Chapter 5

The next morning, I awoke to find Nocturne was not in the room with me. I was instead greeted by Marvin.

“I brought your clothing from your room at the Magic Tower. I thought you would want to change out of your simple bed attire before heading to the estate with Lady Gloomblossom.” Marvin smiled.

“Thank you.” I smiled back. I got out of bed and used my magic to change my clothes in an instant. I felt complete as I donned my royal mage attire.

“I do not think that outfit will be fitting for very long.” Marvin commented as he stroked his gray beard, thoughtfully.

“What do you mean?”

“If you are to be a lord, you will no longer be allowed to be a royal mage.”

“It is not like this is my choice!”

“I understand. But rules are rules. It is my job to keep the balance of power within the empire. This is the easiest way.”

“Fine.” I sighed in frustration. I had been raised to be a mage. I was taken away from my parents at birth because my inhuman appearance was a sure tell sign that I possessed magic. I did not even know who they were, or where I came from. Now, the world I was forced to grow up in, was being taken away from me.

“You look nice.” I heard Nocturne’s voice as she appeared out of thin air in front of me. The sight of her quelled my anger, but only enough for me not to explode.

“I will no longer be allowed to wear my mage attire now that I am a lord.” I told her, expressing my disappointment.

“Who cares? You will be living with me, and I will not limit you.” She smirked. “You may use your magic to your heart’s content while serving me. In many cases, you will have no other choice if you wish to fulfill my demands.”

“Is that alright?” I asked Marvin.

“We have no choice but to make an exception. How are we supposed to suppress an immortal being’s power, after all? It is best to allow her the freedom to use her powers within her estate, in return for her hiding what she is from anyone outside of our circle.”

“That is only if she agrees to follow your rules.” I commented.

“Ha!” Nocturne cackled. “You are correct, but do not worry, my little mage, I have agreed to such terms. I think it is best for the people of your empire to not know that you and your king have accepted help from a demon.”

“Well…I agree with your logic.” I sighed. Nocturne smiled softly. Just then the butler who had been serving us entered the guest room.

“Your carriage is ready, my lord.” He bowed to me. I rolled my eyes and wanted to scold him for not addressing Nocturne, but she stopped me.

“I have a gift, to express my gratitude for you serving my lord.” She said as she handed a small box to the butler. He made a disapproving face but took it anyway.

“I thank you, miss.” He said, blatantly disrespecting her.

“Please open it now. I wish to see you enjoying my gift before we never see you again.” Nocturne said with a sickly-sweet smile. The butler huffed but obeyed her and opened the box.

“Gah!” As soon as the top came open on the small gift box, the butler fell to his knees, screaming in agony.

“Oh dear.” Marvin sighed. “What did you do to him, my lady?”

“I simply gave him a memory.” Nocturne said with a smile.

“One of your memories?” I asked in horror.

“Of course not!” Nocturne scowled. “I gave him the memory of one of the souls I devoured. It was a soul I tortured for disrespecting me.”

“Will he be okay?” Marvin asked as the butler continued to scream in agony. Before Nocturne could answer, two knights rushed into the room in response to the screaming.

“What happened?” One of the knights asked once they realized the butler was the only one in distress. I watched as Nocturne turned to them with a teary expression and quivering lips.

“It is my fault…he…disrespected me…and my protection magic hurt him…” Her acting and manipulation skills had gotten better in the few days she had been practicing with me. The knights fell for her lies, hook, line, and sinker.

“Oh, do not worry, my lady. He had always been disrespectful to everyone.” One knight said.

“He probably deserves it to be honest.” The other commented.

“I still feel bad. Please take him to rest. The magic should fade in a few days, he will be in great mental pain until then.” Nocturne said as she sniffled, and a single tear fell down her cheek. I felt a strange pang hit my chest when I noticed the knights blushing at the sight of an innocent Nocturne. It made me uncomfortable.

“As you wish, my lady.” The knights bowed and carried the butler out of the guest room. As soon as they were gone, Nocturne stopped her innocence act.

“Wow. This is very effective. Bravo to the women of your empire who have mastered the art of manipulation.” She smiled.

“It was a worthy show indeed, my lady.” Marvin chuckled. He did not seem bothered by her use of manipulation tactics.

“You…are not surprised?” I asked him.

“I do expect a demoness to use a plethora of skills to get things done.” Marvin shrugged. I shook my head. Nocturne rolled her eyes at me.

“Come on. I am excited to finally see our estate.” She linked arms with me and dragged me out of the guest room. She dragged me through the entire castle, causing all the servants and knights we passed to watch us. I knew I just had to deal with the embarrassment she was causing me, because I was convinced that she would ignore my pleas for her to act like a lady of the empire. We arrived at the carriage, one of the king’s own, and Nocturne shoved me inside.

“Jeez! Can you calm down!” I complained once we were in the carriage.

“No!” Nocturne barked at me. I shrank at her response and fell silent. As the carriage took off, I watched Nocturne looking out of the window. She scowled at the sight before her. “I thought we would be cutting through the city!” She whined.

“Not in the king’s carriage. We will certainly take only back roads to your estate.” I explained to her.

“Argh!” She exclaimed as she threw her hands up in the air. She then crossed her arms over her chest and returned to her usual stoic expression as she stared out the window. I smiled to myself. I was probably the only person in the empire who got to see her random bouts of emotions. She tried very hard to be stoic, or, thanks to her new skill in manipulation, look innocent. Nocturne was truly a conundrum. I wondered if it was just the culture of demons to hide their emotions. I looked out my own window and tried to figure out the estate to which we were currently heading.

“Oh.” I said when I saw a rare sight. “We are heading to the Sawyer Estate.” I announced. Nocturne looked out my window with me at the large castle that we were slowly approaching.

“Is that good?” She asked.

“Yes. Lord Sawyer’s family had been under investigation for quite some time. I am glad to see that the king was finally able to strip them of their titles.” I told her.

“Were they bad people?”

““Nasty” is more accurate. I heard that they killed their own servants just for amusement. I also heard that their eldest son was a serial rapist and targeted mainly the family’s maids.” I sighed. “The reason the king started an investigation was because the body of one of their maids was found just outside of their property line. She had been with child when she was murdered, and the rumor was she was murdered because she was carrying the Lord’s child.”

“Disgusting.” Nocturne’s golden eyes were filled with rage. “I should tell your king to let me have those nasty creatures. I will gladly punish them for their sins.” She growled.

“They may already be dead, my lady. The king does not stand for the mistreatment of any of his subjects. If the rumor did turn out to be true, he would have delivered justice.” I calmed her. Nocturne seemed pleased with this revelation and nodded in approval. I sighed in relief as the carriage passed through the iron gates of the estate and Nocturne returned to her usual stoic self. I exited the carriage first, then helped Nocturne out. We were greeted by the sight of an estate in disarray. I had high hopes that we would succeed, but truthfully, neither of us realized how much work it would take to make this new home our own. Was it a task we were up for?