Severing Ties

Sienna stepped out of the room after composing herself. She was about to head downstairs to have her breakfast when she remembered that she had lost one of her earrings in the library the other day.

It was one of her favorite pieces, and she wished to include it among the things she would bring to Amstel Fortress. So, instead of heading straight to the dining hall, she walked to the west wing of the castle where the library was.

Sienna's footsteps were evenly paced and made little noise. Passing through a long hallway, halfway through the middle part, her pace decreased, and her ears became attuned to the faint voices she was hearing.

One door was left ajar, and she knew it was where the voices came from. She walked slowly and carefully until she was next to the door.

This part of the west wing was where her father's office was, which was why the servants did not walk freely around that part of the castle. They were strictly told to only come when asked, in order not to disturb the king with his work.

"I don't know what to do, Frederick! The duke has fooled us!"

'Are they talking about the Duke of Amstel?' thought Sienna.

"Do you hear me?" her mother continued, and by the looks of it, she could tell her parents were having an argument that had something to do with the duke.

"What shall we do now? The duke is threatening us, Fred! He wants us to give up those lands where we grow those herbs, and if we don't, he said he will expose the truth to everyone and accuse us of deceiving the Von Amstels! I can only imagine the ruckus it would bring! The horror! And for sure, he will bring it up to the High Council, and we'll be forced to pay for the damages! He will demand to give those lands as compensation, and in the end, it's still a great loss for us!"

Sienna's eyes widened, and her palm flew to her half-open mouth. Her body turned cold, the revelation weighing on her shoulders. Did it mean the duke knew she was an incapable witch from the very beginning? But how?

"But it will be a greater loss for us if the truth about Sienna's incapability is exposed, won't it? Everyone will look down on our clan, and we'll lose our right to rule Azure as we have deceived our clansmen," said Sienna's father. His tone was a little calmer than her mother's.

"Are you telling me that we are left with no choice but to give what the Von Amstel wants?" Elena muttered curses. "We were willing to have them as our partner in our business, but look at what they have done to us! How dare that old bloodsucking leech trick us! If I only knew!"

"Your voice is threatening to break my eardrums, Elena! Will you stop your screaming? Don't forget that it was you who proposed the idea of marrying Lucienna to that duke's son. You should have thought about it thoroughly and made a foolproof plan!"

Elena rolled her eyes and sighed. She was so eager to get rid of her daughter who was no less than an imbecile that she overlooked the other possible outcomes of the marriage alliance.

"I made a mistake, alright! But you are with this, Frederick. You are at fault too, so don't put all the blame on my account. We didn't know the duke would know the truth! I never thought of the possibility. After all, it was only the two of us who knew how useless of a witch our daughter is."

Behind the door, Sienna's heart broke. Her parents had always been vocal about what a disappointment she was to them, but every time she heard the words, it was as painful as the last time she heard it.

There was silence for a moment. Sienna was about to leave and go back to her room where she could freely cry, when she heard the next words of her father,

"Then I guess we don't have a choice but to sever the ties."

"What do you mean?" her mother questioned.

"Remove the evidence that will prove the duke's words. If Lucienna is gone, no one will be able to prove her lack of spellcasting ability since her birth. That way, the duke's claim will automatically be refuted, and we'll suffer no loss. The marriage alliance will be broken, and our business shall remain ours, as well as our lands."

"What exactly do you mean by 'gone' Frederick?"

"Death, Elena. We must kill her so she will be gone from our lives forever."

Sienna's eyes widened. Shock, betrayal, and pain could be seen in her blue eyes glistening with tears.