Chapter 647: Act 9 – The Dark Stream
The wisteria outside the window hung down, verdant and dreamy, as sunlight spilled across the windowsill, leaving the room eerily quiet.
Lady Knight Nia sat by the bed, carefully peeling oranges and placing them into a crystal dish on the bedside. Then, she gazed intently at the exquisite sleeping face on the bed. In her heart, the young lady was probably the most beautiful person in the world; the words noble and kind seemed tailor-made for her.
Few knew what was happening inside the Yan Castle. Since the Sword Seat shattered, the family’s power struggles had never ceased for a moment. The collateral branches believed that the current head of the family, the present Earl of Yan Castle, should be held responsible for this, but passersby knew that it was merely an excuse. The root of the conflict stemmed from the Earl’s brother, referred to by outsiders as ‘Darling Baron Dale,’ but that was far from a term of endearment; especially among the residents nearby, they couldn’t help but grit their teeth when mentioning him.
About a month ago, the Earl’s youngest son was poisoned to death during the Resurrection Festival, later found to have died in place of someone else. The gluttonous little boy had sneaked into the kitchen and was discovered alongside a small maid. There were some things Nia dared not tell Dierphir, but she felt that the clever young lady could guess at least some of it. If it weren’t for watching the old master grow more haggard by the day, the young lady would not have recklessly ventured south.
She stared blankly at that pale face—thick lashes bowed gently down, lips as red as cherries, set against skin as white as snow. For several days, Miss Dierphir had only woken for limited moments, but each time she asked if there was news from the family, and seeing her frail state nearly made Nia cry several times.
The young lady could no longer stand; she had lost the ability to use magic for life. She had once been recognized as a genius at Yan Castle in her youth. What kind of strength enabled her to accept this so calmly? Nia glanced at her sword; she was called a knight because her ancestors were graced by the Earl of Yan Castle, but perhaps the young lady had her own choices.
At that moment, a light knock came at the door.
“Miss Nia.”
It was the voice of a maid. Lady Knight suddenly realized, feeling somewhat ashamed, and replied, “Please keep it down, come in; the young lady is still resting.”
The door was pushed open, and the maid’s expression was somewhat unpleasant. But she still bowed and greeted, “Miss Nia, there is someone outside asking to see you. It is…”
Nia didn’t notice her expression; all her attention was on her young lady. Without turning back, she asked, “Is it Her Highness the Princess or Miss Antinna?”
“Neither, Lady Nia…” The maid hadn’t finished when a voice rudely interrupted her. The voice, tinged with excitement and pride, was as loud as a duck’s quack: “Haha, Ampere Seale is quite something; I wonder how the capital is doing? Come on, little Nia, have you been out for a few days that you no longer recognize me?”
“Ackle…” The lady knight trembled as if she had unearthed this name from hell. Disgust appeared on her face as she stood up, instinctively reaching for her sword. Just as she grabbed the hilt and guard with a clatter, the man’s voice outside pushed the door open and stepped inside.
To be precise, it was just a boy, with beautiful deep brown nearly black curls, but against his pale skin, his thin lips seemed almost inhuman. He possessed a pair of sparkling eyes like black glass, surrounded by deep bags and wrinkles, showing signs of indulgent living.
The boy stood at the door with a mysterious smile, wearing a purple woolen coat trimmed with silver threads, with his hands stuffed in his pockets and a cane hanging loosely under his arm—its top adorned with a lion’s eye stone.
From any angle, this boy could be considered beautiful, though his steps were somewhat frivolous. However, when the lady knight saw him, it was as if she were staring at a demon—even in real combat with a demon, she had never shown such a mix of fear and disgust.
Seeing the lady knight, the boy revealed a glistening white-toothed smile: “Miss Nia, have you decided to be my knight yet? I’ll give you the best warhorse in the North, but you’re truly the one I prefer.”
“Dream on!” The lady knight’s body shook with anger, “Get out of here immediately!”
“Hey, what’s with the tension?” The boy suddenly grasped the maid’s hair, pulling her toward him as she let out a scream, sniffing her face. He turned back, smiling, “Miss Nia, I came to see my dear sister. It seems you aren’t in a position to tell me to leave yet.”
“This is Miss Dierphir’s private room… You’re insane! Let her go, that’s Her Highness the Princess’s maid.” The lady knight’s grip on the sword grew pale, but she dared not draw it.
The previous Earl of Yan Castle had four sons; the third son died young, and the youngest became an apprentice wizard, with no news since. The eldest is today’s Earl of Yan Castle, Dierphir’s father—Dierphir’s trip to Ampere Seale is merely under the title of Earl, but he has yet to properly inherit the territory—while the second son is the well-known ‘Darling Baron Dale,’ who is also the boy’s father standing before her.
As the saying goes, “Like father, like son (or daughter).” The righteous Earl of Yan Castle has a daughter like Miss Dierphir. In Nia’s view, it is only natural that Baron Dale has a son like Ackle. Both father and son are the scum of the earth.
Only then did the boy release the maid, who let out a terrified gasp and stumbled away. Ackle, however, laughed, producing a series of ambiguous sounds: “Miss Nia, don’t think that because you’ve attached yourself to Her Highness the Princess, I can’t do anything to you. You are mine, and will always be unable to escape this identity.”
“Beast!” The lady knight gritted her teeth and cursed. When she first became a knight, she naively believed this man’s sweet words. She could never forget that nightmarish night when that demonic boy drugged her and forcibly took possession of her body; he was only fourteen then, and she had just turned eighteen.
Thinking of the past, she trembled with rage, “Ackle, I’ll count to three. If you don’t disappear from my sight, don’t blame me for being rude!” She unsheathed her sword with a swoosh.
“Come on, stop with that. Miss Nia, if you wanted to kill me, you would have done it already.” Ackle said with a grin, “Besides, I’m not here to reminisce—my dear sister has done something you’ll understand, and I’m here to stop you from continuing to bring shame to the family.”
“Nothing good comes from your mouth. Ackle, what nonsense are you spouting?” Nia frowned, pointing her sword at the demon’s throat, feeling intuitively that Ackle had malicious intentions—though perhaps the other party didn’t even know what a good intention was.
“You really can act, can’t you, Miss Nia? My dear sister is accused of practicing demonic magic, and the Temple has already started investigating this matter. Even the Earl understands, and as her personal knight, you must be aware, right?”
“How could this be…” Upon hearing this news, Nia’s mind went blank, and although she knew that Dierphir’s temporary control over the Demon King on the battlefield couldn’t stay hidden, she still held a glimmer of hope. Wasn’t it for the victory of the war? Her Highness the Princess, and that Earl, could attest.
The lady knight shook her head vigorously as if that could calm her down: “It was the Temple that attracted the demons; how could they do this? The young lady sacrificed herself to combat the demons; Her Highness won’t turn a blind eye!”
“Heh, Her Highness can barely protect herself; when would she have time to keep track of your fates?” The boy sneered, stepping forward until the cold blade of the lady knight’s sword pressed against his throat, yet he remained unfazed, saying, “Nia, I care for you sincerely. Trust me; only I can protect you and your young lady. Stop resisting me.”
The lady knight’s color changed: “You… you’ve set your sights on Miss Dierphir? She is your sister!”
“She’s my cousin,” the boy corrected coolly. “Miss Nia, don’t drink the wine offered and then eat the punishment wine instead.”
“Don’t come any closer, demon!” The lady knight began to tremble all over.
The boy merely snorted coldly. Just then the door was opened again, revealing a tall man draped in a gray cloak. The man wore a hood, and the shadows beneath it completely obscured his face, resembling a void of darkness. His voice buzzed, emanating from this emptiness:
“Took a bit of time to deal with that knight.”
“After all, it’s a gold-tier expert. Be careful; my dear sister has brought the three strongest knights from the territory this time. You first take care of that woman, and be careful not to hurt her.” The boy said, tilting his head slightly, his voice cold and emotionless.
“Understood,” the man buzzed, turning to face the lady knight. Nia gasped sharply, realizing that what lay beneath the hood was not shadow, but rather a complete void.
“What have you done to Rong Ning!”
She shouted, slashing her sword at the mysterious figure. In her impression, aside from her, Rong Ning, and Yefet, there were no other gold-tier masters in Yan Castle, but this man exuded a cold, terrifying aura that felt less like the power of an element and more like the cold, lifeless air of death.
Or perhaps it should be described as—devoid of life, like a pitch-black void.
Before her sword could descend, a terrible shock suddenly erupted within her mental world. That fearsome power was something Nia had never experienced; it felt as if a sharp spire had pierced directly into her brain, causing her to scream and kneel, clutching her head.
The lady knight’s shrill scream made the boy frown involuntarily; he saw Nia’s beautiful face contort entirely, as blood seeped from her nostrils and eyes, appearing exceedingly terrifying.
Only then did the tall man approach, striking her in the back of the neck, causing the lady knight to tilt her head and faint.
“Don’t you have any compassion?” The boy asked irritably.
“There are no other human beings in the gold tier in this room; I have no need to hold back,” the man buzzed in response.
“Alright,” the boy waved his hand impatiently. “You drag her out; I have some words to discuss alone with my dear sister.”
The tall man respectfully bowed before dragging the unconscious lady knight out of the room. Ackle glanced back once, coldly chuckled, closed the door, and approached Dierphir’s bedside.
… (To Be Continued. If you like this work, please support it on Qidian (qidian.com) with recommendations and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
