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"Neil, are you sure about this?"

"Yes. That is what the… the old priest told me. I know it sounds like some crazy stuff, but I… I could feel it. the whole village was swallowed up by that thing." The eyes of the young red-haired knight were filled with so much panic and anxiousness, and his lips were shaking uncontrollably.

Sir Greyson and Elton were inside Blue Mansion with the recently arrived knight, Neil Carlton. He and the other survivors from the village of Arcton came to the town a day ago. They looked haggard and most of them with severe colds. However, the most evident symptom was the panic written on their faces.

The priest of the Temple of Light from Greenfort knew about the passage and confirmed that it was used for an emergency. The priest from Arcton must have sealed the entrance on the other side.

"I am telling the truth. The feeling was… was so similar to her."

"What are you talking about, Neil?"

Sir Greyson looked concerned at him. Neil's eyes were unfocused like the other villagers. His skin was frozen, and he was suffering from a terrible cold and shivers from time to time. Even now, it was difficult to identify if the trembling of his hands were due to the cold or because of extreme fear.

"It was like the feeling back then when she… when she was with us."

"Who are you referring to? Who is she?"

"That woman… the former fiancée of His Highness."

"Are you referring to Miss Lucia?"

"Yes, maybe… may… be she is the one the priest was trying to warn us of… she can create those things… do you… do you remember? She annihilated the whole army back then. She is a monster!"

"Stop it, you idiot!" Sir Elton was the one to talk now. His eyes were not as cheerful as always, they looked angry and dangerous. "One more word and you won't live to talk ever again."

His threatening words filled the room with a heavy atmosphere.

"You! What are you saying? Why are you defending that monster? She and her witch slave are surely the ones behind all this. They must be jealous of the new fiancée of His Highness, Princess Rebecca, so they want to create chaos in the country."

"I already told you to shut up!"

Sir Elton cracked his hands and was about to punch the idiot man when someone else beat him to it.

"Wha… what did you…"

His lips were bleeding while lying on the floor.

"Greyson, why you…?"

He was blabbering and pointing at Greyson with accusatory eyes. It was hard to believe that the gentle doctor could explode like that to a sick person. Sir Greyson made a light smile, but his eyes were telling otherwise.

"You should inform yourself better. Our current Madam is not that Princess Rebecca. Our Master already found his true fiancée, and you should pledge respect to her. One more derogatory word from your mouth and I will be forced to submit a case of treason."

Sir Elton looked amazed at Greyson. He never thought that his friend was this fierce. However, he welcomed it and liked it very much.

"Wow, Greyson, I never thought you will be this loyal and violent."

Greyson looked at the cheerful Elton again and directed his dangerous smile to him.

"Ye… yeah… just don't… cough… whatever."

'Goodness, that gave me a fright.' Elton turned to look at the man on the ground.

"Neil, you should not disregard Miss Lucia, she is already our Highness fiancée and the Queen has approved of her, and she is not the kind of people to terrorize a whole innocent village."

"What?! That can't be. Then that feeling, the darkness, the cold, the red eyes. They all match. How can she not be involved?"

The priest took a long sigh and the others looked at him. He hadn't talked from the beginning but was carefully listening to Neil's words.

"Priest Lothar, what are your thoughts about the message?" The calm Greyson turned to look at him.

"We should alert the other villages as soon as possible. The temple of light must request for a meeting with the Queen to send reinforcements to the villages and request for more light priests. We may face an old evil. A terrible one."

"What are you talking about, Priest?"

"The message from the old priest of Arcton was a warning from an old legend. A terrible legend buried in the old books of the Order." Then he took out a chain with a key hanging from it.

"What is that about?"

"The beast is what they used to call an ancient creature from the darkness. The legend said that long ago it was sealed but may rise again when it gained enough strength. I initially thought it was a foolish myth to scare people but then the high priest gave us a copy of the book and this key. They told us to carefully read the book and pass it down to the next priest."

"So, the beast is real?"

"I am afraid so. And now it has gained strength. We have to warn everyone."

"Greyson, we should go to the capital, to the Duke."

"Alright, but we can't leave the town unprotected."

"Then I will stay. Priest, what should we do for the time being?"

"We should gather everyone in the temple. There is a tunnel for emergencies and the light magic will protect us until the central temple sent reinforcements with light charms."

"Then we should start."

Elton walked away quickly but as he opened the door, a little body of a cute little girl bumped into him.

"Auch…"

"Lily, what are you doing?"

"I am sorry, it was not my intention to spy..."

"Sighs… alright… come we should go with your mother and brothers." He took her into his arms but it concerned him that she had heard about the conversation, it will only scare her.

"Sir Elton, what is that thing? Will it come here?"

Her little eyes couldn't hide her fear, but Elton gave her a gentle pat.

"Don't worry little one. We will be fine. I will protect you."

He said so but he was also afraid of what was about to come. He had had his share of battles and fierce wars against any kind of man. He had seen what cruel men and desperate men could do when forced by the circumstances. He had killed many enemies to defend his country and many others to conquer lands, but now everything will be different. That thing is not human.

*********

We were about to exit the study room of my father when three elegant women full of perfume stood before us, blocking our path. They were my classy stepmother with her long blonde hair, my stepsister Monique dressed all in red, and my Cousin Katia, with her cute pink outfit. They sure took their time to dress up. Smirk.

"Your Highness, good evening. We couldn't come before to greet you. I beg your pardon." The one talking with such a sweet nauseating voice was my dear cousin Katia.

Ugh, should I vomit now, can I?

"Katia, dear, His Highness has urgent matters."

"But we should give the great Duke the best courtesy uncle. Why not have breakfast with us?"

What is this? Can't they see me? I bet they can, Monique is giving me disgusting looks.

The Duke took my hand not minding the three women and kissed it. Then without telling anything he led me through that perfumed wall of ladies. Oh, how merciless.

"Your Highness, please don't leave." Now Monique was talking in that coquettish voice. Is it a trend to talk like that? Should I try it?

"Please your Highness, we can all share a meal even though we are no longer family. We surely can make amends for my long-lost sister."

"…" Yep. She doesn't recognize me. How funny, now she thinks that she had captured the Duke's attention. I could see my father's face becoming red full of shame.

"Monique, please, how can you not recognize your own sister?"

"Father?"

Now is the time to introduce myself. "Sister, it's been so long since we saw each other, how have you been?"

The three women widened their eyes really big and their mouth formed a perfect zero. Shouldn't they cover their mouth with their white gloves?

"You… you are…"

"I am Lucia, sister, how can you not recognize me?"

"Were you not lost?"

"Nope"

I heard the sigh of Irina behind us. I know, I know. Now is not the time to be playing, but these women were so crazily funny. "Darling, shall we go now?"

"Yes, my love."

His eyes were so gentle looking that my heart melted the moment I saw him. Then he flashed his beautiful smile and showed me his dimples. Oh no! Those killing dimples. I had to hide them with my hands.

"Lucia, darling. What are you doing?"

"Protecting you."

"…"

"Cousin Lucia, why not have a meal with us? Surely you won't be rude enough to reject our little request."

"Oh cousin! I didn't see you. I beg your pardon. Unfortunately, we have urgent matters in our hands right now."

"What could be that urgent to not have a little meal with your family? Aren't you being a little disrespectful to your father? Are you looking down on us?"

"I am so sorry father, we would need to move this family meal to another time, maybe my fiancé and his sister, the Queen, will come with us."

These two women's eyes were so funny to look at. They were biting hard their beautiful painted lips.

"Yes, of course, Lucia, we can move our family gathering another time. When all of this has passed."

"Yes, dad."

Now was the turn of the Countess to widen her eyes. She had never seen my father refer to me in that way. Sigh…

"Darling, let's go."