Oriana turned sharply as she heard a soft hiss of pain that pierced the air from behind her. Her body trembled in shock as her eyes fell upon the man's hands. A blade caught the dying light of the sunset, glinting softly—its reflection making the scene feel almost tragically ironic. Her legs staggered, and she nearly lost her balance.
The man's lips widened—slowly.
"Condolences on your brother," he said, his voice hateful and deliberate. "Take this as a favor from me… You will visit him too..forever.
The sharp look in his eyes made her freeze. The very same man—the one who had always seemed kind, who looked at her with obedience and respect, the one who had opened the carriage door for her, the one brought to the palace, was now something else entirely. Something deadly.
"Do not bother looking for the person who killed your dearest brother," he continued.
