ICNC Chapter 5

Kyrus abruptly removed the club that had been tracing Catherine’s body. Even fleeting contact with a woman was unpleasant for him, and it was even more so with a filthy Cassis.

“I have no desire to torment someone as fragile and beautiful as you. If you are truly Ramon’s woman, it would be in your best interest to be honest.”

“What are you…?” 

Catherine’s eyes widened in alarm.

“I only want one thing; Ramon’s identity. I can offer your comrades salvation if you confess.”

“That ‘salvation’… you mean a fiery death? How dare you so basely disguise a burning at the stake as salvation.”

Even as tears streamed down her face, Catherine didn’t hesitate to speak her mind. 

It would be so much easier if she would just confess.

Kyrus’ face hardened. He didn’t favor such a cruel method of execution either. But as a member of the Inquisition, judgment was unavoidable, beyond his control.

He knew that agonizing pain all too well, having experienced it vividly as a child. The smell of burning flesh…

Mother.

His poor mother had died before his very eyes when he was only nine.

Because of fabricated evidence against the previous Queen, who was a witch, and her Periant order.

Even now, the smell of smoke and his mother’s screams haunted him. They were deep wounds, an unforgettable agony that would stay with him for life.

But isn’t it God’s will?

Burning at the stake was a purification ritual, cleansing heretics of their tainted spirits. 

You deserve no less, you who falsely accused my innocent mother.

Shaking off the memories, Kyrus returned his attention to the present, rapping his club against his chair and giving the order to proceed with the torture. Then, suddenly changing his mind, he raised a hand to stop them.

“No. Her body must remain intact. Put her in the… Fork instead of the rack.”

Several days passed, but Catherine, Ramon’s woman, yielded nothing.

He longed to strap her to a torture device and extract a confession through relentless agony, but if she bit her tongue and died, it would only be a loss for him. He still had time for persuasion and coercion. As Kyrus pondered, Judge Wales summoned him.

“Inquisitor, you called for me?”

“There’s a Cassis among the prisoners named Catherine, isn’t there? She has been removed from the execution list.”

“What? What are you talking about?”

“A nobleman has offered a substantial donation for her. We’ve agreed to hand her over. Cease the torture and ensure she remains unharmed.”

“Judge! Catherine is suspected of being Ramon’s woman, a key heretic. Why her, of all people…? She’s valuable bait for capturing Ramon. Please reconsider.”

“The donation has already been received by the Church. It’s irreversible. And why are you so fixated on the Periant, Brother?”

“Judge!”

“Silence. It’s a common, tacitly accepted practice. We add names to the execution list, and the Church quietly handles the rest. It benefits our diocese, so it’s a good thing.”

“Then at least tell me who bought her.”

“They requested anonymity. I don’t see why you need to know. Don’t overstep your bounds, Brother.”

Kyrus turned and left without a word, the door slamming shut behind him.

Judge Wales’s face contorted in a grimace, a string of curses escaping his lips.

“That arrogant bastard!”

No matter whose son he was, he was still just a bastard. He had the audacity to interfere with Wales’s affairs, and Wales thoroughly disliked him.

He hadn’t even received holy orders, yet he dared to question Wales, who carried out sacred duties with the Pope’s blessing.

But… for some reason, he was remarkably effective at hunting Cassis and extracting confessions, so Wales couldn’t dismiss him for incompetence. Besides, thanks to his father, he was a Marquis at a young age and almost became the princess’s consort. He was placed here by the all-powerful Archbishop, so Wales couldn’t afford to antagonize him.

Wales’s displeasure was evident in the tight set of his lips and the deep furrows on his brow.

─── ⋆⋅☼⋅⋆ ───

Eleanor, clutching her long skirts, ran breathlessly to Prince Harriman’s chambers.

Upon arriving, she quickly locked the door, gasping for air.

“Haa… Harriman, what have you done?”

“Sister? What brings you here at this hour…?”

Ignoring his greeting, Eleanor strode towards her brother, gripping his arms tightly.

“Please tell me the truth. Did you do what I think you did?”

Harriman pulled away, tilting his head in confusion.

“Catherine. Are you going to keep pretending you don’t know?”

Harriman, with his light brown hair, shared few physical similarities with his sister, but one was their silver-grey eyes, inherited from their mother.

And fortunately, or unfortunately, he hadn’t inherited her magic. This was why Eleanor concealed her true self, protecting him, shielding him from any harm.

“Harriman, do you realize how dangerous this is?”

From the way he bit his lip, his face stiff, Eleanor knew he was hiding something. It was the same expression he wore as a child when he was caught doing something wrong.

“It’s not dangerous.”

“How could you do this without consulting me?”

“She was about to be executed! I had to save her! Catherine… she’s a childhood friend…”

Yes… and more than a friend, you’re in love with her.

Eleanor sighed deeply.

Catherine, a girl from a minor noble family, had entered the palace as Eleanor’s maid when they were children. She had been like family, a constant presence for the lonely siblings after their mother’s death.

Harriman’s feelings for Catherine had grown beyond friendship. But Catherine wasn’t ordinary. She was a Cassis, like Eleanor… and her presence in the royal palace put them all at risk.

If their secret was discovered, it could jeopardize the crown prince’s position, so Eleanor had no choice but to send her away.

“And this is the result of you sending Catherine away from me, to safety. Now she’s in danger.”

He’s not wrong.

Eleanor lowered her head, tears welling up in her silver-grey eyes.

“I’m sorry, Harriman. But I was planning to rescue Catherine.”

“Don’t apologize, Sister. I bought Catherine secretly. Even the Church won’t know.”

“The Church may not know, but it would be incredibly dangerous if he finds out.”

“Who?”

“The Cassis Hunters could come after her. What if they discover you were the one who took her?”

Her naive brother didn’t know. He didn’t know about Kyrus Rochford.

He didn’t know how cunning and dangerous he was. How he hid his cruelty behind a mask of nobility, committing atrocities in the name of God.

Harriman, it’s better you don’t know.

“Never mind that. Tell me your plan. And Harriman, you must stay out of this. This operation is too dangerous.”

─── ⋆⋅☼⋅⋆ ───

The day of the executions arrived, the square in front of the Rioc Religious Tribunal overflowing with spectators. Kyrus scanned the crowd, hoping to find Ramon attempting a rescue, but he was nowhere to be seen.

Nothing seemed to be going his way lately. He had finally thought he had a chance to capture Ramon, only to have his bait snatched away. How could this happen?

Returning to his manor, Kyrus hastily lit his pipe. The swirling smoke numbed his agitated nerves.

Knock, knock.

“Enter.”

“Your Excellency, a report has arrived from the raven at the princess’ palace.”

Kyrus lowered his pipe, his gaze sharpening as he instructed Ian to report. The princess had been quiet lately, so no raven reports had come. He wondered what news they brought.

“The princess will be secluding herself in a convent for several days, starting tomorrow.”

“What? Suddenly?”

“She claims it’s to pray for His Majesty’s recovery.”

“A sick princess praying in a convent…? Where?”

“The Trappist Convent in Norwoodbury.”

A convent was a difficult place to deploy ravens, meaning she would be completely outside his surveillance.

Kyrus’ brow furrowed at the news. The soothing effect of the tobacco vanished.

As if earnest prayer would convince God to save a dying man. Life in a convent is harsh and austere. Can she even handle it in her current condition?

That foolish, pious display of filial devotion, without a thought for her own frail body that collapsed so easily…

Why do I even care about someone who isn’t my fiancée anymore…? 

He chuckled dryly, irritably extinguishing his pipe.

“Oh, Ian. You said Catherine, the Cassis woman, would be moved in two days?”

“Yes, that’s correct. A carriage will arrive for her that evening.”

“That’s the day. Mobilize the Cassis Hunters discreetly. I’ll be going personally this time.”

“Yes, Your Excellency.”

After the war, Kyrus had selected skilled members from his loyal mercenary knights, offering them generous compensation to become Cassis Hunters. Worldly possessions were useless and unnecessary to him.

Their loyalty and skill far surpassed the fools provided by the Church, which was why he had been so successful in capturing Cassis.

Kyrus considered his reasons for pursuing Catherine and the potential outcomes.

First, he could locate the nobleman’s manor where she was taken and lie in wait in case Ramon attempted a rescue.

Second, there was the possibility that Ramon himself was the one who bought Catherine. In that case, he could capture Ramon on the spot.

A wry smile touched Kyrus’s lips. 

I won’t let you escape this time, Ramon.

The first scenario was too tedious and drawn out for his liking. He placed more weight on the second possibility and hoped it would prove true. That was why this operation had to be even more clandestine than his previous ones.