Chapter 749 Black In White
Deep within the Forbidden Valley—the territory of the White Dragon Lord—there existed a mighty Castle. In all senses of the word, it resembled an elaborate mansion, with a luxurious compound.
White fog covered the entire space, marking the valley as the territory of the White Dragon Lord of the Empire. Any who dared venture in without an invitation would instantly be noticed by the Lord, and snuffed out before they could take another step.
Within the domain of a Lord, they reigned supreme.
However, this particular Lord did not seem to be supreme in any sense of the word. Deep within her mansion, in her incredibly vast sleeping quarters, she sat on her incredible bed—one that resembled the amalgamation of many King-sized mattresses.
Even if she was in her Dragon Form, the Lord would not be able to cover the entire space that her soft bed offered.
The walls surrounding her were painted white, with hues of blue decorating the surroundings. Her curtains were also pure, with embroidery that had light blue hue, and the same applied to pretty much every luxurious design in the room.
Even the chandeliers followed the same format, and they reflected gloriously on the pure white floors. Her carpet matched the sheets she used to cover her bed, and all of them blended perfectly to form a chamber worthy of a Lord.
Despite being surrounded by all of this wealth and power, however, the Lord remained hunched as she sat, covering her face with her two palms.
"H-hicc... hicc..." Loud sobs escaped her lips as she sat there, desolate and utterly in pain.
Her body trembled, and gasps escaped her gaping mouth at intervals. Even when tears had long dried up from her eyes, she still continued to drown in self pity and the writhing pain within her right eye.
'I really... lost so much... in a single day...' Her disjointed thoughts trailed as she immersed herself in the most sorry state imaginable—at least for a Dragon Lord.
'I lost my precious subordinates, friends... and... my eye... all because of my hubris.'
She was done blaming the incompetence of everyone around her. After mulling over what happened for so long, she could see how everything was her fault.
It all stemmed from her idea—the audacity she had in seeking out a loophole to defy the Emperor's orders.
'Never again... never again...'
She had now learnt her lesson, but at what cost? She had lost too much now.
Her face was forever scarred, and her perfect body was now incomplete. She was bound to be shunned by the rest of her colleagues during the upcoming meeting, and it was possible that rumors of her misdeeds even spread to the Academy.
Would her precious students turn against her? Would the staff there look at her the same way?
Frey'ja had no idea in the slightest.
Her reputation and absolute standing as an exemplary Dragon Lord had been ruined.
"Would it have been better to... di—" She suddenly stopped, not only because of the fear that accompanied her thought on death, but because she heard something.
After hearing another sudden whisper to her left, she swiftly turned and looked at the other side of the passageway.
There, seated on the ground, was a black cat.
It had completely black fur, with glowing red eyes that were fixed completely on her.
'What?!' The creature's appearance startled her, forcing her to blink with the only eye she had remaining.
Once she reopened her eye, the cat was nowhere to be found.
'What in the world? Was I hallucinating?' Perhaps this was a side effect from having only one vision that she didn't know of.
It could also be trau—
"Frey'ja." Hearing a familiar voice call her name, Frey'ja found the whisper coming from right behind her—within her bedroom.
'A-ahh... ahh...?' Slowly turning her head, as well as the rest of her body, she turned to look at the figure who sat there majestically.
'W-who... is that?!'
The strange man sat on her bed, and kneeling on the ground beside him were her two subordinates that she thought were dead. Kat'erin and Shai'ya did not look at her, though. Their heads were lowered, and they were completely still. They seemed alive, but something was off about them—something that even Frey'ja could not decipher.
"Come in." The man on the bed said with a smile.
He had crimson hair, and he donned a completely black suit. Despite being in the premises of a Dragon Lord, he exhibited even more authority than her.
Frankly... he frightened Frey'ja, so she did as he said.
The moment she re-entered her bedroom, taking a few more steps forward, she heard a loud creak—the sound of the doors closing. With a widened eye, she turned to look at the reason why, but what she saw caused it to bulge and turn bloodshot.
Her three dead comrades—Tat'urius, Vul'khan, and Pro'theus—stood right behind her, blocking the room's entrance and exit. They also had dispassionate expressions on their faces, and their heads were bowed low.
—All for one person.
'What's happening here?' She didn't need anyone to tell her before realizing that all of this was occurring because of the smiling man on the bed.
But why?
'Who is he? What does he want?' As she stared at him with cautious eyes, feeling fear now rising and surging within her body, she took another step forward.
Much to her horror, the man grinned even more and parted his lips to speak.
"My name is Ater, and you and I... we have a lot to discuss."