Chapter 2 Dante's POV

#1 The door slammed open with a BANG, breaking the silence. Smoke from the warm room mixed with the cool evening air from the hallway. CLICK CLACK The sound of heels on marble grew louder. When it stopped, a low voice spoke above Anna's head. "Is it done?" Anna set down the teacup she had lifted to her lips. She didn't want the now cold tea, but even pretending to drink would reveal her shaking hands to those piercing eyes. 'Faster than usual.' It had been three months since she arrived as the Grand Duchess. Considering the northern climate where darkness fell early, it was clear.

When he turned his head, she saw Archduke Cromund in a neat robe. Despite his impatience, he waited for her response, especially at this moment. He must have already asked the maid, but he enjoyed hearing her give the orders. Anna pressed her lips together and spoke as calmly as she could. "Yes, my lord. It's done." There was a slight change in his expression, as cold as a frozen lake. Though he didn't smile or frown, his bright red eyes widened like an animal spotting prey. His black shoes moved again. Scared of the situation, she added an afterthought. #2 The girl ran. It had been a long time since her shoes, with holes, had been lost to the mountain's dark depths. The thorns sprawled and scratched her small feet mercilessly, drawing blood and leaving dust on the wounds. A pain throbbed her face with each step, but she didn't stop running. "Jeriel Rash! If you ask for El Doram's forgiveness and return the blasphemous thing, you won't be banished from the village!" A shout followed her. She bit her teeth and moved her legs faster. Her lungs felt like they would burst and her throat burned like fire. Jeriel's eyes darted through the darkness. She lowered herself and started digging into the soil with her bare hands like a dog digging for a bone. She bit at the grass and scraped at the soil and stones. "Heh heh, heh heh!" Her sweat dropped like rain onto the dug-up soil. "Faster, faster..." She muttered to herself as if urging herself on. As the wind rustled the leaves, the hidden moonlight shone on Jeriel. The sight of the bald little girl digging frantically was so eerie that anyone who saw it might have invented a ghost story. "Aww!" "I found her, Elder Rumdrean!" A rough hand grabbed Jeriel's shoulder and threw her back. She fell heavily and hit her hip on a stone. The sound echoed, but Jeriel didn't pause to rub her aching hip. Instead, she crawled on all fours and kept digging into the ground.