The residence of Grand Strategist Veadran Noct never knew the concept of day or night. There were only endless cycles of intoxication.
In the vast bedroom shrouded by deep crimson velvet curtains, the air was thick with the scent of musk, sweat, and the most expensive aphrodisiac oils on the continent. On a giant circular bed, a banquet of flesh was unfolding.
Veadran Noct lay at the center. Tonight, he wore the form of a man—a youth with a slender frame and skin as pale as porcelain, standing out amongst the bronzed, muscular bodies of six powerful guards.
"Ah... harder..."
Noct moaned, his voice breaking with a mix of pain and pleasure. His hands were tied tightly to the headboard with red silk ribbons. He arched his back, accepting the brutal thrusts from a squad captain behind him.
He pretended to be weak. He allowed rough hands to wander over his body, squeeze his throat, and bite his smooth skin.
"Grand Strategist... you are so lustful..." a soldier whispered, passionately licking the sweat from Noct's chest.
Noct opened his dark violet eyes, looking at them through long lashes. In his eyes, there was no fog of desire—only cold contempt and calculation. He enjoyed this feeling. The feeling of being surrounded, desired, and tormented. He drained their energy and their wild excitement to feed the hollow mana within him.
"Yes... treat me like your whore," Noct encouraged, his voice as magical as a slithering snake. "Use me... break me..."
His words were like oil on a fire. The men roared, lunging at him like hungry beasts, fighting for every inch of the powerful Strategist's skin.
CHIME.
The clear ring of a bronze bell echoed from the door, cutting through the symphony of flesh. The door creaked open. An old eunuch knelt on the ground, his forehead touching the floor, his voice trembling with fear:
"My Lord... My Lord..."
"Get out!" the captain shouted in his excitement, about to throw a pillow at the door.
But Noct had opened his eyes. The fake fire of lust died out in his violet gaze, replaced by the chill of a frozen dungeon.
"Silence," Noct said. His voice was light, but it made the captain riding him freeze instantly.
"The Emperor has arrived!" the eunuch cried out, quickly bowing again.
The air in the room seemed to freeze. The name "Emperor" was like a bucket of cold water thrown onto the blood-drunk soldiers. They panicked, turning pale as they scrambled to find their clothes scattered on the floor.
Noct sat up. He snapped his fingers, and the silk ribbons tying his hands automatically tore apart. He looked at the naked men trembling before him. His interest had vanished completely, as quickly as a candle being blown out.
"Boring," Noct clicked his tongue, his face showing clear disgust. He looked at the captain who had just been pounding into him, now shrinking away. "Look at you. Cowardly. Weak."
He flicked his sleeve. A wave of black magical smoke rose, swirling around the six men and lifting them into the air like ragdolls.
"Get out of my sight."
CRASH! CRASH!
The windows burst open. The black smoke threw them straight out onto the balcony, where they fell into the freezing lake beneath the mansion. The room returned to silence.
Noct stepped off the bed and walked toward a massive floor-to-ceiling mirror. He looked at his reflection: a thin man, skin covered in bruises and bite marks.
"Valerius does not like men," Noct muttered, his long fingers sliding over his collarbone. "At least, not when he is angry."
He closed his eyes. Focused.
Crack... Crack...
The sound of shifting bones echoed eerily. Noct's broad shoulders narrowed, becoming rounded and soft. His flat chest swelled with life. His waist thinned, and his hips curved into a seductive shape. His pale skin turned a healthy pink. The bruises and bite marks vanished as if they had never existed.
When Noct opened his eyes again, a stunning beauty stood in the mirror. Long, silky black hair fell over her bare back. With red lips and a deadly, seductive gaze, she was perfect.
"Perfect," she smiled to herself.
She grabbed a thin silk dress of deep purple, draping it loosely over her body, covering the sensitive areas while highlighting her allure. She sprayed a bit of poisonous flower perfume to mask the scent of intimacy still lingering in the room.
The large doors swung open.
Emperor Valerius entered. He wore magnificent Royal armor, cast from solid gold and crimson lacquer. Under the candlelight, the armor glowed like a living flame, radiating overwhelming authority and the sharp scent of absolute power. His bright red cloak flowed behind him like a river of blood.
Valerius's face was handsome but dark, like the sky before a storm. The magical pressure radiating from him made the candles in the room flicker.
"Your Majesty," Noct (in female form) knelt gracefully, her voice as sweet as honey. "You arrived without warning; I haven't had time to prepare..."
"Stand up," Valerius ordered, his voice icy. He walked straight to the wine table.
Noct stood and glided gracefully behind Valerius, wrapping her arms around his waist. Her chest pressed against the cold gold armor.
"Is something troubling you? Is it... Knight Eric? Or that Veylan mouse?"
CRACK!
Valerius crushed his wine glass. He spun around, grabbing Noct by the throat and slamming her against the wall.
"You dare ask?" Valerius roared. "I felt the Golden Scale collapse! Sin has taken something. He is growing stronger every day!"
Noct was being choked, but she felt no fear. She lightly licked Valerius's golden gauntlet.
"Calm yourself, Your Majesty," she said with difficulty. "I have seen the future. They are heading toward Aethelgard. And there... I have already planted a 'gift'."
Valerius narrowed his eyes, his grip loosening slightly. "What gift?"
"Something... without a name," Noct whispered, her violet eyes shining with cruelty. "It has slept in the Academy's dungeon for decades. A forgotten rejection, a mistake of nature that the mages were too afraid to destroy. It is blind and mad, but it is extremely sensitive to the scent of Veylan blood."
Noct giggled. "I have awakened it. It is hungry, Your Majesty. It won't kill Sin immediately. It will toy with him, gnawing on the boy's fear... and Eric will have to watch it all in helplessness."
Valerius was silent for a moment. Then, the corners of his mouth slowly curved upward into a satisfied smile.
"Very well," Valerius released his grip. "An anonymous monster for an anonymous death. It suits my taste."
Noct slid down, coughing lightly, then looked up at him with worshipping eyes. "Let them taste a bit of despair. The more the prey struggles, the more interesting the catch."
Valerius grunted coldly. He stood straight and began to unfasten the latches on his armor.
Clang... Clang...
Pieces of the gold-dragon shoulder plates hit the floor. Next came the crimson chest plate. He shed his flashy royal shell, leaving only a thin white shirt clinging to his muscles, which were tensed with excitement. The air in the room suddenly grew hot.
Valerius stepped forward, using the toe of his boot to lift Veadran Noct's chin. He stared at her stunningly beautiful face.
"Your plan deserves a reward," Valerius said, his voice deep and full of desire, yet commanding. He reached into Noct's long hair, jerking her head back.
"Your Majesty..." Noct moaned softly, trying to press her soft chest against Valerius's leg.
But Valerius clicked his tongue. He looked at the female body with boredom.
"But tonight, I do not want a woman. Women only know how to whine and be weak." He looked deep into Noct's violet eyes. "I want the mastermind who thought of that trap. I want my Strategist. I want a man."
Noct froze. Her eyes widened in surprise.
"Right now," Valerius ordered, his voice sharp and leaving no room for refusal. "Return to your true form for me, Veadran."
A moment of hesitation crossed Noct's face. But seeing the burning, possessive fire in Valerius's eyes, he understood this was an absolute command.
"As you wish... Your Majesty," Noct whispered.
He closed his eyes.
Crack... Crack...
The sound of twisting bones echoed. The rounded shoulders shrunk, becoming angular. The full chest flattened. The soft curves vanished, replaced by the lean, muscular frame of a man. The beautiful face shifted, returning to the pale, sharp, and magical male face.
Veadran Noct panted, kneeling on the floor in his naked male form. The silk dress lay torn and scattered around him.
"Good," Valerius laughed—a satisfied laugh. He stepped forward, grabbed Noct by the hair, pulled him up, and slammed him down onto the large bed. "Tonight, show me your submission," Valerius whispered, pinning the Strategist down.
Noct did not resist. He wrapped his thin legs around the Emperor's hips, wearing the smile of a partner in crime.
"I am yours, Valerius."