Page 43 of Between Ghosts and Gods

Lady Camellia strode inside, her expression unreadable as she took in the sight of a dozen broken glass bottles littering the floor.

And Ruo, who had frozen the moment the demon appeared.

A grim smile spread across Lady Camellia’s face. “Well,” her voice echoed like a hollow tomb, “I hope you have a good explanation for this, little curse.”

Chapter Twenty-Two Kasu

“L–L–Lady C–Camellia!”

Ruo’s fur stood on end, their body arched and ears flattened. Kasu could tell they were trying their very best not to tremble.

“Well? What are you doing here, curse?” Lady Camellia’s gaze was fixed on Ruo; she had not noticed Kasu or Arun hiding behind the shelves yet.

Ruo hissed. Surrounded by four walls, the cat could not teleport away, could not run. They seemed to realize this at the same time as Kasu.

“I— There were intruders. Yes, intruders! They were up to no good, they were, but you don’t have to worry. I scared them away for you, my lady!” Ruo managed to look both cowed and unrepentant.

“And how did you get in here?” Lady Camellia wondered.

“Followed my nose.”

“Your nose,” she repeated. “Yes, you curses do have good noses, don’t you? And who were these intruders?”

Ruo hesitated. Kasu wondered if they even remembered that the men had mentioned Lord Cobalt.

“You’re lying to me, aren’t you, little curse?” Lady Camellia leaned over Ruo, her shadow engulfing the cat completely.

“I’m not! Kasu said—”

“Kasu?” Lady Camellia reared back. “What does she have to do with anything?”

Ruo’s eyes widened.

Kasu couldn’t remember exactly when Ruo had started showing up at Camellia House, only that one day the curse was there with a razor-sharp smile and glowing golden eyes. She did not know why, of all the people who worked there, Ruo had decided to stick around her the most, but she knew Ruo owed her nothing. They were just a curse, after all. One could not rely on the generosity of a curse’s whims.

“Whatever happens, don’t come out,” she whispered.

Arun gave her a sharp look and reached for her wrist, but she slipped out of his grasp.

Without a backwards glance, Kasu stood up and stepped out from behind the shelves, her hands raised.

“I’m here, Lady Camellia.”

Ruo jumped in surprise.

“Kasu. I’m disappointed.” Lady Camellia sighed, though her expression did not say “disappointed”. Her expression did not say much at all. The half of her face that still had skin and flesh was tightly pinched into a look Kasu could not parse.

“What Ruo said is true. There were ghosts poking around your floor. They were the ones who did this.” Kasu gestured to the broken glass strewn everywhere.

“And what were you doing here, Kasu?”

It would be easy to lie. To tell Lady Camellia that, as Ruo had said, they had seen suspicious ghosts sneaking around at night and followed them into Lady Camellia’s chambers to investigate. She could say that she had been working late, tidying up the gambling tiles or wiping down the cabinets, when she noticed them. A lie would get her out of this situation.

The truth is a gift you must always give, no matter how hard. Even if others scorn you, even if they would prefer a convenient lie, you must never abandon the truth.

Kasu could not, would not, defy the Heavenly Principles.

“I met the Pale Lady a few nights ago. She knows that you’ve been making some kind of elixir that can make ghosts and demons go mad.”