The maid removed Lady Ori’s nightgown. She dipped a clean washcloth into a soapy basin of warm water, and rung it. With gentle care, she began washing her lady’s body.

As the maid worked, Lady Ori washed her face and behind her ears. “What is the date today?”

“The 5th of March, my lady.

Baby Ori trembled in their mind’s eye. “That’s a week till...” She could not finish the rest of her sentence and hung her head. A week till their mother will beat her to death.

Lady Ori grit her teeth, furious.

Julie felt baby Ori’s feelings now. They ached with complexity, and brought an unfamiliar wetness to their eyes. A sudden thought came over her. 

Lady Ori turned to look at her naked back in the mirror.

The maid bowed and stood to the side.

Blooming green and yellow splotches discolored the entire length of her body. From her shoulders to the back of her shins: Old bruises, and healing cuts. Disgusted and taken aback, she laughed a joyless “HAH,” clenching her fists.

Baby Ori closed her eyes, embarrassed.

In their mind, Julie clutched her sister even closer. “This is my fault, baby Ori. I swear to you: I will fix it.

The maid watched Lady Ori from the corner of her eyes. It was an unthinkable sight to see the sweet Lady Ori…angry.

“Continue to wash me,” Lady Ori snapped, her sharp eyes slicing into the maid’s.

The maid did so, her movements flustered and confused.

“Tell me my schedule.”

“You shall meet with your fiancée today, my lady. At tea.”

Baby Ori’s heart skipped a beat, and Julie pulled a face at the sudden unfamiliar emotion.

“Have it canceled.”

“Y-yes, my lady.”

Baby Ori pouted. “But why? He’s a good person, Julie.”

Lady Ori stood impassive as the maid dressed her, deep in thought. In reality, the two spirits inside were arguing. Now dressed, Lady Ori spared a moment to look into the mirror. She demanded an escort to the Knight’s Battalion.

Baby Ori screamed in protest.

“Be quiet and trust your big sister!” Julie shouted. Then, upon seeing baby Ori’s face, she apologized for shouting.

Baby Ori gripped her dress with her little fists. “If you go there, Sir Jonathon will hit us! I don’t want to go!”

Julie frowned as guilt and regret swam in their heart. She wasn’t used to all this depth of feeling. It was too different. How was she supposed to live like this?

Baby Ori felt confused by her own changes as well. She was able to talk back and yell. She even felt annoyed! Was this what Julie felt all the time? It was terrible. It felt like bugs were crawling inside of her.

The manservant arrived and Lady Ori followed him. Her eyes narrowed into Julie’s signature glare. Her back was straight, the controlled poise of her body screaming deadly.

Baby Ori stole quick glances at her sister, watching in silence.

As they walked, the servants hurried out of her way. They peered at her from behind corners, in awe of Lady Ori’s sudden change.

Yesterday, the lady had drifted through the halls like a small girl in a dream, as she always did. Every few steps she would stop, staring in wonder at the world around her like she had never seen it before. If you went over to check on her, she’d be observing ants and spiders, or listening to bird song. Yes, little lady was as innocent as a child, and very dim. 

She was well liked among the servants. People like the little lady could not help that their minds did not age: this was common knowledge. She was easy to manage and did not complain. The maids read her fairytales, and snuck her candies. Still, when the Contessa came, they kept their heads down and their mouths closed. It was a family issue.

Lady Ori snapped her fan open with a resounding CRACK, and the servants fell over themselves to look away. She did not spare them even a passing glance, as if she didn’t know them.

The clack of her heels on the hard flooring was sending shivers up the guiding manservant’s spine. Instead of leading her, he felt like she was driving him forward, like a coachman would a horse.

He stopped in front of the entryway of the Knight’s Battalion, and bowed. 

She closed her fan with another chilling CRACK.

He flinched.

“Where is Sir Jonathon?”

The sudden question made him sweat bullets. The servants did not speak of Sir Jonathon or the Contessa in front of the little lady.  “He is with the Contessa, my lady.”

Lady Ori snarled soundlessly. The curl of her blood red lips was a sight to behold. It was clear what she was thinking. 

Her reaction shocked him. “M-my lady, are you—?”

The violent sting of her gaze fell upon him immediately and stole the words from his mouth. He had been right, he had become a carriage horse, and she held the whippet with her eyes.

When he did not speak further, she left through through the Battalion’s entryway without a word.

She came upon a young squire, who leapt up at the sight of her. “Lady Ori de Rohan has entered!”

What a clever boy.

The Knights of Rohan paused, exchanging looks. They were shining with sweat, still holding their weapons. The knight’s murmured to themselves and looked to their Officer.

The Officer was a man in his late fifties, and was no stranger to the way of things. He bowed, and offered to take her hand. “Greetings Lady Ori, could it be that you’re lost? Shall I take you back to the garden?”

Lady Ori scoffed and walked past him. She strode with confidence towards the wall of weapons at the far end of the open courtyard.

The Officer’s pride stung, but everyone knew the little lady was ‘not all there’. She was as blameless as a kitten. He hurried after her. “My lady, those are very sharp. This is not a good place for young, unmarried women to be.”

Again, Lady Ori ignored him. She chose a sword, and clicked her tongue with disgust when she was unable to lift it. “Where are the daggers?”

The knights around her mulled about, their eyes sizing up the little lady of the estate. Not all of them kindly.

The Officer paused before answering. “What do you need the dagger for, my lady?” It was a loaded question, but he had confidence that she was only playing a game. Perhaps she was pretending to be her mother.

Lady Ori chuckled, her face twisting into a sick smile. It was as if a demoness had snuck into her body and heard a sarcastic joke. “For pleasure.”

The men froze. That answer could mean many unsavory things. She had delivered it like a threat.

Unsettled, the Officer’s wrinkles deepened as he frowned. “It couldn’t possibly be,” here he licked his dry lips in worry, “for protection?”

It would have been laughable to believe that the Knights of Rohan were blameless. The Contessa beat the little lady of Rohan as often as she could. In full view of the entire estate! It was a nasty open secret that was hidden only from those outside of the estate.

Lady Ori tilted her head to the side, smirking.

In the ideal world of a romance novel, knights would practice chivalry. In reality, the Knights of Rohan valued the Contessa, whose signature was on their bill of pay.

All eyes focused on Lady Ori. 

This was the kind of moment Julie enjoyed the most. The tension, the confusion, and above all, the great control she had over what happened next. On the inside, she sipped this moment with great satisfaction. 

Lady Ori settled her bright blue glare at the Officer and shrugged. “Pleasure and protection certainly do go together.”

Sparse, shocked laugher erupted around them.

The Officer was at a loss for words. He sensed something was very wrong. “Let us speak more privately, my lady.”

Lady Ori smiled, and, lifting her skirts, stepped away from him. She walked here and there, staring at the men around her with veiled disdain. 

They shuffled under her poignant gaze, which lingered for too long on some areas, and not enough on others. It was an unspeakable thing for a woman to do.

Lady Ori was again in front of the squire who had announced her.

Much like baby Ori did every day, he masked his fear by turning down his eyebrows and smiling. The expression gave the affect that he was naive and sinless.

She looked down upon him. “Bring me a nice, sharp dagger.”

The squire ran off and returned with extreme haste. 

The Officer thought to stop him, but lost his chance.

“Here you are, my lady.” The boy raised his palms up for her to see.

Oh. It was perfect. Lady Ori, languid and beautiful, bent to retrieve the dagger from him with reverence.

As reward, Julie smiled her first true smile. She left her fan in his hands.

She rose up like a serpent and rolled the dagger over in her hands with precision.

Julie was no stranger to the siren call of a razor-sharp blade. She had several in the flat of her old world. This one in particular was sturdy and utilitarian, rather then pretty. She liked it very much. It would look much better once she was able to have her nails painted.

The Officer remembered to breathe. “My Lady, that’s too dangerous—!”

Without bothering to acknowledge him, Lady Ori left with the manservant she had come with. The snapping of her heels rang out like the ominous ticking of a clock. When tallied, she had spent an hour getting dressed, and another hour finding a weapon. Hungry as she was for breakfast, it would have to wait. Right now, she was hungry for something else. When sent to hell, one should become hellish.

With each heavy step, she grew angrier and angrier. Julie thought of her mother and Baby Ori in the same room together, and it made her feel sick with rage.

Baby Ori peaked at her sister from behind a door in their mind. “Julie? Is it over?” She had been too frightened to visit the battalion. Instead, she had found a safe corner at the edge of their unconscious and waited.

Julie winced, stuffing down the brutality of her thoughts. “No baby, you should go to sleep for awhile. Some scary things may happen, but I’ll keep us safe.”

“Oh…okay.” Baby Ori peered at her sister, but decided not to ask her what she was up to. Baby Ori reminded herself that Julie was the strong and capable one, unlike her. She worried, but she also felt relieved. Instead of having to exist all the time as the doll of the estate, maybe she could do something else. It was an exciting thought. She shut the door behind her, and wandered away into the vastness of their inner world.

Julie narrowed her eyes. Baby Ori didn’t deserve any of this shit. She had never deserved it. These thoughts calmed her. She wrapped herself up in rage and let herself indulge in its embrace. The warmth of it made her feel safe and in control. Although it was self-centered, and rarely disconcerting to who it damaged, rage had a magic to it. It was a specialty weapon best used in moderation. But today, Julie intended to use the full force of it for baby Ori’s sake. That was the decadent beauty of rage. She must have inherited this gift from her mother.

Lady Ori’s red lips parted into a violent grin. It was time to visit Contessa de Rohan and show her how much Julie had grown.

—