The elegant-looking senior citizen raised the head of the vampire nun and stared into her eyes with a deathly glare.
"Who sent you?" he questioned. His voice, deep and oddly compelling, sounding both calm and authoritative.
The decapitated head stared blankly into the air, lifeless.
The old man's eyebrows furrowed slightly. "I said, who sent you?!" he restated with command and vitriol.
The lifeless head instantly reacted, her expression turning from surprise to utter dread. He knew she wasn't dead.
William watched everything unfold as he lay in Marybeth's arms, 'I'm saved! I've actually been saved!! Oh, thank goodness,' he sighed, 'I-I nearly died just after I reincarnated. That'll… just be too tragic, wouldn't it? And what was that feeling earlier? My chest felt… hot… what's happening… my eyes… are… closing without… without my permission!'
As a newborn child, William had stayed awake for too long already. He was now fast asleep.
The elderly man had a scar across his left eye, a properly trimmed goatee, and cold, calculating eyes merged with deep wrinkles on their sides. He gave off an elusive feeling of coordination, mystery, and a sense of dread.
Just staying close to him made one unreasonably cautious and frightened; as though in a constant state of fear, horror, and dread, similar to when one touched their pocket in a crowded area and couldn't feel their mobile device.
Feeling this immense pressure, beads of sweat trickled down the head of the vampire nun. Her eyes moved about frantically in an attempt to not make eye contact as she spoke, "I-I-I did not want to do it! I swear I never did!"
"..."
The wrinkles at the side of the elderly individual's cold eyes deepened, soliciting a surprising reaction from the vampiress.
Her pupils dilated and her mouth shook uncontrollably, letting out frantic screams of excuses on how she "never wanted to do it." Her voice, filled with immense horror as though she had witnessed the descent of an eldritch monster.
She stuttered madly to the extent it was annoying as she finally said, "...I-I did not know! I-I-I was not allowed to know! Th-They won't allow me to die, but they torture me using methods from the depths of the abyss! I-I am so sorry! I-I am just a slave! Th-The attack was just part of the secret agenda of the Chur–– aaaaahhhhhhh…"
She let out a blood-curdling shriek as a purple flame started from a set of symbols on her tongue and engulfed her whole head!
The elderly man reflexively let go of the head before the flames could touch him.
The purple flames speedily turned the head into ashes. Without needing contact from the head, similar purple flames also engulfed the headless corpse and turned it into ashes in less than a second.
He squinched his eyes and said under his voice, muttering, "Rune magic…"
He didn't dwell on the matter and quickly put his sword back in its sheath and went over to Marybeth, she was still badly injured.
Bam!
The door was broken down and several soldiers stormed into the room alongside Duke Lurgan.
"Viscount Maxton! How did you…" Duke Lurgan and the soldiers froze at the sight of the Viscount. They were on the highest floor of the Duke's mansion, how did someone that was still so far away get here so fast?!
"I have taken care of the issue," Lord Maxton said to the Duke before shifting his gaze to the soldiers behind him. "Her Grace needs immediate medical attention. Make sure the medical persons are trusted and known doctors from the hospital. I do not want to see any blessed of the Temple."
The Temple was the other name, given by the people, to the Church of the Holy Mother of Life.
Lord Maxton carefully carried Mary with her baby and headed for the door.
The soldiers, however, threw confused glances between themselves as they pondered on whether or not to carry out Lord Maxton's order.
From their perspective, they heard frantic screams and arrived at the site, understanding that the Duchess was in grave danger, only to find one of Maen Empire's most fearsome weapons as the only individual there. Not also adding the fact that he was still supposed to be miles away. Of course, they had a reasonable reason to be suspicious of the Viscount!
Duke Lurgan, who knew there was more to the story than portrayed, was also temporarily shaken before he regained his understanding.
"What are you waiting for?! Do as he said! Get them here as quick as you can!" he screamed at the dumbfound soldiers before following behind Lord Maxton as the latter had Marybeth in his arms.
"Mary, my love, here… drink this…"
Duke Lurgan couldn't wait for the Viscount to get her to the other room, impatiently, he walked ahead and stopped the Viscount in his tracks before retrieving from his pocket, a small glass vial with golden liquid flowing in it, and pouring it into her mouth.
"Don't worry, you'll be fine. This is holy water blessed by His Eminence himself," he said, trying to reassure Marybeth but mostly himself.
Lord Maxton looked at Edward with a slight hint of annoyance and at the sight of the holy water. The Viscount knew why he was here and so did Duke Lurgan.
The former was to take the child Marybeth birthed out of wedlock away, raising him with no connection to the imperial family.
Viscount Walter Maxton had served Marybeth's father—the previous emperor—as his personal guard till he was granted peerage after retirement as a reward for his loyalty to the imperial family.
When they got to another room, he gently placed her on the bed with the newly born child in her arms.
"Her Grace's… breathing is slowing down," he said solemnly.
Duke Lurgan's eyes widened, "What do you mean? The holy water should be working by now!"
Lord Maxton threw a glance at Duke Lurgan, then answered, "Her Grace's wounds are healing but she is dying. Her life force is depleting at a rapid rate."
"Life force?!" Duke Lurgan grabbed Marybeth's shoulders and inspected her body, "But, I just gave her holy water! One blessed by the Holy Emperor himself! Why is she still dying?"
"It is impossible to supply life force…" Lord Maxton said. "Her vitality was lowered greatly because of the childbirth and the mental trauma from the attack earlier was much…
Lord Maxton spoke calmly, but as he continued, he glanced at Duke Lurgan once again, his voice, having a hint of anger, "Still, such rapid life force depletion is rare. The problem must come from her will to live, it is not enough, anymore, to be able to combat it."
"So are you just telling me to watch her die?! Mary, my love! Open your eyes! Please…"
Duke Lurgan reached for his pocket again and took out another glass vessel filled with golden liquid and forced it into Mary's mouth.
"Damnation! Where are the doctors that were sent for?! Urgh! Viscount Maxton! Why are you so calm?! Can you not see the girl you watched grow up is about to die?!"
Lord Maxton glared at the Duke apprehensively and said with a calm rage, "Her will to live is not strong enough. And the will to live is something that goes down gradually due to mental and emotional factors. This means she was contemplating ending her life before now…
"Oh… I wonder who is at fault."
The Duke wished to retort but the cat got his tongue. He knew the retired knight was only tolerant of him because he respected Marybeth. Else, it won't be far-fetched to see him end up headless like the vampire nun after all he did to Marybeth when he found out she had conceived.
This was not the time to be pointing fingers, and Lord Maxton knew this. It was as though he had already accepted an outcome that was yet to come. And the truth was, he truly did already accept it. At the moment, there was absolutely nothing he could do to save Duchess Marybeth.
Holy water purified the soul, healed wounds, and cured mental illnesses, but for some complex reason, couldn't negate life force depletion. It might have bought her time by forcefully providing the life force she was lacking but compared to the life force's rate of depletion, it was still too little.
"Her life force is depleted because of this bastard! He is cursed and must be purged! This tragedy has befallen us because of him! Before his conception everything was fine!"
Duke Lurgan picked the baby—who was held tightly in Marybeth's arms—carelessly with one hand by the towels used to wrap him.
Lord Maxton placed his hand on the handle of his sword and said coldly, "The vampire seems to have bewitched Duke Edward Lurgan, compelling him to murder the lady's child. In that case, I acted the way I saw most appropriate."
Duke Lurgan, was still a Duke, and Lord Maxton—who was just a Viscount—still had to show him respect, but that didn't mean he would just let the former do as he pleased.
Lord Maxton calmly removed his rapier sword from its sheath.
Duke Lurgan heard him loud and clear. His face which was contorted in anger, eased up as he seemingly gained lucidity due to the threat.
He carefully dropped the child beside Mary.
Viscount Maxton's words were more than a threat. That would have been the reason he would give to the empire on why he had to put Duke Lurgan down. And for someone that pledged his loyalty to the empire and to earning peerage because of it, his decision to end Duke Lurgan's life would be considered a noble one.
Even though he got sentenced to death for staining his hands with the blood of the Duke, he wouldn't mind as long as he was able to protect Lady Marybeth and her child.
"Ugh…"
Mary groaned lightly and opened her eyes. Her face and skin were pale. As her eyes landed on Duke Lurgan, she raised her hand and caressed his face.
"Mary! Mary! I am sorry about everything…" Duke Lurgan pleaded with tears rolling down his eyes. "I still love you, the children need you! I need you! Please fight for your life!"
Mary smiled. "Edward, I know how… much you love me. And how much you hate this child…
"You were so heartbroken, but… I swear… this child is a gift to me from the Holy Mother. He is destined to do great things and save the world from a great calamity that is to come…"
Mary coughed profusely and her voice sounded fleeting, as she said, "I… I… was never unfaithful. I am sorry for bringing you so much pain…
"...Sir Walter, please take care of my son. Treat him like he is yours. Raise him to be like you. His… name is William."
Lord Walter, with a grim expression, bowed slightly with a hand on his chest. "Your wish is my command, Lady Marybeth."
Mary smiled and placed let left palm on William's small head and whispered something.
Duke Lurgan held Mary's shoulders with both of his hands and pulled her into his embrace. His eyes, reddening.
"Mary, my love! Do not say things like that! You need to stay alive and take care of your son yourself! I will treat him as my blood! I promise! Just, do not die! I am sorry! Please!"
"I… forgive you, Edward. It is... alright…"
Slowly, her breathing stopped.