The thought nagged at Selene. Compared to the other times she'd seen Magnus's illness flare, he really had gone easy on Lucien.
The first time, he had ordered maids whipped for trying to steal her jewelry, even though one of them was badly burned. The second had been Thorn. The third, Gale. The fourth, Dr. Valmoth. Each incident still sat sharp in her memory, painted in red.
By contrast, Lucien had only been lifted by the scruff of his neck. Lenient. Yes, she would give Magnus credit for that much.
She opened her mouth to tell him so...
"Magnus!!"
Both she and Magnus flinched as the shout tore through the air. It was Alaric. And he wasn't calling Master or My Lord like usual. No, when all formalities were dropped, when even a Ravencroft butler tossed aside etiquette, it meant something was terribly wrong.
Magnus's head whipped toward him. "What happened?"
But as Alaric drew closer, Magnus's eyes sharpened. Something small squirmed in his hands. Magnus's face turned stiff, the faintest shade of blue creeping into his features.
Selene squinted, then froze.
The upper half was like a human's, delicate and childlike. Translucent lavender wings shimmered weakly from its back, unmistakably those of a fairy. But from the waist down, where legs should have been, flowed smooth silver scales, ending in a fish tail that flicked once, weakly.
Selene's mouth went dry.
A fairy. And a mermaid.
Together.
Her mind spun. This was supposed to be impossible. For centuries, fairies and merfolk had been locked in an ancient feud. The very idea of one race bearing the child of the other was a dream that never left the page of stories.
There were only two explanations.
One, violence. A forced union. Two, politics. The only other way such a creature could be born was through diplomacy. A peace treaty sealed with blood and marriage.
Selene's face drained of all color. If it's the second… then this isn't just a child.
Her hands curled into fists.
This might be a princess of the Fairy Kingdom… or the Merfolk Kingdom. Or worse both.
And if the girl had been found in Kevin's mansion, locked away like the others…
Selene swallowed hard. The kingdom of Vanchaster might not just face scandal. This could spiral into full-blown war.
Magnus's expression darkened as he looked at the trembling creature in Alaric's arms. His jaw tightened, and his crimson eyes narrowed into slits.
"Close the gates. Now," he ordered, voice like steel. "Not a single whisper leaves this estate. Guards, priests, clerics, I don't care who you are. If I hear a word outside these walls, I will know, and I will personally make you regret it."
The air chilled instantly. Even the children who had been gossiping earlier fell into terrified silence.
Magnus looked at the delicate wings and gleaming tail, his mind already racing.
"A fairy-merfolk hybrid…" he muttered under his breath, more to himself than to anyone else. "A living spark that could ignite a war between two ancient kingdoms. And Kevin..." His voice cracked with fury, rising to a roar. "WHERE IS THAT BLOODY BASTARD?!"
The walls themselves seemed to vibrate with the force of his anger. Servants flinched, priests bowed their heads in fear, and knights scrambled at the edges of the garden as if the devil himself had appeared.
Selene's heart hammered in her chest. She stared at the little girl, her breath uneven.
This… this wasn't in the game.
Her hands trembled as she pressed them against her skirt. Every plotline she remembered, every event, every branching choice, none of them had hinted at a child like this.
What the hell is happening?
The system interface flickered in the corner of her vision, taunting her with its silence. No helpful guide, no storyline marker, no hint. Just the glowing icon of her store tab waiting uselessly.
She clenched her fists tighter.
If the game never mentioned this, then this is something else. Something beyond the script. If Magnus is right… if this girl really is royalty…
Her eyes darted to the child's trembling form. Tears clung to the edges of the girl's lashes as she looked up weakly, her small lips parting as if she wanted to speak.
Selene's stomach dropped.
Then, everything I thought I knew about this world may no longer matter.
Selene's eyes softened as she looked at the trembling little girl. "She's shaking so badly," she whispered, stepping closer. "Is she in pain? Was she tortured?"
Alaric, still catching his breath, shook his head. "I don't know, milady. When I found her, she was locked in a small cage. The air around her was thick with magic… I could barely breathe."
Selene rubbed her forehead to calm the growing ache in her temples. Then her eyes fell on the child's features, those soft, iridescent wings and the faintly glimmering tail. "Magnus… look. Her wings and tail are purple."
Magnus raised a brow, clearly unimpressed. "And what of it?"
Selene gave him a side glance. "That means her elemental aptitude might be darkness. Fairy wings always reflect their elemental attribute, which depends on their parents. And just like humans, fairies have prejudices too. If she has a dark attribute, then it's very likely she isn't royalty."
Magnus and Alaric both exhaled at once, a tension they didn't realize they were holding finally releasing.
"Still," Magnus muttered, "not royal doesn't mean not dangerous."
Selene nodded in agreement, then frowned, leaning closer. "But… this shade of purple is too dark."
Magnus glanced down. "Too dark?"
"Yes," Selene replied quickly. "Darkness attributes become unstable if overexposed to… well, darkness itself. Alaric, was the room you found her in very dark?"
Alaric thought for a moment, then nodded. "Pitch black. Not even a candle was lit."
"That explains it," Selene said. "She's suffering from attribute overload. When someone's elemental aptitude becomes imbalanced, they start craving that element until it consumes them. Since hers is darkness, she's been overwhelmed by it. She needs sunlight, lots of it. Leave her out in the sun for a while, and her body will absorb light energy to restore balance. Once she wakes up, we can ask her what happened."
Alaric released a long, weary sigh and handed the child carefully to Magnus. "Understood, milord. I'll take care of the arrangements after I handle a few things."
Magnus gave a curt nod, and Alaric turned to leave. But before he could take two steps, a guard's urgent voice echoed through the courtyard.
"Your Grace!"
Magnus turned sharply. A group of knights approached, escorting none other than Kevin, still battered but very much alive. His wounds were partially healed, his expression a mix of pain and defiance.
Magnus's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Who healed him?"
From behind the knights, the priestess who had earlier insulted Selene stepped forward, chin raised high. "I did. Criminal or not, as a priestess of the Goddess, I am bound to heal anyone in need. To ignore that duty would be a sin."
A collective gasp rippled through the crowd. Even Selene's mouth fell open slightly. The woman's audacity bordered on suicidal.
Magnus stared at her for a long, heavy moment. Then, to everyone's shock, he said evenly, "Good. Stay right there and continue healing him."
"What?" the priestess stammered.
Magnus's lips curled into a chilling smile. "I don't want this brute dying yet."
He handed the hybrid girl to Selene carefully, rolled up his sleeves, and cracked his knuckles. The sound was loud, deliberate, and ominous.
The air went cold again.
Moments later, the peaceful afternoon was pierced by Kevin's agonized screams.