CHAPTER 46: JUMP SCARE

Kathryn stood frozen, staring down the hallway where the prince had disappeared. Her vision blurred with unshed tears, her heart thundered in her chest, and her body trembled from the intensity of her rage. Never in her life had she been so thoroughly humiliated, especially not by the prince. A man who should have revered her, the only daughter of a highly respected Duke. But Hades had always been a man who held no regard for status or courtesy.

Clenching her jaw and balling her fists, Kathryn turned sharply and stormed toward her chambers, her footsteps loud and heavy with fury. The moment she entered the room, she slammed the door shut behind her with an echoing bang. In one swift, furious motion, she reached for the ceramic flower vase on her dresser and hurled it to the ground. It shattered into countless pieces.

Startled by the crash, her maid Cassidy hurried out of the bathroom. Her eyes widened at the sight of her lady’s flushed face and trembling form. "M-My lady! What happened? What could have upset you like this?" she asked, carefully approaching the fuming woman.

"It’s that damned prince!" Kathryn spat, her voice sharp and venomous. "It’s always him! He humiliated me, stripped me of every shred of dignity I possess as a noblewoman. He belittled me and chose that wretched little outcast over me! Can you believe that?" She turned sharply to Cassidy, her eyes ablaze.

Cassidy hesitated before speaking, "My lady... perhaps it’s time we returned home. The prince has done nothing but treat you with disdain since you arrived. You deserve better than this cruelty."

Kathryn looked away, her chest heaving. "She’s not even that remarkable to look at," she muttered bitterly. "But still... I am more beautiful than her, aren’t I?"

Without warning, she rushed forward and seized Cassidy’s hands, gripping them tightly. "Tell me, Cassie. Tell me I’m more beautiful than her. Tell me I’m fairer, more graceful, more perfect in every way." Her voice softened to a near whisper, eyes wide and desperate as they searched Cassidy’s for validation.

Cassidy swallowed, her lips pressed into a thin line. "You are perfect, Lady Kathryn. Perfect in every way. That poor outcast doesn’t stand a chance against you, even the blind could see that," she said, pausing after each sentence for emphasis.

Kathryn immediately released her grip on Cassidy’s hands, a broad, satisfied smile spreading across her lips. "I have always known that. Thank you for reminding me," she breathed, turning back toward the window to gaze outside.

Cassidy watched her for a moment, uncertainty flickering in her eyes before she spoke again. "Are we returning home soon, my lady?" she asked gently.

"Home?" Kathryn giggled, twirling a strand of hair between her fingers. "Yes, we’ll go home, but not before I ensure that Hades is punished for what he’s done to me. Since I cannot touch him, because he’s a prince, and because, unfortunately, I still love him, I’ll take my revenge on his precious ’little witch,’ as he calls her. She will pay for his sins."

She giggled again, the sound light but laced with malice. "I will need to be smart about it. Whatever I do, I can’t be a suspect. There’s still time to plan everything."

"D-Do you plan on... killing her?" Cassidy asked, her voice shaking. "I don’t think that’s a good idea, my lady."

Kathryn turned to face her slowly, her expression darkening for a moment before she offered a smile. "Oh, please, Cassie. I’m not that cruel, I wouldn’t kill her. But I will make sure that whatever I do makes her wish for death."

She sighed deeply, her eyes gleaming with twisted excitement. "I can already see it all playing out perfectly."

"My lady..."

"Not another word, Cassie." Kathryn raised a hand to silence her. "How about you help me think of ways to punish her instead? You can list out all your ideas by the end of the week."

As she spoke, Kathryn moved closer to Cassidy, gently tucking a loose strand of hair behind the maid’s ear before brushing past her toward the bathroom. Her gaze flicked briefly to the shattered pieces on the floor.

"Cassie, be a dear and clean that up. I’m going to have a long, warm bath."

"Very well, my lady," Cassidy replied quietly, not meeting her gaze. She couldn’t tell if Kathryn was hopelessly obsessed with the prince or if she was eager for a death sentence. Either way, Cassidy vowed to do whatever she could to stop her mistress from ending up buried six feet under.

~~~

Lucian turned to Lilith the moment Hades exited the crypt. "You’ve done well today, Lilith. You can continue practicing on your own in your chambers. I must end our session for now, there are matters I need to attend to. I hope you understand."

"Of course. Thank you for your time," she replied with a small bow before rising from the chair and making her way out of the crypt, leaving Lucian behind.

After getting lost twice, she finally managed to find her way back to the main hallway that led to the castle’s entrance. A small smile crept onto her face, proud of herself for figuring it out. She headed to her chamber, hoping to take a short rest before lunch.

As she got into her room, Lilith laid down on her bed, eyes already beginning to close, when a faint sound came from the direction of her dresser. She turned her head, but found nothing strange as everything appeared to be in place.

Letting out a tired sigh, she closed her eyes again, until she heard the distinct sound of a drawer sliding open.

She slowly opened her eyes and spotted the third drawer pulled halfway out. Frowning, she got out of bed, walked over, and pushed it shut.

But by the time she climbed back into bed, it had slid open again.

Her brows furrowed.

What the hell was happening?

She rubbed her temples, wondering if she was just hallucinating from the intense training. Maybe it was finally taking a toll on her, even if she felt perfectly fine otherwise.

When she looked up again, the drawer was closed. Deciding to ignore it, she forced herself to sleep. She pulled the blanket over her body and even over her head, pressing a pillow down to muffle any strange sounds.

Sleep was just beginning to creep in when she felt the blanket slowly slipping off her body. Her eyes shot open, heart thudding. Her head now exposed, she lay frozen as the invisible pull continued until the blanket was bunched on the floor at the foot of her bed.

Cautiously, Lilith crawled to the edge, leaned over, and peered underneath. At first, there was nothing, just the empty, shadowed space beneath the bed. But then, a pair of glowing red eyes suddenly spun into existence in the darkness.

Lilith gasped, stumbling back and tumbling off the bed. She scrambled to her feet and grabbed the nearest object she could find—a lamp.

"Who’s there? Show yourself immediately!" she demanded, gripping the lamp with both hands.

Silence answered her.

"I said come out from under my bed!" she shouted again, voice trembling.

From beneath the bed, she heard distant, echoing laughter—low. It grew louder, closer.

Lilith felt the lamp slip slightly from her grip as Grim slowly crawled out from under the bed, laughing loud and hard like it had just witnessed the funniest thing in the world.

"Oh, my! Did you see the look of horror on your face when you saw my eyes under the bed? Ahhh, it was glorious!" Grim exclaimed, wiping invisible tears from its eyes.

"You!" Lilith snapped, raising the lamp again. "Give me one reason why I shouldn’t hit you with this."

Grim straightened and placed its hands on its hips. "Well, I could give you ten. But since you asked for one, one you shall get: if you hit me, I’ll scare you again. But next time, I’ll do it on a moonless night. And trust me, I can be far scarier than I was today."

Lilith narrowed her eyes, slowly lowering the lamp. As irritating as it was, Grim had scared her—and she would rather not experience a worse version of that.

"How did you even get into my chambers?" she asked.

"Through the door, you silly girl," Grim replied casually.

"And why are you here? You’re not supposed to be."

"Perhaps next time you can hang a sign that says ’No Grim Allowed,’ so we avoid future misunderstandings," it said with a sly grin.

Lilith blinked. "Are you mocking me right now?"

"Nooo," Grim said, then cleared its throat. "I mean... yes. But you are fun to mock. Don’t take it personally."

Lilith exhaled sharply, placing the lamp back on the table. "Can you leave now? I would like to rest, and I can’t do that with you here."

"I can leave," Grim said, stretching its arms wide, "but I don’t want to. I was bored out of my mind in the master’s chamber, so I thought—why not come spend some quality bonding time with you? Who knows, we might even become friends!"

Lilith let out a tired, frustrated sigh.