The Tyrant’s Last Doll

, but I could tell he also felt guilty about leaving a grandma who was basically blind to go on her own.
I took a look at the flower cookies, then faced him.

“Sir Dylan,” I said, “I’ll go straight to the shop.
Go escort the grandma for now.”

His eyebrows rose sharply.
“I can’t do that.
Anything could happen.”

I rolled my eyes at him.
“The shop is just right there.
It wouldn’t take me ten seconds to run over.”

The grandma must have overhead our conversation because the next thing I knew, she was trying to stop us from helping her.

“I’m sorry,” she said.
“You already found my glasses.
I’ll go find someone else, so you can be on your way.”

Dylan seemed to be feeling even worse after that.
Clearly, he had no idea what to do.
So I decided to persuade him.

“Sir Dylan,” I began, “why don’t we all go into the store together? Then you can escort the grandma to her destination?”

He rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
“That won’t be a problem for me.”

It would be okay since Eris was in the shop.
Dylan conceded at my suggestion.

A few moments later, Dylan and I arrived in front of the shop with the grandma.

“I’ll be right back,” he told me.
“Please wait inside the building.”

“Okay.
Will do.” I took all the snacks from him.

“Thank you, Miss,” the grandma said.
“You’re so kind.
Good things will happen to you today.”

With that, she and Dylan left.
I waved after them, then turned to enter the shop.

These sugar cookies are going to melt.

I made to open the door.
And then it happened.

“I found you,” a man’s voice said.
I started to turn to see who it was, but a hand clutching a handkerchief clamped over my mouth, suffocating me.

He used a drug…

The last thing I remembered was the sound of the snacks breaking as the bags slipped from my hands and fell to the ground.

***

“Miss Deron?”

A chill travelled down Eris’s spine.
She stopped picking clothes and whirled on the spot.
After a moment’s hesitation, she tossed the clothes she was carrying and dashed downstairs.

“Miss Deron? What’s wrong?”

A bewildered Lina raced after her, jumping over the railing instead of taking the stairs.
Customers and employees alike yelped and shrieked in surprise, but Eris didn’t care one bit.
She wrenched the entrance door.

“Iona!”

There was no one at the door.
Passers-by outside shot odd stares in Eris’s direction.

“Miss?” Lina called, as she reached the front door.

Eris said nothing.
She bit her lip, an agitated look on her face, and darted outside, but had only taken a few steps when something caught her eye.
Grinding to a halt, she turned to get a closer look, and her agitation grew.

“This is…”

Scattered on the ground were more than enough snacks for one person, but Eris was quite certain that these were Iona’s purchases.
Definitely hers.
The pretty flower cookies were visible between the crushed doughnuts.
Eris could hardly make it out, since it had been crushed on the ground.
As she took in the sight, a chill raced down her spine.