That night, Brand called Ida into his private room. This was not unusual; Ida was close to the end of her grace period, and he’d been speaking to her often. But the timing left Seri ill. Ida had just found out her family had possibly killed Brand’s. What would he do to her if he found out? The feeling grew worse the next day, when Seri went to breakfast and found that Ida was gone.

“What did you do to her?” Seri demanded, as soon as Brand reappeared.

“I took Ida home,” Brand said flatly.

“In exchange for what?”

“That is none of your business.”

“Did you hurt her?”

Brand gave her a long look. “Of course not,” he said and walked off.

Seri had no idea whether to believe him or not. Honestly, she was scared. He shouldn’t be able to listen in on their conversation in the garden. He couldn’t have heard Ida’s confession. This was just a massive coincidence. Wasn’t it?

Seri didn’t know, anymore. But with Ida gone, there was only the two of them left, and Lotte’s three months were coming to an end.

“What do I do?” Lotte asked.

“If Ida is home safe, she’ll tell them what we know about him,” Seri said.

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“Unless he’s ripped out her tongue,” she whispered.

“Lotte—”

“He doesn’t say how he returns them.”

Lotte had a disturbing imagination, but she wasn’t necessarily wrong. And when Seri looked at Brand and thought of him being from a broken castle hell-bent on vengeance, it wouldn’t surprise her if his methods were a lot bloodier than he let on.

He didn’t murder girls. That much she knew.

That was all she knew.

Not knowing was worse than making concessions, so at last, Seri decided to swallow her pride and do something that had been on her mind for a while now. The truth spell, he mentioned. Was that offer still good?

* * *

“You want me to do the truth spell?” Brand asked, looking at her in surprise.

“You made me the offer a few weeks ago,” Seri said.

“A month ago.” He cut into his roast. “I’d almost forgotten.”

Seri took a sip of her water. With Ida gone, she’d been asked to take her seat, at Brand’s right hand. The room was so empty, with just the three of them. The darkness and the silence surrounded them.

“I’m willing to consent to it now,” she said. “Would you be willing to cast the spell?”

He might not be. He’d offered when she was at her most rebellious, when they were constantly at each other’s throats. Now that the situation had calmed, would he have any reason to go through with it? She looked at him.

Brand chewed on his meat.

“Yes,” he said, at last. “I think I would. On one condition.”

“What’s that?” Seri asked, feeling dread sour in her stomach.

“If we’re going to talk honestly, then we’re going to talk,” he said. “I’m not going to have you interrogate me, while you stay sullen and silent. I don’t need to know all your secrets, Seri, but I do want to get to know you. Are we agreed?”

“Yes,” Seri said.

She felt tense and shaky, but it was not an unreasonable request. It was another concession—a small one, to be sure, but a concession nonetheless. She was starting to wonder if she’d conceded too much. At what point did she start to give away her conviction?

“We’ll do it tonight, then,” Brand said.