Lord Virelle’s bloodline was mostly known for their speed, but what he himself was known for was just how bad his temper could be—and at that moment, the barely spoken words from Lord Noctare made it clear he was on the verge of exploding.
The spoon he had been holding dropped back onto his plate with a sharp clatter, but he didn’t so much as glance at it. His eyes blazed as he opened his mouth, trying hard not to raise his voice, though his tone was still edged with fury.
"Are you going senile?" he snapped at Lord Noctare, jaw clenched tight as he attempted to rein in his frustration. "Do you have any idea what happened to the last person that did such a thing? Zyren had him flayed continuously until he was nothing but a bag of bones!"
Virelle wasn’t the only one who looked uneasy. Even Lord Lythari, usually sharp-tongued and poised, could barely tear her eyes from the tall, ornate double doors. Her attention was fixed there, taut with fear, as if Zyren might walk in any second and execute them all without hesitation.
Lord Drekh, in contrast, appeared calm—too calm. But the cold fire in his dark eyes betrayed the truth: it was a stillness born of careful restraint, not peace. He leaned forward, resting his forearm on the table, and opened his mouth with a curiosity that was far from naive.
"Go ahead," he said flatly, voice low but cutting. "We don’t have all day. It must be important if you’re risking your life—and all of ours—just to say it."
Lord Noctare nodded once, slowly. His translucent red eyes shimmered in the dim candlelight as he spoke in a lowered tone, careful and deliberate.
"The king is with his pet. He won’t come... I’ve stationed guards outside. They’ll ensure no one comes near the doors."
It wasn’t enough. The tension around the table only thickened. The other lords still looked poised to bolt, their bodies stiff, their eyes flicking between the exit and Noctare as if unsure which posed the greater threat.
So Noctare pressed on, voice sharper now.
"I can’t be the only one who’s noticed how deeply our king has taken to his new human pet."
"Cut the shit, Noctare! That is normal!" Virelle barked, leaping to his feet in one quick movement, too agitated to remain seated.
"If that’s what you want to talk about, then—"
"Normal?" Noctare cut in, brows arching as his voice rose just slightly. "None of the others lasted a week. And now he misses breakfast?"
That made Virelle go still. His lips parted like he meant to say something, but no words came. His furious glare held steady, but something in it had shifted—uncertainty creeping beneath the anger.
Noctare didn’t wait. He pressed further.
"Most importantly... have you all lost your ambition?" His voice darkened with conviction, and a devilish gleam flickered in his eyes. "We are Lords. Our duty is to keep the king in check and strive for the throne. Our fathers respected the crown—but they never feared it."
At that, Lythari sprang from her seat with barely restrained fury, her fists slamming into the heavy oak table hard enough to dent the polished surface.
"Which is why they’re dead!" she shouted, voice cracking through the room like a whip. The echo of her words trembled through the long hall.
A dark frown crossed Lord Drekh’s face, and Lythari, catching it, immediately tempered her tone. She offered him a small smile—more apology than charm—before returning her glare to Noctare.
"Do you want to die?" she hissed.
"King Zyren is more powerful than anyone in his bloodline. He had no trouble killing his brother and father, imprisoning his mother, and leaving only one sibling alive. You think we can touch him?"
But Noctare wasn’t finished. His chest rose and fell, breaths deeper now, as if he had too much to say and not enough time to say it.
"Zyren might be powerful, but do you really think that together, we can’t take him—"
"Careful now!" Drekh barked, unable to stay silent. His voice was sharp and full of warning, his entire posture rigid with command.
Noctare paused, lips parted, but he didn’t finish the sentence. Even he knew better.
Still, he spoke again, quieter but with growing intensity.
"King Zyren is powerful... but together, we are not any less."
Lythari looked ready to strike him. Virelle’s glare was practically scorching. But Drekh, unreadable, leaned forward again. A faint frown tugged at his brow as he spoke in a whisper.
"Have you ever used your powers on a Blackthorn? Last I checked, they don’t work."
Noctare blinked, then quickly shook his head.
"No, but I’m sure that—"
Drekh didn’t wait. He rose slowly, chair dragging back with a loud scrape. He didn’t glance at the food or the table or the others. He simply walked toward the door.
"I’m done here," he said flatly.
Lythari shot up from her seat and followed, her steps quick, almost frantic. She didn’t want to be left behind.
The heavy doors slammed shut behind them.
Only Virelle and Noctare remained seated. Virelle had already jumped to his feet, fury etched into every line of his face, but instead of storming out, he paused—then smoothed his expression and sat back down.
The wild aggression that had been in him moments ago was gone. In its place was a cool, strategic calm.
"Getting Drekh on our side will be harder than we thought," he said, voice almost thoughtful. "As long as we have him, Lythari won’t be a problem. Even though... I don’t see why we need her."
"Don’t be stupid!" Noctare snapped, and his eyes burned bright as he glared across the table. Virelle’s red-tipped strands of his hair seemed to shimmer with anger at Noctare’s remark.
"Her bloodline ability is just as strong as mine. Hers is tied to dreams. And if she ever really used her seduction power on either of us, we’d be her slave—without even knowing it."
Virelle went still, absorbing the words. The weight of them was enough to make his pulse slow in wary silence.
"I didn’t want to touch the pet," Noctare said, rising to his feet, his tone more serious now. "Thought she was useless. But now? I can’t help but feel she might be more useful than I thought."
He turned and walked towards the door. Virelle followed close beside as they left the food hall.