Chapter 37
Ella's POV
My palm still ached when I returned from Kane's quarters.
That slap had landed hard, hard enough to leave my fingertips tingling with numbness, but I didn't regret it one bit. The flash of shock across his face gave me, for the first time in this prison of a manor, a sliver of defiant strength. Even if it was just a slap. Even if he could retaliate with something far crueler at any moment.
Ruby was waiting for me.
I found her sitting beneath the old oak tree in the West Wing's back courtyard, clutching a bundle wrapped in coarse burlap. Her silhouette looked especially fragile, like a reed battered by storms, ready to snap at any second.
"Ruby?" I called softly, unwilling to disturb this brittle quiet.
She turned around, eyes rimmed red, tears still streaking her face. Seeing me, she forced out a smile that looked worse than crying.
"Ella." Her voice came out hoarse. "You came."
I sat down beside her, my gaze falling on the bundle in her arms. The burlap hung loosely tied, revealing several small stuffed toys inside—a bear, a rabbit, and a lopsided cloth cat. Ruby had sewn them all herself from fabric scraps, each stitch fine and even, the stuffing plump and carefully distributed, every thread speaking of her devotion.
"These are..." My throat tightened, words barely forming.
Ruby lowered her head, fingers gently stroking the cloth cat's ear. "I wanted to prepare something for him." Her voice emerged so quiet, as if afraid to wake something. "Even though he never... never made it into this world, I thought he should have things of his own."
My heart felt seized by an invisible hand.
There were other things in the bundle. I glimpsed a small blood-stained cloth, tissue resembling umbilical cord, and remnants I dared not examine closely—fragments of the child who never drew breath.
Ruby must have hidden them away secretly, even through the agony of that poisoned brew, through the hemorrhaging pain, still thinking to preserve something for this child.
"I'm going to bury him here." Ruby pointed to a patch of ground beneath the oak. "The sun's good here. In spring, lots of wildflowers bloom. I think... he would've liked that."
I opened my mouth wanting to offer comfort, only to realize I had no idea what to say. All language felt pale and powerless in such moments. I could only sit silently beside her, watching as her trembling hands dug a small hollow in the earth.
The soil was hard. Ruby's nails broke, several splitting off, fingertips seeping blood, but she made no sound, just mechanically repeated the digging motion.
I tried to help. She shook her head, stubbornly insisting on finishing herself.
Finally the pit was ready. Ruby carefully placed the stuffed toys inside one by one, as if making a child's bed. Her lips moved, murmuring words nearly inaudible.
"Mama's so sorry." She whispered. "Mama couldn't protect you. But Mama will remember you, always remember. You be good over there, don't be afraid, don't be lonely..."
Her voice grew increasingly choked, eventually breaking off completely as she covered her mouth, shoulders shaking violently. I reached out and held her, feeling the suppressed grief surge through her body like a tsunami.
"I'll never dare make these little toys again." Ruby sobbed. "Every time I see them, I'll think of him. I'll think, if he were still here, I could sew him a whole chest of toys, could play with him, could watch him grow up..."
My own tears fell, dripping into her hair. We held each other and wept—for our lost children, for our powerless fates, for this world that left Omegas nowhere to live.
When the tears finally dried, Ruby released me and continued placing the remaining items in the pit.
At last, she drew from her pocket a small silver pair of scissors—the tool she used for sewing toys, blades glinting coldly in the sunlight.
She stared at those scissors for a long time, so long I thought she'd bury them too. But finally, she tucked them back into her apron pocket.
"Keep it." I said softly. "As a memento."
Ruby nodded and began filling in the earth.
Soil gradually covered the toys, covered the bloodstained evidence, covered a life this world never accepted. When the last handful of dirt fell, Ruby smoothed the surface with her palm, then arranged several small stones on top.
"Done." She said, voice hollow as a broken echo. "It's all over."
But I knew nothing was over. This pain would follow her for life, just as my lost child would forever be a scar across my heart. We'd only learned to hide it, hide it where others couldn't see, pretending we could still go on living.
We sat beneath the oak for a long while more, neither speaking.
The sun sank westward, stretching our shadows long and thin, like two wandering ghosts haunting land that would never belong to us.
---
The next morning, the entire manor erupted into chaos.
A young boy's cries for help echoed through the front courtyard, voice filled with terror and grievance. I was helping in the kitchen when the commotion reached me, and I hurried toward the sound, seeing from a distance a crowd gathered in the yard's center.
In the middle of the throng, a boy around ten knelt on the ground, both hands pinned down by two guards. He struggled desperately, face flushed crimson, shouting over and over: "I didn't steal! I really didn't! His Lordship gave it to me!"
That was Ruby's brother Jack.
My heart sank as I quickened my pace, pushing through the crowd. Victoria stood at the front in a deep crimson gown, face bearing a cold smile. In her hand she held an exquisite pocket watch—the very one Kane had given Jack in front of me before.
"His Lordship gave it to you?" Victoria's laugh dripped ice. "A lowborn Omega brat thinks he deserves His Lordship's favor? You think a lie can cover your crime?"
"I'm not lying!" Jack broke into tears, snot and tears streaming down his face. "His Lordship really gave it to me! My sister can testify—lots of people saw it that day!"
"Enough." Victoria waved dismissively. "According to pack law, thieves lose the hand that stole. Someone cut off his hand."
"No!" Ruby's scream tore from the back of the crowd. She rushed forward like a mad thing, throwing herself in front of Jack, arms spread to shield her brother. "Please, my lady, he didn't steal! That watch truly was a gift from His Lordship! If you must punish someone, punish me, but don't touch my brother!"
Victoria looked down at her from above, eyes full of mockery. "You? What are you to plead for him? Nothing but a plaything in the master's bed, and you actually think you matter?"
Ruby's face went deathly pale, but she gritted her teeth, forehead pressed to the ground, voice trembling: "I know I'm nothing, but I beg you, considering I've... I've served His Lordship faithfully, spare my brother this once. He's young, he doesn't understand..."
"Left hand?" Victoria interrupted, drawing out her words. "Or right hand? Or should we just take both, save him from repeating the offense?"
Jack shook violently, tears falling like broken pearls.
He was only twelve, a child not yet grown, facing such brutal punishment.
I couldn't hold back any longer.
"That watch was indeed given to Jack by Lord Kane." I strode forward, meeting Victoria's eyes directly. "I was there that day, saw His Lordship hand it to him personally. If my lady doubts this, you can ask His Lordship himself."
Victoria's gaze shifted to me, a dangerous glint flashing in her eyes. "You? A lowly servant dares testify for a thief?"
"I'm only stating facts." I worked to keep my voice steady. "I wasn't the only one present that day. Many servants witnessed it. If my lady wishes, you can summon them all for questioning."
I turned to the surrounding crowd, raising my voice: "You saw it too, didn't you? His Lordship did give that watch to Jack—this isn't theft!"
The crowd remained silent. Those servants kept their heads down, not one daring to speak. They feared Victoria, feared her so much they wouldn't utter a word of truth.
My heart plummeted, but I couldn't give up. "Are you all blind? Would you throw away your conscience just to keep your positions?"
Still no one spoke.
Ruby suddenly crawled to my feet, clutching my legs, crying: "Ella, stop, please stop..." She looked up at Victoria, voice full of despair. "My lady, I'll leave His Lordship, just spare my brother. I swear, I'll never appear before His Lordship again, I beg you..."
"Leave?" Victoria laughed, the sound especially grating. "You think you come and go as you please? Once you dared climb into His Lordship's bed, you should've known—you'll never leave here in peace."