"Grief was the last thing they should have given a woman who had nothing left to lose."
— Murasaki Sumi
019.
Seyra walked through the palace gates with Mira’s dead body in her arms. Her head was banging, her legs aching, and her shoulders burning from the cuts she got while looking for herbs to stop the bleeding.
Tears rolled down her cheeks just as her legs gave out, and she plunged to the ground on her knees while still holding Mira.
The maids who saw her rushed to her immediately. They gathered around her, everyone asking at the same time.
"What happened to her?"
"Mira!"
"Mira is dead!"
"What did you do to her?"
"What did I do to her?" Seyra asked, her voice breaking. "What are you trying to say? That I killed her or what?" she snapped.
The coldness in her voice made the maid who uttered the statement take a step back.
Seyra lowered her head as the maids kept whispering and murmuring amongst themselves.
"What’s going on here?" Ophelia’s voice cut through the crowd.
All the maids stepped aside. Ophelia’s gaze snapped to a tired Seyra with dried blood all over her body and hands, and a dead Mira. Her eyes widened just a fraction before she straightened and asked in a neutral voice, "What happened to her?"
Seyra looked up and heaved a deep breath to stop herself from breaking down. "The motel," her voice cracked. "They said she owed them. They called her a thief and asked her to pay them back. One had a dagger."
By this time, Astrid had joined them, her face twisting in disgust at the sight before her.
Seyra ignored her completely and continued. "They were threatening her, so I stepped in to help. One of them wanted to attack me. Mira..." Her voice trembled. "Mira took the blow and hit her head on a sharp corner of the counter. There was so much blood. I tried to stop the bleeding, I really did, but I couldn’t. She died in my arms. I’m so sorry!"
"No!" someone screamed.
Seyra knew it was Ruth before she rushed to where Seyra was and sat on the floor, taking Mira’s lifeless body from her.
"Mira, why?" Ruth burst into tears, her heart aching. "We promised to survive together."
Seyra covered her mouth, but a sob escaped anyway. "I’m sorry," she whispered. "I’m really sorry."
Ruth’s shoulders shook as she stroked Mira’s blood-stained hair. "She’d always dreaded going back to that place. If I knew she was going there, I would have gone in her stead. I wouldn’t have cared about getting punished, Seyra. Now..." Her voice broke. "They’ve taken the only family I have left from me."
The words tore through Seyra. She looked away, unable to watch.
"It is your fault!" a bitter voice snapped.
Darcel stepped forward, her eyes holding nothing but hatred and disdain toward Seyra. "You caused this!"
A maid held her. "Darcel, this is not the time."
Darcel scoffed. "Oh, this is the perfect time!" she snapped. "Seyra is just rotten luck. Ever since she came to this palace, it has been from one death to the other, and it is always because of her! You would always find her at the scene!"
Seyra clenched her fists. "Can you stop?"
"The audacity!" Darcel snapped. "Everyone can bear me witness, Seyra. On your first day, a guard got killed because of you. Because he was trying to be kind to you. Now, Mira is dead because she tried to protect you! No wonder your family sold you!"
The maids gasped, and Ophelia facepalmed.
Seyra’s heart shattered.
Astrid seemed to be enjoying this way too much.
"Enough," Ophelia ordered, her voice low.
"It’s not enough! She needs to be killed too to appease Mira!" Darcel snapped.
Seyra scoffed, her icy gaze meeting Darcel’s angry ones. "Look at you acting like you care about Mira," she said, and Darcel’s brows furrowed. "It’s insulting to Mira that you would stand here and talk like you love her when all you’ve ever done when she was alive was bully her!"
Darcel raised her hand. "You—"
"I said enough!" Ophelia yelled, and everywhere went quiet except for Ruth’s sobbing. Ophelia stared at her and sighed. "Take her to the back and bury her."
Seyra’s head snapped up. "What?"
The maids began whispering.
"Bury her immediately," Ophelia said. "There is already enough going on in the palace with the ceremony."
Seyra stared at her. "That’s it?"
Ophelia frowned. "What do you mean?"
"What about the people who did this?"
The whispers stopped.
Seyra pushed herself to her feet, wiping the tears from her face with the back of her hand.
"What happens to them?"
Ophelia’s expression remained calm. "We don’t have time for this right now."
"They killed her."
"I understand that."
"No, you don’t." Seyra’s voice shook. "They killed her, and you’re telling us to bury her and move on?"
"We are preparing for the ceremony," Ophelia said firmly. "We can look into what happened afterward."
With that, she turned and walked away.
Seyra couldn’t believe it. Was this how things were done here? Was the ceremony more important than someone’s life? Besides, it was just two days until the ceremony.
Something could still be done. What if Garrick and Roan abandoned the motel and ran away?
Seyra attempted to go after Ophelia. "Head Maid—"
Astrid blocked her path, her arms folded across her chest. "Seyra, enough."
Seyra looked at her.
Astrid looked at Mira’s body with barely concealed disgust before looking back at Seyra.
"I know you’re upset, but don’t guilt-trip everyone because something unfortunate happened to your friend."
Seyra stared at her. "My friend?"
"Yes." Astrid sighed. "We have spent weeks preparing for today. The entire palace is occupied with the ceremony, and you want everyone to drop everything because of one dead maid?"
Something inside Seyra cracked.
"One dead maid?" Seyra scoffed. "Seriously? That is all she is to you?"
Astrid shrugged. "Ophelia already told you they would look into what happened after the ceremony." She groaned like she was talking to a pup who wouldn’t listen. "I am about to be crowned Lady Royal, Seyra. It’s my big day. A celebration. We shouldn’t let inconvenient circumstances disrupt the plans."
Seyra blinked. How could one person be this heartless?
"You becoming Lady Royal is what matters to you at this time. Someone is dead, and the only thing you can think of is celebration."
Astrid sighed, exasperated. "Bury the dead, Seyra," she said, her voice firm. "Justice will come later."
She turned to leave.
"You are selfish and manipulative!" Seyra yelled, and everyone gasped.
Even Ruth looked up from where she was seated.
Astrid paused, then slowly turned to look at Seyra. "Say that again," she seethed. "This time, to my face."
"I said, you are selfish and—"
Seyra didn’t get to complete her statement before she received a slap on the cheek. She looked at Astrid, who stared at her like she was gum stuck under her shoe.
"You pathetic nobody!" Astrid snapped. "How dare you talk to me like that?! Do you know—"
"Oh, shut up!" Seyra yelled. "You are nothing but an entitled brat. You are selfish, heartless, and in no way fit to be the Lady Royal of this pack! I should have stopped it when I had the chance!"
Smack!
Another slap from Astrid.
Ruth stood up and bowed. "Please, spare her!"
Astrid looked at all the maids. "Shut your mouths and get out! All of you!"
The maids basically ran from there, but Ruth still stood, trying to beg.
Astrid ignored her and turned to face Seyra. "You are pushing me to the wall, Seyra."
Seyra was defiant. "No. You are the one pushing me to the wall," she said.
Ruth held Seyra to stop her from getting herself into further trouble, but Seyra had had enough. She removed her hand from Ruth’s grasp.
"Take Mira away, Ruth."
Ruth wanted to complain, but Seyra shook her head. With a resigned sigh, Ruth carried Mira’s body and left. Some guards took the body from her before she could get to the palace doors.
Seyra looked Astrid dead in the eye. "The Lady Royal position is all you care about, right?" she asked. "You want it so badly, huh? I could stop you from having it. One word from me, and the Alpha will denounce it!"
Astrid burst into laughter. "Oh, wow! You think you’re something, huh? You survive two weeks being the Alpha’s personal maid, and you suddenly think you’re powerful." All the humor disappeared from her voice. "Who do you think you are?!"
Seyra laughed and wiped her tears. "Like I said, I can take it away from you. But I won’t do that... yet."
She then smiled, one that actually sent shivers down Astrid’s spine.
"Become the Lady Royal, little sister. We will talk after that."
With that, she walked past Astrid, rage fueling her every step.
"Mira’s death. The motel. Astrid. You all will pay for this."