The viscount stared at her in shock, his voice faltering. “No… You don’t mean…”
The viscountess’ face turned pale, her eyes lowered to the ground as she nodded slowly. “He… he wants power, control… and he has a taste for what others value most.”
The viscount clenched his fists, the thought swirling in his mind as he struggled to comprehend what his wife was suggesting.
“But we can’t just… We can’t offer him that. Are you saying…” He said as his voice faltered with realization at the terrible truth of her words.
“Yes,” the viscountess whispered. “He wants something far more precious than wealth, land, or titles. He wants something… that will break us both.”
Her gaze locked with his, the reality of their situation crashing down on them. “And it’s the only thing left that might save us.”
The viscount’s voice trembled, “But wouldn’t he understand if we just told him the truth? That we’re being framed, that we had no part in this?”
His eyes searched his wife’s face, desperate for any sign that there might be another way to get out of this predicament.
The viscountess sighed softly. She could see the hopelessness in her husband’s eyes, still clinging to the hope that the very person who had planed their downfall might somehow come to their rescue without asking for something in return.
The viscountess locked her gaze with her husband and said, “He is the one who planned all of this”
The viscount’s eyes widened in shock as he stared at his wife, struggling to comprehend her words. “What do you mean? How could he be the one behind all of this?”
“Julian,” the viscountess said, her voice low and filled with fear.
“He is the one who planned the entire situation. The assassination attempt to the maid’s disappearance—everything.”
“And now we have no choice but to make a deal with him… or lose everything.”
The viscount collapsed onto his knees. His face was pale and filled with absolute horror and disbelief. The weight of his wife’s words hit him harder than any physical blow.
He was always proud of his ability to navigate in the dirty currents of politics, but now, it seemed like he was nothing more than a pawn in someone else’s game.
“We’re doomed,” the viscount muttered, his voice barely above a whisper. “How could we have been so blind?” His mind raced with a thousand thoughts.
The viscountess held her husband’s shoulders.
“You know what he wants, and you know there’s no other choice,” she said softly, her voice barely audible. “Our family, our lives—they all rest in his hands now. The only way to save us… is to give him what he wants.”
The viscount’s eyes welled up with tears. He looked at her, his heart breaking. “But how can I give you to him?” he asked. “You are my wife, the mother of my children. I can’t…”
“We have no choice,” she replied. “He has planned all of this. He decides our fate and the price for that… is me.”
“I can’t do this,” he whispered. But deep down, he knew she was right. It was the only way to ensure their survival.
The viscountess placed her hand on her husband’s chest. “We have to,” she repeated “Remember our children and our family. If we don’t do this, everything we have worked for, everything we have built ,will all be destroyed.”
The viscount stood motionless, his face pale and stricken with grief as he realized the truth in her words His eyes were filled with tears as he finally nodded.
“But lets try reasoning with him, maybe he will listen to us”, The viscount said clinging onto the hope.
The viscount and viscountess walked down the hallway as their hearts pounded in their chests with every step.
The weight of their decision hung heavy in the air, but there was a hint of hope in their minds that perhaps, they could reason with Julian.
As they reached his door, the viscount hesitated. The fear of what they were about to offer, and the consequences of their actions, ate him from inside. But they had no other choice.
With a final breath, he opened the door, both bracing themselves for whatever was about to come next.
As they opened the door, they were shocked at the sight that greeted them. Julian sat by the window with a cup of tea in his hands, completely lost in the view outside. They entered the room, their heart racing with uncertainty.
As they entered, Julian did not immediately acknowledge their presence as his gaze was still fixed on the view outside the window.
The sunlight shone on his features as it casted an ethereal glow around him and he calmly took a sip of tea.
The viscount and viscountess stood still for a moment, taking in the sight of him.
Julian looked angelic as he bathed in the warm sunlight. But the viscount and viscountess were aware that beneath that calm and divine mask that he always equipped, he was no angel or a god.
He was a devil wrapped in a mask of charm and grace. The viscountess shuddered slightly as she recalled the way he had so easily manipulated the situation to his advantage.
Julian finally turned towards them with a cold and calm expression as he spoke, “Oh, Viscount and Viscountess, welcome to my chamber.”
The words were cold, and both the viscount and viscountess felt a chill crawl down their spines.
His demeanor was calm and composed, as if their presence here was of little consequence to him.
Yet, they knew the gravity of the moment. They had come to beg for his mercy, but in the back of their minds, they were already wondering what price he would demand in exchange.
Would it be just body or would it be everything they ever held dear?
The viscount opened his mouth to speak, “My lord, Ju—” but he was immediately cut off by Julian’s voice.
“Viscount, please, have a seat,” Julian said as he gestured towards the chairs across from him.
The viscount and viscountess hesitated for a moment, before they sat down.
He took another sip of his tea, as his eye locked with the trembling viscount and viscountess.
