"What are you doing in my garden, little bird?"

Lorelei blinked at the light of the small lantern and at the person holding it. Her thoughts were all over the place. Who was this woman? She had never seen her before, but it was a big castle. Yet, there was something unusual and hypnotizing about her. Was it the black, piercing eyes, that did not match her benign smile? Was it the oddly-tailored red garments she wore? Was it the strange golden tattoo crawling at the corner of her left eye? Was it due to how unusually tall and imposing she was? No.

Holding her breath, Lorelei realized what had attracted her attention the most. This was the first person she had seen since arriving in Ildemar that had a complexion even darker than Noah’s. She was someone from the Marzbanats! What was someone from the Marzbanats doing in Norden, no, in the stronghold of its ruler? The relationship between the South and the Empire was less than smooth at the moment. Could it be...? No. A spy could hardly walk so leisurely around with a lantern in hand. Maybe a servant then? But there were some refinement and dignity in the woman's movements that contradicted such possibility.

In the time she was wracking her brain, the unknown woman lifted an eyebrow.

“I must say, you sure had quite the rough time, little bird. You look terrible.”

“I-I-I…” Lorelei tried to say something but a wave of hiccups drowned her words.

“Oh, dear, I didn’t mean to startle you this much.” The woman’s expression softened. She squatted down and patted Lorelei on the back. “Calm down, dear. Take a deep breath. Good. Now hold it. Hold. Hold. Good, now let it out. Better?”

“Yes,” mumbled Lorelei. “Thank you.”

“For nothing, little bird. It was Neli’s fault for scaring you in the first place. But I have been taking care of this place for years and have never seen you around. Are you new?”

“Y-yes.” Lorelei nodded, realizing that the woman had mistaken her for one of the castle maids. On second thought, this misunderstanding suited her well.

“Oh my, how long have you been sitting here!?” suddenly exclaimed Neli, while still rubbing her back. “Your clothes are all wet. Let’s go inside before you catch a cold.”

Before Lorelei could make up her mind about what was the right way to react to all this, the woman was already guiding her through a network of doors and corridors. The two entered a well-lit room with a large table, a booming fireplace, and a lot of herbs and pots hanging from the ceiling. It was a kitchen. The disturbing thing was that Ildemar’s kitchens were nowhere near the Misty Garden.

Seeing her confusion, Neli smirked.

“You are indeed new, little bird. This is the kitchen where the duke’s meals are prepared. I am actually breaking the rules by bringing strangers here, but you don’t look like a blood-thirsty assassin to me. Well, are you?”

“W-what?”

“Are you an assassin after the hide of the Beast of the North?”

Lorelei blinked stupefied until she noticed the other woman’s big grin.

“Don’t be so stiff, little bird. Here, sit down closer to the fire and let Neli prepare you something warm. And if you want, you can sing your sorrows to me. I am a good listener.”

Completely overwhelmed by the bubbling personality of her new acquaintance, Lorelei sat on the low bench near the fireplace. In the light of the few hanging lamps, she could finally have a better look at the other woman, who was busying herself around a big pan. At first, she had thought Neli to be quite young, especially coming from her speech and chattiness. Now, Lorelei could clearly see the many strings of silver in the thick braids hanging over her shoulders. There were also tiny wrinkles surrounding her eyes that contrasted with her otherwise youthful, and rather pretty, face.

As Lorelei pondered how old she might be, Neli’s chirpy voice filled the kitchen once more.

“Since I haven’t seen you here before, you must have come here with the new duchess?”

“Y-yes,” answered Lorelei and started to twirl a strand of hair around her finger.

“Was she the one to beat you up so well?”

“What?”

Tilting her head in confusion, Lorelei needed a while to understand that Neli was talking about the still-visible bruises on her face. After a week, they were now a rather unsettling greenish-yellow in color.

“No. I… I was in an accident.”

“An accident that punches you in the face?” The older woman snorted at Lorelei’s sheepish look. “What? This slave knows a fist-mark when she sees one. But if you still insist, be my guest.”

“S-slave?” Lorelei tensed up. “Impossible! I… I mean, I’ve heard that there are no slaves in Norden.”

“Well, then I must be a ghost,” Neli turned around, tapping her finger on the golden pattern around her eye, “and this thing is just a fancy decoration.”

A weight dropped in the pit of Lorelei’s stomach. Below the now slightly smudged golden pattern, a branding scar of the same shape appeared. The young woman remembered seeing similar brand-marks on some slaves in Sefis, but even there it was considered a barbaric practice.

“Oh, Neli, I’m so sorry”

“What for?” she scoffed. “You didn’t brand me. My master did. Personally pressing the iron to my face.”

“No!” Without realizing it, Lorelei had jumped up. “He… The duke is not such a man!”

“Really?” Neli turned around crossing her arms on her chest. “So, a newcomer like you knows all there is about the Beast of Norden? Did you know that he is cursed? Anyone who comes near him dies an excruciating death. Did you know that he bathes in the blood of his victims? Why do you think he is always dressed in black? So that the blood wouldn’t show! He is a ruthless man who indulges in slaughter…”

“You’re wrong!” screamed Lorelei. Her whole body felt hot and her head was spinning. In the corner of her mind, a small voice was chiming, telling her that it was stupid to defend him, but it was soon completely drowned. “These are all lies! I have seen him, I have witnessed how he treats his friends, his servants, his people. Even complete strangers or beggars! He isn’t the cruel monster you are describing, or his men wouldn’t willingly sacrifice their lives for him!”

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Lorelei stood there panting, with quaking fists and fire burning in her chest. Why did she feel offended by Neli's words? Noah had betrayed and used her. She was so angry and frustrated with him that she wanted to howl and huddle somewhere. So why defend him in front of a stranger? She was a mere tool, it wasn't like her opinion mattered. Defending him was unnecessary and stupid. Yet, it felt like the right thing to do.

She glared at the other woman, preparing for the inevitable retaliation. Instead, Neli clapped her hands, a wide grin plastered on her face.

“You pass.”

Lorelei’s mind went completely blank and she gaped.

Still smiling, Neli stepped forward and patted her shoulder.

“I am sorry, little bird, I startled you again. But you see, you mainland people tend to have a certain prejudice against our duke that is not very much to my liking. I had to check.”

“You were testing me!” Her face a red hot mess, Lorelei pushed the hand away, unable to believe what she was hearing.

“Indeed. I do like to know the people I share a roof with.” The other woman turned around and started to tend to her pan again, completely ignoring her fuming opponent. Soon the room was filled with the thick aroma of spices.

On the other side, Lorelei was so confused and lost that she didn’t know what to do or say anymore. Venerable saints, were all inhabitants of Ildemar a scheming, two-faced lot? The emotional ups and downs from the past hour or so had left her completely exhausted. The wisest decision would have been to leave the kitchen right then and there. Instead, she slumped back on the bench with a sigh, feeling numb and frustrated. In the end, it didn't matter where she went. This was her golden cage for the next months, so it was better to know her wardens.

“You might not believe it but not everything I said was a complete lie.”

Neli’s words caught the young woman’s attention yet again. She continued talking while crushing some unknown beans and fried spices into a mortar.

“I have served the duke’s household ever since he was a baby and have seen things that would make your hair turn white. Now, don’t jump up, I’m not saying that it was his doing… mostly. But it is indeed dangerous to be around the Beast of Norden. The number of bodies that surround him can fill several warehouses.”

“You are saying that he really carries a death-curse?” frowned Lorelei and spat out before being able to stop herself.

“Oh my, no! I am saying that for the thirty years the duke has been in this world, there have been at least twenty-five assassination attempts on his life. At least that I know of.”

“T-twenty-five!” Lorelei sucked a deep breath, the anger and frustration from a moment ago completely gone. She shook her head. “You are lying.”

“I’m not, for a change,” shrugged Neli and started pouring some hot water over her concoction. For the first time, her face became somber. “He has been poisoned, strangled, pushed down stairs, stabbed, drowned, you name it. And the only reason he is still alive today is because someone else died instead – always the assassins and sometimes the people protecting him from them.”

Neli strained the drink she was preparing and filled two cups. She then gave one to Lorelei.

“Remember, little bird, if the new duchess is planning anything against the Lord of Norden, only death awaits.”

There was steel in her words that made shivers run down Lorelei’s spine. Each syllable carried a promise. This time, Neli was neither lying, nor joking.

Lorelei reflexively took the cup but couldn’t feel its warmth. Something tore at her chest with each beat of her heart. At this moment, she no longer saw the friendly crackling fire, nor the dark face of the woman talking to her. Instead, her mind recalled scars. Big and small, old and new, crisscrossing Noah’s body and bearing witness to every single time he had cheated death.

“Won’t you drink?” Neli’s voice pulled her out of the void. “It is best while hot”

Lorelei swallowed a knot and subconsciously lifted the cup to her lips but her hand abruptly halted midmotion. Knitting her brows, she lowered the drink and stared the other woman straight in the eye.

“Custom requires the host to take the first sip, does it not?”

“But of course.” Neli lifted her cup and took a long drink, obviously savoring the taste.

Lorelei carefully observed her. As time trickled, nothing happened. Very cautiously, she pressed the cup to her lips and took the smallest of sips.

It was bitter! So bitter in fact, that it felt like chewing raw bark. But it didn’t only end there. There was something spicy mixed inside, black pepper or something else, that lit her tongue on fire together with the burning hotness of the liquid. And right at the end, her nose was assaulted by the thick fragrance of spices, half of which Lorelei didn’t even recognize.

She spat out everything she had in her mouth and bent down coughing as the cup fell out of her hand and rolled on the floor.

“Goodness, what’s happening to you?!” Neli’s panicked voice reached her and this time it really sounded sincere. “Did I make it too strong? Here, drink some water!”

“W-what did you give me?” Lorelei refused the new cup and jumped up, pressing her shivering body to the wall.

“Calm down. It’s just some khavvah from the western Marzbanats. It isn’t poison. Just a drink.”

The woman lifted her own cup and downed it in two gulps.

“See?”

But Lorelei didn’t listen. Shaking like a leaf, she inched towards the door, her back – still firmly pressed against the wall. Her breathing had become labored and broken, entering her lungs in small, hissing portions. She had to get out! Far away from this crazy woman. Far away from this dangerous place.

Her searching hand found the door latch and pulled. The moment she felt the gust coming from the empty corridor, Lorelei darted into the darkness.

“Wait!” Neli’s voice rang after her. “You don’t know the way!”

It didn’t matter. Lorelei’s steps echoed in the twisting passage. Every shadow was a hand stretched out to grab her. Every sound was pursuers gaining on her. She cried and ran faster until, after another sharp turn, she reached a new door.

She pulled.

It was locked.

No! No! No! Not again! She couldn’t be trapped again.

Lorelei's fists banged desperately against the wood. It didn’t even budge. Her knees turned weak and she had to lean on the frame in order to keep her balance. Behind her, a warm yellow light seeped into the hallway.

“You are quite the fast runner, little bird. I almost lost you.”

Neli’s voice came from close by.

Lorelei gasped, throwing a look over her shoulder. How was it possible? How could this woman catch up with her so quickly?

As if reading her mind, Neli chuckled.

“I know these corridors like the back of my hand, duchess Norden.”

The blood froze in Lorelei’s veins as the words slowly sank in. She knew! How? Who was this person?

“Wondering how I figured it out?” Neli calmly stepped forward, forcing the young woman to plaster herself against the door. “There is little going on between these walls that I don’t know about, lady Norden.”

Lorelei’s heart was pounding so hard that it hurt. She had been so foolish, thinking that Ildemar was a safe place. Now, she fell into a trap. Again! There was no way out!

Her fists desperately hit the door one last time.

At that moment, the immovable hurdle pressing against her back suddenly disappeared. Lorelei was engulfed by a cloud of warm steam as she collapsed backward. Instead of falling, she crashed against something damp and meaty. Almost instantaneously, a strong arm wrapped around her body pinning her in place. Lorelei gave out a squeak as a hand-long dagger flashed inches away from her face.

“State your business?” a familiar growl entered her ear. Yet almost immediately, the blade was pulled back and some softness melted into the man’s voice. “Goodness, Lorelei! What are you doing here at this hour?”

“I am afraid your wife and I had a little misunderstanding.”

The reply unexpectedly came from Neli who lifted her lantern to her face.

Lorelei felt Noah’s hand at her waist jolt. She could sense him holding his breath, and when he started speaking again, there were surprise and unmistakable joy in his words.

“Mother! When did you return?”