They whispered in town about him. They called him a beast. They called him cruel. They called him ugly.
People were repulsed by his face. They treated him like a deadly disease, avoiding him like the plague. They didn't dare talk to or in front of h...
Angelica sat in her bed and watched the fire on the hearth while her thoughts drifted away. She kept repeating Lord Rayven's voice in her head, wondering why it sounded familiar.
Why did it feel like she had heard his voice before when she was sure she had never seen him speak?
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She wouldn't forget such a voice so easily. It was deep and husky and pleasant to the ears. But the underlying threat and danger in his tone made her shiver.
She had watched him ride away on his horse into the darkness of the night. Something about him evoked many questions in her head. Who was he? But most importantly, why did she care?
Putting aside the book that she hadn't been reading, she lay down to sleep. She had already waited long enough for her father to come home, and now her eyes refused to stay open. Soon after, she fell into slumber.
A loud voice woke her up early in the morning. Angelica felt relieved when she heard that her father had come home. He was loud, yelling and cursing, maybe even breaking things. The sounds of things crashing made her concerned.
Quickly, she slipped on her robe and rushed downstairs. Her father was now shouting louder at the maids, and they were surprised to see him in this state. Her father never came home intoxicated, but now he was entirely out of control and reeked of alcohol. He could barely keep his balance and stumbled left and right.
"Father." She hurried to his side and grabbed his arm to help him stand, but he pushed her away.
"He is coming." He said in a low voice.
His eyes searched the room in a panic.
"Who is coming?" Angelica asked.
He shook his head. "No, he is already here. He is watching us all the time. He is ruling our kingdom."
Angelica was confused.
Her father turned to the maids, "he is in disguise. You won't even know when he walks past you."
Angelica didn't understand what he was talking about.
"I wasn't supposed to see him," he croaked, wrapping his arms around himself while shaking. "But I did. I looked into his eyes. I saw Him."
"Who is he?" Angelica asked.
Did he see the killer? Her heart skipped a beat.
Her father turned to her, the fear in his eyes evident.
"He... he is...he is the..." he started losing his balance, and before Angelica could grab him, he fell unconscious.
Their butler, Thomas, helped move her father to his room where he could sleep. Angelica was surprised by everything that had happened and what her father had said.
"Do you know who he might be talking about?" Angelica asked Thomas.
