LUCIUS' POV
I stared at the writing for a long time before smashing the mirror in rage.
She dared to give her underling a life in my castle.
I sat on the edge of the bathtub and thought deeply about how best I could approach the matter, and I decided I had to tell my men.
It was better when they were on the watch for me.
I went to find Dusk first and saw her just coming from the garden with a new painting.
"Dusk..." I called, and she looked up at me.
"Is anything wrong?" She asked me, and I sighed.
"It's a really long story, but I once killed a rabbit I shouldn't have kissed, and because of that, the lady who watches over it wants a life." I said, and she gave a confused look.
Just then, Seline came by, and I explained it to her, the way I had explained it to Dusk.
"She sounds like a magical creature. Would you mind taking me there?" She asked, and I nodded.
The three of us went to the forest, walking tirelessly before finally finding the clear pond.
"Here... She can speak and can also become a lady formed by water." I said, and Seline looked at the water.
Then she went to the water and bent, taking some into her hands.
"This looks like Naomi, the woman of the blue water. That's the name she goes by." She said, and I turned away.
"She's listening; let's get farther." I said, and they nodded.
We walked farther from the pond, and Seline stopped.
"She takes the lives of her creatures seriously, so you accidentally killing one means she's going to want one back." Seline said.
"He said her underling has already taken a life in the castle." Dusk said to Seline.
"Possession. She's possessed someone. That's how they take lives, by possession." Seline said as she tried to remember more.
"That means someone in the castle is possessed? How do we do this? We seem to be jumping from one problem to another." Dusk said, and Seline sighed.
"How do we do it?" I asked Seline.
"We have to kill the underling or she'll fully collect the life." She said.
"How do we find her?" I asked, and she sighed deeply.
"That's the real problem. When these beings possess someone, it's hard to tell the difference. But then again, there's always a difference, and I have some tips—tips that'll help us." She said, and I sat on a log.
"It's always women, and women that seem fancy. Women that seem to have power because they are power-driven." She said, and I thought fast.
"Ariadne?" Dusk asked.
"Dalia too. I think they might be targets." Seline said, and I nodded.
"How do we get them all together, so we can notice the difference?" I asked, and she closed her eyes, thinking.
"We can organize a class, a class we know ladies love. When they are all assembled together, we watch them for slight changes." Dusk said, and Seline playfully hit her.
"That is so nice," she replied.
"In that case, I'll join the class too. I also wish to observe, and I'll have Marcus stay with me as a bodyguard; he doesn't have to participate." I said, and they looked at me.
"Let's say it's a class teaching us how to play harps. How do you want to join that? What benefit does an Alpha gain from playing harps?" Dusk asked, and Seline nodded slowly.
"I don't care about that. They can always say whatever they want. I need to find this so-called underling. Maybe when I get rid of her, Naomi or whatever she's called will know that I don't joke when it comes to the Kingdom." I said and stood up.
"We should go back if we want to get started on this fast." I added and started to leave.
They caught up with me, and when I looked at Dusk, she was smiling.
"It would be quite funny to watch the Alpha of a Kingdom learning how to play an instrument such as the harp." She said, and I smiled too.
~
When we got to the Palace, I left them so I could meet with the musicians who played music at balls, parties, or ceremonies.
"Welcome, Alpha." They all said, bowing, and I looked around at the instruments they had, which were a lot, and finally spotted the harp.
"To what do we owe this pleasant visit from our Alpha?" The lady asked, and I pointed to the harp.
"A few of us want to learn how to play that. We'll need one of you to help us do that." I said, and she broke into a smile.
"Oh really? Then take Esperanza. She's very good at playing the harp." She said, and Esperanza bowed with a smile.
"Very well, we'll meet at the second hall in the castle tomorrow, early in the morning." I said, and she bowed once more.
Then I went to locate Dusk and Seline, who were in the garden as I suspected.
Although, they weren't painting, they were talking.
"I informed them. It's going to be a class of ten. The both of you, I, and Marcus. That's four. Ariadne and Dalia make us six, so find four other Noble Women who you think might be targets. I'll inform my men now; there's no place for that thing in my Palace." I said and left.
After informing Marcus and the men, they were more determined than ever to help.
Then for some reason, I decided to see Ethan. I was curious as to how he was doing.
"Let me go with you." Dusk said, and I nodded.
We went down into the dark dungeon and were directed to his cell.
He sat alone, in a butterfly pose with his head hung low. But as we stood in front of him, he raised his head and looked at us.
"To what do I owe this visit?" He asked, and I stared at him. He had become a shadow of himself.
"I was just curious about how a traitor was doing." I said, and he smiled.
"You might be the strongest, but definitely not the best to rule." He said, and I felt a strong jab of anger.
"Someone in your Kingdom is possessed, and you don't know who?" He said with a smirk.
How did he get to know?
The news hadn't spread around yet.