The royal city of Port Cressida has a new King.
Casper Ashe.
After spending years chained to the floor of a dungeon, haunted by visions of a beautiful woman, Casper is finally free. As Port Cressida's new King, he has two priorities: restore peace t...
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The Royal Hunting Lodge
Sophie Reese
My sleep was, mercifully, dreamless. I woke up at sunset to an empty bedroom. Then, a soft knocking at the door and Nico entered carrying a black thermos flask. I grabbed my bedsheets and pulled them up to my neck as I was still naked from the night before.
Nico threw the flask on the bed and said, "Breakfast."
I raised my eyebrows at his monosyllabic greeting and replied, "What are you doing here?"
Nico initially ignored my question and scanned my room, noting the clothes strewn across the floor.
"It appears you and Casper did not talk about what happened yesterday night," he drawled.
I noted disappointment in Nico's voice. Perhaps he had hoped Casper would punish me for leaving the estate last night.
I flashed him a smile and said, "Oh no, we were too busy doing 'other' things."
I could see the muscle in Nico's jaw clenching as his eyes narrowed on me. "Well, I hope you had some rest during the day, as we start training in an hour."
"Training?" I asked in surprise.
"Yes. Casper asked we start self-defence training this evening," he explained.
"Self defence? I thought we agreed that I needed to learn how to fight," I said.
Nico arched an eyebrow and replied, "I'll teach you how to defend yourself. Casper will teach you how to harness and weaponise your powers to fight. Remember, you cannot have a good offence without a good defence."
I wondered if that was true. So far, I'd killed two demons relying on brute strength alone. The first demon I'd killed by punching a hole through its chest and ripping out its heart. The second was destroyed by cracking its head open. Although I had managed to kill two demons, I didn't feel like a demon slayer. None of my kills had been particularly elegant or required any skill.
"How's Jacques?" I asked, changing the subject.
"He's awake," Nico replied vaguely. "I saw him this morning, talking with Casper."
There was something off in Nico's voice. A hint of something that was out of keeping with Nico's ice-cold demeanour. His eyes avoided mine, and he glanced at his watch and said, "Please excuse me. I have several urgent matters that need my attention before our training session. There are fresh clothes for you in the drawers."
"Nico, wait, "I called out after him as he hurried towards the bedroom door.
He paused briefly with his hand on the bedroom door handle and looked back at me.
"What's wrong with Jacques?" I asked.
There was a prolonged pause as Nico thought about his reply. Eventually, he sighed, "Last night had consequences."
