Chapter 1

The rain has stopped.

I stood outside the iron gates of Campbell's Manor, my fingers clutching the packet of lemon candies in my pocket. The wrapper was soaked with sweat, and the candies were stuck together. I didn't let go.

Five years have passed.

With every slash I made in purgatory, I thought of Arya's face. When she smiled, her eyes would squint into crescent moons. She didn't like anything else, only this tooth-splitting lemon candy.

I'm back.

The door opened a crack.

The old butler came out holding a black umbrella, his eyes looking at a pile of mud. He was wearing a newly made suit with a dark gold cross badge pinned to his collar—I had never seen him wear that before.

“Young Master Gale,” he emphasized the word “Young Master,” “Why are you back?”

I looked at him.

"Pick up my sister."

He smiled. It was a very thin smile.

“Miss Arya?” He turned his head, and a drop of water from the tip of his umbrella splashed onto my face. “You don’t know, do you? That… she was stripped of her surname for conspiring with heretics. The Baron has already expelled her.”

Where is she?

“Who knows?” he drawled. “Probably the back mountain. You know what that kind of place is like.”

I didn't move.

Rainwater streamed down my nose. I bit my lip, and the metallic taste spread across my tongue.

"What did you say?"

“I said—” He took a step closer, lowered his voice, and the smile faded from his face, “She’s dead. In a mass grave. If you want to pay your respects, you can go and dig her up.”

The lemon candy slipped through my fingers.

It was smashed into the mud and water.

I could hear my own breathing. It was heavy, like a bellows.

"Get out of the way."

“You can’t go in.” The old butler took a half step back, his umbrella handle blocking the doorway. “Today is Miss Selena’s investiture ceremony. The Baron has ordered that all unauthorized personnel—”

My hand gripped his throat.

He didn't have time to shout.

I pressed my thumb against his carotid artery, applying slight pressure. His eyes bulged, his tongue lolled out, and he tried to speak but couldn't. His crotch was wet; urine was flowing down his trouser leg.

"roll."

I let go.

He collapsed to his knees, his face buried in the mud, his whole body trembling like a leaf.

I stepped on his back and pushed open the iron gate.

The manor was filled with dark gold cross flags.

Red roses were piled up like a small mountain. Roast suckling pig, caviar, and a champagne tower were laid out on the long table. Clerks in white robes held wine glasses and smiled as if it were New Year's Day.

I went inside.

Muddy stains were left on the marble floor. Nobody noticed me. They were laughing, chatting, and complimenting the woman standing on the steps.

She wore a long white dress trimmed with gold, a crown of thorns on her head, and a saint's badge around her neck. I didn't know her.

“Gail?”

My cousin Karl came over with a wine glass in his hand. He was wearing a newly made equestrian uniform and had a greasy smile on his face.

"You fucking dare to come back?" He leaned closer, his breath reeking of alcohol. "That bitch Arya—"

He didn't finish speaking.

I stared at him.

Where is she?

“The back mountain.” He laughed, revealing teeth stained black with red wine. “A mass grave. Do you know what it’s like there? There aren’t even any tombstones. Wild dogs have dug it up… If you’re looking, you’ll probably only find bones.”

I heard my bones cracking.

It's mine. My fingers are clenched so tightly that my knuckles are cracking.

"Who did this?"

“Who did it?” Carl tilted his head back and took a swig of his drink. “She brought it on herself. Colluding with heretics, she deserved it.” He wiped his mouth. “Guess what? She was locked in the dungeon for seven days, given only a bowl of stale water each day. She cried and called for her brother for five days. On the sixth day, she stopped.”

He reached out and patted my shoulder.

I didn't dodge.

“You’re not worthy to return to the manor.” He lowered his voice. “The Baron said you’re just cannon fodder. Five years and you haven’t even earned a title. You’re a disgrace.”

I laughed.

She laughed very softly.

Karl was taken aback.

"why are you laughing?"

"It's nothing." I looked up at him, my eyes devoid of any warmth. "Wash your neck clean. I'll come back to take your life."

I turned around.

Walk towards the door.

"Stop right there!" Karl's voice boomed from behind. "Who do you think you are? You fucking—"

I didn't turn around.

The iron gate closed behind him.

It started raining again.

I trudged through the mud towards the back of the mountain. It was dark, and there was no moon. The air was filled with a sweet, rotten smell, like the stench of an animal that had been dead for a long time and had been soaked in rainwater.

The road gets narrower and narrower.

Thorny branches stretched out from the bushes on both sides, scraping against my sleeves. I didn't dodge. The thorns cut the back of my hand, and beads of blood seeped out, only to be diluted by the rain.

Mass grave.

I stopped in my tracks.

There were no road signs, no fences, just a stretch of yellow earth soaked by rain. Mounds of earth stood side by side, some collapsed, revealing blackened shrouds beneath. The eyes of wild dogs flickered in the distance, like will-o'-the-wisps.

Arya is here.

I knelt down.

He stuck his hand into the mud.

Cold. Sticky. My fingernail scraped against some gravel.

I don't know which mound she's in. But I know that if I find her, I'll find the answer. If I find her, I'll know who to put in that coffin.

I put my hand in my pocket and touched the cold bone imprint.

Three thousand street cleaners.

They're waiting for me to crush it.

No rush.

First, find her.

Then, I will have the entire Campbell family, along with this manor, buried with them.