Late evening.
Dining, Jones Estate.
Critic Arley, Critic-Ishire.
***************
"It was Helena" Sarah enunciated, taking back her hand. "Helena of Critic-Ishelm" she added.
Conan frowned. "I did not think she was that powerful" he admitted.
Theodore’s mother was a descendant of the first magic practitioners, they’re curses and spells were stronger, and Conan was surprised by the whole event.
Sarah nodded. "She was not even a bit uncertain, I loved her voice before I saw her and her beauty didn’t fail either" she complinted.
"Yes," Conan agreed.
Then they spent the rest of the day gazing at each other and smiling, soon evening ca and Conan knew he had to go ho, he didn’t know how to but he didn’t want to scare Helena, he could act as though nothing changed but she would be uncomfortable with that. He sighed as he approached his carriage.
"You did not have to escort all the way here mother" he grumbled as there stood his mother watching him the smile she’d carried since afternoon no longer on.
"Conan, she is a precious one, you cannot join her with the others" she pokes softly, holding his black orbs in hers.
He nodded. "I know Mother, I never will"
Today Conan couldn’t spend much ti with his mother because it got dark earlier than normal probably because they finally could see and enjoy themselves together or because the knight was eager to go ho to his... Helena.
*
* *
*
Evening.
Theodore office.
Critic Arley, Critic-Ishire.
***************
In the dimly lit space of his outside office, Lord Theodore seethed with a mix of fury and disappointnt as he confronted the royal knight who had dared to spy on him for years.
Noah.
"What are you doing in Critic Arley?" Theodore.
"Work" Noah replied comfortably.
Theodore walked around him, his hand behind him. "Are you a royal knight or a Critic Arley Street security?"
"My... your Highness, what do you an?" he faltered in his words.
With each passing mont, the tension in the room crackled like lightning, fueled by Theodore’s smouldering rage and the knight’s palpable fear.
He had been on edge since the emperor’s mother converged terity to show up at his mansion with his supposed betrothed unannounced and promised to return.
He was disappointed in himself for having beco so soft that the Rhuins family now thought they could play with him.
Standing before him, Noah’s once-steadfast deanour faltered, his handso features contorted in a mixture of apprehension and remorse.
Despite his rugged charm and chiselled jawline, there was an undeniable vulnerability in his wide, innocent eyes, betraying the depths of his terror, but Theodore knew he was anything but innocent.
Theodore scoffed. "Do you really think Salvatore would return your love soday?"
Noah shivered involuntarily. "I... your highness..."
Lord Theodore, his piercing gaze fixed upon the trembling knight, felt a surge of righteous indignation course through his veins.
How dare this insolent spy invade his privacy and violate the sanctity of his domain? He had warned this knight before, yet here he stood, a trespasser in the lord’s own stronghold.
Salvatore never listens, his obsession with ssing with Theodore increases daily and Theodore would always evade him, he would hate to be the bringer of his kr Lydia’s downfall by overreacting but Salvatore would push forever.
With a sudden, nacing glint in his eyes, Lord Theodore advanced upon the knight, his intentions clear as he reached for the hilt of his sword.
The knight, Noah recoiled, his breath catching in his throat as he braced himself for the inevitable punishnt that awaited him.
But just as Theodore’s hand closed around the hilt of his blade, a flicker of rcy softened his steely resolve, Lydia would think him awful for taking a life when they’d just lost theirs. She might never know but the guilt night remains. They were still mourning and he would respect that.
With a chilling smile that sent shivers down the knight’s spine, Lord Theodore leaned in close, his voice dripping with malice as he delivered his final warning.
"Consider yourself fortunate, knight," he hissed, his words laced with icy nace.
"Should you ever dare to cross again, your fate will be far worse than temporal blindness." he completed.
With that, Theodore released his grip on the knight, allowing him to stumble backwards in a daze of relief and disbelief.
As the knight fled the office, his heart pounding in his chest, he couldn’t shake the feeling of the lord’s piercing gaze burning into his soul. He had been spying on the lord like the emperor always instructed him to when he felt a blade to his throat immobilizing him further was Theodore’s voice behind him.
Though he had narrowly escaped with his life, the mory of Lord Theodore’s wrath would haunt him forever, a constant reminder of the danger that lurked behind the lord’s captivating facade.
And his words earlier "Tell Salvatore to stay away from , leave the fuck alone because if he does not then I shall be forced to take action and he should be aware that would not be too rry about the outco".
He was passing this ssage on and preparing to never get caught again.
*
* *
*
Night.
Obscure Area.
Critic Arley, Critic-Ishire.
***************
Sowhere in Critic Arley as the night deepens and the fog thickens, Hound’s determination only intensifies, his search for Mira growing more desperate with each passing mont.
Faces blurred into the darkness, their words re echoes in the labyrinth of streets.
Yet, amidst the gloom, a glimr of hope flickered, a whispered rumour, a fleeting glimpse of a figure darting into the shadows.
With renewed vigour, Hound sets off, his steps quickening as he follows the faint trail, his smirk indicating how ready he was to te out justice.
At last, he found himself standing before a weathered door, the air heavy with anticipation.
With a steady hand, he shoved the door open, revealing a dimly lit room where to his surprise and suspicion found Mira cowering in fear, there was no guilt written across her trembling form.
"You took your ti, I almost thought you would never arrive" she sneered.
She looked dirty and thinner.
There was no rcy in Hound’s gaze as he confronted her, "You should have run away" his voice a chilling echo in the silence.
He approached her and with a swift motion, he bonded her hands, his grip unyielding as he led her away, her fate sealed by her own treachery.
And as dawn breaks over the city, Hound still in white disappears into the shadows, his mission almost complete, as soon his mistress’s agony is cleared and perhaps happiness restored.
Hound left behind only whispers of his cold and dangerous presence lingering in the air.
Mira’s eyes widened in terror as she slowly began to realize the gravity of her situation, her breath hitching in fear.
She knew there was no escape from Hound or the mansion if she reached there, but she didn’t completely regret what she did despite having no sanctuary from the consequences of her actions.
And as dawn breaks over the city, Hound led the trembling maid away into the misty morning, his mission close to completion, yet his resolve unwavering, his lord’s justice awaiting her fate.
He didn’t understand why it was so easy to catch her, it was as if she was readied for the catching and like she said, she’d waited for him.
This is bigger than it looked. Bigger than Mira and her tricks.
*
* *
*
Night.
Theodore Mansion
Critic Arley, Critic-Ishire.
***************
After the sun had dipped below the horizon, casting a fiery glow upon the ancient stone walls of the Theodore mansion, Lord Theodore rode through the imposing gates, his golden locks that would have caught the fading light were in disarray from the wind and his fingers.
Tall and commanding, he exuded an air of regal confidence, his every movent exquisitely refined.
He had missed ho and as he looked at the dark mansion he noticed awaiting him in the candlelit foyer stood Lydia, his wife of unmatched beauty and grace.
Her long, black hair cascaded like a waterfall of midnight silk down her slender back, contrasting starkly with her porcelain skin.
With ocean-blue eyes that sparkled with mischief and passion, she possessed a magnetism that drew all who beheld her into her orbit.
Theodore most included.
Clad in a delicate nightdress that draped elegantly over her curves, Lydia’s presence filled the area with an intoxicating allure.
Though her attire was simple, it accentuated her every curve, hinting at the tantalizing promise of what lay beneath.
Lydia’s heart thumped.
As Lord Theodore approached his wife, a hunger ignited in his sky-blue eyes, mirroring the desire that smouldered within Lady Theodore’s gaze.
Despite the fatigue of his events today, he was captivated by her radiant beauty, his pulse quickening with anticipation.
At that mont, as their gazes locked in a passionate embrace, the world outside faded away, leaving only the undeniable magnetism that bound them together.
Though their love was fiery and intense, it was tempered by a profound connection that transcended re physical attraction, a bond that united them in a tiless dance of desire and devotion.
"Theodore" she whispered breathlessly.
He drew her into his arms. "Gooseberry" he purred.
"Welco ho" she mumbled into his throat.
He trailed the tip of his nose along the line of her neck. "Let in?"
"Forever" she mumbled and they united in a kiss.
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