Angelica

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  ?"Please... stop it."

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  ?His pathetic whimper barely reached her ears. Angelica stood motionless, staring down at the bloody, quivering man at her feet. He was bound tightly, his arms twisted behind his back, his body a mess of bruises and torn flesh. His eyes—wide, desperate—disgusted her a bloodless heathen unworthy of the power he's been born without.

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  ?She flexed her fingers, the blood she had so painstakingly mastered swirling around her hand like a serpent awaiting its master's command. Her mask concealed her expression, but her voice carried all the cruelty he needed to hear.

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  ?"Now, tell me again—what are you going to do for me?" Her tone was low, mocking, laced with an amusement she did not feel.

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  ?"P-please... please, I—"

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  ?She rolled her eyes. Another useless plea.

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  ?With a flick of her fingers, she willed his own blood to betray him. A crimson spike tore free from his arm, slicing through his flesh like a blade. He screamed, thrashing against the pain, his body jerking violently as he writhed on the cold stone floor.

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  ?"For the last time, you worthless, bloodless pig," she said, her voice now carrying a razor-sharp edge. "You're going to frame your precious prince, Axel, for maintaining secret ties with the northern armies."

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  ?His breath came in ragged gasps, his sobs choking him. "P-please... I... I can't... they'll kill me. I have a wife and child. Please, they're all I have—"

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  ?How utterly revolting that these creatures had the nerve to procreate.

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  ?Her expression twisted behind the mask, revulsion curling in her gut. He still clung to the illusion that his family was alive. If only he knew.

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  ?The woman’s body hung from the ceiling in her chamber, suspended by a rope fashioned from her own blood. The child—his beloved son—had barely made a sound as his tiny veins emptied in an instant. A single blink, and he had gone cold.

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  ?Angelica exhaled softly, steadying her patience. No, she wouldn't tell him. Not yet. Let him believe he still had something to live for—something to lose. Desperation made people obedient.

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  ?"I'll go for them next," she warned instead, her voice a quiet, venomous whisper.

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  ?The effect was immediate. He convulsed, sobbing harder, his body wracked with terror. "N-no, please! They’re all I have! Don’t hurt them! Please, I’ll do anything—"

  ?

  ?Angelica's patience snapped.

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  ?Her fist connected with his face with a sickening crunch, sending him sprawling. His jaw went slack, dislocated from the force of the blow. He let out a choked, guttural moan of pain, his mouth now hanging uselessly, words reduced to incoherent noises.

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  ?"Damn it... you're useless now," she muttered, clicking her tongue in irritation.

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  ?The pitiful sounds leaking from him grated against her nerves, and she silenced them with a final gesture. The blood in her palm solidified into a slender dagger, and with a flick of her wrist, it drove straight into his chest. The blade merged with his bloodstream, vanishing into his body.

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  ?A single thought ignited it.

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  ?His body convulsed violently as fire erupted within his veins, searing him from the inside out. His screams turned to gurgles, then silence, his body reduced to a smoldering husk in mere moments.

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  ?Angelica sighed, stepping back to avoid the stench of burnt flesh.

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  ?What a waste.

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  ?No matter. She’d find another pawn.

  ?

  ?She always did.

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