That week felt like hell for Edric. The shadow of the pact offered by the Devil continued to haunt him. He tried to find solace in music, but every note now felt cold, empty, and unable to fill the swelling void within him. He avoided Lilian, his father, and all his obligations, hiding in an endless emptiness.
Meanwhile, Alaric Thornleigh wasted no time. After William's attempt to tempt Celia failed, Alaric took a further step. He summoned Celia to the Thornleigh residence, offering her a large sum of money—gold, jewels, and property in another village—if she would leave Edric and the city forever. "This is not a request, Miss Bennett," Alaric's voice was cold and authoritative. "This is an offer. Take it, and live peacefully far from my son."
Unbeknownst to Alaric, Edric, who was then walking down the corridor towards his father's study, overheard every word of that conversation through a slightly ajar door. His face paled, his blood ran cold. Not only was his desire for Celia wounded, but his last trust in his family shattered into pieces. His father. Orchestrating all this.
Edric burst through the door, fury burning in his eyes. "Father! What are you doing?" his voice thundered, filling the room.
Alaric and Celia gasped. Celia's face turned pale, her eyes filled with fear.
"Edric! How dare you interrupt!" Alaric growled, his face flushed.
"Father, you cannot do this!" Edric stepped forward, shielding Celia. "I don't care about your money, Father. I will never leave Celia. Never!" His eyes fixed sharply on his father, filled with a rebellion he had never shown before. "I will break my engagement to Lilian. I will announce this at the king's palace concert at the end of this week. I will tell everyone who you truly are, Father!"
Alaric stared at his son, his face slowly transforming into an expression of pure, almost demonic, rage. "You dare?! You will destroy everything! The Thornleigh name, your future!"
"I don't care!" Edric roared. He grabbed Celia's hand. "Come, Celia. We're leaving this place. I promise you, before that concert takes place, we will meet and flee this city forever. We will live together somewhere else where no one knows Edric Sebastian Thornleigh at all."
Without waiting for his father's response, who stood frozen in fury, Edric pulled Celia and rushed out of the room, leaving Alaric Thornleigh trembling with rage and resentment.
Alaric Thornleigh, now consumed by burning anger and humiliation, could not accept this insult. His son had defied him, threatening to destroy everything he had built. Alaric knew there was only one way to stop Edric now. He contacted a witch he knew (the outcast witch previously hired for Celia), explained the situation, and requested a special potion. A potion that could alter appearance.
[The Final Trap: Deadly Betrayal]
The day before the grand concert at the palace, the day Edric and Celia had promised to meet and flee, Alaric unleashed his wicked plan.
He summoned William Richard to the Thornleigh residence. There, the outcast witch waited with a bottle of dark green potion. Alaric explained his scheme. William, despite a hint of hesitation in his eyes (knowing he wouldn't betray Edric for a woman, yet bound by debt or Alaric's coercion), finally nodded. He drank the potion. Instantly, his body twisted and writhed, his face altered, his hair lengthened, and under Alaric's cold gaze, William transformed into a perfect duplicate of Edric Sebastian Thornleigh.
Alaric instructed William (in Edric's form) to immediately go to Celia's residence, pick her up, and take her to a pre-arranged inn. Meanwhile, Alaric executed his part of the plan to distract the real Edric. He approached Edric, acting sweetly and full of remorse, apologizing for his previous actions. Alaric offered Edric a relaxing stay at a luxurious inn outside the city as a sign of his apology, as a time for 'reconciliation'. Edric, though hesitant, eventually accepted, hoping it could be the beginning of reconciliation with his father.
They arrived at the inn. Alaric booked two adjacent rooms, ensuring Edric's room was right next to the one prepared for William and Celia. As the night deepened, Alaric's 'reconciliation' supper continued, further exhausting Edric.
Suddenly, from the next room, Edric heard sounds. Whispers, soft laughter, and murmurs that seemed familiar. Celia's voice. His heart pounded, his blood ran cold. He shouldn't be hearing that voice here. He was certain it was Celia. But with whom? He moved closer to the dividing wall, pressing his ear against it, trying to find a crack or a peephole. He found one. A small crack in the wood.
Through that narrow crack, Edric's world collapsed. There, in the dimly lit room, he saw Celia. And a man. With long hair, with a profile he knew intimately. Edric. Or at least, who he thought was himself. Celia, laughing, caressing the man's face, then their lips met in a burning kiss. They embraced, making love, as if nothing else in the world existed. Edric witnessed the intimacy he had only dreamed of with Celia, now brutally displayed before him, with another man—his own doppelganger.
His heart ached. More than just pain, he felt torn apart, struck by an unimaginable betrayal. A freezing sorrow, followed by a surge of burning rage.
He stepped back, his eyes filled with tears and fire. With a roar almost unheard, Edric kicked and broke down the room's door. The scene inside was exposed. William, still in Edric's guise, gasped. Celia screamed, her face pale with shock and terror.
"Celia!" Edric roared, his voice filled with burning disappointment. He lunged at William. "Traitor! Bastard!" Edric beat William mercilessly, his fists slamming into a face identical to his own, consumed by blind fury. Blood flowed from William's nose, but Edric didn't care.
Celia screamed, trying to separate them. "Edric! No! Stop! I... I didn't know it was William! I swear! I thought it was you!" She sobbed, trying to reach for Edric's hand.
But Edric, blinded by pain and simple logic, did not accept the explanation. "Lies! Do you think I'm a fool?! How could you not know?! You betrayed me! You and him! Both of you!" His voice trembled, more from heartbreak than anger. "I... I don't want to see you again, Celia Bennett. Our relationship... it's over. I don't believe you anymore."
Edric looked at Celia with a final, disappointed gaze, then turned, leaving them both in the devastated room. Celia sobbed, screaming his name, but Edric didn't care. He ran out of the inn, towards the stables. Quickly, he mounted his horse and galloped away, piercing the darkness of the night.
He spurred his horse through the forest, through dense trees that seemed to embrace him in darkness. Tears streamed down his cheeks, mingling with the sudden downpour. A rumble thundered across the sky, as if nature itself felt his rage. Lightning flashed, illuminating his face, now filled with despair and agony.
"DEVIL!" Edric shrieked, his voice hoarse with rage and sorrow, echoing through the trees. "YOU WANT MY SOUL?! TAKE IT! I ACCEPT YOUR PACT! COME! GIVE ME POWER! I WANT TO AVENGE THIS PAIN! I WILL HAVE EVERYTHING, LIVE AS I PLEASE, BOUND BY NO ONE! TAKE THIS SOUL!"
In the darkness and storm, the figure of the Devil emerged, a sly smile spreading across its indistinct face. "Love is but trash, Maestro," the Devil's whisper cut through the sound of the rain. "An illusion that binds. With my help, you can not only avenge your heartache, but you will gain everything you desire. Absolute power. True freedom. Live as you please, bound by no one." The Devil extended a hand, and Edric, without hesitation, grasped it. A flash of dark energy surged again, marking the sealed pact.
[Fate of William and Celia]
In the ruined inn room, William Richard, now returned to his original form, staggered, his face bruised and battered. He looked at Celia who was still sobbing on the floor. A piercing guilt suddenly struck him. This was his fault. He knelt before Celia, his voice breaking.
"Celia," William pleaded. "I... I'm so sorry. I didn't know it would be like this. I didn't know he would see it. I... I was just doing as I was told. I truly do like you, Celia. I... I didn't mean to hurt you."
Celia looked up, her swollen eyes blazing with fury and hatred. "Go! Get out of here, William Richard! You traitor! You destroyed everything! I never want to see your face again! Go as far as you can! As far as you can!" She screamed, tears flowing freely, her hands trembling as she pointed to the door. Cries of despair and rage filled the room.