Cleora turned to Jolthar, her expression still serene, but behind her eyes, a storm raged.
A flicker of sothing raw and unguarded surfaced, and for the first ti, she spoke without her usual composed deanour.
"Ever since then, my father never spoke to the sa way again," she began, her voice steady, yet laced with an old wound that had never quite healed.
"He thought I was impure. He didn't even look at . All he could think about was that damned box, that precious item he had sent to retrieve. When I returned, he didn't see his daughter—he saw a failed transaction, a tarnished na."
Jolthar remained silent, watching her closely. He had seen many people break, had seen their masks crumble under the weight of their own suffering, but Cleora stood tall, even as she recounted her past. There was sothing chilling in the way she spoke, as though she had buried her pain so deeply that she had long since stopped feeling it.
"Being present in his house made him feel ashad; I was locked in my room."
"He wanted to be rid of ," she continued. "To marry off, to trade like another commodity, as he did with his shipnts of silk and spice. And he did."
Her lips curled in sothing between a bitter smile and a grimace. "I was given away to a man I had never t, a powerful lord who saw as nothing more than a breeding sack. I couldn't conceive at first, and for that, he despised . Those ntal scars haven't healed yet. He wanted to bed , and I was told to give him a heir.
He was rough. He was cruel. His hands left marks that never faded, no matter how much ti passed. I learned not to cry, not to scream. It made him enjoy it more."
She took a breath, exhaling slowly as if she were releasing the ghosts of her past into the cold air around them.
"At last, I beca pregnant with Roblan," she said, a shift in her tone as she spoke of her son. "But after his birth, my husband had no more use for . He wanted to dispose of like one does with an empty bottle of wine.
That's when sothing inside snapped. I realized that if I wanted to live, I could no longer be the girl who let others decide her fate. I would live, but not for anyone else.
Not for my father, not for my husband. For myself."
Jolthar watched her carefully, noting the slight tremble in her fingers as she curled them into fists. It was the only sign of vulnerability she allowed herself.
"I co to hate all the humans; every one in my life and not part of my life, directly and indirectly, played a part in becoming like this," she admitted, her voice colder now, sharp like a blade honed over years of suffering.
"I hated their greed, their selfishness, their thirst for control. I vowed that I would never be powerless again. I would use them as they had used . So I did."
She turned to him fully now, her piercing gaze eting his without hesitation.
The sound of crickets resounded in the background as the evening wind passed silently.
"I know you've heard things about . Stories whispered in court, rumours passed between cowards who fear strong won. And I won't deny any of it. I did everything I had to do. I manipulated, I seduced, I deceived, and I conquered—because that was the only way to survive. And I will not apologize for it."
Jolthar remained silent, his expression unreadable. He had t many people who wielded power, who sought dominance, but Cleora was different. She had carved out her own path in a world that had sought to break her, and she had done it unapologetically.
He wasn't sure whether to respect her or pity her. Perhaps both.
"If soone dares to threaten what I have built, what I have fought for, I will not stand by and watch. I will strike first. I will burn them to the ground before they have a chance to do the sa to ." Her voice was steady, resolute. There was no hesitation in her words.
Jolthar narrowed his eyes. "And you expect to believe all of this? That you're just a woman trying to survive?"
Cleora gave a small, almost knowing smile. "Believe or don't; it's your choice. This is the first ti I've spoken about myself like this. The first ti I've told the truth without embellishnt or omission.
And for so reason, I didn't want to lie to you. You seem different from the rest of them. I can see it in your eyes—the pain, the anger. A rightful anger."
Jolthar felt sothing in him shift. Perhaps it was the recognition of shared wounds, scars etched deep beneath the surface. Or perhaps it was sothing else, sothing he wasn't ready to na.
He exhaled, and for the first ti in a long while, he found himself believing soone.
Jolthar stood before Cleora, his arms crossed, his expression unreadable.
The breeze carried the scent of damp earth and smouldering embers from the town that was still rebuilding itself.
"So," Jolthar began, his voice calm yet laced with suspicion, "all this marriage drama was just a sche to use ? To make your shield?"
Cleora t his gaze, unflinching. There was no hesitation in her reply, only honesty. "No," she said. "I genuinely want to be your woman, Jolthar. But... I can't say there isn't truth in what you just said either."
She sighed, a weight pressing upon her chest. "I can tell you're not like the rest of the n I've dealt with. Even though you're young, you carry wisdom far beyond your years. And most importantly—you know exactly what you're doing. Not many do. Not many have a vision beyond their imdiate desires or needs. But you... you see sothing greater."
Jolthar studied her face carefully, searching for any signs of deceit. She had always been known as a woman who wielded her influence like a blade—shrewd, cunning, and undeniably captivating. But now, as she spoke, there was an openness in her deanour that was almost disarming.
Cleora continued, her voice softer but firm. "And there's another reason. My daughter—she never speaks to n. Not even beyond necessity. The only man she's ever spoken to freely is her brother. But with you... she was different. She was eager and enthusiastic, as if she had finally found soone who truly understood sothing she could not put into words. She spoke of you as a man with a grand vision, soone who isn't bound by the limitations of this land. She was happy." Cleora smiled faintly.
"And that is not sothing I can ignore."
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Jolthar chuckled dryly, shaking his head. "So you dedicate yourself to because of your daughter's enthusiasm?" Jolthar was surprised that Nora had said that about him. She only spits rude comnts at him whenever she sees him.
Cleora t his eyes, stepping closer.
"No," she whispered. "I dedicate myself to you because I see the fire in your eyes—the sa fire that burned within when I decided to take my fate into my own hands. It is rightful anger. It is purpose. And more than that... it is power."
Jolthar exhaled slowly, staring into the horizon. The stars above shimred like distant promises, unreachable yet guiding. "Yes, I am not like the rest of them," he finally said, his voice steady. "And after listening to you, I will tell you this—I have ambitions far beyond anything you've known. I have things I must do. People I must kill. But while I carve my path, I will turn this land into a haven, a place that will rival even the greatest empires. It will be stronger than them all."
He turned to her, his dark eyes gleaming with sothing raw, sothing unyielding. "This place will be my ho. And my foothold in this world."
"And I will tell you this: I don't completely believe what you said. Your words resonate with a certain truth, yet they also raise questions and doubts that linger in my mind. It must have been incredibly difficult to survive among these greed-mongering humans, those who pursue wealth and power at the expense of their own integrity. I can only imagine the struggles you faced while trying to navigate their selfish desires and manipulative ways.
However, I can't simply proclaim my sympathy for your situation or shower you with flowery rhetoric. Words alone can often feel hollow, especially when trust has yet to be established. To just say I empathize with you would be disingenuous. Instead, I find it essential to approach this with caution and a discerning mind.
For now, I will choose to observe and learn about you from your actions and choices. I want to understand who you truly are beneath the surface. What values drive your decisions? How do you interact with others in this environnt that's so rife with avarice? I am intrigued, and it is only through this scrutiny that I can begin to form a clearer picture of the woman standing before , stripped of both assumptions and pretence.
And know this: I will not hesitate to cut you down if you think of harming in any way possible."
A gust of wind swept between them as if the world itself had acknowledged his proclamation. Cleora watched him silently, her lips curving into a slow, knowing smile.
She walked to him and pressed her body against him, saying, "Don't worry, dear Jolthar. I will make sure you believe ; after all, I am a persistent woman who always gets what I want. You have nothing to fear from ."
Jolthar felt a shiver run down his spine, unsure if he should be comforted or terrified by her words.
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