The Camp (Chateau 2)

The subtle rage left her eyes, and she started to calm herself once again. “I understand your perspective, Magnus. But you also have to understand mine. I’ve sat in that clearing with women who risked their lives to help me, and I had to watch one die every week…because of him. Melanie sat there in the clearing with me and witnessed the exact same thing. And that’s why I don’t understand. How could you fall in love with the man responsible for such a heinous crime?”

I was never in the clearing to witness it because it was too difficult to watch. My aversion to the practice was well known, so I refused to participate. Even if Fender wanted me to be the executioner, I would refuse.

Raven continued to look at me like she expected a counter.

Honestly, I didn’t have one. “I guess she’s witnessed enough of his other qualities to forget about that.”

She wasn’t angry anymore, just disappointed. “I have faith that you will end this, Magnus. But I’m not entirely convinced that your victory will happen because your brother has a change of heart. I just hope you have what it takes to do what is necessary.”

It was a scenario I hadn’t even considered because it was too repulsive. Even if my brother deserved to die, I couldn’t be the one to take his life. I couldn’t be like our father. But I also couldn’t stand by and watch the killings continue. I would have to do something…no matter the cost.

When Fender returned from the camp, I went to his estate for a visit.

I didn’t tell him I was coming, just showed up. Gilbert let me inside and escorted me to the living room, where I would wait for him to join me. Gilbert served me a glass of wine and placed a cheeseboard on the table even though Fender and I wouldn’t touch it. Sometimes it seemed like he did those things just to make the place look nice.

I sat alone and tried to think of the right words to say, something that would persuade Fender to put all this behind us and move on. His greed made him stubborn, and his stubbornness made him greedier.

Footsteps sounded on the tile, but they didn’t belong to Fender.

Melanie took a seat across from me, wearing an expensive dress with her hair nicely done. Now, she always looked like a modern French countess, with diamonds in her ears and jewelry on her wrists and fingers. On her left hand was a diamond ring that looked almost too heavy to wear.

She fidgeted with her hands before she looked at me. “Fender just got out of the shower. I thought I’d take the opportunity to talk to you.”

I stared at her, seeing the similarities between her and Raven. They had the same color eyes, but Raven’s had so much more depth to them. Melanie’s timid nature annoyed me. She looked uncomfortable in her own skin; she didn’t know how to have the confidence her sister possessed. It made her seem weak. I loved that Raven owned the room every time she stepped into it, and she stood tall and proud and commanded every ounce of respect that she deserved.

“I just wanted to thank you for what you said the other day…that you understood my feelings for Fender. I know it’s going to be really hard to get my sister on board with this, so I need all the help I can get.”

I shook my head. “I didn’t do it for you.”

She looked slightly stung by my honesty. She wore her feelings on her sleeve, and as a result, she was delicate. “I also wanted to thank you for being so good to my sister. She’s always the one taking care of everyone else, but no one takes care of her. It makes me happy to know she has a man who will do anything for her. I just wanted you to know that.”

That made me dislike Melanie less. She might be dull and weak, but she definitely loved her sister with all her heart.

Fender came downstairs in his sweatpants, his hair still damp from the shower. He stopped near the coffee table and looked down at Melanie, as if he were giving her orders in silence.

Melanie rose to her feet and quietly excused herself.

When she went back upstairs, Fender took a seat across from me. He stole my glass of wine and took a drink before he grabbed a slice of French bread and stuffed it into his mouth. It was almost dinnertime, so he was probably hungry. He relaxed back into the couch and stared at me as he chewed. “My fiancée tells me her sister isn’t too happy about the news.” He started the conversation with contentious hostility, so my odds of success were already low.