In the royal throne room, laughter and giggles filled the lustful air. The area was covered in hazy euphoria, and it smelled like aphrodisiac and perfumes.
King Drake Byron was having his women indulge him in his throne. Women in skimpy clothes that they might as well be naked, serving him with grapes and berries and so much more.
In his thirties, the King looked twice his age. Dry skin that stuck with his bones and sickly countenance. He was nothing like the only son of the legendry Draco Byron.
Unmindful with his guest or whatever he thought of them, King Drake said to Ferris and Ryu, "I am aware of your circumstances. My daughter has already told me everything."
Ferris frowned, and Ryu never left his eyes on Cecily who was at the corner with her head low. Cecily looked pale and out of sleep. Her eyes were puffy and red, and Ryu wanted nothing but to go to her.
"Regrettably, my father is not here at the moment," Drake continued, and Ferris noted the hostility laced in his voice when he spoke about the legendary Draco Byron.
"But I think its best least he wanted to suffer more disappointment from the servants my daughter acquired at the cost of a great knight and a great mage."
Cecily's face darkened, and Ryu wanted to rip the head of the King if he could while Ferris just wanted to sneeze. The rotten smell inside the throne room stuffed her nose with nothing but dirt.
"He was summoned to the empire. Apparently, all the important people are," King Drake muttered the last sentence in contempt.
He then waved a hand. "Anyway, since you're my daughter's servants, I expect that you're prepared to lay your life on the line to protect her."
No one reacted.
Ryu was still looking at Cecily with concern in his eyes.
Ferris was itching to pull the booger from her nose.
Cecily was nothing but a corpse on the side.
The King waved his hand in dismissal. "That's all. You're dismissed for further notice."
Everyone bowed and went out of the throne room. The moment they did, Ryu went to Cecily. He wanted to reach for her hand but stop himself.
"Are you . . . okay?" Ryu asked, voice low and mourning. The only thing he regretted from losing the seal was that he could no longer felt what Cecily was feeling.
Cecily raised a hand and sighed. She turned to the other side and said, "I'll be taking a week off to prepare for Murok's and Dozla funeral. You two stay in your chambers until I summoned you. Understand?"
Cecily didn't wait for Ryu and Ferris to respond as she sauntered into the opposite hallway.
Ryu took a step to go after her, but Ferris held his hand.
"Give her some time to mourn," Ferris said and pulled Ryu to the side of the hallway.
Since they were given this so much free time, Ferris thought to train with Ryu. The materials and ingredients she owed were nowhere in the Mortal Realm, and since the three taverns were immortal, something like a hundred years was just a number to them.
The dwarf Rigulus, however, just gave them until the end of three moons, saying that he could no longer wait for the fish.
The Legion Steel was compoundable, so she had to wait for Lizzaforth's tavern to be up while the fish . . .
Maybe it's available in the nightmare sea?
Ryu sighed. "Cecily . . . is she going to be okay?"
Ferris rolled her eyes and smacked Ryu's butt. He growled at her, fangs bared but didn't do anything.
Ferris wasn't the least offended. She enjoyed annoying his beast. "She'll be fine. We should concentrate on you first since you're too weak."
Ryu scowled deepened. "Weak?" He was undefeated from fights. How was he weak?
Ferris's eyes dilated. "All you've fought were weaklings. You're lucky that you have me. Or else your corpse would be an added addition to Corpse mountain five days ago."
Ryu grumbled, and Ferris looked him in the eyes.
"Remember this . . . there are a lot of other beings that are more powerful . . . even more powerful than you and me."
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A/N
I've been feeling under the weather lately. I won't be updating as much this week, my head is killing me. I hope this won't turn into a fever or else . . . I'll be diagnosed with COVID T_T
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