Ellie finally reached the dungeon with her father. She saw a young man tied to a chair , curly brown hair, ocean eyes, and ears that looked... peculiar.
"Who is this?" she whispered to her father.
"It's the Alpha of Gems Pack."
"Oh… that pack? I thought it was destroyed in the war between them and Blackspin pack."
"That's what I thought too, until I found him near our castle in his wolf form , injured."
"Oh... so what do you want from him?"
"You don't know?", Valmir asked his daughter , raising an eyebrow.
"I… don't," Ellie muttered. But then she remembered something , The Gems Pack had a rare gemstone, a special one. It was said to be the cause of the war with Blackspin. "So that's what this is about". Her father wanted to know if the gem was still in Gems Pack possession , or if it had fallen into Blackspin hands.
"Okay, I get it now, Father."
She stepped closer to the man. The moment she stood in front of him, he spoke:
"I'd rather die than let you , or anyone , lay hands on my gemstone."
Ellie's eyes turned white as she activated her psychic powers, trying to find a trace of truth. But it was all dark.
"Oh divine power, let me see something," she murmured.
Suddenly, blood dripped from her eyes.
Her father yanked her back. "Ellie! Are you okay?"
"Yes, Father… I was just trying to use my psychic power."
"Did you find anything?" he asked.
"Yes, the gemstone is with the Gems Pack. I was trying to find where it is before you dragged me away. The guy sitting on the chair then said, 'You'll never find it.' Ellie glared at him, but she was still weak, and she knew her father wouldn't allow her to continue. Valmir then tied the werewolf back properly and left the dungeon with Ellie.
'You should go and rest now.'
'Okay, Father.'
Ellie went back to her room to continue reading the book, but when she got there, to her surprise, the book was no longer where she kept it. Ellie was frustrated , she searched every single place in her room and still couldn't find it. She made sure no one would be able to come to her room, so she was sure that nobody had dared to enter. She went to where her pillow was and touched it to use her psychic ability. She knew it was going to have effects, but she wanted to know who had the guts to do that. She touched her pillow and closed her eyes shut. Everything was still, until something like a shadow wearing a hood took the book and put a paper under her bed. That was the only thing she was able to see. She checked under her bed before, and didn't see any paper. When she checked again, she saw a very tiny paper under the bed. She took it out carefully and unfolded it. The only thing she saw was, 'The book is not for you. Too many advanced techniques for a beginner mind witch like you. When the time is right, you shall find the book.'
Ha! How dare the person who wrote this letter call me a beginner! Angry, she threw the letter to the fireplace. A knock on her window. Ellie saw that it was the painter who came to give her the paint. Despite all the frustration going on around her, she smiled at the thought of Roshan seeing the seductive painting of her. She unlocked the window and collected the painting and went to sit on her bed and used her teleportation magic to teleport it to Roshan's room. She then decided to sleep. She felt happy, she had an obsession with Roshan. She was so in love with him, and he was the only one who could make her feel things.
**********
"Aralyn couldn't believe where Callistus brought her to, his house, which was in the sky. They both went inside, and his house was so beautiful, colored yellow and white. It looked so ethereal.
'You know, Aralyn, you can even cultivate well in here.'
Of course, Aralyn thought in her mind, this place was perfect for cultivating. They kept walking, it was like a path that had no end.
'Where are we going, Callistus?'
Callistus was still, then said, 'No where, I just want to tell you something.'
'Yeah, I know you said you wanted something in exchange for helping me escape, which you told me you would tell me along the way, but you didn't, which is why I've been waiting to know what it is.'
'Have you ever thought of why the Demon Lord wants to marry you?'
Aralyn furrowed her eyebrow.
How was this connected to what he wanted to ask from her. Now that she thought about it, she didn't know. Was it because of her beauty? Maybe… I really don't know.
'Never thought about that, the only thing I know is Demon's don't marry other races, it's a taboo.'
'You know that's right?'
'Yes, I do.'
'And also, that demon lord… he had a lot of demonic aura, which I'm sure you felt.'
Aralyn did feel that, especially when she had eye contact with him.
'Why does he… Callistus, why do you think that demon wants to marry me?'
'Because of the power you possess,' Callistus said simply. 'You are a pure-blooded Fox, and you have the silver and golden clan power in you, even the fact that you are aiming to cultivate nine tails, which would make you a goddess, haven't you thought about this… the Demon wants your power."
Realization hit Aralyn. All that Callistus said was true. Demons want more power, because they are very good at absorbing others' power.
"Oh my, I'm definitely not getting married to that Demon Lord," she said out loud.
Callistus then said, "What I want is your golden bond."
"What?" Aralyn's icy blue eyes looked sharply at Callistus.
"Do you know what you're asking of me?"
"Yes, I do," Callistus replied calmly.
Aralyn bit her lips, remembering what her mother had taught her when she was alive: if she ever wanted to share the golden bond with someone, it should only be with someone she truly cared for and loved. A significant other.
The bond created a powerful connection between two people, making them one, allowing each to tap into the other's power.
Aralyn then said, "Callistus, for a Fox like me, sharing my golden bond is too..…"
Callistus interrupted her ...."I'll give you time to think about it. You don't have to give me your answer now."
"What if I refuse to do that? Will you still help me?" Aralyn asked.
Callistus didn't reply. He simply gave her one of his calm smiles and said, "I'll teleport you back to your room in the castle. You've stayed out for long."
"Wait, wait—" but Callistus didn't give a response. It was too late. Aralyn was back in her room.
Inside, it was dark. Almost everyone was asleep by now.
Then she felt something strange, something about her felt… different. She tried to brush off the thought, changed her clothes, and went to bed.
But the feeling didn't go away.
She felt as though someone was watching her. She looked toward the window and stepped outside… but saw no one.
Just as she was about to go back in, she heard noises outside. She followed the sound to check what was going on.
Suddenly, she felt someone behind her, trying to inject her with something.
Using her fast reflexes, she knocked the person down.
"Who sent you?!" she demanded.
But before she could get answers, the person vanished, like dust.
What was happening?
She was about to summon her sword when someone started clapping.
She turned, and saw the person she least wanted to see.
Her stepmother.
"Irene, do you have to do this?"
"Well, what can I say?" her stepmother replied. "I wanted to know if you are capable of taking care of yourself."
"I'm more than capable. I'm going to my room now to have my rest," Aralyn said sharply.
But as she took a step forward, she suddenly found herself in the dining room.
Her father and stepmother were sitting there, and they signaled her to sit.
"What is this talk about this time around?" she asked, annoyed.
Her father began, "We just want to brief you on some things. I notified your husband-to-be to come to the castle tomorrow to discuss a few matters."
So that Demon is coming here tomorrow.
Good, she thought. I'll be sure to assess him and find out what he really wants.
Then her stepmother added,
"Your governess will be teaching you about marriage, etiquette, and how to act right. Your classes will start tomorrow, and I want you to comport yourself."
"Yes, I will comport myself. Anything else?" Aralyn replied.
Her father then said,
"You might—or might not—be able to talk to your future husband. It depends on whether he has the time. If he does, I expect you to behave accordingly. He should have no reason to break this wedding. Do you understand me?"
Aralyn smirked in her mind.
Oh, papa... I'll be sure to give him a reason to break this wedding, if we both have the chance to talk.
"Yes, I understand."
"You can go to bed now. You seem very tired," her father said.
Aralyn stood up, bowed, and returned to her room. On her way, a sharp wave of pain coursed through her.
"Ah—gosh, that's odd," she muttered.
She hurried to lie down, hoping sleep would dull the pain. Maybe she had overworked herself, yes, that had to be it. She could deal with it later.
********
Meanwhile, Roshan woke up early. He had a meeting with a Duke, and his father had advised him to leave before dawn. He stood up quickly, not even noticing the painting lying on his bed.
Dressed in his royal prince attire, he left the room. Unknown to him, someone had been watching him from outside the window.
As he headed to the carriage, two guards followed close behind.
************
At the same time, Klara woke up early. She had heard the rose garden would be in full bloom today and wanted to pick fresh flowers for Roshan, a surprise gift.
She wandered through the garden, carefully collecting the finest blooms, then wrapped them in fine silk.
Happily, she made her way to Roshan's room.
She knocked four times. No response....so she went inside his room to find it empty.
"Oh, he must've gone out really early," she thought.
But as she stepped into the room, her eyes fell on something unexpected, a painting on the bed.
Curious, she picked it up.
When she opened and looked at it, her entire body froze. It was Ellie, striking a provocative pose, painted beautifully and boldly.
"What?!" she gasped.
"What is this doing in Roshan's room?"
Her heart raced.
"Has he and Ellie been... seeing each other? Without telling me?"
"No. No. Stay calm. Roshan would never, my intuition says he wouldn't..."
She let out a forced laugh, masking the jealousy now boiling inside her.
Klara clenched the painting in her hands, wanting to tear it up, but she couldn't destroy evidence like this.
She sat on Roshan's bed, holding the painting.
"I'll wait. I'll wait for him to return and explain this."
Then, she summoned her Crow.
"If this is one of Ellie's tricks to get Roshan's attention... we'll teach her a lesson."
"Cre," the Crow said in agreement.
Klara stared at the painting again.
"Roshan better not be doing anything funny with Ellie.." she muttered.
But deep down, a part of her knew...."he can never do this to me"
She always knew by watching a person action.
She just had to wait, and see how he reacted to the painting.