blueteamnovel Chapter 59 Missing
Chapter 59 Missing
Argider stirred slowly, her body heavy with the remnants of an unholy mix of exhaustion and indulgence. A knock came at the door, a polite but insistent rap-rap-rap, barely audible over the hush of the pre-storm air.
Outside, the sky brooded with rainclouds, but within, the room was an untamed wilderness of darkness, tangled sheets, and scattered garments.Nôv(el)B\\jnn
Her hand fumbled along the bedside for some sense of orientation, only to meet skin. Warm, soft skin.
Oh. That's right. She had been ambitious, recklessly, gloriously so. Callista and Esmeralda. Together. A tired smile tugged at her lips, but it faltered as a twinge of soreness rippled through her body.
If she were a man, the poets would be singing of her conquests. But alas, her own escapades weren't so easily romanticized now as a woman.
No, she wasn't a dashing rogue or a rakish hero. She was a woman who had taken... well, two.
The faintest blush crept up her neck as the thought struck her. "Does this make me...?" she murmured, half to herself, half to the shadows. "A..." Whore she almost said.
Her gaze drifted across the room. Callista lay sprawled like a languid feline, grey hair spilling across the pillows.
Esmeralda, ever composed even in sleep, rested with a serene expression, a striking contrast to the chaos surrounding them.
And oh, what chaos it was. Pillows displaced, the floor an affront to decency, and her own body now protesting the audacity of earlier endeavors.
"Your Imperial Majesty," came a muffled voice from behind the door. The butler.
Of course. His timing, impeccable as always, now felt like a personal affront. The knocking grew more insistent, as though the very fate of the empire depended on her immediate attention.
She heaved a sigh and made a valiant attempt to sit up. Her hips, however, rebelled, anchoring her to the mattress with the weight of her earlier regrets.
"Gods above," she hissed through clenched teeth. With great effort, she dragged herself upright, every motion a reminder of her overreach.
"Did you see her leave? Speak up!" a guard barked at a valet, who looked ready to faint.
"I didn't see anything!" the man stammered, tugging nervously at his collar. "She was here one moment, and then... nothing."
Argider strode into the room where Fialova had last been seen, her boots clicking against the polished floor. She paused at the threshold, hands on her hips, surveying the chamber like a detective in a mystery novel.
Everything was perfect. Annoyingly so.
The vanity gleamed as if it had been prepped for a royal inspection. A comb and a few dainty hairpins sat neatly in a line. The bedspread was smooth. Not a single wrinkle or hint that someone had dramatically thrown themselves on it in a fit of cold feet.
She turned to leave, muttering to herself about how a room this spotless could be so utterly unhelpful. But as she straightened, a glint of something unusual caught her eye from beneath the bed.
"What's this?" she murmured, dropping down to her knees
She peered into the shadows, squinting against the dim light. There, just barely visible, was a small object tucked against the far leg of the bedframe.
With an outstretched arm and a bit of a wiggle, Argider reached for it. Her fingers closed around the cool metal, and she pulled it out triumphantly.
It was a trinket, no larger than her palm. A delicate little charm, shaped like a crescent moon, dangling from a broken silver chain. The craftsmanship was exquisite, the metal shimmering faintly even in the low light, as though it held secrets of its own.
Argider turned it over in her hands, inspecting it closely. A tiny engraving was etched into the back, a symbol she didn't immediately recognize.
"My love?" A voice came from behind.
When Argider turned, it was....
Fialova?!