’Did I maybe overdo it?’ Alex couldn’t help but wonder as he watched Claudia drop to her knees, her head bent low in reverence.
At the same time, he couldn’t help but sense the gaze of another currently locked in on his position.
In a slightly frightened tone, she remarked. "Forgive me for not noticing your identity, my king."
’I definitely overdid it, hmm.’ he muttered while casually glancing in the direction of the third party.
It all started with his meeting with Victoria.
Just like Anastasia, Victoria thought him to be some powerful entity born for a great purpose.
Alex didn’t feel the need to change their perception of him since he was well aware of its benefits.
Wasn’t it because of a misconception that the last dragon in Eventide swore loyalty to him?
Now finding himself in Krobridge, a Stronghold with a large vampire population, Alex once again recalled the title Victoria spoke to him about.
From his encounter with Finnick, he knew well that most Vampires would feel an attraction toward him.
Of course, he had a feeling those in power might not be as attracted but at least, unnecessary fights could be so easily avoided.
So Alex saw no reason to not embrace the role of Dark Lord as long as he didn’t have to do what the entity was meant to do.
Unfortunately, his first attempt at playing the role was met with a bit more enthusiasm than he thought as Claudia kowtowed before him.
Alex didn’t feel good seeing the young lady in such a state and asked her to get up after ensuring that the peeping Tom wasn’t a threat to him.
"Do you trust me now?" Alex asked after Claudia had risen to her feet, clearly still awed by him as she avoided eye contact.
"Y...yes, I do, Night King," Claudia replied with a brief stutter.
Alex sighed while massaging his temples. ’This is going to be tricky.’
"That..." Claudia trailed off, unwilling to speak further.
".... I don’t know if I’m worthy to hold the hand of you, great Lord."
"It doesn’t matter... deal with the distorted memories I have," Alex replied, gesturing for her to take his hand.
Gulping nervously, Claudia reached out and placed her hand over Alex’s own and after managing to stabilize her mental state, she took a deep breath.
Alex felt the air about him move into a frenzy.
It was similar to how it would feel when a Mystic attempted to manipulate aether but unlike that which was forceful, this sensation seemed completely natural.
As Claudia took another breath, Alex felt a sensation prodding his mind.
It seemed to be searching for something and it didn’t take long before a hidden portion of his mind was touched.
With the touch, came the realization that this portion of his mind was sealed off by something, a state he had not noticed up until this very moment.
Alex quickly grew apprehensive, finally realizing just how vulnerable he was to mental attacks.
Clicking his tongue, he vowed to ensure this weakness was dealt with as soon as possible.
Meanwhile, Claudia tried to break open the sealed portion of Alex’s mind.
It was a soft and gentle push one would give to not break a delicate piece.
However, it didn’t take long for that gentle push to become forceful as Alex felt like glass break within his mind, revealing foggy thoughts and faint memories.
Try as he may, Alex found himself unable to access any of them.
The memories in this hidden portion were made to ensure he would have no way of accessing them, causing him to grow even more curious about why it was there.
Guiding his thoughts, he delivered his intent to Claudia, asking her to clear the fog blurring the memories.
Unfortunately, he received a negative response from the young Vampire as she removed her hand from his own.
"What happened?" Alex asked.
Claudia pursed her lips. "Well... the glass Barrie was indeed placed using methods known to vampires but... I don’t know how to remove the fog."
"It’s not my area of expertise," Claudia replied. "I don’t think I’d be able to make any progress and if I make the wrong choice, you’d end up suffering as a result."
"... I see," Alex muttered, a slight tinge of regret apparent in his voice.
Claudia quickly dropped to her knees and smashed her head into the ground, catching Alex completely off guard.
"I apologize for not being of use to my king. Please punish me for my misdeeds."
".... There’s no need for that," Alex remarked awkwardly.
"Thank you for your gracious kindness, my king."
"At ease," Alex muttered before falling into deep thought.
Picking up what Claudia had said, did that mean Alex had been involved with vampires long before Fatima and her people came into the picture?
That would be the only explanation as to how he would have his mind tampered with by another Psionic like Claudia.
So why did a Psionic go after Alex and even use their powers on him?
What were they trying to hide?
Alex wondered if the body he inhabited was involved in a much bigger scheme than what seemed apparent.
He wasn’t satisfied knowing that he wasn’t completely safe because of the identity he carried.
Pursing his lips, Alex decided to figure out the foggy memories to absolve himself of any problems he might have later.
Whatever it was... he wanted to start on a blank slate with no past problems coming to haunt him.
"Is there no way for me to dispel the fog covering those memories?"
"... There are but I don’t have the knowledge required to do so, my lord... unless." Claudia seemed to hesitate to complete her statement.
Going through a brief internal turmoil, Claudia took a deep breath and continued. "... I have a friend within the city."
"A friend?" Alex raised a brow with a clear show of interest.
Claudia nodded. "I planned to visit her tonight and spend some time with her. I believe she should be able to help you access those memories."
"Do you trust your friend not to harm me?"
Claudia hesitated. "... I... yes, I trust her with my life."
"Then let’s go," Alex said. "I’m curious about what those memories hold."