Chapter 4

Clang.

The heavy silver platter hit the table with a sharp ring.

"His Grace gave strict orders that you aren't to be neglected," the servant muttered, keeping his head bowed, though he couldn't quite hide the dismissive edge in his voice. "The wedding is tomorrow evening. Please rest well."

I stared at the plate, a mocking smirk curling my lips. "How remarkably thoughtful of the Duke. Heaven forbid he drop the ball with either of his women."

It was the second day since I had swallowed the oblivion draught.

The process of forgetting was far more violent, and far more irreversible, than I had ever imagined.

The headaches didn't just throb, they battered my skull like tidal waves, ruthlessly scouring away every memory of the man I loved.

I was beginning to forget the warmth of his first embrace, the fierce, desperate look in his eyes when he used to bleed for me.

All the betrayal and despair that had once torn my soul to shreds was rapidly washing out, fading like cheap ink on old parchment.

By twilight on the third day, the day of the wedding, the roar of a carriage tearing through the evening fog shook the castle walls.

Drawn by four skeletal dragons, it touched down hard on the cobblestones just beyond the gates.

I hurried down the steps, a single traveling bag in hand. The carriage door was kicked open, and my best friend, Liana, stormed out, practically radiating fury.

"Where are they? Where are those two backstabbing bastards?" Liana snarled, volatile lightning already crackling around the crystal of her staff. "I'm going to blast that altar to ash."

"Let it go, Liana." I reached out, my hand steady as I gripped her trembling wrist. "Causing a scene doesn't benefit me. I'm leaving for the Capital immediately. As for this place... I can barely remember it anyway. I'm done with all of it."

Liana stared at me, her eyes wide with disbelief. "You're just going to let them get away with this?"

"I don't have the time to waste," I replied, my voice dead flat. There wasn't a single drop of reluctance left in me.

Looking into my eyes, Liana bit her lower lip. Her expression twisted with heartbreak before she fiercely grabbed my hand in return.

"Fine. I'll listen to you," she breathed. "But there is one thing you have to let me do."

I gave her a questioning look.

A cold, bloodthirsty glint flashed in Liana's eyes. "I'm going to make sure that arrogant prick knows exactly what he just threw away."

That icy, murderous intent seemed to ride the biting night wind, howling straight toward the brightly lit, blood-red hall deep within the castle.

Inside, decadent, intoxicating music drowned out the howling wind. Aristocratic women in velvet gowns clinked their crystal goblets, their whispers drifting up to the rafters.

"I heard the Duke's blood-mate from ten years ago was just some human alchemist," one noblewoman sneered.

"Oh, she was," another whispered back. "But let me tell you, the blood vow ceremony they had back then makes this one look like a joke. I saw it with my own eyes."

The vicious little whispers slithered their way to Camilla. Her pale face darkened, and her fingers dug tighter into Vincent’s arm.

Sensing her sudden tension, Vincent looked down, his voice a low, soothing murmur. "That is all in the past. Don't think about it. Tonight, you're all that matters."

The crimson light of the crystal chandeliers shifted, pooling entirely on the couple standing at the center of the altar.

Vincent and Camilla intertwined their fingers, preparing to exchange the rings that would bind their souls for eternity.

"Seal it! Seal it!" the crowd of guests began to chant, the room practically vibrating with feverish energy.

Vincent’s gaze softened. Looking at Camilla’s flushed, excited face, he slowly began to lean in.

Watching the scene unfold through the glass, I let out a long, quiet sigh.

I rested a hand over my heart. Nothing. There wasn't a single twinge of pain.

I silently thanked the oblivion draught, it had flawlessly drained the very last drop of my love for Vincent, leaving me feeling like I was watching a beautifully staged, yet utterly ridiculous, play.

Turning away from the window, Liana and I walked out into the night toward the waiting bone-dragon carriage.

I tossed my bag inside and turned to help her up, but Liana took a step back.

"You go on ahead," she said, her grip tightening on her staff as she looked back toward the glowing stained-glass windows. "I'll be right behind you."

I didn't ask questions. I just nodded. Glancing at the brass clock mounted on the carriage wall, I saw the time: thirty minutes left.

In half an hour, every memory I had of this place would be wiped clean, and I would be entirely reborn.

The skeletal dragons let out a piercing shriek, and the carriage launched into the sky.

A second before we breached the clouds, I looked back one last time at the towering Nightwing Castle, the cage that had held me for ten years.

Goodbye, Vincent, I thought, letting my eyes fall shut in absolute peace.

No—farewell.