Chapter 96

Chapter 96

Even more surprising was that the woman who entered the room behind her was Roxana’s mother Sierra.

“So you really are awake.”

Her expression changed slightly when she first saw him, but her greeting sounded formal all the same. Having served her duty by fetching her lady, Sierra’s servant Beth retreated out of sight.

The air in the room seemed quiet and serene, but Deon knew that Emily was ready to act should the need arise. All the proof he needed of that was in the way she stood slightly off to the side between himself and Sierra.

Her eyes bore into him like a hunter surveying its target. “The doctor said your vital organs were pierced, so you were in real danger. Apparently, if he had seen you any later, you would have met your death.”

There wasn’t any particular warmth in Sierra’s voice as she spoke. Her eyes also appeared to be taking him in with equal coolness. “He said you will need plenty of rest, so for now just lie still and try to relax.”

It was indeed an odd situation. He tried to break free of the shackles, but he couldn’t seem to will his body to move the way he wanted. On top of that, Emily was following his movements like a hawk.

“Where are we?” The voice that sounded from his lips cracked on almost every syllable as if it had been tattered. “What happened to Lante?”

Neither of the women standing near him answered. Both Sierra’s servant, who remained barely visible from behind her master, and Emily remained silent without reacting. It was difficult for either of them to gauge what their mistress was thinking.

The blonde woman’s gaze as she looked down at him seemed to be dry and moist at the same time. “You... should really get more sleep.”

Once Sierra finally spoke, she began to turn away. Beth also began to stir as her protective shield shifted.

Although his voice continued to come out staggered, he halted his stepmother’s departure with a question.

“Why... did you... bring me here?”

She turned back to face him briefly, but almost immediately refaced the door and walked out of the room. After setting a candle down on the table nearest Deon, her servant dutifully followed her out in silence.

The air entering his lungs seemed to be full of sedatives. As the heavy narcotics practically forced his eyes closed, he considered wounding himself in order to stay awake, but then thought it best not to.

Very well... Between the narcotics and the shackles, he supposed she had brought him there to exact her revenge. As his vision began to slowly blur, Deon closed his eyes and allowed himself to gently wade back into the depths of the abyss.

* * *

“Found it!”

Noel’s human-like puppet Nix gently closed his eyes and sniffed at the air as if he were following the trail of a sweet fragrance. Then the corners of his mouth happily turned upward. As his hair, which looked as golden as a melting sun, fluttered to and fro in the soft breeze, he stood on the top branch of a tree. He was so high that the sky seemed within short reach.

It was indeed a height no mere mortal could fathom ascending to, but one Nix could stand at with ease. He slowly reopened his eyes to reveal they were each a different color. His violet eye, which was almost the shade of amethyst, dimly reflected the Pedelian fortress in the distance.

That woman was in the Blue garden surrounded by fresh foliage and flowers yet hidden behind a kaleidoscope of crimson butterflies and a whirlwind of leaves. Thus, Nix could not see her face clearly at all. Still, he had no doubt she was the same Roxana his master Noel Vertium had become so infatuated with.

In fact, the very reason he had set out from the Gold clan’s territory was to fulfill his master’s wish to have her found. He had started by visiting the Black castle in search of clues, and what he found had led him into Pedelian territory of all places. The discovery was indeed far from what he had expected.

Weren’t these clans enemies? And is that Agrece woman some sort of demon tamer?

Before departing, neither Noel nor Dante had mentioned anything about Roxana’s ability to control those strange butterflies at will. Nix’s face twisted into an impish grin akin to a child who was about to do something both naughty and dangerous.

Oh well. This should be fun. With his mission complete, his only remaining goal was to report the news of his master’s “Luna” to him.

After disconnecting his amethyst-like eye, he dropped down from the tree to land lightly on the ground below. With his feet back on solid ground, he immediately set out for the Vertium compound. He gleefully imagined the circus that was sure to unfold upon relaying his findings.

Night of the Dolls and the Masquerade Ball

The room had already gone dark.

“Haa...”

The wet smacking sounds of their ongoing lip-lock rang through the air. Roxana couldn’t help moaning as Cassis’ tongue seemed to slip over hers in waves. With her fingers buried deep in his silver mane, the two remained entwined on the bed for hours on end.

The two had spent the entirety of the afternoon up until the late night exhausting every ounce of passion in their bones. The breathless Agrece was uncertain of exactly how much time had passed, or how many times the Blue Heir had delved into the depths of her being in those many hours. All she knew was that the last time she had been able to clearly discern what the two of them were engaged in doing, the sun had still been high in the sky. Neither of them had been bothered by commencing their tryst in broad daylight.

Then as Roxana slid her arm down Cassis’ back, all movement ceased between the naked couple. When Cassis finally lifted himself off of her with his stiff arms, she beheld just how muscular he was through the darkness. She could even make out the bite mark she had made on his throat in the heat of their passion. It occurred to her that she was bound to have even more marks riddling her body since he had been far more aggressive in the midst of their throes.

“Are you tired?”

His low voice swam in her ear. Even in that dim room, she could see there was still an unquenched flame in his eyes.

She was still trying to catch her breath as he sucked her lower lip into his mouth for a moment, then let go. Then after stroking her hair off to the side, he began to suckle on her earlobe. It seemed that wherever he touched her more pure energy poured into her.

It was a gentle, loving gesture that she had to remind herself to be wary of. As if to offer proof for her suspicions, he next slipped his hand between her thighs and spread them wider while kissing and nipping at her neck. “Why ask when you’re just going to do as you like either way?”

She felt a surge of lust flare up inside her bosom. The question also floated through her mind as to why he had bothered to fortify her with all that energy if he only intended to make her use it all up in another tussle with him. She fought back a smile as the wonderful absurdity of their situation tickled her internally.

“You have a point.” Almost immediately after saying so, he dove back inside of her and even deeper than he had before. The unexpected thrust of heat forced Roxana to release an exhale that she felt contained all the breaths she had ever taken in her life. The gentleness of his initial query had suggested that had she nodded to affirm his suspicions, he would recognize it as a signal to stop. But that was evidently not the case at all. After all, he had conveniently ignored several such signals that night already.

What made her plight all the more unnerving was that time and time again he had managed to pinpoint her most erogenous zones, thus driving her to the brink of madness. In spite of herself, she was already moaning for more with his every touch and kiss instead of resisting so she could finally catch her breath. She suddenly felt her patience wearing thin and decided to go on the offensive.

“Ah!” Cassis furrowed his brow for a moment as a moan escaped from his busy lips as well. In that moment, any traces of the virtuous and honorable Blue Heir were but a distant memory. All that remained was the man raining burning kisses down onto her skin. A man who seemed incapable of controlling his lust.

After yet another eruption of their lovemaking coursed through their bodies, Roxana was finally able to free herself from Cassis’ embrace. She felt so spent that she couldn’t even risk checking to see if she could at least wiggle her pinkie. Although her sight was somewhat dim, she gazed out the window. All she could see was darkness between the drawn curtains, which made her think how nice it would be to simply drift to sleep while looking out into that expanse.

But just as she was embracing the idea of getting some much-needed rest, her partner was once again busy nibbling softly at her skin. This time, his attention was on her ankles. He had reclaimed the very same spot he had accidentally held while trying to put her shoes on mere nights before.