By the time Eray stopped in front of the pearl-inlaid door of Velira's chamber, he had already put on his "helpless peasant" mask. His shoulders slumped, his gaze fixed on the floor. Yet his mind worked like a radar, scanning every sound, every scent inside the room.
The doors opened.
The air was heavy with perfume, spiced wine, and the stench of rotting arrogance. Velira was not alone.
Two others sat with her around the low table in the center of the room.
One was a male Elf with sharp features, wearing a cloak made of black feathers. From his posture and the way he looked at Velira, it was clear he was more than just a guest.
The other was the one who truly caught Eray's attention.
A woman with crimson hair flowing over her shoulders, dressed in an emerald-green gown. Her eyes glowed with a poisonous shade of green. Her beauty rivaled Velira's, but her presence was wilder, more predatory.
"Come here, little toy," Velira said, swirling the crystal goblet in her hand. Her voice carried the pride of someone showing off to guests.
Eray stepped inside with trembling steps. The collar around his neck reacted to the dense magic in the room, warming slightly.
The male Elf, Lord Vorian, looked Eray over with disdain.
"So this is your 'Warrior Human,' Velira?" he said."He looks more like… a frightened rabbit to me."
Velira giggled.
"Don't be fooled by appearances, Vorian. Those thin arms carry dark magic. He brought down a Stone Breaker."
The red-haired woman, Lady Seraphina, slowly rose to her feet. She placed her wine glass on the table and glided toward Eray.
Eray did not lift his head. He could hear the rustle of her dress and smell the heavy musk that followed her.
"A human…" Seraphina said. Her voice was soft like velvet, but blades hid beneath it."Touching such a low race usually turns my stomach. Their skin reeks of sickness and filth."
Seraphina placed her long, slender fingers under Eray's chin and forced his face upward. Her nails bit into his skin.
Eray was forced to look into her green eyes. There was not just disgust in them, but a strange, twisted curiosity.
"But this one…" Seraphina murmured, slowly sliding her fingers from Eray's cheek down his neck and across his collarbone."This face is surprisingly beautiful. And his skin… as smooth as an Elf's."
Her touch felt less like an invitation and more like a merchant inspecting goods in a market. Still, it was enough to make Eray's stomach churn. He was being treated like a stray dog.
Seraphina leaned close to Eray's ear. Her warm breath brushed his neck.
"You feel like a soul born in the wrong body," she whispered."What a shame. If you were a noble, I'd tie you to the edge of my bed and examine you more closely."
Velira's voice cut through the room like ice.
"Don't get too attached, Seraphina. He is mine."
Seraphina stepped back and turned to Velira with a mocking smile.
"Don't be jealous, dear. You know my father, Duke Valerius, keeps his stables full of human slaves. But none of them are quite this… exotic."
Velira turned her attention to Eray.
"Kneel. Refill our wine. And don't spill a single drop."
Eray knelt obediently and took the pitcher from the table.
To them, Eray was no more than a piece of furniture. A deaf, mute object in the room. That was why they spoke freely in front of him.
As Eray filled the goblets, Lord Vorian changed the subject. His tone grew serious.
"Your father, Emperor Kaelthas, wants my legions to suppress the mining revolt in the north," Vorian said.
Eray's hand did not tremble even slightly, but his ears sharpened.
A revolt?
"Those miserable 'Ash Heirs,'" Velirasaid with anger in her voice."They claim the Ether crystals in the mines are running dry and refuse to work. My father is being too soft. We should have slaughtered them all."
"It's not just the workers," Lady Seraphina said, taking a sip of her wine."Our sources say the 'Exiled Elves' are supporting them as well. The crystal veins are weakening, Velira. If the resources are depleted, Lunaris's shields will fall. The city will be defenseless."
Vorian slammed his hand on the table.
"That's why your father ordered more slaves from the human realms. But those weak creatures die from the toxic air of the mines before they can be of any use."
Eray finished filling the cups and stepped back. His heart pounded like a war drum in his chest, but his face remained empty.
This information…
This information was priceless.
The Aethelgard Empire looked flawless from the outside, but it was bleeding from within.
So this is your weakness, Eray thought, standing with his head lowered.You are starving for energy.
Unaware of Eray's thoughts, Velira nudged his shoulder with her foot.
"Massage," she ordered."My legs are sore."
Without hesitation, Eray slid down to her feet and began rubbing the legs that extended from beneath her silk robe.
At that moment, Seraphina spoke with a suggestive tone.
"Be careful, Velira. Humans are ungrateful creatures. The hand you feed may one day bite you."
Velira wrapped her fingers in Eray's hair and yanked his head back hard. Pain shot through his neck as his face tilted upward.
"This one won't bite," Velira said, staring into Eray's eyes."The collar has sunk into his very soul. He's nothing more than a breathing infant now. Isn't that right, Eray?"
Despite the pain, Eray did not look away.
"Yes… my Lady," he said.
But inside, he finished the thought:
That's what you think, Princess. You'll see who leads that mining revolt. You'll see who arms the Exiled Elves. When your Silver City is swallowed by darkness, I'll take you to Earth as my slave.
The political lessons forced upon him by his grandfather and his mother were finally beginning to pay off.