“I don’t care what we do. As long as we are together it’s a date to me.” Kamila moved her right hand from Lith’s shoulder to his cheek, caressing it gently. That simple gesture filled him with joy.
“Thanks, but there’s no need for that. I was just thinking about how lucky I am to have you in my life.” His smile and words made Kamila’s heart pound. Lith wasn’t one for sweet talk, he would only say such things when he meant them.
Lith took a deep breath, using Invigoration to replenish part of his mana and release Death Vision from its fetters. In his eyes, the entire Ballroom turned into a grotesque nightmare where rotten corpses danced amid blood spatters.
He tried not to look around, focusing only on Kamila’s smile. As long as she was between his arms, she was safe from Death Vision’s effects. A beacon of life in a sea of dead bodies.
‘If I don’t suppress Death Vision, I’ve more than enough mental strength to do everything at once. Kamila deserves to enjoy her first gala without having to constantly worry about me.’ He thought.
‘She’s so sweet and unaware of all the bad things which happened to me in the past. When I’m with her, I can forget about everything but the present. Kamila is my second chance, my opportunity to start from scratch.’
The only silver lining of Death Vision was that it allowed Lith to immediately spot the undead among the crowd. They were the only ones that would not age nor die of poison or illness.
They weren’t paying any attention to him, so he was careful not to stare while using their deaths to discern their nature.
One of them would oddly always die in the same way. Her disguise reverted into a desiccated corpse before it turned to dust. Yet there was no sign of spells or injury, her body would simply collapse as if the magic animating it was gone.
As if a switch had been flipped.
Another would only die when his head was destroyed or his heart pierced. After that, his body would turn into ashes. The other two seemed to be much easier to kill. No matter if by weapon or spell, when their bodies sustained enough damage they would respectively turn into a pool of water and be set ablaze.
Lith was wondering why the bestiary stored inside Soluspedia didn’t include the details about what happened after destroying an undead when the music ended.
‘That information would allow me to use Death Vision to identify them. Without it I can only get a faint idea about their weak points.’ He inwardly griped.
“Between facing that Kallion jerk, meeting the Royals, and being introduced to all those nobles like I’m some sort of a princess, I’ve really had too much excitement for one evening. I need a little rest.”
Kamila’s cheeks were flushed red from the dancing but she wasn’t tired. She was just worried about Lith and was giving him an excuse to relax a bit. Lith understood her intentions immediately and accompanied her to the first floor, where they were offered food and drinks by the waiters.
“How do you feel?” She prompted after asking the staff to move a chair near the balcony for him, so that he wouldn’t lose visual contact with his spells and with it the surgical control he had been exerting on them.
“Much better, thanks.” Her care moved Lith so deeply that he would have kissed her if the rules of etiquette didn’t strictly forbid public displays of affection.
“You were right. I let my anger get the better of me. Maintaining fifteen spells that interact with each other and the guests is a bit too much, even for me.” He sighed as he moved the spotlight on the Royal couple for the next dance.
“Why did you do it? That jerk isn’t worth this much effort.” Kamila switched his glass of wine with grape juice. Lith needed focus and energy, not to get drunk.
“But you are.” He replied while taking a sip. “After what he did to you, Mage Nuragor needed a royal beating.”
Lith had a hard time keeping the edge off his voice and his murderous impulses under control. His instinct had marked Kallion as an enemy, and he wasn’t used to giving them a second chance.
Killing him was out of the question. Too many witnesses and too many arrays. More importantly, he didn’t want to scare Kamila or his family. Some aspects of his life had to remain hidden.
In the opposite corner of the room, the Ernas siblings were resting their feet. Between handling the preparations and welcoming their guests, it was their first opportunity in hours to sit.
Phloria was in no mood to dance. After a single dance as a formality, Kallion had left the gala with the excuse of feeling ill. She had lost her date and her source of entertainment. Misery loves company and Phloria was no exception.
Seeing his anguish at every snarky remark he was the target of whenever they met another couple on the dance floor was the only relief for her wounded pride. They had yet to get to the point where she started to plan their future together, but she had fallen for Kallion’s ruse enough that she had hoped there could be one.
Friya had no date and was happier that way. Quylla was brooding because her boyfriend, Anathor, had not attended the gala, making her suspicion that he was just playing with her feelings even stronger.
They also felt guilty for not defending Kamila when Kallion had tried to embarrass her. Orion’s words had stung and even though Lith didn’t add anything, his disappointed look spoke volumes.
“Usually, I wouldn’t approve of that guy.” Gunyin, the eldest brother, pointed at Lith with his glass, tired of his sister stealing glances at the couple and sighing.
“He’s shorter than me and seems weaker than dad, but compared to that other guy at least he has talent. I think you made a mistake letting so much time pass.”
“Is this your opinion, or are you borrowing mom’s as usual?” Phloria rebuked.
“For once, I’m with the beanpole.” Tulion, the profligate brother, was shorter than Phloria. He was 1.73 meters tall with blonde hair and blue eyes. He had taken his looks from his mother’s side, yet where his attitude came from was still a mystery.
“Of all the boyfriends you’ve had, I’ve never seen you as happy as when you and the little monster were together. You know I like people staying out of my personal life just like I stay out of theirs, but I have to ask.
“What went so wrong that you decided on such a clean break? I mean, even Gunyin can tell you still have feelings for him.” Gunyin nodded, not taking his brother’s words as an insult so much as truth.
He had been raised as the future Lord, betrothed before he was ten years old and married right after he came of age. His skills lay in numbers, business, and politics. Everything else was just a means to an end: the glory of House Ernas.
