Chapter 184: The Crow and His Master

"If you are worried that I am no match to that vermin’s cheap antics, I’d say you should put some trust in my confidence, Lauren. I didn’t ace wars for being a lousy fighter."

She half-smiled. Of course she knew his reputation as a former warlord, but that didn’t mean she could help worrying about him.

"You know what you should worry about? Yourself." His eyes darted out the window near them and the curtain covering it slid to the side, revealing the snowy night. He then moved his gaze back to her. "So you sent your henchman to the north. You are planning to take as many pacifiers as your body can hold to assuage your condition."

Lauren leaned toward the table. "How did you know? Are you spying on Darius?"

"Why would you think so?" Alec’s brow shot up. "I admit, I did some spying on that henchman of yours, but he’s quite sharper than I expected. I was just curious if you have his utmost loyalty, and I stopped when he told the man I sent that he could never betray you because of the master-servant contract."

"Yes, the contract is true, but even without that, I know I have Darius’ loyalty. You don’t know him, Alec, and I do. He has worked for me for a couple of years now. I know him better," she said, not liking the thought of Alec sending someone to spy on Darius because he thought he wasn’t reliable. The man proved himself enough. He had done so much for her, and he wasn’t just a simple henchman for her. He had grown to feel like a family—a brother.

"I only wanted to check. Is there harm in that?" His voice softened, seeing annoyance flicker in her eyes.

"How did you know I sent Darius to the north?"

"I knew you’d call him over, so I told Matthias to talk to him. I figured out you would be too stubborn to feed on people’s energy to live longer, so you’d search for an alternative. Sure, pacifiers will ease your pain, but they won’t help you extend your life." His voice was firm and hard, his teeth clenched.

She sighed. She knew he never liked talking about her death sentence.

"But that is the only thing I can do for now. Anthony said he’d see if he could find anything that would help us. You also talked to Lady Amber. Nothing is certain, Alec. There is still hope, and I wish you could just support me whatever my decision is—and I’m sticking to what I believe is right. I won’t live through other people’s lives. I’m a mage, not some lowly demon."

Contempt was etched on Alec’s face, but he didn’t say anything. Lauren seemed resolute with her decision, and he knew whatever he said right now, she wouldn’t listen to him. He could only wish Anthony would find something useful and Amber would send him the books he needed as soon as possible. No matter what happened, he’d search the depths of the world just to find a cure for Lauren. He won’t even hesitate to go to hell if that’s what it takes.

When their food was served, Lauren realized she hadn’t asked Alec about what happened to the north district.

"Has the council investigated the recent case of deranged humans?" she asked, taking small bites from her plate. She was so preoccupied with the things in her mind that she couldn’t concentrate on eating.

"Yes, Lionel have the report sent earlier this afternoon. It was said that the villagers noticed a non-native stopping by a tavern to dine. The next thing happened, all of the diners except the non-native man turned into deranged humans and wreaked havoc in the district. He disappeared while the whole place was in chaos, but some of the residents described him as a tall man dressed in shabby clothes—descriptions all generic, so the council found it hard to trace who the person is."

"If he came to pretend to dine in that tavern and all the diners turned deranged, he must not be alone. He must have worked with someone from the kitchen to poison the diners’ meals," she said, to which Alec nodded.

"That is true. According to the report, one kitchen attendant of the tavern had gone missing, but he wasn’t among the deranged humans killed. He must have escaped with the non-native man while chaos was going on. Edith sent me a missive that she and your other henchman happened to be near the vicinity, so they helped subdue the situation. I replied and told her to appease the people."

"Darius had mentioned it to me. The casualties? I hope there weren’t many deaths..." Her voice trailed off.

She shuddered at the thought of a pile of bodies of innocent people. Waiting for his answer, she looked down at her plate and lost her sense of taste. She couldn’t taste anything on her tongue but bitterness.

"A lot of residents acquired injuries, but deaths including the deranged humans were about three dozen," Alec answered, his voice steely velvet.

Three dozen. Now she didn’t know if she could still eat.

He rose from his seat and her eyes snapped to him. "Will you stay in your office tonight?"

"No."

He was then next to her, bending down to kiss the top of her head gently. She inhaled his scent; they were barely touching, but she could feel his warmth at how close he was and she wished she could just lay on his arms the rest of the night to forget all the dark thoughts threatening her sanity.

"I’ll go to the council." His answer was brief and dismissive, leaving no room for an explanation.

She sighed when he moved away, disappointed that he had removed himself from her too soon. She looked up at his bleak eyes, and she knew that his going to the council had something to do with Simon. His unwavering determination to hunt the enemy was evident, and the hunt would start tonight. Her gaze grew wary.

"No sneaky actions this time, Lauren," he warned.

She smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes. "I promise."

The way he held her gaze intensely told her that he was reluctant to leave her out of his sight, but the strong urge to do something about their enemy got the better of him.

"I’ll be back before midnight. Finish your dinner and go to bed," he demanded, his tone full of authority.

"I will," Lauren said even though she knew she’d go straight to bed once Alec left instead of finishing her dinner. She didn’t have an appetite these days; she found all food bland, and she guessed it was one of the signs of her illness worsening.

* * *

On the outskirts of the town, a lightless mansion stood over a cliff beyond the dark forest where a man stood on the balcony. He was gripping the nape of a woman; his fangs sank deep into the woman’s neck and his red eyes were so dark they looked burgundy.

After a few minutes, the woman’s body fell to the man’s feet, pale and lifeless, eyes wide open.

"Thanks for the delightful meal, Miss Lilith," Simon said, looking at the body beneath him. "Your blood tasted a little bland, but it wasn’t bad."

He craned his neck and looked at the misty sky. His gaze fell on the crow perched on the concrete balustrade of the balcony, its red eyes staring back at him. One of his brows flicked up, his lips twitching without humor.

"Seems like the queen wasn’t touched by my generous offer. Everston must be on his way to hunt me down," he muttered under his breath, his voice gentle yet devious.

The crow suddenly turned to a lanky man, his body ramrod straight, and his irises rimmed with dark red linings.

"You were right, milord. The king is on the way to the council. He must be tracking your traces."

"Should I pay him a visit?" Simon touched his lower lip with his index finger, his face thoughtful as if he were contemplating it thoroughly. "I bet he’d be surprised."

"Ah," he hummed, shaking his head. "I should rest for a while. I don’t think I can convince Lauren all by myself since Alec Everston got her wrapped with his fingers. That lunatic devil." His eyes turned sharp at the way he called Alec.

"You should not worry, milord. Now that Queen Lauren told the king about you unlike what we expected, the mistress must have a plan to lure the queen out. She wouldn’t watch idly for sure."

"Of course I know that. It’s just a shame Lauren is allowing that lunatic to hold her neck. She should have fallen into my trap and worked with me. I bet she doesn’t even know what kind of evil that man is..."

He clicked his tongue and smirked. "I wonder if she could still stomach the sight of him once she knew what he did to his own family."

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay Read