I Will Die for You, My Darling! - Chapter 63

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Chapter 63

He’d told Arietta to leave the manor if she was so intent on dying, just not within its walls. “Tired of being confined, are you?” he’d scoffed. It had been ten years since she’d been sheltered from Downstream’s violence. She’d forgotten how fierce the struggle for survival truly was.

What will you even do out there? Isaac wondered. Arietta had forgotten how to live outside; she’d never truly experienced it on her own. First, it had been Seia, then Isaac. She’d always been hidden away, safe in the shadows. Bored enough to die within these walls? It was a ridiculous notion. He wasn’t unfamiliar with those who found life meaningless.

Downstream had its share of them—the listless, the apathetic. Most were those who’d ruled over a town for too long, succumbing to complacency. Isaac had forced every last one of them to their knees, casting them out into the unforgiving wilderness. He’d watched their inevitable demise, their desperate pleas to live echoing in his ears.

The comfortable notion of death dreamt up in a life of ease was vastly different from the stark reality of death in Downstream’s harsh embrace. He intended to teach Arietta the same lesson. Tired of confinement, was she? He’d see if she sang the same tune outside.

Leaving the annex, he gave the housekeeper two orders: prevent Arietta from dying within the glass dome, but if she tried to leave, have a couple of the “dogs” tail her, yet grant her the freedom to do as she pleased. She’d be back. Within hours. And then she’d realize the depth of her arrogance.

Chastened, she’d return to her room, adorned with masterpieces, and understand the precious sanctuary her confinement provided. By then, Isaac himself was starting to question whether he wanted Arietta to loathe or cherish her captivity. But he saw no need to dwell on it. Only one thing mattered: breaking her arrogance.

He suddenly recalled Arietta with her face submerged in the bathwater, the pale moonlight filtering through the bathroom window illuminating her vulnerable form. It was a disturbing image he didn’t want to see again. Perhaps that was why he wanted to silence her.

Arietta ate the breakfast delivered to her room. With the team recently arrived, it was even more extravagant than usual, featuring ingredients from the Sky City. After her delicious meal, she basked in the meager sunlight warming the windowpane. She was acutely aware of the servants in the hallway pretending not to watch her. Go die outside, then. Isaac’s directive pleased her. Had her attempt with the sleeping pills been a good idea or a pointless gesture? The question arose but she dismissed it as unimportant.

She watched from the annex window as Isaac and a few others left the glass dome. Only then did she decide to move, unwilling to cross paths with him. Arietta chose her favorite dress, a simple, flowing white one that fell to mid-calf, accentuating her long, slender figure.

“Shoes…”

Might as well wear something pretty and uncomfortable if I’m going to die. Her hand reached for a pair of high heels, but at the last moment, she changed her mind, selecting plain white flats instead. If she was leaving the glass dome, there was somewhere she wanted to go. Walking would serve her purpose, too. Downstream’s air would slowly deliver its toxic death the moment she stepped outside. Slowly, meaning I won’t last two days without a purifier.

Perhaps that was similar enough to her mother’s fate. Dressed, she walked down the quiet corridor of the annex, a space solely for her and Isaac. She let her footsteps echo freely. Though unseen, the housekeeper was undoubtedly observing her. The lack of intervention confirmed Isaac’s words were genuine. She was free to leave.