Chapter 238 TEIGEN LXII
Her chest tightened. Was he fed Or left to starve “No,” she said again, but now her voice was firm.
She picked up the cup and drank a small sip of water. Then she stopped.
“I will not eat while he starves.”
Her hand moved to the tray. With a sharp motion, she shoved it to the floor.
The bowl broke. Stew spread across the stone. Bread and cheese scattered.
The sound echoed through the chamber. At once, the door opened. Two guards rushed in.
“What is this,” one said.
“I dropped it,” Elara answered, though her voice shook.
“You little—”
“Elara”
Augustine rushed in, her eyes wide as she saw the mess. “Child, what have you done”
Elara stood as straight as she could. “I will not eat. Not while Ryker suffers.”
The guards looked uneasy.
“Leave us,” Augustine said.
“We are not to—”
“Leave,” she said again, sharper this time.
They hesitated, then stepped out. The door closed.
Silence filled the room.
Augustine looked at Elara, truly looked at her. Thin, pale, worn down. “Elara,” she said softly. “Why do this to yourself”
“It is not madness,” Elara said. “It is right. He suffers, so I will suffer.”
Augustine sank to her knees. “You will grow weaker. Do you want them to see you like this”
“Let them see,” Elara said. “Let them see what they have done.”
The room grew still again.
“Elara,” Augustine tried again, her voice tired. “You cannot go on like this.”
“Why should I live well,” Elara said, “only to be given to a man I hate”
Her voice shook, but her eyes did not. “Why should I eat while he is beaten and starved”
“Elara—”
“No.” The word came sharp. “Do not speak as if you still care.”
Augustine flinched.
“You knew,” Elara said. “All this time. You knew what would happen to me.”
“Child—”
“You knew,” she said again, louder now. “You watched me live in peace while you knew my fate.”
Augustine’s hands tightened in her lap. “Do you think I did not want to tell you”
“Then why didn’t you,” Elara demanded. “Why let me walk into this”
“I am bound to your father,” Augustine said. “I had no choice.”
“You chose to stay silent,” Elara said coldly.
Tears filled Augustine’s eyes. “What would you have me do Defy him and be cast out Then who would have stayed with you”
Elara let out a hollow laugh. “Stayed with me You call this staying Watching me locked away”
“I loved you,” Augustine said, her voice breaking. “I still do.”
“Then why did you let this happen”
“Because I could not stop it,” Augustine cried. “I have no power. All I could do was remain near you. Help where I could.”
Elara shook her head. “That is not love.”
She stepped forward, her bare feet brushing the broken pieces on the floor.
“Love would have warned me,” she said. “Given me a chance to run.”
Augustine reached for her. “I was afraid.”
“Afraid,” Elara said. “So you let me walk blind into this.”
Her voice softened, but it cut deeper. “Call it what it is. Betrayal.”
Augustine’s hand fell back. She bowed her head.
Silence stretched between them.
At last, Elara sank back to the floor, her strength gone. She curled in on herself again.
“I will not forgive you,” she said quietly.
Augustine closed her eyes for a moment, then looked at her. “Then hate me,” she said. “But know this. I loved you in all I did. Even if I failed you.”
Elara turned her face away. She did not answer.
Augustine rose slowly and walked to the door. The guards looked at her, but she said nothing.
The door closed again and Elara was alone.
~
The halls of the manor were dim, the torches burning low. Shadows stretched along the stone walls as Lord Sawyer walked with quick, sharp steps. His jaw was tight, his hands restless at his sides.
A guard followed behind him, careful not to get too close. “My lord… it has been two days. The lady has refused food. She has not eaten at all.”
Sawyer stopped so suddenly the guard nearly ran into him. He turned slowly, his eyes cold. “And you tell me this now?”
The guard dropped to one knee at once. “Forgive me, my lord. We thought she would give in on her own.”
Sawyer let out a short breath. “She thinks this is a game,” he said. “She thinks hunger will set her free.” His voice grew harder. “She will learn. One way or another.”
He turned and climbed the stairs without another word. The guards outside Elara’s chamber stiffened when they saw him.
He did not wait. He threw the door open.
The room was dark. A single candle burned low. Elara lay on the floor, her hair spread around her, her body still. She stirred at the sound and lifted her head. Her face was pale, her eyes hollow.
Sawyer watched her for a moment. “So this is your choice,” he said. “To starve yourself and hope I will bend.”
Elara pushed herself up slowly. She said nothing.
He crossed the room in a few steps and grabbed her arm, pulling her up. She gasped, too weak to fight him.
“Do you think this moves me?” he said, his face close to hers. “You are mine. You will eat. You will stand beside me tomorrow as my bride.”
Her eyes met his, tired but full of hate. “I would rather die.”
Sawyer smiled faintly, but there was no kindness in it. “You are not the only one who can suffer,” he said quietly. “Ryker still lives. But that can change. I could have poison put into him. Slowly. Painfully.”
Elara froze. “No… please…”
He watched her closely. “Then you will do as you are told.”
Her strength broke. “I… I will eat,” she said.
He let her go. She stumbled back against the wall.
“Good.”
He called for a servant. A tray was brought in and placed on the table. The smell of food filled the room.
Sawyer stepped aside. “Eat.”
Elara moved slowly, her legs weak. She sat and picked up the spoon. Her hands shook. Each bite felt heavy, she forced herself to swallow.
For Ryker.
Sawyer watched her the whole time.
When she could not go on, she pushed the tray away. “Well done,” he said. “You’ve pleased me.”
“I want nothing from you,” she said quietly.
He smiled. “You do not get to choose.”
He took her arm again and pulled her from the room. She stumbled as he dragged her along the hall.
They reached the great hall. Elara looked up in shock. The room had been dressed for a celebration. Silk hung from the beams. Flowers filled the air with their scent. The banners of the Empire stood tall.