Tyrant's Obsession With The Heiress-Chapter 29: Hell Is Empty, And All Its Demons Are Here

In spite of herself, a faint smile creased Lady Karina's lips.

Orpheus returned her smile, hardly appearing like the barbaric invader who stormed Moonveil two weeks ago.

The man appeared as though he were at ease, unstressed by a battle, and more human than the lady had ever known him to be.

And it only confirmed her earlier suspicions that there was something more at hand regarding Orpheus.

While she had let her guard down around him, there was an undeniable air of something dark around him.

The man seemed as though he were in constant turmoil, considering how his emotions and reactions battled with each other every second.

And afraid that they would both land themselves in another wicked embrace, and Lady Karina not being entirely sure that she would be able to resist him, she lowered her gaze and swept past him.

She had urgent duties to attend to and it was best that she had seen to them.

Orpheus watched her leave his sight, moving silently and swiftly through the great hall that led down to the kitchens.

The woman was very successful in rousing traits in him that he never believed existed.

He found himself wishing that they had met under different circumstances where she was not his captive and he was not her conqueror.

In another place and another time, he would have undoubtedly vied for her hand.

Perhaps there was a chance he still would.

And that was something he had never come close to in his thirty-one years upon Ethuaria.

So much for resisting and staying away from the beautiful Lady of Moonveil.

Orpheus shook his head out of his thoughts, returning his attention to the scorch marks on the stone floor leading to the book shelf.

He followed the trail, crouching down. He swept two fingers over one of the scorch marks, rubbing the tips together when the black soot caught onto his skin.

The man's gaze narrowed as he bent his head to the lowest level on the shelf, finding the insignia of Moonveil engraved on the back surface of the shelf.

It was strange that the trail had suddenly disappeared.

Orpheus brushed his palm over the insignia, studying every detail and stroke that was used to engrave it.

Lady Karina was undoubtedly concealing something from him and he knew very well she was not by her lonesome just before he entered the solar.

One way or another, he would find out whatever it was.

With a heavily weary sigh, Orpheus rose and departed from the solar and headed out into the bailey.

*********

Throughout Caelthwyn, Walcian and Lorienel, the generals under Orpheus' command were known as 'The Black Scourge.'

For wherever they marched, came death and destruction.

They were the most ruthless mercenaries in the dark times of the current era—men who burnt, pillaged, and slaughtered in order to gain their wants.

And now they were converging on Moonveil at Orpheus' request and the site was quite overwhelming.

It was well known that Orpheus Van Merikh was their leader for it was through him that all else had been accomplished.

It had taken them twenty months to commandeer castles along the Walcian Marches, controlling roads that passed from the Walcian middle lands into Caelthwyn and stealing all that they could set their hands on.

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The Marcher lords withdrew any attempts to counteract Orpheus simply because the man was a force to be reckoned with.

Moreover, he kept the Walcians occupied because he was dug so deeply into their lands.

However, the upper Lords of Caelthwyn were much more wary and observed Orpheus and his men closely.

There were seven generals under Orpheus' command that were tasked with the ruling of each of the seven castles, thus their movements being monitored by the upper lords.

For now, Orpheus' attention settled on the Walcians and off of the elite castles of the upper lords that lay within his range—Ironspire Keep, Ravenfall Citadel, Ebonhold, Stonegrave Bastion.

And now those seven generals were here upon Moonveil Keep, each with hard-won titles and fearsome names. But the first to arrive and greet Orpheus was Maleck Draegor; the men were in fact cousins.

Maleck was followed by the other six generals, who greeted their lord with respect and admiration, giving Lyall and the other trusted knights various methods of greeting.

The knights had crossed the dusty bailey, huddled in conversing groups of two and three, mounting the stairs and disappearing into the keep.

Their respective armies marched into Moonveil's bailey under their banners and attempted to find a place to settle.

And as the chaos in the ward erupted, the knights within the keep were settling in for refreshments and preparing for an important conference.

Lady Karina was not the least bit aware of what was transpiring in the great hall above her.

She could hear voices and boots on the overhead planks, but not much more.

All she could tell was that it sounded like a herd of cattle marching into the great hall.

The entire atmosphere of the castle darkened and she tried her utmost best to ensure the chef and two female servants were calm as they dispensed some into the earthenware pitchers.

Lady Drosera had also accompanied them, lending her assistance in the kitchens. She helped with carefully cutting off sections of white cheese from great wheels and placing them on wooden trays.

"It is no different than Hell unbinding its gates and setting forth all its demons to spill forth into Moonveil," Lady Drosera muttered grimly. "Have you taken a look at these men, Rina? They are utter monsters."

Lady Karina's chest swelled with guilt, which she tried to bite down, thinking of the heated kisses she shared with Orpheus, knowing full well the man had slaughtered her dear friend's husband.

She had been wrestling with those feelings for the better part of a week now.

And every time she took a single glance at Lady Drosera, she could see herself as a horrible traitor in her friend's eyes.