Surrendered To The Lord Of Sin

The maid looked toward the book again before returning her attention to the tea. "I see."

There was something in her tone that made Lucrezia narrow her eyes. "You don’t like him?"

The maid immediately shook her head. "I didn’t say that, my lady."

"You didn’t have to."

The woman smiled faintly, though she wisely said nothing more.

Lucrezia picked up the cup and took a sip. The tea was warm, lightly sweetened with honey, much better than the medicinal mixtures she had been forced to endure.

Lucrezia lowered her eyes to the book. "What do you think of him?"

The maid blinked. "Lord Greed?"

"Yes."

There was a brief silence in the room. The maid looked toward the closed doors before returning her gaze to Lucrezia.

"He is..." She hesitated carefully. "Difficult to understand."

A faint smile tugged at Lucrezia’s lips. "That sounds like a polite way of saying you don’t trust him."

The maid’s expression softened with amusement. "I didn’t say that either."

"You didn’t have to."

The woman lowered her voice. "My lady, you should be careful with all of them."

Lucrezia’s smile disappeared, confused. "All of them?"

The maid’s eyes flickered toward the door again. "The Sins," she clarified.

The word alone seemed to carry enough weight to silence the room.

Lucrezia slowly sat down at the table. "I know."

In truth, she did. There was absolutely everything to be wary about their kind.

"No," the maid said quietly. "I don’t think you do."

Lucrezia looked at her. There was no contempt in the woman’s expression, but concern. For a moment, she was too stunned to speak.

"You’re kind to me," Lucrezia said after a moment.

The maid seemed surprised by the statement. "I only do my duty."

"Yes," Lucrezia reached for the teacup, allowing the warmth to settle between her palms. "But you’ve done more than that."

The maid said nothing.

Lucrezia took a small sip before asking, "Why?"

The woman smiled faintly. "Because you looked frightened."

The simple answer caught her off guard.

Lucrezia looked down. She hadn’t realized it had been that obvious. "I was."

"I know,"

Something in her chest loosened. It was such an ordinary conversation. Nothing important, and yet it felt strangely comforting.

For weeks, Lucrezia was surrounded by people who watched her, examined her, and judged her, but this, however, was different.

Someone was simply speaking to her, apart from Vespera.

She looked toward the book again. "Greed said there was an old library in the western grounds."

The maid’s expression changed. "You went that far?"

"No. He only told me about it."

"And he gave you that?"

Lucrezia nodded.

The maid studied the book for another moment. "Then perhaps you should read it somewhere private."

Lucrezia frowned. "Why?"

"Because Lord Greed rarely gives anything without expecting something in return."

The words settled heavily in the room, enough to make her heart stutter.

Lucrezia stared at the book. She had thought the same thing. But still, curiosity won.

"What do you think he wants?"

The maid’s lips parted, but before she could answer, footsteps sounded beyond the chamber doors.

Both women fell silent. Lucrezia’s fingers tightened around the teacup as the footsteps stopped, and three measured knocks followed.

The maid immediately straightened.

Lucrezia’s heart began to beat faster. "Come in," she called.

The doors opened to reveal a servant standing on the other side, bowing deeply. "My lady."

Lucrezia set down her cup. "What is it?"

"The council has sent word."

Her stomach dropped.

The servant continued, "They request your presence when you are well enough to attend."

A hush settled over the chamber, leaving only the soft crackle of the burning logs to break the silence.

Lucrezia stared at him. The council? Of course. She almost forgot.

No matter how many weeks had passed, she knew the questions surrounding the fair did not disappear. Neither had the suspicion.

The maid’s expression tightened.

"When?" Lucrezia asked.

"Not today, my lady. They were informed that you had only just begun walking again. But they expect you soon."

Lucrezia nodded slowly. "Thank you."

The servant bowed and withdrew. The doors closed after him.

For several moments, neither woman spoke. Lucrezia ate slowly afterward, her appetite considerably better than it had been in previous days. And as she ate, her mind returned to the previous afternoon.

She had been brought to Blackvale under circumstances she still couldn’t fully understand. She had been told almost nothing about the place, yet she was expected to live within its walls as though she belonged there.

And if she was truly expected to remain in Blackvale for some time, perhaps knowing the land was not such a terrible idea.

There was another reason too. Information. She couldn’t forget why she was here. Her mother’s life depended upon it.

Lucrezia’s fingers tightened around the cup.

A servant entered shortly afterward carrying the morning medicine, and her face fell immediately.

"No."

The healer’s assistant smiled sympathetically. "Yes."

She sighed as the bitter tonic was placed before her. Lucrezia stared at it as though it had personally offended her.

The maid beside her hid a smile. "You’ll recover faster."

With a resigned sigh, Lucrezia drank the tonic in one swallow. Her face twisted immediately. "Gods."

The maid laughed softly. "It isn’t that terrible."

"It is."

She reached for the cup of water afterward, drinking quickly to rid herself of the taste. Once the medicine was finished, the servants left her to rest.

But Lucrezia didn’t sleep. Instead, she sat beside the window with Greed’s book open across her lap.

The pages were filled with old accounts of Blackvale, its founding, and territories, including ancient conflicts between the gods and creatures beyond the northern borders.

She read slowly and carefully, skimming through every page. There were names she recognized, and others she didn’t. And every few pages, she found references to the Sins, but it wasn’t enough. Never enough. Though enough to make her realize that Blackvale had a history far more complicated than the stories she had been told in Veximoor.

As she turned another page, her eyes narrowed. There was a section about the seven Sins.

Lucrezia leaned closer.

For the first time since arriving in Blackvale, she felt as though she had stumbled upon something that might actually be useful.

It read:

Centuries ago, in a land where countless creatures thrived side by side, three races rose above the rest—Dragons, Mages, and Nephmirs. They were feared as the deadliest weapons among the living. But power corrupted them. Dragons scorched the skies in wrath, Mages bent magic to their selfish desires, and Nephmirs twisted fate itself, reshaping the future to their will. Their unchecked dominion splintered the world.

In desperation, the Realm was created, and it turned against them. One by one, the mighty races were hunted, banished, and eventually destroyed, bringing about the Great War. Yet even after their downfall, peace never came. The surviving kingdoms waged war upon one another, leading their breeds down the same dark path.

As punishment, Hell unleashed the Seven Deadly Sins, each bound to a kingdom: Vladoryn, Norwynne, Veximoor, Wyrmgarde, Eirendale, Thendral, and Vexthorn.

But witches were extinct.

Lucrezia’s brows furrowed as her heart gave a nervous skip. Were witches extinct? She thought in confusion.

She continued reading.

They were cursed, undivine, and abominable. Their powers weren’t just supernatural, but were considered unholy, a threat to the Realm and mankind.

After the Great War, they existed independently, creating sorceries and dark magic to ward off creatures from their territory, extorting resources, using the lesser gods, and endangering the Realm for their selfish gains.

Over time, they grew more powerful than the Realm itself, becoming a threat amongst the living and the dead. No one could stand against them, not even the Trinity—gods of Judgement—could stand in their path.

But suddenly, everything changed when one of the Sins fell in love with their kind.

Outside, the morning passed quietly as Lucrezia continued reading, unbeknownst to her she’d taken the first step toward uncovering what she was brought for.