Chapter 50

I was cornered, with no way out. Lila had made it clear that she would kill Rayne if I didn’t comply. Rayne was struggling, but her grip on him was unyielding.

It was strange, considering Rayne was a powerful alpha. But I remembered Emelio mentioning that Lila was as powerful as Jekia, who was still stronger than his sons. I couldn’t help but worry about Rin. If he tried to rescue me, would he stand a chance? And with the spell Lila had cast on them, I feared even Jekia might be outmatched.

The Faeries straightened up as Lila gave them a nod. Before I knew it, two of them had lifted me to my feet. Lila turned and started walking, and another Faerie prodded my back with his staff, urging me to follow.

The kingdom we entered was a frozen wasteland. The air was chilly, and every house seemed to be encased in ice. Even the food and clothing stalls were frozen solid.

But the silence was the most unsettling. The only sound was our footsteps echoing on the icy road. Everything else was eerily still.

~Where are all the Faeries who are supposed to be living here, serving her?~ I wondered.

Then I noticed something else. There were ice statues everywhere. They were carved to resemble the Faeries accompanying me, complete with elegant clothing, folded wings, and pointed ears. They were scattered all around, depicting scenes of everyday life. Some were selling goods, others were engaged in conversation or work. There were even statues of children playing.

But something felt off. They looked ~too~ real. I stopped next to a statue of a little girl, her long hair flowing behind her as she ran with other children.

How could a statue look so lifelike? It was as if she had once been a real Faerie.

Suddenly, I thought I saw the girl’s eye twitch, and a tiny voice echoed in my head.

“Please, help me.”

The horrifying truth dawned on me. These weren’t statues. They were the Faeries who used to live here!

“What did you do?!” I demanded, my voice barely above a whisper.

Lila had stopped and was now looking back at me. Her beautiful face was devoid of emotion as she replied, “No queen should ever be questioned by her subjects. So, I made sure they paid for their insolence by freezing them for eternity.”

I was appalled. “What good did this do you?!” I spat out. “You’re a queen of nothing if you’ve killed your entire kingdom!”

“Why worry about one insignificant kingdom when I am destined to rule the Veil?” Lila retorted, turning to face me. “I am all-powerful, and I deserve to be the sole ruler of this realm. First, I will take the Northern Lands from that luna dog, then I will force the other three to surrender theirs. Anyone who dares to defy me will simply have to die.”

I looked down at the child statue, my body trembling. “You’re heartless. That’s why they never wanted you to rule. You only care about yourself.”

“You can say whatever you want. No one, especially not you, can stop me from claiming what ~I~ deserve,” Lila retorted. She wrinkled her nose and turned to Fai. “Take her to the bath and make sure she is thoroughly cleaned. She still reeks of that fox’s scent and seed. Once you’re done, bring her to me in my throne room.”

“Of course, my queen,” Fai agreed without hesitation. She grabbed my arm, her grip firm. “Come with me. You must not displease her majesty.”

I followed, but inside, I was determined to find a way out. Lila couldn’t control us forever, especially Rayne. He had managed to resist her spell once, so there had to be a way to break it completely. But until I figured that out, all I could do was bide my time and navigate this treacherous situation as best I could.

Because sometimes, to survive a devil, you had to play the devil’s game.