The boy’s smile was the last thing he ever gave.
Caden didn’t hesitate. He didn’t care about the boy’s sister or his village that had burned years ago. The servant had claimed a right that didn’t belong to him—the right to kill Caden's property.
"No one gave you the right to touch what is mine," Caden said, his voice flat and deadly.
He drove the blade through the boy’s throat in one simple motion.
The blade cut straight through. There was a wet, choking sound as the boy slumped against the wall. He slid down the wall and hit the floor in a heap. He was dead before he even landed.
Beside the table, the sound of breaking pottery shattered the stillness.
Caden turned his head and saw Marta standing frozen, the jar of medicinal salts she had been holding was in pieces at her feet, the w
