One Night With The Devil

2. Agony

Yuna's tears slipped down her cheeks when she entered her room in the inn. She could not stop herself anymore. All along, she had tried hard to control herself and had barely managed to stay sane. But her resolve broke the moment she was left alone.

Syera stood outside the room, her heart wrenching in pain as she heard the young Lady's sobs. Although it was not loud, the agony she was going through was unconcealable and Syera too teared up instantly.

Syera glanced at Sir Enver, who was some distance away and was staring at her in concern. He pursed his lips when he noticed her perturbed face and lowered his head thoughtfully.

The mighty guard could not stop himself anymore and approached Syera, silently beckoning her to step aside for a moment, away from anybody's eyes and ears. "How is Milady? Is she..."

"Milady is miserable. I did not have the courage to face her in her predicament."

"Let us give her some time before we speak to her. Lady Yuna needs to let out all her misery. Otherwise, it will not do her good if she keeps it to herself."

"I understand, Sir Enver. I will wait for her to calm down." Syera closed her eyes and sighed in defeat. "How did the situation become like this, Sir Enver? Milady was waiting for this day all these years to unite with her family and now, she has to see her family suffer."

"Someone must have plotted against General Sinclair." Enver clenched his fists tight, his eyes blazing with furious flames. "Even if His Majesty declares General Sinclair to be a traitor and punishes him for treason, I will never believe him."

"I agree, Sir Enver. His Grace can never betray the throne. There has to be some ploy here." Syera was smart enough to stop speaking when she noticed one of the servants of the inn walking in their direction. She stepped away consciously, maintaining a distance between herself and the fierce guard beside her.

"Lady, we are about to prepare lunch. Please inform us if you have any specific requests." The servant was polite and gentle and maintained a subservient attitude when facing the two people before him.

"Please make the food less spicy. We have no other requests." Syera smiled faintly when he noticed the man trying to stay as humble as possible.

The world revolved around powerful people. She had realized it long ago, and it was this power that was making the inn owner give them privileges.

Although they had not introduced themselves when they had booked the inn, their elegant and opulent clothes, the grand carriage and the troop of soldiers were enough indication of the power the young Lady leading them had. So, they had to bow before them and stay respectful.

"Yes, Lady. Please inform us if you have any other requests." The servant did not dare peek at the closed room and escaped from the place as quickly as possible. His legs trembled when he remembered the muscular guard beside the Lady. His penetrating and intimidating gaze made him fumble and sweat profusely as he ran away in fear.

"Sir Enver, how long will we have to stay here? Can we not return to His Grace Duke Dalton's manor? At least our Lady will have her grandfather's support."

"We cannot leave right now." Enver refused her suggestion without any hesitation, his gaze fixed on the closed door. "There is a possibility that His Grace Duke Dalton may also be in danger because he is closely related to General Sinclair. Even if he is Lady Sinclair's father, that does not prevent people from suspecting him. We need to be careful not to get caught. Otherwise, our Lady will not be able to help her family."

"I just hope we will find a way to uncover the truth and save General Sinclair and his family."

"We will, Syera. We will, for sure. Trust Lady Yuna. I will send someone to enquire about His Grace Duke Dalton."

"Thank you, Sir Enver. I am glad we have you to protect us." Syera smiled at the man, who returned it with a nod.

"I will always protect General Sinclair and his family, Syera. I am indebted to them for life. If not for him saving me, I would have died long ago."

A suffocating silence dropped on the two and they did not know how to break it.

"I will check on Lady Yuna." Syera fidgeted in her place while Enver coughed lightly to clear the sudden awkwardness between them.

"And I will find out what precisely happened to General Sinclair and his family. Why were they accused of treason?"

The duo split in front of the closed door and Syera stared at the man's back for some time before entering the room, only for her eyes to well up when she saw the state her young Lady was in.

"Milady," She rushed towards her mistress, anguished to find her sitting on her ground without caring about the cold. Her skirt spread around her while her hair was loose, allowing the wind to caress them.

"Your body is cold, Milady. You are shivering. Please get up." Syera could easily pull her up and she helped her to the bed. Afterwards, she closed the windows and ignited the flames in the hearth, allowing the warmth to spread everywhere.

Yuna sat still on the bed as she stared blankly ahead of her. She did not feel the cold or hear Syera's voice. All she had in mind was her family, who were now suffering in prison.

Syera noticed her Lady's swollen eyes. So, she prepared a basin of warm water and, tenderly and soothingly, started to wipe her face, forcing the young Lady to shut her eyes.

At first, Yuna did not react. But as soon as she felt the warm towel, she felt the warmth seeping through her bones and heart and eradicating the cold. She shivered subconsciously and clenched her dress tight, allowing Syera to do as she pleased.

"Milady, you must be tired. Do you want to sleep? Or would you like to eat something before that? You must be hungry by now."

Yuna was glad Syera did not speak about her condition or her family. She was in no state to speak about her family at the moment. She needed time to sort out her thoughts and think about her next course of action.

"I want to sleep." Yuna's voice was hoarse and filled with sadness. She stared at her personal maid with her red eyes, her face devoid of any expression.

"Please drink this, Milady. You can go to sleep afterward." Syera handed her a glass of warm water.

"You can sleep now, Milady. I will be here." Syera sat beside her Lady and watched her close her eyes. She then started patting her forehead softly, her gentle touch slowly lulling Yuna to sleep.

Exhaustion and mental stress got the best of her and eventually, Yuna succumbed to a deep sleep.