"A tragedy."
Entirely different from any male's voice I heard. The 'tch, tch, tch,' had such a musical resonance that it did not feel like pity.
"To conceal such divine features from lustful eyes. To not be able to reach the depths of grace despite being capable of it."
I flinched, pulling the fox fur tighter around my shoulders, keeping Lord Kaldric's warning in my mind.
Through the shadow of my hat, I saw a pair of polished leather boots. A hand, pale and unscarred, reached into my line of sight, holding a handkerchief made of the finest white lace.
"Dry your eyes, Lady Dawnstride. Saltwater is a cruel mistress to skin as tender as yours."
I slowly lifted my head, hesitant to take the handkerchief.
"Who are you?" I asked innocently.
He smiled when I refused the handkerchief and began to wipe my tears himself, careful to not touch me as I stood frozen at the unexpected gentleness.
"I am Earl of the Sernic, Emerson Windsor."
He was younger than the other lords, with golden-brown hair and silver eyes that shone with a gentle, disarming warmth. He didn't look at me with the hunger of the soldiers or the loathing of my husband.
"I... I am fine, My Lord," I whispered, stepping back.
The memory of Lord Kaldric's warning burned in my mind as I stepped back, putting my hands up defensively, rejecting any proximity.
He dropped the handkerchief on my hands.
"You are a poor liar," the Earl Emerson said with a sad smile.
He didn't let me retreat. He came forward, his shadow merging with mine, distressing me as his fingers reached out to gently lift the brim of my hat but stopped midway.
I froze, raising an eyebrow in confusion as he hooked two fingers under my chin, tilting my face upward, compelling me to stare into his awfully familiar silver gaze.
His touch was soft, as light as a feather, so different from the bruising, iron grip I was used to. For a moment, I forgot to breathe.
"Kaldric is a man of steel and blood," Earl Emerson whispered, his thumb grazing the edge of my jaw with a beautiful gentleness.
"He knows how to win a war of blood, not of life."
"He is my husband," I frowned, removing his hand, my cheeks burning to experience a soft touch after my mother's demise.
Walking out the chambers, keeping my hat low as instructed, my hand was pressed over my heart to suppress the thumping beats while leaving his handkerchief behind too.
"He is your jailer," the Earl corrected gently, coming after me.
"But you are in White Haven now. Here, beauty is a currency, not a burden. You don't have to be afraid of him when you are with me."
I wanted to lean into that softness. I wanted to believe that someone in this cold stone castle truly saw me as a human being.
But the terror of Lord Kaldric's shadow overwhelmed me. Every time Earl Emerson smiled, I imagined the sound of my Lord's blade unsheathing.
"Please, My Lord... if he finds you here..."
"He is busy with the King's council, discussing shadows and whispers of rebellion," He trailed off, taking my hand without permission.
"Let him play at being a soldier. Stay here a while. Tell me about your previous world. I promise, the only thing I will judge you for is how long you've been kept in the dark."
He remained standing there, a golden light in the dim room, his gaze lingering on me with a sweetness that felt like a trap I desperately wanted to fall into- Foolishly, I did.
"It.. it was painful. I-I had to sleep with an empty stomach." I started to share my harsh time.
"And?"
"And women used to hurt me for my looks. I had to fight for my survival–"
"Enough."
The Earl's sweetness didn't falter, but as I looked into his eyes, searching for a crumb of the safety I so desperately craved, his expression shifted.
The softness remained, but a sharpness entered his gaze.
"You truly are new to this world, Lady Ardelle. Moreover, a fool."
I blinked, "What?"
"This is where you are wrong. You do not trust a stranger's tongue, no matter how charming it sounds. Not in this hall. Not tonight. Not ever again." He warned me strictly, tightening his grip on my hand before letting it go.
I shivered, my throat drying. Though his warning was frightening to me apparently, rules weren't different here.
Trust Nobody.
"But you... you were being kind."
"I am being honest," he corrected, his eyes scanning the door before returning to mine.
"This place is bleeding. A coup is rising like a tide, and it will drown the oblivious first. Stay sharp. Stay vigilant. Even when a man offers you a handkerchief, look for the dagger in his other hand."
He was right. Even the kindness here came with a lesson of survival.
I nodded slowly, a chill that signaled I had entered a world completely unknown to me and if I won't survive, I'd be gobbled.
Is that why Lord Kaldric left me to… test my strength? And when I failed he started to hate me.
"Now," Emerson said, his smile returning, though it was now more of a challenge than a comfort.
He stepped back and gave a graceful, courtly bow, extending his hand.
"The music in the hall is beginning a galliard. Would you grant a dance to a man who just insulted your trust?"
I looked at his hand, then at the space where Lord Kaldric was finally in my view. I could almost feel the weight of his existence. He saw me with the Earl, waiting for what I would do.
"No, My Lord," I whispered, curtsying as best as I could in the heavy wool, not lifting my head up.
"I... I must stay in the shadows, as I was told."
Emerson didn't look offended. He let out a soft, knowing laugh.
"A wise choice. Perhaps the iron has taught you something after all."
But, he did something he shouldn't have. He held my hand and tucked his lace handkerchief into my trembling palm, curling it in a fist.
"Keep it. You may need it to wipe away more than tears before the sun rises."
With a final, elegant nod, he disappeared through the side door, leaving me alone with the scent of spices and the weight of his warning.
Before my mind could register, another voice came, "Well, that was a rare sight."
I gasped, spinning around to see Sir Aldwin leaning against a stone pillar in the corner.
He had been there the whole time, a silent observer in the dark. He walked toward me, his brows knitted in genuine confusion.
"Do you know who that was, Lady Ardelle?"
"The Earl of Sernic," I murmured, clutching the lace.
"Earl doesn't talk to people. He's the most selective man in the King's court. If you aren't a player on the board, you don't exist to him." Sir Aldwin said, his voice unusually serious.
"He is among the most elegantly dangerous men in the entire Emberspear. No one dares to displease him, not even My Liege."
"Is it?" I almost panicked.
Sir Aldwin stepped closer, looking at me as if seeing me for the first time- not as a beggar, and not as a beauty, but as a mystery.
"What did he see in you?" he asked quietly, "What did you say to make a man like that stop and show his hand?"
"He saw the first victim who might fall in the rising coup and…" I looked down at the fine white lace in my hand, understanding his intentions a little.
"Displayed her as bait."
"I see."
"I think I had enough for tonight. Um… Where am I supposed to sleep?"
He chuckled, "Follow me, My Lady."
I followed Sir Aldwin back through the labyrinth of corridors, searching for my quarters, my heart heavy with Emerson's warning. But as we reached the private chambers, the air shifted before I even saw the man waiting for me.
Sir Aldwin gave me a small, encouraging nod and retreated into the shadows of the hall, leaving me to face the storm alone.
Lord Kaldric was standing by the hearth, the firelight casting long shadows across his obsidian armor. He didn't turn when I entered. He didn't have to.
Closing the door behind me quietly, I glanced at the bed. For the first time, I was about to sleep in a bed, it made my heart jump only to get cut-off by my Lord's piercing resonance.
"So," he began, his hand closed behind him, emitting a dominance that froze my feet to the ground as I timidly glanced at his broad back.
"First my second-in-command, and now the most calculated man in the King's court. Earl of Sernic."