Enslaved To The Alphas-Chapter 260: The Rise Of the Dark Lord

"What is the lore about him?" Shiqi repeated slowly, her voice measured, as the maids kneeling before her exchanged uneasy glances.

No one answered.

The silence stretched, thick and uncomfortable. Shiqi’s fingers tightened around the whip in her hand. With a sharp movement, she struck it against the floor. The crack echoed through the room, loud enough to make several of the maids flinch.

"Just because I don’t whip you," she said coldly, "doesn’t mean I won’t." Her gaze swept over them one by one. "Answer me. All of you are from outside this place. You serve the guests. You hear things others don’t. Are you telling me you know nothing about Lord Aron?"

Still, no one spoke. Heads remained bowed. Hands trembled where they rested on the floor.

Shiqi clicked her tongue in irritation. "Who is serving him this time?" she asked sharply.

Again, silence.

Her patience thinned. She lifted the whip slightly, letting it dangle where they could all see it. "Do I really have to whip every last one of you to get an answer?"

At last, her own maid Molly shifted and spoke, her voice careful. "Shiqi," she said softly, "everyone here knows how much you adore Lord Aron. That is why they hesitate. They are afraid to speak the truth."

Shiqi turned to her at once. "What truth?" she demanded. "Tell me. I have the right to know."

For a long moment, no one moved. Then one of the older maids shifted on her knees, her head still bowed low and spoke slowly in a whisper, "Miss. They are... only rumours. Stories passed from one place to another, so they may not be true..."

"Let me be the judge of that." Shiqi snapped.

"They say," the maid continued, "that once, when a village near his lands was struck by a wasting sickness, the healers failed. Fires burned day and night, prayers were spoken, but the sickness only spread. Lord Aron went there himself. He sealed the village with dark wards so no one could leave until the sickness was gone and..."

Shiqi frowned. "That is not cruelty. He did that to protect the others from becoming a victim as well, didn’t he?"

The maids paused then and then finished her story, "The entire village perished, Miss. And then, later, he burned down the entire village. And he used the dark fire... Everyone says that he was the one who actually caused the sickness and used the entire village’s lives as sacrifice to increase his power."

Shiqi stilled. Aron had done that? Of course she didn’t believe that he would sacrifice anyone for power. But he must have probably set fire ruthlessly to avoid the spread of sickness... And it had ended up people misunderstanding him...

The maids sensed it then. Shiqi was not convinced, but neither was she furious. Her silence was thoughtful ant not explosive to attack them for speaking bad of Lord Aron. It gave them courage and they hurriedly continued, trying to save their miss. After all, she was a bit willful but also kind. If there was a chance of saving her from suffering, they would take it.

Another maid beside her spoke next, "There are more stories like this. Too many. And they all speak of how his power has grown. They say, that three winters ago, a rival coven challenged his rule. Not openly. They tried to poison his lands with cursed soil. Crops failed. Wells turned bitter. People grew restless."

"And?" Shiqi asked quietly.

"They say Lord Aron did not confront them with armies," the maid replied. "He went alone. By dawn, the coven’s lands were empty. Their towers stood, their halls remained, but there was no life inside. No bodies. No blood. Just silence."

A chill passed through the room.

"Some say he bound their shadows and sent them wandering," another maid added. "Others say he erased their magic entirely. Whatever he did, that coven never rose again."

Shiqi’s lips pressed together. For a moment she could not help but think back to the cold look he had given her when he had rejected her confession. He really was capable of cruelty. But could he really be so cruel?

But then she shook her head and immediately consoled herself," If they attacked first, then they invited their fate"

"There is also talk of the night gates. Dark gates that only open when called by blood magic. It is said that Lord Aron can open them without blood. That the shadows answer him willingly."

Shiqi stiffened slightly at that, but said nothing.

"They say his followers have grown and most covens are willing to follow him. Not by force. People seek him out. Dark witches. Outcasts. Those cast away by light orders. They go to him, and they stay."

One maid hesitated before speaking again. "There was also the matter of the execution square."

Shiqi’s eyes snapped to her. "What matter?"

"They say a traitor was brought before him. One of his own commanders. Instead of a public execution, Lord Aron spoke to him alone. When the man emerged, he walked willingly into the dark fire and burned without a scream."

Shiqi inhaled slowly. "You are saying the man chose it."

"That is what frightens people most," the maid said softly. "That Lord Aron does not need to force obedience. People submit."

Shiqi stilled. Could it really be as that? That he could force people into submission by using that magic? She frowned. She knew very little about the dark arts, but this was too shocking... Could they really be that powerful?

Standing up, she hurriedly stood up and walked out. For answers, she could directly go to Mira. She knew Aron often gave her books on dark magic to practice. So, she could find her answers directly... Or maybe she could ask Mira..

Aron was not like that. He could not be. And yet as she walked towards Mira’s room, she could not help but feel scared. What if he was? Did that mean she had fallen in love with an illusion?