SPELLBOUND

"A plan…" Kione echoed and Evie nodded before her gaze fell on Azrael. 

The large, striking man flashed a polite smile at Evie and bowed a little. "I'm Azrael, Lord of Axinia. I am honoured to be meeting with the queen of the light faes for the first time. That devil sprout sure is one luck –" Azrael could not finish his sentence as Kione elbowed him.

"Don't worry about this guy, Queen. It's okay if he listens in to the discussion." Kione told Evie, "Now could you tell us about this plan of yours, Queen Evielyn?" 

Evie then returned her gaze to Kione and after the dark fae lord dismissed the soldiers from the scene, Evie explained to them about her plan and how she had wanted to carry it out. 

The two lords did not take long before they caught up with what she had wanted to do and had jumped in and fully agreed with her plan. Since there was no need to convince them anymore, the duo let Leon and Zanya quickly leave Yryzia after Evie instructed them on all the things that she had wanted them to do.

…

Back in the room, Gideon was brooding as he leaned against the wall closest to the bed. His blue eyes never left and had been constantly fixed on the sleeping girl's face – almost not blinking at all – as a female dark fae was attending to Vera. Gideon had called for the female to help with the cleaning up of Vera's wounds. His heavy gaze had prompted the female dark fae to attend to the human girl's wound with the utmost care possible as the prince had instructed and required of her. 

"My lord…" the dark fae lifted her face carefully to look at him. "I will need to remove her garments to continue her treatment. Looking at the condition she is in, I'm afraid she has more wounds that are covered under her clothes." the female respectfully informed Gideon.

Gideon's brows furrowed slightly but eventually, he shifted and spoke. "Go ahead." He said before turning to walk off towards the large double windows and stood there, looking outside. 

He did not move nor spoke again until the female dark fae's soft gasp pulled his attention back to the human girl lying on the bed. 

His head snapped towards the bed and the dark fae was looking at him with slightly widened eyes. Her mouth opened and closed a few times, wanting to say something. But each time her words seemed to get stuck just before they could leave her mouth. 

"What is the matter? Speak up!" he asked sharply and the light fae spoke in hesitation. 

"I just… her back… My Lord…!" Her words were broken and unintelligible, not quite making sense. She stuttered as if unsure whether she should tell him about this or not. She did not know if such detail was necessary for her to inform her lord. 

Gideon approached and the moment he saw the multiple and awful marks of old and new lashes on her back, he suddenly halted in his tracks before even reaching the bed. Her back was literally covered with scars and wounds. There was not a single spot that was clear on her back from below her shoulders right down to the small of her back. One look and it was enough for him to see the abuse she had endured. He could not even tell how many times she must have had been lashed to have such a collection of long streaking scars across that pale and frail back. 

Before he knew it, his fingers were clenched into fists. But just then, the door suddenly swung open, and his clenched fists loosened up as he lifted his head to look at that direction.

Evie walked in through the door with Kione and Azrael trailing behind her. She was about to speak when she saw that Vera was being held by a female dark fae in a sitting position. 

"As expected." She heard Kione sighed before murmuring softly behind her. "Of course, he would refuse to even touch her." 

Confusion flashed in Evie's eyes at the soft murmur she heard but she did not have the luxury to even turn and look questioningly at Kione because her attention was caught by the appalled look on the female dark fae's face. Immediately, she rushed over to the bed and gasped as she caught sight of the condition of Vera's back. She had bad feelings and had somewhat expected some sort of marks of abuse to be on her. But she did not expect it to be this severe! 

She was speechless and could only look at that scarred back with a mix of pity, hurt, and anger at the awful sight. 

Evie sat and immediately brought out the medicine Leon had handed over to her before he had left with Zanya. As she applied the medicine on the various wounds on Vera, Gideon left the room without speaking a single word, taking the two lords along with him. 

With the help of the female dark fae, Evie made sure to tend on her poor friend with a heavy heart. She could not believe Vera had suffered to this extent. It was like she had been treated worse than a slave. And to think that she had been sold to please a man with all these hidden wounds and scars all over her body. Was Lady Ansley the one who inflicted all these lashes? She had truly gone hopelessly mad if she was the one who did this to her own flesh and blood! 

After wrapping all her wounds with clean bandages, Evie and the dark fae made her wear a clean, comfortable, and heavy cotton night gown before finally settling Vera back to lie down on the bed and covered her with a blanket. 

Evie touched her forehead and was relieved that she did not seem to be running a fever. 

They then left the room together and Evie found the two lords standing silently along the corridor. Evie looked for Gideon, but he was nowhere to be seen. 

"Where is Gideon?" Evie asked and the two shrugged. 

"He just strode out and flew off. I don't know where he's gone this time. Probably isolating himself again." Azrael said as though this was a common occurrence. 

"Or maybe he didn't want to be confronted by you, Queen." Kione sighed. "But he'd return soon, so don't worry."

"It's not because he sensed we are plotting something, right?" Evie asked a little worriedly the two and the duo looked at each other before facing Evie again.

But before Kione and Azrael responded, Gideon suddenly appeared, and he looked like he was in a dilemma as he approached them. 

One look at his face and Kione and Azrael were immediately alarmed. What? Was he panicking? Gideon? Gideon doesn't panic! Is there a huge trouble brewing somewhere?

"What's wrong?" Kione asked immediately, extremely alarmed now.

"My mother… the queen… she's coming." Gideon's reply silenced everyone. 

 "What?!" the two lords exclaimed in unison as Gideon ran his fingers through his hair as if he was already cornered. 

Evie on the hand felt her heartbeat hastened at what she heard. Queen Beatrice… Gav's… her husband's mother, her mother-in-law was coming!? Really?