Page 78 of House of Blood and Roses: Vol. 2
"It wasn't my fault, Bea," he repeats.
I turn away from him and pour us both some blood, using the moment to compose myself. I have no idea what's going on, and I hate it.
"Tell me what happened," I say as I hand the goblet to him, doing my best to come across as calm and composed. I don't think I've ever seen Bastian as nervous and uncomfortable as he is right now, and I'm not entirely sure what that means. And whether I want to admit it or not, there's already a part of me doubting what he's saying, even if I have no real reason to.
"I don't really know what happened," Bastian murmurs.
"Were you there or not?" I ask, trying to keep my voice steady and nonconfrontational. I've dealt with my brother enough times to know that there's a way to get things out of him, and a way to end up with him clamming up more.
"I was there," he says. "But it's not what you think."
"I don't think anything," I respond. "How did Thomas end up dead?"
Bastian's frantic gaze travels around the room, not lingering on one item longer than any other. "I did it."
A horrible feeling settles within me. "You killed Thomas?" The moment I ask the question, I know the truth. Except that isn't entirely true. I've been suspecting that Bastian is behind the death from the moment I asked Linc if it could be him summoning us as Lord Fallmartin. Before I even knew who was dead. I'm not entirely sure what that means about my opinion of my twin, but now isn't the time to dwell on it.
"It was an accident," he says, a desperate note in his voice.
I sigh, trying to process everything and exactly what it means.
"It was an accident," he says more forcefully this time. It's difficult to work out what the expression on his face means, and whether he believes what he's saying.
My heart races, and I try not to think about what it means for me to be sitting here with someone who has killed someone. A memory of our first night here flashes to my mind. He's been a killer since the night we stepped foot in Castle Sanulieon, it shouldn't be that much of a surprise that he's killed again. And there's a part of me that doesn't want to examine that reaction to my brother too closely.
"You need to tell me what happened, Bash," I say, taking a seat and cradling my goblet of blood between my hands. I'm not really sure if I can drink it or not. How can I when Thomas is dead and Bastian is the one who did it?
"I came back here after the ball," he says. "I'd had a little bit too much wine, and there wasn't a feast, so I was thirsty."
I raise an eyebrow, but don't comment on the implication that he'd expected there to be a feast at my wedding when I'd outright told him how much I hated that he'd killed someone on the Golden Moon just so that Lord Fallmartin would accept him. Which is something that I'm starting to doubt the truth of now that I know Lord Fallmartin better. I have no doubt that our father has the ability to be as ruthless and bloodthirsty as people say, but he also doesn't seem entirely unopposed to change, and he hasn't once insinuated that Linc and I are weak for not wanting a feast at the wedding.
I push the thought aside and refocus on my brother.
"It was dark, and I was heading to the kitchens."
"Where were the servants?" I ask, wondering why they weren't around when all of the inhabitants of the apartments were still out at the ball.
"I don't know. It was strange. It made me think that there was something wrong. Maybe someone had done something to the servants to stop them from noticing they were up to no good? Something didn't feel right. So I took out my knife." He touches his waist, where an empty sheath sits, reminding me that I don't have my own dagger on me. I didn't think much about it when I was coming to my family home, but maybe I should have done.
"But there was no one there?"
He shook his head. "It was strange. And dark. You know what it can be like in some parts of the castle are like when it's dark."
"Mmm." I don't point out that it's always dark, that's part of what comes from living in a castle with no windows.
"I was telling myself that I was overreacting, but then I heard footsteps, so I called out to ask who was there, but they didn't respond. That only made me feel worse, you know? It was dark, and there was no one else around, and now there was someone creeping up on me. I've heard enough horror stories about heirs getting assassinated."
"Who would want to assassinate you?"
"House Rothorne's enemies. We have lots of them."
"I suppose." Though I doubt any of them will have thought much about Bastian yet. Then again, with everyone distracted by my wedding, including Lord Fallmartin, it would be the perfect time to strike at the heir to House Rothorne.
"I was scared, Bea. I was alone in the dark with someone I didn't know, and they wouldn't answer me. Then he came at me."
"Thomas?" I prompt.
"Yes, but I didn't realise it was him at the time. And maybe he was just stumbling from drinking too much? It's hard to say, it was all too much of a blur."
