Page 89 of The Cannibal

“You care so much about how things look, but have you considered how you look to me?” I said steadily. I was beyond angry, so much so that I was calm. Like the tide dragging out before a seiche.

“How do I look, then?” she taunted. “Forgive me for caring.”

“All you care for is control,” I said plainly. “I have been patient, painfully so, with both you and Luka. I am tired being told what to do.”

“Spoken like a child.” She shook her head. “Is this it? The mighty hill you must stand on? How do I look to you, then? Go on.”

“An egotist.”

“An egotist? For caring?”

“About yourself,” I finished for her, “for caring for your own self-image, not mine.”

I recognized that look again, it must be hereditary. The look of being metaphorically cut open with your organs on display, the deeper parts of her on display. Could she deny it? Or is she in shock I said anything at all?

Phoebe cleared her throat, looking away from me as she held herself together. It was like I turned her off with the flick of a switch. She turned her back to me, a bit hesitantly before she fully began walking away. To me it was like I opened a wound that she had no choice but to cower from as she left.

Once again, left alone.

This time the abandonment was undeniably my fault, but I cared very little at that moment. I was paralyzed with whether or not I should give up for the day and retreat to my rooms.

26

THE POISONER

Besides the sleepless night, the morning was no different.

Between the full home and typical chaos, Appraisal preparation was in full swing. I didn’t know we had this much staff. It was like when you flush out an anthill and realize how big it actually was.

I opened the bedroom door to a blockage—a sofa directly in front of my door.

Staff were actively moving a table in front of me, others carried single chairs back and forth.

I had to climb over the back, stepping on the cushions before my slippers met the floor on the other side.

It was hardly necessary to rearrange the entire layout of the home. Unless I was misinterpreting the guest plan, we shouldn’t be having too many more guests. I assumed a representative from each country plus their spouse and an assistant. The mansion was commodious as it was.

Furniture was brought out to the hallway as they rearranged the parlor.

I went down the stairs to see spare rooms being cleared out and cleaned. Maids cleaned the inside window glass as wipers cleaned in tandem from the outside. Every crevice poked and prodded until even the porous stone shined.

Everything smelled like lemon. Typically this was pleasant, but now it was just an onslaught on the senses. I swore even my eyes could feel the sting.

By the time I reached the bottom floor it was an even bigger mess than the previous two. The gallery doors were wide open as they moved the furniture out to the rest of the home like blood carrying oxygen to the limbs. Hallways had more sofas than before, new conversation nooks were created, and the gallery was cleared completely. The only thing that remained was the piano in the corner.

As I turned the corner to head to the other rooms, I had to duck and dodge all sorts of furnishing limbs as well as bustling staff.

The first parlor room didn’t seem to be moved much, as its function didn’t need changing for this event. The dining room looked more lively than ever. A new tablecloth with not even a wrinkle pinching the crimson surface. The napkins were white, which was odd to me when I first started attending dinners in the home. You would think people who drank blood wouldn’t want something so easily stainable. My shortcoming was assuming these were normal, working-class folk. White napkins can be bleached, or they buy new ones completely.

The center vase was red leaded glass that shimmered almost as much as the chandelier above. There were no flowers yet, but I wasn’t looking forward to the next sinus irritation.

Finally, a flash of pink.

“Phoebe,” I called. “Phoebe!”

She disappeared again just as fast as she came.

It was like navigating a busy market, the way I had to push through the multiple teams working on whipping the space into shape.