Chapter 32: Breaking the contract

While Ziana enjoyed the simplicity of her mundane day, Zayden had to endure the torment inflicted by his overbearing mother. She had jolted him awake with a distorted cry, demanding to arrange a briefing quickly. And now, they all awaited the grand entrance of this old hag through the forbidden door of the Afterlife.

"My head hurts," Yael grumbled, still feeling the effects of last night's party, leaning on Lia's shoulder. Among the reapers, he was the most vulnerable, perpetually struggling to adapt to human lifestyles, yet he recklessly threw himself into such moronic gatherings.

"Should I get you another drink?" Zayden mockingly offered, his voice tinged with feigned concern. His eyes darted toward Lia and Xavier, the culprits behind his condition, but they wisely avoided his gaze. Yael pouted but remained silent, despite having consumed only a few glasses of alcohol.

"I'll get you a hangover remedy that humans usually drink," Lia whispered, gently stroking Yael's head. "Just bear it until the meeting," she added, and Yael nodded gratefully.

"Can you fetch me one too?" Xavier asked, frustration evident in his tone. Seated beside Yael, he had become somewhat addicted to alcohol, emptying a few bottles that now took a toll on his head. Leaning back on the couch, he ran his hand through his hair, earning a disapproving scowl from Zayden. They seemed to be truly savoring the pleasures of Earth, unlike him.

But before he could reprimand their carelessness, a faint striking glow from upstairs shifted their attention. The beautiful white door, adorned with intricate carvings of angels, creaked open with a soft whisper that reverberated throughout the villa.

Draped in regal snowy attire, Lady Winter stepped out of the room and stood before the plain glass railing. Her piercing gaze swept over her subjects seated downstairs, a sly smile gracing her lips. With a mere flick of her hand, she effortlessly defied gravity, floating in the air before descending like a wisp of winter wind.

The moment her feet touched the ground in front of the lounge, the reapers rose from their seats, bowing deeply to their esteemed goddess—except for Zayden, who crossed his arms and scoffed at her dramatic entrance.

"There are stairs for a reason," commented the scornful son, eyeing the grand wooden staircase in the corner of the hall.

Lady Winter ignored him and walked to the ottoman placed between the three-seater sofa and the lounge chair occupied by Zayden. Swirling her long-slit white sleeves, she elegantly sat on the pouf. Her eyes brightened at the sight of the trees she had ordered to be brought here, bringing fresh colors to Zayden's dark abode. She hoped for these vibrant trees to breathe life into him, even if just a little.

"Sit down," she gestured with her hand, her brows furrowing in displeasure at her devoted children's disheveled appearance.

"I will get you some tea, my lady," Lia quickly said, bolting out of the lounge, leaving the other two reapers to face their goddess's interrogation.

"What did you do now?" Lady Winter's voice reverberated through the glass-etched surroundings, sending a chill down Yael's spine. He dared not meet her frost-kissed eyes. In the silence, she glared at the most disobedient reaper in the room, who nonchalantly shrugged, clearly indicating his lack of involvement in their little adventure, his clean demeanor serving as proof.

"Yael wanted to try some whiskey, so we had a little last night," Xavier lied through his teeth, and Yael looked at him in sheer shock, his expression paler than a ghost. No, he was innocent!

"Tch, tch," Lady Winter clicked her tongue, shaking her head in disappointment. Her gaze then shifted to Yael, and a gentle smile graced her lips. In a soothing voice, she spoke to him, "It's good to see you enjoying your time here, but do take note of your health. It would be unfortunate if you were to fall ill again, dear."

Yael, with his bubbly smile, nodded gratefully, while Zayden let out a loud scoff. The youngest ones were always spared and treated with special affection. If he had been in Yael's shoes, this woman would have punished him rather than issuing a simple warning.

Lady Winter's gaze shifted to Xavier, her tone becoming slightly more serious and stiff. "Make sure you know not to cross the limits when indulging in such earthly activities. If you do, be ready to face the consequences." Xavier obediently nodded in response.

Zayden scoffed again. Even the middle children were lucky sometimes. The eldest son thought resentfully as his dear mother turned to face him.

"And you!" Her voice grew louder, devoid of any affection. "I'd bet that aside from torturing that poor girl, you also spared some time to focus on your mission." Crossing her arms, she demanded, "Where's the amulet?"

"And when will the butterflies show up and lead us to the real culprit behind last night's attack?" she roared, clearly upset that his smart decision didn't move the hearts of her higher-ups. Instead of praising him for his cunning disposition, they blamed him for their incompetence in protecting Ziana from the attacks. They clearly regretted agreeing to her decision to bind her soul to him through their soul-convergence agreement, the marriage contract in Ziana's eyes, which he had failed to seal and validate properly.

"Where are the butterflies right now?" she asked again in pure frustration.

Zayden sighed, as he had no answers to her questions. It had been his fourth day on Earth, and yet he had failed to find a single clue about the amulet. Ziana needed to be blamed for it. If it weren't for that woman's sudden entanglement and her risk of being the throne-contender of the Defenders organization, he would have had plenty of time to search for the jewel while also protecting her life.

"And how far did you investigate Katherine?" Lady Winter threw a question at Lia, who came in with a tray and placed it on the wooden table in the center.

"She has a clean background here, and," Lia hesitated, fear clearly evident in her voice as she continued, "unfortunately, I have lost track of her, my lady. That woman seems to be aware of our suspicion."

Lady Winter sighed, burden weighing down her shoulders. With broken portals and injured dimension walls, the world was currently in chaos. Humans were under impending threat, and she was appointed to lead the risk management. Ziana was one of the humans she needed to protect at all costs.

"Looks like you guys are failing to fulfill your tasks," she commented, her voice laced with disappointment. "We don't have much time, so let's reorder our tasks and finish them quickly."

Turning to Lia, who quietly poured the tea into a cup, Lady Winter declared, "From now on, you are in charge of finding the amulet. Gather the supernaturals you know here on Earth and bring them to me." Turning to Yael, she added, "Help her with it. Use your kindness to find the clues."

Yael nodded and assured her with a small smile, clearly understanding her words. Lia followed his gesture and continued preparing the herbal tea.

"Xavier," Xavier's senses alerted at his leader's call, ready to take up his new mission. But her words only deadpanned him, "You will find Katherine and keep an eye on her."

"Use your brain if your charms won't work on her," Lady Winter added, recalling his ugly encounter with that woman last time.

"Please reassign me a new task. I don't wish to see her again, Lady Winter," Xavier retorted, hatred clearly fueling his voice. He would never meet that insolent woman again who had called him abnormal, let alone keep an eye on her.

"Then be ready to lose your powers and live as a mere human for the next three months," Lady Winter's curt words echoed in the glass space, her serious expression leaving no room for Xavier to argue.

"I think Zayden will be happy to have company. Right?" she said, her eyes shifting to Zayden, who had a scowl on his handsome face.

Yael and Lia shared a brief glance, both pressing their lips to avoid laughing at their subordinate's miseries. Lady Winter was skilled at silencing these rebellious reapers, and they enjoyed her low-key roasting antics.

"And you, my dear sweet son, locate those butterflies and bring that demon back to life soon," Lady Winter ordered the sulking guy, who acted deaf to her words.

"The higher-ups won't tolerate any more nuisance from you in regards to Ziana. So be nice to her if you don't wish to rot in hell." She made sure to add, as those old officials were upset with his behavior. They wanted him to be a gentleman and treat her kindly, to persuade her mother to reveal her daughter to the defenders' world, but he was doing the opposite.

"Then let's break my contract with her! It would greatly help me focus on my task." Zayden grumbled, annoyed by their affection for a mere human like her, who was nothing but an impudent raccoon!

"You haven't sealed it yet, so it's technically invalid," Lady Winter answered, but she knew better than anyone else that this brat would not accept it.

"Make it official!"

"Do you think we have time for that right now, Zayden?"

"Do it, or find those butterflies and the culprit yourself," Zayden stated, crossing his arms and leaning back in the chair. "I have all the time to see how you guys will make efforts to save this precious human." His words only made the other three reapers sigh. He was going too far now, and they could only pray for his well-being.

"Without my help," the haughty reaper added with a smirk, and Lady Winter finally understood why Ziana hated him so much. Just like her, she wished to tear his disdainful mouth.