I Will Die for You, My Darling! - Chapter 20
Chapter 20
Gwen, banished from the Dome, and the head maid, to be transported to Sky City, might survive. But the man in Isaac’s chambers would only leave when he was dead. The next target would be the same.
Everyone knew instinctively that Isaac’s cruelty would only end when Arietta awoke. As this realization spread, they began to pray for her swift recovery.
***
The year Arietta turned fifteen, the power structure of the sector shifted. Dale, the reigning boss, was assassinated.
A woman in her thirties named Maud rose as the new power. Dale’s associates were purged. People whispered that Seia’s life was in danger. Her comfortable existence had relied entirely on her close relationship with Dale.
“She’s finished now. Both the witch and her daughter.” They spoke with a chilling certainty, secretly hoping for Seia’s downfall.
But Seia, like an eel, slipped through their grasp. Maud, inexplicably, didn’t purge her. It turned out Seia had foreseen the shift in power, betraying Dale and aligning herself with Maud.
Maud had even warned Seia of the assassination date. However Seia had managed it, she’d gained Maud’s deep trust. It was a breathtaking display of maneuvering.
Thanks to Seia’s remarkable repositioning, she and her daughter continued to live comfortably. Arietta remained in their home, safe from cold, hunger, and the mutations of pollution. Outwardly, nothing had changed.
Yet, this power shift held great significance for Arietta. Maud, the new ruler, had taken in Isaac. He ran errands for Maud and purified bio-core compounds, a vital skill not easily learned. For a street urchin, he was remarkably favored.
No one knew how he’d caught Maud’s eye. But everyone knew he was fiercely determined to rise above his menial position. Having clawed his way up from the bottom, he was desperate to avoid falling back.
Maud’s close relationship with Seia brought Isaac and Arietta into closer proximity, at least physically. Maud, working from her office in the bio-core plant, would occasionally summon Seia for consultations. On those days, Arietta would dutifully play the affectionate daughter and visit Seia.
Seia, predictably, wouldn’t allow Arietta into the meeting room. She insisted Arietta was too young to learn about Downstream politics. Arietta feigned protest before sighing and retreating. Once the meeting room door closed, the real game began. Arietta would scamper to the processing plant to watch Isaac work.
Isaac’s awareness of Arietta’s presence was almost animalistic. He sensed her coming long before she arrived, stopping his work before the plant door even opened. Only he could discern her approach from the faint rhythm of her footsteps in the hallway.
Arietta, her dark, glossy hair swaying, always wore a conspicuous white dress and perched atop a crate of bio-core materials. Chin resting on her hand, she watched him, her pretty face on full display.
Isaac tried to ignore her, but it was impossible. Their eyes met frequently. Each time, Arietta smiled, and Isaac gritted his teeth. Despite a growth spurt that had increased his height and broadened his shoulders, he felt reduced to the small, dirty eight-year-old he had been.
Her gaze unnerved him, causing him to make careless mistakes. Arietta’s dream began on one such day. In a blink, she found herself sitting on that crate.
