Seviel lay beneath a hard winter, with snow piled thick across the rooftops and frost webbing the glass. But inside Cain’s room, the sunlight was soft, filtered through the pale curtains, and warm enough to kiss his cheeks as he slowly woke. 

For a moment, he thought he smelled the faint scent of musk and tobacco. It was the scent he’d come to associate with Gabriel. It lingered on the pillow beside him like a ghost of last night. 

Cain rolled onto his back, one hand covering his eyes while they adjusted to the light. That was the most peaceful sleep he’d had in god knows how long. His body felt weightless, his mind quiet. No nightmares were clawing at him, no memories of fire or cold or screaming. 

Just warmth. 

Gabriel’s words from last night had already worked their way beneath Cain’s skin, loosening something sad and fragile. He realised that his life had never truly belonged to him. It wasn’t the first time he’d realised this, but the thought had returned to him with new clarity. He now knew that this unchosen existence came with its own quiet dangers and careful politics. It felt like too much to hold all at once. 

But the comfort that followed those words… that left peace, like a still pond after a storm. 

Letting down his guard was dangerous. But it was also… a relief. 

Cain exhaled sharply.

Shit.

He dragged his hands down his face. 

He pushed himself up and swung his legs over the bed, the floorboards cold against his bare feet. He padded into the bathroom, splashed water on his face, and stared at his reflection. 

He looked… healthier. Brighter. As if last night’s sleep had scrubbed away months of exhaustion. 

Shit, he thought again, this time with more panic. 

He dressed quickly, in a simple shirt and trousers, and was just tying his hair back when a distant sound pricked his ears. 

Hooves.

Wheels grinding through the snow. 

Cain froze. 

He crossed the room and looked out the window to see a horse-drawn carriage rolling away from the gates. It was small and barely furnished. It wasn’t a carriage built for luxury. 

It was transport. 

Cain didn’t bother with a coat. He hurried out into the corridor and straight to Claudia’s door. His knuckles barely grazed the wood when the door slammed open. 

Claudia barreled out, half in her dressing gown, hair a wild cloud around her face. She grabbed his arm with cold fingers and yanked him inside. 

“Shh! Shut up,” she hissed, closing the door behind them.

Cain blinked. “I—what?”

“I’ve been trying to figure it out, but the last time a carriage came this early was after one of Lucinda’s auctions.”

Cain stared. “You really pay that much attention every time?”

Claudia pulled back, scandalised. “You don’t?!”

Cain shrugged. “Not… usually. I get all my information from you. The last girl Madam sent away… Hannah… I woke up, and she was already gone. You told me what happened.” 

“Exactly!” She jabbed a finger at him. “She was sent packing before breakfast, and look!”

She pointed dramatically toward the window. “A horse and carriage!” 

Cain took a breath. “We should go down to breakfast soon. See who’s missing.” 

“Wait here,” Claudia said, already disappearing into the bathroom. “We go together. I’m not walking into that room alone.” 

While she dressed, Cain leaned against her wardrobe, mind racing. A girl sent away at dawn. No notice. No goodbye. Clearly, this wasn’t good. 

A few minutes later, Claudia emerged, her hair braided and lips glossed. 

She tugged him out the door, and they descended together. 

The dining hall was warm, filled with steam from porridge pots and spiced tea. All the girls were gathered. Esther, Eve, Candace, and every other familiar face accounted for. 

Claudia shot Cain a wide-eyed look. 

No one is missing. 

Madam Lucinda sat at the head of the table, and the smile stretching across her painted lips was… too bright. Too sharp. 

Claudia squeezed Cain’s wrist once and shot him a look that said If you leave me alone, I will end you, but Madam’s beckoning had ruined that plan.

“Cain, my darling! Come, come, sit. Eat.” 

Claudia mouthed something profane behind his back. 

Cain took the empty chair at Lucinda’s right. 

“My, my,” she purred, eyes sliding over him. “You look positively radiant this morning. Look at that! You’ve got colour in your cheeks again.” 

Cain offered his most flawless smile. “Thank you, Madam. You look wonderful as always.” 

Lucinda preened at the compliment. She reached for the platter and loaded his plate with bacon, fruits and pastries, enough food for two men. Cain stared at the mountain in mild horror. 

Then she poured his coffee herself. 

People didn’t pour things for Cain.

Cain poured things for other people. 

Lucinda was in an excellent mood. And that was worse than her being furious. 

“Business has been wonderful lately,” she said sweetly. “You’ve been working hard.” 

Cain hid a wince behind a sip of coffee.

If only you knew, he thought. 

He murmured, “All thanks to your guidance and strong leadership, Madam. We couldn’t do any of this without you.” 

“Oh, you flatter me, child!” she cooed. 

Then she leaned closer, voice dropping low enough that no one else could hear. 

“And you will report to me if you encounter any unusual patrons?” 

Cain’s smile didn’t falter. “Of course, Madam. I have nothing to report. Everything has returned to normal. Truly, a blessing.” 

“Good, good. That is what I like to hear.” 

She continued talking, about moisturiser for winter skin, about new bedding for the rooms, and about upcoming travel from the southern provinces, but Cain only heard ocean noises. 

He nodded in the right places. 

Eventually, he excused himself. 

Claudia was waiting just outside the hall, pacing like a cat in a trap. 

“Well?” she demanded. 

“She didn’t say anything,” Cain murmured. “But she’s in a frighteningly good mood. I checked out around the part about thread counts, but something’s definitely wrong.” 

Claudia’s hands twisted in her gown. “Everyone was at breakfast. No one’s missing.” 

“...Sorscha?” Cain said quietly. 

Claudia froze. “Holy shit. It must be. What do you think happened? She was supposed to come back after her… self-reflection.” 

Cain’s voice softened. “She stopped being profitable. One less mouth to feed is one more coin in Madam’s pocket.”

Claudia pressed her palms to her face. “Oh my god. None of us are safe. This was her home. This is our home.” 

Cain didn’t know what to say. 

He rested a hand on Claudia’s shoulder. “I’m sorry.” 

She swallowed hard. “I hate this place.” 

As Claudia went back to her room, Cain remained in the hallway for a moment longer. He truly hoped that wherever Sorscha had been sent was safer than here. 

He forced himself to believe it.

Because the alternative was unbearable.

And Cain had survived enough nightmares for one lifetime. 

༻𐫱༺

The carriage jolted as it left the gates, its wheels crunching over frozen snow. Sorscha sat inside, wrapped in a thin shawl that did nothing to keep out the biting wind creeping through the cracks. Her hands trembled in her lap, not from the cold, but from the hollow ache settling in her chest. 

Across from her sat one of the attendants. 

A broad man with tired eyes. 

The others rode beside the driver, barely visible through the small window. 

Sorscha swallowed hard. 

“...Where are you taking me?”

The attendant didn’t answer at first. His gaze stayed fixed on the frost gathering at the corners of the glass. 

Finally, he exhaled. “Orders are orders.” 

“That’s not an answer,” she whispered. 

A muscle in his jaw ticked. “It’s more kindness than most get.” 

Sorscha looked down. The carriage rocked her like a cradle with no comfort. “Am I being punished?”

He didn’t meet her eyes. “No. But you’re done at the Veil. That’s all I was told to say.” 

“That’s all?” Her voice cracked. “I gave them years of my life.” 

“That’s more than most survive.” 

She flinched. 

The attendant shifted uncomfortably, then whispered, quieter: “You’re not the first woman I’ve taken from there. And unfortunately, you won’t be the last.” 

“Do they ever… have good lives?” Sorscha forced the question out. “Afterwards?”

The man paused. Something flickered in his face, pity, maybe. 

“...Some do,” he said.

Sorscha’s throat tightened. “And the others?”

He looked away again. 

“Try not to think about the others.”

The carriage turned down a narrow road leading out of Seviel, where snow fell more heavily, and the world grew quiet. Sorscha pressed her forehead to the cold glass, watching the only home she’d ever known shrink behind her. 

The attendant shifted again before speaking, softer this time. 

“For what it’s worth… You seem like a smart girl. Sometimes that’s enough to survive.”

Sorscha closed her eyes.

She didn’t know where she was going.

She didn’t know if she’d ever return.

But she whispered back, voice barely audible, “I hope they’re okay… Claudia, Cain, and the others.” 

The attendant didn’t answer.

Outside, the snow swallowed their trail until it was as if she’d never existed at all. 

༻𐫱༺

Well after midnight, Cain sat cross-legged on the floor beside the fireplace, his book lying open but forgotten in his lap. Shadows danced along the walls as he glanced at the potted lilies resting on his vanity. 

His thoughts kept drifting back to Sorscha.

To Claudia’s panic.

To Madam’s mood. 

To Gabriel. 

He sighed and leaned against the couch, letting the crackling fire fill the silence. 

Then, 

A whisper-soft sound.

A latch.

Footsteps, light, almost silent.

Gabriel stepped fully into the room, closing the door behind him. The warmth of the firelight caught the sharp lines of his face.

Then he smiled.

Cain’s breath hitched.

He had come back. 

༻𐫱༺

Leander’s Fate: Hero, a priestess of Aphrodite, lived in a tower on the shores of Sestos. Leander, her lover, lived across the strait in Abydos. Every night, Hero would light a lamp in her tower to guide Leander as he swam across the dangerous Hellespont to be with her. One night, a ferocious winter storm extinguished the lamp, causing Leander to lose his way. He drowned in the treacherous waters. When Hero discovered his lifeless body washed up the next morning, she was so devastated that she threw herself from the tower to join him in death.