Chapter 26

A/N: Happy new year! I'm sorry for not uploading on last Wednesday. I was planning to publish 3 chapters today as a gift for the new year 2022. Hope you enjoy it!!!

The next morning, Carlisa and I had tea together and I relayed the incident. She gasped and her teacup almost fell out of her hands.

"Count Vien!?" She asked me.

"Yeah, that's what the men told me."

"Count Vien was the one who brought Lily back!" Carlisa screamed at me.

"Yes, I know." I told her, calmly.

"But...but, why aren't you worried?"

"He must have wanted to get rid of me before presenting Lily out into society." I told her with a devilish grin.

"This is outrageous! How the hell did that clown even..."

"Slow down, we have a plan, don't we? Even my pinkie finger will be safe."

"You are still going to run away, aren't you?"

"Actually..."

"Yes, yes???" She egged me eagerly.

"It seems that I would have to visit the Southern areas for a wholly different reason."

"I don't get what you are trying to say."

"My spirit guardian has a small problem. He can't contact the southern area monsters and so we have to check it ourselves."

"Monsters?" Carlisa asked me with a suspicious look.

"Oohh...uhh..." I stammered. Me and my big mouth!

"Rose, spill it! You are the worst at secrets!" I hate her honesty and bluntness.

'Well, it was your fault!' My rationality pointed out.

"Since I can't hide anything, I'll spill the tea. Remember, my sword act? I pulled some strings some while ago and now I'm a dark user." I confessed.

"Holy shit! I knew it! You had a crazy powerful aura when you were fighting Alvin. And Alvin is considered a prodigy." Carlisa surprisingly took it well.

"Aren't you gonna banish me, future-empress?" I scoffed.

"As if! You can be my right hand man!"

"You cunning fox!" I screamed and threw a biscuit at her.

"You're the legit devil!" She screamed back. We fell into an unending laughter fest.

"So, you will be taking a temporary leave?"

"Yep and honestly, I feel good about it. I want to have some time for myself to sort out my messed up thoughts."

"That's great! I'll make sure that you will want to stay! I swear!" Carlisa jumped up with excitement. I hate my hypocritical nature but during the past few days, the sense of comfort that I felt cannot be ignored.

Now, wherever I go, I hear happy cries from the knights, most of the maids and my lovely new family. Mum and I go gang up on Robert sometimes on his silly mistakes. All of us have dinner together every single day as a request from our Father.

There, we always joke around and tell everything that one went through their day. I even had a game of chess with my father in which I won twice and Father gained only one win.

I remember being so smug and bragging to my Mum and the knights. They made me smile. This family did! So, I want to protect it at every cost. I want to stay!

Two days before the Crown Prince's 16th birthday...

The family was having another lovely dinner. Robert was just explaining how he saved a young maid in the castle before she tripped in exaggeration.

Me and Richard took glances at each other and shrugged our heads and shoulders fully knowing Robert's behavior.

Mum made a comment that our Father also had a similar habit back in the day, to which our father mumbled that the past was in the past. We all giggled, heartily.

These were the situations that made me rethink my decision. Why would I leave all this happiness to some crazy fear I developed over Lily? That was the epitome of being stupid.

That was until, Robert relayed an incident he heard among the knights in the morning.

"You know, there was a group of knights this morning that said something interesting."

"What was it, son?" Father asked him. At that time, I was chewing on a hard piece of roasted meat that was fighting with my stubborn molars on the topic of digestion which both parties seemed to detest.

"Some guy was accused of playing around with black magic last week. The guards had arrested him." He continued as the food in my mouth fell on my wholesome plate as my face turned pale. My face was sure to have a look of pure horror. Luckily, no one noticed my unusual behavior. They were too engrossed in the news.

"Hmm, black magic is considered taboo. Poor guy! He will be beheaded next week. I feel bad for the family." Mum told us.

"Probably, after the Crown Prince's birthday. I'm sure Lewis would not want anything ruining his special day." Richard told with an exasperated sigh.

"Rose, what's wrong? You stopped eating!" Robert asked me in a worried tone. Meanwhile, my active body had stopped functioning. I couldn't think straight. Eerie thoughts passed my head.

I couldn't move my hand which dropped the spoon that was carefully held before. My mouth couldn't move to assure my family that I was okay.

Imaginations of a guillotine and a hanged rope plunged into my mind.

'Rose! Rose!, blink if you can hear me! Please answer, Rose.' Erebus implored but I couldn't answer him.

For some reason, I was stuck. I stopped. I paused. All my processes in the body halted. My breathing hitched.

"Rose, are you okay? You have a creepy face!" I heard someone telling me from outside. I felt an inch of control and I wriggled my toes to make sure. Yes!

My body came back to normal. I took in a sharp breath and allowed the oxygen to get absorbed into my blood cells.

"Yes, I'm fine. Don't worry" I reassured the table with a sickly smile.

"I hope so. You had a pretty bad face. Are you sick?" Mum asked me with a calming voice.

"No, but I do feel a little faintish. Maybe, I'll call it a night. Good night everyone!" I sprang up from my table and managed a smile.

They all waved in return. I ran up to my room in a steady manner and closed the door after allowing my maids to disperse.

Questions were filling up my head at a rapid pace. I need to get answers! I flopped on my bed and laid on the soft pillow with a frowned face. I concentrated on the plastered white ceiling above me.

"Erebus, is black magic created by darkness?" I spat out in a rush.

"Well..."

"Tell me!" I ordered him.

"Yes it is. It is a form of darkness where people obtain it by force to achieve one of their plans. But, a dark attribute user and black magic user have a drastic difference."

"I see. So, will myself being a dark user be a problem?"

"Rose, calm down. Nothing like what is going on in your head will happen."

"Will my existence be taboo for this family? Will they get threatened to exile because of me? Talk, man!" I asked him a little more violently.

"Well, it depends on them. I mean, if this makes you feel better even the previous emperor was a dark user. And he never resorted to black magic in his life. Only people with intense and uncontrollable personalities will face problems connecting with black magic and I can prove that you will not face any of that sort. Your energy and mind is too good for that to happen." He explained to the panicking me.

"But, it won't matter how much control I would have if the family despised the dark users right? Nobles will riot against the duchy. They would throw me away or maybe burn me at the stake like a witch. Heck, how can a commoner even be a dark user?" I gawked out trying to maintain my composure.

"Well...umm...yes. I'm sorry but it would depend on your family to accept you." Erebus stammered with difficulty.

"Erebus."

"Yes, Rose?"

"If...by any chance, I end up..." My lips shivered.

"No, you won't! I can guarantee that. I can put my existence on the line to prove it! And, I'll have you know, I have lived a very long life." Erebus apprised me.

"Thank you...thank you so much! But, if by any chance I did, make sure to slap me or smack me out of it."

"Of course! I will do anything to protect you! And maybe I should have told this sooner, but you can prove your dominancy." Erebus told me. I gave a small chuckle and threw off my coat.

"And how is that?" I scorned.

"There's a certain authority you can gain as dark lord and nobody can dare go against it. I mean, you are the dark lord but we haven't officialized it yet. I wanted to wait till you were eighteen so that you can have more experience but I think that was just me trying to protect you from a few things."

"Keep going!" I edged him.

"The previous emperor was accepted by the people by that certain 'authority'. We have to travel a little. I just didn't tell you since you have already gone through so much---uh---Y-you should first get some rest and unjumble your thoughts." He changed the subject.

"When are we going to leave?"

"Whenever you like."

"What about day after tomorrow?" I asked him.

"Perfect choice! I'll get things ready." Erebus chirped understanding my intention.

"Okay, good night!" I agreed with a sliver of hope that I can continue living here with this lovely family.

My unsettled emotions left me in a hollow state. I drifted off to sleep with a pile of thoughts fading in a slow pace.