Haymand’s Blood - Chapter 3
“…!!!”
Lloyd was taken aback when the young woman suddenly disappeared, frantically scanning his surroundings. His gaze swept quickly across the hall until it reached the throne—where he froze in place. Somehow, the young woman now stood directly in front of Kairas.
The only reassuring detail was that her sword tip still rested on the ground, while Kairas’s blade hovered at her neck. But even that moment of relief was short-lived as Lloyd’s eyes widened in disbelief.
The girl slowly raised her hand toward the blade at her throat. To Lloyd’s shock, the instant her fingers touched Kairas’s sword, it flew up into the air and clattered to the ground. Lloyd couldn’t believe his eyes—Kairas, who had never let go of his sword in any situation, had lost his grip.
Kairas was equally stunned. The moment her delicate hand met the blade near her throat, an overwhelming force had compelled him to release his sword. In an attempt to make sense of the impossible, he felt her small, white hand grasp his collar, pulling him close. The strength in her grip was far beyond what her slight frame should have been capable of.
“Oh~ You’re the purest-blooded Haymand I’ve ever seen…” Her low, slightly husky voice brushed against his ear, sending a chill down his spine. At the same time, her captivating, intense red eyes filled his vision completely.
Her cool breath hovered just above his lips, close enough to brush them, and the sensation unnerved him. Startled, he quickly reached up, grasping her hand tightly to pry her grip from his collar.
“Who…are you?!”
His voice was icy and commanding, enough to freeze most in place. But the smile on her lips only deepened. And in the next instant, Kairas found himself frozen, as if turned to stone.
Though Kairas was gripping her hand with all his strength, determined to pry it away, the girl’s hand slipped free effortlessly and drifted up to caress his cheek in a slow, tantalizing movement.
“Was it not you who woke me?” she murmured. “You’ve paid in blood for disturbing my slumber, but it’s not nearly enough. Until I’m ready to rest again, you will stay by my side and satisfy me—just as your ancestors once did.”
A collective gasp escaped the lips of those frozen in shock around them. Their faces had turned ashen. Their emperor was known as the “Lord of Blood” for his ruthlessness—a young man with fiery red hair, silver eyes, and a sculpted beauty that could captivate any woman, yet utterly devoid of emotion. In this recent war, countless lives had fallen to his blade. And now this girl dared to command their emperor to embrace her.
Kairas himself could hardly believe his ears. But as the reality of her words settled in, his expression hardened, the cold fury in his gaze deepening to an icy, lethal intensity.
“Did you just tell me…to embrace you? Me, the Emperor of this empire?” His voice was low, simmering with rage.
The girl withdrew her hand from his cheek, the disinterest in her face now apparent, as though his anger bored her. “Well, well. You Haymands really do speak in the same way, generation after generation,” she said. “Child, do you know your ancestors said the very same thing? Each one protested, yet all of them came willingly to me in the end. If you’re curious about my story, look it up in the Empire’s chronicles. My name is Serenity, though since you carry Haymand blood, you may call me Seren.”
Speaking as if to a child, Serenity glanced around the room. The scent of strong Haymand blood filled her senses, intensifying her thirst. The blood of the three knights had been far from enough. Her gaze roamed until it settled on Lloyd and his knights standing below the platform.
Her crimson eyes gleamed with cruelty, and the tip of her sword, which had rested on the ground, rose slowly. If she were to embrace Kairas now, her maddening thirst might be satisfied. But forcing herself upon an unwilling partner held no appeal.
“Well then, I suppose I have no other choice.”
With a lazy smile, Serenity raised her greatsword and swung it toward Lloyd and the knights. Though it seemed a slow, effortless motion, the deadly red energy unleashed by her sword reached them in the blink of an eye, crashing down upon Lloyd and his knights.
“Ugh…!”
The result was devastating. Only Lloyd, who managed to summon his own sword’s energy to shield himself, remained unharmed; the rest of the knights were cut down, collapsing as her blade’s deadly aura tore through them, spilling blood across the floor. The force of the attack, still unsatisfied, continued on, striking the wall and slicing through it nearly halfway.
“What is the meaning of this?!” Kairas shouted in rage, stunned.
Serenity turned to look at him, her lips curling into a deep, satisfied smile as she took in the blood soaking the ground. She was hauntingly beautiful in that moment, but the sight was chilling.
“There was no other choice, was there? If you won’t willingly embrace me, then I must find another way to quench this thirst. Let’s see, that makes eight in total so far… That should be enough to last me three days,” she said calmly.
Her casual statement about killing to slake her thirst left Kairas speechless. Madness seemed to be this girl’s defining trait.
“Since my thirst is now sated, I can put this away for the time being.”
As her crimson eyes glowed mysteriously, the massive greatsword in her hand began to float and, astonishingly, shrank down to the size of a fingernail. The tiny sword flew to her right earlobe, attaching itself to the silver hoop there. From a distance, it could easily be mistaken for an earring, glittering and swinging lightly.
Serenity, having transformed her weapon, approached the still-frozen Kairas. With no room for him to retreat, she reached out, gripping his collar firmly with both of her small, pale hands. The strength behind her grasp left him no choice but to lower his head and meet her gaze.
“Three days, child. Consider it carefully. I have no desire to turn this palace into a river of blood,” she whispered, her breath brushing his face as she spoke softly. She released him, turning away with a slow, graceful stride, leaving the hall in silence. No one dared to move until she was completely gone.
“…”
Later, Kairas watched as the imperial physician applied ointment to Hayad’s wounds. Lloyd stood nearby, his face tense as he kept an anxious eye on his injured companion. After carefully examining and tending to the unconscious Hayad, the physician stood and bowed to Kairas.
“Your Majesty, Sir Hayad has suffered eighteen bruises from impact, but fortunately, there are no fatal injuries or broken bones. He should wake within a day or two. All wounds have been treated.”
“Well done. You may leave,” Kairas replied.
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
As the physician departed, Lloyd glanced down at the sleeping Hayad and clicked his tongue in frustration.
“No sword wounds at all… so basically, he got beaten up bare-handed, huh? When he wakes up, his pride’s going to take a hit,” Lloyd muttered, his tone slipping into casual speech now that they were alone. Kairas, used to this informality, responded without a second thought.
“Most likely. He’s a prideful one, after all.”
“But that girl—or woman? Whatever she is… what’s her deal?” Lloyd’s face clouded with faint fear as he recalled Serenity’s earlier attack. “She barely threw that sword energy, and yet my hand was still numb from it.”
The image of the red aura she unleashed flashed in his mind, and Lloyd’s hand almost trembled at the memory. If he hadn’t reacted in time with his own sword energy, he would have ended up like the other knights, cut down and sprawled across the floor.
“She’s a woman I don’t care for in the least,” Kairas said, his voice laced with simmering anger. He clenched his jaw, remembering how Serenity had not only killed his knights right in front of him but also had the audacity to tell him to embrace her. Just thinking about her—those captivating red eyes and that lazy, teasing smile—made his teeth grind in frustration. Yet, despite himself, he felt an involuntary physical reaction that left him rigid with discomfort.
“…”
As he glanced down at his own body in disbelief, Lloyd spoke up.
“Then again, if you think about it… maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to embrace her, huh? Honestly, she’s pretty much my type. Gorgeous, delicate, but with that alluring edge… If it were me, I’d—ow!”
A sharp crack echoed through the room as Lloyd yelped, clutching his head. Kairas had smacked him on the back of the head, hard.
“Have some pride, you fool. If you’re so eager, you go and embrace her yourself. I have absolutely no intention of doing so.”
With his voice thick with irritation, Kairas silenced Lloyd, who immediately clamped his mouth shut. From experience, he knew that in moments like this, keeping quiet was the best choice.
Watching his friend’s clearly disgruntled expression, Lloyd hesitated, but when Kairas rose from his chair, he quickly spoke up. “Going somewhere?”
“There’s something I need to look into. Take care of Hayad for me.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll keep a good watch over him,” Lloyd said, waving his hand as if to shoo him away. Kairas chuckled lightly at his friend’s dismissive gesture and turned to leave. He’d instructed the chamberlain to bring the Imperial Chronicles; he planned to find out more about the girl who had called herself Serenity.
Knock, knock.
The sound of knocking halted Kairas’s swift signing of documents. He’d given orders to the guards to allow no one near the office except the chamberlain, so he knew who it had to be.
“Come in,” he commanded.
The door opened, and the chamberlain entered, holding a thick book. Approaching the desk, he bowed deeply before placing the tome on the desk.
“This is it?” Kairas asked.
“Yes, Your Majesty. This is the Imperial Chronicles, as you requested.”
Accepting the book and setting it on the desk, Kairas paused, as if struck by a sudden thought.
“Where did they say that woman was staying?”
“Do you mean Princess Kazar, Your Majesty? She seemed to be quite shaken, so she’s resting…”
“I’m not asking about the princess. I’m asking about that insane woman.”
Realizing whom Kairas meant, the chamberlain’s expression shifted to one of alarm, and he quickly replied, “She hasn’t left her room, Your Majesty.”
“Her room? Which room, exactly?”
“The one directly beside Your Majesty’s chambers. General Menster suggested we be mindful not to offend her, so we accommodated her in a room of her choice…”
Kairas fell silent.
“…”
“Shall I ask her to move to a different room?” the chamberlain asked carefully, his voice filled with caution.
Kairas ground his teeth again, unable to hide his frustration. Serenity acted as if the palace were her own, choosing the room right next to his chambers. But what grated on him most was the fact that, despite his position as Emperor, there was nothing he could do about her at the moment.
“No, leave it as it is. And don’t let anyone enter without my permission. You may go.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.” Recognizing the emperor’s dark mood, the chamberlain quickly exited the room. The door closed, and Kairas, unable to contain his anger, picked up the Imperial Chronicles he’d requested and hurled it to the floor. The idea that he, Emperor of the empire, was powerless against a single girl was intolerable.
“Damn it…”
He took a deep breath, trying to compose himself. He had thought he’d long mastered control over his emotions—but clearly, that wasn’t the case. As his anger slowly subsided, his gaze fell to the book now lying on the floor.
“…”
Rising from his chair, he walked over, picked up the book, dusted it off, and sank into the sofa. “To defeat an opponent, you must first understand them,” he muttered to himself, flipping through the pages in search of the information he wanted.
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