His Dark Moon, Her Sacrifice

Chapter 6

Ismerie's eyes burned crimson. Her fingers curled so tightly into her palms that deep welts split open, blood slowly seeping through her skin.

Lady Thornecroft looked on without the slightest trace of sympathy. Her voice rang out cold and sharp.

"Barren, jealous, ungrateful... She has broken every vow of marriage. She should have been cast out long ago."

She lifted a hand and pointed directly at Ismerie. "Seize her. She will be disciplined according to family law. And report this to the High Council of the Faith."

She sneered. "A keeper of the sacred arts practicing dark sorcery? If this is allowed to stand, the Faith itself will become a laughingstock."

At her command, the maids immediately closed in.

Ismerie never took her eyes off Leontis. He stood there in silence. Watching everything with detached indifference.

That indifference cut deeper than any blade, carving her heart apart piece by piece.

She forced herself to stand straighter, though every part of her trembled. Her voice was hoarse with despair.

"Report to me if you wish. I've done nothing wrong. And the honor of the Faith is not for the Thornecroft family to judge."

The maids hesitated. For a brief moment, they were held back by the fierce resolve in her eyes.

Leontis spoke at last. His voice was cold and decisive.

"Enough. You may not care about your own reputation... but I won't allow the Thornecroft name to be dragged through the mud."

He looked toward the servants. "Take her to the private chapel. She will remain there in penance until she admits her wrongdoing."

The family chapel was always cold. Always damp. Always shrouded in dim light. There was nothing inside except hard stone and silence.

So... he truly believed she would still harm Aveline. After everything they had shared. He no longer trusted her.

Before anyone could lay a hand on her, Ismerie spoke quietly. "I'll go on my own."

Even after she entered the chapel, Leontis remained wary. He stationed four sturdy maids outside to watch her from dawn until dusk.

For twelve endless hours each day, she knelt before the statue of the Blessed Mother, ordered to pray and reflect upon her sins.

Soon her knees became swollen. Bruised. Dark purple and black.

She never cried.

Never argued.

She simply copied the prayers and sacred psalms over and over again. But each night, the pain in her legs became so unbearable that sleep never came.

The days crawled by in endless torment. Until one evening, the silence outside was suddenly broken.

Even the maids guarding her were summoned away to witness whatever had happened beyond the estate.

A strange unease settled over Ismerie. She slowly stepped outside. Then she saw it.

A magnificent procession of gilded carriages rolled through the estate gates.

Crowds lined both sides of the path, cheering as they welcomed the new bride toward the family altar.

Someone exclaimed excitedly, "Colonel Thornecroft is taking another wife!"

"What a magnificent ceremony!"

Ismerie's heart nearly stopped.

She turned toward a nearby onlooker, her voice trembling. "He... He already has a wife. How can he marry again?"

The woman looked at her as though the answer was obvious. "He's taking a second wife. This celebration is far grander than the one he held for you."

Another person nearby lowered their voice. "I always knew this day would come."

"She used her position as a seer to keep him all to herself."

"No man could endure that forever."

"Now that the High Seclusion has replaced her, no one is left to protect her."

"This is the Thornecroft family's way of reminding her exactly where she belongs."

Every word struck her like another blow. He had sworn before Heaven that there would never be another woman.

Now... In everyone else's eyes...

She had become the selfish wife who had kept him trapped. Her heart felt as though it had been torn in half.

Unable to watch another moment, she stumbled away. Every step sent waves of agony through her body.

At last, she instinctively raised her hands to cast her own destiny chart. The result made her blood run cold. The Star-Bond Curse had awakened.

Years ago, to obtain her master's blessing to marry the penniless Leontis, she had willingly accepted the Faith's sacred relic... The Star-Bond Curse.

If the man bound to her ever ceased loving her, the curse would slowly consume her flesh, her memories, her very soul... Until nothing remained except endless suffering.

Now it raged through her body like wildfire. She could endure no more. Blood suddenly spilled from her lips.

As darkness swallowed her consciousness, one final thought remained crystal clear. The man who had once sworn to love her forever... Truly loved someone else.

She had no idea how long she remained unconscious. When she finally opened her eyes, she found herself lying once again in the master bedroom she had once shared with Leontis.

He sat quietly beside the bed, his head lowered, looking exhausted.

Her fingers twitched slightly.

Leontis immediately looked up. His eyes widened with relief as he leaned toward her.

"Ismerie." His voice was filled with concern. "Can you hear me? Are you hurting anywhere?"

The worry in his expression looked so genuine, as though none of the betrayal, the lies, or the cruelty had ever happened.

But the moment she remembered the wedding procession, she found herself unable to say a single word.

Silence lingered between them.

Finally, Leontis spoke in a weary voice. "Aveline has been suffering. Every day she experiences unbearable pain. No physician can discover the cause."

He hesitated. "My mother consulted another seer. He believes your stars have turned against hers."

So... he hadn't come because he was worried about her. He had come for Aveline.

The last trace of light disappeared from Ismerie's eyes.

She looked directly at him. "What do you want? To cast me aside? To send me away?"

The room fell deathly silent. After a long moment, Leontis finally answered.

"I've learned of a forbidden rite. It can transfer fortune from one life to another. If you're willing to do it and save this child... my mother will never trouble you again."

Ismerie froze. The Star-Bond Curse twisted through her body, tearing at her flesh and bones.

She looked at him through tear-filled eyes. "Do you know what that ritual demands? It consumes the caster's life force. Nothing less."

To save Aveline's child, she would have to sacrifice her own life.

Leontis flinched almost imperceptibly. Then he spoke gently, as though trying to reason with her.

"You once told me your master read your destiny. He said you were fated to live a long life. Surely you can spare a few years."

His words struck her like a hammer. Her fingernails dug deep into her palms until fresh blood stained the bedsheets.

"Fate may be written..." Her voice trembled. "But it can still be broken. Many who were destined for long lives died before their time."

Leontis answered quietly, "But your master has never been wrong. What harm is there in giving up a few years?"

Pain. Blinding... Unbearable pain.

Her lips trembled so violently that no words came.

Outside, the shrill cries of crickets echoed through the night. The sound only made the silence between them feel colder.

After a long while, Leontis spoke again. His voice softened into a plea.

"Ismerie... Only until the child is born. I haven't forgotten a single promise I made to you."

He claimed to remember every vow. Yet he never noticed the blood slowly soaking into the sheets beneath her tightly clenched hands.

The final spark in Ismerie's eyes faded away. She slowly closed them.

Suppressing the unbearable pain tearing through her body, she spoke quietly, "I understand... I'll return to the High Cathedral. I'll speak with my master. I'll... try."

Leontis' face brightened instantly. "I'll drive you there myself." The hope in his eyes hurt more than any wound.

She pressed her lips together. "No."

Enduring the relentless agony of the Star Bond Curse, she slowly rose to her feet. Without another word... she walked out alone.

And made her way toward the High Cathedral of the Faith.