146: Marianne's murderer

Marianne's murderer

"Marianne?" Noor inquired, not caring who Anastasia was referring to.1

"Maxwell's concubine, the one who died the evening the king was murdered," Anastasia explained, her anxiety evident and her heartbeat slowing as she awaited a response. She observed a shift in the woman's gaze, the look in her eye changing to something menacing. 

Noor, whose eyes remained fixed on Anastasia, watched the young girl before inquiring, "A friend of yours, was she? I had even forgotten about her until you brought her up. Insignificant individuals tend to fade away from memory, don't they? That's just the way life is, transforming you into something people no longer remember. It is unfortunate for her that she happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time, and I had to dispose of her."

"It hurts, doesn't it?" Noor questioned her. 

"I will kill you," Anastasia threatened the woman, her anger fueled by the lack of sympathy she had for her sister's death. All this while… She had been friends with the person who had taken her sister's life. She had killed Marianne…

"I would have killed you by now, but I have been ordered to keep you alive, at least until the transaction concludes," Noor said with a tone of indifference, as if unfazed by Anastasia's threat. "You forget that you are the one who is tied up here, and all it would take for me is a swift slice across your pretty neck." She pulled out a small, sharp dagger, poised and ready to spill blood. 

Anastasia had sworn to avenge her sister and to one day catch the murderer who had taken her life. Even though she wasn't a violent person, she was ready to mete out the same fate to the murderer that her sister had experienced. The memory of the blood that had pooled around Marianne, which haunted her most nights, remained etched in her mind. 

"Marianne was innocent," Anastasia said, her hands clenched into tight fists. "She was a victim of the palace, of this kingdom—"

"And now you are marrying into the very family that made her a victim. Ironic, isn't it?" Noor countered, her lips curving into a twisted smile. 

"Dante had nothing to do with her death, nor with the kingdom's practice of forcibly bringing women here," Anastasia retorted, aware that he too had fallen victim to it alongside his mother. Seeking to understand, she asked, "Why did you do it?"

"Isn't the answer simple?" Noor asked back, her head tilting slightly, supported by her hand. She continued, "I have despised Versailles for a very long time. Don't be upset, Anna, because I have nothing against you, but this was personal, and it had to be done. I have bided my time for years—so many years—honing my skills in the meantime. It wasn't easy, especially when the man you want dead can read your thoughts."

Nobody had ever liked King William Blackthorn, and people despised the man's existence to their very cores. Anastasia then heard the woman say, 

"Sometimes all that remains is a thirst for vengeance, and that becomes the sole essence of one's purpose."

"What about your son, Prince Victor? You don't care about him? Unless… he is the demon you have been helping." Anastasia felt her headache intensifying as she tried to think, and she desired to use the same object that Noor had used to strike her. 

"You don't know anything about the cruelty of this world." Noor clicked her tongue, straightening her head and getting up from the chair she was sitting in. 

"So, you tried to stop the cruelty by making it worse?" Anastasia asked, baffled by the lack of logic in this woman's words. 

"Sometimes, plans cultivated over many years result in casualties, and those lives hold little significance in the great scheme of things," Noor stated, walking around the room, which had small gaps near the ceiling to allow air and light to filter through without the need for huge windows. Anastasia's eyes narrowed at the woman for saying her sister's life was inconsequential. 

"There was once a time when I was just like you. I had a family of my own, and everything was perfect, until it wasn't anymore."

There was only one word Anastasia could muster for the woman: deranged. How had she, or anyone else, failed to realise this person's true nature? All this time, the woman was only wearing a facade. The more she contemplated, the more stunned she became as the realisation began to sink into her mind. She would have laid some blame on Niyasa, given that the young princess hogged all the attention while casting no light on this woman, who had been slithering through the shadows like a snake. 

"Let me tell you the story, for we have lots of time at our disposal," Lady Noor stated, her composed tone inducing an unsettling feeling in Anastasia's body. 

"Where are we?" Anastasia questioned, as she suspected they were no longer in Versailles, bewildered about how they could have even moved that fast. 

"Somewhere, where neither you nor no one in Versailles can guess," Noor replied, and a flicker of annoyance passed through her eyes, as if not liking that the young girl was shifting the subject. "If you are waiting for Dante to find you, I'm afraid it isn't going to be an easy task. So, why don't I continue… Many years ago, when I was a child, King William arrived in my hometown. After emerging victorious in a war, Versailles was travelling through our land when he and his people decided to pass some time in our kingdom."

"King William caught sight of my mother, taking a sudden interest in her despite her having a husband and a child," Noor continued, her expression devoid of emotion. "He raped her, and when my father tried to intervene, he was killed in front of me. My mother died as well, right in front of my eyes. No one came to help them, neither the ministers from Versailles who stopped to interrogate him, nor the people of my own town."

"I am sorry that you had to go through that…" Anastasia said to Noor, whose expression only hardened within the quiet room. 

Noor wasn't done with her story, and she continued, "I knew my time would come because I was waiting for him. I tracked his every move across various kingdoms, and when he finally appeared before me, I did what I had to do. And during those years of anticipation, I trained myself to control my thoughts, before moulding myself into a courtesan."

"But you couldn't hide your intentions the day you stole the Mother Queen's potion and killed him," Anastasia stated the obvious, and Noor smiled. 

"Years passed, but it wasn't easy to end his life. A single lapse in thought, and I would have been beheaded. That is, until the demon arrived, aiding me with the potion." Noor looked pleased as she ruminated about the demon. She smiled, a hint of wildness she had concealed all this time evident in her eyes. She reminisced, "I cannot forget how William begged for his life, and it brought me immense satisfaction. I watched him struggle to cling to his life as each stab of the blade rendered him frailer. Bastard died while begging and confused, questioning how his sweet concubine could do such a thing, and why he didn't see it coming."

Anastasia pursed her lips and responded, "He wasn't a good man, and he destroyed many lives, putting them through hell… And I understand where your hatred stems from. If time and place allowed, I am sure there are many who would want to torture him as payback. However, what I don't support is your taking innocent lives and treating them like they are nothing. Because in doing so, you've become no better than he was." 

"Sorry to disappoint you, but do you think I care about your opinion?" Noor laughed, drawing in a deep breath before exhaling it. "Anyone who happened to witness me ending his life was bound to meet the same fate. It was her bad luck that she stumbled upon the scene and had to die. And do you think I care about something that I created with the man I despised?"

"Why did you stick around in the palace?" Anastasia asked while she attempted to harness her ability or hoped it would manifest. 

"Magnus wanted me around, to ensure he could keep an eye on you and have you driven away so that he could set his own plans in motion. He helped me with William's death, so it was my turn to repay the favour. However, as unfortunate as your luck has been with me, you also seem to possess a streak of good fortune." Noor shook her head, half in irritation. She continued, 

"Efforts were taken to ensure that you and Dante didn't stay together. We planted seeds of doubt. First with your dreams, and then later with Maxwell. But he was weak and too fragile, and ultimately, he became useless. That gardener, on the other hand, was a tool we employed later, and it worked perfectly."

"Why such a long charade?" Anastasia questioned Noor. 

"Dante's demon was poised to unleash wrath upon the living world, transforming it into a second hell, a feat only achievable with you gone." Noor smiled at Anastasia, adding, "Just because the two of you formed a bond doesn't mean that what Magnus wanted cannot still come to fruition. Magnus has been waiting for the right time, playing a fool."

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