At first, Cali wasn"t showing any signs that she hears them. But then the girl started tossing and turning. Every minute she squirmed more and more. At a time starting to scream and roll around the bed. Or she just quietly whimpered. And that was even worse.

Father and son were all exhausted. The Maitre came several times, checked Cali, soothed the men, and then again went around the other patients.

When the first rays of the sun began to sneak into the window, Paris sat hunched on a stool by the bed of his sister. She just calmed down, and Paris had to strain his ears to catch her rare quiet sigh.

Fatigue made itself felt, but he could not afford to leave. His father had just fallen asleep in a chair opposite. The only thing left for the guy was to hold the girl by the hand and silently pray to all the G.o.ds.

With every second hope melted away. Paris squeezed a little palm tighter as if like this he could keep her here with him.

Why did this happen again?! Why was he again just able to watch her go. Weak! Hopeless fool! He could not protect her then. Didn"t even listen. And now, all that he could do is wait.

His self-blame was interrupted by a quiet knock on the door. Then, without waiting for an answer, the steward entered.

" Master Paris, I apologize for distracting you. But down there you are asked by Lord Trevelyan, head of the Black Castle in person."

Paris raised his tired eyes at the steward. His brain could barely work out what he just heard.

"What does he want from me?"

" Master, unfortunately, I have no idea."

Paris wanted to send Ezra back with apologies and refusal from an unplanned meeting. He did not want to see anyone now, even if it were the King himself. But a sudden thought stopped him.

Who knew what the earl had time to report to the palace. Cali"s case was never closed until the end. Perhaps the Head of the Black Castle has already learned about her presence in the capital and came to arrest her.

Anger boiled in the depths of his heart. How much more they had to go through because of their mother? This witch, even after her disappearance, continued to poison the existence of her entire family.

Having no other alternatives and not wanting to wake his father, who was already so exhausted, Paris rose with a sigh and, giving orders to the steward, went downstairs.

Upon entering the living room, Paris instantly saw a towering figure of a new head of the Black Castle comfortably sitting in one of the wide mahogany chairs by the fireplace. With a shudder, Paris had to mentally admit that even though the man looked relatively young, no more than thirty-seven, but the position suited him perfectly well. The air itself around him seemed darker and denser.

The imposing figure was more that of a warrior from old legends than the judge. He made the armchair under him look elegant as a small stool. The formal black coat of the Head of the Castle of Justice did not conceal but instead singled out the owner"s ma.s.sive muscles. Add to this a square face with chopped features, a heavy chin, nose probably more than once broken and deep-set yellow eyes like that of a wyvern, and you get the whole horrifying picture. The Duke looked more like a hangman than a judge.

No wonder rumors about him were one worse than others.

Paris heard only a part of them and already was not thrilled to meet with this man.

Only today he did not care about rumors and tales. He made a decision for himself and was ready to protect his sister from the devil himself.

Devon carefully considered the guy who entered the living room. The young captain looked like he was in his late twenties. A pretty, rather manly face, blond hair, military bearing and confidence in every movement. At the court, young debutantes swarmed around such beau like crazy. He was like the romantic ideal of any girl.

Devon hated guys like this with pa.s.sion. Snotty boys whos only worth was their pompous manners.

But the expression in the eyes of this guy made the Head of the Castle of Justice not to rush with his judgments. The guy"s gaze was full of confidence and strange determination. A muscle ticked in his jaw as he glared at the guest. It seemed like this boy was not at all scared and was ready to even argue with the Butcher of the Black Castle, as Duke Trevelyan was called by the court.

Devon stopped himself from raising his eyebrows in surprise. Not often did he meet anyone who was willing to look him straight in the eye, and even more so to stand against him. The guy had the guts made of steel. Black Lord acknowledged with pleasure, watching as the boy, without taking his eyes off the duke, went to the opposite chair and froze, waiting for a reaction.

"Captain Marsters," - the Duke began, at the same time trying to force Paris to look away. But the young man was clearly not swayed and did not lower his eyes, continuing to peer into the chief judge"s face. Devon decided not to drag out anymore and went straight to the point. - "I apologize for such a sudden visit, but I think you understand why I am here?"

"To be honest, no, I do not understand." - answered captain, not succ.u.mbing to the provocation.

"As far as I understand, you were a.s.signed to lead the unit of newcomers in Kheil-hold just half a year ago."

"That"s right, it was five months as I took them over, to be exact."

The young man answered all the questions accurately and briefly. Still, he did not fidget and continued to look at the duke. As if he was not being interrogated now, but merely waited for Devon to explain the reason for his visit. Duke liked this boy more and more.

"A couple of days ago, the Red Castle received a message that the fortress had been attacked."

"That is correct. My report has already been sent to the palace and the Red Castle. If my presence is required in order to tell everything in detail, I will be glad to appear in the Red Castle at any time." - Paris said quietly, emphasizing that it was the Red Castle that should be interested in what happened and not the Head of the Black Castle.

Devon appreciated the guy"s straightforwardness and even smirked slightly.

"That"s right. But I am here on the details of your urgent departure from the fortress immediately after the end of the attack." - Said the duke, carefully following the changes on the young man"s face. The young captain held onto Trevelyan"s gaze without a frown. Although Devon did notice the shadow that flashed in his eyes for just a moment.

"I left the fortress with the personal permission of Earl Wolcroft after I made sure that the enemy had indeed retreated. This was also described in detail in the report."

"That"s right, but I"m interested in the reason for your urgent departure."

"My reasons are purely personal. I shared with the earl and got his permission to leave. Is this forbidden?"

Devon carefully considered the young man. The head of the black castle, in addition to his sharp mind and quite an impressive appearance, possessed one more gift, which only a few knew about. He could read people. At a distance, he could feel the emotions of other people. Even those that they tried to hide.

Now he clearly could sense that the young man was hiding something. But there was no fear or shame in him. The boy felt confident, not as if he had done something bad.

"If you claim that you left the fortress for personal reasons, then why did you enter the capital with three carts, told the guards that they could not conduct the search as this is a military secret?"

The captain visibly started. Devon felt a whole bunch of emotions in him at this moment. First fear and even panic, but then, to the duke"s surprise, irritation and anger took their place. The guy sighed, decided and spoke with a determination.

"Yes, I lied to achieve personal goals. Sooner or later you would have got to the bottom of it anyway. But I had no choice, I had no time to explain everything to the guards and the rest. My sister"s life was at stake. You can judge me for it."

Blurred out all this, Paris as if deflated. Only now the duke, absorbed in reading emotions, noticed how tired and haggard the guy looked. He was still wearing his travel cloak; apparently, just a little bit cleaned in a hurry. The young man definitely did not sleep that night. And according to the reports, maybe even since the attack itself.

Also, the very statement of the guy made Devon pause.

"Captain Marsters, I do not quite understand. Forgive me if I am mistaken, but as far as I know, the only daughter of Count Marsters and your younger sister died more than six years ago."

Paris sighed wearily.

"No, Duke Trevelyan, you are not mistaken. I also believed all these years that Cali died then. Only there in the Fortress, I met her again. I still do not understand what is happening. But she suffered during the attack, and I had to deliver her to the capital. I could not let her die there."

The words of the young warrior made the duke think. The guy was definitely honest. The air around him was literally soaked with sadness and hopelessness.

"Your sister, in what condition is she now?" - carefully began Devon, trying not to put pressure the already upset guy.

Paris just shook his head sadly. Looking somewhere in the distance.

"May I ask you for a favor, Lord Trevelyan?" - The guy finally lifted his gaze. Devon even shuddered having found in him so much pain, not at all typical for a young guy of such standing.

"I"m listening to you."

"Could you give me just a couple of days? I understand that this is a lot. But the doctor said that in a couple of days it would become clear ..." - His voice sank for a second, he hesitated to pick up words - "I will give my word of honor that I will not run away and will be ready to answer to the fullest extent. But now I am needed here. As soon as everything is decided, I will arrive at the Black Castle. You can leave the guard or anyone you want. Just give me a little time with my sister."

There was so much plea in his words and feelings that Devon could not refuse.

They briefly said goodbye and the captain escorted the lord to the exit. On the way, the Duke noticed several maids who were caring basins of water and bandages. In the hands of one of them, the rags were clearly covered with large stains of blood. And the emotions emanating from the girls forced the lord to wait for a little with the new list of questions.

The maidservants were terrified, but it was not just fear. They smelled of bitterness and sadness. The whole estate seemed to be crying, coating everything around in front of Devon"s eyes in a blue haze.

Duke hastened his pace trying to leave this house quickly. Now his presence here could only do harm.

He saw too many such houses in his lifetime. And this bluish haze hated most of all because it too often went hand in hand with death.