Chapter 325: House Vernhail
*tap* *tap*
Charlotte’s heels echoed against the polished stone pathway in the front garden.
As she walked forward, the line of guards stationed along the entrance straightened immediately.
One by one, they lowered their heads in acknowledgment, with the kind of respect reserved for someone whose presence carried weight far beyond titles.
Charlotte’s cloak swayed gently behind her and the mansion doors opened before her, pulled by two servants who bowed as she crossed the threshold.
Walking in, she took a cigarette and lit it up and placed on her lips before entering the mainhall.
In the hall, twin staircases curved upward along opposite walls, meeting at a balcony adorned with golden railings.
Crystal chandeliers hung from the high ceiling and panitings of past Vernhail matriarchs loomed from the walls.
And then Charlotte’s eyes settled on the woman who was sitting on the center couch.
Her long, jet-black hair cascaded down her shoulders, her deep back eyes glimmering faintly.
She wore a velvet black dress, the fabric hugging her body with elegance, and she was sitting with one leg crossed gracefully over the other.
Maevrith Le Vörtdämmerung.
Some call her the "Serpent of the West" and "The Black Empress," or "The Leader of the Asphodel Order."
As Charlotte’s footsteps echoed in the hall, Maevrith tilted her slightly in surprise "Miss Charlotte?"
She stood up and gestured to the couch "I didn’t know you were visiting us today. Please, come and sit..."
Looking at Maevrith, Charlotte let out a huff of smoke and replied "I didn’t come here for chit chat. I want to ask you a question."
Hearing this, Maevirth just smiled serenely "And what could that be, Miss Charlotte?"
Charlotte’s gaze condensed slightly "Stop that fake smile, it irks me out."
*gasp* Maevrith covered her mouth with her palm in ’shock’ "Oh my... what do you mean fake smile? I am truly delighted to welcome you into my home. My smile is genuine."
Charlotte took the cigarette between her fingers and let out a wisp of smoke "Don’t be an annoying bitch to deal with."
Bitch? For the first time, Maevrith smile faltered and the edge of her lips twitched.
A glint of yellow and blue mixed into Charlotte’s green eyes as she looked at Maevrith "Are you involved with people who are trying to harm my little brother?"
Feeling the gaze, Maevrith kept her smile and tilted her head "There are people trying to harm Brandon Kael?"
"What a terrible thing to hear. Why, this is the first time I am hearing about it, Miss Charlotte."
Charlotte’s eyes narrowed further seeing her dramatics.
Maevrith placed her hand on her chest in disbelief "How can you suspect me, Miss Charlotte... my daughter, Naevora is literally Brandon Kael’s Master."
"Do you think I would pose any harm to my daughter’s disciple?"
Charlotte sipped another whiff of smoke from her cigarette "Maevrith, you are the damn leader of the Asphodel Order and I remember your voice being the loudest in the Tribunal that day, when Brandon was in front of everyone."
"You were so against the idea of letting Brandon go freely."
(A.n: It was back in Chapter 17)
Upon hearing Charlotte’s words, Maevrith stiffened slightly but she kept her smile "That’s all in the past."
"The Tribunal was a moment of judgment... nothing more. We all spoke from our duty as protectors of balance. Surely you understand."
Charlotte exhaled another stream of smoke through parted lips "Protectors of balance.. hmm."
She walked toward Maverith, her heels clicking against the marble floor.
Maevrith’s fingers twitched slightly against her gown as Charlotte approached.
Stopping before her, Charlotte raised her free hand and gripped Maevrith’s chin.
Maevrith’s breath hitched as Charlotte’s fingers pressed into her smooth skin, lifting her chin upward, forcing her to meet those swirling, dangerous eyes.
"Miss Charlotte?" Maevrith whispered and her tone was still polite but threaded with a fragile quiver.
Charlotte took the cigarette from her lips with her other hand, its ember glowing faintly red.
She raised it above Maevrith’s eye and Maevrith blinked in confusion "Huh?"
Then the cigarette lowered as Charlotte angled the burning tip until it hovered just over Maevrith’s exposed eyeball.
Maevrith’s pupils shrank and a ripple of genuine horror ran through her veins.
"W-What are you doing?"
Charlotte leaned closer as an yellow glint passed through her green eyes "A warning. If you even think about harming my Kael... if the thought so much as scratches across that feeble brain of yours..."
"Burn it."
Charlotte lowered the cigarette and the burning tip pressed against Maevrith’s cheek.
Sssss-
Maevrith’s entire body flinched and the smell of scorched flesh rose faintly, mingling with the sweet perfume of her gown.
She clenched her teeth as a hiss of pain escaped past her lips.
Her hands gripped the fabric of her gown tightly and Charlotte’s expression remained cold as she pressed the cigarette further into her skin.
When she finally pulled the cigarette away, a small welt was left on Maevrith’s flawless cheek as smoke curled faintly from it.
Charlotte released her chin, letting her head snap back into place.
"Huff..." Maevrith’s breath came quick and shallow for a moment, but then she coughed quietly and smiled.
"...Miss Charlotte... you’re as terrifying as the rumors say."
Charlotte turned her back on her without a word, but before she left the hall, she flicked the dying cigarette onto the floor, the ember scattering sparks before extinguishing.
The sound of her voice echoed, final and "If I catch your shadow near my brother... I won’t stop at a warning."
Maevrith sat down on the couch perfectly, her hands folded neatly over her lap.
Her lips curled into a small, enigmatic smile as she reached up and wiped the burn with her finger.
"Very well, Miss Charlotte."
*crack* *crack*
Suddenly thin cracks splintered across her skin, running like spiderweb fractures.
Her hands trembled once, then shattered into glowing fragments.
The cracks widened, her form crumbling piece by piece until her entire body dissolved into drifting embers.
The embers swirled faintly in the air before fading into nothingness.
Meanwhile.
In the depths of a subterranean chamber, far from the gleaming facade of House Vernhail, a soft hum filled the air.
The chamber was vast, lined with massive cylinders filled with green liquid.
Inside each cylinder, aberrants at different stages of growth were floating.
Some resembled twisted human forms with unnaturally long limbs.
Others looked like carapaces of insects, floating inside the liquid and their eyes flickered faintly, aware of their imprisonment.
And in the center of the chamber, illuminated by the sterile glow of countless monitors, stood a woman.
Her face. Her figure. Her voice.
Maevrith Le Vörtdämmerung.
But unlike the refined noblewoman who entertained Charlotte just moments ago, this version of Maevrith was clad in a researcher’s coat, its fabric marked with streaks of dried blood and ink.
A tablet glowed faintly in her hand, scrolling streams of data across its surface.
As she adjusted the controls, one of the aberrants spasmed in its tank, sending ripples through the green fluid.
Her lips curled upward into an eerie smile.
"Damn... Charlotte. Even through a clone, you leave marks."
She reached up and touched her cheek, as a soft pain prickled across her flawless skin where the clone had burned.
Her eyes glinted with malice as she swiped across the tablet, bringing up a rotating holographic image of Brandon Kael.
" ’Dear Holiness...’ this Charlotte is indeed terrifying."
---
Outside.
The late afternoon sun painted golden streaks across the mansion’s courtyard as Charlotte stepped down the stairs.
She pulled another cigarette from her pocket, lit it and drew in a deep breath of smoke.
She exhaled slowly, a wisp curling into the breeze "Cunt. Using her clone... still playing her little games."
She tipped her head back, looking up at the sprawling sky.
"Well," she muttered, brushing the ash from her cigarette, "I said what I came to say. That snake won’t forget it."
"Now ...onto the next Great House."
The cigarette burned between her fingers, leaving a faint trail of smoke behind her as she vanished into the wind.