Lexa stood up and nodded, steeling her resolve.
"Yes. I understand. I'll do my best."
Vexion smiled, and the two soon began walking. Reaching a large door, she knocked before giving a small bow as it opened.
"Good evening, Madam. Master and I—"
Vexion wasn't able to finish her sentence before a gorgeous woman with long blue hair, matching blue eyes, and a voluptuous figure wrapped in elegant blue robes rushed toward her.
"Vexion! Where were you two?! I suddenly had a Mythical Being asking me about another Mythical Being appearing in dark elf territory—"
Aurora stopped mid-sentence as she wrapped Vexion in a tight embrace.
Vexion happily returned the hug, smiling with genuine gratitude and affection. She had missed Aurora.
Only after a few moments did Aurora notice the young girl standing beside her.
She appeared to be around Vexion's age, with beautiful dark hair, light brown eyes, and delicate yet noble features. Though her figure wasn't quite as developed as Vexion's, she was undoubtedly beautiful. Her fitted black martial robes complemented her appearance well, neither too loose nor too tight.
Aurora slowly released Vexion as realization dawned on her.
'It really was them... Mmph!'
Without another word, Aurora gestured for them to follow before leading them into her room.
Before long, Justin also arrived.
Having sensed a slight disturbance in space, he had first gone to check on his sleeping son before making his way toward Vexion's presence. Entering Aurora's room, he quickly realized his troublesome child had apparently returned with another subordinate.
Unlike Vexion when she had first arrived, this girl wasn't ragged or broken.
Lexa carried herself with quiet dignity. She possessed the bearing of someone raised with noble etiquette. Humble, yet not lacking confidence.
It didn't take Justin long to piece together what had happened after listening to Vexion's explanation.
Or rather...
After listening to Vexion's complete nonsense.
According to her, she and Dante had merely travelled into dark elf territory because Dante wished to learn more about the dark elves.
While there, several empires had become caught in conflict. Dante had apparently sensed two Mythical Beings fighting while another simply watched from afar, making him curious enough to observe.
Eventually the battle ended after causing tremendous destruction.
None of the Mythical Beings had noticed them, save for one who vaguely sensed something after Dante concealed them using a skill that rendered them impossible to appraise or detect. Even then, the individual merely sensed a disturbance in space before leaving.
Only afterward had Dante discovered two empires locked in battle.
Finding the situation excessively cruel, he intervened, rescued Lexa and her family, and ensured they escaped safely.
Aurora and Justin exchanged helpless looks.
They already knew their son hid many things from them.
Yet to think he possessed spatial abilities...
Justin felt another headache coming on.
More than once he had wanted to simply announce Dante as his son and let anyone with objections challenge him. Unfortunately, reality wasn't so accommodating.
He genuinely loved the Sandrian Empire.
His older brother certainly wouldn't allow such reckless behavior, nor would those ancient monsters who had founded the empire before disappearing into comfortable retirement.
Justin sighed.
Come to think of it...
He hadn't even told Dante about those old fools yet.
He chuckled to himself.
Besides, no matter how powerful someone became, there were still certain racial beliefs and natural balances that couldn't simply be overturned through strength alone.
Aurora and Justin both suspected Vexion wasn't telling them the whole story.
But there was little point pressing the matter.
Every single one of his children was hiding something.
The last report Justin had received was that the Crown Prince had secretly travelled to the NorthEastern Empire with the intention of joining the War World Sect.
Sometimes he genuinely wondered why all of his children were so troublesome.
Then again...
He himself wasn't much better.
Neither was his brother, who had spent over two hundred years wandering the world in pursuit of greater strength.
'This family... did I inherit problematic blood?'
He sighed before shaking his head.
'Dante will likely leave in around a year or two. Knowing him, he'll spend that time gathering information. I'll at least open the Royal Library for him. It should save him some effort.'
The atmosphere soon became considerably lighter.
Aurora, Justin, Vexion, and Lexa all introduced themselves properly. Lexa's loyalty toward Dante was respectable however, it couldn't compare to Vexion's. The half-elf openly declared she would rather die than betray her master after all.
Aurora and Justin understood why.
Unlike Vexion, Lexa hadn't spent years trapped in endless suffering.
She still had parents, siblings, and loved ones occupying her heart.
Vexion...
Had only Dante.
Lexa, meanwhile, was completely baffled after learning her master was actually younger than she was.She had assumed he had merely been joking before.
Yet it was true.
Her thoughts drifted back to the image of him slaughtering people without hesitation. How could someone raised in such a loving family become so terrifying outside of it? At home he was, by every description she heard, a kind and affectionate child.
Outside...
He became someone capable of horrifying cruelty without the slightest hesitation. The contradiction left her completely confused. As the evening wore on, Vexion and Lexa were assigned separate rooms close to one another. Later that night, Vexion sat inside Lexa's room, teaching her about life within the royal palace... as well as several things about their master.
"...He's kind of a..." Vexion coughed into her fist before smiling sheepishly.
"A horny pervert."
Lexa blinked.
Vexion giggled.
"He likes staring at my chest and my butt whenever he thinks I don't notice. Sometimes he just does it regardless". Vexion blushed as she remembered his roaming eyes giggling more at Lexa's perplexed expression.
As the night wore on, Vexion continued briefing Lexa on everything she needed to know about the empire and the Royal Palace.
There was, however, one thing Lexa simply couldn't understand.
It lingered in the back of her mind.
Their master clearly came from a loving family. She had yet to meet everyone, but it was obvious he was cherished. There was no internal struggle for power, no royal infighting. His family genuinely loved one another. He had a Mythical mother, a Sovereign father, brothers and sisters who were Legendary Beings, and protection from every direction.
He hadn't experienced much suffering...
So why?
After a moment of silence, Lexa finally asked,
"Why is he so cruel? Why does he seem to have so little regard for life? He has no reason to be that way... right?"
Vexion looked at Lexa before letting out a small chuckle.
"Master Dante is... well... simply who he is."
She rested her chin against her hand as she searched for the right words.
"I suppose by your standards—perhaps even mine before I met him—you'd call him evil. But I don't think Master sees things through the lens of good and evil. At least... not when it comes to himself."
"He simply sees what he wants. That's all. The rest doesn't concern him. I used to think everyone judged things by what was right or wrong, even if those definitions differed from person to person. But Master... doesn't. He has his own way. If he chooses to do something, then to him it is correct."
She smiled in adoration .
"It's honestly difficult to explain."
Vexion covered her lips with a small laugh before adding,
"One time we were exploring the city and someone stole a loaf of bread from a stand. He watched the whole thing and did absolutely nothing."
"Then he looked at me and said..."
She mimicked Dante's casual tone.
"I guess what he did is bad... but it's not like he stole my bread. If he stole my bread, then that would be bad. Very bad. Evil, in fact."
Vexion burst into laughter at the memory.
"I laughed so hard."
"And he just stared at me with this confused expression, wondering why I found it funny." For a brief moment, Vexion's eyes softened as she remembered the scene.
"Master simply... is the rule."
"He is his own morality. He is righteous. He is evil. He wants enough power so that nobody can decide what he should or shouldn't do. He lives entirely for himself."
She looked directly at Lexa.
"If you gain his favor... if you become useful... then he'll slowly extend that circle from himself to include you, just like he did with his family... and with me."
"To say he loves us wouldn't exactly be wrong. But it also wouldn't be entirely right."
"We're people he considers worth having in his life."
"I honestly believe that if we ever became nothing but burdens..."
She smiled bitterly.
"...he wouldn't hesitate to leave us behind."
Lexa remained silent.
She couldn't understand why someone would willingly follow such a person. Yet after everything she had experienced, she also couldn't deny the strange logic behind it. Dante possessed the strength to command, enforce, and maintain his own ideals if one could even call them ideals.
He could save a village and by same casualness He could destroy a village.
Both decisions would stem from the exact same reason.
Because he wanted to. Matters of Who lived who died who suffered who prospered whatever the outcome of others was. None of those things carried inherent value to him only whether they aligned with his own desires.
The two continued chatting for a while before Vexion's expression gradually turned serious.
"There's one last thing. Master is everything to me. any subordinate who follows him should slowly develop the same mindset eventually it becomes necessary"
"Master isn't a normal Mythical Being. Even among Mythical Beings outside his own family... I can't imagine many capable of what he is."
Her voice grew colder as she added "If you fail him...I'll personally kill you. If Master doesn't permit me to...then I'll make you wish he had.".
Vexion's words were delivered as cold as they could be . blunt and with no shame or remorse. They were matter of fact not an opinion. Vexion knew she loved Dante far more than she ever thought she could.
As Dante's first subordinate her fear of failing him and disappointing him were only second to one, her inability to maintain her position in her heart and lose him. In another simialr point, her fear was being so inapt that she could casue his plans to fail and even cause him to lose his life.
"I wouldn't be treating you this kindly if you hadn't earned Master's favor. Anyone Master personally accepts, I'll accept as well."
"As his first subordinate..."
She hesitated, blush immediately spread across her cheeks.
"...and..."
"...his servant..."
Her voice became quieter.
"...or woman."
Lexa couldn't help noticing that Vexion was subtly emphasizing her own place beside Dante.
Almost as if she were reminding Lexa that, regardless of rank among subordinates, she occupied a position no one else did.
Ironically, despite her confidence, Vexion herself looked completely embarrassed each time she referred to it.
Lexa simply nodded.
Vexion cleared her throat, forcing herself to regain some composure.
"I don't even know whether I've earned the right to become Master's lover yet, but Master has made one thing very clear. My duty as his subordinate comes before everything else and as his subordinate, I fulfill whatever role he asks of me..."
"...even if one day that includes serving him in bed."
She scratched her cheek awkwardly. "I'd obviously prefer to be the only one, but... I know things may not turn out exactly how I want."
"Still..." A shy smile spread across her face.
"Master promised that I'd always be first. He said he'd choose me before any future lover or female subordinate. So..."
Her gaze became sharp once more.
"I'll continue looking after him."
She took one step closer.
"So don't you ever fucking fail him.And don't ever disappoint him. If you do..."
"You'd better make up for it. Even if it costs you your life."
A chilling pressure spread through the room. Lexa instinctively stiffened. For a moment she had forgotten.
This smiling young woman...
Was every bit as ruthless as the master she adored.
She hurriedly nodded.
"I understand."
Only then did Vexion's expression soften. Not long afterward, she left Lexa alone in her room. Lexa let out a long breath, trying to calm the unease still lingering in her chest after Vexion's sudden shift in demeanor.
'She really loves him...'
'Or perhaps... they're both simply insane.'
She sighed.
'I still don't understand either of them...'
'But I'll do my best.'
'After all... I owe him my life.'
'No... twice over.'