Her white clothes fluttered around as she walked through the empty corridors. It was still dark; the sun had yet to rise. Even so, there was enough light filtering down from outside that it didn’t feel like the dead of night at all.
The silence seemed like the kind that came before dawn. It was heavy and thick—thick enough that it made even breathing seems difficult. A calm atmosphere blanketed everything. As though the world itself were trying not to make any sound or stir in fear at the prospect of something horrible about to happen.
It was just something Yelan thought after experiencing another nightmare. There weren’t many left where she could rest her weary eyes on them. And what did remain always involved him, so no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t get them back.
No good dreams for her anymore. Only terror, after terror, after terror. That was all he gave her. Nothing else. Not ever.
She opened the door to the Duchess&
Harriet came out of the room, and her attire was all black and looked light but warm. The first light of the day reflected on her lavender eyes as she turned back toward the castle’s entrance.She had finished her talk with Yelan and had prepared herself for the expedition. But just as Yelan noticed, she didn’t sleep all night.The first dew dropped down from a tree leaf at dawn while Harriet stood silently in front of her army. “You all know the drill. In and out. Three weeks maximum.”From her back, Ezekiel approached with his black coat. That day, he looked imposing. His light blue hair blended with the icy blue dawn sky.“You didn’t look okay,” he said to Harriet softly.But the woman just turned her head up to him, almost smiling slightly, saying nothing. All night, she watched her babies sleeping, then, to calm her nerves, she sewed a simple project with her treadle machine until dawn came.&ld
They stepped onto the path leading toward their destination while the wind pressure pulled them along the ocean floor. A bubble of magical barrier separated them from the saltwater.But their presence scared the fish and other ocean creatures. Probably because of Ezekiel.“This will take too long,” Harriet said. She created an invisible platform below her and Ezekiel’s feet, raising them from the floor.Ezekiel flinched. This woman... she could conveniently use her <Aura> like this... and that magic portal previously...Being a dying person while also being overpowered seemed to be the theme of the Almandine Ducal Couple.They ‘floated’ through the current toward the South, passing by countless coral reefs with giant shells and huge rocks at its bottom.Not a long time passed when they arrived at their destination. Hundreds of meters below the ocean surface, a small glow of light in the distance attracted
Harriet sighed.These two, Lela and Enkai, was the ruler of the East Ocean, the Red Ocean. The Blue Ocean and Black Ocean near Euclase had their own Sirens and Merfolk clans, but not nearly as great as this kingdom.The reason was that the Blue Ocean, the Ocean between Euclase and East Continent, had always been a fairly concentrated trading route these last hundred years.While the Black Ocean, the Ocean between Euclase and West Continent, had always been used for military activities between those two continents.The Red Ocean, or the vast and most enormous Ocean in the entire world located between the East and West Continent, had always been home to many sea monsters and mythical ocean creatures.When this place, the Oceanic Kingdom of Anthozoa, was the home for creatures like Miss Krake, who would dare pass through carelessly?But Harriet liked this society a lot. The societal structure here was based on hard work and strength. These two,
“You are sleep-deprived,” Ezekiel said. After Harriet opened another portal straight to the frozen Antarctic plains, Ezekiel noticed Harriet stroking the bridge of her nose in between her eyes. But Harriet shook her head. “No, actually, I just went blind,” she said. Ezekiel blinked and looked at Harriet carefully for some time. He didn’t really see any sign that could prove she was lying about being unable to see. Her eyelashes were fluttering every so often and sometimes even hiding one eye completely behind her black veil. “Are you... being serious?” Ezekiel asked once again as he took off his coat. He put it on the woman’s shoulders, making sure she was nice and warm. “This is nothing. My sight will come back soon,” Harriet said. She could prevent nosebleeds because she could heal her damaged veins immediately, but not the complex biological structure in her eyes. She would need more time for that. The cold wind whipped arou
“Sister Yelan!”“Here, Sister Molly!”Niamh and Damian, the Almandine twin siblings with striking similarities but distinct personalities, played merrily in the lush gardens of the Castle.The two laughed and shouted as they ran, waving their hands toward Yelan, who sat not far from them.The sun shone brightly overhead, casting a warm glow on the siblings as they played. Niamh, with her beautiful lavender hair, was quick on her feet, darting around the gardens with the grace of a fairy.While Damian was a bit slower but no less agile. He was always up for a good game, and he loved nothing more than making his Sister laugh. Thus why, he did not try to compete with her speed this time.As they played, the two were accompanied by the soft laughter of the servants. Their Big Sister Molly, with her kind face and gentle voice, was always there to guide and advise the two. And Sister Yelan, with her sharp wit and no-nonsens
“Talking about a snowstorm,” Ezekiel glanced at the other two people with them. “Are you going to be okay?” Enkai and Lela blinked at him. “Sometimes, the deep sea can be very cold. Don’t worry too much about them,” Harriet said. “Oh, you’re worrying about us?” Lela asked then, finally understanding Ezekiel’s line of thoughts. As she observed, the way land and ocean creatures operate are very different. The way they perceive energies and even sensory stimulations were different too. For example, how they conjured their Magic differed from how the land creatures did. It might also be because of the difference in Mana and other energy density on the land and under the water. “As long as my song spell doesn’t stop, we’ll be okay. Look, even if it’s this cold, my water didn’t freeze!” Lela said. “And actually, this is easier than maintaining it on the deep sea. I’ve had looots of experience adventuring over the surface of the water, but I don’t kn
A giant. Or rather, a man with human-like proportions but so tall that he reached fifteen meters. His long hair was entirely white, and his eyes were crystal blue. From the inside of his long white robe, he brought out a giant magic staff made from an entirely carved crystal. His steps on the ice echoed loudly like thunder through the area filled with heavy snowfall. “Sorry I punched you that hard, Dragon. But you must understand,” the man said with a rumbling voice, “That if I didn’t do so, I’m afraid you would kill me.” Ezekiel shifted to push himself up, assisted by Harriet. He turned to Harriet and nodded, signaling that he was fine. “You said that after throwing hundreds of lightning strikes...” Harriet retorted softly. The giant figure hummed under his breath. “You know the term ‘intruders’, right?” the giant man asked. Suddenly, Harriet smiled. It was true that she was the one who told everyone that she was going
“Liam is dead.”“He is dead, and you are still alive because you are just a replacement.”The old man screamed at her.“You are never his real mate!”Rayleigh stared straight into her eyes and said, “I chose you because you are not his mate. It was so that when he dies, you will still be here, raising your children you had with him. Because I, too, will soon...”Harriet’s eyes faltered as the words struck her like stones flung from a catapult straight to her chest. She blinked back tears of pain to stare up into Rayleigh’s face.He looked down on her with an expression that made no sense to her—sadness but not for himself; grief was written in every line of his wrinkles. It pained him more than the words pained her.And yet...She could only shake her head and gaze around at all these people staring at them both, “Just let me...!”“No!&rd