Daniel sweats nervously in his clothes, and despite the calm demeanor he had when I approached him that snowy afternoon, he now appears disheveled, panicked. Surely, I would be too if I were in his position, but I am not, and that is why I am beyond mad, that is why I am furious. He had the chance to possibly save me, and he did not. 

"I can't tell you that, Alice."

"Tell me what? That the king is a bastard who is playing you like a bloody fiddle? Come on, Daniel, we both know there is more to this than that. How about we play a little game since your mouth is so zippered tight?" I let out a sinister smile, showcasing both of my fangs. 

On the inside, I did not want to hurt him, well mostly on the inside. There is that one sickly bit that wants to tear apart his organs one by one, draining them till they are dry and being left for the animals to fester upon. Yet, the saner part wants to do this without the use of violence, with the sickening need to harm rather than just anyone. 

"Here are the rules... I ask a question and you answer it. If you are lying, then I break a finger." I find myself charging towards Daniel, pinning him against the wall. Our bodies are close together, and despite his new struggles to free himself, he is helpless against my increased strength. I snicker quietly while shaking my head. 

"Question number one, did you know about the night of the gala?" 

"No - no." I let out a 'tsk' and look him deep in the eyes. For there is something a bit odd when someone lies, as I find it, every lie is like a sin. When one lies, their aura which is typically pure grows to be just a smidge darker. Not for a long time, it always returns to be lighter, unless the lie is severe. This is something I have picked up throughout the day, mainly with white lies. Mostly about money and interest with a certain object. I am unsure why I can see these hexing auras, and only the foul ones, but they are easy to see, clear as daylight. 

"Daniel, I'll give you a chance to answer correctly," I whisper closely into his ear. My grip closes tighter onto his wrists, and the whimper of pain he releases is like gentle music to my ears. I let out a hum and shake my head, "shall we try again?" 

"Yes, I knew about Gala! But I did not know what would happen, all I knew is that something was going to happen to you." I inch away from Daniel and look deeply into his brown eyes. They glimmer with nerves and terror even. Part of me is proud to instill this type of horror into people, yet the sane part of me, says that this is not correct, this should never even be happening. 

His aura appears to be the same; there is no daunting change of color, no body language that wavers from the shoulders below. For he tells the truth this one time. 

"See, nice and easy. One little finger is saved. How about the next question ---”?

"Please let me go, I won't tell anyone."

"You had your chance to tell me before I left this damned store," I say sharply, my tongue is like a knife, cutting through the tension in the air. My voice no longer is cheery, entertaining. I am serious; I am beyond pissed off. He had his chance, and he fucking he blew it. 

"I'm sorry, I was scared. The king, he threatened me." I look at him once again, and the way his eyes reflect, they grow wet with tears. I let out a quiet sigh and nod my head. Once again, his body structure reflects that of truth. There is no eyebrow movement, no stance wavering, no microreactors, there is nothing but the truth.

"Did you know I would die?" 

"What? You are dead? I thought you were just, I don't know, transformed!" 

"Wait, you didn't know?" I release Daniel's pinned arms and rub my hands. I look at the little ring that I managed to keep within the palm of my hand without letting it fall. I put the ring back on and take a deep breath as the cloak seems to come back on. My hair falls to be longer, and it turns a light brown. My eyes no longer burn with the flames that wield inside them. 

"Why would I know? Gods you died. I'm so sorry; I would have helped if I knew." 

"I don't blame you," my breath is quiet as I take a step back. He looks down at his feet and wipes a few tears off his cheek. Guilt wells within my stomach, but I need to shake it off in order to maintain my questioning and the seriousness built deep within its roots. 

"What did the king threaten to do to you if you didn't comply with making the dress?" 

"He would have killed me, replaced my shop like it was nothing. No one would have questioned it." I let out a gasp and put my hands to my mouth, stunned. No, there is no way one man could be so vile, right? Gods, this man is not even a human, he is more than a monster even more than I am. 

"I'm sorry, Daniel. I will leave you alone, you are telling the truth."

"You're just letting me go?" 

"Yes," I say with a gentle voice. I shake my head and look at my normal, human hands, "you are free to go. I won't bother you again." 

"Before you go," Daniel hesitates for a second as he puts a lone hand on my shoulder, giving me a nervous yet friendly smile. "If you ever need a dress or any clothing, come to me." 

"Thank you, Daniel."

---

"So, you're telling me that the tailor knew that the king was going to do something, but he had no idea you would die?"

"Pretty much, so a dead end." I put my hands to my cheek and sulk. A dead-end, of course. I knew we would be encountering a lot of those, but it feels soh so bitter. Of course, the tailor would not know anything; it was just a stretch. 

"What did you expect, Alice? This does give us a lead, though. We know the king has some sort of involvement. This makes me ponder why, though." I bite my lip and reflect on the story Mama told me a week or so ago. The royal blood that runs through me, or used to, at least, could that be a memory that the eking wants to forget? What if I am just a mistake that he wanted to erase?

"Did you know I have this royal blood flowing through me, Celia?" 

"Pardon?" 

"Did you know the king took advantage of Mama during the empress games and that's how I conceived?" My voice is steadily getting louder as anger flows through me, like a volcano ready to erupt. Angry tears threaten to fall from my eyes, but I am quick to sniffle, attempting to ensure that they do not get near any chance of falling. "The king, he took advantage of Mama during the empress games.  That's how I was born; that's why Asmodeus said I was his heir because I was born out of sin." 

"Dear gods, Alice," Celia mumbles and all I can do is shake my head angrily, attempting to conceal as much emotion as I can. However, a few angry tears slip from my eyes, and they stream down my cheek. I must take a few deep breaths to calm myself down, and, after a few moments, I am able to relax. 

"Mama is all I have; without her I am nothing. She fought for me, so I will fight for her." 

"That's very humble, Alice. I promise you that we will get your mom back." I nod my head and look towards the aura that surrounds Celia. Her stance is strong, for she no longer slumps in despair. Her eyes are darting forward with determination, and she wears a firm mask, attempting to hide any sliver of despair. 

Suddenly, without warning, there is a knock on the door. Celia and I both look at each other confused before she motions to put the ring on and head into her bedroom. I am quick to throw the ring that sits on the now fixed side table onto my hand, the feeling of the clock never does feel any bit comforting. Will I ever get used to this? 

I hurry into the bedroom and shut the door quietly. I can hear everything with my enhanced sense of sound.  I sit down on Celia's bed and look out the closed window. It might be dark, but I can still see. I do not think I will ever get used to the night vision I had; it is constant, it is everything yet nothing at the same time. For all I can see is the light, yet every time I look around there is nothing but despair and darkness. 

I can hear the door being cracked open and a large gasp echoes around the house. I cannot tell what is going on because the voices, despite me being able to hear them, are mumbled. I can recognize one voice being a male and the other being Celia's. My eyebrow raises when I am unable to recognize who it is, but I dismiss any idea of a stranger, surely there is someone on the other side, and perhaps it is someone we can trust. 

Celia knocks on my door only after a few moments and I slowly approach the door. My hand hovers over the locked door handle, and it glimmers with a sense of . . . hope? No, that is the faux gold, right? 

I unlock the door handle and am being met face to face with Celia. Her face does not reveal any emotion, rather she remains bare, trying to conceal any panic or excitement that might be present at any moment. 

"Remain calm," she whispers, and I nod my head with compliance. I take in a deep breath, and she steps aside letting me enter the room. Yet, who I see does not let the calm stay for long, rather it quickly starts to bubble deep within my stomach, and I must withhold the bile that stays in my throat. There stands Asmodeus, the bastard himself. He wears nothing malicious, rather it is a smile. 

"Alice, it is nice to see you again."