Now there were no glass in their windows, however, as in the whole tower. But the weather was very warm, and it was quite possible to do without them if an incense burner for driving away insects was burning.

Karina was more upset by the broken water pipe. The black and red warriors tried to fix it, but they didn’t figure out how to supply warm water to the rooms upstairs. Karina stood and watched as a pitiful trickle of cold water barely flowed from the tap when she heard loud screams and noise below in the square. She ran to the window and saw that Tol was entering the main gate, and Lila was sitting sideways in the saddle next to him. Tol, unlike Lis, didn’t hesitate and wasted no time, he organized a ferry and crossed the river to Riverside village, transported the servants, cooks, gunsmiths and everyone he left there, including his new wife. He also took a few of the prince’s people from those who didn’t die of hunger and typhus. And now Lila was sitting, huddled up to him, as tiny as a figurine in a beautiful dress and cape. The black mercenaries of Kors recognized her. They began to greet Lila. Karina heard their admiring cries and exclamations:

“It's Lila! Royal theater actress!”

One of the black warriors was already running across the square with a bouquet of flowers, where did they come from? Karina was shivering: “I will kill this bitch,” she thought in all seriousness. “Lis killed Tol’s first wife, and I will kill the second!” At the same time, she couldn’t take her eyes off what was happening, and now Lis was in a hurry to them, helping Lila to get off the horse. And the unclean ones, those who were repairing the gate at that moment, literally froze in a stupor. They have abandoned all their affairs and stand as bewitched. As well as Karina, frozen at the window. Lila seemed to be embarrassed by such attention to her person, or rather, at first, she accepted the flowers with a smile, and then, looking around and seeing the glances of the uncleans directed at her, she changed her expression. As if frightened, she quickly adjusted the cape on her hair and covered her face with the edge of the fabric.

“Bitch! Bitch! Bitch!” Karina saw exactly how at that moment Lis raised his head and looked up at their windows. He saw Karina, and his eyes… he seemed to say to her: “You see how decent girls behave?”

Karina drew back from the window, tears gushed from her eyes.

“What a bitch! Fuck! Lis will now bring Tol and his bitch to us!”

Karina rushed to her long-suffering burgundy dress, to her bag, where she kept her pearl earrings. “Heck! Heck! Heck!”

15

The fiend

Don't fall prey to your own fears.

Karina put on a burgundy dress and pearl earrings, pulled her hair up, styling it into a beautiful hairstyle with hairpins. She put on her makeup, borrowing a box of cosmetics from a slave who lived here before: she hid the traces of beatings under the tonal dye, beautifully emphasized the shape of her eyebrows with black and painted her eyes, making them even more expressive, and painted her lips with dark cherry lipstick to match the dress. She hadn't done makeup for so long, but as it turned out, she hadn't forgotten anything.

Satisfied, she looked at her reflection – she was a real beauty and noble lady, in this form it would not be shameful to go to a ball at the palace. When Lis entered the room, Karina, who was sitting in front of the mirror, turned to him with a slight smile. And seeing her, Lis froze. He seemed speechless, and it was so unlike him. Karina looked a little condescendingly at his admiring face and adjusted her hair with a casual gesture: