(Hello everybody! I'm launching early today instead of Sunday, because me and E need to redo the next arc, so we can prepare for next Sunday!!!. Thanks for your patience!!!)
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The door to Madam Odette's office slammed open with such force that the hinges screamed in protest. The sharp crack of wood against the wall echoed through the brothel, silencing the laughter and chatter from the lower floors. 20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAurNXlToTW
The air seemed to thicken, tension rippling outward like a stone dropped in still water.
Kiaran's frame filled the doorway, dark and menacing, his shadow stretching across the floor like a jagged scar. His ruby-red eyes burned like embers in the dim light, his fists clenched so tightly that his knuckles gleamed bone-white.
He didn't pause to take in the familiar scene—the velvet curtains, the low-burning lanterns, the faint haze of smoke curling through the air. His focus was singular, his fury a storm barely held together by fraying threads.
"Kiaran!" I shouted after him, my voice hitching with panic. But the sound barely carried over the weight of his anger. He didn't glance back, didn't slow. His strides were long and deliberate, driven by a force I couldn't stop.
I froze in the doorway, panic slicing through me as I watched him cross the room. Estella's words played over and over in my mind, cutting deeper with each repetition. Madam Odette... she sold her.
The betrayal hung heavy in the air. It felt as though the ground had been ripped out from beneath me, and every step I took felt like wading through a deep, suffocating weight.
I wanted to scream, to demand answers, but my breath caught in my throat, paralyzed by the tension between them.
Madam Odette barely stirred at the intrusion. She lounged behind her desk, utterly unbothered by the storm barreling toward her. Her silk robe glowed like molten fire in the dim light, slipping lazily from one shoulder.20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOCgcCztLrS
A cigarette dangled between her fingers, the faint glow of the ember casting sharp shadows across her golden skin. Her amber eyes gleamed with a cold, predatory light as she looked up at Kiaran with a slow, amused smile.
"Well," she drawled, her voice smooth as velvet, tinged with humor. "To what do I owe the pleasure of such a dramatic entrance, Kiaran?"
Kiaran didn't answer. He didn't need to. His boots struck the floor heavily as he crossed the room in three long strides, stopping just short of her desk. His broad shoulders were taut with tension, his jaw clenched so tightly I thought he might shatter his teeth.
"You sold her," he growled, his voice low, dangerous, trembling with rage. "You sold Mirelle to the slavers."
Odette exhaled a long plume of smoke, tilting her head as though considering his words. 20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnagq3nZUwy
Her eyes flickered, sharp and unbothered. "Mirelle was an asset," she said simply, flicking ash into the air. "Assets have value. I made sure she went to the highest bidder."
Kiaran's fist slammed onto the desk with enough force to rattle the ornate glass decanter resting on it. The sharp sound made me flinch, but Odette didn't so much as blink. Her calm, detached demeanor only seemed to stoke his fury further.
"She's not an asset," Kiaran snarled, his voice rising. "She was one of the girls you swore to protect. You swore—"
"Protect?" Odette cut him off with a sharp laugh, leaning forward slightly. The silk of her robe shifted with her movement. "Oh, darling, don't be so naive. You know how this world works. Beautiful demi-god women are hot commodities around these parts."
Her smile widened, cruel and unapologetic. "Mirelle's powers made her a target from the moment she was born. I just... expedited the inevitable."
"You'd better tell me where you sold her," Kiaran spat, his voice trembling with barely restrained wrath. His hand hovered near the hilt of his dagger, the tension radiating off him in waves. "Or else."
Odette shrugged, her movements languid, as though his anger was nothing more than an amusing distraction. She rose from her chair, her robe slipping back over her shoulders as she strolled to the ashtray on the corner of the desk. 20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOEsJys8ncA
She tapped the end of her cigarette lightly, letting the black ashes fall.
"A noble in downtown Aranbiya paid a hefty price to round her up and take her to him," she said, her voice as smooth as silk. She glanced at Kiaran's reddened face, her lips curled into a sharper grin, as though she drew strength from his anger. "Beautiful system, isn't it?"
Kiaran's jaw tightened, his teeth grinding audibly. "You're a demon in human form, Odette," he said, his voice low and venomous.
Odette's smirk widened, her eyes gleaming with cruel amusement. She leaned back against the desk, taking another slow drag from her cigarette. "Such harsh words," she murmured, exhaling smoke that curled lazily between them.
"But tell me, Kiaran," she continued, her tone light, almost playful. "What would you have done? Hm? Risked all the girls here for one? Do you even understand what would've happened if I told the nobles no? If I told the Duenios no?"
"You're human," Kiaran growled through gritted teeth. "Unlike us, nothing would've happened to you."
Odette laughed, a sharp, bitter sound. "Incorrect," she said, her voice cold. "I would have been hung, strung up, married off to some disgusting noble, or imprisoned. Just because I'm human doesn't mean I call all the shots."
She returned to the ashtray, discarding the ash with a flick of her wrist. Her voice softened, almost wistful. "One day, I'll be rich. And I won't have to run a brothel full of lowly demi-gods."
"You didn't have to sell her," I said suddenly, my voice trembling. My hands clenched at my sides, nails biting into my palms to stop them from shaking. But I could hear the crack in my words, the weakness that betrayed me.
Odette turned her sharp gaze on me, her amber eyes gleaming with a mix of amusement and disdain. She gestured with her cigarette, the ember glowing faintly in the dim light, as though sizing me up for some unseen game.
"Look at you, Mablevi," she said, her voice dripping with scorn. "An illegal princess hiding in a brothel. Do you even know how much you're worth?" 20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡezwDpsXsH6
She shrugged, taking another drag of her cigarette before blowing out a lazy plume of smoke. "The humans would pay a fortune for a Nwatti girl who can control the weather. 20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe6JlxImh5D
England, Spain, Aranbiya—they're all suffering famine. Imagine what they'd give to have you bending storms to their will."
Her words hit me like a slap, and for a moment, I couldn't breathe. The room felt colder suddenly, her voice slicing through the air with cruel precision. My fists tightened, but the trembling started anyway, betraying me.
"Your father couldn’t keep it in his pants. He paid me to keep my mouth shut.”" she added, her tone so casual it made my stomach churn. "And now here you are, playing hero when you're supposed to be making me money."
I opened my mouth to respond, to spit something back at her, but the words died on my tongue. My throat felt tight, the rising heat in my chest threatening to choke me. She was wrong. She had to be wrong.
Kiaran stepped forward, his presence like a thundercloud about to break. The air seemed to vibrate with the sheer force of his anger, and I could feel it rolling off him in waves.
"Say another word about her," he growled, his voice low and venomous, "and I'll put an end to this right now."
Odette raised an eyebrow, unbothered by the threat. If anything, she seemed amused. She tilted her head, a smirk tugging at her lips. "Oh, Kiaran," she said, her tone dripping with mockery. "Always so tense. Why don't you relax?"
Her voice dropped to a low, velvety murmur as she took a slow step toward him, her movements deliberate, almost predatory. "Let me remind you of all the fun we used to have... back when you weren't trying so hard to be a hero."
Her fingers traced the edge of his sleeve, her claws sinking into the fabric of his coat, her touch feather-light but deliberate. "It wasn't so long ago you showed up here," 20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRwwc8tF7pQ
She purred, her lips just inches from his ear. "On your knees, begging for my help. 'Please, Madam,'" she mimicked, her tone sing-song and cruel, "'help me raise this—'"
Before she could finish, Kiaran shoved her back with enough force to send her crashing into the table behind her. 20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnXT8TheSyk
The wooden surface splintered under her weight, glass shattering as she hit it. The sound was deafening, and for a moment, the entire room seemed to hold its breath.
I gasped, my hands flying to my mouth as the scene unfolded in front of me. For a heartbeat, no one moved. The air was thick with smoke and tension, the faint smell of spilled liquor mixing with the acrid scent of burning tobacco.
Kiaran's chest heaved, his fists clenched at his sides as he stared down at her, his face twisted with rage. But as she lay there, surrounded by broken glass and shards of wood, something flickered across his face—guilt.
"Odette," he muttered, his voice low and strained. He stepped forward quickly, his hands hovering awkwardly as though unsure whether to help her or keep his distance. "I... I didn't mean to—" He clenched his jaw, the words bitter on his tongue. "I don't know my own strength."
For a moment, she didn't move. Then, her shoulders began to shake. At first, I thought she might be crying, but then the sound hit me—a sharp, cruel laugh that rang out like the crack of a whip.
Her head tilted back, and she laughed louder, the sound cutting through the silence like a blade. It wasn't a laugh of pain or fear—it was a laugh of triumph, of someone who refused to back down. 20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiyysRyOCDF
Her amber eyes gleamed as she pushed herself up from the wreckage, brushing shards of glass from her robe.
"Oh, Kiaran," she said, her voice dripping with venomous amusement. "You're precious. You can't even break a table without falling all over yourself to apologize. What's next? Are you going to cry for me?"
His guilt evaporated in an instant, replaced by a fresh wave of fury. His fists clenched again, and I could feel the tension radiating off him like heat from a fire. But before he could say anything, she raised her hand, silencing him with a single gesture.
"You want to know where she is?" Odette murmured, tilting her head with a cruel smile. "Fine. I'll tell you."
She hoisted herself fully upright, her small frame somehow exuding an unshakable authority. Despite her tiny stature, she didn't waver as she faced Kiaran.
"But not because you scare me, Kiaran. No, darling. You don't have that kind of power."
Her words were like poison, sinking into the room and twisting the air. Kiaran's jaw flexed, but he didn't let go. Odette gleamed with satisfaction, as though she fed on the tension, the helplessness that simmered beneath his anger.
"I'll give you the coordinates," she continued, her voice smooth as silk, "because I want to see you try. I want to watch you stumble into the jaws of something bigger, something far beyond your understanding."
Kiaran's brow furrowed, his grip faltering just slightly. "What are you talking about?" he growled.
Odette chuckled softly, her lips curling into a smirk. "Oh, Kiaran, you and your little princess here think you're so clever, so noble in your quest to save the demi-gods."
Her gaze darkened, her voice dropping to a near-whisper. "But you have no idea what you're walking into. Mirelle's fate was sealed the moment she was born. You can't save her."
She glanced between us, her expression sharpening with wicked delight "Humans with greed, and those who amplify it, are more ruthless, more calculating, and more bloodthirsty than you could ever imagine.
Bounty hunters, Duenios, demi-gods, even me selling her—it's all part of a cruel, unbreakable system."
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