The Guardian They Left for Dead

Chapter 5: What Loyalty Cost Her

The Skyreach Arena was already crowded by the time Mira entered the private section with a tray in her hands.

Warriors from powerful houses gathered around the fighting platform, preparing for the battle that would decide the next lord of Skyreach. Nobles sat beneath decorated shades while servants moved between them with food and wine, careful not to interrupt the excited conversations filling the arena.

Mira moved more slowly than the other servants.

The plain dress hanging from her body was too large, hiding how much weight she had lost since she was brought there. Her fingers were bruised from work, face was pale, and dark marks circled both wrists beneath the magical restraints that sealed her power.

Every step hurts.

She had been awake since before sunrise, cleaning rooms, carrying water and obeying every cruel order given to her. They barely fed her, but refusing to work meant punishment, and punishment meant she might not survive long enough to see Nia again.

That thought kept her moving.

Nia was still at Voss Manor.

Mira did not know whether her daughter had eaten that morning, whether she was warm or anyone had hurt her. The uncertainty had become its own kind of torture. Every night, she imagined Nia crying for her, and every morning, she forced herself to rise because her daughter had no one else.

“Come here.”

Mira’s steps paused.

Asher sat in the centre of the private section, surrounded by men eager to gain his favour. He had not yet won the lordship, but they were already treating him like a ruler.

Mira lowered her gaze and walked over.

Asher watched her approach with open satisfaction. Once, Mira Voss had been a proud daughter of House Voss, admired for her beauty and talent. Now she stood before him in servant clothes, thin, exhausted and bound by magic.

“What a waste,” he said. “Look at what you have become.”

Mira held the tray without answering.

“You could have been standing beside the next lord today,” Asher continued. “All you had to do was make the right choice.”

Her fingers tightened around the tray.

Years ago, Asher had asked her to betray Jayden. When she refused, he told her she would regret it. Even after Jayden disappeared, he kept returning, promising protection if she abandoned the engagement and submitted to him.

Mira refused every time.

Now she was paying for it.

Asher leaned back. “Even after Jayden vanished, you still had a chance to come to me. Instead, you waited for a dead man until everyone started calling you mad.”

Mira kept her eyes lowered.

She knew what he wanted. He wanted anger and for her to fight so he could punish her in front of everyone.

But she was tired, and somewhere far from this arena, Nia needed her alive.

Asher’s smile faded when she remained silent.

“Has suffering finally taught you obedience?”

Mira swallowed the bitterness rising in her throat. “What do you want to drink?”

Several men laughed.

Asher stared at her, annoyed by the quiet answer. Then his gaze moved over her bruised wrists.

“I was speaking to you about Jayden.”

Mira’s chest tightened at the name, but she said nothing.

Asher stood and stepped closer. “Perhaps you have finally accepted that he abandoned you.”

“He didn’t.”

The words escaped before she could stop them.

Asher smiled again. “There she is.”

Mira slowly raised her eyes.

“He isn’t dead,” she said. Her voice was tired, but certain. “And he did not abandon me.”

“Years have passed without a letter or message.”

“I know him.”

“You knew a powerless boy whose family was slaughtered.” Asher stepped closer. “That boy is either dead or hiding somewhere like a coward.”

Mira’s eyes hardened, but she remained still.

Asher enjoyed the pain in her face. “And you were foolish enough to bear his child.”

At the mention of Nia, Mira’s grip tightened.

“A sickly little thing carrying the blood of a ruined family,” he added. “Perhaps it would have been kinder if she had never been born.”

“Do not speak about my daughter.”

The private section became quiet,Asher looked pleased that he had finally touched the wound he wanted.

“Why not? Where is her great father now? You work like an animal while his daughter survives on scraps at Voss Manor.”

Mira’s throat tightened.

The image of Nia alone in that cold manor struck her harder than any insult.

Asher leaned close enough that only she and the men nearest could hear him. “Once I become lord, you will remain here as my servant. Perhaps my mistress too, if I still find you worth touching.”

Mira stared ahead, trying not to react.

“And when I grow bored,” he continued, “I may give you to my men. As for that child, perhaps the kitchen dogs can spare some food for her.”

Something inside Mira broke.

She picked up the cup on the tray and threw its contents into his face.

The private section fell silent.

Wine ran down Asher’s cheek and stained the front of his expensive robe. He did not move for several seconds.

Mira’s body was shaking, not only from anger but from fear. She knew what would follow, yet she could not regret it.

“Go to hell,” she said. “I am Jayden Jian’s fiancée. No title you steal will ever change that.”

Asher wiped his face slowly.

“You still compare him to me?”

“No.” Mira’s voice sharpened now. “There is no comparison. Jayden lost everything and still remained a man. You have everything and still behave like a starving dog.”

The men around them looked away and Asher’s calm shattered.

His hand struck her across the face.

Mira staggered, and the tray crashed onto the floor. Before she could regain her balance, Asher grabbed her chin and forced her to look at him.

“You have forgotten your place.”

Mira tasted blood and Asher pushed her away and pointed toward the floor.

“Kneel.”

She remained standing but then the magical marks around her wrists flashed.

Pain tore through her arms and spread across her body. Her knees struck the stone before she could stop them, and a broken gasp escaped her lips.

The nobles nearby laughed and Asher placed one boot in front of her.

“Clean it.”

Mira stared at the leather.

Her body was weak. Her wrists burned, her cheek throbbed, and fear twisted inside her because every punishment made escape less likely.

Still, she could not do it.

“I would rather die.”

The restraints tightened.

Mira’s body bent forward against her will. Blood slipped from her nose as she fought the magic, both hands shaking while she struggled to keep her face away from his boot.

Asher watched with satisfaction.

“This is what loyalty to Jayden Jian has given you,” he said loudly. “The proud daughter of House Voss, crawling at my feet.”

More laughter rose around them.

Mira’s vision blurred, but she turned her face aside before the magic could force her any lower.

“You can control my body,” she said through clenched teeth, “but you will never make me yours.”

Asher’s expression darkened but before he could punish her again, a horn sounded across the arena.

The crowd turned toward the fighting platform as the herald stepped forward.

“Warriors of Skyreach, take your positions! The competition to choose the next lord will now begin!”

Cheers shook the arena and Asher looked toward the platform, then back at Mira.

“This is not over,” he whispered. “When I return as lord, I will make you beg me to take you.”

He released the magical restraint enough for her to move, then turned and walked toward the arena.

Mira remained on her knees until the pain eased.

Only then did she press one hand against the floor and force herself up. Her legs shook, and tears burned behind her eyes, but she refused to let them fall where anyone could see.

She was afraid, not for herself but for Nia.

If Mira died here, her daughter would be left alone among people who already hated her. So she swallowed her pain, wiped the blood from her mouth and looked toward the nearest exit.

She had to survive.

Then she had to escape this place and return to her daughter.

Nia was all she had left of Jayden, and Mira would crawl through hell before she allowed Asher to take that from her too.