CHAPTER 129: KILLING IS EASY

Frank heard Cain’s order, and although he was a little surprised by the suddenness of it and the cruelty he was being asked to perform, he raised himself off the ground and bowed to show that he understood. His body moved instinctively, driven by years of training and loyalty, even as his mind reeled at the implications of what was about to happen.

Turning to leave, he was startled by the sound of Cain’s footsteps behind him. Frank had just turned back around when he saw Cain pass beside him, wearing the robe he usually wore in his quarters. The flowing fabric, dark and unadorned, swirled around Cain as he moved, exuding an air of quiet menace. Unlike before, when there had been a trace of weakness in Cain’s gaze, there was now absolutely nothing to be found there—no fear, no hesitation, just cold determination. Then Cain spoke again, his voice sharper, harder.

"On second thoughts... gather everyone to the garden. Now!" Cain ordered as he strode past Frank, his tone brooking no argument. He opened the door with a decisive motion and stepped into the hall.

Frank bowed his head again, his thoughts racing as he followed after Cain. He placed two fingers in his mouth and whistled a low, shrill tune. The sound was piercing, cutting through the silence like a blade. As expected, the rest of the elite guards appeared almost instantly, their movements precise and disciplined. Frank watched as Cain disappeared into the room where Bari had been confined. His heart clenched involuntarily, knowing what awaited the man inside.

Bari was one of the guards Frank had known for years. A competent fighter and loyal to a fault, but none of that mattered now. Frank didn’t allow himself the luxury of sentiment. He turned to the other guards, his expression hard as steel.

"Gather every living soul to the garden! If they aren’t in the garden by the time he gets there... then they better be dead!" he barked, his voice echoing with authority.

The guards exchanged wary glances but moved without hesitation, dashing downstairs with such speed that their afterimages seemed to linger in the dimly lit corridors. Meanwhile, Frank turned on his heel and sprinted toward Fiona’s quarters. She was the only other person on Cain’s floor, and he dreaded the conversation that awaited him.

Even as he focused on his task, a gnawing sense of unease settled in his chest. The longer it took to find Viole, the worse things would become. He had no doubt about that.

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Cain entered the dimly lit room where Bari was held, the stench of urine assaulting his senses immediately. The scent was thick and acrid, mingling with the metallic tang of blood. His expression remained calm, though a slight look of disappointment flickered across his face.

Bari’s body trembled violently as the door creaked open. The sound of chains clinking together filled the oppressive silence. The guard groaned in pain, his breaths ragged. The knife still embedded in his eye glinted faintly in the dim light. Cain stepped forward, his movements deliberate, and yanked the knife out in one swift motion. Bari’s scream was guttural, a raw sound that seemed to reverberate through the walls.

Being a werewolf, Bari’s wounds began to heal almost immediately now that the blade was gone. It was the only reason he was still alive.

"Please! Please! I beg you!" Bari’s voice cracked with desperation. His words tumbled out in a frantic stream as Cain began unchaining him from the wall. He left the man’s hands and legs shackled but freed him from the bindings that had held him suspended.

"I swear I—" Bari’s plea was cut short as Cain grabbed him by the arm, his grip unyielding. Without a word, Cain began dragging him across the floor. Bari’s body scraped against the cold stone, the sound grating and harsh.

"Please! I have a wife and two children! Please! I swear, Lord Cain, I have no idea where he is!" Bari’s voice grew more frantic with each passing second.

Cain didn’t respond immediately. His footsteps were steady, his gaze fixed ahead. Then he spoke, his voice low, almost a whisper.

"Don’t worry..." Cain murmured, his tone carrying an unsettling weight.

The words sent a chill through Bari. Any fleeting sense of relief was snuffed out by the growing knot of fear in his chest. Something about Cain’s calmness was more terrifying than any overt display of anger.

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It was about an hour before dawn when Fiona received a letter slid under her door. She immediately recognized her father’s handwriting, the elegant script betraying his usual composure. Unraveling it, she read his words of worry about the changes in the mansion and his frustration at being unable to extract information as he had before. The tone of the letter was laced with fury, a sharp contrast to the meticulously crafted sentences.

In the past, Fiona would have immediately begun drafting a reply. Instead, she tossed the letter onto the table and began dressing, her movements brisk. She chose a gown of deep crimson, the fabric hugging her curves as she adjusted it with practiced ease. Standing before the mirror, she clasped a delicate chain around her neck, its intricate design catching the light.

The doors were noise-proof, but even they couldn’t fully muffle the sounds that Cain had made throughout the night. Fiona was certain that whatever had transpired in the hours before could have woken the dead.

’He’s going to be in a shitty mood,’ she thought, brushing a strand of hair away from her face. ’But still... this should be over today. Once he realizes that his male lover can’t be found, he’ll forget about him and move on.’

She studied her reflection, a trace of anger flaring in her eyes. ’He can have any woman! Any woman like me, and he continues to moon over a man!’

Satisfied with her appearance, she turned to her accessories, her fingers hovering over a selection of bangles. Her thoughts were interrupted by a loud banging noise on her door, startling her. Before she could react, the door swung open, and Frank stepped in uninvited.

A smile touched her lips, but her gaze turned icy as she locked eyes with him.

"Even a man like you should know better than to enter a woman’s quarters uninvited!" she snapped, her tone laced with venom.

Frank bowed slightly, his expression grave. "I apologize, Lady Fiona. But the Lord has ordered that every single living person in the mansion be brought to the garden." He emphasized the word "living" with deliberate intent, his gaze steady.

Fiona’s eyes widened as the weight of his words sank in. She opened her mouth to protest but stopped herself. Her frown deepened.

"Fine. I’ll take my—"

"I’m sorry, but we need to leave now!" Frank cut in, lowering his voice. "I honestly don’t know what the Lord would do to anyone who doesn’t show up in time."

Fiona hesitated for a moment, then nodded. Cain’s actions had always been unpredictable, but his violent tendencies were no secret. She stepped toward the door, her posture as regal as ever, though her pace was hurried.

’Relax,’ she told herself, forcing her expression to remain composed. ’There’s no way he would dare go against my father and hurt me.’

Her heart raced despite her efforts to remain calm, but she straightened her back, her movements deliberate and graceful.

’Moreover...no matter how much he looks even if he finds his so called lover...all he’ll find is a dead body!’

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Cain walked slowly, his steps measured, as he dragged Bari behind him. The man’s body trembled uncontrollably, his pleas continuing unabated. Cain’s face remained blank, his eyes devoid of emotion.

The destination was the garden. Cain avoided the flowerbeds his mother had adored, instead heading to an open patch of ground beneath a sprawling tree. The morning air was cool, but there was a charged tension that made the atmosphere heavy.

Bari’s trembling intensified as Cain stopped. The guard’s breathing was shallow, his voice faltering as he tried to speak. Cain ignored him, his grip firm and unyielding.

One by one, people began to emerge from the mansion. Servants, workers, cooks, gardeners—every last soul under Cain’s roof filed into the garden. Each person knelt the moment they arrived, their heads bowed low. A few with higher ranks were allowed to bow instead, but even they looked uneasy.

A few people whose ranks were high enough that he allowed them to bow yet even then Cain was aware that although they helped him run the district, their loyalties laid elsewhere.

The more he looked around the darker his expression became as he watched Fiona walk out with her head held high with pride and Frank beside him. He trusted the elite guards to some extent but even he was aware of how easily they could be turned with bribes or threats to their families.

’Its funny!’ he suddenly realized, something he had always been aware of but but had never truly accepted or had chosen not to see as his gaze continued to flicker all through the people in front of him.

’I’m alone!’ His teeth grinding against each other ever so slightly as he accepted the thought and slowly began to speak.

"Allow me to tell you a story!" Cain said as he moved to drag Bari up to his knees and right in front of him placing his two hands on his shoulders, even as Bari continued to shake a dark feeling settling in his chest as he closed his eyes, refusing to see the pitiful looks directed in his direction.

He dragged Bari up to his knees, placing both hands on the man’s shoulders. Bari’s body shook violently, his eyes squeezing shut as if to block out the inevitable.

"...But before then allow me to enlighten you...," Cain continued, his tone chillingly casual. His hands moved with practiced precision, twisting around Bari’s neck. The loud crack of bones snapping echoed across the garden, a sound so final it left the crowd frozen in horror.

Cain’s voice rose again, colder and more menacing than ever. "Everyone here will die, one after the other, until Viole is found!"