Whispers in the shadows

Moonlight bled through the glass window by my room.

I traced the delicate embroidery of my dress, an absent gesture as my thoughts spiraled.

Ren's world was a labyrinth of secrets, each darker and more twisted than the last.

I couldn't stay still, my footsteps carried me to the west wing.

The air was colder here, the chill biting through my thin sleeves. Portraits lined the walls, their painted gazes heavy with judgment.

I swore I felt them follow me as I passed.

I stopped before the door that led to Victoria's room.

A place Ren had sealed with ironclad orders. He hadn't killed her, though. That was something, wasn't it? Or perhaps it was worse.

My fingers hesitated on the doorknob, Ren's voice a ghost in my mind, warning me away. But he wasn't here. The thought alone made my chest tighten, a strange blend of relief and rebellion.

I turned the knob and stepped inside.

The room was dimly lit, victoria sat by the window, her form draped in an aura of cold elegance.

The moonlight caught the sharp angles of her face, but it did little to soften the hardness in her eyes.

She stared out at the garden, but her thoughts were far from the blooms and the moonlit paths outside.

I stood near the door, hesitant, unsure if stepping further into her world was a mistake.

But I had to. I had no choice. This conversation had been haunting me for days, swirling in my mind like a storm. Ren... and everything about him.

"You shouldn't be here." Her voice was low, like the growl of a wolf, quiet but filled with a threat I could feel in my bones.

I swallowed hard, my own voice barely a whisper. "I know. But I needed to see you."

Victoria's head turned slowly, her gaze cutting through the air like ice.

Her blue eyes pinned me in place, and for a moment, I wondered if I had made a grave error in coming.

There was something so chilling in her stare.

"What do you want?" she asked, her voice smoother now, but no less dangerous.

I took a deep breath. "Answers."

Victoria's lips curled into a thin, humorless smile. "Answers?" she echoed, her tone mocking. "You won't find them here. Ren's secrets are buried deep, in places you don't want to go. If you're smart, you'll leave them there."

I couldn't. I couldn't walk away without knowing. "What will happen to you victoria? What will happen to me ?" My heart hammered in my chest, but I fought to keep my voice steady.

She looked at me then, her expression softening for the briefest moment before it hardened again, like stone being chiseled away to reveal the jagged edges beneath.

"Ren doesn't love." She said then paused.

"He never learned how. His past… it took that from him. He became a man of control. Ruthless. Cold."

Her eyes flicked away for a moment, as if recalling something painful. "But you... you're different. You don't belong in this world, Elena. You're not part of our world. And that's why he's obsessed with you. You're an enigma. Something he can't control."

I felt a pit grow in my stomach, my pulse quickening. "But… why me?"

Victoria's lips twisted, a shadow of something old and bitter passing through her eyes. "Because, like our father, Ren craves what he cannot have. He was always like this.

Do you know what happened to him, Elena? Do you know what made him this way?"

I shook my head, unable to speak, though a dreadful feeling began to creep into my chest.

She didn't wait for me to answer.

"He was kidnapped. When he was just a boy. Held captive, tortured for months, until there was nothing left of the boy he was. They broke him down, piece by piece,"

" And my dad let that happen" Victoria's eyes hardened as if the memory stung, even after all these years.

"He never talked about it, but I knew. I saw the changes, the darkness settling in. And when he finally escaped by his own, when he finally got out, he came back to find the man who had done it, the man who had scarred him so deeply more those who kidnapped him, Our father."

Her voice faltered for the briefest moment. "Our father… He wasn't just a monster.

He was a beast. And Ren, at some point decided to kill him."

I could feel the weight of her words settle around us, like the air had become thick with the ghosts of their shared past. The silence stretched out, and all I could hear was the pounding of my own heart.

"Ren killed him?" My voice barely escaped me.

Victoria nodded, her gaze shifting to the garden once more, her expression unreadable. "Yes. He killed him, and in doing so, he killed any chance of ever being whole again. That's the kind of man Ren became. He doesn't know how to love. He only knows how to take, to consume, to control."

I wanted to say something, to ask more, but my throat felt tight, suffocated by the truth she had just revealed. The pieces were falling into place, and they were not the kind of truths I wanted to hear.

"But why me?" I asked again, my voice almost pleading.

Victoria turned back to me, her eyes colder now, sharper. "You're not like us. You don't have the blood of a monster running through your veins. You're too soft. Too… human. And that's why Ren will break you, Elena. You'll be just another casualty in his obsession."

I took a step forward, my hands shaking. " I can't live like this. I can't just… be his prisoner."

Victoria's lips curled into a smile, though there was no warmth in it. "Oh, I think you can. In fact, I think you will. Ren doesn't just break people, Elena. He consumes them whole. You think you can escape? ... Think again."

I met her gaze, my voice steady despite the fear gnawing at me. "I will escape. I'll find a way."

Victoria's eyes darkened, her voice low and threatening. "Don't make that mistake, Elena. Don't think for a second that you have any power here. Ren will find you. And when he does, it won't just be your body he'll break. It will be your soul."

Her warning echoed long after I left, her words curling around me like a noose as I wandered the halls.

My aimless steps brought me to a locked door. A key, abandoned and rusting in the lock, turned easily under my hand.

The room beyond was thick with dust, the air heavy with disuse. Portraits lined the walls, their faces unfamiliar but hauntingly similar to Ren's. Family? Enemies? I couldn't say.

One room stood out, its door slightly ajar. Inside, an ornate dagger lay alongside a black and white photograph. In the image, a boy with piercing eyes, Ren, unmistakably stood stiffly beside a stern man.

Letters were scattered on the table, their script elegant and precise.

"My dearest Ren," one began, "I hope one day you'll understand the choices I made. Betrayal, sacrifice, duty.. these are the burdens we bear for those we love, even when love feels like a curse."

The words clawed at something deep inside me. The letters spoke of pain, of loss, of a family fractured by choices that had left scars on everyone involved. Ren had been shaped by this, hardened, twisted.

I set the letter down, my hand brushing the photograph.

-------------

The mansion stood like an isolated fortress in the heart of the woods, shrouded in the silence of an eternal dusk. Ren had left, his parting words lingering in my mind.

"Don't try anything foolish."

I would stand at the front steps, watching the big garden around, the long road lead to the main gate.

I paced my room, the heavy velvet curtains pulled wide to let in natural light. The air felt heavy, oppressive, and every creak of the floorboards or distant murmur of the staff set my nerves alight.

The mansion was vast, its labyrinthine halls adorned with ornate mirrors, oil paintings of ancestors with piercing eyes, and thick rugs that muffled every step. The staff moved like shadows, silent and obedient. I had tried speaking to one of the maids, an older woman with a severe bun and downcast eyes but my attempts at conversation were met with polite indifference.

Outside, the guards patrolled the grounds with military precision. Their presence was a constant reminder that escape was futile. I had tested the waters the first nights, slipping out to the garden under the pretense of enjoying the cool night air. I would only made it to the wrought-iron gate before two guards appeared from the shadows, their expressions unreadable.

"You should return inside, miss," one had said, his tone firm but not unkind.

Now, i sat by the window in my room, gazing out at the endless expanse of trees. Somewhere out there, beyond the woods, was freedom.

I imagined the bustling streets of a city, the hum of life, the simple joy of being unseen, unknown.

But here, in this gilded prison, i was trapped.

A knock at the door pulled me from my thoughts.

"Miss Elena, your dinner is served," came the soft voice of one of the younger maids.

"I'll be down shortly,"

As the footsteps retreated, i clenched my fists. I had to find a way out.

That night, as the mansion settled into its usual stillness, i slipped from my room. I wore a simple dress. The hallways stretched endlessly, each one more unfamiliar than the last.

I had a plan .. at least, the beginnings of one. If i could reach the servant's quarters, perhaps i could find a way out through the back entrances. I knew the risks; the guards were everywhere, and the staff was loyal to Ren. But i had to try.

As i turned a corner, a figure stepped out from the shadows.

"Miss Elena," maria said, her voice calm but her eyes sharp. "You shouldn't be wandering the halls at this hour."

I forced a smile,my heart pounding. "I couldn't sleep. Thought a walk might help."

Maria tilted her head, her expression unreadable. "Best return to your room. The woods are no place for wandering."

I hesitated, then nodded. "Of course. Thank you."

She watched me for a moment longer before retreating down the hall, her steps echoing faintly.

My breath hitched. They were always watching. Always waiting.

As i returned to my room, a single thought repeated in my mind: There must be a way out.

---------------

The mansion seemed to hold its breath when ren returned. Shadows stretched toward him, as if eager to greet their master. The floor groaned under his steps, each one measured, deliberate.

I felt him before I saw him, his presence rolling through the halls like a storm gathering strength. By the time he entered the library, my heart was a frantic rhythm against my ribs.

He stopped in the doorway, his dark gaze piercing, pinning me where I sat.

"Did you miss me?" His voice was low, rough, and far too knowing.

I opened my mouth to lie, but the words wouldn't come. My silence betrayed me, and the corner of his mouth curved into that maddening smirk.

He moved closer, every step deliberate, a predator closing in. I gripped the book in my lap as if it could shield me from him.

"You've been busy," he said, his tone deceptively light.

My breath hitched. "I wasn't… "

"You went to Victoria. And the west wing."

I met his gaze, the ember of defiance sparking within me. "You keep too many secrets, Ren. How am I supposed to trust you?"

His smirk turned cold, his eyes glinting like shattered glass. "Trust is not something I ask for, Elena."

He turned to leave, but his footsteps paused in the doorway. "Stay out of the shadows," he said, his voice softer but no less commanding.

The words lingered long after he was gone, a warning, a promise, and a threat all at once.