Chapter 51: He beats us

"But if it is true," Grent said, turning back to Peter, "if the inquisitors are truly coming out and attacking, then someone with ties to the royal family must be behind it. Someone with authority over them. They do not move without orders." He paused and let the words hang. "And it would have to be someone very high. Someone who has no desire to be seen."

He let the implication float in the air.

Tez had heard enough.

He uncrossed his leg and stood. ℯℯ𝑙.

"I need to ease myself," he said. "Where is the bathroom?"

The room went quiet. Grent looked at him for a few seconds, his jaw tightening slightly. A boy who had walked in without a word, sat down without permission, and now got up in the middle of a conversation.

But he let it pass.

"Ask any of the maids," he said. "They will show you."

"Thanks." He replied and walked towards the door casually

Lia moved to follow him. Tez lifted his hand without looking back, a small gesture, and she stopped. He walked out of the room.

The hallway was long and quiet, lined with paintings and tall vases. Maids moved in and out of doors, carrying linens and trays. Some of them were human. Many were not. A cat girl swept the floor. A rabbit girl carried a basket. They kept their eyes down as he passed.

He walked slowly, scanning every face.

Then he saw her.

She was at the end of the hall with a stack of folded towels in her arms. She had dog ears and a tail, and her dress was cut low at the back. Through the gap, he could see the red line of the mark across her pale skin.

She noticed him and stopped. She understood at once who he was, a guest of Master Grent. She lowered her head in a bow. A respect that she had to give to all guests .

"Sir," she said.

"I need the bathroom," Tez said. "Can you show me where it is?"

"Of course. This way."

She set the towels on a table and led him down a side corridor. Her steps were light and quiet. They stopped in front of a plain wooden door at the end of it.

"Here, sir."

"Thank you."

She bowed again and turned to go.

"Wait."

She stopped and turned around, wanting to hear what request he had.

Tez activated Charm Eyes. Gold bled into his irises. She turned back, and his gaze met hers, and he saw the light reflected in her own eyes. Her pupils widened. Her breath caught.

"Come in," he said, and he put the weight of Persuasion into the words.

She stepped through the door as if she had no choice. He followed and locked it behind him.

The bathroom was small and clean. He took her by the waist and pulled her close. She did not resist. Her eyes were glassy, and her lips parted slightly.

He kissed her.

It was slow at first. She let out a small, shaky breath against his mouth, and her hands came up and gripped the front of his shirt. The Charm Eyes and the Persuasion pulled at her, wearing down whatever resisted, until she kissed him back. Their tongues touched. She sank into it, deeper and deeper, until he felt her knees give a little.

He pulled away.

She stood there, breathing hard, her eyes still golden at the edges.

"Tell me about your master, everything that you can, especially about his relation to beastfolk" he said quietly.

She hesitated.

Something fought inside her. He could see it in the way her brow twitched, in the small tremble of her jaw. She was trying to keep her mouth shut.

It was not enough.

"He..." she said. Her voice cracked. "He runs an underground slave trade. For beastfolk."

Tez said nothing. He waited.

"He buys and sells them. He controls all of it." Her breath hitched. "But he wants everyone to think he is the opposite. That he stands for us. That he protects us."

"And the maids?"

"When we are brought in, he makes sure he has our families. Every one of them. Our parents. Our siblings. Everyone we love." Tears began to run down her face. "So we cannot run. So we cannot speak."

She was crying now. Her shoulders shook, and she bit her lip hard, as if she could stop the words by force. She could not. Every word she said was a risk to everyone she loved, and she knew it, and she could not stop.

"Does he beat you? I see the marks" Tez asked.

She was silent for a long time. Her mouth worked. The tears kept falling.

"Yes," she finally whispered. "He does. And he does more than that. He puts his hands on us. He does things to us."

Tez’s face remained the same like all this did not matter to him. .

He leaned down and kissed her again, shorter this time. Then he stepped back.

"Thank you," he said.

He unlocked the door and walked out.

Behind him, the maid stood in the bathroom for a heartbeat. Then her legs gave out. She dropped to her knees on the cold floor and covered her face with her hands, sobbing silently into her palms.

She had just told a stranger everything.

She did not know what it would cost her family.

Tez walked back down the hallway with his hands in his pockets. His face was calm. He reached the lounge, opened the door, and walked back in.

He sat down in the same chair, crossed his ankle over his knee, and rested his hand on the armrest like nothing had happened. He glanced at Grent and let out a calm smile.

"Sir Grent, you seem to have a lot of beastfolk working for you, you just really love to advocate for their rights in the kingdom, I see why the old man finds you as a freind." Tez suddenly said.