Lord Luke Vin dé Griffin
(Warlord of Midnight Walkers, Last Descendant of Croixnoire)
The silence boreding the room was shattered by several knocks on the door, pulling her out of her trance. With a curious heart, she swung the door open to find Alexandria standing there.
Alexandria brought her to the dining room. Two people were sitting at a long table laden with platters of roasted meats, seafood, desserts, and bowls of fruit. And a butler, who filled the goblet with wine.
She immediately recognized the person on the left side. He was Lord Luke Vin dé Griffin. However, the other person sitting at the far end stands far more than anyone else in the room. His handsomeness and elegance were out of this world, and the regality of his bearing confirms that he was above these two.
Alexandria bowed her head and put her right hand on her chest. "As you requested, I brought you, Miss Rassii Vé Drusvenaire, your Majesty."
Rassii suddenly felt uncomfortable staring at the young King and his Warlord. She witnessed the regality of Emperors, Lords, and Shoguns in the feudal period. But they are far different from them. She bowed her head.
"Welcome, Miss Rassii Vé Drusvenaire." The Dark King smiled. He somehow appeared lighthearted, but his darker personality can be strongly felt hidden in his smiles. "Well, this is so unexpected. You're lovelier than I thought."
Rassii's face was reddened from the unexpected compliment.
"Please let me introduce myself. I'm Hourii Ve re Ragon, Ruler of the Underworld."
"Excuse me? Ruler of the Underworld?" Rassii tried to hold herself, but she couldn't help it. She burst into laughter. She couldn't believe that a man like him with such a strong personality would utter such a childish word.
Alexandria, staring at Rassii, went cold and mad from her intolerable behavior in front of the king. "Do you think it was funny, Ms. Vé Drusvenaire?"
"No, I'm sorry." Rassii replied while wiping her tearful eyes.
"Haven't you learned a little manner of respect?"
Rassii stopped as she felt Alexandria's hand on her shoulder. She suddenly realized that she was being disrespectful and contemptuous toward the king. She felt afraid. Her body shuddered. She couldn't breathe. She held her chest and started gasping for air.
"Enough." King Hourii shot a blood-curdling gaze at Alexandria.
Alexandria removed her hand and took aback. She looked down, her hand quivering. Alexandria's hand seems to burn. Her skin is flaking and turning dark.
What was that? Rassii was surprised. She managed to breathe when Alexandria let go. She doesn't know if it's real or if it's just her imagination that she was choked out by her touch.
"Where are my manners?" The King beckoned them to sit down. "Please join us."
Rassii and Alexandria sat at the table. She glanced at Alexandria, who seemed apologetic for what she did, but she empathized with her. If it were like before, she would have been executed by now for her insolence.
"Why am I here?"
King Hourii glanced at Lord Luke. The young warlord sighed.
"One of our holy beasts escapes and wanders into the mortal world. It brought you to the academy." Luke said blatantly.
"What are you talking about?"
"It's the Grabbid. You were being chased by a dark hound." Luke glanced at Alexandria, who averted her eyes. She looks guilty. "Someone forgets to summon back the Grabbid, and so it wonders on its own."
"Yes, I was chased by..." She turned pale as she realized that there was something wrong with these people. The height of their elegance, bearing, and appearance are too much for a human being. She looked up at Luke. "Who are you people?"
"They are Nobles from the Midnight Walkers." King Hourii replied.
Despite recognizing the absurdity of it all—beings that aren't human, magic, and other fantastical elements—she couldn't escape the truth: they were real. There were occurrences she couldn't explain, witnessed by her alone.
She frowned. "Did you just send that creature to kill those people? And to kill me?"
Lord Luke laughed as if Rassii sounded ridiculous. "That creature won't kill anyone who hasn't sinned."
The young lord turned to the old Butler. The butler walked gracefully and opened the door. A massive black hound entered the room. Rassii froze in her seat. Its dark fur glistened under the light, as did its red eyes. The hound curled itself next to the king.
Luke turned back to her. "If it does, you won't be here."
Taking a brief pause, she pondered whether she had misjudged the hound as a loathsome creature, notorious for eliminating almost everyone in the underground organization, but surprisingly spared her life.
"You appear to be more than a mere human," the Dark King observed, casting a suspicious glance at Rassii.
Rassii averted her gaze, feeling troubled. "I'm nothing more than an ordinary human," she replied.
Alexandria gasped, taken aback. "You're a human?"
Rassii nodded awkwardly. "Yes, that's correct."
Alexandria rose to her feet and addressed the King directly. "Your Majesty, forgive me, but this is a misunderstanding. A human shouldn't be in this place."
"Did the grabbid bring her here?" the King inquired.
"Yes, but—"
"Then it wasn't a mistake," the King interjected, firm in his decision.
"She smells like one, but..." Lord Luke eyed Rassii skeptically. "You cannot deceive us."
Rassii shot an angry look at Luke. Why would everyone insist she was something else?
"I'm not deceiving you. I'm not deceiving anyone."
"You just saw the grabbid."
"Everyone sees it."
"No human can see the grabbid, and that alone proves you're not just a mere mortal."
"I want to go back." Rassii gazed directly at the King, pleading.
The King stared at her momentarily. "I am afraid you can't."
"Why can't I leave?" Rassii stares at the King in disbelief.
"You don't understand. No one leaves the academy unless they are executed."
"E-Executed?" Rassii shuddered at his words. "W-what do you mean?"
"Dead."
"This makes absolutely no sense."
"This place is not for mortals, and no mortal should learn about this place."
"This is not my choice for why I am here."
"That's the law."
"But," Rassii clenched her hand into a fist. She lowered her head as her eyes welled up with tears. She tried not to cry and kept her tears from falling. "This is so unfair."
What kind of faith do I have? Why I am always being shackled. Why can't I be free?
Luke maintains complete control over his emotions, refraining from both laughter and disgust in response to her reaction. Instead, he adopts a perfectly neutral expression.
"You choose."
King Hourii glanced at Luke and sighed. The young Lord always has a bad habit of teasing people. However, he was right. He cannot allow her to return, for she was chosen to be one of them even though she's a mortal.
"How does it leave me with a choice?" She answered back, annoyed.
"I'm sorry I can't send you back, Ms. Vé Drusvenaire." King Hourii smiled at her. His eyes flared with great authority. "But for that, I will offer you my generosity, and in return, you will be a Bearer to serve me."
Alexandria de Veusse
(Midnight Walkers, Blind-eyed Umbridge Clan)