The first rays of the morning sun slowly peeked through the large glass windows of the Grand Master Suite.
By the dying embers of the fireplace, Kaelith slowly opened her amber eyes. The giant Centaur-kin stretched her massive arms and let out a soft yawn. The silk clothes the maids had made for her felt incredibly soft against her skin. She had slept better tonight than she had in months.
Her first instinct was to look for the terrifying, black-armored titan who had sworn to protect her. She turned her head toward the velvet armchair by the window.
But the giant suit of black Abyssal Steel armor was not there.
Instead, sitting quietly in the chair was a tall, incredibly muscular man wearing soft, elegant silk clothes. He was bathed in the golden morning light, silently staring out the window at the waking city.
Kaelith's breath hitched. It was Zero. He had put away his armor and his terrifying iron mask during the night.
Kaelith slowly and quietly stood up on her four hooves. She did not want to disturb him, but she was deeply curious about the man who had saved her life.
Clip. Clop. Clip.
Her heavy hooves made soft sounds on the thick rugs as she approached him. Zero heard her coming. He slowly turned his head to look at her. He did not quickly hide his face or summon his mask. Perhaps he was too deep in his thoughts, or perhaps he simply wanted to see how she would react.
When the morning light hit his face, Kaelith finally saw the truth.
She saw the massive, jagged scar ripping across the left side of his face and the twisted, burned skin around his eye.
Kaelith was completely shocked. 'How could this happen?' she thought to herself. 'Zero is so incredibly powerful. Who in the world could possibly have the strength to hurt him like this?'
But as she looked at his ruined face, Kaelith did not feel any disgust, and she was not scared at all. Instead, she felt a deep, warm sympathy in her heart. She slowly knelt down on the rug right beside his chair, looking up at him with gentle amber eyes.
"Lord Zero..." Kaelith asked softly, her voice filled with care. "Who did this to your face? You have such miraculous healing potions. You gave the Kingdom a potion that can heal anything. You could easily heal these scars in a single second. Why do you choose to keep your face like this?"
Zero looked down at her gentle expression. He slowly raised his hand and touched the rough, scarred skin on his cheek.
"Because I want revenge," Zero replied, his voice calm but filled with a dark, freezing intensity. "I made a strict vow to myself. I will not heal a single scar on this face until I have taken my absolute revenge. The people who ruined my face will suffer for what they did."
Zero turned his gaze back to the window, his eyes turning cold as he remembered his dark past.
"There was no grand betrayal or epic battle," Zero explained quietly. "It happened simply because I was weak. In the past, I had absolutely no power. To them, I was completely useless. Because of my weakness, they brutally beat me, scarred my face, and threw me deep into a deadly monster forest, leaving me there to die alone like a piece of trash"
Kaelith gasped softly, her hands covering her mouth. To throw a weak, defenseless person into a monster forest was pure, pure cruelty. Her heart broke for him.
"But I did not die in that forest," Zero continued, his glowing red eyes narrowing with terrifying determination. "I survived. I grew stronger. And I will make sure the people who did this to me pay the ultimate price. I keep these scars to remind myself of the pain they caused me. I will only heal my face the day they are completely destroyed"
Kaelith listened to his painful story. Hearing how much he had suffered, her heart swelled with so much emotion and deep sympathy that she simply could not hold it back anymore.
Suddenly, Kaelith lunged forward and wrapped her massive arms around him, pulling him into a tight, fierce hug.
Because she was a giant Amazonian Centaur-kin, her body was much larger than a normal human's. As she pulled him against her, Zero's face was completely buried deep into her large, soft breasts. He was completely smothered by her massive chest, unable to see anything but soft skin and the silk of her makeshift dress.
Caught completely off guard by the sudden, overwhelming embrace, Zero paused for a second. He then gently pushed his shoulders back, pulling his face out of her heavy cleavage so he could breathe. He tilted his head back and looked up at her in surprise.
Kaelith did not even realize how awkward or flustered the hug might have been. Her face was flushed, and she looked down at him with amber eyes burning with pure emotion and absolute loyalty. She gently rested her warm fingers against his unscarred cheek.
"You are not weak anymore, Zero," Kaelith whispered fiercely, holding him close. "You are the strongest man I know. And when the time comes for your revenge, my tribe and I will fight by your side"
Suddenly, the heavy double doors of the Master Suite swung wide open.
"Zero, I brought you some—" Lilia started to speak, walking into the room with Brielle right behind her.
Both women instantly froze in their tracks. Their jaws dropped as they stared at the scene in front of them. Kaelith had her massive arms wrapped tightly around Zero, and his head had just been buried deep inside her heavy cleavage.
Hearing the doors open, Zero and Kaelith quickly pulled away from each other.
However, Kaelith did not look embarrassed or shy at all. Instead, she gently placed her hands on her warm cheeks and gave a beautiful, blissfully happy smile, clearly enjoying the close moment she just shared with her Lord.
Seeing that beautiful smile, Lilia's eyes instantly narrowed with intense jealousy. She marched into the room, puffing her chest out proudly to emphasize her own elegant figure.
"Lord Zero," Lilia said, giving Kaelith a competitive glare. "If you wanted to be hugged so tightly, you could have just come to my room. My chest might not be as massive as a giant centaur's... but they are definitely much larger than a normal woman's, and they are incredibly soft"
Hearing this, Kaelith's happy smile vanished. She gave Lilia a jealous, fiercely protective look.
"As long as I am standing by his side, Lord Zero does not need any other woman to hug him," Kaelith fired back defensively. "I am his companion. Furthermore, it is very rude to enter a room without knocking first!"
"This is my estate," Lilia scoffed playfully.
"And I am also Lord Zero's companion. There is no need for me to knock!"
Behind them, Brielle covered her face with her hands, looking absolutely mortified.
"El! How can you say such embarrassing words out loud?!" Brielle scolded her friend, her face turning red. "You are the Matriarch of the Valmont Family! Have some dignity! That kind of talk does not suit you at all!"
But as Brielle looked up to scold Zero for causing this mess, she suddenly froze. Her eyes widened in absolute shock. She completely forgot about her embarrassment.
"Wait... El, forget about the hug," Brielle stammered, pointing a shaking finger at the titan. "You didn't even notice. Lord Zero isn't wearing his armor or his helmet!"
Lilia stopped arguing and finally looked up at Zero's face.
The moment she saw the massive, jagged scar tearing across his cheek and the burned skin around his eye, the jealousy completely vanished from her eyes. It was instantly replaced by pure shock and a fierce, burning anger.
Lilia quickly rushed forward, stopping just inches away from him.
"Zero... what happened to your face?!" Lilia asked, her voice trembling with anger and concern. "Who did this to you? Tell me their names! I swear, no matter who they are, I will not spare them! But wait... you have the most powerful healing potions in the world. You could fix your face in a second. Why haven't you healed it?"
Zero looked down at the furious alchemist. His glowing red eyes were calm, but his voice was as cold as ice.
"I have taken a blood oath, Lilia," Zero repeated his dark vow. "I will not take a single drop of healing potion for my face until I get my revenge. I will keep these scars to remember the pain they caused me. I will only heal myself when the people who did this are completely destroyed"
Lilia stared into his cold, glowing eyes. She could feel the immense, heavy pain and the dark history hidden behind his words. The anger in her heart melted into deep, overwhelming affection.
She slowly reached up, gently hovering her soft fingers just above his ruined cheek, careful not to hurt him.
"I don't care about these scars, Zero," Lilia whispered softly, looking deeply into his eyes with absolute devotion. "It does not matter to me what your face looks like. To me, you are perfect exactly the way you are. These scars do not make you ugly... they just prove how incredibly strong you are to have survived. Whether you wear a terrifying iron mask or show these scars to the world, my feelings will not change. You are the man I have chosen"