Devouring Monarch: Rebirth of the Profane Phoenix

'This reaction... I want his blood!? Me, a pure-blooded vampire, seeks this human...?' Her lips opened, and a fang quickly extended to strike.

"So that's your true face, hmm?" Auros said with a calm smile, looking down at her and intercepting the strike with his own. Yet he didn't use power. Instead, he lifted the bookworm off her perch and carried her like a princess.

"Kyah!?" The sudden action was surprising and confusing, leaving the duchess in a daze.

"Hehe. Don't worry, you will be happy with us."

Auros smiled happily as his steps somehow set Duchess Valerie into a dizzying trance. She desired his blood, yet was powerless to overcome his actions.

Like this for the entire day, she, Sigurd, and Auros spent hours running around the palace as he told her about his father and the kingdom.

In reality, because of the horrible state of Silvara, she was nothing, a mere sacrifice made by the corrupt new queen who could never match her predecessor.

Worried that the strong Drakkur bloodline might oust her, she sent their next heir to be wed to a prince from the southeastern nation against her family's will.

'Put me down... damn bastard!' Yet, no matter how she struggled, there was not a single hint of doubt in her mind that Auros would never release her or that he would never let her escape from his country. 'This feeling... a seductive charm of sorts?'

"Valerie, meet my sister." Auros put Valerie down to introduce them. "Rosam, this is our guest, the Duchess Valerie, I've told you about."

The cute girl was short, with brown hair, but the sword in her hands gave a dangerous feeling, as her eyes looking at Valerie were rather intense.

"Y-Your sister?... She looks so small... Why are her eyes so scary?" asked Valerie in a trembling voice.

"Haha, oh? What do you think, Rosam?"

"Tsk... we are twins. What do you mean, small? Shall I shave those oversized meat bags off your chest?" As the cute girl growled with the sword pointed towards Valerie, the crimson-haired woman could not respond; the blade was silver and could kill her.

"Easy, Rosam. How many times have I told you not to be so openly aggressive? She will be your older sister in the future, you know?"

"Geh... Like I can trust anything that would try to hurt you."

"Rosam, no killing!"

"Hehe... she is just a little violent, ignore her," Auros spoke softly, then smiled as he rubbed the duchess' long crimson hair, causing her to feel unfocused and stunned.

"Y-You... hah..." She bit her tongue, trying to regain her control, but the scent of his blood was like a drug, keeping her constantly in a state of hunger.

"Rosam, tonight Mother will come back for once for the banquet! Prepare yourself properly."

"Yay~, I'll go back to my training." Rosam's gaze seemed to relax slightly, and she smiled innocently. "See you later, older sister!"

"Y-Yes, I will see you soon... "

"This way, Valerie." Auros smiled radiantly while leading the way. Sigurd followed the pair, her hair somewhat heavy, as she tried to hide the ring on her left hand, wondering if the Prince had forgotten her existence.

They spent the first hours of their meeting running around the palace grounds. The most embarrassing part was that their Prince seemed to treat Valerie with his heart and words completely differently than normal.

"Sigurd, can you take Val to her room and help her change into something for tonight's banquet?"

Not long after the sun sank, Sigurd guided her romantic rival to the palace and helped her change into a beautiful dress with black wings and a ballroom style with golden fixtures.

"Here, this dress and wear this necklace." Sigurd handed her a silver necklace with a sword with two wings for its guard. "Why do you look so glum? You are to marry our Prince, the shining bastion of our future!" Sigurd scolded Valerie, who didn't respond.

"It's nothing but a distant dream doomed to fail, anyway..."

Valerie looked into the mirror with a bitter smile as the silver palace vanished, replaced by the dark gothic castle and the silver dressing room with her chambers with various dresses and makeup along the wall and table, as she wore the same black ballroom dress as in the memory.

"I have nothing to believe in but blood, and I've seen nothing but the black and grey world for as long as I can remember. All that awaits me is the fate of becoming a monster as this curse slowly devours my body. But that boy, he... Why does his blood feel so nostalgic? No, it's even better than Auros, more refined and superior."

She finished her makeup before opening a small black box with a fancy golden sword and shield with wings on the front; Valerie opened the case, and the pendant Sigurd gave her lay beside an identical pendant with a shield instead of the sword.

'I still cannot let go of memories from thousands of years ago... If this necklace allows you to wear it, what will I do?'

The meaning behind her words was something only she, Auros, his sister, or Sigurd, might understand. This item was a set created by a fallen kingdom specialising in magical tools. With each item bound to a person and their bloodline, only Auros could wear the winged shield necklace, the same as only she could wear the sword pendant.

"Did I have that daydream because of tonight's banquet? Will they attack again tonight, like that horrific night when I gained and lost my first love on the same day?" Valerie whispered, staring at her pendant with a weak smile.

A knock came on the door as two maids entered with veils.

"Your excellency, the preparations are complete and most of the guests are arriving. Please give instructions!"

"Make sure the tables are on the outer terrace of the courtyard, and everyone has a place to sit and drink." Valerie quickly returned to her senses and directed the staff to the courtyard, then hurried to the hall before stopping and returning to retrieve both pendants.

'If he can wear it, then maybe...'

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****

Meanwhile, in the eastern wing of the Bhalgrim palace, Verena's rage continued to boil after being insulted and beaten by Asura; her mind became distorted with negative thoughts that even her clones spread through the country deteriorated.

"My Prince... I should have stayed by your side! It is a mistake to establish myself alone... Uuu... My love... forgive me...!" Verena cried in frustration, clenching her fist.

"That bastard, just because he's a little handsome and his blood smells delicious! I will make sure my beloved crushes him tonight at the banquet!"

The whimpering woman with broken bones, bloody wounds, and tattered clothing fell on her bed, hugging a pillow, wishing it was Prince Shang, as her madness worsened. "Prince..." Like a monster, her wounds rapidly began healing; while she looked at the shattered mirror with a ferocious face, it seemed her hatred towards Asura now surpassed her sister and her jealousy towards her.

"Time for the Banquet," the servants called out, alerting Verena that she had no time left. Because she was a shadow, they never entered this room, but the generations of the family knew of a secret double of their next heir. They treated her like a ghost because of this, only spoken to like this as the servants left the moment they shouted twice.

'I must look beautiful tonight, My Prince!'

Verena dressed in a silky pink gown, a gothic-style corset with crimson accents and a soft pink cape draping over her shoulders, hiding a strange demonic symbol on the back.

After adjusting her hair, the young woman had an otherworldly beauty and elegance that could bring a dead man back to life and give him new vitality.

She had no intention of revealing her monstrous features, only fighting with her beauty. She would seduce the man who loved her sister, then after tasting his skill in bed, would have the Prince kill him.

'Stupid Man, how dare you treat me that way!'

With this, the shadow's body became hard to recognise; only those who deserved to could see her figure. She was almost at her limit when she left the palace and approached the gate leading to the grand celebration.

'My Prince... wait for me! I'm coming!'

Soon after she left, her target entered her gaze, smiling faintly. "Hello again, Verena. You look quite ravishing today. Here..." With a calm smile, Asura came over, offering his hand.

'Die.'

In a rage, Verena kicked towards his waist, but suddenly, a strange force bound her movements; his hand grasped her neck, tight enough to slow her breathing but not enough to leave a mark, causing her to struggle and panic. "Why?! Is it fun to watch me squirm... Huaa... I'll kill you!"

"Haha. Oh? But I am so handsome, aren't I? Much better than a pathetic Eastern prince." Asura's eyes narrowed, his warm eyes now like a devil as if the gods were judging her; a searing pain assaulted her chest, forcing Verena to shriek.

"Tonight, I will destroy that man's pride, then crush you."

'No...! That face! I feel so terrified, yet why does my body jump with delight!? I am a body only for Shang!'

****

Many fates converged on a single spot, while only those who lived in the past and Asura himself knew the truths of what might happen tonight.

The poor ones who knew nothing were going to suffer at this unholy marriage banquet.