《My Deo》


 Freak

    Elvira


    Whoosh. An arrow flew through the wind, hitting right in the bullseye of the multicolored round palate on the floor of the training ground.


    The palate was a sad excuse for an archery board, it used to be just a moldy wood I had bruised my hands trying to carve into a circle. But instead, it came out looking like a deformed hexagon shape.


    Whenever I look at this beat-up board, I am reminded of myself. Structurally unclear and pathetic looking. In this realm of humans, where everyone had similar looks, similar eyes, ears, and mouths. I was considered different. I was a freak and a weirdo. According to them, my features were similar to that of an elf, but yet notof an elf.


    Whatever I was, I certainly wasn''t human to them.


    At the thought of this, I let out another arrow which unsurprisingly landed right in the bullseye again, next to the one I had shot at first. Just as I was about to let out my third arrow, a voice boomed from overhead.


    "ELVIRA!"


    "Fuck" I groaned. I didn''t have to see the source to know where it had come from.


    "ELVIRA!!" The voice yelled again, even louder this time. It was Madame Matilda, the chief servant of the palace.


    I quickly ducked out of sight and ran to the bushes. As a servant in the palace of Elysia, I was supposed to be cleaning and attending to royals that lived in the palace, not practicing archery like I was a soldier.


    If I get caught I could be facing possible whip lashes and imprisonment in the dungeon. This was the reason why I was only able to practice under the cover of the night, using that poor excuse for an archery board.


    Hiding my bow and arrow under a pile of grass next to a boulder, I ran into the palace using the old wooden backdoors close to the training field. The door led to the servants'' quarters.


    "You stupid child where have you been?! The king comes back tonight and you didn''t even clean his bed chambers yet. Are you single-handedly seeking death?!" Madame Matilda screamed. For someone so short she sure uses her voice to make up for the difference in heights.


    I hung my head low in an attempt to hide my eye roll and the scowl on my face. But that was a bad idea, because the moment I lowered my head, Madame Matilda used the close proximity to land a slap on my right cheek.


    She sure packs a punch in her chubby little hands, my cheeks would be undoubtedly swollen by tomorrow morning.


    I clenched my fist in an attempt to suppress my anger. Acting upon my emotions won''t do me any good. I''ve been there, done that.


    The only thing I could do was suck it up and hang my head back down low.


    Servants started to gather around us, clearly enjoying the show that was going on. It was nothing new, I always got in trouble and so I always got punished. However, the servants would never miss a chance to watch me in pain and laugh about it later.


    "No dinner for you tonight and no food for the entirety of tomorrow either" she spat.


    "Insubordinate wench! Get to the king''s bedroom and clean up before he returns! GO. NOW."


    "Yes madame" I replied like we had been disciplined to do.


    "What''s the use of her long ears if she can''t listen to basic instructions" one of the female servants snickered, bringing her dry fingers to her mouth.


    "Oh stop it" the other one said, waving her also dry hands in the air like she was trying to slap it. "Her ears aren''t even that long. I mean if it was long enough we would at least consider her an elf monster. But since it isn''t pointy enough we are forced to tolerate her as a human"


    "What a farce. How did she get hired again?" a male servant scoffed.


    I gritted my teeth and resisted the urge to yell at them to shut up. It wouldn''t make much difference anyways.


    And so with that thought, I silently walked to the king''s chambers. The black polished marble tiles on the floor of the hallway were a reflection of these people.


    Elf monster huh? What would they know about elves when most of the citizens here haven''t even seen one, let alone any other supernatural?


    Oh! And how did I get hired? Let me see. Because of my looks...was it? wait no I think it was because I had covered my ears with my hair, and so passed the servant inspection. When they realized my abnormalities, it was already late. I had been hired. Since they were understaffed, they decided to keep me because I wouldn''t run into royals anyways.


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    ''Abnormalities'' huh?


    This was the human realm, it was called the kingdom of Elysia. And as the name suggests, it means paradise.


    Long ago, it was said that all races lived together as one in a kingdom called Lanark. Werewolves, vampires, foxes, elves, demons, and the mightiest of them all the dragons. Apparently, while they lived in harmony on the surface, weaker races were actually preyed upon by the powerful ones. The human beings the weakest of them all were constantly being haunted and sometimes even made into slaves.


    This continued for a while, until the races started to rebel plunging the world into an all-out war. It is unclear how exactly the war ended, but the after-effect of it birthed what we know today as the Great Kingdoms. Lanark slowly crumbled as each race started to form its own kingdoms.


    The elves moved into the most flourished magical forest called Ahren.


    The vampires enacted their own kingdom called Erebos.


    The Lycans established the Lyall kingdom.


    The land of witches was called Dies Irae, and finally the dragons.


    The dragons stayed on the land of Lanark and built their own empire now known as Caelestis. Powerless races that didn''t have enough power and population to form their own kingdom like the werefoxes, demons, and several others, stayed behind and were assimilated into Caelestis.


    In an attempt to prevent war again, each kingdom selected a king among themselves, the kings would then come together every two years to hold a meeting called the Conclave. During this time, they would set boundaries, rules, and trade pieces of information.


    This year would be the year they hold the conclave meeting again, and that is why his majesty has been busy as of late. It is thanks to his occupied schedule that he didn''t return on time today to catch my blunder.


    I couldn''t help it, I had been angry earlier, and when I was angry I practiced archery.


    That stupid skank Lola and her boy toy of a warrior Andrew was at it again. Just because my ears were a little unique, they constantly ostracized me on a daily basis. Usually, their antics would go ignored by me, but today they had managed to light fumes under my pot causing it to boil once more.


    Entering the king''s chambers, I mulled over the earlier event that made my mood sour.


    "It wasn''t me! It was that freak, Elvira!" Lola yelled in her shrill voice, rattled with fake sobs.


    "What evidence do you have that it was Elvira? The other servants all say they saw you walking out of the king''s office and when they went in after you, they saw tea spilled all over his paperwork." Madame Matilda said


    "But- but we all know I''m not the only one that goes to the king''s chancery. Elvira is in charge of cleaning his chancery there''s no doubt she made that mess and ran away in other not to get caught. I only saw it when I entered the chancery and was on my way out to tell you, Madame." Lola was now full-on crying her dainty little eyeballs out.


    Rolling my eye I said, "How would I be in the king''s chancery when I was in the kitchen all day washing the dishes almost everyone in this castle used?"


    Just then a gruff voice interjected, "What is going on?"


    Great here comes Mr knight in shining armor-Literally. Andrew was an egoistic person that prided himself on his warrior''s position. He wore this overly gaudy armor and pranced around the castle with his nose stuck up.


    "Greetings to you Sir Andrew " Madame Matilda said nervously.


    He didn''t even acknowledge her as he made a beeline for Lola.


    "Are you crying?! Who caused this?!" He fussed, running his hands up and down her body and checking for any injuries.


    Lovely, another drama queen.


    "Oh sir Andrew I''m so glad you are here, I''m being wrongfully accused of spilling tea on important documents in his majesty''s chancery."Lola cried falling into Andrew''s arms. "It''s obvious that was all Elvira''s doing."


    Andrew finally decided to look at Madame Matilda, passing her a glare. "Care to explain?"


    See? literally a knight in shining armor.


    "My goodness, no Sir Andrew, no one is blaming her. We were just trying to find the right culprit, and based on her explanation, we were just concluding that Elvira here was the one that made the mess. Rest assured she would be punished accordingly. " Madame Matilda said fumbling with her hands and giving me side glares.


    "Yes, see to it that she gets the appropriate punishments so that no innocent person gets treated unfairly," Andrew said rubbing Lola''s arm.


    So no innocent person gets treated unfairly? I call bullshit. I fumed as I flipped over the silk covers on the king''s bed. It was obvious that Lola had tried to clean the king''s chancery in an attempt to please Madame Matilda but made that mistake and ran away. And madame Matilda was too intimidated by Andrew to admit she knew the real culprit. She doesn''t even like Lola, but she puts up with her because of Andrew.


    Picking up King Aden''s shirt from the bed, I paused, my anger gradually subsiding. I brought the shirt up to my nose, inhaling the nice smell that came from it.


    Working in the castle as a maid doesn''t really present a person with the chance of seeing the royals, more or less the king. However, the few glances I''d stolen at him from afar were enough to have my heart racing.


    His perfectly leveled nose, hazel eyes, and short straight black hair were all qualities that anyone would find mesmerizing. Sadly though, I''ve never really had a chance to get a close-up look at him.


    As servants, we weren''t allowed to be in the presence of royals unless otherwise permitted. We could only clean their room when they weren''t present.


    Snapping back to my senses, I reluctantly folded the shirt and put it - along with the hopes and dreams of ever getting noticed by the king - into the laundry basket.


    Who am I kidding, King Aden literally had a fiancee, her name was Esra. Apparently, she was the daughter of one of the councilmen and a beauty to Boot.


    Sighing in defeat, I picked up the laundry basket and proceeded to head out the large golden doors. Just as I was about to pull open the door, it suddenly swung inwards, smashing into my face, which made me lose my standing and fall right to the floor.


    I groaned and tried to look up at the person that decided to restructure my nose. My eyes first caught sight of short black hair that was slicked back at the right side, then two pairs of hazel eyes, and then full lips. That hair looked so familiar... just then I realized who it belonged to, and I internally cringed.


    The number one rule of being a maid here was ''Do not present yourself in front of the royals unless permitted to''... and I had just broken that rule. Shit.

 First Rule

    Elvira


    <hr>


    Something wet and warm dripped down from my lips, and I unconsciously swiped at it while still staring at King Aden in shock.


    He stared at me for a while, his brows raising in surprise. His eyes then dropped to take in my outfit, then his face turned cold.


    ¡°What are you doing here?¡± His icy voice rang out, drawing me out of my daze.


    I quickly scrambled to kneel on the cold marble floor, bringing my forehead to do the same- I bowed.


    ¡°Gre - Greetings your majesty.¡± I stammered out, wracked with fear and nervousness.


    My show of respect earned me nothing but a tension-filled silence. The silence was so long that I found myself gaining interest in the marble pattern on the floor. An interesting back tile, with white swirls it was.


    An insistent dull ache came from my lips, and something wet still dripped down from it.


    Resisting the urge to wipe my lips again, I tried to make myself smaller, hoping it would ease the glare I felt from the pair of eyes above me.


    Gosh, I wish this beautiful marble floor would just open up and swallow me.


    ¡°I said, what are you doing?¡± I heard him say again.


    ¡°Um, I was just cleaning up your chambers your majesty. I was just - just about to head out.¡± My voice came out frantic. Why couldn¡¯t I speak well without stammering, the king probably sees me as an idiot now.


    ¡°If I recall, one of the rules given to you servants was to make yourselves invisible. Yet why do I see one scurrying around in my chambers?¡± His voice grew icer ¡°Perhaps Matilda has gone soft¡±


    Oh boy, I¡¯ve done it now. Madame Matilda will definitely get in trouble for this, and the result of it would be several punishments bestowed on me. She¡¯d be sure to make the next two years of my life hell.


    ¡°Your majesty, I -¡±


    ¡°Raise your head.¡± his voice cut me off.


    ¡°Pardon?¡±


    ¡°I said, raise your head¡± he repeated again,


    Gulping, I slowly raised my head meeting his black leather boots.


    Damn, he really wears those boots nicely. Suddenly, the said boots in question started walking toward me until they stopped right in front of my face.


    One of the boots then stretched out to touch my jaw, lifting my face even more until it met with a pair of hazel eyes. My breath hitched.


    I knew he was already good-looking from afar, but seeing him this close was blissful. He had on black leather pants to match his boots, a white shirt threaded with gold embroideries, and then a complimentary white cape hanging from his shoulder. The right side of his hair was slicked backward and the left side was hanging out, making his hair fall above his left eye.


    ¡°What is your name?¡± he asked.


    I was beside myself in shock and happiness that the king himself wanted to know my name. No doubt this was so he could report me to madame Matilda and see to it that I was punished.


    However, the mere fact that my name was something he was curious about made me leap for joy. I don¡¯t typically have a crush on this man or anything. It was just simply that I admired him.


    He was tall, strong, witty - from the way he governed us and most of all good looking as hell.


    My sniffing his clothes wasn¡¯t because I had a crush on him, it was simply because his perfumed oil smelled good.


    I loved nice smelling things, especially floral and earthy ones. And it seems most royals base their perfume oils on naturally scented themes.


    ¡°Are you deaf or is it that you have a speech impediment?¡± he spat in a venomous tone. His feet yanked my face even more upward, causing me to wince from the pain that traveled up my lips. ¡°I do not like slow people¡±.


    This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    ¡°My name is Elvira, your majesty¡± I managed to speak through the pain.


    ¡°Hm.¡± was all the reaction he gave to my name. I didn¡¯t know what I expected from him, but my initial happiness was starting to fade.


    His eyes dragged all over my face like he was scrutinizing my facial feature, stopping on my lips for seconds long. He must be staring at the liquid dripping from my lips, and no doubt it was blood.


    He dropped his foot from my jaw and I immediately lowered my head, feeling extremely self-conscious.


    Just then, a voice yelled out from the hallway leading into the room.


    ¡°Darling!¡± the smooth voice called out


    Another pair of shoes came into view, and this time instead of black leather boots, it was blue ankle-strap shoes, with pearls and ribbons decorating them. One could tell the shoes were meant for royalties, they looked expensive and gaudy.


    ¡°Darling, you are back! I missed you so much. How was your meeting? Do you need anything? I ordered the maids to prepare your baths, would you like me to join you in the bath too? oh, and I can¡¯t wait to tell you about my day.¡±


    Based on the way the owner of those fancy shoes called King Aden ¡®darling¡¯ I¡¯m guessing she must be the king¡¯s fiancee, lady Esra, and goddess she talks too much.


    He sighed, his eyes moving away from me to look at her.


    ¡°Esra, I¡¯m really tired from the day and would like to spend the night in peace, so please return to your room,¡± His Majesty said in a voice that was a little nicer than the one he had used while speaking to me.


    ¡°But your majesty, it is my duty to take care of you,¡± She said, now fully walking into the room. She was just about to take some more steps when she suddenly bumped into me.


    ¡°Ow!¡± she shrilled ¡°My goodness, what is this? Who are you?¡±


    I lowered my head more, knowing I had just landed myself in more trouble. Not only did I appear in the presence of two royals without permission, but I also obstructed the path of the future queen.


    It wouldn¡¯t be surprising if I get starved for a whole week in the dungeons.


    She yanked my head upward so I could face her. I hated to admit it but she was beautiful. Her head was full of straight blond hair that fell to her butt. The silk blue dress she had on, hugged every curve on her body, from her slim waist down to her mid-thighs. A blue corset wrapped around her upper half pushing her breasts up so it looked perky.


    Compared to her, I was a slobbering mess on the floor. I had on my brown and white maid uniform that was no doubt dirty, and my hair probably looks like it had never been met with a brush.


    She pulled my head backward with my hair and scrutinized my face with a scowl.


    ¡°What¡¯s a dirty thing like you doing in the King¡¯s bedroom at this time of the night?¡± She asked


    When I didn¡¯t answer, she kept shaking my head around, swinging it like a leaf in the wind and demanding I answer her. The movement caused my hair to unravel and fall backward, exposing my ears.


    The moment her eyes landed on my ears, she yanked her hand away as if she had just touched something scalding hot. Disgust was written all over her face.


    ¡°Are you an elf?!¡± her eyebrows rose in surprise.


    The king who had been walking away from us earlier, stopped in his tracks. His head snapped towards us as he slowly retreated his steps, coming back to us. His earlier disinterest was now piqued.


    Esra noticed him coming back to us, and quickly shielded the king from my view ¡°Stay back your majesty! She¡¯s an elf, she¡¯ll put a curse on you. It¡¯s not safe¡±


    I was about to protest when I felt a slap land on my cheeks.


    Esra had slapped me. That bitch.


    ¡°You dare to stare at his majesty? were you planning on bewitching him with your eyes?¡±


    I knelt there bewildered at what she had just said. Since the kingdom of Elysia is fully occupied by humans and secluded from the other kingdoms, we didn¡¯t have knowledge of other supernaturals. Therefore any information we had on supernaturals was purely based off of rumors and misconceptions. For instance, the dragons are ruthless beasts without any logical thinking, they just live to destroy. Likewise, the werewolves and lycans feast on humans and each other; carnivorous monsters. The rumors about elves were that they were creatures that used magic to bring misfortune, their beauty great enough to insight lust and bend any soul to their will.


    I had none of those features, sure I think I¡¯m pretty good looking but that was about it. No bewitching curves, no magic or special ability. So to me, I was nothing but an average human.


    Although I¡¯m pretty sure the king thinks me to be a monster now, so my opinion matters not.


    Maybe he¡¯ll even have me executed.


    However, to my surprise, the king resumed his steps again, shoving Esra out of the way and gradually coming to a stop right in front of me. My ears started to burn for some reason, and I reached over to rub it.


    He crouched down and inspected my face again, then my body, and back to my face.


    I curled back into myself, expecting the insult - and maybe beatings - that would come from him. It was one thing to hear harsh things from others, but it was another to hear it from the king himself, the man whom I admire.


    Several seconds passed, and there was nothing, no insult or beatings. I then raised my eyes to meet the king¡¯s, there was something unexpected there. There were twinkles in his eyes, something so similar to awe.


    King Aden, ruler of the human kingdom Elysia was in awe of me. This was looking as funny as it sounded.


    A smile broke out on his face, as his hand reached my hair, tucking a loose chestnut curls behind my ears. His hands grazed mine in the process, making me blush and self-conscious.


    What was happening today? I got to see the king, talk to him, and now his touching my face and hair? This is just fucking crazy.


    Lost in my trance, I didn¡¯t notice King Aden bring out a cloth and hand it to me.


    ¡°Here, wipe your lips you¡¯re bleeding¡±


    ¡°Your Majesty! What are you doing, You¡¯re touching the elf girl. You may get cursed¡± Esra - seeming to have recovered from her initial shock of getting shoved, screamed.


    King Aden ignored her, as he took my hands and placed the cloth in it.


    ¡°Elvira you said your name was?¡±


    I nodded, still in shock.


    ¡°You must be tired from all your duties of today, you¡¯re free to go back to your quarters.


    I nodded my head again in response like I was mute. Slowly getting up to my feet, I reached to pick up the laundry basket but was stopped by the king.


    ¡°Leave it here, you can take care of it tomorrow. It¡¯s pretty late now, you may leave¡±


    ¡°Your majesty!? you can¡¯t just let her go!¡± I heard Esra whining again.


    Deciding it was best to leave before the king changes his mind, I rushed out the huge double doors.

 Silk Fabric

    Elvira


    <hr>


    I was in a daze while walking back to the servant''s quarters and didn''t realize when I had arrived in front of the small rundown wooden door.


    The door was so old that it makes a loud squeak whenever someone touches it.


    I pushed open the door slowly and walked in, trying to reduce the noise as best as I could.


    It was pitch black, but I still knew where my tiny bed was, so I didn''t need a lantern to get to it. For as long as I could remember, my bed had always been on the very far corner of this average size room.


    All the other servants would rather not sleep next to the monster at night, because who knows if they''ll ever make it to the next morning. Their words, not mine.


    As I was creeping onto the tiny foam we used as a bed, I felt the presence of someone behind me. Turning my head to get a look at who it was, I was immediately grabbed by the shoulder.


    "Elvira where have you been?!" a loud voice said.


    Oh my goodness Mira, I should have known.


    "Mira shush, lower your voice," I said groaning.


    "Excuse you," she gasped feigning shock,


    "Don''t tell me to lower my voice especially since I''ve been patiently waiting for you right here, hoping you didn''t get tossed into the dungeon after I heard what happened."


    "I''m sorry, I just got caught in something. Although that something may end up having me decapitated by tomorrow" I muttered the last part, hoping she didn''t hear me.


    But to my dismay, she heard me clearly.


    "You what?!" she yelled in surprise


    "Ugh, Shut the hell up" A servant yelled from the other side of the room.


    Mira recoiled into herself and said "Sorry"


    I pointlessly rolled my eyes, knowing full well they couldn''t see me through the dark.


    In this entire castle, Mira was the only one that would talk to me and care about me. At first, she was just like the others, skeptical and distancing themselves from me. Sometimes I would catch her stealing glances at me like she was studying me, and when she noticed I was staring back, she would scuffle off in a hurry.


    We only became close after she had caught me practicing archery in the fields. I remember being scared to the bones that she was going to report me. But to my surprise, she ran up to me with twinkles in her eyes.


    "Oh my goddess how did you make three straight bullseyes in a row. " she had said with amazement.


    Her approach had honestly startled me, I wasn''t used to someone praising my skills or being so friendly towards me. We had stayed up that night, talking and laughing.


    I had pleaded with Mira not to tell anyone what she had seen and she readily agreed, leaving me with a secret of her own.


    Apparently, she was a werefox. She wouldn''t tell me how she ended up in Elysia, but according to her, she''s been stuck here.


    The news honestly took me by surprise. I was looking and talking to an actual werefox.


    With my curiosity taking over, I prompted her to show me her transformation. However, to my disappointment, she couldn''t transform. She said her fox had been extremely weakened due to an incident, so she was unable to call upon her.


    She could only do things like elongate her claws and grow her canine out a bit.


    Instead, she gave me something else to satisfy my curiosity. She told me what it was like being a werefox, having mates, and then some.


    "Elvira! Are you even listening to me?!" Mira whisper-yelled, snapping me back to the present.


    "Huh?"


    She sighed. "I said what did you get caught up in?"


    I paused my lips and hesitated, knowing she wasn''t going to like the words that comes out next.


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    "The king walked in on me while I was cleaning his room"


    Mira''s jaw hung open. "Did you say you came in contact with the king?"


    "Yea and the lady Esra" I muttered


    "Elvira!" Mira yelled my name for like the fourth time this night.


    "We have a billion rules in this palace, but the first and foremost is to never present yourself in front of nobles without permission.


    Not only did you break that first rule, but you did it in front of the king and the soon-to-be queen. Pack your bags right now, we are escaping tonight." she said dragging me off the bed.


    I laughed at her reaction.


    "Are you seriously laughing right now? You''re the one who''s on a death row"


    "Relax Mira. I''m pretty sure if the king wanted me dead, he would''ve ordered it since he laid his eyes on me. Maybe the most I''ll get is more punishment by madame Matilda."


    Her eyes widened "Wait are you saying you didn''t receive your punishment yet?"


    "No, I didn''t receive any punishment, his majesty just let me go. He said I must be tired and sent me back to my quarters to rest." I answered


    If Mira''s mouth were just a few inches open before, then right now, they were straight up falling to the floor.


    "Girl what? Are you saying the king did not only not punish you, but he sent you back to go rest? Do you really have elf magic? Was that it? Did you bewitch him?"


    I laughed once again at her shocked expression. "Mira shut up I don''t have any magic, and I certainly didn''t bewitch him. Although Lady Esra seems to think otherwise."


    she cocked her head "Huh?"


    "Apparently Lady Esra wasn''t too impressed by the fact that the king let me go. She saw my ears and assumed I bewitched him with my elf magic, but the king dismissed her ideas. She seemed pretty furious when I left. "


    Mira sighed and looked at me with a face full of sympathy, grabbing my shoulder she said, "I''m sorry but you stepped on a real mine with this one. There''s no way Lady Esra won''t give you hell from now on after this incident, especially since the king took your side over hers. But still, it''s pretty suspicious that the king let you go just like that, especially after seeing your ears. Maybe we should pack our bags indeed and get ready to run."


    I admit, even I thought it was pretty strange and yes I feel a little nervous about what would happen tomorrow. Although for some reason I was pretty confident that nothing serious would happen. Something in the king''s eyes didn''t seem like he wanted to kill me.


    "Don''t worry too much Mira, there''s really not much we can do right now anyways. We just have to wait until sunrise to see what happens." I said


    "Yea, you''re right. In that case, I''m going to sleep then. I''ve been up all night waiting for you, I''m pretty tired. See you tomorrow...I hope." she said as she got off my bed giving a small laugh as she went to hers.


    The moment Mira was gone, I fell backward on my bed, staring up at the ceiling. My thoughts drifted to what happened earlier.


    In one night, I not only got to speak to the king, but he also touched me. This was crazy.


    Now that I think about it, he didn''t seem to be bothered by my ears, although it did seem like he was curious.


    I pulled out the small piece of fabric he had given me earlier to clean my wound. I played with it in my hands, feeling up the material and embroidery on it. Since I couldn''t see it, all I could do was touch it.


    The king...he saw my ears and didn''t make a big reaction to it. He didn''t judge me or call me disgusting. In fact, he had even flat-out ignored Lady Esra when she was dissing me.


    This was the first time ever that someone didn''t act wary of me upon seeing my ears. It was the second time someone touched me willingly - without hitting me - even after seeing what I was.


    What was going on today? Everything was weird.


    After squirming and tossing around for a good maybe thirty minutes, the fatigue of the day finally settled in, drifting me slowly to sleep.


    ***


    ¡°Woah! What is up with your face?¡± Mira exclaimed in surprise as soon as she saw me. She couldn¡¯t see my face last night because it was dark, but now that there was a little bit of daylight, I¡¯m sure the bruises on my face were now obvious.


    With the slap from Madame Matilda and the door that slammed into my face from the king¡¯s room, my face must be a sight to see.


    ¡°Oh nothing really, Just souvenirs from my adventure of yesterday,¡± I said hauling my body off the bed. I was exhausted, my entire face was hurting, alongside the dull ache in my head.


    "My goodness, you never seize to be a spectacle, do you?¡± A voice said with mockery.


    It''s barely dawn, the sun has yet to fully rise and this bitch-face Lola has already started her daily routine.


    "And you never seize your fruitless hobby, do you? I mean seriously go spend your stupid time doing something else." I glared at her.


    "What else would be more interesting than watching the little monster make a fool of herself every time?" she asked.


    "Hmm let''s see. Maybe the fact that your skin is slowly sagging every day, or the fact that your flat-as-a-board chest and your nonexisting ass are causing Sir Andrew to lose interest in you.¡±


    "How dare you?!" she screamed, causing my headache to go up a notch.


    Lola prides herself on her looks and looks alone. Insult that, and she''s quickly thrown off balance.


    "What do you mean sir Andrew is losing interest in me? Thats ridiculous. He always tells me he cares for me and always sends me little gifts"


    "Really? Because I''m pretty sure words are easier to say, but actions, on the other hand? They aren''t so easy. I saw Sir Andrew spending his time with one of the noble ladies a couple of days back. Why do you think he barely comes to see you lately?" I snickered.


    "T-that''s nonsense. It''s simply ridiculous. You''re lying" she said frantically.


    "Of course, I was lying" I turned to whisper to Mira. "I didn''t see Sir Andrew at all except yesterday. And frankly, I really didn''t care what that man does in his leisure time."


    Mira and I busted out laughing, happy at our little win over Lola.


    ¡°Come on, move your lazy hides. We have a lot of work to do today.¡± Madame Matilda said in a loud voice while bursting through the doors. She¡¯s definitely the reason those old doors are on their last legs.


    ¡°When don¡¯t we always have a lot to do¡± Mira muttered.


    I nudged her with my elbows signaling for her to hush up before she got into trouble. It definitely wouldn¡¯t be a way to start the day.


    ¡°As you all know, this year marks the year of the semiannual conclave.¡± She paused for a while, and then carefully said. ¡°Apparently It has been concluded that the conclave would be held in Elysia.


    Heavy silence enveloped the room. Everyone¡¯s breath and action seized instantly.


    I¡¯m sure at that moment, we all had a similar thought: ¡äWhat the hell did she just say?''

 Adelio

    Adelio


    <hr>


    ¡°Woah did someone piss in your breakfast this morning? If looks could kill, both I and the servants would be dead by now.¡± Milo my advisor and right-hand man said.


    I rubbed my face and gave Milo the death stare. Why does he always have to point out the obvious?


    ¡°Aw, your majesty you¡¯ll make me blush if you stare like that,¡± Milo said in a voice he thinks to be cute. ¡°So tell me what has your panties in a twist?¡±


    ¡°What do you think?¡± I countered. ¡°The thought of going to that human-infested land just irritates me.¡±


    There was nothing good about the land of humans. It reeked of the smell of greed, depravity, ego, and just about anything you could think about.


    Milo chuckled at my words, his silver eyes amused. ¡°We have no choice but to go. It is the first time they open their gates in decades, no one would deny the chance to go there¡±


    I sighed and slammed a bunch of paper on my office desk, and glanced at Milo ¡°When do we depart?¡±


    ¡°Whenever your majesty decides to of course. I don¡¯t think anyone would have enough guts to call out the dragon race for coming late¡± Milo said


    Flipping a paper, I replied ¡°Yes, true. However, missing out on the first days of the meeting would only give those old fossils the leisure of making stupid rules¡±


    ¡°You have a point¡± he agreed.


    I returned my gaze to the page in front of me, ready to read it. However, Milo tossed a little letter right on top of it.


    ¡°And what is this?¡± I asked, glaring at the pink monstrosity he threw.


    ¡°What else would it be other than another letter from Lady Charlotte? I have to give it to her, the woman doesn¡¯t know when to give up¡±


    ¡°And you don¡¯t know when to stop accepting her letters,¡± I said.


    ¡°You can¡¯t blame me. She¡¯s quite good at roping me into her scheme. Besides, if she is courageous enough to persistently approach the Dragon Emperor, then I¡¯d say take her as a mate. She¡¯d make a bold queen.¡±


    "MILO,¡±I said in a deep growl.


    Now he was pushing it. To dare suggest to a dragon - the emperor no less - that he should take a woman that wasn¡¯t his mate. He was seeking death.


    We dragons are beasts by nature. We could be twice as ruthless as we could be merciful. It¡¯s quite hard to reign in a beast that lives on chaos and rampage, our beasts are always restless, always ready to pounce and destroy anything deemed a hindrance on our path. It is one of the things that makes us the mightiest of all creatures.


    Such a chaotic beast needs a calm to his raging storm, a person who brings comfort to his very soul. His other half whom he can take solitude in. His mate. His Malacia


    So, suggesting I settle for a random woman just pissed my beast off. If he wasn¡¯t my advisor, his head would be rolling on the floor by now.


    Milo raised his hands in surrender, then stood up and headed to the door. On his way out, he said ¡°I¡¯ll have everything ready in two days, so we can depart¡± Then he walked away with a still amused smile on his face. He¡¯s so insufferable.


    As annoying as I deemed him to be, Milo was my right-hand man and someone I trusted a lot. He was one of the only people that gets me and my train of thought.


    He wasn¡¯t a dragon like me, so he doesn¡¯t feel this constant urge to find his mate. He was a griffin, and griffins don¡¯t do mates. They were fickle creatures at heart. So I don¡¯t really blame him for suggesting I take Charlotte as my malacia.


    ¡°Not to be a stick in the mud your majesty but he does have a point¡± Arzhel, my second advisor said.


    He had been in the room all this while but hadn¡¯t said anything.


    ¡°You¡¯re getting impatient by the day, your temper increasingly breaking bounds and even your subjects are wary of your presence.¡± He concluded.


    Arzhel is a quiet man by nature, so quiet that he could be in a room for hours without being noticed. He hated anything noisy and would always keep to himself, but when he wanted to nag, he was noisier than a housewife.


    ¡°And don¡¯t you have a mate to please this morning?¡± I bellowed.


    ¡°Pleased and satisfied she has been made, your majesty,¡± he responded.


    ¡°Now back to your having an empress-¡± he continued


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    ¡°Arzhel darling, I really want to give you grandkids, but I¡¯m unable to until I find my Malacia. So please be patient with me hm?¡± I smirked cutting him off.


    His elbow slipped in a comical manner, from the window sill on which he had been leaning.


    I chuckled.


    ¡°Please don¡¯t make jokes like that your majesty,¡± Arzhel said clearing his throat.


    ¡°Well you make yourself an easy target when you act like a mama bear,¡± I remarked.


    He shook his head and said ¡°I¡¯m not saying settle for Lady Charlotte, that woman makes me lose brain cells. I¡¯m just saying maybe you should look into other women, you are bound to find someone your beast finds tolerable¡±


    ¡°Arzhel, I¡¯ve been through hoards of women and not one of them satiated me. Neither in bed nor in my heart. There is only one woman sculpted to match my soul, and no one could ever come close to that. So stop your nagging¡± I said, getting up from my chair.


    ¡°I¡¯m going out to spar.¡±


    ¡°Very well,¡± he said in a defeated voice. ¡°I won¡¯t push the matter again¡±


    ***


    ¡°Ugh damn!¡± one of the warriors yelled as I slammed him to the floor.


    ¡°Who¡¯s next?¡± I challenged.


    ¡°Your majesty, you are exceptionally fierce today,¡± Nathaniel, or Natty as we called him said


    ¡°Are you sure I¡¯m fierce or are my warriors just getting weak? You aren¡¯t slacking as a general are you natty?¡± I scoffed


    ¡°Well ouch. Your majesty. How about you leave the little guys alone and spa with me then¡±


    ¡°Game on¡±


    Natty was fast, agile, and strong. He made for a good spar partner. When fighting him, I could always use about seventy percent of my strength. It was refreshing.


    He took off his shirt, earning a cheer from the now-gathering crowd. The ladies were big fans of Natty, he was tall, sturdy, and had tattoos running up his arm. From servants to nobles, to female warriors, he had no shortage of love interests at his feet. However, like me, he chooses to wait for his mate.


    Natty threw a kick at me, his long legs up high and I blocked it with my arm. Seeing that his first tactics have failed, he spun and threw his other legs at him and I blocked it still.


    Then he retreated his legs and bent down to sweep my feet, but I blocked it with a sideways kick and pushed him away with my other leg.


    Now it was my turn to attack. I threw a punch at Natty and to no surprise he dodged it and got behind me using his speed. He wrapped his hands around my neck and tried to put me in a chokehold, but I swung my hands back, grabbed him, and threw him over my shoulders.


    Just as his back was about to meet the floor, Natty twisted out of my grip and jumped into the air, landing a distance from me.


    The girls cheered. Half of the crowd was yelling ¡°Your majesty!¡± and the other half yelled ¡°General Nathaniel¡±


    ¡°Earned yourself quite the crowd yet again huh¡± I joked


    ¡°Please, your majesty, ninety percent of the women here are dying for your attention. Just a single glance from you and they¡¯d all pass out¡±


    I laughed at his words. I was certainly a looker, that much is true, but he was underestimating himself.


    Natty raked his hand through his brunette hair and positioned himself in a fighting position again, just as he was about to lurch forward, a voice interrupted.


    ¡°Your majesty,¡± Arzhel¡¯s quiet voice said.


    ¡°Hey, Arz. Are you here to join the spar?¡± Natty asked


    ¡°Dear lord, don¡¯t involve me in your barbaric acts.¡± Arzheal groaned. ¡°We have news from the outskirts¡±


    We both stopped in our tracks and turned to him.


    There has been something going on in the outskirts as of late, dragons and lower-ranking beasts have been going missing.


    A few days ago some dragons had their mates taken from them, they went on a rampage and caused havoc in the small town. Lots of people got hurt, and the dragons had to be restrained.


    ¡°Let me hear it,¡± I said to Arzhel


    ¡°There has been another incident. Some female dragons failed to return to their residents last night, and their mates have lost control. They are currently trashing around at the moment.¡±


    I straightened my body to my full height and asked ¡°Where¡¯s Milo?¡±


    ¡°Milo just departed for the outskirts not too long ago,¡± he answered.


    ¡°Good, meet me there,¡± I said, as I transformed and took off into the sky.


    I am by far the largest Dragon in this empire, which meant my wings are just as equally large. This gave me the advantage of speed in the air. So I was able to arrive at the town in question after a short while.


    The first thing I saw was a thread of smoke piercing the sky, and tracing down to a couple of houses below. They were on fire, the dragons must have done this.


    ¡°Where is my Dana?! Bring her out! I will murder whoever is hiding her¡± A black-colored dragon roared, swinging its tail in the direction of a small house.


    However, just before it made contact, two brown claws grabbed it and slammed it to the floor. The claws belong to a griffin. It was Milo.


    A loud screech bubbled up from his throat as he stepped on the dragon¡¯s neck and pinned it to the floor.


    Another dragon roared in the distance and stomped on a house. This one was dark brown in color and he was a little smaller than the average sized dragon.


    Milo looked at the dragon underneath him and then cast a glance at the one currently crushing a house. He seemed to be weighing his decision of freeing the dragon currently in his clasp and going to tackle the other one, or keep restraining the one below him and let other houses be pummeled.


    Seeming to come to no reliable solution, he threw me a look and said ¡°Little help here your majesty?¡±


    I could tell he was trying his hardest not to hurt the dragons, they weren¡¯t at fault after all. Who could stand their once-in-a-lifetime mate going missing and being in possible danger?


    I landed on the ground and let out a deafening roar. Everyone and everything came to a halt. The struggling dragons, the crying parents, the wailing children, the lamenting fathers, everyone went quiet.


    Seeing who was in their midst, they all fell to their knees and bowed, showing their respect to me.


    ¡°I shot a look at the two dragons and said, ¡°Stand down.¡±


    They both cringed at my words then slowly transformed into their human form and lowered their heads once again. The dark brown dragon from earlier was stifling in a sob as he kept knocking his head into the ground.


    Just as he was about to hit his head on the ground again, I put my tail between his head and the ground, letting it act as a cushion.


    He threw his head up, shock written all over his face.


    I may not be the most compassionate person out there, but these were my subjects and I won¡¯t watch them get hurt.


    I transformed back into my human form and Milo did the same. He then rushed to me while holding something in his arm. It was a piece of armor.


    We dragons had no use for armor, our scales were stronger than rocks. If powerful enough, they were stronger than steel itself. So the fact that there was one here meant...


    ¡°Humans¡± Milo and I said in coordinated terms.


    Just then Arzhel finally caught up.


    ¡°Your majesty, I¡¯ve got intel from the scouts. It wasn¡¯t really obvious, but there has been a subtle breach in the boundary on the northside,¡± he said as he transformed mid-air and landed next to me and Milo.


    ¡°Milo you said we were leaving in two days?¡± I asked


    ¡°Yes, your majesty,¡± he responded.


    ¡°Make it tomorrow.¡± I bellowed.

 Selected…not

    Elvira


    <hr>


    We were in the kitchen washing dishes, and this was the noisiest the kitchen had ever been at this time of day.


    Usually, the only sounds one would hear were the clinking of plates, the cackling of fire, and strained yawns.


    However, that wasn¡¯t the case today. The very air was buzzing with excitement, nervousness, and uncertainty, due to the news Madame Matilda had bestowed on us.


    ¡°I really can¡¯t believe we are hosting the conclave this year. It¡¯s unimaginable¡± Mira said, her voice carrying the same excitement as the air around us.


    I couldn¡¯t fault her though, after all this was indeed an event that was unheard of.


    The conclave of the great kingdoms has been an ongoing tradition for decades. Each gathering takes place in a different kingdom every time, but never once has it taken place in the human kingdom.


    There were several reasons for that, but the most important one was that the human king and his council always refused the idea and invitation. According to them, it was dangerous to let that much powerful figures onto the ground of Elysia.


    They weren¡¯t wrong though, because what would happen if the other kingdoms chose to dominate us, or if a conflict suddenly broke out?


    So imagine everyone¡¯s surprise when they heard the news. It must mean the king approved to host the meeting.


    What was he thinking?


    My stomach growled and I clutched it. I was in a kitchen full of food and yet I couldn¡¯t appease my hunger. The irony.


    I stole a glance at the palate of fruits sitting by the corner on the kitchen¡¯s marble tabletop. The fruits were looking fresh, droplets of water clinging to them from the washing they had just received.


    Looking at the fruits definitely didn¡¯t help, as it only made my stomach growl louder, demanding I gave it what it wanted.


    However I couldn¡¯t do so, so I resulted in staring daggers at the fruit, letting all my pent-up anger roll off it in waves. Poor thing would probably go sour from the way I¡¯m staring at it.


    ¡°When was the last time you ate? your stomach is really singing some melodies right now¡± Mira asked, sending a worried look at my stomach that was as flat as the chopping board I was washing.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know the last time I did Mira. Maybe three days ago? who knows I lost count. I thought I¡¯d finally get to eat today, but I was wrong.¡± I sobbed.


    ¡°You always cry about the consequences, and yet you repeat the same action¡± Mira laughed. ¡°Just sneak a little food out later¡±


    Yea, I never learn from my mistakes, screw me. It was one of my flaws. A major one.


    ¡°Don¡¯t have to tell me twice. After all, according to what Madame Matilda had said earlier, the next couple of days would be extremely busy. The very palace would have to be decorated and the millions of inhabited rooms would have to be cleaned for the guests. With all that on everyone¡¯s plate, I¡¯m sure no one would notice me grabbing a couple of food¡± I explained.


    ¡°Except Lola of course,¡± Mira said nodding her head towards Lola¡¯s direction.


    I turned my head to see Lola staring me down like a hawk. Ugh, of course, her. I swear the girl has remotely nothing better to do.


    ¡°Goddess, I hate being so popular. You pick up obsessive fans along the way.¡±


    Mira laughed, so loud that a few people turned to look at us.


    I looked at her and stifled a laugh myself. What I said wasn¡¯t that funny, but hey if she laughed, then call me a joker.


    Then she stopped laughing all of a sudden and went stiff.


    ¡°Mira?¡±


    ¡°Wait does that mean the fox kingdom is also coming?¡± she said in slowly.


    The look on her face was growing distant by the minute, she looked completely out of it.


    Concern filling me up, I waved my hands in front of her. ¡°Earth to Mira,¡± I said, snapping her out of her daze. The light slowly came back to her eyes and she shook her head.


    ¡°Are you okay? Is something wrong?¡± I asked


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    She quickly masked her worried expression, giving me a wry smile.


    ¡°Oh yea, I¡¯m definitely okay. Just tired from yesterday I suppose.¡±


    Tired she says. I find it hard to believe that the girl who was just cackling her ass off, was suddenly spacy and tired. I call bullshit. It definitely has to do with the mention of the fox race.


    ¡°Hm,¡± I said giving her a skeptical look. ¡°Well if you say so.¡±


    She must have noticed I was getting suspicious of her because she suddenly said in a high-pitched voice.


    ¡°Let¡¯s finish the dishes before Madame Matilda comes and drags us around the kitchen with a whip around our necks.¡±


    She wasn¡¯t exaggerating her sentence, as it has happened before.


    Nope, she wasn¡¯t getting away from this one. I know she has been trying to avoid the topic of her origins and how she ended up coming to Elysia, but never had I seen her this shaken. I had to know what was going on with her.


    Although, just as I was about to ask her, she swiftly changed the topic.


    She whispered in my ear ¡°So far it looks like you aren¡¯t in trouble for what happened yesterday, I guess I could go unpack our bags then.¡±


    I let out a small laugh ¡°Seriously what is up with you and packing bags? Where would you even run to? If the king wanted a person dead, I¡¯m pretty sure the entire kingdom would share the same sentiments.¡±


    ¡°Yea, you¡¯re right. But escape is never impossible remember that.¡±


    I paused my movements and studied Mira¡¯s face. Had she escaped the fox kingdom? If so why and who was she running from?


    ¡°You got in another trouble yesterday?¡± an annoying voice I¡¯d know anywhere said.


    Lola.


    ¡°See? You freaks of nature are always attracting trouble wherever you go. It¡¯s burdensome really¡± she continued.


    Lord, I¡¯m going to kick this bitch into a pot of boiling soup.


    I turned around to meet Lola¡¯s nasty smirk.


    ¡°You know what¡¯s burdensome? Your annoying voice hunting me wherever I go. I even hear it sometimes in my sleep. I¡¯m sorry but I need a break from being your best friend okay? your obsession is unhealthy.¡±


    She scoffed. ¡°Are you daft? In what world are we considered best friends. Last I checked I clearly don¡¯t like you, and I don¡¯t hide it¡±


    ¡°Lola, what do you call someone that is there when you wake up, goes wherever you go, stares at whatever you do, talks to you all the time with no filter? You¡¯re either the best friend or the stalker. And since you denied the first, I guess that makes you the latter.¡±


    Mira busted out laughing again ¡°Wow Elvira you¡¯re on a roll today¡±


    We both turned around and walked out of the kitchen, leaving Lola rooted to her spot, too stupefied to speak.


    I may not show it much, but the way they always pick apart my differences and call me a freak actually gets to me. No matter how often it happens, you can never truly get used to the hurt people cause you. After all, we all have a beating heart full of emotions.


    I don¡¯t yearn to be accepted by these people or to be normal. I just yearn to be left alone, to not have to fight off every harsh remark made up against me, to not have to hear the same dumb jokes every couple of minutes. It was getting incredibly frustrating.


    ¡°Wait up Elvira¡± I hear Mira call behind me, her footstep drawing closer. ¡°I know I always tell you this, but don¡¯t listen to Lola¡¯s words, she¡¯s just being annoying.¡±


    ¡°Yea, I know. It¡¯s getting harder to do so though. One of these days I might stick an arrow down her throat¡± I said, my face scrunching up in annoyance.


    ¡°Woah. That was a little dark¡± Mira said faking a horrific expression.


    I rolled my eyes and laughed. I¡¯m really glad I got to befriend Mira. She¡¯s a really cool person and knowingly or not... she makes me smile.


    We went about our day doing the long list of chores Madame Matilda had given us. So far I hadn¡¯t heard anything about punishment from the king or me being summoned to answer for my mistakes. I couldn¡¯t breathe a sigh of relief though, because it could happen at any time.


    My stomach was still aching from the lack of food since yesterday and this morning. I can¡¯t wait to sneak some leftover food out.


    It was mid-day now, and at this point, I had little to no energy and felt like I was dying. It also wasn¡¯t helping that my headache was only getting worse.


    I tapped my noisy stomach and then rolled up my sleeves to continue trimming some flower bushes. Just as I was about to take full swing at one of the weeds I found, I heard a call from one of the female servants. She yelled Madame Matilda wanted to see us all, and we should gather by the servants¡¯ quarters.


    ¡°Ugh, what does she want now?¡± I said to Mira as we walked back together.


    ¡°Who knows? Maybe she finally heard about yesterday¡¯s event?¡± Mira said.


    ¡°Hmm, no I doubt it. If she did, she wouldn¡¯t have to gather all of us, she¡¯d probably just have the knights literally drag me out of here.¡± I replied.


    The moment we got to the servant quarters, Madame Matilda yelled ¡°Line up in rows and columns of fives.¡±


    We all immediately did as she said. Then she continued.


    ¡°The guest has started arriving, therefore we would need to start serving them and making sure they are comfortable. Among you all, I will be choosing the ones with the most acceptable appearance and character. Once you are called, you will follow me to see Lady Ezra. There she would make sure you are presentable enough to be seen in public...¡±


    Getting tired of her double-sided words, I completely blocked out her voice and entertained myself with picking at my nails. In my absentmindedness, I began to think about what sort of people we would see today.


    Will there be fairies? that certainly would be a sight to see.


    What about vampires? That¡¯s nice but aren¡¯t they all like old people or something?


    Wolves? Gee, I heard the Wolve race was teaming up with good-looking people.


    Dragons? They do fascinate me, but what if they decided to eat one of us for dessert?


    Still indulging myself in my daydream, I heard ¡°Mira, come up¡±


    Wait what? Mira? did she get picked? I raised my head to see what was happening, and my thoughts were confirmed. She really did get picked, alongside Lola and some pretty girls with good-looking guys.


    It was really no surprise that Mira got chosen, I mean she was really pretty and rarely got in trouble with Madame Matilda. However, her being included meant I¡¯m going to be bored all day without her until she comes back. Heck, she may not even be back for half of the week, as the meetings are known to drag on, and some of the guests may stay a few extra days before leaving.


    I squeezed Mira¡¯s hands, giving her my puppy dog eyes as she slowly stepped away from me to stand next to Madame Matilda. Just before her hands slipped from me though, I felt that they were sweaty and trembling. That¡¯s odd. Her walk was also stiff-like. Then it occurred to me. She had seemed scared by the idea that the fox kingdom would be here for the meeting, if she was going to serve at the banquet then she¡¯d most likely run into them. That¡¯s probably what¡¯s bothering her.


    ¡°The rest of you, make sure you stay in the quarters all day and avoid being seen.¡± Madame Matilda said as she walked out with the chosen ones, shutting the door and leaving us with silence.

 Tingles and Burns

    Elvira


    <hr>


    Seventy-seven... seventy-eight.... seventy-nine. I counted on it. I was so bored out of my mind that I resulted to counting the black and white tiles on the floor to keep my mind busy.


    That was it? that was the last tile? ugh. Well, what should I expect from such an average-sized room?


    The rest of us who weren¡¯t chosen just laid around doing absolutely nothing. I didn¡¯t know having free time could be a new form of torture. Well at least for me it was. Everyone else was busy talking to each other, but I on the other hand had no one. Not to mention, I was extremely hungry. At least if I was busy doing something, my mind won¡¯t be constantly drifting off to food.


    Done with my total count of tiles, I set out to count how many sole black tiles there were. With every count that I made, a thought popped into my head.


    One black tile - I wonder what Mira is doing right now


    Two black tiles - The guest must be arriving at this moment


    Three black tiles - Im curious to see what people from other kingdoms look like, it must be fascinating to see.


    Four black tiles - Maybe I¡¯ll be able to sneak some food now.


    Five black tiles - nope fuck that, I¡¯m done counting.


    My eccentric thoughts were growing by the moment, begging me to satisfy them. And so I made up my mind to do just that.


    I looked around me to see if anyone was paying any attention to me, unsurprisingly they weren¡¯t. They were too busy squealing and cackling at whatever hot gossip they had going on to mind me, the freak of the room.


    I got up slowly, careful not to draw any notice to my actions. If I was caught sneaking out, it wouldn¡¯t be unpredictable for some to tattle on me.


    Wow, that gossip must have been really good because no one noticed me slipping out of the room even after the door made a loud creaking noise when I opened it.


    As soon as the door shut, I pressed my ears up against it to hear if anyone was alarmed by my little escape. To my glee, the loud laughter and voices continued, uninterrupted.


    I stood in my spot for a couple of minutes, debating with my brain and my mind if I wanted food, or wanted to be nosy.


    My brain argued ¡®Food. Your body needs food right this instance.¡¯


    My mind argued ¡¯Adventure. It¡¯s our only chance to see the other kingdoms


    When I was done being the judge of the little debate going on inside me, I turned around and headed toward the main entrance. In case it wasn¡¯t obvious, my mind won. I was a really curious person after all. I¡¯ve gone a whole week without food. This much was nothing.


    At the first corner I rounded, I spotted two guards. I immediately darted behind a pillar to hide myself. It was like that for the next several minutes. I would round a corner and there would be lots of guards either standing post or roaming about. Suspecting it would only get worse the more I got closer to the front door, I decided to opt out and use the back door.


    After dodging a few more guards, I finally made it through the backdoor that was close to the servants¡¯ quarters and out into the bushes near the fields. Just I suspected, there were fewer to no guards back here.


    My body started relaxing, thinking I was in the clear. But before I could fully relax I heard the sound of metal clanging. My head whirled to look at the cause of the sound. It was the knights, about a thousand of them all roaming the fields. They were mobilizing in full-blown armor like they were preparing for war.


    That¡¯s strange. I get that we must take precautions due to the number of powerful people coming here, but this was a bit much. It was almost as if they were sure we would go to war. My ears burned slightly at the sight of them, and I raised my hand to rub it, ignoring the feeling.


    The bushes were trimmed earlier today so it didn¡¯t make for a good cover as it usually did, due to that I had to duck and sometimes crawl on the ground. This was definitely more exciting than being stuck in that musty cramped up room.


    I finally made it to the main gates. Well literally speaking, the flower bushes that were somewhat of a great distance from the gate. The sight that greeted me was magnificent. Various types of people and supernaturals all strolled in through the gates.


    The first person my eyes saw, was a woman with long blood red nails. She wore a frilly red dress that contrasted with her extremely pale skin and had an umbrella over her head. Next to her was a man that was also matching her image. He had jet-black hair, that matched his neat black suit which flowed with his also pale skin.


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    Behind them were a couple of women that wore black dresses with big round hats on their heads. They looked ominous and shrouded in mystery.


    I kept scanning through the crowd in amazement and...expectation. It wasn¡¯t something I wanted to outright admit to myself, however deep down I knew there was a race I wished to see. The elves.


    Admitting this to myself meant admitting I was an elf which I didn¡¯t want to do. Because if I did, then it meant I was a sorry excuse of an elf and a sorry excuse of a human. It would mean I truly didn¡¯t belong anywhere, so I¡¯ll keep believing I¡¯m a normal human because humans are what surround me.


    However, I keep subconsciously thinking it would be nice to see the elves and maybe learn more about them. I could also figure out why I¡¯m only half of them and why I¡¯m in Elysia. But to my dismay, I didn¡¯t see anyone that would fit the description of an elf.


    At that moment that disappointment was clouding my eyes, something caught my gaze. My breath hitched, my heart pulsated and my ears tingled - This was a new sensation.


    The thing that caught my eye was actually a...man. He had a reddish ginger hair, that made my fingers itch to touch it. He was tall in height and I could tell from all the way down here that his body was toned and chiseled.


    It was like the very air and presence around us moved in unison with him. His very aura was heavy and diminishing. Like he could crush this whole world in an instant if he saw fit.


    When he walked, everyone slowly parted ways for him to walk through. No one dared to stand in his path.


    Who was he? and why did I feel this strongly for him? Every time his face turned to the side, I wished that it¡¯ll rotate a little more... just a little more so I could see his face.


    As if hearing my request, his head suddenly whirled around and snapped in my direction.


    Fuck.


    Almost instinctively I sunk into the bushes. Did he see me? How the hell did he sense me from all the way there? His gaze was far too accurate in pinpointing my direction for it to all be a coincidence.


    Who was it that said to be careful what you wished for?


    I decided it was a wise choice to return to the servant quarters before I got into real trouble, and before anyone noticed I wasn¡¯t in the room.


    Sneaking back from the way I came out, I was able to make it past the guards and into the palace.


    On my way to the servants¡¯ quarters, I couldn¡¯t help but let my thoughts drift back to the man I saw earlier. His reddish ginger hair, his toned body, and stern jawline. It was weird that every time I thought about him, my ears would tingle and something would flutter in my chest. I don¡¯t think I know him, so why would my body be reacting like this? It was all so strange.


    Lost in my thoughts, I realized I had made it to the room. Laughter and voices were spilling out the door. It seemed like everyone was still engrossed in their little gossip.


    However, just as I was about to open the door, someone called out to me.


    ¡°Elvira right?¡± a gruff voice said.


    I stiffened. My hand slowly dropped from the door and I turned around in a rigid motion.


    It was a man dressed in armor, and alongside him was Andrew. The man must have been the one to call my name because Andrew had better know my name after all the torment he and Lola have caused me.


    ¡°Yes?¡± I answered


    ¡°The king wishes to see you¡± he spoke again.


    ¡°Huh? The king?¡±


    ¡°You heard me¡± his gruff voice was stern


    ¡°Come on move it,¡± Andrew said


    I sent him a glare and turned back to the other guy ¡°Why would the king wish to see me?¡± I asked with a worried voice.


    ¡°Why would we know the answer to that question? We are only here to escort you¡± Andrew chimed in


    By this time, I was a little nervous. Why would the king need to see me? and he also sent people to ¡®escort¡¯ me to him. There¡¯s no other explanation, I am definitely in trouble. Maybe it was the incident from yesterday or was it Andrew that told on me? I mean he was in the fields earlier. Or better still the mystery redhead man rattled me out.


    Andrew cast me an annoyed glance and said ¡°What are you waiting for? get moving.¡±


    Not sparing him a look, I went to his companion and said ¡°Okay I¡¯ll answer his call¡±


    ¡°Wait a minute are you ignoring me?¡± Andrew said in disbelief.


    Took this moron long enough to realize.


    I had expected to be taken to the king¡¯s chambers, however, we have been walking for quite a while now and it didn¡¯t seem like we were heading in that direction.


    The more we walked, the more I noticed we were going further down the secluded part of the palace. I¡¯ve never been to this corner before. Something doesn¡¯t seem right. As if to agree with my thoughts, my ears started to burn. Warning bells went off in my head.


    ¡°Um...¡± I started to say, ¡°Is this the way to his majesty? wouldn¡¯t he be in his chambers or at least near the throne room preparing to receive guests?¡±


    ¡°Shut up and keep moving, if the king is this way then he is.¡± Andrew spat at me.


    The burning sensation in my ears intensified, causing me to pause in my steps.


    ¡°Don¡¯t stop, keep walking,¡± Andrew¡¯s companion said to me in his curt tone.


    I shook my head and started to step backward, something was amiss. Just as I turned around to run, something cold and hard smacked the back of my head, making me fall to the floor.


    I groaned. What the hell?


    My head throbbed as I tried to get up. The man grabbed me by the hair and said


    ¡°Where do you think you¡¯re going freak?¡±


    ¡°Away from you asshole!¡°, I said as I kicked him in his balls.


    He grunted and smacked my face, causing me to stumble backward. But I wasn¡¯t giving up. I wasn¡¯t going to let them drag me to wherever they wanted.


    I grabbed one of the torch holders sitting on the wall and swung it at the man and Andrew.


    ¡°Stay away from me!¡± I yelled, swinging the torch back and forth.


    ¡°Listen woman just put the torch down,¡± Andrew said.


    ¡°Shut up sir gaudy,¡± I said swinging the touch in Andrew¡¯s direction. He staggered back a little bit.


    I was about to swing it at Andrew¡¯s partner when he brought his sword and smacked the torch from my hands.


    Seeing that my first option of ¡®fight¡¯ was a failure, I attempted the second which was ¡®flight¡¯. However, when I turned to run, something metallic smacked my head once again and I fell to the floor.


    My eyesight blurred, I could see Andrew¡¯s companion sheathing his sword. He must have used to hilt to hit my head.


    ¡°I thought the king said we shouldn¡¯t hurt her?¡± I heard Andrew¡¯s voice say.


    ¡°We¡¯ll just tell him she attacked us. Here lift her hands up let¡¯s carry her to the king.¡± the man said.


    Unable to maintain consciousness, I slowly passed out.

 Sweet Scent

    Elvira


    <hr>


    Seventy-seven... seventy-eight.... seventy-nine. I counted on it. I was so bored out of my mind that I resulted to counting the black and white tiles on the floor to keep my mind busy.


    That was it? that was the last tile? ugh. Well, what should I expect from such an average-sized room?


    The rest of us who weren¡¯t chosen just laid around doing absolutely nothing. I didn¡¯t know having free time could be a new form of torture. Well at least for me it was. Everyone else was busy talking to each other, but I on the other hand had no one. Not to mention, I was extremely hungry. At least if I was busy doing something, my mind won¡¯t be constantly drifting off to food.


    Done with my total count of tiles, I set out to count how many sole black tiles there were. With every count that I made, a thought popped into my head.


    One black tile - I wonder what Mira is doing right now


    Two black tiles - The guest must be arriving at this moment


    Three black tiles - Im curious to see what people from other kingdoms look like, it must be fascinating to see.


    Four black tiles - Maybe I¡¯ll be able to sneak some food now.


    Five black tiles - nope fuck that, I¡¯m done counting.


    My eccentric thoughts were growing by the moment, begging me to satisfy them. And so I made up my mind to do just that.


    I looked around me to see if anyone was paying any attention to me, unsurprisingly they weren¡¯t. They were too busy squealing and cackling at whatever hot gossip they had going on to mind me, the freak of the room.


    I got up slowly, careful not to draw any notice to my actions. If I was caught sneaking out, it wouldn¡¯t be unpredictable for some to tattle on me.


    Wow, that gossip must have been really good because no one noticed me slipping out of the room even after the door made a loud creaking noise when I opened it.


    As soon as the door shut, I pressed my ears up against it to hear if anyone was alarmed by my little escape. To my glee, the loud laughter and voices continued, uninterrupted.


    I stood in my spot for a couple of minutes, debating with my brain and my mind if I wanted food, or wanted to be nosy.


    My brain argued ¡®Food. Your body needs food right this instance.¡¯


    My mind argued ¡¯Adventure. It¡¯s our only chance to see the other kingdoms


    When I was done being the judge of the little debate going on inside me, I turned around and headed toward the main entrance. In case it wasn¡¯t obvious, my mind won. I was a really curious person after all. I¡¯ve gone a whole week without food. This much was nothing.


    At the first corner I rounded, I spotted two guards. I immediately darted behind a pillar to hide myself. It was like that for the next several minutes. I would round a corner and there would be lots of guards either standing post or roaming about. Suspecting it would only get worse the more I got closer to the front door, I decided to opt out and use the back door.


    After dodging a few more guards, I finally made it through the backdoor that was close to the servants¡¯ quarters and out into the bushes near the fields. Just I suspected, there were fewer to no guards back here.


    My body started relaxing, thinking I was in the clear. But before I could fully relax I heard the sound of metal clanging. My head whirled to look at the cause of the sound. It was the knights, about a thousand of them all roaming the fields. They were mobilizing in full-blown armor like they were preparing for war.


    That¡¯s strange. I get that we must take precautions due to the number of powerful people coming here, but this was a bit much. It was almost as if they were sure we would go to war. My ears burned slightly at the sight of them, and I raised my hand to rub it, ignoring the feeling.


    The bushes were trimmed earlier today so it didn¡¯t make for a good cover as it usually did, due to that I had to duck and sometimes crawl on the ground. This was definitely more exciting than being stuck in that musty cramped up room.


    I finally made it to the main gates. Well literally speaking, the flower bushes that were somewhat of a great distance from the gate. The sight that greeted me was magnificent. Various types of people and supernaturals all strolled in through the gates.


    The first person my eyes saw, was a woman with long blood red nails. She wore a frilly red dress that contrasted with her extremely pale skin and had an umbrella over her head. Next to her was a man that was also matching her image. He had jet-black hair, that matched his neat black suit which flowed with his also pale skin.


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    Behind them were a couple of women that wore black dresses with big round hats on their heads. They looked ominous and shrouded in mystery.


    I kept scanning through the crowd in amazement and...expectation. It wasn¡¯t something I wanted to outright admit to myself, however deep down I knew there was a race I wished to see. The elves.


    Admitting this to myself meant admitting I was an elf which I didn¡¯t want to do. Because if I did, then it meant I was a sorry excuse of an elf and a sorry excuse of a human. It would mean I truly didn¡¯t belong anywhere, so I¡¯ll keep believing I¡¯m a normal human because humans are what surround me.


    However, I keep subconsciously thinking it would be nice to see the elves and maybe learn more about them. I could also figure out why I¡¯m only half of them and why I¡¯m in Elysia. But to my dismay, I didn¡¯t see anyone that would fit the description of an elf.


    At that moment that disappointment was clouding my eyes, something caught my gaze. My breath hitched, my heart pulsated and my ears tingled - This was a new sensation.


    The thing that caught my eye was actually a...man. He had a reddish ginger hair, that made my fingers itch to touch it. He was tall in height and I could tell from all the way down here that his body was toned and chiseled.


    It was like the very air and presence around us moved in unison with him. His very aura was heavy and diminishing. Like he could crush this whole world in an instant if he saw fit.


    When he walked, everyone slowly parted ways for him to walk through. No one dared to stand in his path.


    Who was he? and why did I feel this strongly for him? Every time his face turned to the side, I wished that it¡¯ll rotate a little more... just a little more so I could see his face.


    As if hearing my request, his head suddenly whirled around and snapped in my direction.


    Fuck.


    Almost instinctively I sunk into the bushes. Did he see me? How the hell did he sense me from all the way there? His gaze was far too accurate in pinpointing my direction for it to all be a coincidence.


    Who was it that said to be careful what you wished for?


    I decided it was a wise choice to return to the servant quarters before I got into real trouble, and before anyone noticed I wasn¡¯t in the room.


    Sneaking back from the way I came out, I was able to make it past the guards and into the palace.


    On my way to the servants¡¯ quarters, I couldn¡¯t help but let my thoughts drift back to the man I saw earlier. His reddish ginger hair, his toned body, and stern jawline. It was weird that every time I thought about him, my ears would tingle and something would flutter in my chest. I don¡¯t think I know him, so why would my body be reacting like this? It was all so strange.


    Lost in my thoughts, I realized I had made it to the room. Laughter and voices were spilling out the door. It seemed like everyone was still engrossed in their little gossip.


    However, just as I was about to open the door, someone called out to me.


    ¡°Elvira right?¡± a gruff voice said.


    I stiffened. My hand slowly dropped from the door and I turned around in a rigid motion.


    It was a man dressed in armor, and alongside him was Andrew. The man must have been the one to call my name because Andrew had better know my name after all the torment he and Lola have caused me.


    ¡°Yes?¡± I answered


    ¡°The king wishes to see you¡± he spoke again.


    ¡°Huh? The king?¡±


    ¡°You heard me¡± his gruff voice was stern


    ¡°Come on move it,¡± Andrew said


    I sent him a glare and turned back to the other guy ¡°Why would the king wish to see me?¡± I asked with a worried voice.


    ¡°Why would we know the answer to that question? We are only here to escort you¡± Andrew chimed in


    By this time, I was a little nervous. Why would the king need to see me? and he also sent people to ¡®escort¡¯ me to him. There¡¯s no other explanation, I am definitely in trouble. Maybe it was the incident from yesterday or was it Andrew that told on me? I mean he was in the fields earlier. Or better still the mystery redhead man rattled me out.


    Andrew cast me an annoyed glance and said ¡°What are you waiting for? get moving.¡±


    Not sparing him a look, I went to his companion and said ¡°Okay I¡¯ll answer his call¡±


    ¡°Wait a minute are you ignoring me?¡± Andrew said in disbelief.


    Took this moron long enough to realize.


    I had expected to be taken to the king¡¯s chambers, however, we have been walking for quite a while now and it didn¡¯t seem like we were heading in that direction.


    The more we walked, the more I noticed we were going further down the secluded part of the palace. I¡¯ve never been to this corner before. Something doesn¡¯t seem right. As if to agree with my thoughts, my ears started to burn. Warning bells went off in my head.


    ¡°Um...¡± I started to say, ¡°Is this the way to his majesty? wouldn¡¯t he be in his chambers or at least near the throne room preparing to receive guests?¡±


    ¡°Shut up and keep moving, if the king is this way then he is.¡± Andrew spat at me.


    The burning sensation in my ears intensified, causing me to pause in my steps.


    ¡°Don¡¯t stop, keep walking,¡± Andrew¡¯s companion said to me in his curt tone.


    I shook my head and started to step backward, something was amiss. Just as I turned around to run, something cold and hard smacked the back of my head, making me fall to the floor.


    I groaned. What the hell?


    My head throbbed as I tried to get up. The man grabbed me by the hair and said


    ¡°Where do you think you¡¯re going freak?¡±


    ¡°Away from you asshole!¡°, I said as I kicked him in his balls.


    He grunted and smacked my face, causing me to stumble backward. But I wasn¡¯t giving up. I wasn¡¯t going to let them drag me to wherever they wanted.


    I grabbed one of the torch holders sitting on the wall and swung it at the man and Andrew.


    ¡°Stay away from me!¡± I yelled, swinging the torch back and forth.


    ¡°Listen woman just put the torch down,¡± Andrew said.


    ¡°Shut up sir gaudy,¡± I said swinging the touch in Andrew¡¯s direction. He staggered back a little bit.


    I was about to swing it at Andrew¡¯s partner when he brought his sword and smacked the torch from my hands.


    Seeing that my first option of ¡®fight¡¯ was a failure, I attempted the second which was ¡®flight¡¯. However, when I turned to run, something metallic smacked my head once again and I fell to the floor.


    My eyesight blurred, I could see Andrew¡¯s companion sheathing his sword. He must have used to hilt to hit my head.


    ¡°I thought the king said we shouldn¡¯t hurt her?¡± I heard Andrew¡¯s voice say.


    ¡°We¡¯ll just tell him she attacked us. Here lift her hands up let¡¯s carry her to the king.¡± the man said.


    Unable to maintain consciousness, I slowly passed out.

 Soppy Story

    Elvira


    <hr>


    ¡°Flesh to ashes...Tears to blood...Core to strength...¡±


    The sound of incoherent mumbling slowly drew me out of my unconscious state, and I could hear several voices around me. I tried moving, but my body was numb, it was like something was weighing me down.


    My eyes sluggishly opened, and the first thing that greeted me was figures wearing dark cloaks all surrounding me. From the sound of their voices, I could tell they were women.


    My head was hurting, the tip of my ears was burning and my body felt like metal. I tried to slowly stand up but was forcefully yanked down to the floor again. The sound of chains resonated through the room. I glanced down only to see a couple of chains flowing from my neck, ankles, and wrist.


    I was chained to the floor.


    Panic instantly ran through me and I tried to get up once more, only to be dragged back down by the chains. I groaned in pain when I made contact with the cold floor.


    ¡°Who are you?! What do you want from me?!¡± I yelled.


    However, my questions fell on deaf ears. The cloaked women seemed unaffected by the fact that I was now awake. They just kept up with their mumbles, ¡°Flesh to ashes, tears to blood, core to strength, dark yield to light...¡±


    I didn¡¯t know what they were mumbling, but it seemed to be making me weak. A shrill noise rang through my head and I screamed in pain. My body was going cold and numb.


    ¡°What are you doing to me?! Let me go!¡± I yelled, and once again no one paid heed to my words.


    Okay, Elvira let¡¯s calm down. Struggling and yelling aren¡¯t doing any good right now, there has to be a way out. After taking deep breaths to calm myself down, I turned to study my surroundings.


    It was a dusty and cold room with a distinct grassy smell to it. Unpainted bricks made up the wall, and it was full of cracks. There were torches with rusting metal, signifying that this room lacked care and occupants.


    Although the wall was full of cracks, I could tell that it was made of fine-quality bricks, which meant that we were still in the palace. This must be that secluded area Andrew and his companion were taking me to.


    I looked below me to see if there was a way to escape these chains, but I was shocked by what I saw. I was kneeling right on top of a strange circle. The circle had a smaller circle in it, and strange writings and letters that I had never seen, decorated it. It looked like it was painted to the floor.


    I yanked my hand, hoping the chain had a weak spot, however to my dismay, it was strong from the point it made contact with my skin, down to the ground it was rooted in. It felt like the more I tugged on it, the more it bit into my skin.


    Seeing that escaping the chains was a failure. I focused my attention on my perpetrators. The dark cloak they wore shrouded their entire body, not a skin to be seen. It was really eerie. What¡¯s even more eerie was that they had no reaction to all of my movements or yelling.


    Then it dawned on me. Black cloaks...huge round hats...it was them! The supernaturals I had seen walking in through the gates earlier on. I¡¯m not sure if they were the same people, but their clothing, aura, and creepiness are all too similar.


    ¡°Hey! What creature are you guys?! Don¡¯t be stupid and let me go. I may be a mere servant, but you can¡¯t just come to another kingdom and perform acts like this. It could be seen as a breach of agreement and could start a war.¡± I screamed.


    But as it seemed to be the routine now, I was ignored.


    Getting frustrated by all this, I started to yank my chains in desperation, screaming and thrashing. I kept trying to get up, just to fall straight to the ground over and over. It was hopeless, everything I was doing was hopeless.


    Just then the rustic metal door in front of us opened. I threw my head to look at it, a mixture of emotions running through me. On one hand, I was partly scared that it may be more of their allies, or perhaps someone to deal the death blow. On the other, I was hopeful that it was someone here to save me.


    A striking leather shoe that I was so used to polishing, slowly stepped into the door. Excitement and relief bubbled in my heart and I yelled ¡°Your Majesty!¡°. King Aden was here, no doubt he¡¯d help me. His suspicions about not letting the supernatural onto Elysia¡¯s grounds were right.


    I looked at him with helpful pleading eyes, hoping he¡¯d come to save me, however, he just walked to one of the clothed figures.


    ¡°How much longer?¡± he asked in urgency.


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    ¡°Just a little longer, young lord¡± the woman¡¯s misty voice replied.


    ¡°Make it fast, the dragon emperor is a sharp one. He may begin to suspect something.¡± his Majesty said.


    Huh? Something was off. Something was extremely off.


    The king then turned around and slowly approached me, his legs stopping a few feet from me. He looked at my miserable form on the floor and smiled. The burning sensation in my ears slowly increased.


    ¡°Your majesty?¡± I asked with a trembling voice.


    What was going on? Why is he talking to these strange women and what is he telling them to hurry up on? I knelt there in shock. Was his majesty in play with these people?


    ¡°Shh, dear Elvira don¡¯t be scared,¡± he said as he squatted down to my eye level. ¡°Everything is okay.¡±


    He spoke comforting words to me, but all they did was send cold shivers down my spine. There was a smile on his face, but it never reached his eyes. It was cynical and jarring.


    ¡°This is nothing against you really, in fact, you are but a mere variable in this grand scheme,¡± he said.


    ¡°A scheme?¡± I asked, my eyes widening.


    ¡°Yes, there is a grand plan. But don¡¯t worry your pretty little head about it. All you need to do is just stay there and give yourself up.¡± He said those words in a casual tone as if he were discussing what he¡¯d like to have for breakfast.


    I slowly shook my head at him. ¡°No, no, you can¡¯t just tell me to kneel here and give myself up... I won¡¯t...I refuse to.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget I¡¯m still your king Elvira. This is an order¡± He said in an angry tone.


    ¡°No!¡± I yelled. ¡°You can¡¯t just tell me to go and die without any reasoning. If you were my king as you said, and I your subject then at least let me know why this is happening¡± my voice quivered.


    The king sighed and said ¡°Fine. If it adds some type of meaning to your useless life, then sure I don¡¯t mind.¡±


    ¡°You see, ever since I was a little kid, my father would take me to meetings with other kingdoms and to the conclave. Time and time again, every time we went to a different meeting, I¡¯d notice the same thing. We the human race are weaklings.¡± His jaw ticked at the last words.


    I stared at him in confusion, not knowing where he was going with this.


    ¡°My father may have been known as a mighty warrior, but in the face of those other kingdoms, we were mere ants by their feet. Especially that conceited bastard Adelio the dragon emperor. He is the most powerful being in this entire world, which meant he got to do what he wanted with little to no repercussions.¡±


    He let out a cold laugh and continued ¡°They said the law exist to keep equality among us, but that was a lie. Adelio is above the law, everyone just acts like that wasn¡¯t the case.¡±


    ¡°But what does this all have to do with me?¡± I asked with uncertainty.


    ¡°Whoever has the most power controls the world. And you, Elvira, are a pure form of power¡±


    I blinked at him and almost came close to laughing. The situation went from intense to comical in seconds. I was a pure form of power? That¡¯s hilarious. If I truly had power, does he think I¡¯d be sitting here listening to his soppy story? I don¡¯t give a damn about power struggles, I just wanted to live my life in peace.


    King Aden must have noticed the mix of doubt and humor on my face because he continued ¡°Do you know as mighty as a dragon is, that power could just be as easily stolen? All it requires is a little bit of pure nature magic to be converted into dark magic and when blood is drawn from the said dragon, anyone can get the power.¡±


    He then brought his hands to the side of my face, and moved the loose strands of hair, revealing my ears. ¡°I was pondering for a while, where do I find a core so filled with life essence and nature magic? The only people that matched that description were the elves, but unfortunately, the elves have hidden themselves and rarely ever come out.¡±


    My body froze. I knew where this was going.


    Sure enough, the king said ¡°Just when I was beside myself with worry, I found a little elf scurrying around in my chambers. So you see Elvira, it could have been anyone, you just happened to be there.¡±


    ¡°I am not an elf!¡± I yelled. ¡°Why do you people never get it? I don¡¯t have magic, I am not an elf, I am human!¡±


    The king just smirked at my protest, as if he was watching something amusing.


    He then brought up his hand to stroke my ear, and I swatted it away, glaring at him. To think the man I admired the most, the man I thought would give his all to protect his kingdom would stoop himself this low just to satisfy his hunger for power.


    ¡°Hurry it up.¡± He commanded to the woman, as he got up to leave.


    ¡°Wait, your majesty. Don¡¯t go!¡± I yelled after him, but he just kept walking away until I could no longer see him.


    The women¡¯s voices got louder and their murmurings seemed to be faster. A rush of pain pierced through my head and I staggered. My body was getting weaker by the minute, almost as if something was being sucked out of me.


    ¡°Somebody help me,¡± I pleaded in a soft voice. But who was I kidding, no one was going to come.


    No one is ever there to wipe my tears when I cry. No one is ever there to hug me when I¡¯m scared. No one is ever there to talk me down when I¡¯m nervous. No one.


    Just then, a loud deafening growl shook the entire room. The growl reverberated through my body as if it was calling out to my very soul. The women stopped their chanting and we all turned to look in the direction of the noise. At first, there was nothing there, but then there were movements at the door.


    A shadow slowly emerged. The shadow was tall, and it was emanating from an equally tall figure. Not just any figure, but an audaciously gorgeous one.


    A flash of red hair was the first thing I saw, then followed by the most striking face I have ever seen. That red hair, that lean body, that sweet scent. It was him. It was the man I saw earlier, the one that made me feel all sorts of things I had never felt before.


    ¡°Sisters! We have been compromised let¡¯s go!¡± one of the women said in a panic


    ¡°Cast the teleportation spell!¡± the other yelled.


    A giant fireball flew from across the room, aiming straight at the cloaked women.


    They all said something in unison, and suddenly there was a bright light. As quickly as the light came, it instantly vanished. The room was empty, not even one of those women left. The nerves of those hussies, they just left me here by myself.


    The fireball lingered in the place where the women had been standing as if it was searching for them. Then the fire darted in my direction with lightning speed. Panic set in as I started to struggle once more. I was desperately yanking at my chains as the fire came full speed at me. However before it made contact, it quickly dissipated.


    I gasped in relief and turned to look at the owner of those flames. My eyes locked in with those cherry-red ones, and I stilled. The chains on my wrist clattered as if to mock my hesitation. His entire presence was stifling. He was brooding as steam rolled off him.


    He looked like a starved animal that was out for blood and for some reason, I felt like it was...my blood.

 Intrusive Feelings

    Elvira


    <hr>


    We were in a stalemate for what felt like an eternity. His eyes on mine, mine on his. It was like nothing else mattered. He was letting off this mighty aura that froze the very air around us. The intensity made me shiver. Excitement or fear...it was hard to discern.


    The man breathed a steamy breath and then stepped towards me. His beautiful cherry-red eyes swirled into a golden color, and his pupils turned into a black slit. I was amazed and spooked out at the same time.


    His eyes took in my undoubtedly pathetic appearance, and when they landed on the chains, his eyes glowed brighter as he let out a strident roar. The very ground shook and some torches off the wall fell.


    As if splashed with cold water, I snapped out of my gaze. He took another step and I started to freak out. I didn¡¯t know who he was, I didn¡¯t know his intentions towards me, was he a friend or was he a foe?


    His face had anger written all over it like he was ready to destroy the entire world. The pace of his steps increased as he got closer. He projected the image of a beast on a mission, and I was the end goal. I felt exposed and intimidated by his aura. I wanted to run, to hide, but I couldn¡¯t do either because I was still bound to the floor. Feeling helpless, I decided to change tactics.


    ¡°Wait. No. Don¡¯t come any closer!¡± I yelled, struggling against my chains.


    The man¡¯s step came to an immediate halt. There was no way, he actually listened to me.


    He clenched his hands into a fist, and I could see the veins popping out. He sucked in a large amount of air and puffed it out. In. Out. In. Out. The action was on repeat until he finally opened his eyes and I was met again with his beautiful cherry red. His demeanor looked calmer now.


    However, his breathing exercise seemed to be fruitless as he stared at the chains again. His jaw shifted and his aura buzzed with anger. Literal steam rolled off his body as his chest began to heave once more.


    Was he angry at me? He seems to lose his temper whenever he stares at me.


    I didn¡¯t get a chance to ponder my question, as he started walking towards me again. His stride was even more determined than earlier. With each distance he covered, a foreign feeling grew inside me.


    ¡°I said you shouldn¡¯t come any closer! Leave me alone!¡± I cried. However, this time my pleas didn¡¯t reach him. His steps didn¡¯t falter one bit. He kept walking up to me steadily and majestically with so much determination.


    ¡°Please,¡± I begged, but he still didn¡¯t stop. My pleas were also to myself, it was to the feeling that was creeping up on my heart. A feeling that was strange and uncomfortable.


    Soon he was right in front of me and then he lowered himself to kneel on the floor. He stretched out his hands towards me and I couldn¡¯t help but shrink back.


    ¡°Don¡¯t hurt me, please...I didn¡¯t do anything. Just leave me alone¡± I sobbed in a low voice. Why won¡¯t these people stop, why won¡¯t they just let me go? I braced myself, expecting to feel some sort of pain. However, a warm arm just wrapped around me. My body shuddered, the foreign feeling was throwing me off. It was getting stronger. It was winning.


    I found myself involuntarily leaning into his arms. His scent was overwhelming my senses and slowly making me lose the fight in me. I heard him take in a deep breath and his chest rumbled. What a lovely sound that was. Lovely enough to hurl my brain into a frenzy, and send an electric wave down to my core.


    ¡°Shh darling, no one is going to hurt you¡± His low guttural voice sounded in my ears. It was the softest and most mesmerizing voice I have ever heard.


    Hurt me? His words brought back reasoning to my head. That¡¯s right I was supposed to be escaping, I was supposed to be fighting him, but his skin on mine was making me feel the opposite. He was making me hot, he was making me save, he was making me feel things I shouldn¡¯t feel in this situation. He had said the same words as King Aden, but they both gave me different reactions.


    ¡°And of course, you didn¡¯t do anything wrong my malacia.¡± He continued ¡°You can never do anything wrong. Even if you were to burn the entire fucking world to the ground, you¡¯d still be in the right¡±


    A lone tear strayed from my eyes, my heart eased up and my body relaxed. It was almost like every fiber of my being had been fighting every single day and now it could finally rest. He raked his hand through my hair, and I moaned at the feeling. My ears were tingling in pleasure.


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    Lost in ecstasy, I hugged his neck and breathed in his scent. The man smelled like pure heaven. Screw running, screw fighting him, I wanted to lay in his arms all day without budging. I wanted to bury my nose in his chest for as long as possible so that his scent could melt my brain.


    Don¡¯t judge me, I already said I was a sucker for nice smells.


    The man didn¡¯t deny my advances on him, but instead, he hugged me tighter. His nose rubbed the nape of my neck and I gasped. I wanted him to kiss me right there, hell I wanted him to kiss me everywhere.


    Every bit of me was tingling, electricity ran through the places he touched me, down to the middle of my thighs.


    He gripped my waist and I pushed myself closer to him. If these chains weren¡¯t restraining me, I¡¯m positive I would be straddling him right now. As if sensing my dismay at being restrained, the gorgeous red-haired man paused. He tugged on my chains and I flinched, sanity coming back to my head a little.


    What the hell was I doing? One hug from this pure erotic man, and I lose all senses. Where was the reasoning in that?


    I tried to jump out of his arms, but he just grabbed me tighter.


    ¡°Oh no Fleur, you aren¡¯t getting away from me. Don¡¯t even try,¡± he said in a stern tone. ¡°Just relax, I¡¯m never going to hurt you.¡± He added, his voice growing soft.


    He stared at me for a while his eyes searching mine as if he wanted something from me. His cherry-red eyes flickered between red and gold. He definitely wasn¡¯t human, I¡¯ve known that much since the moment I saw him, however, the way his eyes changes still surprises me. It had all my attention hooked.


    After I still didn¡¯t relax my body, he says ¡°I hate seeing you in these chains, it is making me lose my self-control by the minute. So please let me take it off you. Hm?¡±


    I was making him lose control? But why? Not knowing what to do after being asked permission like that, I gave a small nod. His full lips with a red hue on them, curled up into a smile.


    Wow.


    His smile was the most loveliest and warmest thing I had ever seen. I couldn¡¯t stop staring at him as my heart fluttered and my stomach tumbled.


    He proceeded to tug my chains again, and with one swift squeeze, the chains shattered into fragments. The moments the chains shattered, it felt like something else in me also shattered, like an elastic that has been pulled in several directions was suddenly let go and returned to its original form. I felt weak and slumped into Mr. Red Hair¡¯s arms. He caught me without hesitation.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay love, it¡¯s okay,¡± his smoky voice said. Soft feathery kisses trailed my forehead, my chin, and then my neck. When he touched that same spot from earlier I hummed and bunched his shirt up with my fingers.


    Wow. Was he using magic? Because damn it was powerful as hell.


    ¡°Your majesty!¡± Someone yelled from the doorway. I should¡¯ve been alarmed by the new presence, but I felt too weak and safe that I didn¡¯t care.


    I was curious though, so I shifted my head on Mr red hair¡¯s shoulder to catch a glimpse of who it was.


    There was a tall, good-looking man, with raven black hair and silver eyes. His face had this natural shadow of a teasing smile on it. He walked to us and slightly bowed his head, then shifted his gaze to me.


    ¡°Is she..?¡± He started to say but was cut off by Mr. Red Hair.


    ¡°Milo. Ready a carriage for me. We are going to lodge outside of the castle. If I remain here any longer, I¡¯m positive the palace of Elysia would seize to exist.¡±


    The man named Milo replied with a quick ¡°sure thing¡± and left without any questions. Anyone could tell Mr red Hair meant what he said. He was seriously pissed right now.


    He then returned his attention to me. ¡°Are you okay love?¡± He asked, his stern voice turning soft once again.


    ¡°Why?¡± I asked


    ¡°Hm?¡±


    ¡°Why are you saving me? Why are you being so nice to me and why...¡±


    why do you make me feel safe, why do you look at me with such a heated gaze, why am I feeling a static energy constantly racing through me when we touch? So many questions ran through my head all at once.


    ¡°Because you are mine.¡± He proclaimed as if no other explanation was needed.


    ¡°What?¡± was all I was able to ask as he lifted me up. I wobbled with the sudden movement, and he strengthened his hold on me. He pressed my head against his chest and kissed my temple. My body seemed to have a mind of its own, as I threaded my hands around his neck and burrowed my face into it. How was someone this sturdy yet perfectly comfortable? I was like a docile cat in his hands.


    He walked me past the gates and out into one of the palace corridors. My head immediately sprang up, recognizing where we were. This was the main hall of the entire palace. It was the hall that led to various royalties¡¯ rooms and the main doors of the palace. A little further down and it would be King Aden¡¯s room.


    As if he noticed my discomfort, Mr. Red Hair paused. ¡°Calm down love, you being tense makes my heart restless. So calm down for me okay?¡± He said as he continued his steps. My body did as he commanded and I snuggled back into the nape of his neck.


    Soon enough we were outside and the cool night air caressed my skin. There was a carriage waiting for us, and in it was the man I saw earlier, Milo. Mr. Red Hair sat down inside the carriage and positioned me on his lap, then one hand came up to rake through my hair, and the other ran up and down my back.


    ¡°So this is her huh? Your Malacia.¡± Milo said scrutinizing me as if I was an exciting specimen ¡°It¡¯s pretty interesting that you found her in Elysia of all places.¡± He then stretched out his hands to me and said ¡°Hi, my name is Milo. Pleased to meet you, empress.¡±


    Emp- what? My eyes were droopy, my senses were numbing. I couldn¡¯t process anything they were saying. My body was extremely tired and wanted nothing more than to fall asleep, but my mind didn¡¯t want to. I wanted to stay awake longer, to stare at the man in front of me longer, to talk to him longer. Once again, I was thrown into a battle of body and mind, and as always I had to be the judge.


    As if sensing my inner turmoil, Mr red head buried his nose in my hair and said ¡°It¡¯s okay my love you can go to sleep. I¡¯ll be right here with you. I¡¯m never leaving you okay?¡±


    ¡°Then...¡± I said nuzzling my head on his chest. ¡°Can you hold me tighter?¡±


    A low rumble reverberated in his chest ¡°Anything for you, my sweet empress.¡± he said squeezing me impossibly closer than he already did.


    I could hear Milo and Mr. Red Hair conversing, but words were incomprehensible to me at this point. I didn¡¯t even want to bother trying. Mr. Red Hair had been the judge of the battle between my mind and body this time, and it seemed like both sides agreed with his decision. So with peace filling up my mind and body, I went to sleep.

 The Pillow; My Knight, My protector

    Elvira


    <hr>


    In my sleepy state, I felt something soft and feather-like brushing my skin. It was ticklish and pleasing. Everywhere it touched me, warmth would explode like fire, and tingles would crawl all over my skin. The sensation had woken me up, but my eyelids were still too droopy to open.


    There was a sweet smell that was currently invading my nostrils. It smelled so nice that I inhaled deeply to get as much of it into my lungs as possible and let out a quiet sigh. I felt at peace. My head wasn''t hurting, my body wasn''t aching, and my once sore muscles were now tender.


    I turned around and twisted my body closer, wanting to be as near this new source of comfort as possible. It was warm and gratifying, sending comforting thrills through the fiber of my being.


    I had no idea where I was, all I knew was that I was lying on what felt like the softest bed I had ever been on and it felt really good, everything felt good. This must be a dream because there was just no way I''d be experiencing something this nice; as a servant of the palace no less. But if it were to be a dream, then I have every intention of enjoying it before Madame Matilda''s frog voice interrupts it.


    I was in the middle of snuggling my body closer when I felt a hand wrap around my waist followed by what sounded like a sigh of contentment. I froze.


    The thing behind me was actually a person, someone else was on this bed with me. The sudden recognition hit me like a wave, and I popped my eyes open.


    Mere inches from my face was a dark cherry-red eye peering straight at me. The eye contact made sparks fly through me like my very soul was being engulfed in flames. For a moment I forgot to breathe, I forgot to panic; I forgot to run, and I just lay there and returned the gaze.


    I stared into those lovely shades of red that reminded me of the wild cherries I always saw in the garden. They always had this pleasant smell to them, just like the man in front of me. He smelled way better, though.


    "Hi," he said in a deep throaty voice that resonated.


    The sudden voice drew my mind out of the nether realm and back into my body, breaking the spell that was momentarily placed on me by those cherry colors. I scampered off the bed, putting as much distance as possible between me and the man. It was Mr. Red Hair from yesterday.


    He chuckled at my action, his straight-lined jaw flexing with the motion.


    "Darling, if you run from me like that, it only makes me want to give chase," he said, with an amused look.


    His voice gave me a familiar feeling of shivers. One that brought back memories of being hugged and cradled by him.


    He slowly stood up from the bed, and it didn''t escape my notice that he was shirtless. Fuck.


    The man had no ounce of fat, every part of that lean body of his was jacked up with muscle. His chest and biceps expanded and contracted with each movement he made. His chest...that very same chest I had been lying on yesterday. I gulped, thinking about it.


    Wait. What the fuck was wrong with me yesterday? I willingly gave myself to this man without so much as a fight. I was practically throwing myself at him, too. It was ludicrous. I get that he saved me, but what if he had other ulterior motives?


    He was now completely off the bed, as he started to make his way to me. The entire situation was giving me a sense of D¨¦j¨¤ vu from when he found me. I can¡¯t let him get close, we have already established that whenever he was within certain feet of me; I become dumb as a rock.


    I scanned around for something to use as a weapon, but everything was either too close to him or too far from me. So I settled for the only thing I could get my hands on. A pillow. The pillow had fallen from the bed when I jumped off of it. It may not be much, but if I swing heavy enough, it should cause some damage, right?


    Picking the pillow up, I raised it in a defensive stance and said, "I dare you to come further." The man paused and cocked his brow. The shadow of an amused smile was lingering on his face, but it was also restrained like he was trying to contain it. Good. He shouldn''t let that smile break out because lord knows I¡¯ll fall back to my yesterday''s disease of stupidity.


    "Fleur, I know you mean otherwise, but daring me like that does nothing but excite me." He said, running a finger through his hair.


    I was stupefied. Here I was trying to fight for my life, and this man said it was exciting.


    He took a step forward, and I took one back. Forward; Backwards. Was our little momentary routine. The rouse kept up until my back was hitting the wall. He smirked when he finally had me where he wanted, then used his hands to cage me in.


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    I was trapped, but I wasn''t going to give him the impression that he won. So I squared my shoulder and stuck my chin up. It was supposed to give the daunting image of a strong woman. A woman who won''t let herself be defeated, but little did I know I was setting myself up for failure.


    My shirtless and impossibly gorgeous opponent smirked at my action, the mirth in his eyes grew.


    My ears started tingling and I wanted to rub it so bad.


    He brought his hand to cup my jaw, and my stance wavered instantly. The crack in my defenses gave way to more attacks. His thumb caressed the outline of my jaw, then my neckline, and then it slowly came down to my chest, stopping dangerously close to my breasts. I could feel my nipples perk up in excitement as if they were calling for him and pleading to be felt up by his gracious palm.


    His gem of an eye became hooded, as his heated gaze traveled all over my body, eating me up from head to toe continuously like I was a meal that could satisfy his huge appetite.


    The lust and desire on his face made me feel exposed, and I crossed my arms over myself to provide some sort of cover. But something felt different, the fabric of my clothes felt softer and looser. Where were the frills of my servant''s apron? The familiar rough but soothing texture of the fabric?


    I looked down on myself to check what I was wearing, and I was met with an almost naked body. I wasn''t in my servant''s dress, or any dress for that matter. I was in a white shirt with loose lace that ran from the mid-chest up. The loose lace was practically exposing my breast. I could see my nipple straining against the shirt.


    "What the hell? You changed my clothes?!" I yelled in shock.


    "That I did," he responded, as if he wasn''t so sure why I was shocked.


    The audacity. I was so dumbfounded that I couldn''t form any words. And so in my anger, I grasped my pillow and began to rain down attacks on him. The whole time I was hitting him with a pillow, he just stood there and took my attacks like I was a little bug throwing tiny punches. He didn''t even flinch or budge, and that infuriated me.


    I raised my hands higher with every intention of making this blow hurt, but a sudden knock at the door stopped me. Mr. Red Hair didn''t make any attempt to get the door, he just ignored it and kept staring at me. The knock came again, and this time it sounded more impatient. Mr. Red''s hair still didn''t move.


    "Your majesty, I''m only here because you instructed me to bring food for the empress. So please don''t ignore me." A voice called out from the other side of the door.


    When there was still no response, the door burst open and a familiar face from yesterday walked in. It''s that man, Milo. He looked a little grumpy and was spitting out random words to the floor as he made his way into the room.


    He looked up and froze when he took in the image of my hands paused in the air. His face grew surprised at first, but then it was quickly replaced with amusement.


    "Wow the emperor of all dragons getting smacked with a pillow by a girl wasn''t something I thought I needed to see," he said as he plunged into laughter.


    My eyes went up in shock. Did he just say, emperor?! My Goddess! This man in front of me was the dragon emperor?!


    Suddenly, it all made sense. The fireball yesterday, the swirling of his iris, the roars, and the animalistic sounds he produced. I knew he wasn''t human, but the dragon king? The strongest man of all the kingdoms. And here I was, smacking him with a pillow like it was nothing. I was seeking death.


    As if on natural instinct, a habit from years and years of being a servant kicked in. This person in front of me was royalty. I shouldn''t be in the presence of royalties. I shouldn''t even look them in the eye. I instantly dropped the pillow and fell to my knees, my head touching the floor to show respect.


    I couldn''t see the emperor, but somehow I knew his body went rigid instantly.


    "MILO, OUT!" His Ire voice bellowed.


    Milo didn''t hesitate to leave the room. He quickly dropped the tray of food and scampered off, leaving me alone with an angry beast.


    The once lax air was now riddled with anger.


    "Raise your head, little Empress." He commanded.


    I flinched but stayed rooted to my spot. I wasn''t about to stand up and meet with a brooding emperor.


    "Do not tempt me, little one. I said, raise your head." He commanded again.


    I was now scared shitless, but I still didn''t move. Call me crazy, but I felt like if I made eye contact with him, I would be devoured.


    Soon I felt myself being hoisted up into the air. The emperor had lifted me up; he tossed me on the bed and I could see his large form towering over me.


    As soon as my eyes met with his golden-colored one, I quickly ducked my head again. Bad move. It only seemed to increase his anger.


    He paced the room, his entire body oozing out steam. I could hear his knuckles cracking, and the grating of his teeth. Then he came to a stop in front of me.


    "Look at me," he said, in a much calmer tone than before. When I still didn''t look up he knelt in front of me, cupped my face in his hands, and gently raised my head. I complied this time and let my head be guided by his hands. His gentleness was betraying the anger in his eyes.


    "Listen, never bow to anyone. Ever. Not even to me. You are my empress, nations are to bend at your feet, and gold and diamonds are to envy you because you shine brighter than them. So never diminish yourself. " He said, more like a command than a statement.


    "Do you understand?" He asked, his thumbs caressing my lips.


    No, I didn''t understand. What the hell did he mean by I was an empress? What logic and reasoning made him come to that conclusion? Everything he was saying was strange and odd.


    "I don''t hear your reply," he says.


    His thumb caressing my lips was too distracting for me to even think. I was too focused on the tingles he was giving me, that I just gave him a small nod without paying attention.


    "Good," he said, as he gave me a satisfied smile. Oh gosh, it''s one of his smiles. They made his face light up and gave him a whole new look of beauty. The reasoning was slipping away from me as I got lost in his smile.


    Hold on. If he was an emperor and he called me his empress, does that mean...!


    "Um...emperor?" I said uncertain of what to call him.


    The smile fell off his face, as he gave me a scrutinizing look. I was even more confused now. Was I supposed to address him in a different way? But I didn''t even know his name to begin with.


    "Adelio. Call me Adelio sweetheart" he commanded.


    "Adelio" I obeyed instantaneously.


    His lips broke into a heart-wrenching grin, and I swear I saw a thread of sparkle run through his eyes as if he had just discovered something golden.


    His red eyes turned to a lovely blue. Wow, that¡¯s a new color.


    "Yes, love, just like that. My name exists for you to moan after all."


    I gaped at him. My jaw dropped, and I was stupefied.


    Holy fuck.

 Food Or Fight

    Elvira


    <hr>


    I looked at the coquettish man in front of me, who had a sly smirk on his face. It must have been pretty entertaining to watch my jaw drop at his words. However, the smile he had when I said his name, made me feel like all could be forgiven. I wanted to see that smile again, so I let his name roll off my mouth like sweet candy.


    ¡°Adelio,¡± I said, hoping to see his bright smile again.


    True to my expectations, his lips broke into a wide smile once more. His now blue eyes were glowing and sparkling with happiness. He looked so fucking beautiful that not even the moonlight could compare. I couldn¡¯t believe that just by saying his name, I was able to incite such a reaction.


    He took my hands and kissed the back of it, his feather-like lips brushing against my skin. ¡°I¡¯d like to know the name of my Malacia too,¡± he said.


    I didn¡¯t know what he meant by malacia, but my eyes were transfixed on his sea-blue eyes, that was driving waves of emotions down between my legs. ¡°My name is Elvira,¡± I replied, and his smile grew wider. However, this time, there was something more sensual in them.


    ¡°Elvira¡± He repeated my name and goddess. It felt like a bolt of lightning ran through my very veins. I gasped and let out a puff of air. Something in me felt like a connection had been made, and it was strong. Is this how he felt when I said his name? Well, that would explain his world-treasure-like smile.


    ¡°My precious El,¡± he said as if he was under a spell, and I shuddered again at the call of my name.


    Adelio sniffed the air and when he brought his eyes back down to mine, they were now a golden color. ¡°I smell you darling, and fuck, it¡¯s driving me mad,¡± he growled


    I stiffened. He can smell my arousal. A wave of embarrassment came crashing down on me as I fumbled to pull the bed sheets over me. He was looking at me like that again. Like I was a savory meal that nothing else could compare to.


    I quickly tried to change the subject, so I asked ¡°Um, Adelio...?¡±


    ¡°Hm, my El?¡± he answered almost instantaneously. He was close to me, so close to my lips that at just a little tip of my head, I would be able to taste his red, sensual lips. I wonder if they taste just like cherries. I was musing about what his lips would taste like when I heard a deep groan escape his throat.


    ¡°Please El, make this easier on me,¡± he said, his hands riding up my thighs a little as he continued, ¡°If you keep letting your lovely smell roam wild, I doubt I¡¯d be able to restrain myself any longer.¡± His palm slid up a little further up my thigh and he squeezed it.


    I whimpered at the sensation. Maybe I didn¡¯t want him to hold back, maybe I wanted him to spread my legs wider and -


    Okay, what the fuck Elvira?


    I bunched up the silk white sheets on my body and jumped off from the other end of the bed. I needed to put a distance between me and him. I really can¡¯t continue like this.


    Adelio sighed and brushed his hair backward. ¡°I told you, running away only excites me, love,¡± he said with a daunting smile. Then he got up and walked to the table where the food was placed, and busied himself with the tray.


    I took the opportunity of his diverted attention to scan the room I was in. It was a reasonably large room with expensive-looking types of furniture lining the space. A gray carpet was draped over the hardwood floor and was soft to the feet. The sun peeking in through the red patterned curtains gave the room some type of warmth. Or was it the man in front of me, making my body feel warm?


    I returned my gaze to Adelio and watched him work. His triceps were flexing as he cut up what smelled like fruits on the table. My mouth was watering at the sight of the fruit...or him. I didn¡¯t know which was more appealing to me right now.


    Suddenly, Adelio turned around, and I quickly averted my gaze. I stuck my eyes on the curtains like they were the secrets to the universe.


    ¡°You know you can look, darling. I¡¯m yours after all,¡± I heard him say.


    Mine? My eyes, no doubt, went up in shock. I¡¯ve never had anything to call my own except for my maid dress and a few necessities. Other than that, nothing else was in my name. I own nothing and I was nothing. But here, this man was; a ruler of an entire empire looking me in the eye and saying he was mine. This has to be some cruel prank.


    ¡°Why do you keep insisting I am something to you? Better still, what am I to you?¡± I asked. The gears in my head were spinning, trying to figure out the answers to my questions, but I couldn¡¯t come up with anything. My head was blank, like a clean sheet of paper.


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    Adelio walked to the bedside and dropped the tray he was carrying on a small wooden stool that was next to the bed. He then sat on the bed and beckoned to me.


    ¡°Come here El,¡± he said


    I shook my head and said ¡°No I¡¯m perfectly fine where I am¡±


    Adelio sighed. ¡°El darling, please listen to me. I¡¯ll give you all the answers you want. I just need you to eat first. Your body is extremely weak and to top it off, you¡¯re covered in bruises. I need to take care of you, so come here.¡±


    His pleading eyes and the smell of the food were causing me to slowly crack. I was incredibly hungry and needed to feed my poor dying stomach, but I still had lots of questions I needed answers to.


    Here we go again. I was plunging into a battle of mind and body.


    I stared between Adelio and the food, then back at Adelio again for the next couple of minutes, contemplating my next move. How about I listen to him and go get some food? He did say he would explain everything to me once I ate. But what if I get close to him again, and he uses his weird magic on me? The one that¡¯s able to put me out of my senses and have my body calling for him.


    Adelio said nothing as I stood there, still trying to come to a decision. His eyes showed nothing but patience, as if he had all the time in the world for me. Meanwhile, I was still trying to come to a decision. At this point, the option of food was really close to winning. The smell wafting from the hot pastries and fresh fruit was really tempting me. Oh, I know! If I had a full stomach, I¡¯d be able to ward off any magic he cast on me, and if he didn¡¯t provide me answers, I could fight him with my pillow. That was it. It was a genius plan.


    I returned my gaze to the ever-so-patient man that was just sitting there smiling at me, like he was watching something beguiling, and said ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll come over there. But only because the food looks too delicious to pass up on, and it¡¯d be a waste.¡±


    Adelio chuckled and asked with a sly smile. ¡°Is the food the only thing that looks delicious?¡±


    You know what? Change of plans. I¡¯m going to smack the hell out of him with a pillow, and then stuff my face right after.


    I shuffled sideways to the other side of the room where I had dropped my knight in shining armor; Sir Pillow. I picked him up and cautiously walked over to Adelio, ready to defend against any attack. I paused a bit when I saw his cherry eyes turn blue. He had this look of regalness and affection as he carefully watched my movements.


    I was now within a few feet of the beast, and I clutched the pillow tighter. However, it seemed like he had no intention of moving and that made me rest my shoulder a little. Just as I reached out to grab a plate of food, I was suddenly pulled down by strong, powerful hands that wrapped me in a strong embrace.


    Adelio touched his lips on my neck, taking in deep breaths of me like he had been deprived of his oxygen minutes prior. ¡°Fuck, how is it that I missed you this much even though you were just a couple of feet away from me¡±


    My heart tumbled in my chest as if it knew exactly what Adelio meant. I was the one who ran away from him in the first place and chose to keep a distance between us, but it felt like someone had cruelly deprived me of his touch. My body relaxed into his hold, as my hands went up around his back. The feeling of his bare body against mine was immaculate. I adjusted my thighs to be on both sides of his legs so that I was straddling him.


    One of his hands gripped my butt, and the other massaged my thighs. The touch was so sweet, so sensual that I was forgetting if the hunger in my stomach was for him or the food beside us. The shirt I was wearing rode up, exposing my thin underwear.


    His lips were kissing the bruises on my neck, and I whined from the mix of pain and pleasure. Any train of thought I had in my head earlier was beginning to shatter with every contact his skin made with mine.


    Then something wet and warm grazed my neck, making me arch my back. Inaudible gasps could be seen coming out of my mouth, but nothing could be heard because I was too star-struck to function right. Adelio was sucking and licking my bruises, giving me sensations I have never felt before.


    My core was extremely hot and needy. I wanted some sort of friction down there, so I started to move back and forth, nudging myself against Adelio.


    ¡°Shh, Fleur, be calm,¡± he said as he grabbed my waist and halted it. I grumbled and squeezed my legs tighter to at least release some tension.


    Sir Pillow was wedged between me and Adelio from when I had been holding him earlier. He was separating us as if reminding me that I was supposed to be defending myself against this man. I was supposed to be on the other side of the bed, enjoying pastries and listening to the answers to my questions. But I couldn¡¯t be blamed, my resolve fell apart the moment he touched me.


    I grabbed the pillow and threw it away. I needed to feel Adelio more. The moment the wall between us was gone, Adelio squeezed my waist tighter and I purred.


    His tongue slid from my nape to the front of my neck, then traced my throat, all the way to my jaw. My throat bulged in response, and my hands flew up to grab his hair.


    He left a little kiss on my jaw, then broke contact with my skin, causing me to snivel a little at the loss of his lips. As if pained by my sounds of glee, he groaned and rested his face on my chest. I was still high from all the pleasure he had just fed me and I hugged his head closer to me. He and I were panting like animals that just went on a wild chase.


    ¡°Seeing these bruises on you is making me lose my sanity. I¡¯m really sorry that I wasn¡¯t there sooner. That you had to go through all the things you did. Sorry, love,¡± Adelio said, his voice quivering a little. He was massaging the bruises on my thighs and rubbing them in a gentle manner that soothed me.


    The apologies he gave were foreign. No one has ever once apologized to me. The freak was always the one in the wrong. After all, others could do no misdeed.


    Before I could tell him that there was no need to apologize and that he wasn¡¯t at fault, my stomach growled loudly.


    Adelio promptly raised his head and adjusted me sideways so I was sitting on his lap in a bridal style.


    ¡°As much as I¡¯d like to fill you up in other ways, let¡¯s feed you actual food first,¡± he said slyly


    I gaped at the mouth these coy words were coming out from. Seriously, if his lips weren¡¯t so lovely I would¡¯ve punched them by now. The lovely lips in question curled up in a smile as a spoon came into view.


    ¡°Here, open up,¡± he said.


    He had a spoonful of rice right in front of my mouth, edging me to eat it.


    Seriously? he was going to spoon-feed me?!

 For YOU, My Heart Beats

    Elvira


    <hr>


    ¡°Here, open up¡± Adelio commanded, and I instantly complied.


    I had given up fighting to get off his lap and fighting against him spoon-feeding me. The sooner I stopped struggling, the sooner I got to eat and receive my answers, so I just let myself go.


    He was cradling me gently as he spoon-fed me. His hands were running up and down my back, and sometimes he would comb through my hair and play with my chestnut curls. He was constantly touching me, and breathing me in, almost as if he was trying to confirm I was real.


    The food and the warmth from Adelio¡¯s arms were comforting and made me feel at peace, it felt weird to not be washing dishes or scrubbing the palace floors at this time of the day.


    I had eaten about two plates of food; I was on my third one and I still didn¡¯t feel full. I was a foodie before, but never had I felt like my stomach was a bottomless pit.


    ¡°I swear your smell is the only pleasant one in this human realm,¡± Adelio said, nuzzling his head into my neck and placing a kiss by my ear. I hummed in response, as I involuntarily tilted my head sideways for more of his feel.


    I wonder what I smelled like to him. It was for a fact that I hadn¡¯t showered in at least a day now, but the way he just kept breathing and licking me made me feel lovely and fresh.


    My curiosity got the better of me, and I let the question roll out.


    ¡°What do I smell like to you?¡± I asked, while chewing on a slice of apple.


    ¡°You smell like my very own paradise, better than the fucking heavens,¡± he said, placing another kiss on my neck.


    I let out a feat of coughs, almost choking on my apple. I swear this man was really coquettish. He rubbed circles on my back to ease my coughs as if he wasn¡¯t the cause of them in the first place.


    Okay, he answered my first question, even if his reply was cheesy. Let¡¯s try another one.


    ¡°What type of magic are you using on me?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Magic?¡± he questioned me


    ¡°Yes, magic. You know, the one you used to make tingles crawl on my skin. The one that throws my head into a daze and makes me docile like a kitty¡±


    Adelio let out a low, rumbling laughter. ¡°Darling, if there¡¯s anyone under a spell here, it¡¯s me.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± I blinked.


    He brought his forehead to meet mine, and I sucked in a breath. ¡°If only you knew. The way your gorgeous face restrains my eyes so that it looks at nothing else, the way your hazel eyes set my soul ablaze, yet render my heart at peace. The way your touch stirs up all types of chaos within me.¡±


    His pupils turned blue as he closed them and prodded my head a little. ¡°I am truly the one that has fallen victim to your spell.¡±


    My ears were starting to tingle a little.


    His words held a torrent of emotions in them, so much so that they were frightening. I couldn¡¯t understand why anyone would feel this way about me, how they could feel this way about me. I had just met him. There was no way he fell in love with me at first sight. There just isn¡¯t anything in me that could make a person this hooked, to the point they believed they were hexed.


    My mouth was heavy as I slowly opened them to ask the most pressing question that had been on my mind. ¡°But why? Why do you feel this way about me? What am I to you?¡± I asked.


    Adelio moved his head from mine, so he was looking straight into my eyes. His hard gaze grew serious. ¡°To me, you are the missing piece of my incomplete soul, the quench to my thirst, the fill to my void. You are my very sustenance, El. You are my mate¡±


    The piece of bread I had in my hands fell to the floor due to my shock.


    Oh shit, I really am a cursed freak. Even the dragon emperor has gone insane just being around me.


    Then a strand of memory slowly crept up into my mind. It was a memory of Mira explaining mates and bonds to me. Every detail she had mentioned was beginning to piece together with my events. One by one, the pieces were clipping in.


    He wasn¡¯t lying.


    I began to shake my head. It was baffling that despite all the senselessness of this situation, a part of me wanted to believe it was all true, that this man could belong to me, and I to him. A part of me was leaping in joy and begging to be claimed.


    Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.


    I didn¡¯t know much about dragons, but I¡¯ve heard a little about them from Mira. Their possessiveness was nothing to joke about. Dragons usually mated with their kind, however, they could mate outside their race since they were superior creatures. Once a dragon claims someone as their mate, there is no hope of escape. They are known for being possessive like none other and were rough creatures. There was no way I was giving myself to such a creature. A girl like me who has never known a silver of love, not even from her own parents can¡¯t withstand such sudden and overbearing weight. It¡¯ll break me.


    Instant fear chilled my heart, causing goosebumps to prickle my skin, and I jumped off his lap.


    ¡°Are you sure I¡¯m your mate? There must be some kind of mistake,¡± I protested with a shaky voice.


    Adelio stood up from the bed, and within a blink of an eye, he was right in front of me. His large figure was towering over my small one, and I swallowed.


    ¡°El,¡± he breathed as he slowly took one of my hands and placed it on his chest. ¡°Do you feel that? Do you feel what your mere presence does to me?¡± he questioned.


    I indeed felt it. His heart was thumping in a thunderous manner, as if it wanted to leap out of his chest and into mine. It was erratic and strained, but was also melodious.


    ¡°If your very presence has this effect on me, then imagine what the sound of your voice, the feel of your touch, the very air surrounding you does to the other part of me,¡± he said through strained breaths.


    Other parts of him? What was he talking about? Then my gaze drew down to something...big. There was an enormous bulge in his pants. It gave the haunting image of a little dragon trying to break free.


    I retracted my hands with urgency like I had been scalded by heat. When I had been sitting on his lap, something had been poking me, but I brushed it off as his stiff muscles.


    Now I know for sure that something was definitely hard, but it wasn¡¯t his muscles.


    I stared at the man in front of me, searching for ways to deny that I was his mate. Then a sudden idea dinged into my head, and I pushed my hair away from my ears.


    My hair had been down all this while, so my ears had been pretty much hidden.


    ¡°But I¡¯m an Elf!¡± I yelled, wracked with nervousness. I tried to sound confident, but in truth, I was terrified. I was scared that he would look at me with disdain, that he would reject me. But that was the goal, wasn¡¯t it?


    Adelio cocked an eyebrow at me like he wasn¡¯t sure what being an elf had to do with anything. ¡°Yes, darling, I see. A fucking gorgeous elf at that¡±


    I blinked at him a couple of times. All my life, I had been segregated and hated for looking like an elf. It¡¯s a known fact that I found it frustrating and wished to be left alone. But the one time I needed to use my freaky nature to my advantage, it didn¡¯t work. The universe definitely had a grudge against me.


    I have to think fast and come up with another excuse. ¡°Okay, then I¡¯m a human!¡± I blurted out.


    He just smiled and drew my body closer to him. ¡°The loveliest one of them all¡±


    What the hell?


    "Okay. This time I¡¯m for real. I¡¯m a troll!¡± I had not an inkling of what a troll looked like, but with the way people have described them, I don¡¯t think they are ones to be desired.


    However, my facts were wrong, because Adelio neither seemed bothered nor disgusted as he brought me into a sweet hug.


    ¡°Yes, my El, you are an enchanting troll. You can be whatever you want to be, and I¡¯d still be entranced¡±


    At this time, tears had started stinging my eyes, threatening to fall onto Adelio¡¯s chest. My breath was shaking, and my hands were trembling a little. What was wrong with this man?


    ¡°Okay, El, deep breaths. You¡¯re doing it again, darling. Your discomfort is making me restless.¡± Adelio said, while stroking my hair.


    My head was pressed directly on his chest, and I could hear his heartbeat. The rhythm, the rise, the fall, everything felt like a lullaby specifically made for me.


    I felt myself being hoisted up into the air by Adelio¡¯s arms, as he walked me to the bed and laid against the headboard.


    I just lay there stiff in his arms, still trying to process everything that had happened, along with my conflict of emotions.


    ¡°Talk to me El. What¡¯s going through your lovely head¡± He asked as his lips kissed my forehead.


    A lot was going through my head at the moment. I was confused about where to even begin.


    ¡°So I am your mate...?¡± I said in more of a statement than a question.


    ¡°Yes El, you are mine.¡± He stated with a low rumble.


    My heart flipped at his words, and it felt like butterflies had bloomed in my stomach.


    ¡°So...you want me? You don¡¯t think I¡¯m a... freak?¡± my trembling words were full of hesitation as I asked.


    His body went rigid at my question. ¡°A freak? Why in the world would I think of you as a freak, El?¡± He propped my chin upward, so that I was met with his sedative smile.


    I closed my eyes. Memories of being called a freak as soon as I was old enough to comprehend speeches ran through my head. If someone were to ask, ¡®What do you think of Elvira¡¯, the reply would surely be ¡®Nothing, she¡¯s just a freak.¡¯ So naturally, of course, I¡¯ll think myself to be one.


    Before I could utter any word, a sudden knock - with a hint of urgency - sounded on the door. The person didn¡¯t wait for permission to enter this time, as they swiftly swung the door open.


    Milo walked in through the door and made his way to me and Adelio. The moment he was in front of us, he gave a small bow.


    ¡°They are all gone,¡± Milo said almost immediately.


    ¡°No traces?¡± Adelio asked.


    ¡°Not really. I just found a couple of chains. They looked big enough to hold something large, so my guess was the dragons were once trapped there.¡±


    I was looking back and forth between Milo and Adelio, completely lost as to what they were talking about. The mention of chains brought a flash of memories to my mind, causing a chill to run down my spine.


    I shook my head to wash out the vivid mental image, just as I felt Adelio¡¯s hands tighten around me. It took me by surprise, so I looked up to see if he was watching me, but he was still talking to Milo.


    His hands were rubbing soothing circles on my back, and I couldn¡¯t help resting my head back on his chest. However, my head immediately sprang back up when I heard Adelio say, ¡°Get ready to depart, we need to go back to Caelestis and plan our next move¡±


    A heavy thump sounded in my chest, and a dull ache pierced through it. He was leaving.


    I should¡¯ve expected that sooner or later he¡¯d leave for his empire. He was an emperor, after all, and couldn¡¯t stay here. Tears bubbled up and began to fill up my eyes. I bit my lips to try to contain my sobs.


    Suddenly everything went silent and I noticed four sets of eyes on me. Two were from the worried look of Adelio, and the other two were from the curious gaze of Milo.


    It was only when Adelio¡¯s thumb swiped at my eyes, that I realized...I was crying.

 Who Isn’t Yours?

    Elvira


    <hr>


    ¡°El? What¡¯s wrong, why are you crying?¡± an alerted Adelio asked, his - now golden eyes - scanning my face and body.


    I shook my head and started wiping fussily at my eyes.


    ¡°Come on El don¡¯t do this to me. I need to know if you¡¯re hurt.¡± His voice was soft and pleading and I almost felt tempted to tell him what I was worried about. But I couldn¡¯t.


    How could I just blurt out that I was crying like a child because I didn¡¯t want him to leave?


    I haven¡¯t even known him for half a day, but it feels like I¡¯ve been with him for a lifetime, and the very thought of him leaving makes my heart hurt. I instinctively felt like if he were to go away, I¡¯ll miss him so much that my soul might shatter. The idea didn¡¯t sound nice in the least bit.


    My thoughts did nothing but widened the floodgates for my tears. No matter how much I wiped my eyes, they just kept falling, drenching my face. I was about to take a swipe at my face again when my hands were caught by another¡¯s.


    ¡°EL,¡± Adelio said in a voice that sounded demanding.


    He then brought his forehead to touch mine. A gesture I have come to find calms him down a little.


    ¡°My sweet El. Won¡¯t you please tell me what¡¯s wrong?¡± His voice was quiet and gentle but still held a demanding tone.


    ¡°I-¡± I started, but then lowered my eyes and bit my lips.


    ¡°EL¡± he breathed my name again.


    ¡°Empress if you don¡¯t stop crying, the emperor may tear down this entire area and then some¡± Milo said with a smirk on his face.


    ¡°What?¡± I asked, taken aback.


    ¡°He may not show it, but he¡¯s seething with rage right now.¡± Milo continued.


    I lifted my gaze to study Adelio¡¯s face, it was then that I noticed a vein popping on his head as if he was ticked off but was trying to restrain it.


    ¡°The only reason he hasn¡¯t gone on a rampage all this while is because he can¡¯t leave your side at the moment. He knows you need him, that your body needs him. Thanks to that, Elysia is still standing, and hasn¡¯t gone up in flames yet.¡±


    He knows I need him by my side...? Does that also mean he knows that right now I don¡¯t want him to go? But if he thinks I need to be with him, would that also mean he¡¯s willing to take me with him?


    Who am I kidding? I scoffed at my thoughts.


    I¡¯m not even sure he would want me in his empire. I mean I am just a peasant girl. Surely his people wouldn¡¯t approve of him bringing a human servant back to the palace. Maybe I am just a thing to erase his boredom with during his stay in Elysia.


    My emotions were going haywire and my head was flooded with so many hurtful questions. I was extremely confused as to why I was feeling the way I was. It was like someone had opened up a Pandora¡¯s box that was filled with nothing but doubts and self-criticism.


    My heart rate picked up and I could feel my chest constrict. I needed everything to stop. The irrational thoughts in my head, the pain in my chest, the confusion blending in with my emotions. I just wished the world would pause for a minute.


    ¡°El. Deep breaths.¡± Adelio¡¯s voice drew me out of my stupor. ¡°Follow my breathing okay? I heard him say.


    He adjusted me from my laying position to a sitting one, so I was now straddling him. The posture made my ears closer to his heartbeat and I could hear it clearly.


    ¡°That¡¯s right Fleur. Breathe with me¡±


    When his temperate chest rose, I took in deep breaths. When it fell, I exhaled lung full of air. With each notion, my foggy thoughts dissipated.


    I pushed my ears closer against his warm, bare chest and nudged it. Somehow it was washing away my negative emotions and calming me down. It was like hearing his heartbeat made the connection I was feeling towards him grow stronger.


    ¡°Good girl,¡± he said, kissing my tear-stained skin.


    Then he dragged his soft gaze from me and landed a hard glare on Milo.


    ¡°Milo. Be careful of what you say. Her emotions are heightened because I haven¡¯t marked her.¡±


    Milo¡¯s face grew funny ¡°Your majesty, why would you assume it was what I said that caused her to be distressed?¡±


    ¡°Because she started acting like this as soon as you walked in here and opened your mouth,¡± he said in a harsh tone.


    Milo gave a fake exasperated expression and said ¡°Dear goddess, you wound me your majesty. I would never make a lady cry. Unless in the bedroom of course.¡± he winked.


    Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    ¡°I find it a need to remind you of the number of court maidens, servants, and noble ladies that have fallen victim to your poisonous mouth. Some court maidens shaved their heads from grief, the servants all quit, and most noble ladies ignored their suitors and chose to be single for life.¡±


    The entire situation was comical and I couldn¡¯t help but admire their friendship. It reminded me of Mira and myself, the Way we would sometimes banter and compete on who does the most chores.


    The fond memories streaming through my head caused me to let out a giggle, which made the entire room go silent again as they both stopped to stare at me.


    Adelio¡¯s eyes widened and I could see a flash of emotion ripple through them.


    ¡°You... laughed,¡± he said, rubbing my lips in fascination. As if they were the button to trigger my laughter again.


    I blushed and ducked my head a little. ¡°Sorry, it¡¯s just you and Milo are quite funny.¡±


    ¡°Aw, you think I¡¯m funny empress? Thank you. At least someone appreciates me¡± Milo said with doe eyes.


    ¡°Milo shut up. Aren¡¯t you done with your report? Be on your way.¡± Adelio growled.


    ¡°On the contrary your Highness, I neglected to mention I found something else other than chains.¡±


    The mood instantly shifted and tension laced the air.


    Milo dipped his hands in the pockets of his black pants and slowly pulled out a little sachel. He opened the sachel and took out the content. It was an object that was oddly shaped like a scale and light blue in color. I stared at it in awe, wondering where it was from and why it was of importance.


    ¡°A Dargon¡¯s scale,¡± Adelio said answering my unvoiced question.


    Milo continued. ¡°Yes, which is undeniable proof that they had dragons locked up there at some point. However, here is the odd part. The town¡¯s people were all acting normal as if nothing was amiss. If there were dragons hidden there, surely there would be some rumor going around. But there was neither talk of dragons nor the supernatural.¡±


    ¡°I also couldn¡¯t sense any dragon¡¯s presence when we went past that town, so it must mean their presence was being masked. There may be witches at play here .¡± Adelio said.


    ¡°Which brings me to the question,¡± Milo said dropping his eyes on me. ¡°Empress by any chance do you remember any details on the people that had you chained up in that room and why?¡±


    My body instantly stilled.


    Truth be told, I¡¯ve been trying to avoid thinking about what happened, and how King Aden tossed me away. He wasn¡¯t even looking at me as a person, he just looked at me as a means to an end.


    Goosebumps prickled my skin as the unpleasant memories of that cold room slowly crept in. The smell of the damp air and the biting feel of the chains were gradually becoming vivid. I unconsciously rubbed the bruises on my neck with my wrist and shifted my body a little.


    A warm hand wrapped around mine, and the tingles that spread from it instantly made me know it was Adelio¡¯s.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay love, I¡¯m here. Just relax, and don¡¯t force yourself. Just tell me when you feel ready.¡± He stated.


    I nodded my head in understanding and he kissed my forehead.


    I loved the way he gave me little kisses here and there like it was a reward or something, or like a show of his approval.


    ¡°With the evidence we¡¯ve gathered, it should be sure enough reason to get rid of King Aden¡± I heard Milo say.


    ¡°No. We¡¯ll do this the slow way. It¡¯s easy to destroy the entire kingdom of Elysia in less than a week, but that won¡¯t provide us answers as to what the grand scheme here is. If the witches are involved, then they are definitely planning something big.¡±


    At the mention of ¡®grand scheme¡¯, my head throbbed and a memory swirled in.


    When King Aden was speaking to me, he did say something about a grand scheme. About how you could take a dragon¡¯s powers through some sort of ritual. He also talked about stealing a...dragon¡¯s power.


    Just like that, a connection was made. My eyes widened at the realization. If they were talking about missing dragons, then that means King Aden is definitely involved in the incidents. He must have kidnapped them for his sick experiments.


    I was about to tell Adelio and Milo what I had just figured out, but a sudden thought had my mouth suspended open with no words coming out. They just said they were going to destroy Elysia as soon as they figured everything out. If I gave them this information, Elysia is going to be reduced from a great kingdom to a pile of rubles.


    A stray, cold sweat slid down my back at the mental image I formulated.


    ¡°Were you about to say something empress?¡± Milo suddenly asked.


    I instantly shut my mouth and shook my head. ¡°No, nothing.¡±


    However, Milo didn¡¯t look the least bit convinced by my reply, never mind Adelio¡¯s face that was mixed with worry and scrutiny.


    ¡°I uh- I...¡± I was wracking my brain for excuses and couldn¡¯t come up with one. With my brain being a letdown, I gave free reigns to my mouth for an explanation.


    ¡°I just wanted to ask where the bath was, I¡¯d like to take a shower. I¡¯m kind of, uh, hot and sticky all over.¡± I muttered.


    Ugh, I groaned internally, resisting the urge to palm my face. What in the awkward conversation change, was that? That¡¯s the best you could do? Screw you, mouth and brain.


    I pressed my lips in a firm line and drew my gaze to Milo and Adelio, hoping they fell for my distraction.


    ¡°The bath is two doors down the hall from this room¡± Milo answered, his face still wearing a carefree expression.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± I said, giving him a small nod.


    Just as I was about to get up, Adelio tightened his arms around my waist. I gave him a puzzled look, wondering why he wasn¡¯t letting me go.


    A small smirk played on his lips, as he placed them next to my ears. ¡°Darling, mind telling me what exactly has your body feeling hot and sticky?¡±


    His words almost came out in a purr, as he rocked me a bit against the restless little dragon in his pants.


    I gaped at Adelio.


    One...two...three...


    It took me three seconds to recover from what Adelio said, and I quickly smacked him with a pillow.


    ¡°What is wrong with you?!¡± I squealed, hopping down his lap and pulling the bed sheets along. This time he didn¡¯t stop me.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s my cue to leave¡± Milo scrunched up his nose.


    ¡°No. Wait. Take me to the bath please¡± I said scurrying after him


    A loud growl came from behind us and my hair stood on ends, but I willed myself to ignore it.


    ¡°Please take me to the bath Milo,¡± I said again.


    This time, the growl came out louder, and it shooked some standing lamps, almost toppling them.


    ¡°Nah uh, empress. I¡¯m not getting myself into this lover¡¯s spat¡±


    ¡°We aren¡¯t lovers!¡± I yelled.


    ¡°Ugh, couples¡± Milo muttered with a little distaste and walked out.


    What a traitor. These people always seem to leave me to deal with Adelio¡¯s temper.


    Before I could make a run for the bathroom, I suddenly felt a presence behind me. Warm hands roped my waist, warm breath fanned my cheeks, and a warm chest flushed against my entire back. That¡¯s what my body recognizes his Presence to be, a ball of warmth.


    I instinctively pushed myself back into his body and rubbed a little against him. Sparks and torrents raced through my veins and I shuddered. My ears started to subtly tingle.


    ¡°Tell me my El, who isn¡¯t your lover?¡± He whispered.

 Oh trouble…

    Elvira


    <hr>


    ¡°Answer my question El,¡± he said, gripping my waist tighter. I yelped and let go of the sheets I was holding in surprise.


    His daring tone was threatening to make me yield, but I won¡¯t. I¡¯ve already lost twice to him now, this time I would be the victor.


    With my newly found conviction, I bit my lips in an attempt to hold myself together, and as a sign of defiance to Adelio.


    It seems like my message was successfully relayed as I could feel his lips that were brushing against my ears, curl up in a smirk.


    ¡°Oh, we are playing this game are we?¡± He asked.


    ¡°Yes, we are¡± I scoffed, trying to ignore the waves of chills his breath was causing on my neck.


    ¡°Darling, I told you, resistance and defiance are nothing but entertaining to a dragon. We never get tired of the thrill of a hunt. So if it¡¯s a chase you want, then I¡¯m willing to oblige¡±


    He said, as his hands that were gripping my waist slowly released. I didn¡¯t even have time to register the loss of skin contact, as his hands began to slide up my stomach, pausing right beneath my breast.


    Then his slander, golden tan fingers tugged on the lace of the shirt I was wearing, and in one swift movement, he pulled the entire lace off the shirt.


    My breast went from barely clothed, to fully naked. Only my nipples were still somehow shielded.


    The cold, evening air that wafted in through the small crack of the window, blew into my shirt and my nipples perked up from the sensation.


    I instantly threw my hands up to cover my chest, but Adelio was faster. He grabbed my hands and raised them above my head, then he spun me around so I was facing him.


    I gasped at the sudden movement, almost tripping on my own feet. However, one of his hands immediately stabilized me.


    ¡°No point in hiding yourself, I¡¯ve seen it all already,¡± he said, as his hand slinked from my back down to my ass, giving it a little squeeze. It was as if he was saying ¡äRemember who changed your clothes?¡ä


    The warmth of his hands felt good and for a moment I wanted him to keep it there.


    He brought his nose close to my neck and inhaled. A little rumble vibrated off his chest, and I could practically feel it from the incredibly tiny distance between us.


    ¡°The smell of your arousal is enough to push me to insanity.¡± He muttered, more to himself than to me.


    My eyes widened and I tightened my legs, hoping to cloak my smell.


    ¡°Hmm, darling that¡¯s not making it any better¡± he hummed with hungry-filled eyes.


    ¡°Let me go, I need to go to the bath¡± I squealed.


    Instead of replying, Adelio dipped his head down and nipped on my breast. His teeth grazed my cleavage as he lapped on it and began to suck.


    "Ah¡± an involuntary moan left my lips, and I quickly shut my mouth.


    Adelio paused and lifted his head to look at me. His slit gold eyes were flickering between gold and blue. It was a sight mesmerizing enough to have me in a daze.


    ¡°That¡¯s right sweet one, moan for me.¡± he smiled, as he dipped his head back down to my breast and began sucking again. His hands were fondling my ass, and his lips were sucking on several spots on my breast.


    The warmth and pleasure I felt overwhelmed me, and he was barely even touching me. My reasoning was crumbling, and so was my strength. If his hand wasn¡¯t supporting my waist, I¡¯m pretty sure I¡¯d be on my knees by now.


    Pleasure began to mix with my rationale as I pushed my breast closer to him and groaned.


    His lips were leaving no room for me to think as he insistently sucked and licked the cleavage of both of my breasts, coming close to my nipples but never quite touching them.


    I began to writhe in frustration. I wanted him to touch me, I wanted to feel his palm on my nipples and his wet tongue gliding on them.


    Then, as if he heard my wishes, his lips started to trail wet kisses from my cleavage, and slowly down to my nipples. Closer and closer and closer until suddenly he stopped.


    He let go of my wrist and waist as he retreated from my body.


    I let out a puff of air as my body shuddered from the electric current that ran through it. However, I felt unsatiated.


    I looked to Adelio for answers on why he suddenly stopped and he just cackled a little at my face.


    ¡°Baby, just say your mine, and I¡¯d do everything you want.¡±


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    For a moment, I thought about saying the words he wanted to hear so badly. The words I so desperately didn¡¯t want to say, because deep down I hadn¡¯t fully come to terms with my feelings and doubts. It was still hard to believe that a mighty emperor like him who could have it all, would choose to have me. The thoughts brought back reasoning to my head and I scowled.


    ¡°Jerk!¡± I yelled, smacking his chest. I then scoffed at him and stormed out of the room.


    Stupid emperor. How dare he get me all riled up and then leave me out to dry. I thought he couldn¡¯t restrain himself when he was around me, but the way he just easily let me go contradicts his words. See? I¡¯m not someone he can¡¯t do without.


    I swallowed my thoughts and focused on looking for the bath. The hall I had stepped into was fairly large and ornate. The walls were painted gray with large windows that were almost the size of a door attached to them. Two silver chandeliers were hanging from the ceiling, adorned with magic light stones. Several paintings accompanied the gray wall, all the way to the end of the hall where a blackwood staircase could be seen.


    I wonder if there were any other people here, the inn has been oddly quiet. Not even a hostess or owner to be seen. From how fancy this inn was, it seemed like we were in one of the major cities, but the silence of the environment was making me doubt that. I found the door Milo described and walked into it.


    The bathroom was just as equally huge and as adorned as the room. There was a huge, round porcelain tub right in the middle of the bathroom. Small gemstones that produced small warm lights surrounded it like candles. To a far corner of the bathroom, there was a large, body-sized mirror, also decorated with a silver frame. A distance from it were several blackwood cabinets with towels neatly placed on them.


    Steam was seeping out of the tub, It seemed like someone had already filled it with warm water.


    I sat at the edge of it and ran my finger through the water. I can¡¯t remember the last time I was able to take a bath with warm water, and in a tub nonetheless.


    At the palace, we usually just take quick cold showers with buckets of water we fetched from the lake. It didn¡¯t matter the season or weather, we would always bathe with cold water.


    As I lifted my hands from the water, I noticed the little callouses on my palms, then the bruises on my wrists. Then the small scars all over my arms, crawling up until they disappeared under the rolled-up sleeves of the shirt I was wearing.


    I got up and walked to the mirror in the far corner of the room and looked into it. What faced me was a scrawny girl just barely five foot, three inches tall. Her feet were small in size and held wounds around them like she didn¡¯t know the existence of shoes. Her scrawny legs were endowed with cuts that led up to her thighs. At least her thighs had some sort of curves and flesh to them. From her thighs upwards couldn¡¯t be seen, because she had on a white shirt, sewn with expensive fabric. The shirt was exposing her neck and entire chest which were equally as bruised and scarred.


    Her head was endowed with a pretty face that had messy, matted chestnut curls framing it. And her ears...let¡¯s just say it was far from normal.


    I palmed my face and groaned. This was what I looked like all this while I was with Adelio? Saying I looked messy would be an understatement. I have never really cared about my appearance before, but all of a sudden I was self-conscious. Embarrassment was starting to tinge my cheeks, and I rushed to undress, so I could drown myself along with my humiliation in that massive tub.


    As I took off the shirt, I felt a flash of pain pierce my neck. It was so fast and subtle that I almost didn¡¯t register it. I strained my neck closer to the mirror to see if anything was off, however, something else caught my eye. My chest was dotted with several red spots and teeth marks. It was the same spot Adelio had been teasing me earlier.


    Heat came rushing back to my cheeks instantly. I was embarrassed but also somewhat overjoyed. It felt like he was trying to mark and claim me, so he could tell the world I was his.


    A dull pain ran through the base of my neck again. This time I focused on checking it, but there was nothing there except the bruises from the chain.


    My skin may just be irritated, taking a warm bath might soothe it; I thought as I made my way to the tub. I placed the shirt that smelled of Adelio by the side of the tub and slowly entered it. The moment I was in the water, my body heaved, then gradually adjusted to the water temperature. The tiny wounds on my body were stinging, but it wasn¡¯t something I couldn¡¯t handle.


    Everything was calm and quiet. This was peace, something I had never known. I was always either busy with chores, getting punished, or getting harassed by the other servants. I rolled my eyes at the thought.


    Speaking of servants, there was Mira. I wonder how she¡¯s doing. I don¡¯t know what excuse they¡¯ll use to cover my disappearance from the palace, but knowing her she¡¯s probably worried sick by now. She wasn¡¯t an outcast like me she would also keep a low profile and be barely noticed, so I¡¯m sure shell be fine on her own. But still, all she ever had was me, and all I ever had was her.


    I can¡¯t return to the palace, and would most like have to move far away so I may never get to see her again, and the thought of it makes me sad.


    I closed my eyes to stabilize my emotions when a sweet subtle scent waft into my nose.


    I recognize this scent, it was Adelio¡¯s. My eyes shot open, a part of me hoping it really was him, and the other part was ready to smack him for breaking into my bath. However, when I opened my eyes, he wasn¡¯t there.


    The smell had been coming from his shirt that lay close to my head. I glared at the shirt and sighed in disappointment. It was then I noticed that I missed Adelio and wanted to see him. I was doomed.


    A few minutes apart from him and my heart was already aching like I hadn¡¯t seen him in years. I may reject him a lot, but I actually loved the way he treated me. His gentleness, his smile, patience, and attentiveness to me were all foreign and honestly still scare me. But I didn¡¯t hate it. No one had ever treated me or touched me the way he does, and it felt good.


    This may be the mate bond speaking, but I wanted to see him. I wanted to run my fingers through his hair and let him kiss me to oblivion.


    I quickly jumped out of the bath and toweled myself off, wore his shirt back on, and then raced to the room. My ears were tingling, my heart was pulsating and my skin was buzzing in anticipation.


    I got to the door and quickly yanked it open, expecting to be met with charming gold eyes. However, no one was in the room. It was empty and void of any presence.


    Panic struck me, as I walked deeper into the room and still could find any sign of Adelio.


    Had he finally lost it and gone out to destroy Elysia? Or worse still was he leaving the kingdom right now?


    I laughed at my thoughts. Somehow his leaving the kingdom was worse than his destroying it.


    I was commending myself on my humor but was caught short as the curtains flopped, and the candles flickered. I felt a presence behind me.


    On a usual occasion, I¡¯d think Adelio had returned to the room. But I knew better. I didn¡¯t feel any tingles and there was no delicious smell in the air.


    The presence also didn¡¯t strike me as Milo¡¯s. I don¡¯t know how, but I knew that wasn¡¯t his footsteps. This one was lighter and almost concealed, while Milo¡¯s carried some weight to them.


    I slowly turned around, daring what I would see. My eyes met with a cloaked individual, holding a knife in their hand.


    I froze.


    Oh. It seems you were right Lola. Trouble does seem to follow me wherever I go.

 Stranger…Danger?

    Elvira


    <hr>


    I stood rooted to my spot and studied the new presence. The cloaked stranger was around my height, only a little bit taller. Their fingernails were a tad bit longer and sharper than the regular ones. The hood of their cape was drawn all the way forward, casting a shadow on the stranger¡¯s face, making it indiscernible.


    The knife they held was glinting in the pale, late evening sunlight that was coming through the curtain.


    They seemed to be paying me no mind as they scanned the room, almost like they were looking for something or someone. Were they looking for signs of Adelio? Well, they¡¯re in luck, he isn¡¯t here right now.


    I took the opportunity of the stranger¡¯s distracted attention to sprint towards the bedside. There was a knife on the little table. If I could just get to it...


    The stranger noticed what I was doing and snapped their attention back to me. Their body jolted forward like they were about to chase after me, but it was too late. I had already grabbed the knife.


    I wasn¡¯t restrained this time, which meant I was capable of defending myself to some extent. Sword fighting - or in this case knife fighting - may not be my fort, but I was stellar in archery. All I have to do is imagine a target on this stranger¡¯s body and hit. At the very least, I could immobilize them long enough to escape.


    The cloaked person paused for a minute upon seeing the knife, then started to move slowly, like they were finding a way around my defense. Their steps were extremely light - almost in a tiptoe manner - like they were trying to make as little noise as possible.


    Huh? The way they walked felt familiar.


    Bringing the knife up into a jabbing position, I readied myself, while also planning ways to escape.


    The person¡¯s body suddenly jolted, and they snapped their head towards the open door as if they had sensed something. Whatever it was, made them throw caution to the wind, as they started running towards me, ignoring the knife I was holding.


    They were so fast that before I could register their movement, they were already so close to me.


    Just as they extended their arms toward me, a huge looming shadow appeared out of nowhere and blocked my entire view. I stumbled backward a little and drop the knife from surprise.


    Exposed beautiful feet, long slender legs, tall brooding bareback, and reddish-ginger hair, were what graced my eyes instantly.


    Ambivalence filled my heart as I recognized who was in front of me. He didn¡¯t leave yet, he was still here. He was still with me.


    Adelio grabbed the cloaked individual by the neck, lifting them off the floor. Little groans could be heard, and one could tell they were in extreme pain. However, Adelio didn¡¯t look like he cared one bit, he spared no empathy for the stranger, as his aura became increasingly tense.


    The person struggled for quite a bit. They tried to punch and hit Adelio, but their arms were too short to reach and so they just looked like a child flapping and wailing in the air. Soon they started wheezing from the lack of oxygen, and the knife that was in their hand fell to the floor.


    ¡°Hm? A dainty fox scrambling around in the human kingdom. How interesting.¡± Adelio said, bringing the person¡¯s face a little closer to inspect. ¡°From your smell, I can tell you¡¯ve been among the humans for quite a while now.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t see Adelio¡¯s face, but the aura emitting from his back and voice was extremely cold. It wasn¡¯t the gentle, calming one I was used to. This one was laced with venom and bloodthirst.


    ¡°Care to tell me what you want with my El?¡± He snarled. Goosebumps stung my skin from the killing intent that filled the entire room.


    To go by logic, I should be scared right now, terrified even. However, my body felt oddly calm in this moment. My instincts were defying my brain, and telling me that this man wouldn¡¯t hurt me. I felt no fear as I stared at the bloodthirsty beast in front of me.


    Wait a minute. He said a fox...could it be?


    And then I heard it, a familiar voice. Although strained, the voice was unmistakably that of someone I knew. It was Mira.


    No wonder the way she walked felt familiar.


    ¡°Let me go¡± she managed to croak out. But her pleas fell on deaf ears.


    ¡°Little runt, I have no clue about your life history, but you sighed your death waiver when you stepped foot in here,¡± Adelio said. His hands tightened as if they were ready to snap a twig in two.


    Panic instantly struck me. If he continued like that, she would die.


    ¡°Stop!¡± I yelled, unsure of how much he was willing to listen to me. To my surprise, his body went rigid and his movements halted.


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    Wow, that was easier than I expected.


    Adelio¡¯s wicked gaze glided from his half-suspended victim and fell on me. The moment his hard gaze found mine, they immediately softened and his hands visibly relaxed.


    ¡°Please don¡¯t hurt her,¡± I requested, taking the opportunity to interfere.


    Adelio looked at me, then returned his gaze to Mira. ¡°Is there a reason I¡¯m not killing this little runt, El?¡±


    Something in me ticked at him calling Mira a runt. ¡°Her name is Mira, and she¡¯s my friend from the castle.¡± I proclaimed.


    ¡°She¡¯s your friend?¡± he questioned.


    ¡°Yes, she¡¯s my friend. So let her go...please¡± my reply came rapid.


    Adelio looked at my pleading eyes and instantly released his grip, prompting Mira to fall with a thud on the floor. The hood she had over her head fell off, revealing her full gorgeous cocoa hair that framed her pretty face. Her sharp canines came on full display as she panted and wheezed for air, and her cocoa furry ears twitched.


    The moment his first victim was done with, he set his sights on his second: Me.


    Under his intense gaze, I was tempted to retreat a little, but I knew I couldn¡¯t leave Mira half passed out on the floor, worse still, I couldn¡¯t risk exciting this man even more with the thrill of a chase. So I just stood there and maintained my ground.


    He was now in front of me, his aura more intense than before. Eventually, I caved under the pressure and tried to move back a little, but he quickly caught me and pulled me flush against his skin. ¡°Adelio, let me go, please. I - I have to go to my friend¡± My breath staggered.


    Contrary to my words, I was enjoying every part of me that brushed against his skin. Every spark that was jumping from him to me, and every breath of his that I caught with mine.


    ¡°No.¡± was all he said in a curt tone, as he tightened both arms around me.


    ¡°Please,¡± I begged again. But instead of a reply, he just dipped his head in the crook of my neck... and licked.


    I trembled slightly and grabbed his arms. The pleasure of him sucking on my nape was enough to distract me from my pleas. For a moment I just wanted to forget everything and let him continue his adventures around my neck, but the sound of wrenching coughs drew my thoughts back out of lust-kingdom and back to the present.


    Adelio noticed my distraction from him and seemingly increased his attacks. His tongue traveled from my neck to my earlobe, he sucked on it for a while, then grazed it with his teeth and licked it right after. The sensation had gasps leaving my mouth instead of words, and I quickly shut it back down in order not to let out other noises.


    "Please" I managed to utter while biting my lips. Unsure if I was begging for more of his touch, or begging to be freed.


    He growled a little, then whispered in my ear ¡°Fine. She may be your friend, so I¡¯ll let it slide. But one wrong move and her entire existence will be erased¡±


    The menacing words he spoke to me were so cold, but the arms he held me with were the warmest, loveliest thing I¡¯ve ever felt.


    I nodded my head in understanding, as Adelio hesitantly let me go.


    ¡°Mira, are you okay?!¡± I asked, running up to her.


    She was letting out fits of coughs and trying to gather herself, but as soon as I was within her reach, she pulled me into a hug. I could hear Adelio let out a low, warning growl. Mira stiffened and got up, picking up the knife from the floor. She dragged me with her, backing up slowly towards the huge window.


    Her actions only seemed to rattle Adelio, as his golden eyes glowed, accompanied by a hint of crimson color. His pupil dilated and condensed into a vertical slit. His clenched jaw ticked and he looked like he was about to lunge forward.


    ¡°Wait!¡± I yelled, and he froze once more. His chest was heaving.


    ¡°Stay behind me!¡± Mira hissed, baring her fangs at Adelio as she brought up her knife in defense. Her feet were wobbling and the hand she had on mine was trembling fiercely, with cold sweat wetting them.


    I looked at the girl in front of me, she was small and skinny, kneels buckling under pressure and breath staggered from getting choked. She was still trying to defend me, despite her conditions.


    ¡°Listen little mutt. Keep your hands off of her and move out of the way.¡± Adelio snarled.


    Mira shook her head and squeezed my hands tighter. I couldn¡¯t tell if she was trying to reassure me that everything was okay, or if she was trying to muster up the courage for herself.


    Mira¡¯s defiance did nothing but flame Adelio¡¯s anger. From what Mira told me, wolves can barely stay away from their mates, they get agitated and restless when they aren¡¯t next to each other for a while. I don¡¯t know about dragons, but I could imagine the facts aren¡¯t far off from them too. If Mira doesn¡¯t move out of the way soon, she could get seriously hurt.


    As if confirming my thoughts, Adelio said ¡°Move out of the way. Or Die.¡± Every word he spoke was firm and intense, and we could both feel it from our skin down to our bones.


    ¡°Agh!¡± Mira suddenly groaned. She clutched her head and screamed in pain. The hand she held me with trembled even more, it would release then clench back again. Almost as if she was fighting with herself.


    ¡°Mira!¡± I stepped out from behind her to inspect what was wrong, however, she tried to push me behind her again.


    ¡°Elvira don¡¯t, it¡¯s not-¡± she said, reaching out to grab me. However, before she could finish her sentence, I felt a scorching heat on my back and I quickly flipped my head to look at the source.


    There was a massive fireball forming in the air. I was stupefied by the possibility; I wasn¡¯t used to seeing magic. Warning bells went off in my head, and Mira quickly pulled me behind her, using my momentary distraction.


    Not again.


    I was getting frustrated by both of them not listening to me. My anger reached the boiling point, and I yelled.


    ¡°STOP IT. BOTH OF YOU!¡±


    Mira winced at the loud noise and Adelio froze, his fireball dimming a little.


    ¡°Oh my goddess Mira, he isn¡¯t going to hurt me, I¡¯m in no danger whatsoever.¡±


    ¡°And you¡± I pointed to Adelio, ¡°I told you not to hurt my friend. If you dare hurt her, then I - I¡¯ll...¡±


    I couldn¡¯t think of any threat that could hurt a dragon emperor; the most powerful man in our kingdom. So I inhaled deeply and yelled, ¡°I won¡¯t let you touch me anymore!¡±


    I felt embarrassed saying this, but that was the only thing I could think of on the spot. From the way he was always touching and caressing me, I figured he won¡¯t be able to go long without body contact.


    It appeared my threat was actually spot on, as Adelio¡¯s golden eyes return to their normal red, and his fireball diminished instantly.


    He looked grumpy and pissed that I would even bring up such a thing. His expression felt more funny than scary.


    Mira looked from me to Adelio, confusion written all over her face.


    I smiled and slowly grabbed her hands that held the knife, hoping she would release it. However, she only clenched them further.


    ¡°Mira, don¡¯t worry, he isn¡¯t dangerous.¡±


    ¡°Elvira he kidnapped you and to top it off he¡¯s a dragon.¡± she said, while giving me an ¡®Are you crazy¡¯ look.


    Kidnapped me? Suddenly it all made sense why she was so hostile towards Adelio. It would only make sense for her to think I was in danger if she came back only to find out I was missing. Knowing the castle and how rumors fly, they probably said I got kidnapped by Adelio.


    I had no idea if it was the adrenaline that had filled my body, or the humor of the entire misunderstanding, but I cracked and exploded into laughter.

 He Never Left

    Elvira


    <hr>


    The whole room went silent as the echo of my laugh bounced off the wall. Mira looked at me like I had gone senile, and I couldn¡¯t quite make out the expression on Adelio¡¯s face.


    I was still in the middle of my laughter when I felt myself being hoisted up into the air. Adelio tossed me over his shoulder, and I squealed.


    ¡°Enough.¡± He bellowed. ¡°I¡¯ve let you talk to her for long enough.


    ¡°Christ, how is it that everyone has been able to draw out sweet giggles from your lovely lips? Everyone but me. It¡¯s unbelievably frustrating.¡± Adelio said as he walked over to the bed and tossed me on top of it. I yelped at the impact.


    ¡°Adelio wait, I have to speak to Mira,¡± I said while trying to get up.


    He noticed what I was doing, and moved so he was standing right in front of me.


    ¡°You will speak to her from here,¡± he said, ruffling his hair. He still looked angry, but something else suspiciously similar to pouting was also written on his face. I couldn¡¯t be sure though.


    ¡°Fine¡± I muttered, knowing I wasn¡¯t going to get anywhere with him.


    A small smirk of victory played on his lips as he turned around to continue his glaring contest with Mira.


    I craned my head to the right, in an attempt to see past Adelio¡¯s huge, insufferably, erotic body. However, he adjusted his body so that he was covering my view. I frowned and moved my head to the left, but Adelio¡¯s body moved to the left with me. My frown deepened as I moved to the right again and his body followed. Somehow he¡¯s able to mirror my movement without having to look at me.


    I was starting to get frustrated as I tried for the left again, but he followed once more.


    That¡¯s it, my patience has reached the brim. I picked up a pillow from the bed and threw it at his head.


    ¡°Adelio!¡± I yelled.


    His body tensed and I swear I could see his muscles pulsate. He turned around and met my glare with a fervid gaze.


    ¡°Yes love, you¡¯ve got my attention,¡± he said.


    The heat from his eyes seemed to envelop my body, covering it up in flames. It was like they were scorching my clothes and undressing me, yet enshrouding me with passion and tenderness.


    Gulping, I clenched my fist to contain myself.


    ¡°I want to speak to my friend¡±


    ¡°You can speak to her from here¡± he replied.


    ¡°And see her.¡± I clarified


    His jaw ticked. I could see his eyes flicker a little gold, then settle back on red.


    ¡°Fine, talk to her¡± he grumbled and moved aside a little.


    The moment I saw Mira, the smile was back on my face, and I gleed. She was now collapsed to the floor from exhaustion, her body still trembling.


    ¡°Mira! Are you okay? I¡¯m so happy to see you¡±


    ¡°I should be asking you if you were okay. He didn¡¯t hurt you did he?¡± she asked, worry marking her pretty face.


    I shook my head. ¡°No, he didn¡¯t hurt me. He saved me from danger.¡±


    Her worried face was now turning into one of confusion ¡°But the story...I heard that the dragon emperor kidnaped you¡±


    ¡°On the contrary, I was kidnapped by King Aden himself,¡± I said


    Adelio snarled at the mention of King Aden¡¯s name, and I take it he wasn¡¯t a big fan.


    ¡°What?!¡± Mira was stunned. ¡°But that doesn¡¯t make sense, why did he suddenly kidnap you? What was the use of doing that?¡±


    ¡°Well, he said...¡± I met Adelio¡¯s attentive stare and paused. I had been trying to avoid explaining what happened back there. If I were to tell Mira everything, then I¡¯d have to do it in a space where we were alone.


    I glanced back at Mira who was also staring at me in anticipation.


    ¡°Anyways how did you escape the palace? And how did you find us?¡± I stealthily changed the subject - or so I thought, but I noticed Adelio raising an amused eyebrow at me. He definitely caught my bullshit. But to my relief, he didn¡¯t call it out and just kept his silence.


    ¡°Okay, so you know how I said I was an expert in escaping? Well, I wasn¡¯t bluffing.


    I was still serving in the conclave when all of a sudden we heard bizarre roars and growls. We were momentarily dismissed, they said the dragons were causing trouble.¡± She sheepishly glanced at Adelio after she uttered the last part.


    They must have heard Adelio¡¯s roars when he came to save me. It was hard to believe that was just yesterday. Everything felt so distant.


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    Mira continued, ¡°We didn¡¯t question the King¡¯s decisions and just headed back to the servant¡¯s quarters. When we got there you were missing. I asked the servants about your whereabouts but no one knew¡±


    Well duh, that¡¯s because I snuck out when they were too busy gossiping.


    ¡°Knowing you, and how you always had a knack for opposing instructions, I figured you probably went to steal food or went to be nosy¡±


    Bullseye. She knew me well.


    A chuckle; deep enough to birth butterflies in my stomach resonated from Adelio. This time, it was my turn to raise an eyebrow at him. What was he laughing at?


    ¡°She¡¯s not wrong. You do have a knack for being defiant.¡± He said as he bent down to rub my jaw. ¡°But that¡¯s part of your charm¡±


    I shot him a daggered look. However, my glares were nothing to the great emperor, as he just casually sat beside me, then lifted me, and placed me between his thighs.


    I didn¡¯t even bother protesting, as I enjoyed his touch. On the contrary, I subtly shifted my body backward, so I could be pressed up against the delicious warmth of his back. He rested his jaw on top of my head and threaded his hands tightly across my stomach.


    It didn¡¯t escape my notice that Mira was giving us a quirky look. This whole situation must be throwing her off, and I don¡¯t blame her.


    She stared for a while but eventually continued,


    ¡°I waited for a while, and you still didn¡¯t return. At first, I wasn¡¯t worried, because you¡¯d sometimes come back incredibly late. But then I started to panic when I remembered you got into trouble the night before with King Aden.¡±


    At the mention of his name, Adelio snarled again. Yea, he¡¯s definitely not a fan.


    ¡°So I thought I¡¯d go look for you. I left the room and roamed around but I still couldn¡¯t find you. It was then I smelled a faint scent of your blood. It was coming off of Sir Andrew, and that¡¯s when I grew extremely concerned.¡±


    An image of Andrew and his companion hitting me flashed through my head, and I winced.


    ¡°Shh, be calm. I¡¯m here¡± Adelio said rubbing his palm up and down my thighs, and I relaxed into his shoulders. He moved some hair away from my face, kissed my temple, and then my chin.


    I was increasingly getting accustomed to him. The feel of having someone to lean back to, admittedly felt great.


    I exhaled the breath I was holding and said ¡°Yea, I was heading back to the quarters when they suddenly came to get me. They said the king needed me and took me to an unknown corner of the palace. When I realized what was going on, it was too late. They attacked me and carried me off.¡±


    I noted the palm Adelio had on my thighs tightened, but it didn¡¯t hurt in any way. Veins were pultruding from his arms up, and I heard his teeth grind.


    Those veins were my new point of interest. The way they pulsated and oozed manliness was so intriguing, making me want to trace them to wherever they may lead to. And so I did. Although my adventure didn¡¯t go far, because the moment I touched his palm, he instantly threaded his fingers through mine. He buried his nose in my hair and inhaled.


    ¡°Oh my gosh Elvira, I¡¯m sorry you went through that,¡± Mira said, tears welling up in her eyes.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s fine Mira. It¡¯s all good now.¡±


    She gave me a little smile and continued.


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t go up to Sir Andrew and ask about you, it didn¡¯t feel like the right choice. So instead, I did my own snooping around.


    ¡°I found a room that had chains, blood, and pieces of your servant¡¯s apron laying around. Then I just followed your scent and traced you here.¡±


    ¡°Then why would you come in here dressed in that dark cloak and have a knife on you?¡± I question.


    She gave a sheepish grin. ¡°About that...When I tracked you here, I sensed and smelled the emperor all over this building.¡± Then her grin turned to one of discomfort. ¡°The pure rage enveloping this entire area is quite terrifying.¡±


    Milo had also mentioned Adelio was angry earlier too. But the whole time I¡¯ve been with him, I¡¯ve only noticed his anger once - which was when Mira snuck in. Have my senses become numb, or have I just become dense?


    I never got to ponder my question, as Mira¡¯s continuation drew my attention back.


    ¡°My mindset was that he kidnapped you, so I went back into town to buy this smell-masking cloak and a knife.¡± She said, glancing at the said items. ¡°That way, the emperor won¡¯t easily sense my presence as I come in to help you sneak out¡±


    ¡°Wrong choice, you would have been burnt instantly,¡± Adelio smirked. ¡°Also, hate to break it to you, but that cloak isn¡¯t doing much to mask your smell. I could practically smell you from downstairs¡±


    He was just downstairs?


    ¡°You were just downstairs?¡± I voiced out my thoughts.


    ¡°Yes, darling. I figured I could make you something to eat since you were getting famished again¡±


    That¡¯s odd. How did he know I was beginning to get hungry?


    ¡°Oh, I thought you were gone¡± I muttered.


    ¡°No love, I didn¡¯t leave you.¡±


    Crap, I didn¡¯t mean for him to hear that part.


    He laughed and tilted my head to the side so I was staring at him. ¡°Listen, if you ever need me and I¡¯m not there, Just yell my name out loud. I¡¯ll always come for you.¡±


    He said it with so much resolution and confidence, with not a single doubt lingering around.


    My cheeks felt hot at his words, and my heart fumbled. What was I to say to that? I wasn¡¯t used to all these sweet words of reassurance. It was all so new to me. So I just silently nodded.


    Then a thought popped into my head.


    ¡°But wait Mira, how did you get up here?¡± I asked her.


    She just brought up her claws and showed me. ¡°Fox things.¡±


    Right...that explained a lot.


    I took in the quirky look Mira was still giving me and Adelio. This should probably be a good time to explain it all to her.


    ¡°So Mira...¡± I started hesitantly, uncertain about how she¡¯ll take the news I¡¯m about to drop on her.


    ¡°The reason why Adelio took me with him is that...according to him, I¡¯m actually his...his mate¡±


    It felt all too weird to call myself his mate, like some part of me still doesn¡¯t believe it.


    To say Mira was stupefied would be an understatement.


    She stared at me and Adelio in shock, still obviously trying to process what she just heard.


    Her saucer-wide eyes then grew wider in realization as if she had just apprehended something.


    "No wonder,¡± she murmured. ¡°No wonder your aura and scent have changed¡±


    My aura and scent?


    ¡°I know finding a mate after centuries and decades of waiting is exciting, but can you tone it down a little bit?¡± A voice abruptly came from the doorway, distracting my thoughts.


    Milo trudged into the room, his raven hair scattered about, eyes droopy and shoulder slumped forward. He was wearing a barely, buttoned-up shirt that left nothing to the imagination.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been up all night and morning running errands for you your majesty, surely a little moment of peace wouldn¡¯t be too much to ask of you love birds¡± he yawned. His droopy eyes lazily roamed the room, as he rubbed his neck.


    I paused my lips and resisted the urge to yell ¡®We aren¡¯t lovers¡¯; the consequences of my first mistake were still fresh in my mind.


    But honestly, I crave his body more with every passing minute, I miss him even when he¡¯s just a couple of feet away from me and I get sad when I don¡¯t see him. The world of dating is foreign to me, but from what I¡¯ve seen from couples around me, I think me and Adelio are close to that category.


    ¡°Lovers quarrel so soon?¡± Milo asked, staring at the knives and pillows on the floor. His step paused when he noticed Mira and his gaze shifted slightly. ¡°Well, this is a new development. Who¡¯s the beauty¡±


    Mira¡¯s body tensed, as she put her guard up against the new person.


    ¡°Relax beauty, I¡¯m harmless,¡± Milo said, putting his hands up. However, the glare he received from Mira in response said she wasn¡¯t buying his words.


    ¡°See Milo? I told you. You incite the Achilles heels in women.¡± Adelio chuckled.


    Goddess, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll ever get tired of his laugh.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t even do anything¡± Milo defended


    ¡°Yet,¡± Adelio added.


    They were about to begin another banter when my stomach let out a loud growl.


    Oops.

 Rest Of Our Lives

    Elvira


    <hr>


    My stomach growling in public, was something I had become accustomed to and could care less about.


    Starving had become a norm for me, as I would always get denied food as punishment.


    However, what has my cheeks stained with red this time, was the fact that I had just eaten three plates worth of food mere hours ago, and here I was hungry again. Not to mention, Adelio had witnessed it all.


    I didn¡¯t want him to look at me with distaste or disappointment.


    However, it seems like my worries were limited to just me because when I sheepishly looked up Adelio didn¡¯t have the slightest bit of judgemental look on his face. Instead, he had one of understanding.


    He unclasped our intertwined fingers and gently moved me away from his lap, then placed me on the bed. My heart fell a little. Why is he letting go of me? I wanted to be in his embrace much longer.


    He then stood up and walked to a stand with a couple of jackets hanging off it. He unhooked a long black jacket and made his way back to me. Then he gently draped the jacket over me.


    The jacket smelled just like him, and I felt comforted to be wrapped in his scent.


    He placed one of his hands underneath my legs, then the second on my back, and lifted me up bridal style. The moment I was in his arms again, I clung to his neck like it was my only source of stability.


    ¡°Come darling, you need food,¡± he said heading to the door.


    On his way out, he glanced at the mess on the floor, then his eyes trailed to Mira before he said ¡°Milo take care of things here¡±


    Panic ran through me at his words.


    ¡°Wait, please don¡¯t hurt Mira. I thought you agreed you¡¯ll let her go.¡± I said quickly.


    ¡°And that I will love. Don¡¯t worry she¡¯ll live,¡± he said barely sparing Mira a glance.


    He took me out into the hallway and down the Blackwood stairs. I could perceive the smell of food from here, and it made my stomach grumble again.


    We were finally down the steps, and it seems to lead to a parlor room.


    There were chairs and tables made out of black wood, and seats cushioned with a white padding. All are arranged in the form of a small dining table.


    Adelio took me to one of the chairs and placed me on it.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be right back,¡± he said, brushing loose strands of hair from my face.


    I nodded my head in response, and he stalked off toward a nearby room which I assumed was the kitchen.


    Left alone in the parlor, I started to explore the room with my eyes.


    Small plants and glowing gemstones shaped like flowers decorated the tables, giving the place an elegant look. Chandeliers were hanging above each table, but the light was dim, giving the room a cozy feel.


    On the other side of the room was a marble counter with different types of liquid refreshments. Everything was well put together in a clean manner. Whoever owns here has good taste.


    As I was studying the room, my eyes caught movements on the staircase. I turned around and saw Mira and Milo coming down the stairs.


    ¡°Mira!¡± I yelled excitedly, as she made her way to where I was sitting.


    She smiled at me and took the chair next to the one I was sitting on. While Milo just sprawled on a chair next to hers, looking like he could fall asleep at any moment.


    ¡°You have no idea how happy I am that you¡¯re alright,¡± she said.


    ¡°I could say the same for you. It was dangerous to challenge Adelio back there¡± I replied.


    ¡°To be honest, it took all my strength just to stand up to him. He is my true emperor after all.¡±


    Right. Mira is originally from Caelestis, so that makes Adelio her emperor. I don¡¯t know much about their chain of command, but I know it goes against their nature to defy their ruler. She looks extremely exhausted and pale-faced.


    It¡¯s a miracle she was able to escape the palace and make it all the way here. I¡¯m pretty sure after the whole incident with me and Adelio, King Aden would have the palace heavily guarded in case of retaliation.


    Speaking of escape...


    ¡°So Mira, what are you going to do now? You can¡¯t go back to the palace, can you? They probably know of your disappearance by now. As servants, we are prohibited to leave the palace walls. We are never let back in after.¡±


    Mira looked like she thought it over for a while, then said ¡°You¡¯re right, I can¡¯t return to the palace. But that¡¯s okay because it¡¯ll be boring without you anyways.¡±


    She paused. ¡°The entire Kingdom of Elysia would be boring without you. I¡¯ll really miss your presence¡± she said, giving me a sad smile.


    The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    ¡°Huh? Without me?¡± I questioned.


    ¡°What?¡± Mira blinked at me


    ¡°Huh?¡± I blinked back at her.


    We both stared at each other in confusion.


    ¡°What do you mean without me, Mira? I finally questioned.


    Mira stared at me, her face riddled with confusion.


    ¡°Elvira...aren¡¯t you going with the emperor to Caelestis?¡± The way she asked her question was like I was expected to go with Adelio, and there was no other outcome


    Milo gave a lazy laugh. ¡°Empress, did you really think his majesty would leave you here? Do you know what it means to be someone¡¯s mate? His Majesty has been searching for you for a lifetime and has finally found you. Believe me when I say he¡¯d never let you go.


    ¡°When I call you empress, it isn¡¯t for fun. It¡¯s because you are quite literally our empress.¡±


    I shuddered at his words. Sure I¡¯ve heard him call me empress several times, but I was too preoccupied with other things that it flew right over my head. It never really sunk in.


    As I was mauling it over, Adelio walked out the kitchen door, carrying a tray of food. My eyes followed him until he was standing in front of me.


    Mira quickly got up and bowed to him, and I¡¯m reminded once more that he was an emperor. It was only a while ago that I too had to bow to royalty, but he told me not to bow to anyone. I am his empress, he said. I am his.


    Adelio noticed my awkwardness and asked ¡°What is it fleur? You look absentminded?¡±


    Before I could reply, Milo intercepted with humor in his voice. ¡°She thought you were going back to Caelestis without her.¡±


    Well, forgive me for not knowing about how mates work. Humans don¡¯t typically move in with their...lovers... right away.


    Adelio was in the middle of dropping the tray on the table when his weight shifted and his body paused.


    He turned to look at me. ¡°You thought I was leaving without you? Why would you think that?¡± He asked, studying my face. His gaze looked like he was puzzling something and I could tell that he was searching for the answers on my face.


    Then his expression cleared up, and one of realization took over. ¡°Is that why you were crying earlier?


    ¡°N- No,¡± I said, quickly averting my gaze.


    ¡°El,¡± he said, shooting me a keen look.


    The seriousness in his voice made me gulp down the words of denial I was just about to spew. There was no point in hiding it now, besides something tells me he wasn¡¯t going to let this one slide. So I glanced back at him and nodded my head.


    I heard the chair beside me screech, and Milo got up. ¡°Want to go grab some food from the kitchen Mira?¡± He questioned.


    Mira¡¯s eyes lit up at the mention of food, but she quickly toned her excitement down as a weary look came over her face.


    Milo mused, ¡°It¡¯s either grab some food with me or stay here and listen to these love birds fawn over each other. The look in their eyes is enough to make me gag.¡±


    At Milo¡¯s words, Mira sprang up, almost knocking the chair down. She avoided eye contact with me as she wasted no time rushing to the kitchen with Milo.


    Goddess. We didn¡¯t look that bad, did we?


    Adelio¡¯s attention didn¡¯t seem to be distracted by the two deserters; his eyes were still on me, totally unwavering.


    He picked me up and took my place on the chair, then sat me on his lap so I was straddling him. I wonder if it¡¯s going to be like this every time; him being my very own personal chair.


    I leaned my back into the table behind me and rested my eyes on Adelio¡¯s. They were now a faint blue color.


    He took my hand and kissed it, then he brushed the hair from my face. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me about your concerns?¡±


    I bit my lips and ducked my head a little. ¡°Because I was embarrassed, and I also found it odd. I just met you, I shouldn¡¯t be crying like a baby over you leaving. Besides, I wasn¡¯t sure if you wanted me with you...¡± I trailed off.


    ¡°Darling,¡± he said, exhaling a quiet breath. ¡°You aren¡¯t quite used to mating scenarios, and I¡¯m sorry for not paying more attention to that aspect and to the consequences it brings. You are my mate, my very essence. Intentionally or not, your body will crave me, your mind will crave me, and you will crave me.¡±


    He cupped my face into his palms and continued. ¡°Crying at the thought of not seeing me is completely normal. I haven¡¯t fully marked you yet, so your emotions would fluctuate every now and then. Things around you will start to lose all forms of logic, and that too is also completely normal.¡±


    His words were falling in line with what I¡¯d been experiencing. Things were beginning to make sense.


    My emotions would always spiral out of control, making me feel like I was harboring someone else¡¯s thoughts and feelings.


    ¡°And about me leaving without you..." Adelio brought his thumb to caress my chin, then his forehead touched mine. ¡°My El, would you return to Caelestis with me?¡± He asked.


    His voice was soothing, requesting, and almost a whisper. However, there was also an adjuring undertone to it.


    My heart sparked at his request. He wanted me to go with him!


    ¡°Okay¡± was all I could mutter, even though I was beaming inside with joy. I was going with him! He wasn¡¯t leaving me behind.


    Adelio¡¯s lips curled up in a smile. ¡°It¡¯s a good thing that you said yes" - His angelic smile then turned into a devilish one. - "Because quite frankly it didn¡¯t matter what your answer was. I¡¯d still drag you back to Caelestis with me.¡±


    I gaped at him. ¡°So what was the point of asking me then?¡±


    ¡°Because darling, leaving your home kingdom on the spur of the moment can¡¯t be easy, and I¡¯d like to take your feelings into consideration. However, even if you had protested, I¡¯d have let you stay as long as you wanted, but would eventually take you back with me¡±


    I resisted the urge to smack the grin off his face. What a crude man. However, he was wrong about one thing.


    ¡°It wouldn¡¯t be hard for me to leave Elyisa¡± I muttered. ¡°I don¡¯t have anything binding me to this place. I wouldn¡¯t be missed by anyone, neither would I miss anyone... well except for Mira.¡±


    Adelio was quiet for a bit, then he asked ¡°Do you want to bring her with us to Caelestis?¡±


    My eyes no doubt twinkled. ¡°Can she really come?¡±


    ¡°Anything you want gorgeous.¡± he chuckled.


    I was incredibly happy. Leaving Elysia didn¡¯t bother me in the least bit, however, I was nervous about entering a new kingdom by myself. Things would be great if I had Mira with me.


    ¡°Are you guys done?¡± Milo asked, poking his head out of the kitchen. His mouth was stuffed, and he was in the middle of chewing.


    ¡°Milo, make preparations to depart tomorrow,¡± Adelio said.


    Milo groaned. ¡°You are seriously overworking me, your majesty. We should have brought Arzheal along with us. That workaholic wouldn¡¯t mind doing all this tedious work. I didn¡¯t even get to explore the human kingdom to my heart¡¯s content...all those fine ladies...fine wine...¡±


    Milo just kept grumbling as came to seat down at the table, with a plate in his hand. Mira also followed right behind him, stuffing her face in the process. The aura around them was calmer now like they had somehow bonded in the kitchen.


    Adelio ignored Milo¡¯s ramblings and leaned over to pick up a plate from the tray behind me.


    I took a glance at the food that had been appetizing me with its smell. There were about eight sliced meats on the plate, decorated with what looked like mint leaves. Beside the meat, were four potatoes that were sliced open and stuffed with green onions.


    The food looked so good and I was salivating just staring at it. My stomach was whining with impatience.


    Adelio took one of the sliced meat and placed it into my mouth.


    Ugh, the taste was to die for. I¡¯ve never tasted anything so good. The only thing my poor taste buds were used to, was stale bread and clumped-up rice that was on the verge of being rancid.


    ¡°Who cooked this masterpiece?¡± I moaned.


    ¡°Me,¡± Adelio said.


    I blinked at him in shock. ¡°Seriously?!¡±


    ¡°What? An emperor can¡¯t cook?¡± he smirked


    ¡°No, uh- I thought...¡± I could feel my face flushing with embarrassment. ¡°It just tastes good,¡± I concluded.


    His eyes squinted as he bubbled with laughter. Then he whispered in my ear. ¡°I¡¯m glad you like it. If you so wish my love, I¡¯ll cook for you every single day. For the rest of our lives.¡±


    My heart stuttered. Rest of our lives. I¡¯d be lying if I said I didn¡¯t enjoy the sound of that.