Tyrant's Obsession With The Heiress

Lady Karina had risen quite early the following morning, before the crack of dawn, as per Orpheus' orders.

She bathed in warmed rosewater and dressed in a soft green woollen gown with a contrasting silk trim.

And due to her travelling, Kairie had wound the lady's long golden blonde hair in a plaited bun at the back of her head.

It was the kind of style that emphasised the contours of her slender neck and blush-tinted shoulders that always flushed quickly under the cold air.

And as usual, there was absolutely nothing about Lady Karina that didn't scream elegance and beauty, because no matter what she wore, she would always be stunning.

Kairie had always been delighted to groom her mistress for Lady Karina was always so pleasant and kind compared to most distinguished ladies.

There wasn't a hint of arrogance or superiority despite the pampered life she was raised to enjoy.

This 𝓬ontent is taken from freeweɓnovel.cѳm.

Lady Karina was also relieved to hear from Kairie that Lady Drosera was safe, and under her instructions the female servant had brought warm blankets and food to the grieving rose that early morning.

There was still the fear of what Orpheus had planned to do with Lady Drosera and whether the man had any intentions of showing remorse or apologising to the lady for what had become of her family.

Lady Karina shook her head out of her thoughts, realising there was much more to deal with at hand when Kairie had finished dressing her.

As the sun turned the eastern sky shades of pink and purple, Lady Karina had found her way to the solar to collect her box of quill and ink and a fresh parchment that would be used to record the labourers they hired and the salary allocation.

The lady had been occupied with ensuring that she had everything she needed and that all was in order when the grating of armour caught her attention.

Though she'd seen Orpheus in his silver armour many times before, the sight of the man clad in full battle protection almost elicited a yelp of fear before she realised it was hip.

Lady Karina had recognised his helmet; the two devilish horns that stuck out from it radiated everything evil from below the surface of Ethuaria.

It was ironic that she did not cower from the mighty beasts she convened with the previous knight, but there was something about seeing Orpheus Van Merikh in the armour he wore when he invaded her castle that made her stomach churn.

It was a reminder of exactly who he was, perhaps a reminder she needed to see so that she didn't lose sight of the goals she set for herself.

The man's deadly presence had momentarily startled her. His helmet was on, his visor was flipped, and his dual-coloured eyes were fixed on her.

And as usual, the shameless devil let his eyes wander over her body as it pleased. He was never apologetic about the way he drank in the sight of her curves, her flaring hips, her well-proportioned bosom, and the exposed contours of her neck, which was practically beckoning his lips to them.

It was difficult not to stare at all the obvious signs of her beauty, and it always brought shame to her cheeks for it felt as if the man was undressing her with his eyes alone.

It didn't help that the memories of her arousal state from the previous night were still fresh in her mind.

And after several long seconds, Orpheus finally lifted a dark eyebrow at her reaction to his arrival.

"I will advise that you learn to overcome your fear of knights, my lady," Orpheus said, taking off his helmet and running his gauntleted hand through his unruly dark curls.

Lady Karina flushed. "I do not know of what you speak."

"Wanting to scream every time I enter a room or when any of my knights do," he clarified.

Although he didn't wish to feed her fears, he had to be stern about the way he wanted her to overcome them since it would be for her own good.

Lady Karina pursed her lips irritably as she checked her box one final time to ensure that she had packed everything that was necessary.

"I am not entirely fearful of knights," she eyed him. "Just the ones who emerge from the darkness like Lucifer himself."

Her remark made the corner of his mouth twitch as he slipped his helmet back on. "If I were Lucifer, you would be my wife already and you would be in my bed."

Lady Karina's cheeks flushed with shame again, making her blood boil and this time she actually mustered the courage to lift a wooden cup from the desk and aim it in his direction.

Her aim was poor and the man simply caught the cup with ease without so much as moving, walking over to the desk to set it back down.

"If you are done with your wild cat tantrums, are you prepared to leave, my lady?" He grinned unapologetically.

Orpheus had appeared fairly normal for the turmoil that went on the previous eventful night. In fact, he seemed to have some light humour about him.

It was both a relief and a curiosity.

Lady Karina, still somewhat furious, picked up her box and ushered it in his direction.

"Can you take this, please?" She asked politely despite the sweet frown on her face.

Orpheus took the box from her, along with the parchment from the desk.

And as they departed from the solar, Kairie was already at the door with Lady Karina's grey fur-lined coat and she secured it about her mistress's shoulders as Orpheus opened the great door.

With the hood pulled over her head, it would shield her view from the crop of dead bodies in the bailey when she emerged after Orpheus into the damp dawn of the outside.

The bailey was cluttered with men cloaked in armour with weapons on their backs or resting at their hips and they formed a complete escort party of about thirty men.

And suddenly, Lady Karina realised the bailey was also barren of the gruesome army of corpses that had been strung up on poles for days.

She came to a halt halfway down the steps, her gaze moving to the ward in astonishment.

Orpheus had already been off the steps and well on his way to his charger, a black horse, but also came to a halt when he noticed she hadn't followed.

"What is it?" He asked her, turning around.

Stunned, Lady Karina was speechless to say the least as she descended the remainder of the stairs and caught up to him.

"My father's knights..." She surveyed the bailey. "They're gone."

A/N: Hi all! Thank you for reading this far. I will be setting some milestones to achieve in exchange for bonus Chapters!

Milestone 1: 50 cumulative PARAGRAPH comments = 1 bonus Chapter

Milestone 2: Massage chair gift/Luxury car gift = 2 bonus Chapters

Milestone 3: Magic castle gift = 4 bonus Chapters + 2 regular Chapters