Selen opened her eyes abruptly. She turned her head when the sound of a bird hitting the window caught her attention. It eventually took flight again, leaving a few feathers behind. She was trying to sit up when the door opened.
"No, no, lie back down. You're not fully recovered yet."
Rose placed a tray on the table before coming to help her lie down again.
"I brought you some soup," she said, pointing at the tray on the table.
Rose seemed to be doing well and had regained some color, yet the last time Selen had seen her she had been in terrible condition.
"H… How long have I been asleep?"
Her voice was hoarse and she felt as weak as a fledgling.
"A good week. Unfortunately, I wasn't the one taking care of you the entire time since I was bedridden as well until recently. In fact, I only took over from Jason yesterday."
So it had been the duke who had taken care of her. Perhaps he was also the one who had pulled her out of the mine.
"The poor man had to take care of two patients," Rose continued with a laugh.
She stood up to fetch the tray before helping Selen drink the soup. When she finished, Rose helped her drink some water and lie back down.
"I could read you a book if you want," Rose suggested. "I saw one or two books in the living room."
"That won't be necessary. Are we still in Puerto Rosa?"
"Yes. Actually, I'd really like to go out for a walk. Maybe when you're back on your feet. What do you think?"
Selen cast a puzzled glance at Rose. Why was she being so kind? Didn't she know that She had used her for her own interests?
"Did the duke tell you what happened after your kidnapping?"
"Yes, he told me it was thanks to you that they found me safe and sound," she replied, taking Selen's hand.
Selen could see such gratitude in Rose's eyes. What exactly had the duke told her?
"In truth, I also did it for myself. I placed a tracking spell on you without your permission, so there's no need for you to be so kind to me."
She expected anything except Rose bursting into laughter.
"You really are just like Jason. Always climbing onto your high horses."
Selen didn't see how she resembled the stubborn brute who served as her brother, but she preferred to keep her thoughts to herself.
"I understood perfectly well that you placed that spell on me so you could spy on me, or even spy on my brother, but without it I might have been dead today, so why should I resent you for it?"
That was true when you looked at it that way…
"And besides, I'm the only one to blame for what happened to me. If I hadn't been so reckless trying to save everyone, as Jason likes to say, I wouldn't have been kidnapped."
"I don't think your brother blames you. He was ready to risk his life for you and he never once complained, so don't blame yourself too much either."
She saw Rose's eyes grow moist with tears. Rose squeezed her hand even more gently.
"I don't know what happened during your journey together, but Jason wouldn't have taken care of you if he didn't trust you. So rest and recover quickly," she said with a smile.
Selen doubted that the duke trusted her, but she had neither the desire nor the strength to bring up the subject. She closed her eyes and soon fell asleep.
A week passed like that.
That day Selen had recovered enough to sit by the window and observe the sea below. She knew the duke had rented a house a little away from the city for their recovery, but aside from Rose and a few maids she had not seen him at all during her convalescence. She had expected an avalanche of questions, and his silence worried her more than anything.
"It's a beautiful day today, as always," Rose said as she entered the room accompanied by a servant who placed biscuits and tea on the table. "Why don't you go out for a walk? You've been cooped up for far too long."
Selen stood up, ready to go outside for some fresh air, when Rose shook her head.
"I won't be the one accompanying you. My boorish brother is waiting for you in the living room. Imagine that, he hasn't come to visit you all this time. Don't hesitate to smack him on the head once or twice if he behaves badly."
Selen watched Rose pour herself some tea before beginning to enjoy the small cakes. She took a deep breath before heading to the living room where she found the duke sitting on a chair with a newspaper in his hand.
When he saw her, he folded his newspaper and stood up.
"Rose told me you wanted to go for a walk."
She gave him a confused look.
"It must have been suffocating to stay inside all the time, so let's go."
He offered her his hand and Selen looked at it before looking back at him with perplexity. What exactly was happening in this house? Why had Rose lied and told him that she wanted to go for a walk?
Seeing her hesitation, the duke seemed embarrassed and cleared his throat.
"There is a very beautiful garden outside," he said, turning his back to her before heading toward the door.
Selen followed him, not only because she wanted fresh air but also because a conversation between the two of them was inevitable.
"We should sit," Selen suggested, pointing to the stone benches arranged in the middle of the garden.
They sat down and for five long minutes there was an awkward silence. It seemed neither of them knew where to begin.
"I was very surprised when I woke up. I expected you to lock me in a dark dungeon and torture me until I revealed my identity. After all, I was no longer of any use to you."
The duke turned toward her.
"You were already in terrible condition. Locking you up would have served no purpose, and besides, I don't think I would need torture for you to answer my questions."
"Then I'm listening. I will try to answer everything, but understand that I will only reveal what I wish to reveal. Nevertheless, I will only tell the truth."
"Very well. I will do the same. My first question is this: do you or do you not have any connection with the temple?"
"If you still believe I was sent by the temple, then no I—"
"That's not what I meant. I'm talking about what happened on the island. The priests called you a saint."
Selen had almost forgotten that part.
"I am not a saint. I cannot explain it clearly, but believe me, I was in no way sent by God or any such nonsense."
"Really?" the duke asked.
Selen did not understand. Did he want her to be a saint or not?
"That is a relief then," he said with a sigh. "I would have blamed myself for the rest of my life if I had treated a messenger of God the way I treated you."
So I have to be sent by God to be treated properly? Selen wondered.
"In any case, let me make it clear that I have no connection with the temple."
"If you are not with the temple, then who do you work for?" the duke asked.
"No one. I have my own reasons for acting the way I do."
"Then who are your enemies?"
"Telling you would get us nowhere."
"On the contrary. As you know, the temple has been creating heretics for years in order to maintain a holy war within the empire, specifically in the north. But the stakes do not end there. The previous emperors, and even the current one, consider the north a threat. We are a territory that is self-sufficient and possesses a military force independent from the empire."
From what Layla had told her, Selen knew that the only thing binding Clover to the empire was the saint mentioned in their scriptures. Over time the empire had surely devoured Clover and turned it into an imperial territory, yet the duchy remained a sensitive region since it lay on the border of other nations. If the north were ever to rebel or ally itself with a neighboring country…
"My father and my brother died because they had discovered the truth. They were assassinated by the temple. My sister was kidnapped not long ago. We managed to destroy the place where they were creating the heretics, but I know very well they will not stop for so little. If I do nothing, my mother, my sister, and everything my father and my ancestors built will eventually disappear."
"Where are you going with this?"
"I am telling you that I want to protect what I have left and avenge my dead, and that to do so I am prepared to kill anyone who stands in my way. You are afraid to tell me who your enemies are, but I will tell you mine. The emperor, the temple, and everyone who participated in establishing this war in my territory—those are my enemies."
Selen could feel the determination in his voice.
"If I understand correctly, you want to rebel?"
"Not directly, but I want to free Clover from the grip of the temple and the emperor. After the heretics, they will surely find something else to torment us with, and my people are already exhausted. The rest of the empire lives in peace while we live in a phantom war."
"What do you want from me then? If I tell you that my objective goes further than yours, what will you do?"
The duke stood up to face her.
"How much further?"
"In truth, I came to the north because I believed the heretics could become my allies against the temple. I did not anticipate that they might in fact be nothing more than puppets. To accomplish what I want, I need people without scruples who are not afraid to have blood on their hands. Are you capable of that?"
The duke let out a nervous laugh.
"After killing my uncle with my own hands, I slaughtered every one of our relatives down to the most distant branches so the temple could never use them against us."
He leaned toward her and looked straight into her eyes.
"I did not delegate the task to servants or assassins. I looked every one of them in the eyes before killing them one by one. My aunts, my uncles, and all of their children. I would drive my sword into the emperor's throat without hesitation if it meant my sister could continue living happily."
"If you are willing to go that far, then I can tell you how far I am willing to go."
The duke straightened.
"What I want is to reveal to the entire world what lies beneath the sewers of this empire. I want to spill the blood of my enemies there, destroy everything they have built, and see the despair in their eyes at that moment. That is how far I am willing to go."
The duke drew his sword and drove it into the ground before extending his hand to her.
"May our swords emerge victorious, for in the end it will be either ours or theirs."
Selen smiled as she took his hand. They both knew that neither of them fully trusted the other. They shared a common enemy, and that alone was enough.