Rise of the Lustful Evil Monarch (Re)

Third Person's POV

It's nothing. Why am I worrying about such small things today?

Virelle shook her head and tried to clear the thoughts that were plaguing her mind.

Master is most likely discussing something secret about Brother Ethan's Master. Most likely, it is a message from the Lord Dragoness and she must have specifically requested Master to keep it confidential and tell its contents only to Brother Ethan.

Suddenly, she felt a gaze on her and turned her head and her eyes met those of the scarred girl.

The girl's eerie grayish-blue eyes bore into her but they were devoid of the warmth and the little bit of playfulness she had shown earlier in Ethan's presence.

Her expression was blank and it seemed almost unnatural. Seeing this sight, Virelle suddenly felt a shiver run down her spine.

The sound of crows cawing overhead drew her attention, and she glanced up to see dark clouds rolling in that had blotted out the sun. The once-bright clearing was now cast in shadows and the air grew colder with each passing moment.

Virelle's unease deepened as she turned her gaze toward the library. Through the windows, she could see that the once lively room had fallen silent.

The people who had been bustling about earlier were gone and were replaced by hooded figures who moved silently among the dark bookshelves.

Where did everyone go? she wondered as her heart raced frantically.

They were just here a moment ago…

A sudden tug on her dress snapped her out of her thoughts. She looked down to see Velcy clutching the fabric and her once glassy eyes which had now returned to normal were wide with fear.

The eerie shine in her eyes had faded and was instead replaced by a look of pure anxiety.

"Elder Sister Virelle," Velcy whispered as her voice trembled with the cold wind.

"I feel… scared. Can't we go inside?"

Virelle hesitated for a moment and her instincts screamed at her to heed the ominous signs. Without a word, she grabbed Velcy's hand and hurried toward the castle in quick and long strides.

The moment they crossed the threshold into the castle's darkness, the tightness in Virelle's chest eased, and the oppressive feeling of being watched faded.

She took a deep breath as her heart still pounded continuously but the fear that had gripped her began to subside.

As they moved deeper into the castle, a single thought echoed in Virelle's mind which refused to be silenced.

What was that?

-----------------

Ethan followed the duchess through the winding corridors with his footsteps echoing softly in the silence. Despite his attunement to darkness, he struggled to keep up with her.

She moved like a shadow and her form flickered in and out of his eye and soul sight as she led him deeper into the castle.

Finally, he could see the dim light ahead in the corridor and they arrived at the throne hall that had its vast expanse illuminated by the dim red light of the huge chandelier overhead.

The duchess settled into her black large thorned throne as her small frame was dwarfed by its imposing design.

Ethan's gaze swept over the room and took in the intricate carvings and the towering black gates that lined the walls.

As if on cue, the gates began to creak and groan and their heavy doors swung shut on their own. The sound echoed through the hall and sent a chill down Ethan's spine.

His attention returned to the duchess who was now sitting with an air of regality that belied her childlike appearance.

Her true form was revealed in the absence of the prying eyes of others.

"Don't think that I don't know what's going on in your mind," the duchess said in a high-pitched and childlike voice which was a stark contrast to her usual mature tone in his mind.

Ethan carefully kept his confusion and the laugh that was going to leak out of his mouth just now carefully bottled up in his heart.

But the duchess seemed to have felt something as she scoffed and continued in an arrogant tone.

"Still pretending, I see. Well, I don't care. Don't think that I am giving you some kind of special treatment or anything.

It was an accident that you saw my true form. But now that you have, there's a price to pay."

Ethan's brow furrowed at her declaration.

"A price?"

The duchess leaned forward as her shining ruby-red eyes glinted with a dangerous light.

"Yes. From now on, you will give me your blood regularly. And you can't tell your master about this. Consider it a compensation for knowing my secret."

Before he could ask for clarification, she waved her hand dismissively, cutting off his thoughts.

"Let me answer your questions," she began in a calm but commanding tone.

Ethan's mind raced as the duchess spoke and her words unraveled the mystery of what had transpired while he was unconscious.

"On the day you fell unconscious, your master used her Draconic Soulgaze to peer into your soul's region in the Astral Realm. She was trying to uncover the reason for the abnormality she sensed within you when you went unconscious."

Ethan's ears pricked up at the mention of the Astral Realm. He was stunned.

Master was able to locate my soul's actual position in the Astral Realm? he thought as his mind reeled with amazement.

I thought it was nearly impossible to do so.

The duchess continued in a steady voice.

"However, her attempts were thwarted by some kind of protection surrounding your soul. It denied every one of her attempts to intrude into your soul's sphere.

Nyx tried repeatedly but after countless failures, she directed her frustration and anger toward the Blackwell family to vent her emotions."

Ethan's eyes widened as the pieces fell into place.

"So, Master really was the giant dark dragon god that destroyed the Blackwell family," he muttered and this time more to himself than to the duchess.