"How long is she going to be like that?" Damien asked as he watched Wistoria hop down the carriage and walk inside the manor without looking back at him.


    He had tried to speak to her in the carriage, but the woman had shut him up each and every time. He couldn''t understand why women did this.


    If she was angry at him, she should at least let him exin.


    Xavier nced at him as if he was speaking a differentnguage and replied, "If I may, then I believe that Lady Wistoria has every right to be angry with you—"


    "You know never mind, I nearly forgot that you are fanatic when ites to Lady Wistoria and Lord Nichs," Damien snorted with a roll of his eyes.


    "She is your wife—"


    "Well, I don''t know how to break this to you, Xavier," began Damien with a smile that didn''t reach his eyes. "Yourdy has never really been a wife to me other than just in name?"


    He turned on his feet and took the path which led to the mansion where he lived with his family. As he walked away, Damien could still feel Xavier''s murderous gaze at his back.


    "Brother!"


    "Prisci," Damien smiled at his little sister who seemed to be waiting for him. "Were you waiting for me, Cici?"


    "Yeah," Prisci replied as she took his hand and led Damien inside the manor. "Were you able to defeat the Impert Snake Beast? Mother was so worried when she found out that you took such a dangerous risk."


    "Is mother doing alright?" Damien asked with a note of worry in his voice.


    To his surprise, Prisci nodded and replied, "Mother is much better since she stopped taking the medication provided by the temple and started taking yours. She can now sleep at night for a few hours."


    In the past, the pain was unbearable for Lady Cecil making it impossible for her to even take a shut eye.


    Damien was relieved to find that Lady Cecil was doing better. He asked, "Is she awake?"


    "No," Prisci shook her head and replied, "Mother, went to sleep after waiting for you. No one knew when you were going to return, brother."


    She then paused and asked, "Are you hungry? There is some onion soup, and baguette left from dinner."


    Damien hadn''t felt the pang of hunger until Prisci spoke up. His stomach rumbled upon hearing the words ''onion soup,'' he nodded and replied, "Alright."


    Prisci smiled at him as she took him to the kitchen, though young she was —she could not only cook but also take after her brothers.


    "The onions are from our garden," she told him. "I know that we have money now," she added when Damien went to speak. "But we should save it and not spend it without care. Who knows, when we might need it?"


    Damien understood her worries as they were still carrying the title of ''ves''. He didn''t mention money but instead went ahead and questioned, "Why are you the one who is cooking? What about the servants?"


    "They are — well, they do a fine job when ites to cleaning and washing clothes. But we cannot trust them with our meals, just yesterday —Brother Henry apprehended a maid who was adding Fillitrix in our soup."


    [Fillitrix: Venomous Frogs found in the Southern Land of Brystoria.]


    [The toxins released by their skin can be used to create poison.]


    "Where is the maid? Did someone interrogate her?" Damien asked, getting back to his feet. If that maid was still alive, then he needed to have a small chit-chat session with her.


    "There is no point in looking for her," replied Prisci as shedled a generous amount of onion soup in a bowl and handed it to Damien. "Shemitted suicide as soon as she was caught."


    As Damien scooped a spoonful of soup from his bowl, Prisci sighed and then sat next to him. "It seems like that bad guy hasn''t given up."


    Damien''s expression turned sombre upon hearing her words as he knew exactly about whom Prisci was talking about.


    Emiliano de Brystoria, his half-brother and the man who dethroned his predecessor.


    "Isn''t he already the King?" Prisci remarked as she picked up a piece of bread. "Why is she stilling after our family, Brother Dami?"


    "Maybe he fears that we might make aeback," Damien said shortly. "Can I get more butter? I like my toast loaded with butter."


    Prisci nodded as she added more butter to Damien''s toast. She ced it on the small te next to Damien before saying, "It is truly foolish though. How can we be an obstacle in his path to glory when our beast nucleus has been destroyed?"


    Damien suddenly felt a lot more ufortable. He had, after all, broken free of the restraints that Emiliano had put on the body of the predecessor.


    Even if it was just by pure coincidence if that man was crazy enough to send him to Satan''s door when he had no idea that Damien had gotten rid of the tartarite nails.


    Damien dared not to think about the sudden esction in assassination attempts if that man was to know that those nails were no longer a problem for Damien.


    ''Might as well keep it to myself for now,'' thought Damien.


    He thought about his dreams—the whispering voice that hissed in his ears, the thing that was in the abandoned pce..it seemed to be waiting for something. Him.


    And Damien didn''t know much about this world but he knew one thing, if a body-less voice was calling out to him, he was supposed to run away from it, not towards it.


    Damien finished the rest of his meal in silence, Prisci who was tired after waiting for him was so tired that she dozed off again and again. In the end, Damien requested her to go back to sleep and he too went to his own room after washing in the small bathing area behind the manor.


    **************


    "Your mind seemed to be awake even though your eyes are closed, Host," stated Dan as he peered at Damien who was lying on the bed. He curiously eyed Damien as if he was the finest specimen that Dan wanted to cut open and see whaty inside of him.


    Damien''s eyes snapped open as if sensing the danger, he nced at Dan before asking, "Why are you looking at me like that?"


    "Like what?"


    "Like you want to snap open my head and see what lies inside."


    Dan''s eyes lit up as he questioned, "Can I do that?"


    "Yeah," replied Damien with a serious expression, as he scathingly added, "Only once though. Because after that I will never wake up again."


    Dan stared at him and Damien stared right back.


    "I do not understand," Dan asked with a frown on his face. "If you know what the consequences of your actions might be, why even make an offer?"


    Damien rolled his eyes. "I didn''t make an offer, I made a sarcastic remark."


    "Is there a difference between the two?"


    "Yes," Damien turned his head to the side and looked up at the moon. "And I am not going to exin it," he added already aware of the fact that Dan was going to ask him to exin the difference. "Just remember that sarcastic remarks are thrown when someone is annoyed like I am right now."


    "With whom?" Dan asked again and this time around Damien turned and looked at the 3D hologram. "Why don''t you look around and tell me?" He fired back in a slow drawl.


    Dan frowned as he mimicked Damien''s expression, before turning his head and looking around the room. However, he found nothing and no one until his gaze fell on his reflection in the mirror.


    Dan: …. Caw.


    He whipped his head and looked at Damien with an usatory re, "You mean to say that I am annoying you?" He little did to stop his voice from turning into a screech.


    "I thought that AI systems don''t feel angry or upset."


    "I am not upset I am mimicking the host," replied Dan with a sort of sadistic note in his voice. "You know when your girlfriend broke up with you."


    "Don''t do it, Dan…" Damien slowly pushed himself off the bed with his elbows. "Don''t ever think of doing such a thing."


    Dan snickered. And then—


    "Damien, I don''t think it is working.."


    "NOOOOOO!!!"


    *** ****


    "Are you still upset," Nichs looked at his sister and asked.


    "Why will I be upset?" Wistoria snarled as she pounced on her brother. Her ws unsheathed as she took a swipe at him. "Do you think that man is worthy of that?"


    Nichs pulled his neck back as his sister had been aiming for his throat. "Woah, there sissy. I am your brother."


    "There is no rtionship on the battlefield," sneered Wistoria as she lunged at her brother once again.