by Cloe D Frost
His seemingly ordinary clothes writhed around like snakes, rearranging themselves into a black leather outfit that gave Dusk Rose a dangerous look.
After dispelling Façade, it took some additional effort for Dusk Rose to morph his braid around the first needle, tightening it like a rope. After which, he finally succeeded in pulling out the blasted needle.
Regrettably, while he was in the process of pulling it out, the anticipated storm finally erupted. The lightning split the sky in half, and a waterfall of rain followed, drenching him in water from head to toe in only a few seconds. The branches of the tree he was lying under were large and wide apart, providing him almost no shelter from the rain.
On the upside, at least he managed to free himself in time for his own exams.
As he walked towards his exam classroom, his face was frowning the entire time. After his exams, he needed to return to his handler and report the results of his mission.
But… how could he explain getting robbed and “tied up” for hours under the rain?? That was simply too embarrassing to be put into words!
He couldn’t lie about what happened, that would be considered as a false report which is an ultimate taboo in the world of spies and assassins. However, he could word the happenings carefully and turn it into a less embarrassing version of what transpired. Something that wouldn’t make all his cousins laugh their arses off for the next ten years.
Unfortunately, no matter how he tried thinking about it, his encounter with Elaru Wayvin was simply too embarrassing. Perhaps he should glorify her achievements to make his loss look like something natural? But wouldn’t that do Elaru Wayvin a favor by increasing her reputation?
Dusk Rose ground his teeth. He didn’t want to increase her reputation! He wanted payback!
He sighed and reached into his pocket to get a handkerchief to wipe his nose that started dripping watery snot. Unfortunately, even his handkerchief was wet.
Dusk Rose stared at his pretty handkerchief embroidered with flowery patterns sadly. His nose twitched, and he couldn’t help but sneeze. Bloody tarnation! Don’t tell me I caught a cold?
Is this divine retribution or just plain and simple irony?
* * *
When the earthquake finally subsided, the people inside the main hall started calming down. Kiel continued his act of a flawless prince by going around helping people up from under the tables, and showing fake concern for their wellbeing, while internally, he was cursing his bad luck.
Once he stepped up it was hard to step down, he had to act like a prince charming until the end.
Thus, when he finally noticed Elaru coming down to the main hall, he was like a drowning man who had been thrown a lifeline. Quickly, he changed his direction of movement, going towards her.
He placed his hand on her upper arm comfortingly and looked at her with deep concern. “Are you alright?”
His sweet tone and false concern gave Elaru goosebumps. “I was fine until you asked about it.”
Kiel tilted his head to the side and looked at her innocently. “Whatever do you mean?”
Elaru’s eyebrow twitched, but in the end, she decided to play along. She grabbed his arm affectionately. “You made me remember the appointment we have downtown. We should hurry. Otherwise, we’ll be late.”
If her statement was false, Kiel wouldn’t have been surprised. They were acting out a play that would give them an excuse to leave the main hall.
However, the bond told him that half of the statement was actually true. “You have some kind of an appointment? Is it to pick up the ring?”
“Yes.” Elaru smiled and led Kiel out of the main hall while he looked around at the crowd apologetically and nodded to the people present, politely excusing himself.
* * *
Coming up in the next episode:
The man interrupted him. “Exactly. You don’t see a Shadow. That’s the whole point of the occupation. To not be seen.”
“Light? Is that your Shadow nickname?”
Just as the man said his goodbye, lightning flashed once again illuminating the face under the cloak.
At that moment, all his thoughts completely stilled. He could no longer look away.
One look was enough. Enough for him to decide that this was a girl he had to have.
Episode 82 – Picking up the ring
Episode 82 – Picking up the ring
Previously:
Elaru finishes her exam. Kiel and her leave Muni and go to the city to pick up the ring Elaru left to be enchanted.
* * *
Goddas sat on the armchair next to the tea table in his room, wiping the sweat from his unusually pale forehead with his handkerchief. The dark bags under his eyes were a testament to how hard he had been working the last few days just to meet the set deadline.
In a small box on the table in front of him stood a black and silver ring that looked elegant yet beautiful.
After inspecting the ring for several seconds, Goddas sighed and looked out of the window to the storm brewing outside. The rain was falling like it wanted to drown the entire world. The lightning sliced down as if it wanted to split the world in half.
When the lightning flashed, it was so bright that it hurt Goddas’ eyes, so he looked away towards the ring once again.
However, what greeted him was an empty table and a non-empty chair opposite of him.
Goddas let out a loud screech that resembled a porkling getting slaughtered. However, the rumbling of thunder overpowered the sound.
The cloaked person, sitting in the chair opposite of Goddas, looked at him calmly, waiting for him to stop screaming.
Goddas panted for several seconds, with eyes bulging out of their sockets, before he finally managed to voice his complaints. “Motherfrakker! Are you trying to kill me?! Must you always appear out of thin air without any sound?!? Can’t you knock, announce yourself or ring a doorbell like everyone else?!?!”
The person held the ring box and looked at Goddas as he was looking at an idiot. “Have you ever seen a Shadow enter through the front door?”
Goddas frowned. “No but…”
The man interrupted him. “Exactly. You don’t see a Shadow. That’s the whole point of the occupation. To not be seen.”
Goddas opened and closed his mouth like a fish. The man didn’t let him regain his bearing and continued. “Besides, why are you making such a fuss? You were obviously waiting for me, so how come you get such a scare when I actually show up?”
“It’s because of the way how you appear out of thin air! I have a heart of a pechuh that is easily startled!” The fatty whined miserably.
“Goddas…” The man stated solemnly. “Don’t insult the courage of a pechuh.”
Goddas stared at him blankly for several seconds before he realized. “Frakk! Are you making fun of me?!”
The man waved the issue off, completely ignoring the red flush on fatty’s face, and instead concentrated on the ring, scrutinizing it with both his eyes and his mana sense.
The cowardly fatty would have been shivering and hoping that the ring was to the man’s taste if it weren’t for the fact that he was confident in his work. He knew that the ring didn’t have any flaws. His work never had flaws.
And indeed, the cloaked man nodded his head approvingly. “Thanks for your hard work.”
He looked up to Goddas whose face displayed a self-satisfied smile. “Of course. I always do a good job” was written clearly all over his round face.
The man chose not to comment further and instead changed the subject. “This concludes our business. Consider your debt repaid. If you have a need for me in the future, just drop by the Shadow Lodge and ask for ‘Light’.”
I finally managed to get rid of you! Why would I go look for you myself?? Fatty thought, yet what he asked was: “Light? Is that your Shadow nickname?”
The man shut the box with one hand and pocketed it inside his cloak. “Yes.”
“It doesn’t suit you at all.�
� Goddas grumbled. Who in their right mind would nickname a Shadow ‘Light’? A shadow is anything but ‘Light’!”
Wait! Goddas’ eyes narrowed. Is it because he is proficient in using Light magic?
The man ignored the comment and got up from his seat gracefully. “I won’t linger around needlessly. Take care, Goddas.”
Light paused as he reached the window and looked back at Goddas one last time. “‘til next time…”
Just as the man said his goodbye, lightning flashed once again illuminating the face under the cloak.
It was only a brief moment, and in the next, the man was gone. However, that brief moment was enough for Goddas to imprint the man’s face in his memory.
It was a skinny man in his late twenties, with tanned skin and eyes as black as midnight. His hair was as dark as his eyes and slightly messy, framing his completely unremarkable face. It was one of those faces that didn’t stand out in the crowd. A face that was neither ugly nor pretty, but simply average in every way.
In fact, a few minutes later, Goddas had trouble remembering his exact facial features for they were simply too ordinary.
Light huh? I better investigate this guy. Goddas thought. He had wanted to investigate this bane of his existence since the first time they met. However, he neither knew his name nor appearance, so he had nothing to investigate.
This time, however, not only did the man reveal his Shadow nickname, but Goddas also managed to accidentally get a glimpse of his appearance.
Now he could finally go down to the Shadow Lodge and ask around. He needed to know whether he could trust this guy not to kill him in the middle of the night. He needed to know how to guard against him. How to stop him from walking into his home as if he owned the place.
Although the man never showed any hostility towards Goddas, the fatty would be hard-pressed to trust such a shady person. Now that he had repaid his debt, the man might deem Goddas’ existence as unnecessary and decide to off him.
The thought caused all fatty’s hair to stand on end. He shivered involuntarily.
Perhaps the man would come back one day, demanding Goddas to do more work for him? Even if he refused to pay for the work, what could Goddas do about it? How could he deal with such a person?
Indeed, he should pay a visit to the Shadow Lodge.
* * *
Kiel and Elaru landed in front of the main entrance of Black Pearl restaurant, hand in hand, and dispelled their spells so that would once again become visible and detectable.
After Elaru finally got her hands on the finished magic artifact in the shape of a ring, she decided to take Kiel to Black Pearl restaurant once again. The security and privacy of the restaurant would allow her to divulge the secrets of the ring without worrying about potential eavesdroppers. And also, it was about time for them to eat lunch. So, going there was killing two birds with one stone.
As soon as the two entered the restaurant, they were greeted by the same sight as last time.
A servant stepped forward from the wall of servants to greet them. The man in tuxedo bowed respectfully. “Welcome to Black Pearl my lord and lady. I will be your personal servant today. Do honored guests have any special instructions?”
Kiel smiled back politely, his elegance and refinement of a noble on full display. And then he spoke out in his soothing voice: “We would like some privacy.”
* * *
While Kiel was conversing with the servant, a couple was walking several dozens of meters in front of him. The two were dressed in expensive clothes, obviously noble in origin. The female was quite pretty, wearing a soft pink dress that was the same shade as the pink highlights in her blonde curly hair.
However, standing next to the male, the pretty female seemed to lose all her color. For the beauty of the male belonged in a different realm entirely. They simply couldn’t be compared.
As Kiel’s voice spread through the room, the man suddenly stopped in his tracks. His head snapped towards the source of the voice. That voice… it can’t be?
A pair of icy blue eyes inspected Kiel Rroda and widened in surprise. What is he doing here?
The man didn’t have enough time to be surprised for his gaze soon landed on the girl standing next to Kiel Rroda.
At that moment, all his thoughts completely stilled.
He could no longer look away.
Elaru’s long, red hair jumped around, glittering like the most exquisite silk, looking softer than the feathers of a cottonbird. The tanned skin was radiant and flawless, looking as soft as the skin of a newborn baby. The black marking covering the left side of her face, neck, and arm looked like intricate jewelry.
The big teal eyes glowed like two apatite gems capturing the souls of everyone who saw them. The long, thick eyelashes fluttered like wings of a butterfly further perfecting the beauty of that which was already perfect.
She wore loose clothes that covered the most of her exquisite body. However, it couldn’t cover up the allure of her perfect curves. Not being able to see the exquisitely sculpted body underneath was more stimulating than if it had been laid out bare.
Full, naturally red lips that looked edible, long slim legs, round perky breasts, narrow waist.
Beautiful, elegant, exotic, unique.
All those words seemed inadequate to describe the beauty of the girl in front of him.
If one had to compare her beauty to someone, only Arites, the gods’ favorite children, could possibly match her. But even they could only match it, not surpass it.
He didn’t know who she was. He neither knew her personality nor background. He didn’t even know her name. Yet none of it mattered.
One look was enough.
Enough for him to decide that this was a girl he had to have.
His eyes fell on the smooth fingers of her hand that were wrapped around the arm of Kiel Rroda, and a fire ignited inside of him, the likes of which he had not felt before.
The existence of Kiel Rroda did nothing to douse the flames, on the contrary, it only added oil to the fire.
It wasn’t love at first sight. No. It couldn’t even be called lust.
It was a pure longing, or perhaps greed? Yearning for something that didn’t belong to him. A craving to be the only one to possess a peerless treasure.
Everything that belongs to him, I will take.
For that which was stolen from another tasted the sweetest.
The blonde female noticed the strange behavior of her partner. No matter how she pulled on his arm, he didn’t budge. Like a statue, he gazed in a certain direction, unmoving.
The girl finally gave up and looked towards the same direction. As her eyes landed on Kiel Rroda, her pupils widened. She looked back and forth between Kiel Rroda and her partner. What a striking family resemblance! “A cousin of yours?” The girl bashfully asked.
Her voice finally brought her partner out of his daze. The man didn’t turn to face her as he replied: “Not quite.” The man smiled a brilliant smile that was so bright one couldn’t look at it straight. The girl lowered her head to hide the blush spreading over her cheeks.
“Well, well, if it isn’t my little brother.” The man spoke up loud enough to reach the ears of Kiel.
As soon as Kiel heard the voice, his smiling expression stiffened, and his eyes slowly moved towards the source. Elaru followed his gaze to see a devilishly handsome male that was a splitting image of Kiel Rroda. Their faces were so similar that they could easily be twins.
Both of them had eyes of exactly the same icy blue color. Both had black hair with several strands of vivid blue. Besides their clothes and demeanor, the most noticeable difference laid in their hairstyle. While Kiel’s hair was rebelliously reaching past his chin, the hair of this man was stylishly and neatly falling down to his shoulders.
“Let me guess… your brother?” Elaru mused through the telepathic link.
“Rhur Rroda in the flesh.” Kiel confirmed.
* * *
Coming up in the next
episode:
Rhur Rroda chuckled huskily and looked towards Elaru. “And who might this fine lady be?”
Kiel didn’t miss the familiar heat hiding behind Rhur’s eyes and his heart sank.
“We haven’t seen each other in a long time, dear brother. How about we dine together and catch up?”
His aura was enticing, enchanting, alluring.
“Does grandfather know you’re in town?”
Episode 83 – Rhur, Rhur Rroda
Episode 83 – Rhur, Rhur Rroda
Previously:
Elaru picks up Kiel’s ring and the two of them go to Black Pearl restaurant where she intends to give him the ring and explain its usage. Unfortunatelly, as they enter the lobby of the restaurant, they run into Rhur Rroda – Kiel’s older brother, and his date.
* * *
The first emotion a person would have upon meeting the two Rroda brothers would be surprise. Surprise that the features of the two were so similar that they could easily pass off as twins.
After the initial surprise faded, what would be left in its wake would be fascination. Fascination that two people with such similar features could leave fundamentally different impressions, making it so everyone can tell them apart with ease.
Both of the Rroda brothers wore black and blue clothes. Kiel’s were simpler while Rhur had intricate golden embroidery showcasing his status.
Kiel looked charismatic and mysterious, with a trace of unattainable vibe.
Although only a year older than Kiel, Rhur Rroda was several centimeters taller and exuded a stronger air of maturity. His robes were looser, but showed more of his flawless white skin, especially around the neck area, bringing his allure to its fullest. He was stylish, refined and seductive.
While Kiel had an untouchable vibe of virtue, Rhur was exactly the opposite – approachable, enticing, enchanting, as if trying to lure one into sin.
