"My Lord, we should get going; it's almost time for the meeting," Kai stated while dabbing a white handkerchief around his mouth.
I pushed my plate forward as a sign that I'm done.
"Kim, come here, we're going together."
She looked at me for the first time since she arrived and nodded positively, bringing me a wave of relief.
"She will be around for the meeting. Do you think it's the right time to take her to the House Of Elysium?" Kai whispered through the mind link, with an expression of worry etched across his clear, wrinkle-free face.
I understood who he was referring to as 'She,' but I didn't care.
"I can't hide Kimberly away forever. They will meet soon, so why prolong it? The sooner, the better. Taking her along will let her have a glimpse of what will come in the future and how much more she needs to learn. There's no time, Kai. You should understand better."
"I understand you, let's get going then," Kai led the way to the car, which was already parked in front of the grand entrance of my castle by the chauffeur.
"Come here!" I snapped at Kimberly as she made her way to the front seat. It seemed like she's really bent on avoiding me today.
I remembered when I picked her up at the auctioning ground and how she nearly vanished into the car door, shifting away from me as far as possible. Is she that scared of me?
She took her seat beside me in the rear seat, distancing herself as far as possible, while Kai drove the car and headed for our destination.
I own several businesses in several cities, but the only business I focus on, with its headquarters here in Sylva North, is the antique and gem business - The House of Elysium.
This business brings in a lot of money and is managed by royal families of a few clans that dominate Faeloria: The Phoenix tribe, The Lycan King of the Bloodmoon pack , the Merclan, the witches of Ambergris, and the Dragon clan, which is now extinct due to reasons related to me a thousand years ago.
These clans are just a few of the many clans in Faeloria, but they are the powerful ones.
Thousands of years ago, the Dragonlord and previous ruler of all beings made a lot of money from this business, causing an uproar among these Five clans, each claiming that the antiques, gems and relics sold by the Dragonlord are theirs and they should be part of the business too.
Considering their request, the Dragonlord created an Order - The Order of Lost Relics - which consists of the five clans called Protectors of the Pentad.
The duty of the Protectors of Pentad is to find relics lost in ages from different parts of the realm, refurbish them into something modern, and sell them at high prices to wealthy families and people who can afford it.
But not all relics can be touched nor sold; some are meant to be protected by the Order.
I wasn't part of the Order, but when I defeated the Dragonlord and wiped out the entire Dragon clan, I became the new ruler and took the dragonlord's place.
The Protectors of Pentad aren't happy about it, they have been finding ways to get rid of me, but they can't. I'm too powerful for them, but now that my powers are dwindling, they can feel it, and soon this will bring trouble for me .
"Do you like it?" I asked Kimberly, who sat quiet and still since we began our journey to the House of Elysium.
She took her eyes away from the window and let them meet mine.
Kimberly's beauty is just a little bit above average, there are many ladies more beautiful than her in Faeloria who are dying to have me.
Once news spread about her being marked by me, she will fall into series of unfortunate events.
Her dreamy honey-like eyes locked with mine as she stared at me blankly, wearing a confused and ignorant look on her face.
"What are you talking about?" she drawled in her usual soft and velvety voice that always drives me crazy.
"The tattoo, do you like it?"
"Cool, not bad," she shrugged briefly and shifted her attention back to the window.
Not bad? Is she being serious right now? I scoffed loudly, slightly annoyed.
This is part of the reason I had always stayed away from women, they are so complicated. Things were easy for me when I could read her mind, but now that I don't have the power anymore, I have to guess, wonder, and ponder about what she's got in her mind, and to me, this is even more difficult than defeating the Dragonlord.
"Not even a thank you?" I whispered, trying to get her attention.
"I didn't send you to do it in the first place, so why should I thank you?" she fired rudely, and I felt so embarrassed.
No one talks to me the way she does. I felt a surge of anger course through my body, but I remained calm and composed.
I can't hurt her, the goal is to make her mine.
I clenched my fist tightly and finally heaved a deep breath as the anger in me subsided.
"Only you dare speak to me that way," I mumbled, wondering if she heard me.
After another ten minutes of silence between us in the car, we finally arrived at the gigantic skyscraper building of The House of Elysium.
Kai parked the vehicle in my designated spot in the parking lot of the skyscraper, nestled amidst the towering structures of the city skyline.
As we stepped out onto the pavement, the morning sun cast long shadows across the streets, painting the city in hues of gold and amber. I held Kimberly's wrist tightly, reassuring her, as I could see the anxiety written on her face.
We made our way towards the entrance of the skyscraper, its glass façade gleaming in the morning light.
The automatic doors slid open with a soft whoosh, inviting us into the expansive lobby adorned with polished marble floors and sleek expensive looking décor.
But before we could fully enter, a chillingly familiar voice pierced the air, freezing me in my tracks.
"Lord Lucian, lateness seems to be a recurring theme for you these days," the voice dripped with scorn, and I felt the knot of anger tighten in my chest.
It was her, the one I dreaded above all others, my archenemy – Pyrrha Ashenfeather, the queen of the Phoenix Tribe.