Vengeance and Sense of Guilt

"DOMINICK, dear. You should take a look at Damien's face. It was so amusing to see him in panic and rage." Bridget chuckled.

Bridget stared at her unconscious husband with the most meaningful glare. She caressed Dominick's face with a very soft touch. The Great Duke of Gregory House, Dominick, was lying on the bed. Insentient. But his blue eyes were wide opened, staring at the ceiling.

It had been four years since Dominick fell into a vegetative state.

Unlike in a coma, where the patient is completely immobile and unconscious, people in a vegetative state will sleep, wake, and open their eyes. But they show no sign of awareness or consciousness. They only 'stay' there.

It almost like Dominick Gregory was the most perfect living puppet in the Underworld Realm.

"Have I say how much I love you being like this, dear?" Bridget grinned. She sat next to Dominick closely.

'Only when you are in this kind of state, you can listen only to me. Just be with me only. No one can handle you in this state like me. And you can do nothing without me.' thought Bridget.

"You need me." Bridget was truthfully satisfied.

The Great Duke Dominick, who once was famous for being the grandmaster of Gregory and the possessor of the Northern Empire, is now a mere man lying on his sickbed.

Dominick suddenly fell into this unexpected condition and no doctors or magicians could heal him. They cannot prescribe any medicines because they did not know the cause of the illness. And not even magic could heal him. However, none of them knew that this was one of Bridget's malicious schemes in controlling the estate.

Because Dominick was incapable of handling the estate affairs, the elders of the Gregory Family let Bridget as the Duchess replaced him provisionally.

But only until Damien took the Duke position in the future.

Oh, Damien!

Bridget harked back to the previous scene. Damien's face recollected in her mind. She loved watching Damien trying to forbear his anger. It was thrilling and indeed exciting! Bridget could see how Damien strained to overcome his anger. Damien tried his best not to show his feelings. But Bridget could see the fire in his eyes was over flooded with wrath.

Yes! Every wicked scheme she planned of seemed to run smoothly.

Bridget held Dominick's hand and put it right next to her cheek.

"Please do not be mad at me, darling. You caused all these. I only take my chances to avenge. None of these would happen in the first place if you truly love me, anyway."

Bridget enjoyed her peaceful time being with her charming 'puppet' Dominick. If Dominick was conscious, there would be no way he let Bridget touch him.

KNOCK! KNOCK!

"I said, never interrupt me when I'm in this room!" shouted Bridget. Who dared to interrupt her 'loving' time?!

"Mother. It is me." Dakota showed up.

Knowing that it was only her sweet daughter at the door, Bridget's face softened. "Yes, my dear?"

"Dinner's ready."

Bridget smiled. "Oh, I forget about dinner." She left Dominick's room.

"We should enjoy our last peaceful dinner before those unpleasant children come home," said Bridget.

The dinner was as appetizing and the same as before. But Damien's seat was empty. It seemed like he was still out there, searching high and low for her little sister.

When it was time for dessert, Dakota unexpectedly spoke up. "Mother. May I speak?"

"Yes, darling?" Bridget took a glance at her daughter.

Dakota inhaled slowly. She needed to choose very careful words to convey her feelings. "When are you going to stop?"

Oops! She went straight to the point.

Bridget stopped eating. "I don't understand what you're talking about now."

Dakota bit her lips. "Until when are you going to let them suffer? Their mother already passed away. Your position as the Duchess is fortified."

Bridget put her dessert spoon on the table.

Oh, Dakota. My sweet daughter. Still immature. And a big softy.

"As you sow, so shall you reap," Bridget answered. Her revenge was still in the beginning phase. Separating Damien and Grace was her first move for her vengeance. She sent Damien to the war and let the slave house abducted little Grace when she was out to the town. "They shall pay for what they did."

"Damien and Grace are INNOCENT, mother!" Dakota tried to defend her step-siblings.

BANG!

Bridget slammed the table! The impact made Dakota physically froze and speechless.

After instants of silence, Bridget finally sneered. "No…" she paused. "… they are not innocent, my dear. Their births are already a sin to me. They are misfortunes. And a stroke of bad luck to us."

"But, mother…"

"They took your place as the eldest child of Gregory. You should be mad at them! Not sympathy." Bridget angered!

"Mother…"

"This conversation is over, Dakota. Say NO more!"

The pressure in the dining room was unbearable. At last, they ended the dinner with a conversation about Dakota's potential fiancé candidates.

___

THERE was a gibbous moon in the sky which lit up a few wispy clouds. It meant that it was already late. Yet Damien and his knights still did not return to the estate. And Dakota could not sleep a wink. Unconsciously, she still awoke, although it was already two and a half in the morning.

Dakota tried to imagine herself being in his shoes. Damien just returned from the wild war. And now his sister was gone.

Dakota sighed heavily. She admitted their family's condition was very complicated to explain. It was critically difficult to paint an accurate picture of their family's circumstances.

But for sure, there was no such thing as domestic harmony in this family, and Dakota hated it.

Dakota always believed that feeling regretful was a waste of time. Thus, she used to watch from afar what her mother did. Never once Dakota cared about her mother's evil schemes. And she never hindered it.

When her mother abused Grace when Damien was away, Dakota could only watch. She did not even help or do something.

She is a failure as an older sister.

A sense of guilt hit her hard. Dakota knew she could ignore it no more. She must put a permanent stop to this stupid game created by her mother.

Dakota gently lowered herself from her bed and walked to the window. After much consideration, Dakota made her final decision. She was determined. Thus, she summoned her 'shadow'.

"MARCUS!" Dakota called out.

Immediately, a man in a dark cloak appeared out of nowhere.

"Yes, milady? I heed your order," answered the man named Marcus.

"Find Damien. Tell him about Grace's location." Dakota confidently commanded.

Marcus was taken aback. "The Duchess will be mad, milady."

He was sincerely worried about his master's safety. If the Duchess finds out, who could guess what she would do to her own daughter?

"As long as no one tells her, it's going to be fine."

Marcus looked at Dakota. After a moment, he nodded.