It was already night when the carriage arrived at Oliver Manor.
The carved metal door was wide open. No one was in front of it, but it was like a silent invitation. Deep in the dark garden was the magnificent mansion of Oliver Manor. In the dark night without stars and the dark forest, only every window of Oliver Manor was lit.
Like a giant beast lurking in the shadows, waiting for its prey to fall into its trap.
Lucian got out of the carriage. Dylan followed him. The air in the garden was filled with a fragrant aroma that made people dizzy. Lucian looked at Dylan calmly and said, "Lead the way."
"—you brought me here to see him, didn't you?"
The anxious and sunny expression on Dylan's face disappeared like ripples on the water. Instead, a crescent-shaped smile appeared. Led by this puppet-like Dylan, Lucian walked into the mansion step by step.
Step by step, it was being eroded by the shadow of Oliver Mansion.
There was soothing music playing in the mansion. The moment he opened the door, Lucien saw the beautiful girls who had disappeared on the dance floor. The young girls were wearing their gorgeous dresses and jewelry on their heads. They danced with other girls in the three-story hall of Oliver's mansion. Their cheeks were rosy and their smiles were happy. On the long tables covered with white silk on both sides were champagnes that could be served by themselves.
The scene was indeed extravagant, if the smiles on the girls' faces were not as perfect as those of dolls. They looked like puppets in a music box tied with silk strings, just mechanically following the music and repeating the dance over and over again.
"Look at this." Lucian seemed to hear someone whispering in his ear, "This is the town where you used to live. It has become like this because of you. Are you happy?"
Lucian didn't see Wade in the ballroom, so he went up the stairs. All the rooms on the second floor were closed, and Lucian chose one of them. He stood at the door of the room and knocked lightly with his fingers.
The door opened.
Wade sat on the sofa in the room. He leaned sideways, closed his eyes, and gently supported his temple with his left hand. The record player in the room played a record, and the record contained a woman's long and soft singing voice, neither hurried nor slow.
Lucian stood at the door.
"You're back?"
This was the first sentence Vader spoke to him.
This was totally different from what Lucian expected. He thought Vader would lose his temper, be furious, and torture him. But Vader just said this casually, as if Lucian didn't run away from his wedding, but just went out for a walk when the weather was good.
Lucian lowered his eyes and did not move. Somehow, Wade's attitude now made him feel even more creepy.
"sit."
This is Vader's second sentence.
Lucian sat on a chair opposite to Vader, who closed his eyes, the smoke from the incense burner swirling between them.
Lucian’s face was just across the smoke.
"Did you kill the townspeople, or just control them?" Lucian said.
"They have taken good care of you in the past three months. No, do you really care about that?"
Vader laughed lowly.
So Lucian also laughed.
"No, I won't." He said softly, with a naive and cold expression on his face, "Even if they are dead, it has nothing to do with me. You are the one who killed them."
—It’s not me.
Wade finally opened his eyes, and those eyes, darker red than before, stared at him.
His shirt collar was wide open, his collarbone was pale, but his hair was as black as ink, making him look more dangerous and tempting than before.
"Very good." He smiled with his red lips raised, "This is my Lucian."
"… "
The soothing music continued. Wade clapped his hands, and the puppet who was the butler came out from the corner.
"Come to me."
The butler helped Lucian sit next to Wade. Lucian wanted to move on his own, but found that he could not control his joints at all.
It was as if invisible threads had bound his body before he even noticed, making him unable to move.
"Lucian, I once proposed to you. But I forgot to say one word to you at that time - you have to choose between the queen's ring and the prisoner's shackles and wear it on yourself. But it seems that you want to be a beautiful bitch imprisoned by me more than the queen." Wade let him lean on his shoulders and gently combed his long gray hair with his hands, "So now..."
"Come on," he said, "my dear, and see the party."
Wade's eyes were cold, without the innocent and passionate shyness he had on the eve of the wedding. He looked at Lucian as if he was looking at a trophy he had taken back.
He took Lucian's hand and led him out of the room and down the long stairs. The beautiful girls who were dancing downstairs looked at the well-matched couple. They were radiant, smiling, and applauding them.
Wade brought Lucian to the girls who continued to dance. He put his arm around Lucian's waist, held his throat, and made him dance with him like a puppet. At the end of the dance, he lowered his head and bit his ear, whispering, "... I'm glad you kept yourself clean, Lucian, and your hair is black. It's good that you haven't looked for anyone else. It saved me the trouble of finding a new body for you."
If not, he didn't know if he could control his desire to break Lucian's wrist and tear the man who had an affair with him into pieces.
Lucian finally couldn't stop shaking, his lips trembling, as if he wanted to say something, so Vader released the magic on his throat.
Lucian then asked, "Why, are you worried that I'll find out that other men are... better than you?"
The dance and music continued on the dance floor, but Lucian had been dragged upstairs by Wade and thrown onto the railing on the third floor. Wade bit Lucian's lips maliciously, causing him pain and bleeding.
Later, the wine-red cloak fell to the ground. Only then did Wade's eyes waver slightly. Lucian's body emerged from the cloak like a mermaid emerging from water.
“I’m wearing a robe,” Lucian panted. “I’m just wearing… a robe.”
Only.
After he heard Wade for a long time, he sneered.
"You understand, dear," Wade said. "Then I'll be grateful for your hospitality."
The next moment, Lucian finally let out an uncontrollable whimper in Vader's revenge.
…
Wade forced Lucian to keep looking at him, no matter how painful it was. He whispered in Lucian's ear: "Don't be afraid, dear. This is what you deserve."
Lucian closed his eyes and refused to look at him, so he became even more cruel, asking him to call his name, say that he was his slave, and to cry.
Finally, Lucian's eyes were blank. He stared blankly at the sky, as if he had turned into a broken puppet, huddled on Wade's body and trembling. After this time on the railing, Wade carried him back to the room.
Vader was really ruthless this time, but contrary to Lucian's expectation, he himself did not suffer any serious injuries. When he woke up the next day, he saw another pair of shackles on his ankles. The shackles were platinum and engraved with more complicated spells than before.
Vader was sitting beside him, apparently cleaning his body and personally healing his swollen wounds with magic.
Lucian hissed softly, and the healing action seemed to become much gentler at that moment, or as if it was just Lucian’s illusion.
"..." Lucian looked at Wade.
Vader didn't look at him.
"Don't think this time is enough, dear." After the treatment, Wade said, patting his cheek with his hand, "We still have a long time to live. Baby..."
He made a slight move with malice. Lucian shuddered and heard him say, "As a lover, you are not qualified. As a succubus, you are very qualified. Now I am sure that getting you back is a good deal."
"..." Lucian said softly, "So you are still doing it now?"
"… Don't be impatient." Wade paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "I don't want to ruin you so soon."
Lucian closed his eyes. His face was pale, and he looked fragile. Wade was about to leave with the healing potion, but when he opened the door, he heard Lucian's soft voice.
“… You didn’t look at my memories, did you?”
"… "
Wade's shoulders stiffened slightly. But Lucian still closed his eyes and asked weakly, "Why?"
"... Stop misunderstanding anything." Wade said coldly.
With that, he left the room.
The system popped up after Wade left. He asked, "What do you mean by misunderstanding? What does Wade think you misunderstood?"
"How should I know?" Lucian said listlessly, "I was ravaged by him all night and now I can't think anymore."
system:…
Lucian stopped talking. The wound that had been medicated still felt a little cool, so he closed his eyes to the sound of rain outside the window and the soothing effect of the medicine.
On the third day, Lucian saw the carriage from the human capital that Vader used to pick him up. He would ride the carriage for a distance and then leave from the teleportation array in a nearby big city. Before getting on the carriage, Lucian said, "."
"What's wrong, dear?" Wade said.
Wade now liked to call him this, but with a bone-chilling malice. Lucian said, "I left something in a house in the town, and I want to go back and get it."
Wade gently stroked his neck and said with a smile, "You don't think I will agree to you, do you?"
“Please promise me,” Lucian said, “as long as you let me go back and get that thing… I can do whatever you want with it.”
Wade finally took him back to the hut. He stood at the door and watched Lucian enter his bedroom coldly. At this moment, the sound of a fight was heard outside the door.
"You can't do this!" Mitchell's cold voice came from downstairs, "This town, everyone here... You can't do this!"
"Lucian! Lucian! You are..."
Michelle's voice was interrupted because a figure walked out of Vader's shadow and walked downstairs. The man also had Vader's appearance, but in the form of a dragon. The Vader standing in front of Lucian was in human form.
The sound of bloody fighting came from downstairs. Wade touched Lucian's cheek from behind as she sat in front of the dressing table. He said softly, "That gray-robed wizard named Mitchell... Is this the person you are looking for?"
Lucian shook his head.
He took out a ruby earring from the box and held it in his hand. Wade saw the red light of the earring, and it seemed that the earring had always been well treasured by Lucian and had never had the opportunity to experience the vicissitudes of life.
At that moment, his eyes became darker, as if something could not help but want to break out of the ground.
"Found it." Lucian said slowly, "Let's go."
"… "
Wade was silent for a long time. Finally, he laughed, and it was unclear whether he was laughing at himself or someone else.
Downstairs, there was a large amount of blood and Michelle had already escaped. Lucian followed behind Wade with an expressionless face. He wore a crimson cloak and got on the carriage, holding the ruby earring in his hand.
He didn't look at the bloodstains on the ground, didn't look at the small house that was burned down by Wade, and didn't look at the town.
He never looked back once.