Esmr being the competent witch she was, was quick to make a bubble-thin barrier to help them cross to the lake's surface. They say the water in the summer had a much lower quantity than in the winter. As the very depth of the water lake is warm, the ice on it melts frequently but builds up just as fast when the weather changes. They were unlucky as this was a very cold week. Laylin was drowsy as water spat out of the hole and began filling the pipe, Ambrose jumped up and grabbed Laylin by the waist. She, who was drowsily swaying, didn’t protest. Her mind was much clear now but her limbs were still feeling too numb to function. Ambrose eyed the flimsy barrier and turned to Esmer. “Will it even hold if a fish slammed its thin tail against it?” he quickly demanded, narrowing his eyes at the witch, who blinked at him in shock. But her hesitation was just momentary. She grabbed Rurik’s sword from the sheath and launched it at the barrier. ‘CLANG!’ “Ah!” With a loud shattering voic
Esmer's face strained as she lifted the bubble above the water's surface. The current in the lake was too much to combat after the pipe was unclogged. Water was flooding the whole East side and the pressure was no joke. Her foot slumped, her nose bled, her body felt like it would burst from the pressure. Laylin clenched her fists, she wanted to relieve Esmer of her burden but the truth was that if she did, all of them would drown and have a watery grave. None of them could even dream of breaking to the surface of the lake without Esmer or by mere force. It was just not possible, especially as they didn't want to risk drowning. “Please, Esmer a little more.” The woman's eyes were glazed now, tears streamed down her flushed face. Ambrose grabbed Laylin and pulled her away from the lady. Rurik hesitantly stood by the side. Rather than hopelessly watching her strain at the inch of her life, Laylin wondered whether drowning was less painful. If Esmer’s aura went out of control underwa
‘What a sloppy monster.’ he grumbled in thought, looking at the two out of the water in one piece. Then, as both of them slumped beside them, Ambrose felt a glare. With a brow raised, he turned to see Rurik who averted his glare at once to Esmer who was coughing up water. So he expected him to save them? Did this knight think highly of him now that he was tagging along with him? He turned to Laylin and helped her up, “We need to get you some place warm. Let’s go.” Laylin heard a grumbling voice, then flinched when she felt something vibrate under her hands on the frozen lake surface. The monster was moving underneath. Her head snapped up to tell them when they were all stiffened with realization and blindly ran to get off the ice at once. 'CLASH!' Ambrose grabbed her by the waist and Rurik grabbed the witch. The ice began cracking as a strong clash against the ice shook the surface. Rurik stumbled but soon got his bearing. 'CLASH!' Hurriedly, they ran across the wide river but
“Crimson red eyes… His eyes flickered right now!” She hurried to run behind them when Riurik grabbed her arm. “You don’t want to do that.” The King was no merciful figure that got along with the general public. He was waiting. He was laying in wait when someone will tick him off badly so he could rightfully vent. Esmer’s intrusion might just give him the perfect excuse. “His eyes! The Princess is in danger. His demon might lose control and he may harm her-” “Esmer!” He shook her out of her hysterics. She shook, lost. Sighing, he pulled her to the sofa. “He wouldn’t ever hurt her. Hurting her physically is as if hurting his own flesh. This is what Chosen means to Beasts.” Esmer finally looked up to see him candidly. He gave her an assuring smile, “Besides you haven’t seen the Princess kill a demonic monster or ruin the tombs of her husband’s ancestors. She will hold him off until we are needed.” Esmer nodded, hesitantly. It was strange. Rurik stared at the with a puzzled expres
“I haven’t even had breakfast yet… Aren’t you going to get me something to eat first?” Laylin haughtily added, giving Ambrose a firm glare as he stared at her in a dumbfounded manner. His hand on her ass was back but much firmer, not letting her move. Laylin’s stomach churned in terror. Had she provoked him after all? The longer the silence persisted from him, the more she feared she did provoke him. While Ambrose's eyes darkened there thinking about the crappy food they would have here to eat. He wondered what she had been eating here until now. His wife was from the finest of lineages one could have except the twisted Rakhbar Royalty. His wife had always been adorned in the finest of silks and decorated with the most renowned of jewels. When he had seen her in those rags, he had felt himself almost blinded with anger, one of the reasons he had launched at the palace without a firm plan. His hold on her tightened and his eyes blazed further. Laylin suddenly felt like her husband
Esmer had no intention of doing anything to attack the palace right now. Seeing that she might need a lot of information to even stand in a face-off with the wizard much older than her. And it was the right move as the new information she had received had made her hairs stand on ends. She was pacing as all of them distastefully gobbled down food. “We need to think about this again. I feel like we are too less in number and strength to fight them off beside another thing has come to my notice.” She chewed on her lower lip, feeling lost for words. She didn’t know how to explain this. “If you are going to take your time, why not eat first?” Laylin suggested, herself only picking at food. She had no appetite. The witch shook her head. Esmer swallowed nervously, her throat suddenly feeling constricted. “What if I tell you he can control these demonic monsters?” She asked, trying to feign calmness. 'CLING! CLATTER! CLING!' After the shock of her statement passed, all eyes turned to A
She opened her eyes at the soft caresses on her body, her breast, and her abdomen, lingering longer on her lower abdomen. When Laylin barely parted her lips, her eyes fell on a frowning Ambrose glaring at her... body? As she barely moved, he caught sight of her. “Did I… Did I faint?” She murmured looking around the shabby setup of a sleeping quarter. Her eyes fell on the ornament in his hand. It was a hair accessory. Her hairpin. One she recognized very well. She was wearing it at the moon festival. It was from the accessories she had given to Esmer to keep safe till she found a better way to cash them out. Her eyes fell on the open pouch on the nightstand. All her jewelry was there. Ambrose stared at her wordlessly. His face unreadable as he just stared at her with something on his mind. Seeing him look at her in heated attentively made Laylin fidget as she continued, “I think I must have been tired after all. The food here is… different and I'm finding it difficult to build an
She wanted to stubbornly affirm but she shook her head lightly. She was no trained warrior, she was a scholar through and through. It was her sheer luck she had been able to keep her life when she faced that one in the Execution Palace. She didn’t want to downplay it. “Protect me then.” She crooked out, her voice hoarse from crying. She was feeling much more level-headed now and it exhausted her further. She lay limp in his arms while he caressed her. Crying had drained her out. His arms were good. Muscular and reliable. “You are such a stubborn bull.” He sighed, an annoyed grin taking over his features. “Watch it.” Her threat, too, was but a lifeless mumble. “You will have to lay low and do as I say or else.” She hummed. They lay there for quite a while. Ambrose was restless and blinded by rage. He wanted to have a physician take a look at her. Her medical condition was no joke but because of those worthless bastards who didn’t know the right time to start this worthless wor
“So Crimson Rukh, how do you feel about marrying me?”His question left everyone present speechless. Even bloodied and battered Ambrose scoffed. Laylin clenched her jaw and tried to walk past him but he blocked her path yet again.At the end of her wits, Laylin burst out. “Get out of my way while I’m being nice!” Her voice trembled as she tried to run to her husband.Tilting his head in confusion, the demon sneered with contempt a second later. "Oh… Is that this dog’s filthy mark? Now that complicates things," he jeers. “I will have to kill him.”With his one tendril, he threw Laylin at a broken pillar and held her there while he slowly walked to the Lycan King."Screw you!" Ambrose spluttered, exerting himself to the fullest despite his state.The demon cackled, throwing his head back, “Your worthless mother didn’t teach you manners.” He picked him up in the air and slammed him back down.Laylin screamed and struggled but her aura couldn’t fight against his sheer force. With her, sev
"...I still think you should see her," Laylin mumbled, in his embrace. When he didn't reply, she buried herself deeper in his embrace. "...Sorry. I should not talk about it recklessly." She mumbled saltily. It was a sensitive subject and she didn't have the courage to look him in the eye.He smirked, looking down at her. She was on edge and sensitive to his emotions. He wanted to pinch her puffed-up cheeks with how adorable she was being. His darkened features at that time must have put her on guard. Instead, he settled with running his hand in her hair. He still remembered the spitfire she was, ready to bite him when he first forced her to be his Mistress.He laid back suddenly on the divan, making her fall on him. "Ambrose!""Laylin." He held her by the waist, settling her on him. She instantly struggled to get off him but he held her there."What?! Someone will see!" she was huffing puffing while her face reddening in embarrassment."Laylin." He called her out again in his low se
"I'm sure you know if you try something, she dies." His eyes swept over Valerie and Ivan. "One less pawn won't make a difference.""No. Not her! Don't touch her!" She desperately tried to crawl but only ended up stumbling and falling on the bloody arena ground. "Let her go this instant!" She begged desperately as her heart was bursting out.Her mother shook her head, her eyes telling her to let her go but it only made Laylin more desperate."Oh, so you love the mother who abandoned you?" Sansy seemed amused and he cackled. "What to do though? You didn't want to be part of my 'shitshow'."Laylin shook her tear-soaked face, "Okay! Okay. Tell them to step back. Let her go and I promise, I will!" Sansy scoffed at the naivety of the Princess, "And why should I let her go?"At the end of her wits, Laylin snapped back. "I will help you!"She couldn't use her aura easily in these handcuffs. No matter how fast her aura might be but the moment she unleashes it, every wizard here will feel the
It happened when all soldiers lost hope and thought they were fighting a battle with the fate to be defeated. ‘BOOOM!’ ‘THUD! THWACK! THUD!’ An explosion collapsed the outer wall of the palace and dark wizards and soldiers alike flooded in water crushing through from who-knows-where. But shock registered when they met the eyes of the person standing where the wall once stood. “I see. I almost missed all the fun.” There stood Princess Laylin scowling at her torn dress getting wet and an equally pissed woman behind her. “Did you really have to go this far? How am I going to walk around in this now!” Valerie was about ready to knock this stupid Princess out. Every man on the ground, thanks to the knee-high water flooding the palace, was shocked at the carefree women barging in as if they were taking a stroll in the garden. Ivan’s eyes widened. ‘That foolish Princess was here, in the middle of a battle! The King was right out of the door. If she dropped dead here, they wouldn’t b
She kept her hand on her belly and smiled solemnly. He was a piece of her and her husband. An heir to her lover. “Ahh.. To be young. Though I don’t really like the man, I certainly despise him less than your mother does. I’m not much of a success as a Red Witch so I have no such obsession with bloodlines or species. I just care for my family.” Laylin bit her bottom lip, shrugging. “Mother is... She will come around.” “Hmm, hope so. But I see... you look madly in love.” Berilla teased, looking at her distracted expression. "It must hurt your pride to love him more than he loves you." “What? No!” Laylin rolled her eyes, her smile still playing on her lips. “He’s the one who is chasing me. I just set my grace on my eager lover.“ She was flexing when both of them knew, Laylin was crazy enough in love to dive head-first in a war zone or in front of a raging monster. Laylin looked away. Her smile deepened. She did love him more but it didn't matter as long as he loved her back. A silen
The palace stood tall and imposing, its marble columns reaching the sky. It had been days since the rightful King had set foot in the home he despised and lived for.But now, with a burning sense of urgency in his heart, he returned to reclaim his throne. Laylin was expecting, he could feel his spawn growing stronger by the day. ‘SHIIINGG!’He walked solemnly, his two long swords dragging behind him. Electric zapping brutally filled the silence as his swords screeched.Previously when he had imagined her carrying his heir, he had wanted to keep her on feathery cushions day in and day out, lavish her with jewels but now he wanted to kiss her the path she walked on.He had no patience left for morons. His Queen was carrying the future King and she deserved better than a humid cave.As the sun dipped below the horizon, casting a golden hue over the palace walls, Ambrose stood lonely at the grand entrance.The military he had himself cultivated stood before him, pointing trembling spears
"N-No, please!” The startled young witch screamed and poured her aura in with all her strength as her life flashed before her. ‘FWISSSH…’ The witch toppled back on her ass, waiting to die but as the creature collided with the magic circle it emitted a bright, blinding light. The monster's movements slow, and it gradually, in a fraction of a second, evaporated in the air. It became quiet and all the witches huffed in disbelief, as if under a spell. “Good work.” Laylin turned to the witches with a smile. “This is how any witch, weak or strong, can make the teleportation magic circle.” She clapped her hands, “Well, nobody’s dead, so let’s go under the lake.” It may sound twisted but she enjoyed their fear especially Valerie who was pale. She felt gleefully satisfied. Now, sure, no one will question her about the potency of her magic circle. She felt bad for Eloise but it couldn’t be helped, she was the weakest witch and thus the perfect person to show them the spell worked. Seizing
With a deep sigh, she went to the young Princess. “You think you can handle it after all the… commotion?” She was talking about the things she heard them talk about.The Eldest of the Red Witches looked at the Princess with a faint smile. Laylin remained still. Her countenance was quite ample as she looked ahead at the lake in front of her.Ultimately it didn’t matter if Laylin could or couldn’t. She will have to. For the sake of everyone. For the future.Valerie sighed, “We can do it ourselves too.” Laylin knew it too.The witches could very well pull off a teleportation spell but they didn’t trust her or the magic circle she had drawn especially after Aunt Berilla couldn’t perform the designation spell. The battle with demonic monsters will take more than just technique, hesitation could cost these witches their lives.Only Laylin knew Berila couldn't do it because the Great Mistress had made that spell to pull her into the memory abyss.So the witches needed to believe any of them
‘AAACK!' She pointed the dagger at him and flicked it down. His leg bent at an unnatural angle, his bone stuck out bringing him into a half-kneeling position. “Keep it down. I don’t want a commotion.” She was so calm that it was creepy. Her lazy eyes fell on the Dark Wizard and she smirked. The Dark Wizard tried to cast a spell but nothing worked, he couldn’t take anything as the source. The Dark Wizard had little to no aura or couldn’t control their auras like Valerie. There are two sources for using magic. One is auras that are taken from nature and one is life sources. Dark magicians fuel their magic with life forces which means they kill to do magic. But it doesn’t have to be beasts or humans, depending on the magnitude of the spell even insects can be used for simple spells. She had protected every living being with her aura in the perimeter. Her snake rubbed its head against her neck, and she caressed its scales with a smirk. She enjoyed the Dark wizard's desperate attempts