CHAPTER 143: BLOODY HANDS

"Hades, you can not possibly believe this woman. It is obvious she’s a mad woman. I don’t know what she’s talking about." Kathryn said, her voice clear and loud.

Hanna’s eyes widened, "No! I swear your Highness, I will never lie to you. The lady is not telling the truth, she was the one who paid me to get rid of Lilith. She paid me in gold coins and I still have the coins in my room. I swear on it."

Kathryn’s throat tightened, she took in a deep breath before looking back at Hades who was standing a few feet from her. The sudden closeness caught her off guard, startling her to take a step back.

"Hades, you can not possibly believe this woman. It is obvious she’s a mad woman. I don’t know what she’s talking about." Kathryn said, her voice clear and loud.

Hanna’s eyes widened, "No! I swear your Highness, I will never lie to you. The lady is not telling the truth, she was the one who paid me to get rid of Lilith. She paid me in gold coins and I still have the coins in my room. I swear on it."

"Anyone could have paid her, how can she prove I gave her the coins? She is lying." Kathryn retorted.

"And what would she gain from lying on you?" Hades questioned, taking slow steps around her. "I am going to give you one more chance, Kathryn. Did you pay the maid to hurt Lilith?"

Kathryn swallowed, "No, Your Highness. I will never do anything of such."

Hades paused, a sly smile stretching out on his lips. "Very well then." He made way to the maid, crouched down beside her.

The maid’s eyes widened even more, "Please...please, Your Highness, I swear I am telling the truth. She paid me, she is lying to you. I..."

With a swift, brutal motion, his fingers plunged into her throat, tearing through skin and muscle. Hanna’s hands flew up, clawing at her neck, choking on blood as it gushed in thick streams over her dress, pooling at her knees. Her body convulsed violently, then crumpled to the ground with a heavy thud, eyes frozen wide open in a lifeless stare.

"Bring her in." Hades said as he rose back on his feet, staring at the blood on his fingers.

The door to the courtroom opened and a guard and a woman walked into the room, "Don’t look so pale, Kathy. You don’t have anything to hide, right?" Hades said, staring at Kathryn’s face which had turned pale white, sweat forming on her forehead.

He turned to the woman, "Tell me, do you know that woman on the ground?"

"Yes," she whispered.

"How?"

"She....she visited the lady’s room."

"And what did they discuss? Why did the maid visit the lady?" Hades questioned.

The woman swallowed, lowering her eyes to the ground, "To kill Lilith. She wanted the maid to ship Lilith to another kingdom but the maid reported that Lilith was already suspicious of her and...."

"How dare you, Cassidy? You traitorous bitch!" Kathryn roared charging up to the maid but firm hands of Lucian held her in place.

"Kathy dear, don’t interfere her. We are getting to the important part." Hades warned with a smile before shifting his gaze back to the maid, "Please, continue."

"She...she told the lady that she had another plan to get rid of Lilith and Lady Kathryn said she didn’t want to know the details as long as the maid made Lilith disappear. The lady paid her five thousand gold coins to get it done."

"Kathy! Kathy! Kathy! You know how I feel about liars right?" Hades sighed making his way towards her.

"She is lying! Don’t believe that bitch over me. They are all lying." She screamed, struggling to get out from the man’s grip.

In one moment, Hades grabbed her and flung her across the room. Her body slamming against the wall as she fell to the ground with a heavy thud, groans and whimpers escaping her lips.

Hades walked to her and picked her up from the ground by her hair, "I told you to stay away from Lilith and you didn’t listen, you never listen and that is your biggest fault, Kathy dear."

She panted, "Fuck you, Hades." And spat out blood on his face, "I don’t know why that little whore is so fucking hard to kill. You deprive me from my happy ever after and think, you can live happily with that fool. Never! You will never be happy with her." She retorted, venom coating her words.

"Its totally my fault, I spoilt you, Kathy when I should have done away with you long time ago." Hades stared at her, brushing the strands of hair from her face with his other hand.

"You can never do away with me, I am your soulmate. Your souls have been set together by the goddess from the beginning of time. I will always be a part of you for as long as you live and that outcast will never come that close to being anything other than your fucking whore."

Hades burst into a loud, deep laughter. "Gods, Kathryn, you have gone mad. Soulmates? That’s preposterous and I doubt the goddess will be interested in my soul at all." He sighed audible, "You were never more than a cunt with legs to me, Kathy. I never gave a fuck about you and I sure still don’t. You should have quietly left when I asked you to but you just had to be foolish one more time."

"I...I.. can still leave.."

He turned to the guards and Lucian.

"Gentlemen," he said softly, almost playfully, "how many eyes does one need to live?"

They stiffened, exchanging wary glances.

Hades crouched before Kathryn again. "I guess... you don’t need eyes to live."

Before she could scream, his fingers plunged into her eye socket.

A blood-curdling scream tore through the courtroom as he ripped her eye from its place. Blood exploded down her face as she writhed in agony, shrieking so loud it rattled the stained-glass windows.

And Hades stood there, cold, merciless, watching her scream.