The Devious Games | Englot | GirlxGirl

Chapter 35 - Vincerò

A/N: This is the fearless Iris and the ruthless Voss at their best, ready to crush any enemy in their path!☺👆

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Charlotte awoke in the dead of night, the cold air streaming in from the open balcony door. The wind whispered through the leaves of the surrounding trees, filling the darkness with faint rustling sounds that tugged her from sleep. She must have forgotten to close it earlier, she thought.

Instinctively, she reached out, only to find the sheets empty—Engfa was gone.

Pulling her night robe tightly around her, she slid out of bed, the chill of the marble floor biting at her feet as she moved silently into the hallway.

She found Engfa where she suspected—in her office, with the door slightly ajar. A haunting melody flowed out into the corridor, a deep and powerful operatic aria that Charlotte had never heard before.

She saw the gramophone near the bookshelf spinning an old vinyl record, filling the room with music that seemed to carry an undercurrent of longing and darkness.

Engfa stood on the balcony, her back to the room, hands clasped behind her, her silhouette outlined by the moonlight. There was an almost unsettling stillness in her posture.

The music pulsed throughout the space, loud and all-encompassing, yet the moment Charlotte took a single step inside, Engfa turned sharply, her gaze piercing through the dim light, as if she had sensed Charlotte's presence even before she entered the room.

A slow, enigmatic smile curved Engfa's lips as she looked at her, and Charlotte's heart beat faster. She approached, crossing the room to join Engfa on the balcony. As she reached her, she gently cupped Engfa's cheek, feeling the coolness of her skin against her palm.

She murmured. "How long have you been awake?"

Engfa's hand rose to cover Charlotte's, her touch firm yet warm. "Not long," she replied, her voice a deep and calm.

She lowered Charlotte's hand from her cheek, but not before pressing a slow, lingering kiss to the back of it, sending a warmth coursing through Charlotte's veins that made her breath hitch.

Charlotte felt a strange unease bloom within her-Engfa seemed different tonight, as if some part of her had slipped away and been replaced by something darker, more intense.

Since their heated conversation earlier that day, Engfa had become distant and withdrawn, lost in thoughts she couldn’t quite identify. Despite this, Charlotte felt an unexpected sense of gratitude when Engfa returned to their bedroom, allowing them to sleep together.

Now, as Charlotte met her gaze, she saw something in those eyes—a fire that burned with a fierce determination, one that was both intoxicating and unsettling.

Engfa released her hand and turned back to the view, the sprawling labyrinth garden below glowing silver in the moonlight. There was a restlessness in the air, a tension that seemed to hum between them.

Charlotte's gaze drifted to the gramophone, the vinyl spinning in the dim light, filling the room with the rich, haunting strains of the opera.

"I never knew you liked this kind of music," she said softly, a hint of curiosity in her voice.

Engfa's gaze shifted to her, a fleeting, almost wistful smile dancing on her lips. "That record belonged to my father," she said softly. "So did that old gramophone-it's rare, a true collector's item. I haven't played it in ages. There's something... nostalgic about it."