Chapter 6: Blossoms and Blood
In this world, anyone who ruins a woman’s reputation deserves to die!
I felt no remorse—just a cold satisfaction. In this world, a ruined reputation is a death sentence. This time, I was the executioner.
“I came to send you off. On the road to hell, remember who killed you.”
I leaned in close, my voice a whisper. “Don’t forget me, Sean. Not now.”
Without waiting for him to speak, I pushed him off the bluff. I’d smeared animal-attracting powder on the hairpin. If he didn’t die from the fall, maybe he’d get to experience being eaten alive by wild animals.
His body tumbled down the embankment, swallowed by the underbrush. The powder would do its work, drawing scavengers from miles around. It was a fitting end.
I cleaned up every trace, then calmly sat under the tree to admire the blossoms. Fifteen minutes later, the Duke of Northfield arrived with my brother for a stroll.
I brushed the dirt from my hands, smoothed my dress, and settled onto a bench beneath the cherry trees. Petals fell around me in gentle waves, painting the world in soft pink. When the Duke and my brother arrived, I greeted them with a smile, as if nothing at all had happened. The air was thick with secrets, but for the first time, I felt utterly at peace.