. Without Daniela and her little antics, the whole Castle Dimitrescu was left lifeless, as if every speck of joy was sucked out of it. How long would it take for holes in their hearts to heal; would that ever happen?
'You wanted me gone, didn't you?'
There were no laughs or smiles in their home anymore, with Alcina and Bela going on about their business with forlorn expressions, Cassandra roaming around purposeless and even the human servants appearing somber.
"I didn't mean it…" The brunette whispered to the specter of her vanished sister.
As Cassandra slowly entered the library, she could not help but recall the events that lead to that fateful confrontation she had with her own little sister. As she did so, she could help but curse the thrice-damned humans once again. 'That's right. Blame the humans.' The unspoken mockery that was conjured by her own treacherous mind made Cassandra grit her teeth, but she still stuck to her guns.
After all, it wasn't just the new maids who started to enter their valley after Miranda's demise. Bands of daredevils, hearing rumors about forgotten treasures and ancient riches would sometimes come their way. Previously, with Miranda in charge and her lycans roaming the perimeter and the cultists belligerent to any outsider who would make it that far, all these treasure hunters would have found here was death. Now, however, the majority of the lycans were wiped out, as were the villagers, so nothing but the dark reputation stopped the outsiders from trying their luck here.
Over the last four years, many such humans came to search for glittering jewels or ancient coins in the depopulated valley. While the village itself was a desolated ruin due to some boulder-punching asshole (that's precisely how Cassandra's uncle referred to the culprit, not forgetting to bemoan his beloved factory's fate as he had done so) detonating a powerful explosive device right underneath it, the mostly-intact surrounding areas had a surprising amount of plunder, ripe for the taking.
The many 'treasures' accumulated over the decades by hoarding villagers who sought to better hide their valuables in the surrounding hills were supplemented by the shiny trinkets looted by the thieving lycans; though the region also hid within truly precious items of ancient make - those were quite rare, however. All in all, the forgotten valley held many gifts for those who dared to seek them, with many perils to go along with them. To the remaining sane natives' annoyance, the new arrivals were not dissuaded by the latter.
A couple of men loyal to the Duke, who performed their own enigmatic activities within the semi-collapsed caves that once housed the Black God, did not interfere with the newly-arriving fortune seekers, though they did warn them that nothing but death and misery would await them in the menacing castle that dominated the landscape. Likewise, the Dimitrescu family did not concern itself with an occasional band of ragtag humans prowling through the miserable ruins, though true to the Duke's agents warnings, any human that would be foolish enough to intrude upon the castle's grounds would soon find himself fashioned into a new scarecrow that would act as a lesson to the rest of the lowlifes. Cassandra made sure of that. 'If only Mother would praise me once…'
What was far more troubling to Bela and Alcina, however, was the fact that Daniela also had developed an inexplicable interest in collecting the hidden treasures of the forbidden valley, and would frequently sneak out to search for some herself, when the weather was permitting, of course. Naturally, Alcina condemned such uncouth behavior with harshest of words and even punishments, but it is quite hard to confine a sentient swarm of bugs to a physical location, so Daniela kept sneaking out, while wordlessly accepting punishments whenever she would be found out.
The true trouble started about six months ago, when Daniela - who had previously avoided all the humans altogether - came in contact with a particularly colorful individual. She was a striking and charismatic woman by the name of Camelia, immediately appealing to Daniela's sense of wanderlust and impressing her with her independent and fiery character. Against all odds and in defiance of Bela's warnings, Daniela started roaming the ruins with her new 'friend', while telling the two of them all kinds of stories about the outside world she would relay from Camelia. Naturally, Alcina was left uninformed about her youngest daughter's newest acquaintance.
Cassandra hadn't cared about that all that much, however. Not like some human could threaten Daniela; and more importantly, the more time Daniela spent out there meant less time she would pester Cassandra herself with her incessant chatter. It was a win-win, as far as Cassandra was concerned. It all had lasted for about a week, before Camelia vanished without a trace, leaving dejected Daniela behind.
Now, Cassandra could only grit her teeth in silent frustration as she recalled her aloof demeanor. Perhaps everything could've been avoided if only she bothered to investigate Daniela's companion further. Some 'protector' I am… truly worthless…
Camelia turned out to not be some independent scavenger like everyone assumed, but a vanguard of an experienced band of ruthless looters. Abusing Daniela's naivety and desire for companionship, Camelia must have pried the youngest sibling for information regarding their castle and must also have come to possess at least an inkling to its inhabitants' aversion to cold.
Two weeks ago, when a particularly vicious blizzard was ravaging the valley, Camelia showed herself once again, a quad of like-minded companions trailing behind her.
Using a secret passage Daniela likely bragged about, the band of thieves made their way deep inside the castle. They were no mere ruffians, however, as they stealthily dispatched every Moroaică that stood in their way - without alerting the Castle's inhabitants - a fact Cassandra learned only after.
It was only a kitchen maid's scream that finally alerted the ladies of the castle to the fact of its invasion.
As someone who frequents that part of the castle due to her duty of overseeing the staff, Bela was naturally the first to respond to the intrusion. She never stood a chance against five hardened and forewarned criminals, who swiftly started to shoot at windows once it became apparent that Bela's own body was impervious to their attacks.
It was only due to an extremely lucky coincidence that the castle's matriarch also happened to be in that wing during the invasion, and swiftly made her way towards the noise of gunfire, shattering glass and her beloved daughter's pained screams.
If Alcina had arrived even ten seconds later at the site of the confrontation, Bela would've died.
Thankfully, the Lady of the Castle did not share her daughters' weakness to the cold. Just in time to see her beloved Bela's frame collapsing on the floor after suffering a gunshot, Alcina had been enraged beyond words. With no hesitation, and no mercy, she had cut into the invaders with her elongated nails, tearing their fragile bodies to shreds and painting the whole kitchen red in their blood and viscera. The arrogant human looters were woefully unprepared to face the wrath of the countess.
Seeing her band of misfits outmatched, Camelia, like the treacherous coward she was, used her own comrade's frame, paralyzed by fear, to escape the matriarch's wrath, fleeing back into the dungeons and vanishing into the blizzard, never to be seen again. Naturally, Alcina had been more interested in getting Bela to warmth than to give chase to the vile bandit.
As Cassandra herself finally arrived - so painfully late - at the scene and learned the details, she had vowed revenge - but like the rest of her deeds lately, it felt impotent and pathetic. The cold weather had precluded any and all attempts at tracking the murderous criminal, leaving Cassandra with nothing but frustration.
Thankfully, Bela had survived, but the wound she sustained was a brutal one, confining her to the bed for the next week. Even now, she could not walk unassisted.
Cassandra had been furious back then, angry like never before. Truthfully, she had been angry at herself, for failing to prevent the tragedy, for failing to protect Bela, for failing to care enough about Daniela to investigate her so-called friend. She screamed and raged, ultimately taking all of her anger out on Daniela herself, as she was just too pathetic to admit her own shortcomings.
It was right here, at the library, where she had confronted Daniela the day after the brigands were repelled. Thirteen days had passed since then, but Cassandra recalled the scene as if it happened this morning.
The way she had slammed the door open, stormed in, uninvited yet full of indignity. The way she had marched towards the seated redhead, filled with what she tried to pretend was righteous wrath. Ignoring Daniela's runny make-up and obviously grief-stricken frame, she had assaulted her younger sibling with no mercy. First, by slapping away the book she was trying to read, second, by forcefully making her stand up, only to slam Daniela's slender body against the bookshelf next to her. The crack of fragile shelves and the uprising of motes of dust was accompanied by Cassandra's own growling voice, as she brought her face next to Daniela's own.
'It's all YOUR fault! Worthless, pathetic garbage! You're not good to anyone - never had been! You're just a burden to us all! I wish Mother had never awakened you!'
Cassandra had been as vicious as ever on that day, tearing into Daniela with cruel words and callous hands alike as she repeatedly slammed her into the bookshelf, while hissing out further and further insults and accusations. She had been relentless in pouring out all the accumulated hatred upon her hapless sibling that day, though most of it was not truly directed at Daniela herself, despite the appearance to the contrary.
In truth, while Cassandra was rightfully appalled at Daniela's horrific blunder, the vast majority of acid bile and bitter hatred that poured out of her frame had only one source.
Herself.
Cassandra Dimitrescu hated herself more than anything and anyone else.
She hated her pointless and hollow existence, bereft of true meaning. She hated her despicable inability to protect the ones she cared about, when it truly counted. She hated her weak and cowardly nature that precluded her from openly admitting as much. Even as she had screamed her lungs out at Daniela, Cassandra had hated herself for taking out the anger she felt towards herself on her sibling, though the sheer rage of that moment overshadowed any rational self-reflection back then. It waited its turn for when Daniela was gone and was now drowning the brunette sibling in crushing guilt and withering self-loathing that threatened to shatter her very sanity.
My fault…?
As she stood alone in the darkened library - a site of her greatest crime - Cassandra fell upon her knees when the emotions bearing down upon her became too much for her physical frame. Tears trickled freely down her cheeks as her body became wracked by violent sobs. It was not the first time the brunette would deteriorate into a sobbing wreck in the last week, but the intensity of this episode threatened to overshadow everything else.
Everything is my fault
The realization of her true nature could no longer be denied; the guilt could no longer be shifted to others. The entirety of her lengthy existence boiled down to a singular word.
Worthless
All the immeasurable suffering she had inflicted upon the others over the decades was nothing but a futile attempt to fill the void inside of her, doomed to failure despite the countless repetitions; the best they could ever do was to bring her a fleeting moment of gratification as the human's anguished cries momentarily masked the hollowness inside her own soul.
"Worthless…"
Nothing she had done for Miranda made a damn difference in the end. When trouble came knocking at their door, Cassandra repeatedly failed to protect her family, again and again and again; whether against the man-thing Winters or Camelia and her goons. She was nothing but a vicious bully that could only prey on the weak and defenseless; impotent to do a damn thing when it truly mattered.
"Worthless!"
Cassandra's piercing shriek was filled with a lifetime of pain and hatred as it resonated across the halls of their castle, making the nearby servants cower in fright.
She had called Daniela the same, but in truth it was Cassandra herself who had been the appropriate recipient of the aforementioned adjective all along.
As she knelt upon the floor of the library, Cassandra wanted to do nothing more than to fall at Daniela's feet and to beg for forgiveness. To finally become a good sister their little redhead deserved, not that aloof and uncaring stranger she had been for so many years.
Of course, it was an impossible fantasy.
Daniela was gone.
She was somewhere out there, all alone. Likely shivering from bitter cold. Possibly already dead from the merciless elements or opportunistic predators, whether men or beasts.
That last thought sent Cassandra over the edge, causing her body itself to collapse upon the floor as she wailed freely; her emotions that were bottling up for so long in her body no longer restrained and raging with intensity of a lifetime of strife.
Cassandra was certain that she would not be able to live with herself if it turned out that her inexcusable action led to Daniela's demise.
Though she wallowed in grief, Cassandra's keen senses were not deaf to the sound and vibrations caused by approaching footsteps. The identity of the person responsible for them was also immediately apparent to the middle daughter, as, despite the matriarch's best efforts to walk with a lady's grace, she could not ignore the laws of physics and her formidable stature caused her footfalls to resonate with thunderous force.
Cassandra could not allow her mother to see her like that. Broken, weak, unworthy of her noble name. Cassandra's unflinching exterior was the only thing the shattered woman still possessed - at least in the eyes of those around her - she could not afford to lose even that.
Hurriedly collecting herself from the floor, the noblewoman did her best to make herself as presentable as was possible in this limited time frame. The urge to simply disperse into flies and flutter away was great, but Cassandra fought through it, as she realized that her mother likely knew about her current location due to her scream earlier. Fleeing now meant forsaking the last shreds of dignity she still possessed. She had to appear strong in this time of crisis.
Still, Cassandra was scared. It would be the first time the two of them would talk in a private setting since Daniela's disappearance. Alcina had spent a good portion of the last two weeks hovering over Bela's bed or attending to many issues in the castle in the aftermath of the crisis, while Cassandra had done her best to make herself scarce after Alcina's initial tirade, 'How could you let this happen? Get out of my sight and make damn sure that not a soul would ever pass through the dungeons again!'
This was a confrontation a long time in the making and Cassandra was still not ready for it.
As she wiped the tears from her face, Cassandra found herself grateful that unlike her sisters she was not that fond of make-up, allowing her to regain a semblance of tidiness that was expected of her. The image of Daniela's mascara-stained face rushed to the forefront of Cassandra's mind, causing yet another spike of grief to pierce her heart. She was the one responsible for her little sister's runny make-up more often than not.
Doing her best to straighten her posture and suppress her feelings of self-loathing, Cassandra turned around to regard her mother, who was just entering the library and she was not alone, either. Bela - clearly still struggling to walk unassisted judging by the way she was leaning against Alcina's frame for support, accompanied her mother as the duo slowly entered the library. A part of Cassandra was surprised to see Bela up and walking about, considering the damage she took in the skirmish with Camelia's ruffians. Of course, she quickly remembered that her older sister was not one to be bedridden for a second longer than she had to be - especially not in this time of uncertainty. "Mother… Sister…" Cassandra greeted them meekly, head hung in crushing shame.
"Cass…" Bela responded with a surprisingly tender note. Alcina remained silent.
To her chagrin, Cassandra could not make herself face the countess or even her own sister directly. The notion that they would glare at her with judgment in their gaze proved too much for the fierce sibling, causing her to simply stare at the floor tiles in front of her.
A moment of uncomfortable silence ensued, though Cassandra was certain that vicious shouts and bitter accusations would shatter it soon enough. She had failed once again, after all, hasn't she? It would only make sense for Mother to accuse her of making Daniela run away or to blame her for Bela getting seriously wounded; scold her once more for failing to preserve the sanctity of their castle, at the very least - her direct if unspoken duty. How many times had Cassandra boasted to Bela about handling whatever trouble came their way? It all amounted to nothing but empty air, in the end.
If their spots were reversed right now, Cassandra was sure that she would've exploded in indignant rage, hurling blame left and right; demanding that they fix this horrible mess right this instant - that was also Alcina's typical reaction to a mess any of her daughters would cause from time to time.
Unable to mentally prepare herself for any other eventually, Cassandra was ready to plead her resolve to do everything in her power to find and recover Daniela. If her mother ordered her to go and search for Daniela right this instance - out in the bitter and unforgiving evening cold, Cassandra was determined to do exactly that. To freeze to death was a better fate than to live with this crushing guilt… but perhaps that fate was too good for her. Perhaps she deserves to suffer, much like she had made so many others - including her own family - suffer.
Boiling in her own grief and misery inside, Cassandra did a remarkable job in presenting a resilient front as she stood firmly in place, awaiting her mother's verdict. Head hung in shame, she merely waited.
Having had enough of this loaded silence, Alcina finally spoke out a single word.
"Daughter."
Alcina's voice held no notes of contempt or disgust, to Cassandra's surprise. Cassandra knew that she deserved all the bitter vitriol in the world for her continued failings as a protector, as a daughter, and finally as a sister. Moreover, Alcina would normally not hesitate in unleashing her booming wrath upon her errant progeny.
"Look at me, Cassandra." Alcina spoke out her request not as if it was an order that had to be obeyed, but as a gentle invitation, surprising Cassandra greatly.
Cassandra felt a little wary to do as told, nevertheless, still expecting the deserved punishment for all her many failings to crush upon her frame at any second now. Lady Alcina was not known to be soft, after all, not even on her own daughters - Cassandra had withstood her share of heated scoldings and piercing screaming over the decades… perhaps more than her share.
Much like the siblings demanded blind obedience from the servants around them, so did the matriarch expected uncompromising respect from her progeny. Miranda's death might've somewhat softened Alcina's rough edges as the pressure from having to live up to the priestess' many demands were lifted from her shoulders, but it was still unlike the countess to address her failure of a daughter in such a motherly tone. Perhaps Daniela's disappearance forced even the commanding matriarch to reassess her views; to no longer take her daughters for granted - a certain trait Cassandra had long since noticed in her beloved mother, though she was naturally far too frightened to address it directly.
It took an awkward moment, but she finally amassed enough courage to cautiously lift her hooded head up to gaze into her mother's striking eyes directly.
What Cassandra saw in them was not scorn. Instead, the huge woman gazed at her daughter with a piercing gaze that seemingly penetrated all the way down to her soul. Could Lady Dimitrescu possibly learn of the spirit-crushing inner turmoil that was gnawing at her daughter's insides from that stare alone, or was it her motherly intuition that was able to divine that a harsh lecture, violent shouting or hateful accusations would achieve nothing but utterly shatter her brunette daughter?
Regardless of the reasons, Alcina did something Cassandra did not expect whatsoever. She smiled, and it was not a cruel or arrogant smirk that precluded a lecture, but a genuine, maternal half-smile that spoke volumes about the countess' own inner suffering.
At her mother's side, Bela also took a moment to inspect Cassandra's sorry state, with her keen amber eyes swiftly traveling down and up the brunette's body, momentarily stopping as they caught a glimpse of the servant's shoes adorning her feet. As always, no detail escaped the elder sister's scrutinizing gaze and a ghost of a question played on her lips, though she refrained from vocalizing it. Instead, as her widened eyes settled on Cassandra's own, Bela let out a whisper that did not fail to convey the range of emotions the blonde felt in that moment.
"Cassie…"
Moving on her unsteady feet with more than a little difficulty, Bela shocked both her sister and her mother as she struggled to move forward, before enveloping Cassandra in a warm embrace of sisterly affection. "Bela, I…" Cassandra couldn't find words as her older sister took her in a gentle hug. What do you say to someone you failed so miserably? Someone who almost died due to your own negligence?
"Shhh, little one… it's alright. Everything is alright." Bela's soothing tone helped to dismiss a portion of worries that plagued Cassandra's mind. The brunette didn't even mind the pet nickname Bela spoke with such affection, even though normally she would bitterly note that she had an inch on her older sister. Now, she merely returned the hug in kind, though careful not to disturb Bela's still-healing wound, as she soaked in the warmth of their shared embrace. Fresh tears started to glisten in her eyes, both from the unexpected comfort of this gesture as well as from the knowledge that Daniela was not here to share in it.
Seeing the tears trickling down her normally stoic daughter's cheeks, the enormous noblewoman knelt down to get on a more even level with her normal-sized girls, before engulfing them both in a warm embrace of motherly love, a gesture that was quite uncommon for the normally reserved matriarch.
"Mother, I…" Cassandra tried to speak out, but was simply too stunned by the affectionate gesture to continue her thought. Did she want to profess innocence? Confess all her many sins? Whatever it was, it melted into nothingness as she simply found solace in her mother's and sister's arms.
Mirroring the previous 'conversation' Cassandra had with Bela, all Alcina let out was a simple, "Shhh…"
Yet, Alcina's soothing whisper provided more than she could possibly know for Cassandra. Her atrocious deeds might have not vanished completely, but that knowledge that someone still found her worthy of love - despite everything, was enough to keep Cassandra going. The notion that both her sister and her mother had forgiven her for her many transgressions was like a soothing balm against the festering wound in her heart. Her tattered sanity was reinforced by their unconditional love - perhaps the only thing that could keep her from descending into total madness.
Even as Cassandra had her arms carefully wrapped around Bela's frame - gentle so as not to reopen her wounds, Alcina's enormous arms held both of her daughters in a comforting embrace only a mother could provide. The three of them remained standing just like that in their dusty old library, even as they soaked the comfort and sought the solace to shield them from Daniela's disappearance.
"It's not only our successes and failures that defy us, my daughter." Alcina suddenly spoke, making Cassandra listen with keen interest. "No less important is how we act afterwards."
Cassandra wanted to scoff at that, to note that it hardly painted her in a better light - she was a sore loser and an arrogant victor, after all. But Alcina simply hugged her tighter, as she continued, "You're not the only one to blame, daughter." That made Cassandra dismiss her musings as she listened attentively. "We are all one family… We all share the responsibility of keeping our hearth warm… and we all fell short."
Bela was the one to continue, with remorse plain in her voice, "Dani would often invite me to partake in her reading or tea sessions… and I would coldly brush her off more often than not, just to go back to managing the maids or my own irrelevant experiments… If only I could turn back the time to choose what was truly important… my own little sister…"
Stifling a sob, Alcina mumbled, uncertain, "Perhaps if I was more lenient with you girls… I always knew that wanderlust burned in your hearts, but in none as much as in Daniela's own. Maybe if I had let you venture beyond the valley, our little girl would not have run away by herself…"
Cassandra listened to their confessions with ever-mounting guilt, even if they did provide a measure of relief from their shared tragedy. It was true that Bela's dismissive attitude and Alcina's strict ways contributed to Daniela's misery, but it was hardly enough to push her away like that, was it? It was Cassandra herself who had driven the final nail into the coffin of their unified family.
After all, neither Bela nor Alcina actively antagonized the youngest among them - that was Cassandra's prerogative with her belittling mockery and callous dismissal. That final, hate-fueled speech was just the last offense in the long line of abuse.
'Pitiful crybaby. When will you grow up already?'
'Spare me your ridiculous stories - go pester the maids with them if you must.'
'You're weak. Why don't you go train for once instead of spending all of your time on your worthless books?'
'True love? As if anyone would fall for such an annoying dimwit - even if you were ever allowed to leave our lands in the first place! Might as well go make out with a Moroaică downstairs! That's the best prospect you'll ever have!'
Recalling all the many hurtful things she had delivered to her little sister, Cassandra felt a fresh pang of remorse crawling at her black heart. It was one thing to be cruel towards human captives or maids, but to treat your own family like that? How could she have been such a vile bitch? Was it any wonder that Daniela sought to escape the oppressive confines of their home?
"I was an awful… terrible sister…" Cassandra's whisper did nothing but bring the trio of them even closer together, as Alcina tightened the embrace. "I wish I could've acted differently…" An empty, pointless statement, that poured yet more remorse down Cassandra's hollow soul.
"We will get our Daniela back."
There was an undeniable certainty in Alcina's voice as she proclaimed that resolution. There was no room for doubt in that declaration, and from that fact alone did Cassandra drew strength to suppress yet more tears of remorse that threatened to spill from her eyes.
Cassandra knew that it was no mere empty reassurance - Mother would not say something like that unless she was actually certain of it. Lady Dimitrescu spent much of the past weeks sitting at Bela's bed, and while the latter was too injured to walk around too much, her sharp mind worked just as furiously as it always did - perhaps even more so.
In truth, Daniela's disappearance was not a complete mystery even to Cassandra. There were only two ways for her to leave the castle in that weather, after all.
The first one - by herself - would result in her expeditious demise. Despite her occasional claim to the contrary, Cassandra knew that Daniela was smarter than to attempt to brave the hostile environment by herself. Perhaps she did so knowing that it would bring about her end… but Cassandra refused to believe that Daniela would willingly let it all end… not when an opportunity to explore the world was presented to her in the form of a certain grotesquely obese merchant.
The Duke was the second way out, and Cassandra was certain that it wasn't a coincidence that he departed the castle on the same day Daniela vanished. Moreover, he was unscrupulous enough to make deals behind the Lady's back inside her own domain. If Daniela paid him enough, the Duke would not hesitate to smuggle her to whatever destination she desired, and she had amassed quite a collection of looted treasures during her expeditions during the warmer seasons - enough to make that greedy man consider going against Alcina's express wishes.
Now, the mystery of the Duke did not end with his involvement in Daniela's disappearance, it merely started there. As much as Cassandra wished to just beat the relevant information out of him upon his return to their castle, even she knew better than to try that. Not only was the Duke their sole - and therefore vital - supply link, but his own unique physiology rendered him highly resistant to Cassandra's preferred methods of persuasion.
Alcina's unwavering certainty meant that she and Bela devised a solution to that issue - some kind of a deal that the Duke would not be able to refuse. Whatever that was, Cassandra would support it in whatever capacity she could, giving it her all. This was her mess, and this time she was going to clean it up herself.
Daniela, Bela and Alcina were the only ones she had in this whole wide world; they were family, together in sorrow and joy alike, but it took far too long for Cassandra to realize that. Perhaps she still had a chance to right at least some of her many wrongs…
No matter what stood in her way, Cassandra Dimitrescu would not stop until she found her little sister. Anyone who'd dare to stand in her way would taste her sickle and no amount of corpses she might have to make would dissuade her from returning Daniela back home. If she had to carve her way through the world of humans to return her sibling to where she belonged, so be it - she would spill a river of blood. This was her resolution.
"We will, Mother, Sister. I'll make sure of it."
Author's Note:
Welcome back, everyone! I do apologize for the awful delay; hopefully the next chapter will be out at least twice as fast.
This is a bit of a change of pace from what we had before, but I did want to underline that Daniela's sudden appearance in Valencia brought no shortage of issues with it - for multiple parties. Also, since this chapter conflicted with what Daniela was thinking in Chapter V, I've went back and slightly edited a couple of sentences there, so Daniela was uncertain that her sisters would ever bother to come looking for her, instead of taking it for granted. I know its a shitty thing to edit a posted chapter, but I promise that this is one-time exception; minor as it is, this change should make for a more compelling and dramatic story overall, so I thing it was worth it, but I still apologize for that, regardless. What she said to Ethan about her sisters showing up in 30 days was left unchanged, however, as Daniela did not want to appear overly desperate to him, so she lied to him in that particular instance.
Now, for Cassandra's part. Even though a part of me wanted to leave elaborate Cassandra's depictions to wonderful writers who focus on her - I kinda couldn't overcome my desire to delve deeper into Cassi's head here, she is a very compelling character in my eyes, so she deserves a moment in spotlight even in this story that does not focus on her. What I am curious to know is if you guys found Cassandra's part a bit messy due to the melding of exposition and her mental anguish, or if it worked well for you? I tried to fill the gaps of what happened in the village after Miranda's death, while also portraying a deeply troubled and unhinged mind; I felt like it turned out decently, but if you feel otherwise, do let me know!
Anyway, hope you've enjoyed this chapter despite its drawbacks and the lengthy delay. As always, your opinions and thoughts are welcome in the comment section! Thanks for reading and have a great week! :)