Cage's POVThe poison worked faster than I could have ever imagined. One moment, Berrilyl was standing here eating the food, defiant as always, and the next thing that happened was that she was on the floor, her body was convulsing and turning an unnatural shade of blue. I had never seen anything like it before, and seeing her sent a chill down my spine. I didn't like seeing her like this at all. It was making me very scared and I was feeling so confused about what was happening here. It was so crazy. If I knew I wouldn't have made her eat it. She would have been fine.The physician I summoned stood over her, his face was pale and drawn as he examined her. He couldn't even meet my eyes as he spoke."There's nothing I can do. This poison isn't like any I have seen. It was strange. I can't... Cure it" the doctor said.The words didn’t register at first. My ears were ringing, my mind spinning. I watched Berrilyl’s chest rise and fall in shallow, uneven breaths. Her lips were turning a s
Cage's POVThe tension in the room was unbearable. Berrilyl’s breaths were still shallow, barely a whisper of life left in her. I had already exhausted every option, and the constant cycle of physicians entering and leaving with nothing but grim faces was starting to wear on me. The weight of helplessness pressed down on my chest.I didn’t know what to do anymore. The fear was suffocating, gnawing at my insides, and no matter how hard I tried to control it, it was consuming me. I couldn’t lose her. I couldn’t lose Berrilyl. The thought of her slipping away from me, of her dying without ever knowing how much I needed her—how much I still cared—was a pain I couldn’t bear.I didn’t care if anyone thought I was overreacting. I didn’t care if my actions seemed desperate or irrational. None of it mattered. Not now. All I could think about was her, lying there, her skin turning blue, her breaths shallow and barely there. It felt like time was running out, and I had no way to stop it.I just
Cage's POV The room was silent but for the sound of Berrilyl's light breathing. The physician leaned over her, placing a small pill between her lips, and coaxed her to swallow. Her body quivered, yet lay still. Her face was pale, damp with sweat. "She's stable for the time being," the physician said, breaking the silence. “The pill will help neutralize some of the poison, but her body is still under attack. I’ll need to prepare a bath with these herbs.” She pulled a bundle of dried green leaves from his bag, their sharp, earthy scent filling the air. “You’ll need to wash her body thoroughly. The toxins can seep through the skin, and this will help draw them out.”I nodded, glancing down at Berrilyl's fragile form. The weight of responsibility pressed against my chest. "What do I need to do?"The physician handed me the herbs, herinstructions clear but grim. "Boil these in water and let it cool to lukewarm. Use the solution to bathe her completely. It's critical to cover every inch o
Cage's POVI watched Berrilyl being locked in her fragile lifeless state for three days. She lay so still, her chest rising in shallow breaths so light that I'd lean in to make certain she was alive.The pills the physician had prescribed seemed to do little, if anything, to help her. I crushed them into powder every day, dissolved them in water, and fed her with painstaking care. But with each dose, my hope dwindled further.Her hair, which was heavy and shining, now had broken even with the simple touch of fingers. And her skin was pale as it had acquired that uncanny blue tint, jeering at my efforts. With every passing hour, this felt like a knife, twisting in my chest and grimly reminding me of my helplessness.For the first time in so many years, I had become really scared.I lay awake, staring at the ceiling as my mind whirred with memories. How could I? Every time I shut my eyes, I saw her, her sharp eyes ablaze with hatred, words that cut into me like shards of glass. Now, tho
Cage's POV"Cage I don't just understand what is going on with you anymore. You've been the best person in the world, and you've been very nice to me but all of a sudden you've changed. You've changed to start caring about your enemy" She said in a very sad voice that would have broken my heart but it didn't seem to matter to me. I didn't feel bad for her but instead, I pitied Berrilyl."It's like you have turned upside down. You aren't yourself anymore. You're like a strange Cage. A Cage that has turned so different" she said.What she said hit me hard. I didn't pay attention to what she at first but I looked at myself and looked at Berrilyl. I had told myself that I'd never have anything to do with Berrilyl anymore and I would make her pay for every single incident that happened. My determination to make sure that I get my revenge on her and her brother was still the same but I couldn't just sit back and watch her die as much as I hated her or as much as I wanted to take my revenge
Cage’s POVBerrilyl wasn’t fully awake. Her eyes fluttered open now and then, but she didn’t seem aware of her surroundings. The coughing, though—it didn’t stop. Each rasping sound sent a jolt through me, and I felt utterly powerless.She needed water.I grabbed a cup and filled it quickly, kneeling beside her bed. “Berrilyl,” I said softly, trying to rouse her. Her head lolled to the side, her lips dry and cracked.“Come on,” I murmured. “Just a little.”Carefully, I brought the cup to her lips and tilted it. She coughed again, the sound harsh and grating and most of the water dribbled down her chin. Some of it splashed onto my shirt, soaking through to my skin, but I didn’t care. My focus was entirely on her.Her breathing hitched as she tried to swallow, and I adjusted the angle of the cup, holding her head steady with my other hand. Slowly, she managed to take a sip, then another. I didn’t stop until the cup was empty.Grace was still in the room—I could feel her presence behind m
Cage's POVI stood still, my gaze on Berrilyl with a heaviness which refused to lift off me. The moment she slumped from her futile effort to stand, her action hit me. I didn't say anything, neither for her defense nor even more accusations, and that felt heavier than all the words I could have said at the time.Berrilyl had always been strong, proud even, and seeing her like this was. unnerving. A voice in my head whispered that somehow I had failed her, even if I didn't fully understand how.Grace stepped forward. "You know, Berrilyl," she said, her voice cool, "you have yourself to blame for this.I went rigid. The things Grace said were so cruelly, unnecessarily, and I did nothing to correct her because my mind was too knotted up in guilt and confusion to do much of anything.Berrilyl, however, fixed Grace with a ferocity in her stare that belied her current state. "You. snake," she spat, the voice raw and shaking. "You think you've won, don't you?Grace raised an eyebrow and cros
Cage's POVI sat beside Berrilyl's bed, watching her shallow breaths between conscious and unconscious. So fragile she looked, so opposite to the firecracker I'd grown to know. I reached to adjust the damp cloth on her forehead, and just that second, her breathing hitched and her body tensed, then went completely limp."Berrilyl!" I called, my hand clawing at my chest. I leaned in, shaking her lightly, but she didn't respond.Fear surged through me as I yelled for help. The door burst open and Talia rushed in with the physician hot on her heels. The woman moved swiftly to Berrilyl's side, checking her pulse and examining her with a calm efficiency that I envied."She'll be fine," the physician said after a few moments in a voice firm. "She's exhausted and weak, but her body is fighting the poison. She just needs rest."The relief that swept over me was almost overwhelming; my knees threatened to buckle as I took a step back, leaning against the wall. For the first time in days, it fin
Cage's POVHe instantly understood what I said and in a jiffy, new secret guards streamed in and surrounded the rouges.The rouges stumbled backwards, their eyes darting wildly as they struggled to process the sudden turn of events. Their leader's face contorted into a mixture of disbelief and fear. His shoulders sagged as his confidence fell. He looked at me with regret, his composure almost slipping."This shouldn't be happening!" He exclaimed, his voice shattering into a thousand pieces. "Fight back. Fight With your best," one of the rogue leaders ordered as he saw his rouge warriors getting overpowered."It's way too late for that. The probability of you guys winning is too thin. You better accept defeat" I looked him straight in the eye and told him.He unleashed a fury of rage, launching himself at me with tremendous force. Anticipating his attack, I swiftly moved away, blocking it. With a loud growl, he sped past me and slammed into the wall."Oops," I grinned with satisfaction
Cage's POVThe instant the scream from Berrilyl reached my ears, my heart contracted in a way it shouldn't have. My body had moved well before my brain kicked in and I turned sharply in the direction of her voice. I caught her running toward me, a look of concern twisting her face, along with something else, it was fear.In That split second, the distraction almost cost me my life.A rogue caught me out of focus and charged at me, his blade was aimed right at my exposed side; I barely had time to react. Instinct kicked in, and I twisted my body in time, the blade grazing across my ribs instead of burying into my flesh. The pain was sharp, but I pushed it aside, countering it with a vicious strike that sent the rogue stumbling back.I hadn't had a chance to finish him off.Berrilyl was too close now, too close."What are you doing?!" I snapped at her, latching onto her arm and yanking her behind me. My grip was firm as my heart still hammered in my chest from the near miss.The rogue
Cage's POVTonight, the air is weighted with unvoiced challenge. I sit at the far edge of Mansion's yard, my body bent and tensed on guard. The torches from behind the stone walls seemed to threaten and would violently hang, casting malicious shadowing alongside me in silence. Miliano stood on my right-hand side, still as a ghoulish smile stretched his tanned skin from nose to neck end."Bring the secret guard and surround the Mansion," I ordered, having my voice drop steady, emotionless when inside me chaos brewed.Miliano nodded profoundly. "Aye." And with that, he turned on his heel and motioned for the men we had trained in secret to take their position. They shifted like ghosts and moved into their positions, efficient but silent; slipping into darkness as if they were spawned from it.Just as we were going to make our move, I felt it, the unnatural shift in the air, followed by the distant yet unmistakable sound of approaching footsteps. Lots of them. My instincts screamed a war
Berrilyl's POV I was sitting in my room, my mind spinning from everything Cage had shown me earlier. The pictures, the messages, the so-called evidence. I couldn’t make sense of it. My thoughts were all jumbled, and no matter how hard I tried to push them away, they kept coming back.How could Owen—someone I thought I knew—do something like that? He wouldn’t cheat on me, especially not with someone like that young mistress. And how does Cage have all this evidence? The more I thought about it, the more confused I became. It just didn’t add up. But I had no answers, and all I could do was try to sleep and hope my mind would stop racing.I was lost in thought until my eyes started closing up. As soon as I started to drift off, the loud sound of an alarm shattered the silence. My eyes shot open, heart racing. The sound was so harsh, so urgent. Then came the footsteps—the hurried thud of boots across the floor, the sound of people running. My mind couldn’t catch up to what was happening,
Berrilyl's POVI couldn't believe that Cage could still fabricate evidence to fool me. All along, I knew he was clever and knew how to play the game-twisting realities to his advantage-but never did I think he would go that far. It was using my emotions, trust, and vulnerability to his advantage, and it seemed in the worst possible way-a betrayal.I stood there, frozen in absolute disbelief as Cage laid before me what felt like a mountain of photographs, messages, and documents. Overwhelmingly, each bit of "evidence" that he had in his hands seemed to lead me further down the path on which I really did not want to tread. How could he do it? How could he lie to me so in my face, knowing how much I love Owen?A rage bubbled in my chest, and I couldn't hold it inside anymore. "You're lying!" I screamed, my voice cracking. The words tasted bitter in my mouth, but they needed to be said. There was no other way. "You're just trying to manipulate me, Cage. You think I'll believe this garbage
Cage's POVThe next day, I made a maid bring Berrilyl to my chambers. As she entered, I was relieved to see that her complexion was better. The dad's circles under her had faded, and her skin had regained some of its natural glow.I felt glad that she was finally out of being a public slave, even though it was me who turned her into one. The humility from that young mistress annoyed me and it was time to make her pay and maybe make Berrilyl hate her more.But I didn't show my relief; I remained in my usual stoic expression, not wanting to give away concern for her well-being. I had specifically ordered the kitchen not to disturb Berrilyl for a few days, and to just deliver her meals at the appropriate time. She had to gain her strength before she would be able to do anything. I wanted her to rest. What I put her through was hard, not only for her. It was also hard for me to keep her there but sometimes I convinced myself that she deserved it. As u looked at her, I could see the ex
Cage's POVI was sitting in my room, lost in thought when a guard burst in. His was distorted, and I could tell from his exasperation that he had run all the way here."Sir, Beta Milano and his group have returned", he said, but his voice was laced with a sense of urgency that baffled me."What is it?" I asked, my mind already racing with possibilities; I hope it wasn't true."Sir, he and his group are injured" the guard replied, his voice tight with concern. "They're in the infirmary"I didn't hesitate. I rushed to the infirmary with my heart pounding in my chest. I just hoped that whatever happened wasn't so severe and he was still okay.When I arrived, I was met with a scene of chaos. Most of the warriors were injured, some more seriously than the others, but I didn't see any dead bodies, so I was thankful, although I wasn't sure.Milano himself was lying on a bed, his face pale and drawn. His injuries and those of other warriors were been taken care of.I rushed to his side, my mi
Berrilyl's POVI watched him go, storming off heavily in anger and frustration. I hesitated a moment before stepping from behind the screen of shadows. Talia stood there, her back to me, but I could see her shoulders quivering a bit."You're not even going to ask how long I've been standing there?" I said, stepping closer. My voice was calm, teasing even, but my words didn't weigh quite as much as usual.Talia didn't flinch. She didn't turn around in surprise as I had anticipated.I already knew you were there, she said in a low voice.That threw me off. Talia was never anything but sharp-tongued, always ready with either an acid comment or a glare to dismiss with. Now, however, her voice came soft and unreadable, and her face finally turned toward me. But what was surprising was tears in her eyes, swimming at the edges, threatening to spill, she kept blinking over and over again trying to push them away.For whatever reason, that expression in that pose got through. Sympathy, perhaps
Berrilyl's POVI wasn't eavesdropping not this time, anyway and I certainly wasn't trying to spy on them. Curiosity held me firmly in my hiding place, though, when Jake's voice started rising in frustration."Talia," he started, his words tight with frustration, "Why have you been avoiding me? What have I done to treat you like the monster that makes you shun me?Talia hesitated. Not seeing her face, I could sense her uneasiness at the long silence that followed. She always faltered in confrontation."It's not that, Jake," she said finally, barely above a whisper. "I'm not avoiding you because you've done anything wrong. I just don't want to. The others to misunderstand."Jake scoffed. “Misunderstand what, exactly? That we’re friends? That we’ve known each other for some time now? Is that something to be ashamed of now?”His frustration was palpable, and it wasn’t hard to see why. Jake had always been a straightforward kind of man, someone who spoke his mind without worrying about jud