Rise of the Lustful Evil Monarch (Re)

Third Person's POV

A wry smile tugged at his lips as her accusation echoed in the air.

Raising his hands in surrender, he sighed with exasperation.

"Why do all women react like this? First Adeline, now you, Miss Aurae.

I was only trying to offer some comfort and nothing more."

Aurae's long ears twitched at his words, and although a flicker of embarrassment crossed her features, she still responded with a defensive firmness.

"I understand your point. But you should keep a respectable distance from other women.

You can't just touch someone so casually."

Her tone was stubborn, and her posture was rigid.

Ethan studied her expression for a moment, then gave a long sigh of resignation.

There was no point in pressing further.

"If that's what you think of me… then farewell. If fate permits, our paths will cross again someday, and if not, then so be it."

With those words, he turned his back to her and began to walk away, not out of frustration but with a quiet acceptance.

He truly believed that if some thread of fate still bound him and the dark elf, it would bring them together again in the future.

For now, though, he couldn't afford to pause his journey and much less abandon his purpose to solely court Aurae and make her his woman.

There were far greater things at stake than this, including his mission of destroying the royal family of the Empire of Abyssal Dominion, his goals of getting strong enough to do so, and most importantly, going back to his past.

He clenched his fists subtly as memories of his mother's purest and honest love, her kind smile, the steady presence of his grandparents, and the warmth of his childhood love, Aurelia, all rose together like a tall wave of the ocean.

A deep ache twisted in his chest.

It had already been eight long years since he was separated from them.

I must return to them soon…

A fire ignited behind his eyes and a renewed sense of purpose sharpened his every thought and plan.

With steely resolve and silent intensity, he vanished from the rooftop in a blur of shadow and speed.

"Wait…"

The dark elf tried to call out, but her voice faltered the moment it left her lips.

Ethan's silhouette was already fading into the distance and her expression dimmed involuntarily.

She didn't understand why but a strange heaviness settled in her chest as though something important had just slipped through her fingers.

Still, unlike naïve young girls swept away by fleeting emotions, Aurae possessed the clarity and maturity of a seasoned woman who understood both her desires and ambitions.

And to achieve both, she realized she needed this charming and formidable young man by her side.

For that to happen, she couldn't afford to break whatever fragile connection still remained between them.

A new resolve lit her features and her expression steeled as a singular thought echoed in her mind,

I will need to request a transfer to the Abyssal Sanctum's Adventurer Guild…

With that decision burning firmly in her heart, she turned away and disappeared into the night as well, leaving behind only the quiet tranquility of darkness in its previously undisturbed and still state.

---

On the first floor's balcony of the Imperial Velvet Inn, a faint and nearly imperceptible shadow silently slipped in and merged with the shadows of the night before vanishing through the closed door without so much as a whisper.

Not even the occasional footfalls of patrolling city guards or prowling bounty hunters below on the street caught a hint of its movement.

The tranquility of the hour remained undisturbed as if the shadow never existed.

Stepping silently into the dimly lit room, Ethan made his way toward the bed where Virelle lay resting.

One look at her peaceful expression was enough to tell him she hadn't stirred once during his absence.

Her rhythmic breathing, the softness of her features, and everything else radiated the pure exhaustion of someone who had finally experienced the joy and exhaustion of a person's first time of lovemaking.

She must have been more drained than I thought…

Just as he was about to slip under the covers beside her, another thought flashed in his mind, he had completely forgotten about Velcy.

She and Virelle had initially planned to rest together in the adjacent room.

But Virelle's sudden entrance into his bath chamber and their intense and intimate lovemaking session had erased all else from his mind.

And with the elf Aurae's unexpected intrusion and his pursuit to uncover the truth behind her presence, the whole situation had taken a turn too chaotic to keep track of everything.

Now that matters had settled, he gently stepped away from the bed while being careful enough not to wake Virelle as he exited the room quietly.

Holding the main key to the other chamber, he made his way to it without pause and let himself in.

Like his own, this room was cloaked in darkness, save for a streak of crimson moonlight that spilled through the half-opened window.

It cast elongated shadows across the floor and created the illusion of blood seeping into every corner of the darkness.

But Ethan was now too accustomed to such eerie sights and didn't even blink.

Instead, he turned toward the bed while his eyes narrowed slightly.

Lying curled up under the sheets, Velcy slept soundly.

Her breathing was calm and almost inaudible.

As he moved closer and sat gently on the edge of the bed, her eyes snapped open.

In an instant, her ice-blue irises narrowed into feline slits and with a motion faster than the eye could follow, she crouched on the bed like a predator about to pounce.

Her instincts had kicked in before any sort of recognition of the intruder set in her senses.

But the moment her gaze locked onto his, the tension in her body dissolved.

Her pupils rounded back to normal, and she slowly lowered herself from her crouching position.