‎

Meanwhile, in an entirely different wing of the mansion, in her quarters, Flare found herself staring at her figure in a small mirror. Her hands trembled still from that famous encounter. The echoes of Madame Valliere's threats resounded in her mind; the threat of wiping out her bloodline should she ever fail again. Flare knew her mistress could do just that. Her thoughts had turned tempestuous as she began contemplating her plans; her next move required more caution, more circumspection. Protecting Lita now seemed like a greater project than she had ever bargained for. 

A knock at her door interrupted her thoughts. Just as well; she tensed up opening it, with one of the lesser maids standing nervously, delivering a message. 

"Madame Valliere requests your presence in the east wing,"

said the maid in a low voice. Flare nodded, waved the maid off, and rose from her seated position. A second meeting with the woman dictating her and her family's future was no longer a pleasant prospect.

As she walked toward the east wing, she felt a cold chill in the air. For some reason, the mansion was more shadowy than she had ever remembered it. Every shadow felt like it was scrutinizing her movements. Every step sent her heart racing as she came closer to another confrontation with the fury of Madam Valliere.

Lita, meanwhile, in her own room, was slow in her dressing because her mind was filled with questions. She had no idea what her mother was planning next, but one thing was certain: she could no longer stay in the dark. Whatever her mother was hiding, Lita must know the truth about their family, their past, and her future.

Soft rapping on the door startled her. Too late for visitors. Cautiously, Lita opened it, half expecting to see Flare or a maid when instead, she was met by a male figure lurking in shadow, the features of his face almost entirely hidden.

"Lita Valliere,"

the man whispered in a low growl.

"There's something you should know… about your mother."

With that, Lita's heart gave an extra beat, and its pulse quickened.

"Who are you?"

she asked, instinctively stepping back. 

"Someone who knows the truth,"

he said as he moved forward into the dim light, eyes sparkling dangerously. His eyes thrilled her with curiosity.

She hesitated a moment, glancing about to ensure no one was watching, then motioned for the man to enter. This was everything. Everything she needed to know about the mysteries that had haunted her.

As the door closed with a thud behind them, Lita was sure her life was going to change radically once again. Whatever this stranger had to share with her might hold the key to the truth she intensely sought. But was she ready for what she was about to find out?

Madam Valliere came walking into the room; the very sight of her was as suffocating as ever. Lita froze when she caught a glimmer of a bloodstained dagger in her mother's hand; her pulse raced and her eyes widened in shock. It must be true: the man had come to tell her the secrets—and now he was dead. Her mother had made sure of it, her deafening glance communicating both evidence of that control and a warning. It was as though nothing could escape her ever-watchful gaze.

Lita's heart thundered in her chest, the breath catching in her throat, racing thoughts tumbling in her mind. How could her mother have known? Had she been parading all along in shadowy corners, one step ahead, waiting for the very moment her daughter would dare to challenge her? 

Madam Valliere made no reply, bleached the bloody dagger with stern indifference, and with her expressionless face began

"A visitor is to come next week."

Her calm voice conveyed nothing of the death that had just taken place.

"Be prepared. I expect you to act."

Nausea turned in Lita's stomach, but she nodded. Her mother's chilling control over every detail of their lives was almost stifling, but Lita dared not question it. Even now, with her mother's dagger in her despicable possession, the fear clamped her tighter.

"Who is coming?"

Lita asked cautiously, even though she knew her mother would not answer.

Madam Valliere smiled a faint, enigmatic smile.

"That is for me to know,"

she said softly.

"But this visitor will be... very important. I expect perfection from you."

Something dangerous glimmered in her eyes, as if this visitor held meanings that Lita could not fathom.

"You will see for yourself soon enough."

Madam Valliere turned and walked away without another word, the dagger still stained with blood dragging at her side. Lita stood silently, watching her melt into shadows of the hall. A dark weight hung heavily over her after hearing her mother's words, leaving her highly unsettled.

A week went by, and Lita's nerves were more tightly wound. Every day, she felt her mother watching her with scrutiny, expecting judgment for something she had yet to do. Something dreadful felt imminent; she could almost feel it, the faintest hint of power in the air.

Then came the day: on the soft grinding of wheels over gravel in the mansion driveway, the visitor's coming echoed across the estate. The atmosphere turned heavier, fraught with a list of ominous things yet to come, in the Valliere mansion.

Inside the dark carriage, staring through the rain-beaten glass as it drew itself up to some gate unfamiliar. The emblem of a foreign house was carved on the iron, the design intricate but unrecognizable. The horses, dark and forbidding, came to a halt, their heavy breaths visible in the cold air.

She glanced downward at the short missive that Madam Valliere had courted to her this very morning. Cryptic at best, the words drummed over in with her as she murmured it out aloud,

"Is that so? How interesting."

The carriage door was flung, and she adjusted the hat with a broad brim, which covered all but her face. Raising her head to step outside, she quickly brought it down, allowing her deep violet cloak to sway slightly in the wind. The air outside was thick, charged with something unseen-silent currents weaving whispers of fate.

She did not look back.

What could fascinate her mother so much? Who was this visitor, and what in the world did they want from the Valliere family? 

Lita couldn't help but feel this was just the beginning, the beginning of something much worse than she could comprehend.