Demon King of Tyranny Anos Voldigoad in The Eminence in Shadow

Chapter 16 - A Demon King's Warning and A Human King's Fear

The next day. As the night deepened, the room was bathed in the soft, flickering glow of a single candle. Anos had conjured it with his creation magic, the flame dancing and casting long, wavering shadows on the walls. The Demon King of Tyranny himself was engrossed in another book, his eyes scanning the pages with an intensity that belied the late hour. The only sounds were the occasional rustle of a page turning and the steady rhythm of his breathing.

Millia, on the other hand, was struggling to keep her eyes open. She had insisted on staying awake this whole time, sitting vigil beside the unconscious Alexia for more than 30 hours straight. Her eyelids felt heavy, and her head bobbed occasionally as sleep threatened to overtake her. She fought against the drowsiness, her determination fueled by a sense of duty and concern for the royal sisters.

The candlelight flickered across her face, highlighting the lines of exhaustion etched there. Despite her best efforts, her eyes would close for a moment before snapping open again, a clear sign of her battle against sleep.

Anos, despite his apparent focus on his book, was aware of her struggle. He didn't comment on it, choosing instead to let her fight her own battle. He understood her sense of duty, and he respected it. But he also knew that everyone had their limits, and Millia was fast approaching hers.

As the hours ticked by, the fight became harder for Millia. Her head bobbed more frequently, and her eyes stayed closed for longer intervals. The room was warm and quiet, the steady flicker of the candle and the rhythmic sound of Anos turning the pages creating a lullaby that beckoned her towards sleep.

Finally, as the clock struck midnight, Millia's battle against sleep ended. Her eyes closed one final time, and her head drooped forward, her body finally succumbing to the exhaustion. She fell asleep sitting up, her body leaning slightly against the couch where Alexia lay.

Anos glanced up from his book, his gaze landing on the sleeping Millia. A ghost of a smile touched his lips as he quietly closed his book and set it aside. He conjured another candle, this one with a softer, dimmer light, and extinguished the first one. The room was now bathed in a gentle, soothing glow, perfect for sleep.

With one last look at Millia and the unconscious Alexia beside her, Anos picked up his book and resumed reading, the soft light of the candle illuminating the pages. The room was quiet, save for the soft sounds of their breathing and the occasional rustle of a page turning. It was a peaceful scene

"..."

The royal insignia that the king had given to Anos sat innocuously on the desk, bathed in the soft glow of the conjured candle. To any casual observer, it was merely a symbol of the king's favor. But Anos knew better. The insignia was a spy device, a silent observer that relayed everything back to the king.

Anos had known from the moment he'd received it. His magical senses had detected the subtle enchantments woven into the insignia, the silent hum of magic that was its true purpose. But he had chosen to act as if he didn't know, to let the king believe that he had an eye on Anos's actions.

He had used the insignia to his advantage, showing the king only a fraction of his true power and ruthlessness. He had let the king watch as he dispatched all his enemies with cold, calculated efficiency. He had shown the king how he created a perfect living clone of his youngest daughter, and how he ordered it to execute the injured and vulnerable ones to instill extreme psychological pressure on the arrogant king's mind.

Furthermore, Anos had forced the king to helplessly watch his precious oldest daughter discarded on the dirty floor like a piece of trash for over thirty hours. It was a cruel, yet effective way to demonstrate the dire situation his daughters were in, and the helplessness of the king to do anything about it.