Rise of the Lustful Evil Monarch (Re)

Third Person's POV

But she attributed it to the hot bath she just had.

With the handkerchief pressed gently against her face, she finally allowed herself to drift into sleep as she embraced the sweet dreams that followed.

As for the origins of the ominous shadowy creature, she decided that would be a mystery for another day.

—

Unbeknownst to everyone, including Nyx, the aftermath of the battle was not as final as it seemed.

As the dust settled and silence reclaimed the stairwell, the sealed door trembled once more.

A thin wisp of dark smoke seeped back into its ancient frame and slithered like a living entity before vanishing within.

The door grew still again but this time it was watched by someone.

A small figure draped in shifting shadows floated in the dark well.

The air around her shimmered with an almost ethereal presence as her crimson eyes locked onto the trembling gate.

Her youthful face which was usually filled with mischief or casual amusement now held a rare seriousness.

A mix of emotions including shock, worry, and something deeper and incomprehensible flashed through her gaze.

"It looks like no one can stop the inevitable," she murmured to herself.

"I will have to prepare and inform Aldric and Keiran before it's too late."

Without another word, the little duchess vanished as her form dissolved into the darkness and she ascended through the castle's many levels.

As she passed by Ethan's room, she hesitated for the briefest moment. Curiosity flickered in her gaze as she extended her soul sense toward the chamber.

But before it could penetrate the room, something repelled it slightly.

A dark barrier enveloped Ethan's quarters like an impenetrable sphere.

The little duchess smirked and let her soul sense spread over the surface as she searched for any kind of weakness or an entry point.

Yet, the barrier was flawless with its defenses absolute.@@novelbin@@

Read latest chapters at My Virtual Library Empire

Then, suddenly, it retaliated.

Like a catapult, the barrier rebounded her probing soul energy and hurled it back with force.

The little duchess let out an amused laugh rather than being offended. She could feel Nyx's irritation within that response mixed with a silent but unmistakable warning.

"So overprotective," she mused with a chuckle as she shook her head with a wry smile on her face.

"It's not like I was going to let anything happen to little Ethan and Virelle. She overreacts so much."

She floated upward and ascended higher into the castle as her thoughts continued drifting. She understood Nyx's instincts and her need to shield Ethan from danger.

But the truth was that she had been watching from the very beginning.

In reality, she and Nyx had arrived at the battle's location the moment it started.

Nyx had been ready to intervene immediately but the little duchess had stopped her.

Why? Because this was necessary.

They needed this fight. Ethan and Virelle needed to experience real battle and not just training drills or supervised combat but the raw chaos of true conflict.

And what were better opponents than those things?

Still, she sighed as she recalled the moment Nyx had stepped in.

She hadn't planned on interfering so but in the end before she could act Nyx had acted instinctively and crushed the final worm-tentacle with her Dimensional Crush before it could take Ethan's hand.

With one last glance toward Ethan's room, she smirked.

"Well, it's fine. He is strong. He will understand soon enough."

Then, without another word, she vanished into the darkness, leaving only silence in her wake.

—

Meanwhile, in Ethan's room…

Nyx moved with purpose as she carried Ethan straight into the bathroom. She didn't wait for the faucets to generate hot water.

Instead, she extended her hand, and the air shimmered and twisted as her raw magic energy infused the space.

Within moments, the pool water heated, and hot steam rose thickly in the dimly lit chamber.

She didn't hesitate for even a second as she stripped both herself of her armor and Ethan of his tattered and bloodstained clothes.

A single black ember flickered from her fingertips and fell on the filthy clothes.

In a mere fraction of a second, it consumed the remnants of his garments in an instant and reduced them to nothing but ash.

Nyx alighted herself and Ethan gracefully in the hot pool. The swirling mist enveloped them and cloaked their figures in secrecy as the filth and dried blood dissolved from his pale skin.

Ethan's pale complexion was a testament to his life within the perpetual twilight of the Dark Forest and his few days in the darkness of the Scarlet Hollow Castle.

It was different from his healthy glowing skin when he lived in his family's castle in the Aurora Frost Mountains of the Dark Star Continent.

Despite her overwhelming aura of power and dominance that the world always saw, Nyx bore a body that was the complete opposite.

Her soft curves and smooth glowing skin hidden in the steam gleamed occasionally and displayed a delicate and seductive grace that belied her strength.

Yet, the true tragedy was that Ethan was in no state to witness his Master's rare moment of vulnerability and pure innocent beauty.

Her face was etched with absolute focus as she placed her warm hands on his chest and her fingers pressed gently against his trembling skin.

A dark light pulsed at the point of contact and slowly sank into his body as her unique Abyss Bound Dark Energy flowed through him.

With meticulous control, she began repairing his fractured and broken mana veins and carefully restored the intricate web of his dark purple mana pathways that pulsed beneath his skin.

A person's mana vein's shades reflected their affinity and Ethan's were a rare sight.

They were a deep black interwoven with streaks of violet that was a testament to his Overlord talent in darkness.

Yet, despite his overwhelming potential, the reckless move he had unleashed in battle had left his veins in a ruinous state, and Nyx couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt at his precarious condition.