The Villainess Wants More

Part 21

Erno stood beside the bed. He stared at Lucienne's body. He wanted to reach out to her, to touch and feel her skin, to make sure she was still there. But he feared that if he dared, she would crumble in her fragility. He couldn't envision a world without her. He knew he'd never be able to go on. He looked at her and came to his own conclusion: If she died, he would die with her. He bent down and hesitated before giving her a small kiss on her forehead. He stood and looked at her before turning on his heel and exiting the room.

Amelie sobbed and cried as Erno looked down at her in disgust. "I didn't know anything I swear! He asked me to do it! Please!" She begged on the floor. She had a broken nose and was bleeding profusely. She wouldn't have had those injuries if she had began to talk when she was first asked. But she made the mistake of holding her tongue. She crawled over to Erno's leg and grabbed on to it. "He made me do it! You-" Erno kicked her off his leg. He turned and exited the cell. She rushed after him and clung on to the bars to continue wailing. He continued down the hall to find the cell that the butler was in. He was sitting, tied to a chair, in the middle of the room. It seemed he was just waking up. Eline handed him a file with the information of the butler. Erno read it. 'Klaus ???' Was what it said. It seemed he had no last name like the maid. They were both commoners. Erno opened the gate and stepped inside. Klaus looked up at him but couldn't see his face in the darkness. "Talk." Erno stepped closer, slowly. "I- I don't know what you're-" He didn't finish his sentence before he felt a sharp pain in his stomach. Faster than Klaus could register, Erno had stabbed him in the stomach with a throwing knife. "I said talk." Erno came closer. Klaus could see more knives shining in the darkness. It seemed the knife that Erno threw had been thrown in a way that it missed vital organs which was done on purpose. Just like the maid, Klaus was easy to crack. "Copulette- Marquis Copulette was going to pay us to do it!" His breathing grew rampant. "I-I poisoned her food but we knew she didn't eat enough to die so m-my sister distracted Clara while I went to finish the job. But when I went into her study she-she wasn't there!" He talked rapidly. "How much?" Erno's eyes shined through the darkness. "He said 1 million. He said if we killed her we could split 1 million." Klaus looked everywhere but at Erno. "You think she is worth 1 million?" Erno had a sense of humor to his tone which only scared the butler even more. "N-no" He meekly squeaked out an answer. Erno chuckled before turning to the door. Klaus let out a brief sigh before he cried out in pain again. Erno had threw another knife at his leg and one in his arm shortly after that. "Make sure they don't kill themselves. I want them to stand trial." He spoke to the guards as he ascended the stairs.

A week had gone by and Erno was looking worse and worse by the day. He had dark circles under his eyes and his hair was messy and always pulled up. Lucienne still laid in the bed. She looked like a lifeless porcelain doll. She had routine check ups from the doctor and every time was the same thing. She had been moved from her and Erno's room to the room closest to it. Erno would have preferred she stayed in their room though as nights without her in their bed felt lifeless and cold. It was unbearable. All he did these days were sit beside her and stare at her. He had fallen into a dark circle of thought. He wondered if he should just die whether she lives or not. He thought himself useless for not protecting her. "My lord, this behavior is unhealthy." Eline stood at the door. "Perhaps a walk outside to clear your mind?" He stared at Erno's backside as he awaited an answer. "I can't leave her." He finally said after a moment of silence. "You know she would not enjoy this, your highness." The room fell silent again. Eline knew he wasn't going to get an answer from Erno this time so he sighed and closed the door. Minutes later there was a knock and Clara came in with a basin of warm water. This was her routine and though Erno wanted to stop anyone from coming close to Lucienne, he knew that Clara was trying to help in any way she could. "Hello your highness." She bowed and set down the basin. "And hello my lady." She grabbed the rag gently off of Lucienne's head. She talked to Lucienne even though she was unconscious. No one was sure whether it was because she thought Lucienne could still hear her or if she did it because she missed her so much. She dipped a new rag into the warm water and laid it on Lucienne's head. She turned to leave before she stopped herself. "Your highness, I know it's not my place but... are you ok?" She said in a low voice. Erno sighed. "Kill me Clara." He leaned back in his chair. "Now your highness, what would my lady think?" Clara smiled faintly seeing he still had a sense of humor. If it even was humor. She left the room and shut the door behind her. Erno continued to just stare at his lover. He swept his hands over his face and shook his head. It was turning late and he knew it would probably be another long night sleeping in the hard chair. He leaned forward towards Lucienne. "I love you" He watched her breathing before planting a kiss on her forehead. He lingered there for a second. "E..." He heard a faint noise. "Erno?... Is that you?" He heard it again. He retreated from Lucienne and looked at her. His eyes met hers. He stood in shock before his knees buckled and he was on the ground. He reached out to touch her and she lifted her hand to reach out to his. She faltered a bit before fully reaching but he caught her hand and felt it in his. A single tear fell down his face.