Chapter 3

Outside the door, I lingered in the shadows of the dark hallway, listening to the fury unfolding within. A cold smile tugged at the corner of my lips.

A man's love was such a brittle thing. The moment his own interests were threatened, the moment trouble darkened his door, it shattered like glass.

He betrayed his wife without a second thought for a fleeting thrill, or to indulge his need to play the hero.

But as soon as he realized this "weak" human was actually a hassle, his face twisted with disgust, no hesitation at all.

*****

The following morning, I sat in the shadowed conservatory while a servant worked a brush through my long hair in slow, careful strokes.

Albert entered. He had skipped his usual morning meetings in the great hall and came directly to me, a cup of warmed deer's blood in his hand.

"Selene, are you feeling any better?" He arranged his features into a tender smile, playing the part of the devoted husband.

I made a show of flinching, then glanced up at him warily, though I did not cry out.

He looked pleased by this. With some hesitation, he offered me the cup. "Here. Drink this. It will do you good."

I did not take it. Instead, I lifted my clear, guileless eyes to his and asked in a voice of pure innocence, "Albert, if you truly are my husband, why have you not shared my chamber once since I awoke?

"Lilia told me you spend every night working in your study. You must be so terribly weary."

Albert did not notice how my tone slipped under his skin. He was too busy noticing how sweet and gentle I had become. Whenever Lilia threw one of her fits now, his mind drifted to me instead.

Of course, he could hardly admit he had been slipping off to Lilia's room night after night.

"There is always so much to manage around the castle," he said, his voice laced with something close to guilt. "I did not wish to disturb your rest."

I tilted my head, as though a sudden understanding had dawned on me. "Oh, I see. Then surely, as the lady of this house, I should be helping you carry some of that burden?"

Albert stilled. A calculating gleam flickered behind his eyes.

For the past two weeks, with my memory gone, all my wealth and the deeds to my estates had remained locked beyond anyone's reach.

The basic blood pact shared strength and lifespan, but the true instruments of power, my fortune, my lands, could only be commanded with my seal.

He had been racking his mind for a way to seize those rights and to do so with a veneer of perfect legitimacy.

"Selene," he said, softening his voice, "it heartens me that you wish to help. But you are still so frail.

"Perhaps you might allow me to hold the seal to the Crimson Vault in the meantime? I will manage everything for you."

The greed was already bleeding through his careful expression.

I sneered inwardly, but on my face I arranged only the sweetest obedience. "Of course."

Albert could barely contain his delight.

Then I shifted, letting hesitation creep into my voice. "Only... I cannot recall where the seal is kept. I remember there is a key. It lies somewhere... somewhere..."

I pressed my fingers to my temple, feigning a struggle with the elusive memory.

"Where is it? Take your time. Do not strain yourself," Albert urged, leaning closer.

"It is within the Crimson Vault itself. But to open it, two keys are required." I paused. "One is my blood. And the other..."

I looked at him, a sly glimmer dancing in my eyes. "It is the necklace you gave me as a wedding gift. Nyx's Tear."

Albert's face went stiff.

Nyx's Tear. The jewel that marked a duchess. A month ago, he had slipped it to Lilia as a birthday gift behind my back.

Seeing the color drain from his face, I blinked with perfect innocence. "Albert, what is wrong? You kept it safe for me, did you not?"

He fumbled for words. "Of course. It is only that the piece is so precious, I placed it somewhere exceptionally secure. I will need a few days to retrieve it."

"There is no hurry. I can wait," I said, offering him a honeyed smile.

I could wait. And I was deeply curious to see how Albert intended to pry that burning problem off Lilia's lovely neck.

*****

That afternoon, Albert found an excuse to ride out from the castle. He did not return until the hour was late.

I knew precisely where he had gone.

He had sought out the underground market, hunting for a craftsman who could forge a replica of Nyx's Tear by morning.

But Nyx's Tear was an elven relic of the old world. No mortal artisan could dream of replicating it.

By the third day, Albert broke. He made his way to Lilia's chamber.

I stood on the balcony outside her chamber, wrapped in my cloak of invisibility, and watched the scene unfold between the two of them in perfect silence.

"Albert, what brings you here at this hour?" Lilia's face bloomed with surprise as she greeted him, draped in a silk nightgown that left little to the imagination.

But Albert did not spare her figure a single glance. His eyes were fixed on the black box resting upon her vanity.

"Lilia, give me Nyx's Tear." He did not bother with pleasantries. His voice was hard and clipped.

Lilia's smile evaporated. She clutched the box to her chest, her voice rising toward panic. "Why? You gave it to me for my birthday! You said it belonged nowhere else but around my throat."