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"William, ;come here!" Rayven ordered when all the boys left their training. ;William came to him, keeping his head down. ;"What has happened to you?" he asked. ;Today, he wasn't as focused as he used to be. ;William looked up at him. "I didn't sleep well." ;"Seems like reading isn't helping anymore.""I have read all the books at home. I have nothing left to read. My sister will buy me a book today," he explained. ;"Take this," he said, giving him the book in his hands. "Make sure to come well prepared tomorrow." ;William looked at the book in his hands. The Monster Is Me. Then he looked up at him again. "What are you, My Lord?" he asked straight. ;"What do you think I am?" Rayven asked. ;"I am not sure," William replied. ;Interesting, Rayven thought. So he could sense that he wasn't human. Rayven wondered how he would react if he told him the truth. Most people didn't believe when the truth was told blatantly. ;"I am what most people call a demon." ;"Not evil? Just demon?" he asked. ;Rayven frowned. What was the difference to humans? All demons were evil to them. ;"I am evil too." Rayven replied. ;He wasn't being punished for no reason. ;William nodded, but Rayven wasn't sure why. Did he believe him or not? From the way his heart stayed calm, he probably didn't believe him. ;"I'll keep your secret," he told him. ;Oh, this boy. Rayven chuckled. ;"Why would you keep it a secret?" he asked. ;His father was eager to spread their secret, and yet here was his only son, wanting to keep it safe. ;"People are afraid of what they don't understand. You wouldn't be afraid of me?" He asked.Did this boy really think he would be afraid of him? He had just told him he was a demon. ;"Why do you ask? Are you what I might not understand?""I believe so," he said. ;"How so?" Rayven asked, becoming curious. ;"What are your nightmares about, My Lord?" ;"Monsters. Torture. Pain." ;"Mine are about the future." He lowered his voice. ;Future? Oh no! It couldn't be. ;"What you see in your dreams, does it happen?" he asked carefully. ;William nodded. ;How could it be possible? ;A male prophet?All of them were female. That is why the killing continued. They couldn't find the female prophetess because he was a male. ;Rayven understood now why he couldn't hear the boy's thoughts. It explained the maturity and wisdom.But why couldn't he read Angelica's thoughts? There couldn't be two of them in the same family. ;"William," he grabbed the back of the boy's head and made him look into his eyes. "Don't ever tell anyone what you told me right now. Not even the ones you think you can trust." ;"I trust you, My Lord." ;"Don't!" He said. ;For the first time he saw fear in the boy's eyes. "Am I in trouble, My Lord?" he whispered. ;"Not if you keep it a secret." ;William swallowed and nodded. ;"Come, I'll take you home," he said. ;On their way to William's home, Rayven realized what he was doing. ;What was he doing?! ;He cursed himself. ;"Is everything alright, My Lord?" William asked him. ;Rayven felt like he was suffocating as soon as he realized his actions. When would they arrive? ;When the carriage finally stopped, he stepped outside quickly and breathed in the cold air. The breeze carried a sweet scent that immediately stirred something in him. ;He resisted looking up. He wanted to flee, but his gaze was already drawn to her. ;"William!" She met her brother halfway and examined him, probably wondering why he brought him home instead of their father. When she found nothing wrong with her brother, her gaze shifted to his. ;"Lord Rayven. What brings you here?" ;My foolishness, he replied inside his head. ;He stopped breathing simply to avoid her scent. He didn't want to stir any desires within him that he couldn't satisfy. Women were not part of his life. He didn't take them even for pleasure because he couldn't stand hearing their thoughts of how revolting they found him to be. ;Angelica was a rare beauty, with her fiery hair and her calm blue eyes. A woman like her would never look his way. She had already chosen Skender, who probably was a better choice. The man knew how to charm women. Rayven only scared them before he could open his mouth. ;"Oh," she said, her eyes lighting up when she saw his book in William's hands. "Did you come to lend me the book?" ;As if he would bother doing such a thing. ;"No. He gave it to me." William said. ;"Gave it?" Her eyes widened and then she turned to him and squinted her eyes at him. ;Some unknown emotion went through her eyes when she noticed his burned face. ;"What happened to you?" she asked with a frown. ;He sighed. "Your brother told me his secret. You should never tell anyone." ;Shocked, Angelica looked down at her brother to confirm what he said, and William nodded. ;Rayven turned to leave when he felt her grab his arm. "Wait! Do you know what it means? I mean that he has those…"Removing his arm from her grip, he looked into her eyes. "You know what it means. You just don't believe it because you have never seen it before."Her eyes darted around before gazing at him again. ;"Do you know how he can get rid of it?""He can't. It's a gift and a curse that he has to live with." ;He tried to leave again, but she grabbed him again. ;This woman. How dare she? ;"Please, if you know a way, tell me," she pleaded. "He has never known peaceful sleep." ;Rayven clenched his jaw. "I know nothing," he said, removing himself again to leave. ;Angelica hurried to stand in his way this time. Rayven was shocked. ;"Lord Rayven, you came to my doorstep. You should at least have the courtesy to finish a conversation before leaving." She told him. ;Courtesy. She was using words that didn't exist in his world. ;He only looked into her eyes, focusing on not letting his curiosity make his gaze go anywhere else. But a red strand of hair that fell over her face kept distracting him. ;"My brother has been looking for someone to help him for some time now. He chose to trust you with his secret. Is there really nothing you can give back?" ;"I am afraid your brother might become disappointed." He said. ;"I am afraid you want to disappoint, My Lord." She retorted. ;"Move out of my way before I kill you." He snapped. ;Rayven never had to actively chase someone away. ;Angelica didn't move and narrowed her eyes instead. So even this didn't faze her? ;He listened to her heartbeat. She was a little afraid, but it didn't show on her face. ;What kind of creature was he dealing with? Would he have to push her away?Not wanting to put his hands on her, he waited. At last, she nodded and moved out of the way. She motioned for him to leave. "Have a good night, My Lord." ;Rayven walked away, feeling confused. ;Angelica paced back and forth in her room feeling anxious while her brother followed her with his gaze until he became dizzy and gave up. "Why didn't you tell me first?" She scolded. "I am sorry. I thought it was the right opportunity." He said. She stopped pacing and looked at him. "Why did you tell him?" she asked curiously. She thought he liked the King the most. "He is honest. If I tell him, I will know his intentions. He won't pretend to be kind and then betray me." Angelica didn't know him as much as her brother knew him, so she trusted his intuition. "What about the King?" "I can't know for sure if I can trust him." William replied. If the King was a charmer, then it would be hard to know what he was thinking if William told him. She was proud of her clever brother. When they went to bed at night, William was reading Lord Rayven's book. The one that had caught her and his attention in the bookstore. He had refused to lend it to her, but he gave it to William. He definit
"My Lord, thank you for giving me your book. I enjoyed it greatly and finished reading it at once. I believe the book is special to you so I thought of giving it back." William held out the book he had given to him. Rayven had regretted all of his actions last night, but he mostly regretted that he gave away his book when he remembered what he had written in it. Without hesitance he took it back from William. Spending time with this boy was messing with his mind, so he left him this time before William could leave. Rayven went to his chamber so he could be alone, but found Blayze waiting for him. Rayven gave him a questioning look. "Have you asked Skender if he found a solution on how to deal with Lord Davis or will your punishment go to waste?" Rayven sighed as he sat down on the bed. "He was willing to take the punishment to save him, so I am sure he is thinking of a way." "Are you sure?" Blayze asked skeptically. Skender was known to be negligent. Maybe he wasn't doing his j
Rayven was walking through the market, causing heads to turn and eyes to widen in fascination. Women would nudge each other with their elbows whenever he walked by, giggle or try to catch his attention. He was taller than most men, but he carried his length with elegance, just like the rest of his attire. His skin changes tones depending on season and on this summer day, his sun-kissed skin had a healthy glow and his dark hair looked more well kept than the wealthiest woman in town. He was aware of everyone's glances, but his obsidian eyes didn't wander amongst the woman. Instead, they turned to gaze at the woman by his side, who had her arm through his. She looked up at him with a smile, and he smiled back at her. Rayven didn't know whether to feel relieved or disappointed that he woke up from this beautiful dream. It had been a long time since he hadn't had a nightmare. In his dream, his scars were gone, and he had a lovely woman by his side. He seeme
Why did she have to come here at this time? Her eyes burned like blue flames into his. "Release him at once." She said. And so he did. The man almost fell down but stayed hidden behind the counter. Rayven was in shock. Did he just obey her orders? Pretending like he did no such thing, he adjusted himself while Angelica went to help the seller get up on his feet. "Are you alright, Sir?" "Yes. Thank you, My Lady." Turning to him, she gave him a stern look. Rayven ignored her and picked up his books before walking past her maid, who looked like she had seen a ghost. When he was outside the shop, he went to his horse that was tied to a tree nearby. "Lord Rayven." He almost groaned. Why was she following him? He kept pretending as if she didn't exist and began to pack his books into the bag that hung from the saddle. She was quiet for a moment that he had to glance her way to see what she was doing. Her cheeks were slightly flushed and he could hear her heart beat a little faster
"You can kill him." Skender finally gave his approval to kill Lord Davis. He called Lazarus and Acheron to his room and appointed them to do it discreetly. Perhaps the problem could still be solved if more words didn't reach the public yet. Lazarus could see that Skender was torn about his decision but there was no other way than killing Lord Davis at this moment, since he was planning to attack the castle tonight. "We will take care of it," Acheron said, giving him a pat on the shoulder. Lazarus gave him a nod, and they both left Skender behind. They walked into the darkness of the night, moving toward the camp where Lord Davis and his men were preparing for their mission. "It has been some time since we were sent on a mission." Acheron said. "I miss it," Lazarus replied, feeling excitement pump in his veins.But these were humans, and they would probably be done in no time. Lazarus wished they were facing other creatures. "I wished Skender would cause more mishaps so we would
Angelica had no chance of escaping. In the basement, there was only one small window, through which sunlight came in. But even if she could escape, what would she actually do?Her father was right when he laughed at her threat. It would be dangerous and foolish to go to the King to expose her own father, that is, if she even could bring herself to do that. How could she be the cause of her father's death and for what purpose? To be a woman alone in this world? Without a man, there was almost nothing she could do. Especially if she exposed her father as a traitor. Her world would crumble. There was also no guarantee that the King would believe her and suspicion alone could lead to her execution. It was also not rare for a King to execute the traitor with his family members, especially the males to eliminate any threat of them wanting revenge in the future. She could put her brother in danger even if she didn't think that Skender was that kind of King. She wouldn't gamble with her br
Angelica wished the night was longer so she could sleep the pain away, but the morning had already arrived with the promise of the dreadful day ahead of her. The first thing she noticed when she awoke was that her brother was no longer in her bed. Sitting up, she rubbed her swollen eyes that she could barely open. Her eyelids felt heavy and her throat was dry. A light knock made her turn to the door. Eva walked inside with a tray in her hand. "Good morning, My Lady." She greeted and then came to place the tray on the bedstand next to her. Then she remained standing there. "My Lady," she looked down at her hands which she rubbed together. "I am truly sorry. I wish I had the courage to defy your father and come to release you.""It's alright Eva. What happened has already happened and I don't blame you." Angelica said. "I wish to take care of you. Please allow me." Angelica nodded. "Thank you, My Lady. Shall I help you get dressed?" "Yes, please." Eva picked a dress for her and
Rayven was surprised to see William coming to the training. He had thought he would take the day off after the tragic event with his father. He wondered how much he knew about his father's death. They had to compel a few soldiers to believe they had found him dead and deliver the corpse to their home. Skender wanted them to give them the chance to bury their father. Humans grieve when they lose someone. Rayven didn't know what it felt like to lose someone. Only something. He never had close people in his life that he cared enough about or that cared enough about him. He has only ever loved himself. Only cared about himself. He was the definition of selfish. He couldn't remember ever complimenting someone, consoling someone or just simply helping someone. That was the kind of person he was. Now he just looked at William, not knowing what to say. But why did he feel like saying something? William was training as usual. Rayven couldn't detect any emotion he knew as grief or sadness.