The Emperor's Concubine

B.2 Chapter Forty-Two

Luna cautiously opens the door, a faint voice heard from inside the office.
Luna and the marquess peek inside, the whispering becoming more evident.
Instantly, lightening strikes outside, the figure in the office illuminated.
A tall, slender beast with black fur, and human characteristics.
Its slender hand with long sharp claws, holding the emperor's jaw. Its other hand, slightly embracing him from behind.
The beast's eyes glow a bright neon green as a heavy overwhelming aura exudes off of it.
Emperor Cabel's eyes faintly glow, the beast whispering words into his ear, its sharp jagged teeth close to his neck.

Marquess Simone quickly covers Luna's mouth with his hand, stopping her from gasping.
He pulls her back, holding his breath.
"Don't make a sound." Marquess Simone whispers.
He pulls her away from the door, bringing her around the corner of the hall.
He releases his hand.
"Stay here. Be ready to call for help." He whispers.
Luna stares back at him, her expression pale. She trembles before nodding.
Marquess Simone nods back, turning to approach the office doors again.
His hand raises, knocking on the doors.
Instantly, the heavy aura vanishes.
Luna watches from around the corner, holding her breath.
The door opens and Marquess Simone enters the office.

Minutes pass as Luna grows worried by the second, wondering if she should call for help.
"May glory of Helios rest upon you, your highness." Marquess Simone speaks up, bowing as he leaves the office.
He emerges from the office calmly, walking towards Luna.
"My lord-" Luna whispers, but is soon cut off.
"We need to return instantly." Marquess Simone sternly speaks, his hand slightly trembling.
Luna nods, unable to speak as she follows him.

They quickly find Lord Christopher, returning to the marquess' estate.
The three of them gather in the office, the marquess remaining silent as he looks through his bookshelves.
Luna and Lord Christopher sit on the sofa, watching him.
He turns, sitting in front of them.
He places the sketch of the beast the victims described, onto the table.
Luna's eyes widen as she recognizes it's the same beast they saw in the office.
"This is what attacked the lapis mine." Marquess Simone explains.
"But, this is the same beast that was in his office... H-How does this make sense? Did you see the beast in there?" Luna asks, keeping her voice low.
Marquess Simone slightly trembles, glancing at Luna and Lord Christopher.
He holds his forehead, his face filled with concern.
"The beast was not in there." He whispers.
"But father, you two saw this beast, didn't you?" Lord Christopher asks.
"We did... But when I entered his highness' office... The beast wasn't there. Only his highness and Esmerelda." Marquess Simone explains.
Luna's complexion grows pale, she blinks confused as she tries to process his words.
"Esmerelda?" She whispers.
"Yes... I believe that is not your sister." Marquess Simone sighs, opening an old book.
He flips through the pages, placing the open book down to show the same beast in the book.
"I had a feeling it was the same beast when his grace showed me the sketches... I'm now certain that, the beast who we saw in the office, and who the miners saw... Was a witch." Marquess Simone's eyes coldly look down at the pages.
Luna and Lord Christopher look down at the book and sketch.
"A witch? B-But how can that be Esmerelda?" She asks.
"Lady Luna, Christopher... Do you both know the story behind the spring ball?" The marquess asks.
"It's said a golden dragon protected the land from witches, taking three days to kill all of them. Once it killed the last one, spring came back from an eternal spell of winter." Lord Christopher says.
Marquess Simone nods, before taking a deep breath.
He picks up his glass of liquor, taking a sip.
"Most people believe it was a myth, or lie... But the truth is, long ago, our family protected the dragon." He explains.
"Our family?" Lord Christopher repeats.
"Millenia ago, our family was called by the king and queen of this land. We made an oath to always protect and serve the royal family. When the eternal spell of winter was placed, the king and queen knew our land was meant to perish, but they couldn't allow their people to die. Under the oath, they asked us to find the golden dragon. Before the curse, large ancient beasts appeared in the territories all over the world, and were believed to be Sol's descendants. The golden dragon was known to be vicious and hid in the mountains of this territory, and so our family was asked to find the dragon to help us. The story goes that our family travelled with the dragon, showing it the way to the witches. Eventually the dragon killed the last witch and the curse was lifted, but it was weak. The dragon returned to the mountain, falling into an eternal sleep or perishing. No one could ever find the dragon again and so, the king and queen created statues to honour it. The statues displayed in the public, so that the dragons legacy would never die." Marquess Simone explains.
Lord Christopher and Luna stare with widened eyes as they glance down at the drawings.
"This... This is a witch that existed years ago?" Luna asks.
"It's unlikely one from back then. They all had the same appearances once they began transforming, but they were mortal. They were once human, but eventually they began to eat humans. There was a curse they desperately worked on which made a human become a demon. Demons make contracts with humans, but the witches wanted to become demons themselves. They wanted to make a spell that would allow them to become stronger than any demon. The spell began to work when they consumed the souls and flesh of other humans. Eventually they transformed, and their souls began mutating and made them stronger than any mortal being. They eventually were so strong, they began to eat the souls of demons..." Marquess Simone downs the rest of his drink, his hand slightly trembling.
Lord Christopher and Luna look back at the marquess, horrified as they listen.
"They transformed into this, but they became more powerful than any demon or beast alive. The people they eat, they consume their souls and bodies, and eventually can change to become into the person they ate. They placed spells on those with weaker auras, controlling their minds... One thing that was noted, is that healers were never attacked. The witches almost feared the healers." Marquess Simone looks back at Luna.
His hands crossed with one another, his face growing concerned.
"Lady Luna... Esmerelda was never here... If she was, I believe she's gone now." Marquess Simone speaks, giving a look of sorrow.
"Esmerelda?..." Luna whispers.
"The beast was there, but the next second Esmerelda was there with no beast... I believe the witch killed Esmerelda and has been pretending to be her."
Luna's eyes widen, her jaw dropping as she looks down at the book.