《Violet Star Witch》 Prolog - War End If he could curse the king for starting this war and making him finish he would. At the same time, he knows that the king isn¡¯t the only one that is at fault and that it is also the two gods that blessed him. Being blessed by both Zarall and Xathanael, it is no wonder why the king wants him to be in every battle. ¡°I¡¯ve been in battle since two years after my blessing, it has been eight years since this has started and I finally get to finish it.¡± He blasts a fireball from his crimson-colored wand. ¡°Claiming to be the chosen one my ass. If you were really the chosen one you would have gone into hiding. You wouldn¡¯t have died from such a weak attack.¡± He walks over to the burnt-up corps and impales it with his sword where the heart would be if it was still beating. ¡°There now even if you were blessed by Nuriel you will still be gone.¡± He picks the sword up out of the body¡¯s chest and there isn¡¯t even a small drop of blood coming off of it before it is sheathed. Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. ¡°Lord Silver Von Stein.¡± An older gentleman walks up to him with long silver hair and heterochromia eyes, which is a treat that all the royals share. He gets down to his knees. ¡°My Emporer. I owe this victory to you. We got rid of all the people claiming to be a threat to you and the rest of the royal family of Astayle.¡± ¡°It took you eight years to track and take down thirty people? You really are just worthless. Maybe I¡¯ll just put you somewhere where you could be useful. Don¡¯t get too comfortable because I will make you leave it at the site of danger.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry my lord. I will do better next time.¡± He was ripped out of his school to fight in this war. It wasn¡¯t his fault that he was so inexperienced. Honestly, he hopes that the chosen one shows themself soon. He wants that so the prophecy will be fulfilled. The royals of the five kingdoms of Lethua. One thing that he did notice is all of the witches that were fought had starry violet eyes. Chapter I - The Rite of Blessing ¡°Hey, Common Trash!¡± The nobleman shouts at the star-eyed person. They look at the heterochromia-eyed man with confusion in their eyes. Overall, they decide to ignore him. They are here with their best friend and foster sister, Ruby. ¡°I am very grateful that your parents were willing to pay for my education too. Especially seeing how I am an adult now and they had no reason to even keep me around.¡± The man keeps shouting behind them as the two keep on walking. ¡°They told me there was a reason that they couldn¡¯t make it official, but they love you like their own. Don¡¯t worry about not having a societal debut, or even having the same last name as us. You are still an ale Rouge to all of us.¡± ¡°You two dare ignore me? Your prince? Common trash like that thing doesn¡¯t share noble blood and shouldn¡¯t even be in this division of the school.¡± Ruby turns around and bows at the enraged man. ¡°So sorry Prince Xavier. We weren¡¯t aware of your presence there. If we were, we would have acknowledged your greatness.¡± Ruby makes Pearl bow. Xavier Depraysie, the heir to the kingdom, is said to be cursed by all the gods but saved by one. Why the king hasn¡¯t tried to name one of his daughters an heir is a mystery to the rest of the nation. No one knows the god that blessed him. However, people speculate that it is Xathanael, due to his tyrannical nature. Not even Ruby who trusts everyone trusts the prince. She knows to just please him. Let him walk all over you if you must. Being obedient to him will keep you and your loved ones safe. ¡°Whatever. You two aren¡¯t worth my time.¡± He walked away as the two remained bowed. "Come on, let''s go to our first class together. The war is over so you are finally able to attend. We get to attend our first day together. Even if your first day is a couple of years late." Ruby smiles and grabs her friend, Pearl''s, hand as she leads them to their classroom. Once they all sat in their seats there was a whole lot of talking followed by dead silence. The atmosphere of the room seemed to shift as the professor walked into the room. His hair was purple like amethyst and his eyes were as bright and yellow as the sun. He scans the room trying to process his new surroundings. Being a professor was the last thing he expected the king to make him do. "At least that ass hole didn''t put me in the same class as his son." He mumbles under his breath. Silver normally doesn''t talk to himself but after the war he found himself doing so from time to time. Pearl looks at her professor wondering what he is thinking. They wonder if they should just keep to themselves and take notes or if they should go up and introduce themself. He is probably one of the most attractive people that they have ever met. Although they are aware of the possible social standing distance between the two of them, Pearl can''t help but want to be with him and learn more about him. They aren''t a real noble and they know that. Throughout the lesson, Silver talked something about contracts and magic and the properties that they can have. Each God has a different contractual magic and it is up to the signer to figure out what the contractor''s blessings are and what they might want out of the signer. Destroying a contract is rather difficult, it either needs to be voided by the contractor or voided through the heavens, which in the history of the kingdom, has only happened once. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Although there is one other way it could be voided, Silver is forbidden from talking about that because of the contract that he signed eight years ago. The royal family forbids it and he would become mute if he ever spoke it. The one blessed by all gods has to appear and a contract needs to be formed with them. He would nullify everything after that. He just wants to be free from his restraints of being the royal family''s lap dog. "That''s all the time we have for this session. Don''t forget to receive your blessings today. And come back in about four hours for a half an hour recap on everything." The classroom clears out and it leaves Silver alone with his thoughts. He was thinking about the time he got blessed. At least the first twenty minutes of it were enjoyable. He laughs to no one but himself as he just sits there alone toying with his wand. "Gods, I hate them. The whole Depraysie family. I bet that they all just use young aspiring witches and mages. Fuck them all for being guaranteed to be blessed by Xathanael. Making it so they can hide the fact that they are signing people into slavery." He lets out a long sigh. "I guess that I could always go to the tree of the gods and pray. Maybe they will void the contract and I can destroy them all. The Royals and the nobles that wronged me." Pearl thought that the tree looked impressive in pictures but it is radiantly beautiful in person. Rainbow pollen falls off the tree glistening in the sun and looking like sparkles as it is also dotted upon the wire leaves giving it color. Ruby and Pearl sit under the holy tree on their knees and Ruby closes her eyes and prays. A bright light envelops her whole body and slowly fades. She smiles at Pearl and grabs their hands. "Just hold them together and pray or wish for something. The gods will answer your prayers. Pearl, they gave me the blessing that I need to help you so you don''t always need to wait a month for the next ritual. We''ll be in different classes starting tomorrow but we can always still have lunch together." She gets up and pats their head. "See you back in class." With that and a smile, she walks away. Pearl sits under the tree for what seems like an eternity. They want their prayer to be something worthwhile for other people, that way they can be given something to help others and not just themself. "Can''t decide what to pray for¡­ ah, you are in my class but I don''t know your name." Silver sits down next to her putting his sword and wand down in front of them. "Pearl Frost. My sponsors are the ale Rouge family. They adopted me but not formally so we don''t actually share a last name. What are you here to pray for? Maybe it could give me an idea." A way to void the contract is what he tried to say but what came out was something different. "Hope? Not really sure to be honest." Hope isn''t a bad thing to want. They think to themself. Please, Gods of Origin, please help me bring others hope. To be someone to stop the constant war that has been going on. Just like that, their prayer was answered. A huge beam of light falls down from the sky and strikes them. The light surrounds them for about 30 seconds and disappears leaving behind a fragile-looking wand that looks like the leaves on the tree. They recognize the type of want that they got. They wonder why out of all the people in the continent the gods chose them. All of them blessed them. In a way, this is even worse than being cursed by all of them. At least if they cursed you you would still get to live. No, this is like being ignored by all of them. If the king finds out that they exist then their head could roll. "You said that your name was Pearl Frost, right?" Silver looks into her eyes and wonders why he didn''t notice it before. They have the same eyes as all the people that he took out during the war. "Ye- yes. That is my name. Although I have no real association with my last name. I was essentially raised by the ale Rouges." Pearl stares down at her wand. Picks it up and brings it to her chest. "You aren''t going to report me, right?" Silver gets up and yanks them up off the ground. "We can''t talk here. There are too many people around. Come with me to the temple of Zarall that is on school grounds. I''ll get us an empty room." Chapter II - A Contract The two made it to the temple of Zarall in a room isolated from the rest of the temple. There is an altar with a manuscript depicting the triumph of war from ancient times and how Zarall led the soldiers to victory with Suriel by his side causing death and destruction everywhere they go. There is a painting above the altar that depicts Zarall holding his sword high into the sky standing in a pool of blood. In the middle of the room, there is a table with a red cloth on it, Pearl and Silver are sitting at it. ¡°You are sure that you aren¡¯t going to report me, right? I sware that I won¡¯t do anything to the country. I just wanted to learn magic and be with my best friend and adopted sister, Ruby. I promise That I won¡¯t do anyth-¡± He puts a finger to their lips to silence them. ¡°I have no plan on turning you in. However, I need something from you. You will have to figure it out because the gods prevent me from speaking it.¡± He pushes over a sheet of paper that he made up. This here is binding that I Silver von Stein, will do anything in my power to protect Pearl Frost. I will be sure to teach them well in both the fields that I am qualified to help them learn. I vow that I will never reveal their identity as the one that was blessed by all the gods. I vow to train them and help them grow into a better witch. In return, Pearl Frost will help me achieve my goals. X Sliver von Stein. X . Not remembering that there might be something hidden behind the words of the contract and thinking that there could be nothing wrong that could be done by singing it they do so without hesitation. The paper glows a bright silver and an illusionary chain forms around both of their hands. ¡°Wasn¡¯t expecting that but makes sense since it was under the witness of Zarall.¡± ¡°What what that? Why did all that happen?¡± Pearl frantically looks around and tenses up. They can feel all the stress going to their shoulders. ¡°It was just the binding process. I-¡± He tried to speak what had been locked away for some time. It has been eight years since the contract with the king started, yet, he is still unable to speak about it after signing the contract that should have allowed him to break free from it. He figures that means he is stuck with a contract that didn¡¯t help him out in the slightest. Although Pearl will have to do whatever he says, he doesn¡¯t want to just use someone like that. That will make him no different than the king. He gets up from his seat and heads to the door and Pearl starts to get up. ¡°Stay, that¡¯s an order.¡± Pearl gets back down as their mind goes black blindly following what they were told. Once they come back to their senses they notice that Silver is gone but there is a force keeping them in the room. At the very least they are allowed to walk around in there. For some reason, they are unable to leave even though they really want to. They sat in the room for hours before Silver showed back up after teaching his lesson. ¡°I¡¯m back Pearl. Here this is for you.¡± He hands them a long sword imbued with his family sigma on it. It is a rose that looks as if it is going to bloom at any moment. They unsheath it and notice that it is made out of pure crystal. ¡°I¡¯m just a commoner. I don¡¯t deserve something this nice.¡± ¡°Nonsense. You will be the savior of us all. At least, that is what the prophecy says, I think. There is another one that talks about you being the downfall of all of humanity. I just don¡¯t see that in you.¡± If there is a prophecy about them causing destruction then they are certain that is what is going to happen. After all, Silver doesn¡¯t really know them. Their adoptive parents wouldn¡¯t fully go out and file for adoption with the king. They feel as if this is more of a curse. Maybe it would be better if they were just hated. They look into Silver¡¯s eyes as they seem to be lacking in emotion. Yet, at the same time, seems to have some kind of care and kindness to them. Not even their foster parents looked at them like that. They all seemed to have a slight feeling of resentment behind them. Or was it caution? They always struggled to figure out what it was that they felt about them. This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. ¡°Something bothering you Pearl?¡± He moves their hair behind their ear and places his hand on their cheek. They move away from his hand and he puts it down respecting her wishes. ¡°I¡¯m just not a good person at all. I- I would have rather been cursed by all of them.¡± ¡°I am not that great either. Do you want to come with me? I need to do some training to keep my skills up before I head home. The only real thing that I have for myself is my magic and my ability to use a sword.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. Is that an order?¡± He smiles. ¡°The fact that you could answer me and not just go with me is proof enough that it wasn¡¯t an order. Do you want me to order you? I will if that is what you want.¡± They stay still uncertain about how to respond. Part of them would love to be ordered by Silver the other part doesn¡¯t like the uncertainty of the extent that he would go. ¡°I don¡¯t know. How far would you go?¡± He puts his hand on the back of the chair and gets close to their face. ¡°Be my partner and find out.¡± Confusion hit them because if what he said before meant that it wasn¡¯t really an order then this one that sounded more like one wasn¡¯t either. If he wanted to use them like that wouldn¡¯t they already be his? ¡°But aren¡¯t you my professor? Isn¡¯t that wrong to happen?¡± ¡°I can fudge things around so you were blessed by Nuriel. And only them. You will have a different professor then. You will also be able to learn some things that I can¡¯t teach you. Don¡¯t speak. If it is a yes, let me do this.¡± They can no longer speak. They did find him attractive from the very beginning. They like how looking at him is like looking at an amethyst that reflects the sun in his eyes. They close their eyes and Silver leans in and places a kiss on their cheek. He moves their hair off of their neck and makes his way down her face onto their neck. "I''ll file you as being blessed by Nuriel. Do you want the top Nuriel Priestess to be your teacher? I will cover the difference in cost." Their face turns beet red as they look away from him. "Silver?" "Yes, what is it?¡± He looks at her with some burning passion in his eyes wanting to order them to let him do more than just kiss them but at the same time, he knows that he¡¯ll be no better than the king and his family. He even has to listen to his daughters and one of them who was cursed by the gods orders him to do more sexual things against his will. He would hate if he ever forced them to do those kinds of things with him knowing how that makes him feel. ¡°If you say that I am blessed solely by Nuriel then when are you going to train me? Would it have to be done in secret? Wouldn¡¯t I have to go straight to the commoner¡¯s dorms once my classes let out?¡± ¡°Why would you go to the commoner¡¯s dorms?¡± The thought of them heading over there was completely repulsive and it also confused him since they were still raised by nobles. ¡°I was never officially adopted by the ale Rouges. So they just sponsor me to go here. I¡¯m not a real noble anyways. It will be okay. People in the commoner¡¯s dorms aren¡¯t allowed out after school lets out.¡± ¡°No, you will live with other nobles. Keeping you isolated isn¡¯t right.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have a choice though.¡± ¡°Then you are living with me in my estate.¡± He subconsciously made it an order. He doesn¡¯t want them restrained. He doesn¡¯t like the idea of someone raised in nobility being forced to mingle with them. He thinks that he knows why their family didn¡¯t fully adopt them. He hates the king for it. If the king knew about their existence he would have sent them to death. They did it to protect them. They would have had to make a societal debut and the king would have caught wind of them. ¡°Yes Sir.¡± Their eyes went emotionless as they responded making Silver realize what he did. ¡°Do you want to Pearl? You will be freer and I¡¯ll pay for anything that you need.¡± ¡°What do you want to know if I would like to do? Oh, that¡¯s right, you want to know if I would like to stay with you at your place.¡± They try to think about it but the fact that he ordered them to do it is making it difficult to think clearly. ¡°I take it back as an order if that makes it easier.¡± The haze that clouded their mind cleared and they look at him and see nothing but compassion and sympathy in his eyes. The sympathy of what, they couldn¡¯t say. It was there nonetheless. ¡°I will be allowed to hang out with my sister?¡± ¡°Of course Pearl. You can be with whoever you want. We just will need to do training at least three days a week. What do you say?¡± ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll come with you.¡± Pearl says with a lift in their voice and a huge smile on their face. ¡°Do you want anything from me?¡± ¡°No. Well, there is one thing. But I am forbidden from speaking about it. I know that you¡¯ll be able to figure it out even if it is subconscious.¡± He reaches out and grabs their hand helping them out of their chair. ¡°Come, let¡¯s go.¡± Chapter III - Depraysie Royal Orders They both head out of the Temple of Zarall and make their way to the school entrance but are stopped by Prince Xavier. He looks Pearl over and gives them a threatening glare. ¡°What is that thing doing out? It should be in the location with all the other common trash.¡± He looks at the sword that they hold in their hand and recognizes it as a von Stein heirloom. ¡°You gave that to a piece of trash? What is wrong with you? Do you think that thing is attractive or something?¡± His eyes gloss over and he responds. ¡°Yes, I find them as the most beautiful being around.¡± Snapping back into reality Silver gets frustrated. ¡°Don¡¯t abuse that!¡± ¡°Silver?¡± Pearl questions tugging on his sleeve hoping to find a way to de-escalate the situation. ¡°What about my sister, Celest? You know how upset she will be if her plaything has someone else.¡± Xavier grins. ¡°You know that she was going to make you marry her.¡± ¡°That is one of the few things that I can say no to. If you guys were to order me to do that you know that the Gods would nullify our contract.¡± He grabs Pearl¡¯s hand and starts to leave. ¡°Stop vermin.¡± He freezes as he fades out. ¡°What is that thing offering you that Celest can¡¯t? That thing isn¡¯t even a noble and you know that your family is next in line for the throne. Do you really want to soil your bloodline like that?¡± ¡°Princess Celestina can¡¯t give me love. She can¡¯t even give me an heir.¡± He comes back to his senses. ¡°I just don¡¯t want her. Pearl was raised by nobles so for all I care, they are a noble. May I please leave now? They won¡¯t even be staying on campus. Just leave us alone.¡± ¡°How dare you ask me if you can leave! Stay still!¡± Silver freezes as Xavier swings at him hitting his nose. ¡°You are nothing but a tool don¡¯t act out of line.¡± ¡°Of course, forgive me, Prince.¡± ¡°Good, leave, I don¡¯t want you two in my sight.¡± Xavier takes off fuming towards the suit where the royals stay while attending. They are all going to die someday. Just wait until he can nullify this contract. He thinks to himself. He starts to walk off without Pearl and looks back. ¡°Come.¡± ¡°Yes sir.¡± Pearl rushes to his side not really in control of their own body. To be fair, it was frozen out of fear from what just went down so if Silver didn¡¯t give an order then they would have stayed still. They knew that Xavier was an ass but they didn¡¯t realize to the extent that he was. From what it sounds like Silver is trapped in a contract. They wonder how long he has been in it. Years? Months? One thing is for sure they seem to abuse the fact that they get to order him around. Once they make it to the carriage Silver hops in and helps Pearl up inside. They come back to their senses and their eyes dart around. ¡°Where am I?¡± This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°You¡¯re in my carriage on the way to my estate. There is something that we need to do in the gardens before we go in and have some dinner.¡± Silver takes a hold of their hand and gives it a gentle reassuring squeeze. They make their way to the back of the von Stein garden and find an altar that is designed to put a sword in. Something draws pearl to it as they stare. They take the crystal sword out and insert it into the pedestal. Silver knowing that this would happen because Xaneal and Zarall drew him to this altar to do the same with his sword smiled. ¡°Touch your wand to it. It will bond the sword to you and shape it to your style of fighting.¡± Pearl looks over to Silver and their wand appears in their hand. They hold it out and touch the handle with their wand and energy starts to flow through it and the sword glows a multitude of colors. The single-handed long sword took shape into a rapier. It flies out of the altar and into their dominant left hand. They are amazed because even though it still looks like solid crystal, the shape of the sword had completely changed. ¡°Think of me when holding the sword and I will assist you with your intent.¡± An elegant voice speaks into their head. Unsure of who it is they look around and then at Silver. ¡°Did you hear that?¡± ¡°It was probably your primary god talking to you. I heard Zarall when mine turned into a broad sword.¡± Silver wraps his arms around them as they are in awe of their new weapon. They never thought that they would have something like this. ¡°Do you want me to lead you to your room and call it a night, or would you like to eat first?¡± ¡°I would like to eat first. I haven¡¯t eaten since breakfast. I was in the temple of Zarall for quite some time.¡± They weren¡¯t going to say that it was because he ordered them to say although that was unspoken. ¡°I¡¯m sorry Pearl. I forgot that you weren¡¯t able to leave to even get something to eat. That was my fault. Come, I¡¯ll get a servant to make us some food.¡± After dinner, Silver leads Pearl to a room. It was a bigger bedroom than what they were used to. There is a bed that looks like it could fit two people and a couple of couches with what looks like some kind of table between them. Over the bed, there is a canopy that covers the sides and an area above. Over at the side of the room, there is a huge sliding glass door that leads out to a balcony with a small garden on it with an outside table and chair. ¡°Am I really allowed to stay here? Isn¡¯t this a little too much for someone like me?¡± Pulling them in and resting his head on top of theirs he thinks about how to respond. Does he tell them that this room is typically reserved for the duchess or does he just tell her that he thinks that they deserve everything? ¡°Nonsense. You deserve it. You are a blessing of the empire.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t feel like a blessing.¡± They aren¡¯t sure if it is the fact that the ritual is wearing off early or if it is something that they genuinely believe. They know that their depression can make them feel little and unlovable. They just know that they feel like they are scum for being blessed by all the gods which one would typically be ecstatic about, especially since they have a contract that says that it would be kept a secret. ¡°Why is that Pearl? Is something wrong?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. My illness makes me get this way sometimes. I have to wait two more weeks for the next ritual. I hope that I can last that long.¡± ¡°Do you want me to call a priest of Amaliel? They could give you a blessing to help you hold out until then.¡± ¡°No, that is expensive and I don¡¯t want to be a bother. I¡¯ll be alright.¡± He turns them around and lifts their chin up to look at him. ¡°You are not a bother Pearl. Let me help you. I¡¯ll call one over on Sunday. Try and hold out a couple of days. Okay?¡± He kisses their forehead. ¡°If you feel yourself get worse let me know and I¡¯ll have the servants provide for you in this room.¡± He smiles at them and pats their head. ¡°I need to do some work now but pull that string and it will ring a bell to the servants'' quarters and they will help you. If you want me just ask them to go and fetch me. I¡¯ll come right away. I¡¯ll see you tomorrow.¡± Chapter IV - Celestina The night is still young and even though it is dark out Silver knows that the princess is going to come soon. She comes every June 9th on his birthday to make it miserable in the name of supposed love. She comes to enjoy herself and because of the contract with her family if she orders it he can¡¯t say no. Being cursed by Nuriel it is a surprise that she has a very high sex drive. At least it is toward him. He hopes that Suriel will come down and bring forth a plague onto her. ¡°Duke von Stein, Princess Celetina is here to see you.¡± Silver¡¯s head butler said as soon as he came in. Silver looks up and then back down at his work. ¡°I can¡¯t tell her to go away this year can I?¡± ¡°Unfortunately, as you are still under the Deprasie family you are unable to turn her away.¡± ¡°Bring her in then. I hope that she makes it quick this year.¡± ¡°As you wish.¡± The butler bows and exits the room. ¡°Lord Silver von Stein. I have come for your birthday once again. You must feel honored to have had me in your presents for the past seven years.¡± Celestina bows and her golden hair gently falls down. ¡°Not particularly. You are a huge thorn in my side.¡± He states rather emotionlessly as he dips his quill in some ink. Celestina walks up and slams her hand against the table making Silver look up and fear strikes his eyes. ¡°I see you are just as rude and cold as ever.¡± She walks to his side, takes the pen out of his hand and places it back in the ink holder. ¡°It¡¯s okay though, I can forgive you because of your pretty looks.¡± She places a hand on his cheek and starts to rub it. He feels sweat drip down his neck as she strokes his face. ¡°We don¡¯t have to do this. I don¡¯t want to.¡± She gives off a crooked grin. ¡°Awe, my little man thinks that he has a say. We are doing this today.¡± His eyes gloss over at the order. ¡°Yes, my Lady.¡± ¡°You know what to do slave. Pleasure me.¡± She turns around and lifts up her hair. ¡°Undress me first.¡± His hands move on their own as he unties her dress and it hits the ground. After he takes off her bra and lets it too hit the ground he gropes her breasts and goes down to kiss her neck. She lets out a moan as she turns around and kisses his lips. She takes off his pants and starts to stroke his cock. Even though she knows that it is all forced on him to do as she says it feels right to her to have him making love to her. ¡°Marry me.¡± She says knowing that it couldn¡¯t truly be an order or else the contract would become void at their union. ¡°No.¡± He responds emotionlessly as he continues to bring her pleasure. ¡°Why not? I could give you what you want.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t love you. I find you repulsive.¡± She removes her hand from his penis and slaps his face. ¡°You are not allowed to tell me that.¡± His eyes gloss over once again. ¡°I¡¯m sorry my Lady.¡± ¡°Now, tell me what I want to hear.¡± She rubs the spot that she hit not making it a direct order that he has to follow but sending the pain as a reminder if he doesn¡¯t willingly say it. Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. He looks at her with fear and his eyes dart away. ¡°You are the light of our empire. I love and want is best for you. You are my world.¡± ¡°There. Now was that so hard?¡± ¡°No¡­ My Lady. I won¡¯t speak out of line again.¡± ¡°Oh, you will. You always do. You¡¯ll also make me Duchess von Stein someday.¡± She kisses his lips and he refuses to respond. He refuses to make her his wife. She is part of the Royal family. She will not be spared from his wrath once he gets out of the contract. She will be the first one to die. He¡¯ll make sure of it. After she leaves, Silver is sitting on the floor and is a complete mess. He has tears running down his face. He has hatted his birthdays since the formation of the contract. If he knew what he knew now he never would have signed it. ¡°Please, Suriel, Zarall, Gods of death and war. Please help me out in this time of need. Please, help me get through this.¡± He knows that he needs to stay strong. He needs to be stronger than his oppressors. Although, with the contract in place, he can¡¯t do anything about it. He hopes that Pearl will figure out what he needs and how to do it soon. Once he has gathered himself enough he straightens up his documents and heads out stopping in front of Pearl¡¯s room. He knocks on the door and they open it up slowly. They see Silver standing in front of their doorway with disheveled hair, bloodshot eyes, and what appears to be some kind of bruises that cover his neck. ¡°What happened?¡± They ask him that simple question but he drops down and starts to cry all over again. He feels weak. He feels as if he shouldn¡¯t show them this kind of emotion. Especially show it to them. He is supposed to be strong. He is supposed to protect them. How could he do that if the royal family finds out about them? ¡°Let me stay with you tonight. Please. We don¡¯t have to be in the same bed. I can sleep on the couch. I just can¡¯t be alone.¡± They squat down and look at him in his eyes. Tears don¡¯t seem to stop running down his face. They see a red mark on his face. ¡°Who did this?¡± They gently touch it and he flinches at the touch. ¡°No one.¡± He lied not really wanting to worry them more. Although that didn¡¯t work as a voice appears in their head. Let me kill them for hurting the chosen of my twin brother. A male voice rings in their head. Knowing that Silver was blessed by Zarall they assume that they must be talking to Suriel. When you are ready and find out who it is say that I bring down a curse to them. I will curse them with whatever illness you desire. I will even do it if it is fatal. You are the only one that can command us. Let me have this. They want to listen to the voice but if they don¡¯t know who it was then they can¡¯t do anything. They wonder if they can heal him by using the name of Nuriel. "Nuriel, please help and heal the wound inflicted upon Silver, and Amaliel please bring light into his time of darkness.¡± They say their prayer under their breath but the hand on Silver¡¯s face starts to glow. The bruises on his neck go away and the pain where Silver was hit slowly fades away. ¡°Thank you, Pearl. I feel a little better.¡± They remove their hand and kiss his cheek where it rested. ¡°I¡¯m happy to help where I am able.¡± They give him a smile and he gently moves them down onto their back and grabs their hands. ¡°Let me sleep in your bed with you.¡± Even though he gave it sounding like an order, Pearl knew that it wasn¡¯t one because he is giving them the choice to say no if they really want to. ¡°If you want to then why don¡¯t you order me?¡± He smiles and gets down to their ear. ¡°Do you want me to?¡± His breath is warm and full of lust and desire to do just that. ¡°I¡¯ll order you around if that is what you want. You never did answer that question at the temple of Zarall.¡± They remain quiet as he keeps them pinned to the ground he gently placed them down on. ¡°Give me an answer. Your answer, not the answer that you think I want to hear.¡± ¡°Yes sir, order me around.¡± They said their desire out loud not really wanting to but since he made it an order they had to. ¡°Let me stay with you tonight then.¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± They automatically respond but they are happy that he gave it as an order forcing them to say yes. ¡°Stay still. Let me carry you to the bed.¡± Their body automatically obeyed as Silver picks them up and carries them to their bed. He places them down and puts them under the covers. ¡°You really are the light in my darkness right now. You know that, right?¡± They roll over facing away from him. ¡°You don¡¯t really know me.¡± He gets into the bed and pulls them into him. ¡°Neither do you know me. Yet, I still want you and only you.¡± He kisses the back of their head. ¡°You are the light of the empire and I will protect you.¡± Chapter V - Festival of Light After the priest came Pearl found themself sitting in an empty ballroom that looks as if it was made to host large-scale parties. They were never able to attend any at the ale Rouges manor but this place looks as if it hasn¡¯t been used in years. It is currently just a big empty room with a large chandelier hanging from the ceiling with what looks like hundreds of small crystals hanging from it. They don¡¯t know why they were told to sit here; they just know that when they asked Silver why, he ordered them to stay until he comes back. They don¡¯t think that it was intentionally said as an order but he definitely made it one. It takes about thirty minutes before Silver comes back with an outfit and a maid trailing behind. ¡°I¡¯ve brought a maid that I am going to assign to you. Lilliana Rue, please take care of Mx. Frost as if they are my equal in this house.¡± ¡°Yes, my lord von Stein. It would be my greatest honor.¡± Lilliana bows to Silver and takes the dress from his hand. ¡°Please help them get ready. I want them to experience the first day of the festival.¡± He smiles and pats Pearl¡¯s head and heads off. ¡°Mx. let me help you get dressed and style your hair.¡± Pearl gets up out of the chair and carefully undresses and Lilliana slides the new outfit over their head. It is a beautiful dress that starts out yellow-orangeish and slowly transitions into deep violet. They are in awe as the dress glitters in the light of the sun that seeps through the ballroom balcony window. ¡°It looks amazing.¡± ¡°Master ordered the dress and had it quickly made and delivered by the city''s top seamstress.¡± This whole thing seems so very surreal to Pearl. They were never treated like this at their foster parents'' house. In fact, they only seemed to tolerate them there but that doesn¡¯t mean that they absolutely didn¡¯t care about them. ¡°It looks like the night sky before the sun has fully set.¡± ¡°That was master¡¯s request. To ¡®encapsulate the stars in the sky and make it as radiant as the sunset.¡¯¡± Lilliana says as she quotes what he told the seamstress. She scoots the chair away from the wall and gestures for Pearl to sit there. ¡°The master has been happier these past few days after bringing you home. We were worried that the war completely froze over everything that he could feel. However, you seemed to have saved him.¡± She slips some shoes on them that seem to sparkle as much as the dress that they are wearing. ¡°I haven¡¯t done anything.¡± Their reply was blunt. They didn¡¯t know him during the war but he still seems like he can be rather cold at times. As Lilliana combs through their hair, a couple of other maids show up and curtsy in their presence. ¡°Mx. Frost, Lady Ruby ale Ruoge is here to see you should we escort her to you?¡± Pearl gives them a nod and the two walk off. After a few minutes, they return. ¡°Lady Ruby ale Rouge has arrived, Mx. Frost.¡± Just like that, they walk off again. ¡°Pearl! I was worried when you didn¡¯t show back to class on Friday. Then I was told that you weren¡¯t living in the dorm that you were supposed to be in. Don¡¯t scare me like that.¡± She grabs their hand once Lilliana finishes up her work. ¡°I would have hated myself if something happened to you. You are my only sibling after all.¡± ¡°Sorry, Ruby. I would have come yesterday but I was a little preoccupied.¡± They tell Ruby not really sure how to explain that Silver was teaching them about swordsmanship all day. They loved their lesson on it. The way that they hit their target made them feel so free. Not to mention that the lightness of the rapier made it easy to move around with. They felt very agile. ¡°Do you know why Mom and Dad got a refund for your schooling? Is something going on?¡± ¡°No, not at all. I¡¯m just getting training from a high priest of Nuriel. I met her yesterday, she is really nice.¡± Silver made the priest, Gwendolyn Cristian, vow to not tell anyone about what they still think of as a curse. Gwendolyn says that that is just something that their mind is telling them and it is not true. ¡°You are blessed by Nuriel? We could be a duo to bring peace and life to everyone! Think about it. It could be fun and we will always be able to be together.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not really just blessed by Nuriel.¡± They say with a small quiet voice. They aren¡¯t sure if they should continue the thought but like she said, she is her sister. "If I tell you this you have to promise not to tell anyone. It can''t in any way get to the Depraysie family." "I won''t tell anyone. I still never told Mother that you snuck into my debut as a maid so I wouldn''t be alone." Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. They smile, give them a hug, and whisper in her ear. "I was blessed by all the gods." They move back and start to cry. "I feel bad. I feel like I''ve failed in some way. Not even a purification ritual can ease my sorrow on this. This feels more like a curse than a blessing." "Pearl. It is not a curse." She pulls them back in and holds them tightly. "Hey, you get to go to the festival of light this year. It comes to our country once every five years and people from all over Lethua come over to celebrate. We can finally go out and have fun." She grabs their hand and leads them to the front door. Silver is waiting there for them with his broad sword on his back and hands Pearl their rapier. "Put this on your waist. You never know if you might need it." Their eyes light up and they give him a huge smile. "Okay!" They attach it to a satchel on their waist that they have their wand hidden away in. "Can''t you just use magic? Why would you need that? Can you use it?" "My wand is distinguishable by the royal family. It could be dangerous for me to carry it out in the open. I''m not that good at using it right now but Silver, I mean Duke von Stein can help keep us safe if need be." "Well, okay. Let''s go." The event is pretty uneventful for Silver for the most part. But he does enjoy watching Pearl have fun. They are currently playing a game where they try to toss some light metal rings onto a beer bottle. After Pearl throws their last ring they turn around and look at him. "Silver, do you want to try? It''s fun! Although, I only got one out of five rings on." "Do I get something if I win?" He doesn''t really expect anything, he just wants to tease them some. They gesture for him to bend down to lower his head. "Do you want to order me tonight?" Does he want to? That would be a yes. Could he do it even if he didn''t have permission? Also yes. He just doesn''t like the idea of making them do something that they don''t want to do. Maybe he could just tell them to kiss him. That seems harmless enough. "Okay. Hand me the silver from my pouch." They let a huge grin slip on their face. They hand him a coin from his bag and he hands it to the man at the stand. The man sets down five metal rings and Silver picks one of them up. He feels the weight of the metal in his hand and can feel how it will fly. He tosses them one by one and each one makes it on the bottle in the back of the stand. Pearl wraps their arms around him and leans into his shoulders. "You''re really good Silver." "Would you like to give your partner a prize? I''m sure that they would look good in one of these." The man behind the counter says. He looks at them and sees one with fake amethyst in the shape of a moon that looks like it is holding onto a pearl that looks as if it represents the sun. He picks it up and clasps it around Pearl¡¯s neck. ¡°This really makes your eyes shine. I¡¯ll get you one with a real pearl and amethyst.¡± He whispers in their ear. "This one is pretty enough. Thank you, Silver." "Nonsense, you deserve things that shine as bright as you." He places a kiss on their head and leads them over to the stand where Ruby is. The stand that she is at sells a bunch of fruits covered in chocolate. She is contemplating on what to buy. She always loves the cherries but the strawberries and apples look good too. "Lady Ruby, are you having trouble deciding?" She turns around in surprise. "Duke? Oh, yeah, I know I want to get a bag of cherries but I don''t know if I also want to get the strawberries or apples. Pearl has never had them before and I wanted her to try some." Silver walks up to the stand and places some Silver coins on the counter. "Is this enough for three bags of cherries and strawberries, as well as three apples?" The merchant counts the coins. This will probably be the biggest sale that he has all day. 5 Silver is more than enough. The prices would come up to two Silver and three Copper. "Yeah, let me get your change." He starts to get out seven copper and two silver but Silver stops him. "I don''t need the change. Please just keep it." "Thank you, sir." The extra money will help him be set for a few extra days. This means the world to the old merchant. "You didn''t have to do that, Duke von Stein. I could have bought them myself." Silver looks at Ruby and then straight ahead as they start walking. "Well, you are Pearl¡¯s sister and you wanted to get them for Pearl too. How about we go and get some lunch while we are at the food stalls." ¡°But this is lunch!¡± Ruby says as she bites into the chocolate apple. ¡°No, it¡¯s not. Let¡¯s go.¡± Silver walks off with Pearl following behind as they grab Ruby¡¯s hand. The passing of time seemed to go by way too fast for Pearl. They get to be with their best friend and sister, Ruby as well as spend time with Silver. He mostly kept his distance from the two since he was mostly just there to help make sure that nothing happens to Pearl. With their eyes, they would be a huge target for the royal family. Although, they are who the family is looking for. He is glad that they can¡¯t order him to kill Pearl. He doesn¡¯t know who the god is that blessed the contract on Pearl¡¯s side but if it was Suriel then the consequence of breaking the contract is death. As the sun starts to set Ruby starts to head off home. ¡°Oh, Pearl, you need to see the final night of the festival! It is so beautiful. You should definitely watch it with the Duke. I¡¯m sure that you two would love watching the fireworks together.¡± She hugs Pearl and heads off to the ale Rouge estate. Chapter VI - The Lantern Set Off The night during the first day of the festival is peaceful. There is a lot of talk going on throughout the noble¡¯s district about Silver being out since he hasn¡¯t been in the public eye for eight years. People are too afraid to approach him as there were rumors going around about him being a monster that does whatever the king says. He doesn¡¯t let the gossip about him bother him but he does wish that the nobles would understand that he doesn¡¯t really have any say in his life at the moment. If he didn¡¯t sign the contract with Pearl the king would order him to kill them too and he would have to do it. Pearl and Silver sit at a table that all the nobles are at as they all craft a lantern. The couples typically craft one together as a way to bless the prosperity of their families, as a way to be blessed by Nuriel. The fact that Silver isn¡¯t helping Pearl make the lantern doesn¡¯t help much either. He just wants to watch them make it since it is their first time doing so. Most nobles at their age have done this at least once before as a kid. He wants them to enjoy themself. It isn¡¯t like the crafting of the lantern is what brings the blessing but the setting off at the same time. ¡°Duke von Stein! It is like I just saw you the other night.¡± Celestina walks behind the two as she holds her creation in her hands. ¡°How about we set the lantern off together?¡± Silver turns around and emotionlessly looks at her as she holds a paper lantern with the royal family crest carefully crafted on it. ¡°I would rather shove my sword down my throat than do anything with you voluntarily.¡± As the nobles around them gasp at Silver¡¯s response to the princess he turns around and continues to watch Pearl carefully craft their work. She bends down and whispers into his ears but loud enough for Pearl to hear. ¡°You¡¯ll regret that. How about you kill that roach right here.¡± He sits still and just stares at Pearl blankly. Then he looks back at Celestina. ¡°No.¡± That is her. That is the one that makes my brother¡¯s chosen one suffer. Suriel¡¯s voice echoes in Pearl¡¯s head as they look up. They see Celestina raise her hand at Silver getting ready to slap him. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t do that.¡± Pearl responds as they give Suriel permission to take control. Pearl¡¯s eyes turn black as night as they get up and catch the Princess¡¯s hand. ¡°Be cursed with the plague that I brought upon the kingdom before your family took the throne.¡± Celestina¡¯s eyes fill with rage. ¡°What was that? Do you want to repeat that?¡± Pearl turns back around as their eyes change back to violet. ¡°Hope that you have a good day princess.¡± They bow as they sit back down to work on their lantern. ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll just set this off myself this year again.¡± She turns around and walks away from them. Her golden hair flows in the wind that started up and she disappears to the river where the lanterns will be set off. The nobles around them started talking not about Silver anymore but about Pearl and what happened. Pearl picks up their lantern and looks at it intently. ¡°Is it done?¡± Silver smiles and they hand it off to him. It looks as if it is the sunset on a peaceful day. ¡°It¡¯s perfect. Do you want to set it off?¡± They walk down through the noble district where the lantern was crafted and down to the nearby river to an isolated portion. ¡°Before we set this off would you mind telling me what happened back at the table?¡± Pearl looks into his eyes as they still seem to shine bright. They wonder what they should tell him. Maybe it wouldn¡¯t be bad to explain that they let Suriel take over their body so he could have revenge for his twin brother. ¡°I um, that wasn¡¯t really me. I... well God Suriel¡­ I let him curse the princess.¡± A smile starts to appear on his face. ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°He took control of my body. I don¡¯t really know what happened during that time. I was pushed out. He asked me the day that you came to my room upset to curse her. He said that all I needed was her name but I didn¡¯t know that it was the Princess.¡± They walk closer to Silver as their eyes start to water. ¡°Please don¡¯t be mad at me. I only wanted to help you but when I came back to, she seemed fine.¡± He reaches out and pats their head as the tears from their eyes fall down their face. ¡°It¡¯s okay. If it really was Suriel then she probably has been cursed.¡± He feels relieved that she will not always be able to do whatever she pleases with him. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s set this off.¡± Silver takes out his wand and lights the candle with a small flame. They both grab onto it and gently lift it up releasing it into the sky. It seems to go on forever as the light gets smaller and continues up. "May Amaliel help bless us in the times of dark." Silver says as he plants a kiss on their head. "And may Nuriel give us life for the times of darkness and light." They grab his hand as they recite the second part of the prayer that is typically reserved for weddings. However, it seemed right to recite it here with Silver. ¡°Come, let¡¯s go to my place of residence here in the capital.¡± ¡°We aren¡¯t going back to your estate?¡± ¡°Why would we? The festival isn¡¯t done yet. Traditionally you stay in the capital the entire week of the celebration.¡± He grabs Pearl¡¯s hand and walks to a nearby building. It doesn¡¯t look anywhere near as extravagant as his estate outside of the capital but it still looks incredibly nice and well-kept up. He opens the door and quickly drags them in and pins them against the wall in the main living area. ¡°Let me take you tonight.¡± Their face flushes out and they look away slightly. ¡°Why don¡¯t you just order it if you really want to?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not a monster Pearl. I might be overwhelmed with the urge to rip that dress off of you but I won¡¯t unless you say that I can. Besides, we are practically married, aren¡¯t we?¡± Being married wasn¡¯t quite what they had on their mind when repeating the prayer with him although it is a prayer that is used for marriage. ¡°We aren¡¯t though. We haven¡¯t had a ceremony.¡± ¡°I can get priest Gwendolyn here if you are saying that the Goddess of Origen isn¡¯t enough. We might not remember her name but through the spoken history of my family, she created all of the gods. She should always be watching over you.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not what I am saying. I want to but I¡¯m not even a noble. The king wouldn¡¯t approve.¡± ¡°Fuck the king, Pearl! I don¡¯t give a damn what that demon thinks. That whole family can rot with Suriel as he tortures them for all eternity. They made me into a monster. They made me their obedient little dog. I¡¯ll wipe them all out! Once that contract is broken they will wish that they never sent me to the front lines to wipe out innocent people.¡± Pearl reaches out to touch his face as he starts to relax. ¡°They aren¡¯t here right now. They won¡¯t be able to hurt you anymore. I¡¯ll find a way to break that contract for you.¡± He is silent, not because he wants to be, but because he is prevented from saying that is what he wants. He wants them to nullify it so he can attack them. He knows that they want some kind of response to what they just told him but he just isn¡¯t allowed to speak. Instead, he kisses their lips and leans down to their ear. ¡°Let me take you. Please, let me do this.¡± ¡°Then take me, My Lord.¡± They wrap their arms around him and start to make out with him. ¡°Lift up your arms.¡± He tells them as an order and they obediently do so. ¡°Good.¡± He gently lifts off the dress that he had made for them. And unfastens their bra letting it just drop to the ground. He grabs onto their bust and starts to play with it as he makes out and slips his tongue into their mouth. Pearl sticks theirs in return. He pushes down on them making them go down onto the ground as he makes their lips break contact. ¡°My Lord, what are you doing?¡± He holds them down as he unbuckles and takes off his pants making them drop down. He pushes them down to the floor and lifts up their legs, shoving himself inside of them. They make a noise of pain since he went in too fast and didn¡¯t properly work them up. ¡°Do you need me to stop?¡± He asks them as he isn¡¯t sure what he might have been doing wrong. He was very out of it when Celestina forced herself on him. ¡°No, I¡¯ll be fine.¡± They reply under their breath having trouble projecting. He grins and thrusts himself inside of them deeper. "I can''t hear you, what was that? Speak up." "I''m¡­ I''ll be fine¡­ My Lord." They struggle to get out as he mercilessly stirs them up. "Silver¡­" "Yes? What is it?" He bends down as he keeps thrusting and sucks on their breasts. "Don''t stop. Please, don''t stop." "I don''t plan on stopping tonight. Not until you beg for it to happen." Chepter VII - The Kings Summon Pearl and Silver fell asleep on the couch that is placed in the middle of the living area. The night lasted what felt like a long time to Pearl but at the same time, it seemed like it happened in a blink of an eye. There is a knock on the door that jolts the two awake. Silver grumbles something under his breath about how the world never wants him to sleep in. He throws on the shirt that he had lying on the ground to cover the rest of him and he opens the door. "Duke Silver von Stein." The man in front of him bows as Silver is completely out of it. "The king requests your attendants." "What does he want? I am going to be busy today." "But my lord, no one works the week of the festival?" The man looks behind Silver as he sees Pearl laying on the couch appearing to be completely passes out with nothing but a blanket covering them. "The king wants to see them too if you don''t mind." Silver lets out a sigh. He figures that he really can''t say no since it was a request and if he were to say no the king would just show up at his place anyways. "Fine let me get ready and we''ll join you in the carriage to the castle.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± The man bows as Silver shuts the door and heads over to Pearl. Silver makes his way over to them and squats down next to the couch. ¡°Hey, we need to head out.¡± Pearl turns over on their side as they open their eyes. ¡°I¡¯ve only slept for four hours can¡¯t I just sleep a little longer? I¡¯m still exhausted.¡± ¡°We can go to sleep after we come back. This shouldn¡¯t take too long. At least I hope that it won¡¯t.¡± He knows that it probably will take a long time. It is the king that he is dealing with. He likes to take his time to discuss things with him as if no one else has anything better to do. Since he wants to see Pearl too this means that it has to be about what happened last night. They slowly sit up as the blanket covering them up falls off of them revealing their body covered in bruises from the night prior. ¡°Where are we going?¡± Silver tenses up as he wants to take them right there again but he knows that he has to restrain himself because the king is waiting for them. He has never enjoyed any of the encounters that he has had with Celestina, but the night with Pearl felt different. It didn¡¯t feel forced in any way at all. They seemed to reciprocate the feelings that he had. ¡°The palace. I do have a few rules. Fallow me as I get you something to put on. The dress from yesterday looks a little messy.¡± They head into a room that looks like it hasn¡¯t been used in years. It looks more of a room that someone would have so it could just be used for display. Silver walks over to the closet and opens the door. Since Pearl and his mother were about the same size the clothes in the closet should fit they just are outdated buy a couple of decades. He hands them a white dress with golden lines that swirl down and sprout into flowers at the end of it. He remembers his mother wearing the dress when he was a kid. She always liked to ware things that represented Amaliel and Nuriel as she was blessed by both of them. His mother would have loved to have met Pearl. He knows that she would have loved them. ¡°What is that?¡± Pearl leans over and looks at the dress that has Silver in what seems to be some kind of a trance. ¡°This was my mother¡¯s favorite dress.¡± His hands clench on it tightly as he recalls his last moment with his mother. She was laying in the hospital bed and looked incredibly frail. She reached out to Silver and patted his head as tears ran down his face. ¡°Please be good Silver. Please, watch over the house while your father is out at work for me.¡± Those were her last words before her hand that was on his head fell limp and she took her last breath. She was blessed by the goddesses of hope and light, yet, she was cursed to have a fate that ended her life early on. His father just left him in the house in the capital with only his servants to watch him. In a way, Silver feels that his father blames him for his mother''s death. He was always so distant to him after that. When he turned 15 Silver inherited his father''s title after he passed. Some people say that during the nine years after his wife passed he slowly went insane. Snapping him back into reality Pearl wraps their arms around him because they feel as if he might need to be comforted. "May Amaliel wash away your sorrows and Nuriel give life to you in your times of darkness." The prayer was said under their breath but they hope that it reached him. "Thank you, you are the only one that can bring me light where Amaliel hasn''t been able to." He hangs the dress back and pulls one out which is a dark blue with gems that are sporadically placed on the end. It is extravagantly laced and the gems shine when the light hits them. Stolen novel; please report. He hands them the dress and they struggle to figure out how to put it on with all the layers that are on it. "Sorry, let me help you with that. Lift your arms up." They do so as Silver slips the dress on them effortlessly. He motions for them to turn around so he can fasten the back and tie the ribbon around their waist that goes with the dress. "Come." "Okay." They say as Silver leads them to a nightstand by the bed that has some sort of box on it. He picks up the box and hands it to Pearl. "These were my mother''s. I want you to have them." Pearl opens it up and there is a comb embroidered with gems that are in the pattern of roses. Under the comb is a compartment that has a necklace with the same design that is on the comb as a pendant. "I don''t deserve any of this." "You deserve the world." He places a kiss on their head and grabs their hand to walk out. "Now come on, let''s go." The ride to the palace felt as if it was taking forever. It was a long awkward silence the whole way there with the two of them looking through opposite windows. Silver lets out a sigh and grabs Pearl¡¯s hand. They look at him as he still seems to be staring off into nothing. They scoot closer to him and rest their head on his shoulder. ¡°Everything will be okay.¡± He squeezes their hand and just remains silent while looking out the window. What he is worried about is more of how the king will react to knowing that he missed one of the witches. They are the person that he wanted going. Yet, instead of killing them, he made a contract with them that prevented him from hurting them. Since they both had the binding process done to the contract the gods are the only ones allowed to void it. It is still a mystery which god blessed the contract on Pearl¡¯s end. Pearl doesn¡¯t do anything to use it either way. Would the gods favor Silver killing the king if he attacks Pearl on his own? That is something that he doesn¡¯t know and he can only hope that he can protect them if that is the case. After about thirty minutes of riding the carriage stops in front of the king¡¯s palace. They are escorted inside and told to wait in the throne room for the king to show up to greet them. The room is filled with orange curtains drawn around the place to show respect for Xathanael, since that is the color that represents him. Pearl looks over at Silver who is kneeling down on the ground waiting for the king. "When do you think he''ll be here?" "I don''t know. You need to stay down while we wait." He glances over at them and notices their wavy black hair fall to their side as they keep their head down. They look amazing to him and wants to be the only person that they bow down to. "Pearl." "Yes?" "Don''t sign any contracts with anyone. Especially not the Depraysie royal family." Their eyes gloss over as they process the order. "Yes sir." He didn''t really want to make it an order but it will prevent any kind of complications later on. "Don''t take an order from me telling you to sign one either." "Yes sir." Five minutes pass and the king walks into the room and sits on his throne. "Rise." He barks his order at the two of them and they both lift their heads. He looks over at Pearl and his eyes narrow. "Kill it." "Sorry, my lord, I am unable to do that." Silver replies to the order while phasing out. "What do you mean that you are unable to do that? I gave you an order." "My contract with them prevents me from killing them." Silver states coldly with his eyes glazed over. ¡°Then I¡¯ll do it myself.¡± The king reaches for a sword and stops as Silver reaches for his. ¡°Stop. You need to step down.¡± A smile goes across his face. ¡°Do you want to see which one of the contracts the gods favor? While I am not allowed to kill you because of ours my contract with Pearl makes it so I have to protect them. I will kill anyone that tries to hurt them.¡± The king freezes and just stares straight at Pearl who seems more relaxed than they should in this situation. He puts his sword down and sits down on his throne. ¡°Then void the contract.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t void a contract that is blessed by the gods. I am bound to the contract just as much as they are.¡± "We both know why you formed this contract. What do you want from me to keep you loyal without a contract binding you?" "Make Pearl a noble. They were raised by the ale Rouges so I don''t see why they can''t be one." The king''s eyes narrowed as he stares at Pearl. He wants them gone but instead Silver wants to make them a noble. That would make it harder to just get rid of them. However, if he were to be on Silver¡¯s good side after he is able to break the contract he has to do what he requests. It''s not like it is out of the realm of what he can do. Infact, it is something that is entirely in his control. He can strip away titles if he wants to. This person is just a threat to him and his three children. Maybe there is something that he can do to keep them in line too. Silver being blessed by Zarall means that he will win every battle that he partakes in. He is not someone that he needs to have against him in the future. "You, come over here." He gestures for Pearl to come over and they obediently walk over and bow down to him. "What is your name, young witch?" "I am Pearl Frost, your highness." They reply to him as they keep their head bowed to the ground. "As Xathanael as a witness to this day I hereby grant Pearl Frost the title of noble and to allow them to have the ability to purchase land if they so desire." The king grabs his sheathed sword and gently touches their shoulder with it. "Thank you, your highness, may your light continue to bless this kingdom." They back up and stand back at Silver¡¯s side. "Now Duke, I heard that you told my wonderful daughter, Celestina, no for the lantern send-off. Why is that?" "Forgive me King, but I am not obligated to do anything that is considered a sacred event blessed by Nuriel and Amaliel with Princess Celestina." "What if I were to order to do it? You wouldn''t have a choice." "Unless you want the contract voided then that isn''t going to happen." "Fine, you are dismissed. Be sure to come to the ball tonight in honor of the Goddess of life." "Of course your highness. We''ll be taking our leave now. Come, Pearl." "Yes sir." They both start to head off. "Oh, and one more thing." The king stops him in his tracks and he looks behind him. "Try and keep your pet under control. I would hate for them to ruin the mood of the ball." Aggravated by his request he just bows at the king and heads off with Pearl following behind him. Chapter VIII - The Preparation Silver and Pearl get out of the carriage that took them out of the palace into the noble shopping district. The streets seem oddly quiet to Pearl since this is the day of a ball. That might be the reason why it is empty now that they think about it. People are getting ready for it and must already have everything they would need. They do wonder why they are shopping here when Silver has everything that they would need at the house. The dresses and jewelry might be outdated but that isn¡¯t something that would really bother them. ¡°Come, let¡¯s go in. We might be in here for a while.¡± Silver takes their hand, gives it a squeeze and they both head into the building. The building is moderately sized and has a bunch of fabric on display with dress designs spread out on a bunch of tables. The walls had a vibrant yellow hue painted on them. The floor had a rug under where they stand that is a deep purple shade. It looks close to an indigo color. ¡°Hello, how may I help you today?¡± The voice of a petite lady walks out with a quilt in her hands. ¡°Oh, Duke von Stein? You¡¯re back again? Is that the person that you were telling me about that I made the dress for?¡± ¡°Yes, they are.¡± His eyes lit up for the first time around the seamstress. She never thought that she would ever see that kind of look in his eyes again. He hasn¡¯t looked this happy since his mother was around. ¡°I have a request and I am sorry for throwing this on you so suddenly. The king has invited us to attend the ball in celebration of the Goddess and the only things that I have that they could wear to it are very outdated. Do you think that you could make a dress out for them?¡± Her expression seemed to shift to being very expressionless. ¡°This won¡¯t just take me a few hours to complete. Ball gowns take a long time to make. This will take me all day. I am also technically off today. I¡¯ll have to charge you extra if you are okay with that.¡± ¡°I expected it to take a long time. I¡¯ll be willing to pay the extra for them. How much will it be?¡± ¡°One holly platinum.¡± Silver opens up his pouch and noticed that he is only holding regular gold coins around as his highest currency. Makes sense, he would be asking to be robbed if he carried those coins around. The currency system goes up by increments of ten. It goes bronze, silver, gold, platinum, holly gold, and holly platinum. No one just carries around one whole holly platinum around. Hell, people usually don¡¯t even carry platinum. ¡°I¡¯ll be back. I need to go to the bank. I only have about 10 gold coins on me at the moment. Pearl, stay with her so she knows that I¡¯ll be back.¡± Pearl gives a smile not really comprehending how much that is. They never handled money before so they don¡¯t really have any concept of how much that really is. The highest that they have ever heard of was gold. Their foster parents told them that was going to be the highest amount that they were most likely ever going to deal with. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll wait here. Come back soon.¡± There was a lift to their voice as if they were singing a song. The stress in Silver¡¯s shoulders relaxes as he hears their carefree voice. He wonders why they are so calm with the price of that but he doesn¡¯t pay much mind to it. ¡°Right, I¡¯ll be back in about ten to fifteen.¡± He puts his hand up to wave and heads out of the door. If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. As he walks over to the bank that has his vault he observes his surroundings. Everything seems peaceful, it is like everyone around him doesn¡¯t have a care in the world. The people around the streets seem to be talking about the ball that is going to happen tonight and how the Duke is going to attend it. They wonder who he is going to bring or if he is going alone. They also are talking about how he was summoned and they saw someone with him as he entered the palace that didn¡¯t look familiar to the nobles around. The person was dressed in some outdated clothes so they all figure that they just don¡¯t have any sense of fashion. Hearing the people gossip about him doesn¡¯t bother him at all, in fact, he is used to it. It is the gossip about Pearl that he doesn¡¯t like. They are the most innocent person that he has ever met. The people here don¡¯t know that the reason why they were wearing that dress is because they didn¡¯t have anything presentable to show up in front of the king with. ¡°People really can be cruel. They usually just care about appearance. It is a very shallow mindset to have if you ask me.¡± Once he arrives at his bank the person waiting at the desk looks up and sees him. ¡°Duke von Stein, we haven¡¯t seen you in quite some time. Would you like me to take you to your family''s vault?¡± ¡°Yes, I would. Please make sure that no one follows us.¡± ¡°Of course¡± They head off through a hall with a lot of vaults that store people¡¯s families'' possessions and money so they don¡¯t have to carry it all around. Once they make it to his vault the teller fumbles around with his keys to unlock the door. ¡°How much do you plan on taking out so I can notate it in the records.¡± ¡°One Holy Platinum.¡± The teller drops his keys. ¡°Are you sure that you want to carry around that much? If someone finds out that you are carrying that much, you could get mugged. Are you sure that you want to do that?¡± Silver sighs. ¡°Yes, that is why I told you to make sure no one follows us. I need to just grab the coin and leave. Oh, I¡¯m also planning on taking my mother¡¯s bow and quiver that she put in here before she passed.¡± The teller picks up his keys and unlocks the vault door. It opens up on its own and reveals all the coins and items that Silver had inherited from his family. His mother¡¯s bow was up towards the front and he sees a box right next to it. It is embedded with gewles that seem to shine brightly. They look as if gems are sapphires. He opens the box and sees a note in it. It is inscribed to him by his mother. Without hesitation, he opens it up. Silver, I hope that this doesn¡¯t find you in times of hardship. I know that my passing must have been hard on you but I knew that it was going to happen. I hope that you can find it in your heart to forgive me for not telling you or your father. My last request to him will be to store this note someplace safe where you will someday find it. My hope is that you have found someone that is worth protecting and I want to pass on the name of the original goddess that has been passed down through my family for generations so one day you may pass it on to your kids and they can pass it onto theirs. Her name was Malaiel. It is said that she will be born again when we all need her the most. It is also said that it will be through one of her descendants as she had always wished to live peacefully amongst us in the mortal world. Remember, no matter how far apart we may be or how much time has passed since we last spoke, I will always love you. I have left my wedding ring in this box that I put the note in. Please, give it to your future partner. I would love for whomever it may be to have it. He picks up the ring and watches the stone turn from a vibrant white to red. He thinks that the ring must depict who your primary God is that blessed you. He wonders who Pearl¡¯s is. Placing them both, the ring and note, back in the box he heads over and collects ten holy gold coins. He puts those in the box too as he stores them in his bag. He picks up the bow and quiver and heads out of the vault. ¡°Thank you for your time sir.¡± Silver bows and heads off to leave the bank. On his way back he picks up some food for the three of them. Pearl hasn¡¯t eaten anything all day so they must be hungry. He hopes that they are doing well. Chapter IX - The Ball for Light Please, Gods of Origin, please keep me safe and make this end. Chapter X _Your Wine Might Taste the Sweetest Celestina Astayle Astayle Celestina Chapter XI - The Start of Growth Can Struggle Gwendolyn has Pearl sitting in front of the sacred tree. They don''t know what they are supposed to be praying for exactly. Well, they actually do, but if they were to pray for the health and prosperity of the royal family it would have an effect on them. They just know that they will have to pray for something about health to get the reaction from the tree that Priestess Gwendolyn is looking for. ¡°Does it really have to be for them?¡± Pearl questions under their breath. Do you want me to kill the prince yet? Suriel questions in their head. For some reason, he is the god that tends to talk to them the most. It is something that they really do not understand but they have come to accept that fact. ¡°No, not yet. Silver wants to be the one to do that.¡± They wouldn''t be against him getting so sick that it makes him weak. Pearl thinks to themself. Of course, I can do that instead. Suriel said with a certain lift to his voice sounding playful. The inside of Pearl''s head became void of every noise besides their own thoughts. They continue to sit under the tree of the gods and feel it might have been easier to say that they were chosen by Suriel instead of Nuriel. Especially seeing how he tends to hang around them all the time. ¡°Have you finished praying yet Mx. Frost?¡± Gwendolyn asks as she sits down next to them placing a planter box up front. ¡°Yes, I prayed for the prosperity of the kingdom.¡± They lie. They weren''t able to pray with Suriel bothering them the whole time. He only recently left. ¡°Good!¡± She clapped her hands together and gave off a warm smile. ¡°Now focus your positive energy and try and bring the seed that is berried in here to life.¡± Making a seed sprout isn''t something that would typically be easy to do. Please, Nuriel, give me the strength of life to help this plant grow. They point their wand at the plant and it briefly glows. Even though there was a white light that engulfed the box nothing about it seemed to change. They put their wand down wondering if they did something wrong. They asked the Goddess of life for help first. Maybe it was because they didn''t pray. Whatever the reason is they are sure that it is their fault for not being able to make it even turn into a sprout. ¡°Don''t look so defeated. Bringing life into the world isn''t something that is easy to do.¡± She pats their head and gets up. ¡°Keep trying. I''m sure that you''ll be able to do it. Make sure you go on break this time. Working straight through the day isn''t healthy.¡± After Gwendolyn leaves they just stare at the box that they were given. They wonder what kind of seed was planted in the nursery planter box. They know that the priestess told them not to be hard on themself but they didn''t even have any kind of prayer before attempting this. They get up and walk over to the tree and place their hand on it. ¡°Malaiel, Goddess of origin, and mother to the gods. Please, give me the strength to help this plant grow. Please give me the strength to pass this trial set before me.¡± You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. The tree glows purple and after the light fades a few of the white leaves fall from it and down into Pearl''s hands. It confused Pearl because they didn''t think that the tree of origin ever expelled its leaves like this. I have put some of our energy into these leaves. Fertilize the soil with these by crushing them in your hand above the box and the plant will grow with time. A goddess says in Pearl''s head. They assume that it must be the Goddess of origin since they just prayed to her. They just stare at the leaves in their hands that seem to glisten in the sun. Above the planter box, they squeeze the leaves and it automatically turns them into a fine powder of a multitude of colors. Letting go it all falls and absorbs into to soil and the pot glows a bright white then purple then back to white again. Sitting back down Pearl just looks at the box wondering what the plant will turn into. They wonder why Malaiel blessed this plant instead of Nuriel, or if there was even a meaning to it. Do they keep trying to make it grow or has it already started and too much power will make it die? ¡°What are you doing here today Pearl?¡± Ruby asks as she wraps her arms around them. ¡°Are you reenrolled back into the school?¡± ¡°No, Preistest Gwendolyn wants me to learn how to grow things and she says that praying under the sacred tree first helps with the process of learning how.¡± ¡°How far along in learning are you? Have you been able to make anything grow?¡± They shake their head and look down at the box feeling defeated. ¡°Shouldn''t I be able to do it as someone who is blessed by the Goddess of Origin? Shouldn''t I be able to as someone directly able to communicate with the Gods?¡± Placing the box down, they get up and look directly at Ruby as tears fill their eyes. ¡°I am either a blessing or a curse depending on who you ask. If I can''t even make a seed sprout how could I be a blessing?¡± ¡°You are not a curse, Pearl. I would know better than anyone else here that you are anything but one. You have so much potential to be more.¡± Ruby wraps her arms around them once again. They both just stay still as Pearl cries. They don''t feel like they deserve to have Ruby by their side comforting them right now. She has always been there for them and they feel like they are never there for the same. At the same time, they wonder if she knows what it is like to feel as if you are drowning in darkness as someone who was blessed by Amaliel. Whether She knows or not it is clear that she cares about them and Pearl can see that. After Pearl calms down a little bit Ruby picks up the planter box that Pearl had placed down. She turns the box around as she looks for something that may or may not be there. ¡°There seems to be a lot of holy power in this small box. Whatever you are growing looks like it will take multiple sessions. It might take a long time for it to fully grow.¡± She looks at Pearl and smiles brightly. ¡°The fact that it hasn''t bloomed yet has nothing to do with you not being able to do things. I am certain that this will become a beautiful plant that is going to become a blessing on this world.¡± Ruby hands the box back to Pearl and they just stare at it. They don''t really know what to say in response. If they were to say what was truly on their mind it would sound as if Pearl truly didn''t believe their own sister''s words. It isn''t that they don''t believe her but more of that they don''t believe in themself? ¡°Maybe, but where I''ve been advancing in what Silver has been teaching me, my training for Nuriel seems to not be going anywhere. I sometimes wonder if Nuriel actually blessed me. I know that this wand that I have says that all six of the gods chose me but I haven''t been able to do anything with Nuriel''s blessing.¡± Ruby places her hands over theirs and gently squeezes them. ¡°I know that you will be able to get it. I''ve heard that Nuriel''s blessings are difficult to master. I got to go now but I hope that Amaliel will guide you through this struggle and time of darkness and bring you some light.¡± A slight glow comes from her hands as she tries to pass a prayer blessing onto Pearl. ¡°Thank you, Ruby.¡± Not really feeling much better they for a smile directed towards her. They know that she is trying her best to help. Not even high priests can always heal their sorrows. That is something that Pearl has just come to accept. The only cure for it seems to be a purification ritual. Even then, it doesn''t always keep their mind healthy. Chapter XII - The Collapse Celestina . A raspy voice says in Silver''s head catching him off guard but doesn''t show it on his face and instead watches the Prince dying on the floor. His voice sounded cruel as he talks about the family that he had chosen about 1000 years ago. Xavier Depraysie Celestina Chapter XIII - Still Paralyzed By You As the time ticks by it feels as if the night will never end. Silver has piles of paperwork to do before he finishes with what he wants to do. At the same time, he feels it might be easier to just let them come to him. If that happens they would be fighting on his territory. He knows the layout of the von Stein estate better than anyone else. He loses his focus when a knock happens on the door to his office. He wonders how long he has been in here and who could be there. ¡°Come in.¡± he says as he goes back to his work not too concerned about it. ¡°My lord, Princess Celestina has come here and wants to meet with you.¡± The head butler says as he bows when he enters the room. ¡°Tell her to go away. I don''t want to see her.¡± ¡°You think that you can tell me to leave?¡± The princess rushes in and slams her hands on the desk. Silver keeps working but his pen starts to shake in his hand as he doesn''t look up to the princess. He doesn''t understand, he should just be able to tell her to leave himself in person but it feels as if there is something stuck in the back of his throat preventing him from speaking. ¡°You dare ignore me?¡± She slaps the pen out of his hand since he doesn''t have a good grip on it. ¡°Look at me.¡± Even though he knows that he doesn''t have to do what she says anymore his body automatically reacts. You don''t have to listen to her. I know that you know that. He doesn''t know how to respond to Xathaneal. He knows that he doesn''t but he reacts by fallowing her order anyway. He doesn''t know why he can''t even get himself to summon his sword. ¡°Good boy.¡± Celestina pats his head and then gently lifts up his head forcing him to make direct eye contact with her pink eyes. ¡°Are you going to pleasure me or are you going to tell me what happened to my precious little brother? I know that you know what happened to him. he summoned you there after all.¡± Don''t tell her. ¡°I- I don''t know what you are talking about- My Lady. He was fine after- I left.¡± Good. I don''t want that woman to know anything about how I gave you permission. Celestina stares right at him not completely believing him but why would he lie? He can''t with that contract in place. He also couldn''t kill Xavier with that in place too. ¡°Right. Come.¡± Silver stays still completely paralyzed. He is unable to do anything. Everything is telling him to run but he can''t. He is completely unable to move. She walks up to him behind the desk and raises her hand to slap him but Silver catches it. ¡°Let go and let me hit you pet.¡± Silver summons his wand once he is able to get himself to move for a little bit and points it at her. ¡°L-leave. I-I will attack.¡± ¡°Do it pet. You can''t kill me. I still own you. Even if the contract is void it is clear that you are too afraid to act.¡± He puts his wand down and looks at the ground. He can''t get himself to do anything to her no matter how much he desperately wants to. ¡°If you don''t do what I say I''ll go after that person that is always with you. You wouldn''t want that now, would you? Come here, pet.¡± He gets up and walks over to her and glances over at the door that was left open. Normally the butler shuts the door which confuses him on why it was even left open with him gone. She grabs his amethyst hair and pulls him to her to get him to her faster. Faster, Pearl has to get to Silver faster. The butler went out to the back of the von Stein estate to get them to help get the princess from Silver. Why the training field had to be on the other side from his mansion is a mystery to them. All they know is that they have to get to his office fast. Is she still in control of brother''s chosen one? I thought that the contract was voided. ¡°I thought so too. She might have a hold on him more mentally than the contract had on him.¡± You know what to do. If you can''t bring yourself to do it then you can have me do it myself. Zarall also says that if you can''t bring yourself to impale her then he can do that too. You just need to give us permission. ¡°Didn''t you give her a plague? She should be on death''s door right now.¡± I''ve been waiting for you to tell me to finish her. She has been hiding her suffering well. Trust me, she is in pain. They seem to be approaching the mansion faster than they thought that they would. That could very well be because they were talking to Suriel the whole time. Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°Remember, I will be sure to execute them if you disobey. I don''t care who you love. You are mine.¡± Pearl stands by the door hearing Celestina''s threats. They summon their rapier run-in to take a defensive stance. ¡°Please leave Princess.¡± Celestina turns around and glares at Pearl. If her look could kill it would have. Just the look in her eyes made Pearl feel small but they know with Suriel at their side they will be able to stay with Silver. ¡°Leave. I will attack.¡± Celestina lets out a short laugh. ¡°You sure about that? You are shaking as you even stand there. I bet that you''ve never even hurt someone before. Why don''t you just leave while I am still being nice.¡± Pearl tightens her grip on the handle and stays in place. Do you want Zarall or me to take over? You don''t need to dirty your hands with her blood. ¡°No, just finish what you started.¡± I will do that with pleasure. Celestina only heard Pearl''s side of the conversation. And to her, it sounded as if it was permission to resume. ¡°We''ll talk about telling me no later.¡± As Celestina caresses Silver''s face with him paralyzed, a huge wave of pain shoots into her chest and she collapses to the ground. She looks over at Pearl and crawls over to them and grabs the hem of their dress. ¡°Please, you are blessed by Nuriel. Heal me. You were the one that placed this on me anyway.¡± ¡°No, I don''t think that I will. Suriel wouldn''t want that. If the Gods have decided that you should die then why should I end it?¡± ¡°You bitch! I am your Princess! I don''t give a damn about what the gods want! Heal me now!¡± Zarall wants to know if he can take over. In fact, I want to as well. would you mind? As Pearl tells them that they both could their eyes change color one red and one black. They smile and kick her off of them. ¡°You don''t care about us? A member of a family chosen by the gods not worshipping us, you might as well not even be family, right? Although, you never were by blood, were you? That''s right, you are a noble but by blood, you aren''t a royal which is why Xathaneal never blessed you. Isn''t that right? You were lucky that you were allowed to use that contract.¡± ¡°Suriel, lift this curse off of me!¡± ¡°How cute, you think that you can order my brother? Not even if you were a real royal would you be able to order a god.¡± Zarall lifts up Pearl''s rapier and brings it down slicing her hand. She lets out a scream as blood quickly leaves the spot where her hand was hit. ¡°Duke von Stein stop them! I order you to shield me.¡± ¡°He doesn''t have to do what you say anymore,¡± Zarall says lifting up the rapier once more. ¡°In fact, I am glad that I personally have the chance to get rid of you. Out of all the people that I have ever chosen, he happens to be my favorite.¡± She tries to crawl away but Zarall and Suriel step on her back preventing her from leaving. ¡°We aren''t done with you. Why don''t you stay a little longer? We will make sure this doesn''t last much longer.¡± Zarall and Suriel impale Celestina''s leg and she lets out another scream. ¡°They must be a coward. Hiding behind the gods. They won''t finish me themself.¡± Celestina manages to spit out. She still feels as if she is in a position to be able to get out of the situation that she is in. Even if that was the case, the way she talks to the two gods before her is not helping her. They both smile as Zarall leaves Pearl''s body to let Suriel finish the task that he wanted to do turning the other eye into a solid black. ¡°Now there is no need for mother''s chosen one to get their hands dirty. Your blood isn''t even worth it. But you make Zarall''s chosen one suffer so much that even though the contract with you has been nullified he is still too afraid to defy you.¡± ¡°He was mine. I was always going to have him. I had him until your mother''s witch came along and stole him from me.¡± ¡°Funny, I thought that he never liked you. I thought that Zarall''s chosen one was never truly yours outside of a contract. Unless you are saying that you were willing to break him enough to make him do anything that you said, including marriage. Oh, sisters Nuriel and Amaliel refuse to bless any kind of wedding under those situations.¡± ¡°Not like he has a spouse right now. I can make him say the vows under the eyes of the country. The goddesses of life and light don''t have to officially bless the wedding for it to happen.¡± ¡°According to my sister''s mother''s chosen one and brother''s are already married. You two already said your vows when celebrating Amaliel''s summer, right, Duke von Stein?¡± Silver, hearing his name snapped back looking at Suriel who happens to be in control of Pearl''s body. He processes what he has been asked trying to fit together what information happened to be absorbed when his fear was taking over. He looks down at the princess who is glaring at him with blood draining from her body. ¡°Well, we did say some marital vows when we set off our lantern. If that was enough for the gods then you could say that we had married.¡± Princess Celestina tries to get up to attack Silver but she is quickly pushed down by Suriel without much effort. ¡°You don''t get to lay another finger on him.¡± Suriel gives the princess a twisted smile and steps away from her. ¡°You are too weak to do anything anyways. You probably won''t last another five minutes. I''ll tell you what. I will finish you off if you ask nicely.¡± ¡°Fuck off.¡± Her voice was weak but it told Suriel all he needed to know. ¡°Guess that I''ll just go then. I hope to see you later, Princess.¡± Suriel turns around and walks to Silver as he leaves Pearl''s body. Once Pearl is back they notice that they are standing next to Silver who is just staring at them silently waiting for them to say something. They look over at the Princess and see her trying to get up surrounded by a pool of blood and look back at Silver. ¡°I''m sorry that it took so long for me to get to you.¡± Silver continues to stare at Pearl unable to say anything. He is afraid to speak to them while the princess is in the room. He knows that she can''t get to them with the condition that she is in but subconsciously he is still afraid. Pearl places their hand on his cheek and gently caresses it. ¡°It is okay, My Lord, you are safe. May Amaliel help put your mind at ease and help guide you in this time of darkness and bring you into light.¡± Silver grabs Pearl and brings them close to him still unable to say anything. But he does know that Princess Celestina can''t touch him anymore and that brings some sense of relief to him. She had been tormenting him for the past eight years. It just doesn''t quite seem real that she is dying right in front of him. In the end, it helps him to know that the gods do care about him and they can protect Pearl even when he can''t. Chapter XIV - If Im Still Here Youll Burn Xathaneal says to Silver as he sits still next to her body. Celestina Silver just looks at Celestina Silver pages for his butler as he sits down going back to the work that he started before the princess came in. Astayle ¡°My lord. Do you want me to bring Mx. Pearl to you before I clean up this mess and inform the rest of your staff?¡±