Within a dark room filled with barrels of aged wine, a girl with black hair silently sobbed as she clutched the edges of her dress. The room would occasionally shake causing dust to fill the air.

“When will master,” the girl muttered between breaths, “come back for me… I hate these tight places.”

Vivid memories of a horrible childhood flashed past her eyes. Being locked in a cupboard for days at a time by her mother, who endlessly screamed at her through the door, “A Noblewoman should watch what she eats! Did you dare to ask the cook for another portion? Starve in there for all I care!” The raving bitch of a mother continued to rant about every little flaw in Fay’s personality. She was starved and beaten daily, any servant who tried to help her was either fired or joined Fay in the beatings.

Fay complained to her father but he always gave her an indifferent expression. He simply turned a blind eye towards her suffering.

A few teardrops fell down Fay’s cheek and stained her dress, “Everything was so dark before, like this cellar. I felt trapped with no way out.”

The rumbling of the earth finally stopped and the world became still. Only Fay’s deep and heavy breaths could be heard in the cellar.

A minute later footsteps could be heard from above. With a flick of his wrist, Damien opened the cellar door and revealed a very distraught-looking Fay. She was covered in dust and dirt, her hair was everywhere and her face was stained with dried tears.

“You look awful,” Damien said with a kind smile, one he would never show to others. Fay returned the smile with her own weary one, “Master…”

Damien activated his Psychokinesis skill and his mana reached out to Fay. She felt the mana envelop her like a warm blanket and did not resist it. She allowed her body to be slowly carried out of the cellar.

Damien then walked upstairs with a floating Fay following close behind. Once upstairs Damien ordered Fay to clean them both. Her expression brightened up at the chance to show off her magic once again.

Fay stripped herself naked and cast her cleaning spell. Damien watched with interest as Fay was enveloped in a water tornado and then a warm gust of wind that returned her to perfect condition.

Then with a bashful smile, Fay helped Damien undress. Although Damien had long worked out how to put on and off the suit, he enjoyed letting Fay do it. She took her sweet time, enjoying the entire process.

Damien then eyed the bed and spoke, “Fay you may be my Blood Queen in the future but as of right now you are still a human livestock.”

Fay had a dejected look, she didn’t like the idea that she was still livestock to him but she was still excited for the future.

“It's okay Master, I will sleep on the floor…”

Damien just casually waved Fay over to the bed, “No need for that, we can share. Just don’t touch me.”

He then picked the left side of the bed and promptly fell asleep the second his head touched the pillow.

Fay had no idea how to feel. She just stood there, eyeing the other side of the bed. After taking a deep breath and steeling her resolve she carefully entered the right side of the bed and pulled the bedsheet over her naked body.

Fay faced the wall and tried to ignore Damiens slow and calm breathing. Her heart was beating way too fast, she couldn't believe she was really sharing a bed with him.

The hours ticked by and eventually Fay managed to calm down and fall into a blissful sleep. Dreaming of one day standing beside Damien as they looked down upon the world.

***

In the middle of the night in the Head Professor's study, Victor who looked more undead than an actual undead was downing disturbingly dark and foul-smelling alcohol.

His hands were shaking as he brought the cup's final contents towards his almost blue lips. He sat there in a daze while staring at the small painting on his desk. It showed a scholarly man in the prime of his life wearing a carefree smile, the man’s arm was wrapped around a beautiful middle-aged woman. She had a tired expression but looked happy as well. The woman's hand was placed on top of a small girl's head who seemed to be jumping up and down in excitement.

While staring at the painting, a single teardrop could be seen in his red eyes, “Why… why… Why did you leave me all alone Anna?” he then began sobbing again, as he did every night.

Victor then screamed while hitting his desk, “No matter how hard I work, how much influence I obtain. I still failed you, Anna. That creature in human skin stole our daughter. Our precious… beautiful… Evelyn.” He collapsed on the desk, short of breath, and tried to grab the crude alcohol bottle.

Yet the bottle wouldn't budge, no matter how much strength he put into it. His red and puffy eyes from a night of crying slowly looked up and saw a person in black was holding the top of the bottle.

Victor quickly straightened up and eyed the person wearily. Anyone who could enter the Head Professors study without his knowledge would have to work for Prince August since he controls the university’s staff. Victor wished he could live in the Mage Tower for this very reason, the university was far too corrupt.

“She can be free you know…” the person in black spoke with a distinctly male voice.

Victor just looked at the intruder with a defeated expression, “How?” he said in a quiet and strained voice.

“Prince August has requested… that you murder Assistant Professor Damien in the duel tomorrow.”

Victor suddenly stood up in rage but quickly sat back down as he felt incredibly light headed, “I can’t do that!” he shouted towards the black figure, “I will be executed for murdering a noble!”

The black-cloaked figure showed no reaction and responded in an indifferent voice, “The Prince is willing to release Evelyn from his employment…”

Victor’s ghostly pale face suddenly lit up, “He actually said that?”

The figure nodded, “He is even willing to take an oath on it. He needs that man dead by the end of tomorrow.”

Victor quickly replied with a hint of hesitation, “Tell that bastard Prince that I agree to his request! But he must take an oath tomorrow, before the duel.”

The figure gave a grunt in agreement and disappeared.

Victor lay back in his chair and took out a small vial of green liquid from his pocket. He eyed it with a complicated expression, “Tonight’s my last night huh…” he muttered while staring at the moon.

“Sorry, Damien… but Eveyln is too important to me.” He said while clutching the vial before placing it carefully back into his suit pocket.

***

“Oi wake up ya lovebirds, breakfasts ready!” A loud voice woke Damien and Fay up. Damien turned over and saw the blushing Fay.

“Let’s go down and eat,” he said and Fay nodded. Feeling too lazy to actually get out of bed, Damien used his Psychokinesis to turn the bed upright and hold both himself and Fay within the warm blanket. He then floated their clothes over and within the comfort of bed, Fay helped dress Damien before dressing herself.

The bedsheet cover was then floated away and a fully dressed Damien and Fay was revealed. Damien returned the bed to its horizontal position and beckoned Fay to follow him downstairs.

A simple breakfast of eggs and toast was placed on a table in the tavern. A very tired but excited looking Dalon was sitting at the table.

Spotting Damien the dwarf said, “Lad I gotta thank ya for the insight last night, I really upgraded to B grade! Hahahah!” Damien just gave the dwarf a smile and replied, “That's great news Dalon, I was hoping I could make use of your new found skills…”

Dalon stopped laughing and put on a business face, which looked ridiculous with his oversized mustache. “Got a personal order for me lad?”

Damien nodded while sitting down, Fay quickly dived into her food and Damien passed his plate over to her. He couldn’t eat the food after all. Damien then spent the next hour saying ideas for his metal playing card weapon.

In the end they decided on a hundred thin metal plates that were all enchanted with different runes, and when placed in certain formations would activate spells such as a shield spell.

Damien handed the dwarf a single platinum coin for the job, the dwarf tried to refuse and offered to do it for free but Damien gave him the coin anyways.

After breakfast and putting in the order for his weapon, Damien and Fay headed outside, where the car was parked. Walter was still sitting in the driver's seat and looked incredibly tired with his eyes shut.

“Oh we forgot about him…” Fay said with a light chuckle.

Damien walked over and knocked on the window with his hand, scaring the living daylights out of the poor man.

“Oh! Young Master, I apologise for my rudeness…” Walter quickly said while rubbing the tiredness out of his eyes, “Where do you wish to go?” he said while preparing his water jet spell.

Damien and Fay entered the back seats, after getting comfortable Damien said,

“To the university, I have some business to attend to.”