Marquess Dalles

"The world has two planes. It functions as two worlds, the above-world society and the underworld. You royals are in charge of the well-being of the people of the above-world society."

"What you see is nothing compared to what the underworld society sees daily," explained Mavislin, looking at the naive girl.

"I've seen conflict as well! Just because I'm of royalty means that I have to be pampered!" wailed the young girl.

"What you see as horrific is mundane in the eyes of a dweller in the underworld. In that society, there's no such thing as justice, for it's merely a word to give control of others' life. There, it is killed or be killed."

"When you fry an egg, you are bound to discard the eggshells. It's the same for the world. Where there's good, there will be a shadow to cast nearby," explained Mavislin, sternly looking towards the girl.

"Years ago, the Marquess Dalles and I decided to combat the world's filth. It is impossible to rid the world of such nasty deeds, but at least we could give some form of order to that world. Of course, we were no heroes either. But we gave a sense of order within that society."

"Ultimately, we made a deal to the Kings of the underworld, to not disturb the above-world society," explained Baldwin, looking at the night sky.

"So, you mean to say... That my fiance is a villainous noble?" asked Metria.

"Not necessarily, since I do not know if the Marquess has stayed the same. But, I did the dirty work while he held the title and commanded the rest."

"Though I was the one on the battlefield, the Marquess had more deaths to shoulder," continued the Angry Man, giving a surprise to Mavislin and Metria.

"Wait, you never once told us you were associated with them," complained a shocked Mavislin.

"The house continued to function well without me, so I thought it was no use to tell."

"No wonder you went missing for a few months. Doing shady work behind our back?" asked Mavislin, smirking.

"It was for an entire year, and I am good at keeping secrets. I'd promised the couple that I'd do anything to protect the kids. Even if it means keeping you guys in the dark... At that point, you were still too young," explained the Angry Man.

"Back to the main topic, the Dalles was in charge of the underworld after a year. Though the Marquess rarely did the dirty work, after I'd left, he managed to pick a few skills in combat."

"Was it that Marquess, the one that kept smiling?" asked Mavislin.

"Yea. But at that time, he could still smile."

"He had to; I guess... He held the title of Marquess Dalles. But his eyes are not the gaze of a murderer. He seems too innocent."

"I had no idea that the Dalles were working in the dark. If I'd known, I wouldn't have said yes," whispered Metria.

"That's what you people of royalty presume—thinking that marrying your child to another noble family would aid the kingdom you are controlling."

"Well, without knowing your spouse, how could you possibly think to spend your entire life with him?" asked Mavislin, disapprovingly looking towards the young princess.

"Don't marry for the sake of binding two empires together. Marry because you love that person. Because you accept them for who they are and love them," advised Baldwin as a hint of sadness flashed in his eyes."

"The ones who dwell and thrive within the darkness of the world. We are those that you lot from above have denied. We witness the filth of the world. Hatred, sadness, anger, despair, pain, torture, and death."

Baldwin and Metria stood up as they tried to find the source of the ominous voice. It sounded so familiar, yet it was foreign.

"That is the society we live in, and we command it. The house of Dalles is in charge of the underworld society. Once you enter the house of Dalles, there is no point of return," echoed a voice from afar.

"Well, well. It's been such a long time, hasn't it?" asked the voice as he stepped out from behind a huge boulder.

His smile looked warm and welcoming, yet his voice was icy cold. His white teeth gave his position away. Fully dressed in a black kimono, armed with a Nodachi and a black hair tie, he faced the group confidently.

"My darling," grinned the Marquess of the underworld.

Baldwin raised his sword, preparing to battle. Metria did the same, summoning fists full of Water. Mavislin could only look at him in horror.

"What's wrong, darling?" asked the smiling man.

"Though I knew the Marquess, I had no idea you would turn out to be that..."