Chapter 629 628: Vitra’s Experience
Chapter 629 628: Vitra’s Experience
Chapter 629 Chapter 628: Vitra's Experience
It took a few moments of comforting and soothing to get the Foxkin Noble back to a calm state so that she could communicate with us in regards to what happened while she was under the influence of the necklace, which was still something that we needed to understand further.
Kolia was staring at the necklace curiously as it dangled from my hand, but considering what had just happened with Anput - and how it seemed that Cali was making it impossible for the necklace to dig its murky talons into my mind - I refused to let anyone else touch it for the time being, not wanting to have to fight someone I knew and cared for , and especially not someone who was as powerful as Kolia.
Countess Renacla continued to hold her daughter, murmuring to her as she stroked her black hair and tried her best to reassure her that everything was alright, calming the panicking woman down slowly as she panted.
Leone crouched beside them and rested her hand on Vitra's cheek, her palm shimmering red as she murmured "Vitra... breathe in... breathe out... I need you to listen to me, alright? Take deep, even breaths. In... and... out. Just like that... In..."
Seeing the Countess stiffen slightly as Leone got close, we all narrowed our eyes before returning to normal as she allowed the Vampire to help her daughter, not snapping at her or letting her emotions control her at this moment as we waited for Vitra to leave her panicked state.
Vitra did as she was asked, and her panic slowly began to seep out of her body as she brought herself under control as well, the Foxkin blinking away the memories and grimacing as the terrible taste of bile clung to her tongue.
Floating an orb of water towards her, I stared at her neutrally, not blaming her for her actions while she was under control, though that seemed to confuse her as she likely thought I would hold a grudge for her attempting to kill me multiple times... and even insinuating something else back at the beginning.
Vitra stared at the orb for a few moments before leaning forwards and taking a sip from it, the refreshing coolness of the water washing away the bile from her mouth as she rinsed her mouth out, before taking a big gulp of the water and letting out a content sigh as she rehydrated herself a bit.
"You... wanted to know about the... necklace, right..? Where I got it, what it did..?"
She took another sip of the water before leaning against her Mother's side, staring at us tiredly as she saw our nods.
"It... was a gift that was sent to me. From a prospective suitor... Baroness Witrani sent it, along with a letter going on about how much she wanted to court me..."
Vitra's cheeks darkened for a moment before she let out a sigh, those emerald eyes filled with sadness as she continued on with a tired voice as well.
"Of course, I was a little... taken aback. The words seemed sincere, the gift was simple but beautiful, and I could remember the bashful girl that had always seemed smitten with me from when we were young. So... I lifted the chain out of the box and wore it, admiring it in the mirror. At first, it seemed just like another gift, but I began to hear things. Whispers from the back of my mind, saying the things that I would only entertain for a fleeting moment before sending it away, social norms and common sense keeping them as just things that I would think once before it was locked away for good.
Slowly the whispers began to nag at my mind, small things at first, but things that I couldn't entirely ignore. Business deals that weren't as fair as I used to make them, employing people that weren't up to snuff... It only snowballed from there, spiraling out of control and twisting everything even further. Adventuring Parties sent into high risk areas for high rewards, uncaring of their ability to return. Loans to people who weren't experienced enough to understand that the fees would ruin them.
Then I hatched an idea. Sis was away, and Mother was too busy to be watching everything I was doing, so I contacted a few groups and decided that... I would take the position of Heir for myself no matter the cost. I... I don't know why, but the idea came to me that the easiest way would be to take the blade that Lady Jahi had. The blade that was rumored to be made from such a rare, valuable metal... It's so stupid, but for some reason I was fixated on it; I was certain that having it would bring me fame and fortune, even though any second of critical thinking would be enough to know that wouldn't work. I'd be dead before I could make any use of that blade, and so would my family.
After hiring that group through my guards, I began to chip away at Sis' power inside the city, starting with her businesses and the guards loyal to her inside the Manor. I chipped and chipped, replacing who I needed and browbeating who refused to be transitioned. During that time, I... Another thing popped into my mind, something that I had thought of before... I... I had Ginny come to my room before... before..."
Vitra trailed off, taking a deep breath as she stared at the ground, sorrow in her eyes as she said "I ordered Ginny to strip, and I took her, my lust clouding my mind even more as I used her from dusk to dawn, doing as I pleased to her..."
Her voice was cracking as she said that, and her Mother grimaced slightly even as she held her daughter tighter, conflicted on how to feel.
"Baroness Witrani..? One of the servants said that you found that necklace outside the city, said it was an artifact."
Vitra smiled blearily at me, shaking her head as she replied "I hid it's origins. Didn't want anyone to know where it came from, who it came from. Baroness Witrani was the one who sent it... I don't know if it was malicious or not, but..."
Jahi let out a sigh, while the Marquess grumbled softly as the two Demoness' pinched the bridge of their noses, clearly disliking having to follow a trail of clues to figure out where this cult might be.
The questioning continued, though I switched to speaking to Cali as the Arch Fiend finally decided to grant access to her wisdom after resting for a few minutes.