Justice for Louise: A Tale That Began with Betrayal
“Why do you let him treat you like this, Louise? You’re not his property! You’re strong—you could break free,” whispered Emily, curled up on the settee.
Louise sighed deeply before replying in a quiet voice:
“He’s my father. And he’s got a signed document declaring me ‘unfit.’ That’s why I’m here. He’s not just a wealthy man—he’s a man of influence. No matter how far I run, he’ll always find me. There’s no escaping this.”
“Then while you’re stuck here, you might as well help me. I’ll pay you for it—fair’s fair,” Louise said with a conspiratorial wink.
“I’d have helped anyway,” Emily smiled. “But I won’t say no. The money will be useful when I’m free again. I don’t need magic to know something’s wrong—but to confirm my dreams, I’ll need a lock of your hair.”
Quickly, Emily pulled out a tiny knife and nimbly snipped a few strands.
“Tonight, we’ll have our answers. We’ll find out what potion they slipped you, why you were left with nothing but despair instead of protection.”
The next morning, Louise couldn’t find Emily anywhere. She dodged her, hid in corners, vanished for treatments.
“Why are you avoiding me?” Louise cornered her in the garden. “We had an agreement!”
“You won’t believe me,” Emily muttered darkly. “You’ll think I’m spinning tales for coin.”
“Enough. Tell me what you saw.”
Emily led Louise to a secluded path and sat beside her.
“Listen carefully. I dreamed…”
Thomas stretched lazily in bed.
“Wake up, sleepyhead! I’ve found our next mark.”
“Let me rest…” he groaned.
“You can sleep later. Look—here’s the paper. See this woman? Her name’s Louise. Co-owner of a corporation, no family… just a future husband. And if all goes well, that’ll be you.”
“Marry her?” Thomas’s throat went dry.
“Yes. But first, make her fall for you. Be kind, humble—pretend you’re poor but hardworking. She’ll soften, help you, invest in your ‘business.’”
“And then I vanish with the money? And you step in?”
“Exactly, love,” Clara stroked his hair. “And when she agrees to a ritual, thinking she’s helping you, I’ll slip her a curse. A demon will eat away her mind. Then… an ‘accident.’ The inheritance will be yours.”
“If it works…”
“It will. We’ve got magic. And each other.”
When Emily finished speaking, Louise stayed silent, lips pressed tight.
“Well? What do you say?” Emily finally burst out.
“I say I’ll act. First, we banish the demon. Then… retribution.”
“Fair warning—if you delay, they’ll flee. People like them don’t wait.”
“I’m ready. Help me drive it out.”
Emily cut another lock of hair.
“Be prepared. When it leaves, Clara will sense it. You won’t have much time.”
That night, Louise barely dozed. Shivers racked her, whispers hissed in her ears. But by dawn—it was gone. The world sharpened. People seemed ordinary again.
“Emily! It worked!” she rushed to her friend’s room—only to find it empty. The nurses said Emily had been moved. Something had happened in the night.
“She’ll return when she’s better,” they assured her.
Louise couldn’t reach Clara or Thomas. Their phones were dead. They’d fled. Now, all that mattered was leaving… and thanking Emily.
“You’re alive!” Louise cried when Emily finally reappeared.
“Barely. Sent the demon back, almost got trapped myself,” she rasped with a weak smile. “And you?”
“They’re gone. Vanished. I’m recovering—the doctor says I’ll be released soon.”
“I’ll be staying. Father extended my sentence. But you’ll visit, won’t you?”
“Of course. How will I reach you?”
“Like this,” Emily pulled out her knife again, snipped a braid, and handed it over. “Tuck it under your pillow—I’ll hear you.”
“And revenge?”
“I won’t dirty my hands. Justice should decide their fate.”
“Then trust me. I’ll take it to those higher up. Let them judge what’s deserved.”
Six Months Later
Louise sat on the sofa with a glass of wine, flipping through a private investigator’s file.
Clara and Thomas had run. Louise returned to an emptied flat—her investments gone. Clara quit her job, vanished. They’d flown off together… but the idyll ended fast. Money didn’t save them. They quarreled, divided the spoils, and parted ways.
Clara tangled with the wrong sort. The investigator hinted her remains likely rested at the ocean’s depths.
“Magic couldn’t save you, Clara,” Louise murmured.
As for Thomas? Back to his schemes. Gambled. Lost. Owed more than he could repay. The only valuable things left? His organs.
“At least he saved someone’s life,” Louise inclined her head. “Justice served.”
And Emily? She lived deep in the woods now, where Louise’s father once planned to build holiday homes. Louise had gifted her the land—a refuge, a sanctuary, a home.
Louise pulled a braid from a small trinket box and smiled.
“Well, old friend… Shall we chat? I’ll visit soon. Our holiday will be magical.”
