| Chapter 12: You Will Regret This

“No, Brother, you’re right. Now that I think about it…”

Natasha swallowed hard, hesitated, and finally spoke. She closed her eyes tightly, avoiding Alexei’s disbelieving gaze.

“It seems… the earring was stolen.”

I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. Please, don’t forgive me.

Natasha suppressed the hot surge of emotion rising within her. She knew this was wrong. She was no better than Sergei at this moment. She was the one pushing Alexei into ruin.

But Sophia must be protected. No matter what.

If there was no escaping Sergei’s appalling proposition, Natasha decided it was better that she suffer instead. Letting that young and fragile child become Sergei’s secret mistress was unimaginable.

And if she had to choose between Sophia and Alexei, she would choose Sophia. The poor child, shunned by their parents from birth, had no one else to look after her but Natasha.

“I knew it. You’ve done well, Natasha.”

Sergei gently stroked Natasha’s cheek. Outwardly, he looked like a doting older brother, but Natasha now knew the ugliness of his true nature.

By admitting to the theft, Natasha had tacitly agreed to Sergei’s vile demands. Perhaps it was she who had fallen the furthest into despair. But she didn’t have the luxury to pity herself.

“Lady Natasha!”

Alexei struggled against his restraints, shouting her name. With one fierce movement, the ropes binding him snapped.

“This can’t be…”

The knights standing guard behind Alexei looked at him in astonishment. The ropes, which should have held firm, had torn apart like weak thread under his strength.

Such terrifying power.

The knights realized that if Alexei wished, he could knock everyone in the room to the ground. Yet he had remained compliant and allowed himself to be restrained. They froze in place, too intimidated to move.

“What are you all doing? Restrain him at once!”

Sergei barked orders at the knights, who hesitated before rushing to grab Alexei’s arms. Despite Alexei’s strength, the knights feared Sergei far more than they feared Alexei.

“Take that filthy thief and throw him into the dungeon. I must comfort our dear Natasha, who must be heartbroken over her stolen earring.”

Sergei’s hand lingered on Natasha’s arm, his touch lingering and unpleasant. Natasha’s long lashes trembled as she kept her gaze lowered.

“I am not a thief. You know this better than anyone, Lady Natasha. You promised me!”

Alexei’s voice, full of resentment, echoed as the knights bound his arms once more.

“A promise?”

Sergei, who had been roughly kneading Natasha’s arm, froze at Alexei’s words, his brows furrowing.

“I didn’t steal it! I know the truth! That night, Lady Natasha, you…”

Alexei’s desperate words were cut short as the room fell into an icy silence. Natasha, her face pale, stepped forward before Sergei could respond.

Smack!

Natasha strode toward Alexei and slapped him hard across the face.

“How dare you speak such lies! Not only do you steal, but now you seek to tarnish my name with falsehoods? I don’t know you.”

Her entire body trembled as she glared at Alexei, her voice cold.

“Natasha, what is this? This is unlike you… Are you crying?”

Sergei, now standing behind her, blinked in surprise.

Natasha, who had always treated even the lowest servants and slaves with fairness and kindness, had just struck someone. It was unheard of.

Could she be acting to protect Alexei? Sergei considered the possibility briefly but dismissed it. Natasha’s anger was too genuine.

Her lips were trembling, and her clear blue eyes brimmed with tears that rolled down her flushed cheeks. Those tears, filled with emotion, were impossible to fake.

Realizing she was crying, Natasha wiped her damp cheeks with shaking hands. She hadn’t even noticed the tears until Sergei pointed them out.

What should I do now?

Natasha clenched her teeth and buried her face in Sergei’s shoulder.

“Brother…!”

“Yes, Natasha, it’s all right…”

Caught off guard, Sergei quickly composed himself and began patting Natasha’s back. Overwhelmed by the moment, he wrapped his arms around her and held her close.

“Don’t pay any mind to the ramblings of a desperate slave, Brother.”

Her breathy voice, soft and filled with sorrow, melted into his ear. Sergei nodded, his face alight with a satisfied grin.

“Of course, Natasha. I trust your word over a slave’s. Always.”

“Thank you.”

Natasha wiped the last of her tears and straightened herself, her face composed once again. Sergei’s hands hovered awkwardly in the air as she turned away from him.

“Why are you all still standing there? Didn’t you hear my brother’s orders? Take him away!”

“Lady Natasha! You can’t truly mean this! You will regret it!”

Alexei’s voice carried through the room as the knights dragged him out. Natasha clenched her fists, her nails biting into her palms, but she didn’t look back.

Fiery red eyes glared at her as if they intended to tear her apart, but Natasha didn’t flinch. She raised her chin slightly, gazing at him with disdain as if looking at something filthy, then abruptly turned her back on him.

* * *

“Sophia, Sophia!”

Natasha burst through the hallway, shouting her sister’s name as she flung open the door to Sophia’s room. Sitting in a rocking chair by the window, a book in her hands, Sophia turned toward the sudden commotion, her face puzzled by Natasha’s unusual demeanor.

“What’s wrong, Sister?”

Sophia’s long platinum blonde hair shimmered under the warm sunlight streaming in through the window. Her skin, pale and bloodless from spending so much time confined to her bed, only enhanced her delicate charm.

Looking at Sophia’s calm and mature demeanor, her head tilted slightly in curiosity, Natasha felt a pang in her chest. When had her little sister grown so much, looking so much like a young lady?

“Has anything happened? Are you all right?”

Natasha grabbed Sophia’s hands tightly, her voice trembling with worry. Sophia chuckled softly at her sister’s concern. Her sister was always worried about her, never thinking of herself first.

“No, nothing at all. I’ve just been sitting here reading peacefully. But what about you, Sister? Are you okay?”

Sophia studied Natasha carefully, her smile fading. Natasha’s disheveled hair, trembling hands, and—most concerning of all—her reddened eyes. It was as if she had been crying, which was unusual for Natasha. It made Sophia’s chest tighten with unease.

“Me? Am I okay?”

Natasha froze, as if Sophia’s words were something she couldn’t comprehend. What did her well-being matter now?

Snapping back to reality, Natasha shook her head and pressed further.

“You’re sure nothing’s happened? You haven’t run into Sergei… Brother Sergei, have you?”

Even uttering that vile name in Sophia’s presence felt revolting. Natasha hesitated, her words faltering. It wasn’t likely. Sophia, always frail and confined to her bed, would never catch Sergei’s attention. He had never once inquired about her or sought her out.

“No, forget I even asked…”

Natasha was about to dismiss her question, thinking it unnecessary, when Sophia’s eyes widened and stopped her mid-sentence.

“How did you know, Sister?”

“What?”

“Sergei came to my room not long ago.”

Natasha’s heart sank.