Chapter 205. His red door
As Asher and Ivy shared what they thought would be their final moments together, Liloth was engaged in her own private war—a mission to uncover who the Duke truly was, and more importantly, who he was working with.
For the past several days, she’d played the obedient pawn, moving when told, speaking only when spoken to, doing everything he asked—all while carefully hiding her wrists beneath long sleeves. If he ever noticed that the curse binding her had vanished, the illusion would shatter. When he demanded to sleep with her, she’d offered the excuse that she was on her periods. It worked for now but the lie was running out of time.
Since breaking free of his control, it was as if her mind had finally woken from a long sleep. Details she’d brushed aside before now rushed back with terrifying clarity—like the memory of Hillary Martinsville, the Duke’s favorite son, who had once lived in the manor... and whom the Duke now claimed not to know.
Everyone else seemed to have forgotten Hillary even existed.
But not Liloth, at least not after she received Divine Protection from Asher.
Why? What had changed?
Yes, the Duke had fathered many children with many women, most of whom he never cared to acknowledge. But Hillary had been different. He was the only one the Duke had ever brought under his roof after the death of his wife. The only one who’d ever mattered.
So why deny him now?
Her thoughts spiraled with no answers. The Duke was secretive—painfully so. There was a room in the mansion that no one was allowed to enter. Not even the cleaners. He handled it personally. Locked it tight after each use. Steel burglar bars reinforced the red door, and a strange talisman hung over the handle—its purpose unknown, but its presence ominous.
Today, she watched him. Dressed in a long, flowing dark robe, he slipped into that room again. She waited in silence, watching him lock himself inside with almost ritualistic precision.
When it was safe, she crept close and pressed her ear against the wall, straining to hear anything—anything at all. All that came through was a low, eerie hum. It was barely audible, yet something about it made her stomach clench. The air itself seemed to shift, heavy and cold.