“Arel! You've been with him many times. I have gone many times and left you with him. However, I pumped him with drugs, but…”

“Don't! Don’t do it anymore! I'm asking you!”

“Sometimes I need to leave, a part of me remained in my world. I live several lives at once. It is difficult for a human to understand this…”

“I understand. But you may not always leave completely. Leave at least a small part of yourself in order to still control him.”

“I may.”

“Then just do it! And now, now squeeze him out altogether, let him not see, hear nothing and feel nothing!”

And Nikto, putting him on his back, laughed:

“Good. I will punish him for making you so upset.”

“Now I hate your scars too. Now I also see them as your defeat. I hate him! For crippling you! He made you an outcast. I want to see the real you, I want!”

“Everything has its time. If you want, we will tie the body, and I will go out, and you will fuck him and do whatever you want.”

“No. I don't want to fuck him! I don’t want anything. He's gone. He doesn’t exist. I don't want to see him again, do it!”

“I will try,” Nikto hissed and inserted into the prince.

Later they went downstairs to the living room, to Lis and Karina. And Karina asked Nikto to talk to her in private too. Nikto agreed.

“What do you want to ask me? About your brother again?” Nikto looked pretty calm, he poured himself and her wine.

“No. Will you help me?”

“I remember how you hated me, maddened. You only liked to fuck with me, yes, it attracted you, and you couldn’t resist. You love a sex. You like sleeping with different men. You are not one of those women who strive for a family, have children and raise them. You are like a lone she-wolf, a predator, you know how to stand up for yourself and walk in search of adventure.”

“I love Lis. If you take Arel, I want to stay with Lis. And I will be a faithful wife. And give birth to children if I can. Am I doing whatever is necessary? You let Dony go and she made her life well. You told me then: “She did everything that needs to be done.” I didn't understand these words, now I understand. Am I doing whatever it takes?”

“But what about the salvation of your brother?”

“It was probably a stupid idea. Like a lot of stupid ideas and actions before. But I will gladly try to persuade him more. He just lived a little and doesn’t understand anything. For him, perhaps, the throne and power, love is an empty phrase. I will explain to him that this is important to us if he wants us to be happy.”

“He loved Rosa.”

“And?”

“And? And sent her away. To the Upper World. In order not to get her.”

“And he wanted to send me too, persuaded me to run, but I am not Rosa. And I am not sixteen years old, but almost thirty, and this is my last chance, and I want a husband, and I want a husband-king. And I want to look my father in the eye with pride so that he understands that I am not at all the wayward idiot he thinks I am. I want to achieve something! What's the use if I leave? To vegetate somewhere in Komra? What should I do there? Praying for the salvation of your soul? Maybe a little later, when I become an old woman and I have absolutely nothing to do. Moreover, I have not done anything terrible! Is what I decided is stupid? Or bad?”

“This is very good,” Nikto smiled.

“Now!” Karina jumped up. “Wait a minute, I'll bring you something.”

She ran out of the room and quickly returned, holding a small box in her hands:

“The courier brought it from the village for my name.”

“What is it?”

“A parcel from my father.”

“And what does he write to you?”

“Nothing. There was money. I gave more than half to this witch for the ceremony. Excuse me.”

“This is your money, Karina, don’t report to me.”

“Yes. But here's one more thing, and I'm sure this is for you.”

Karina pushed the box towards him: it contained a ring with a blue stone and a mask.

Nikto seemed to be sincerely happy:

“My mask! Is he giving it back to me?”

“I think yes.”

“And the ring? Is it just me, or does your father want to make up?”

“Yes. He wants peace. And me too. Forgive me.”

“I have nothing to forgive you!”

“For this stupid ceremony. I will do whatever you need. I swear! I will correct my mistakes!”

“You do everything. You are smart. Everything is good,” and Nikto handed her a glass of red wine.

Arel wanted to punish Karina, tie her to a post and whip her with a whip, just as he regularly did with servants. But Nikto ordered not to touch her. For the time being.

Chapter two. News from Vil

Prince Arel looked doubtfully at the plump stack of sheets.

Lis went down into the living room and, seeing the papers in Arel's hands, asked skeptically: