Citadel of Desire

Chapter 12 – What Is This Place? (1)

Heish trembled with fear. He felt like a weak deer who was about to be mauled by a predator. Before this, Clodan had never looked him in the eyes. He held no interest in Heish and as an extension, in whatever he did. So Heish had assumed him to be laid-back in nature. But now he finally realized, it wasn’t that he was laid-back; Heish just wasn’t worth his time.

“O-oh! Clodan, look at the time! Please teach me the rest tomorrow.”

He closed the book gently and slowly leaned forward to kiss her on the forehead.

“I won’t be available tomorrow.”

Rei fell silent, disappointed by his response. But Clodan cleverly turned her attention towards something else before she could ask him any questions. He lifted his head and gazed right at the figure behind her.

“Ah, Lord Heish, you’re here.”

“Heish?”

 

As soon as Rei turned around, Heish regained the freedom to move at his own will. But when he tried speaking, his voice still didn’t come out.

“When did you get back? I was so worried! D-don’t stay out for so many days without sending any word.”

All Heish could do was stare at her. No matter how hard he tried, no words would come out of his mouth.

“Heish.”

Clodan stood up and hugged Rei from behind as it was the most natural thing in the world to do.

“Are you tired? You’re not answering your sister’s question.”

“Clodan!”

Rei gazed at Clodan in surprise as she shyly pushed at his arms, trying to get him to let go of her. To be hugged so intimately in front of her brother… It left her feeling flustered. Heish felt his insides churn in despair. He wanted to protest, but what could he do? His lips were sealed shut.

“What I w-want to say is…that…”

She couldn’t speak any further. There was no way she could talk calmly while being hugged like this! She blushed furiously and stuttered out a sentence.

 

“I’ll go to my room now. T-tomorrow, or maybe later—”

She gave up. It was impossible for her to speak coherently. She hurriedly grabbed the book on the table and ran past Heish with an unbelievable speed, not even looking back once as she entered the dark hallway. Heish was furious with her. How could she behave so cold-heartedly? Did she not care for her brother?!

But before he could ramble about his sister’s faults in his mind, the shocking reality of the situation caught hold of him instead. He was alone and in the same room as Clodan. A chilling silence befell the room as the once warm atmosphere between the two lovers dissipated into nothing. Heish opened and closed like a fish, but he couldn’t break the silence at all.

“Is the business going well?”

Heish let out a deep breath as he felt the restriction lift off of him. As soon as the Clodan’s insincere question fell from his lips, Heish began to stutter like a broken record.

“Y-y-y-you…you… Just n-n-now…”

Clodan shrugged innocently. Arrogance was a quality deep-rooted in Heish. He’d always held his head high and could never sense when he needed to behave appropriately. But now he finally knew that he couldn’t dare offend certain people; in order to live, he needed to bow down to them.

What was he thinking? How could he even dare to think about going against Clodan? He was a broke man who was simply clinging onto a now useless noble title. Right from the start, he was nothing compared to the lord of this manor. The outcome was obvious. Clodan’s wishes were the law here. But Heish couldn’t afford to back down. He gulped in fear.

“P-p-please let my sister leave…”

Clodan had been staring at his hands with a vain fascination before, but as soon as Heish spoke, his gaze snapped to his figure.

“T-this is a business. Women have no relevance when it comes to the matters between two men…”

“You have nowhere to go. Are you planning to have her sleep on the ground?”

“I-I know a place. I can’t let her grow old all alone like this… Perhaps, by next spring—”

After getting Rei out of this place and sending her to his cousin, Heish was planning to ask his cousin to look for a husband for her. Their father was no more and his mother was terminally ill. There was no one who could look after Rei. She was his responsibility for now, but he wouldn’t be able to look after her forever.

“I was going to tell you this before…”

Clodan’s face morphed into a strange expression. Heish felt like Clodan was staring right into his soul. His eyes were blank, devoid of any feelings. It was as if he was a statue made of plaster. A chill ran down Heish’s spine as his heart began to race due to his nervousness.

“I-I will never forget all that you’ve done for us. T-therefore, you…your lordship—”

“With whom?”

Heish trembled in fear. His shirt stuck to his back due to all the sweat and he was pretty sure he’d soiled his pants again.

“T-that… Probably—”

“With whom?”

Clodan’s voice took on a dangerous tone.

“T-that… Your lordship…”

“Heish.”

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Clodan’s mouth split open into a wide grin, revealing his sharp canines. It was a beautiful sight, but to Heish, it only meant danger.

“I’m asking you who it is.”

It was over for Heish. There was no way for him to stand his ground now. In one last act of courage, he ran for his life, wanting to be far away from the enemy he could not even dare to provoke. This was the first time Heish had to run away with his tails between his legs. Even if he had nothing else, Heish had always lived like a peacock, proudly displaying his full glory with an unwarranted arrogance. He couldn’t bring himself to believe that now he was running away like a petty thief, a phrase he’d always used to insult others.

But there was no other option. In order to live, he needed to abandon his pride. Heish bolted down the dark corridor, constantly checking his back for any signs of the lord. Everytime he imagined Clodan chasing him, a chilling wave of dread would wash over him.

But Heish was ignorant. He’d never been the prey before. This place was Clodan’s manor and any prey who would get too distracted with checking his own behind would die a sure death.