When they received the answer that it was terrible, the person smiled with satisfaction.
At the time, I didn't understand why he smiled like that until I saw the scars all over Elyse's body when she died.
The thin handkerchief, soaked with water, could easily suffocate a drunken man if pressed tightly over his nose and mouth. It would take less than a quarter of an hour.
Draven stirred briefly before slipping back into unconsciousness. I, however, was haunted, placing the handkerchief embroidered with flowers over his face slowly.
He had tuberculosis, and now, with the alcohol rendering him insensible, if he suffocated in his sleep, no one would suspect me.
Before I realized it, my hand was covering his mouth and nose. His shallow breaths felt like the feeble purring of a sickly kitten. A little more force and I could end his life.
However, in the end, I didn't go through with it because I wanted to know what had really happened to Elyse in the Archer household.
The next morning, before dawn, a maid woke me up to get ready.
On the first day when a new bride entered the family, she was always expected to rise early to pay respects to the elders.