Just as everyone heard Mia's voice, the dining hall fell silent.
The lively conversations that had filled the chamber only moments ago gradually died away as every gaze turned toward the raised platform at the far end of the hall.
Grand Duchess Mia Velmora remained seated at the center of the host's table, her expression calm and composed. Yet the atmosphere surrounding her had changed completely.
For the past two hours, everyone had eaten, talked, argued, laughed, and exchanged countless questions with one another.
But in reality, what everyone truly wanted to know boiled down to just two questions: what was the reason behind Lucifer's erratic behavior, and what did those words he had been repeating over and over actually mean?
And now the moment almost everyone had been waiting for had finally arrived. Mia was going to answer their questions.
Mia closed her eyes and took another slow sip of honeywine from her cup to calm herself.
"Everyone, as you can see, it is already past the twenty-second bell of the day… and many more people will arrive tomorrow as well. So, to keep it short… I do not have much spare time to explain everything to you in full detail."
She looked from side to side.
"And as you can see, both of my daughters-in-law—Westeria and Veronica—are pregnant. Westeria is in her last month, while Veronica is in her third month. I will not allow either of them to entertain your excessive requests. That is why I am asking all of you to keep your questions valid and short."
Mia looked at Duke Gelvin and continued.
"So, what do you want to know, Duke Gelvin? But before you ask your questions, you must remember that you are no longer conversing with a Grand Duchess, but with the matriarch of the Velmora family."
Gelvin took another bite of fruit tart from his plate, savored it thoroughly, then replied,
"I understand your concern, Lady Mia. I will adhere to your words and will not ask any baseless questions of you or of Lady Westeria and Lady Veronica. But the thing is… initially I had only one question, yet now I have many, and I am confused about what to ask, considering you cannot spare much of your time."
Mia tapped the wooden table twice.
"Just ask the most important one. I am sure that whatever else you might ask, I will be unable to answer it."
Gelvin nodded.
"Fine… it is fine, Your Grace. So for now, my question is this: what was the reason behind your son's highly erratic behavior? And why did he want us to swear allegiance to Westirifer? Doesn't doing so mean we would be going against the kingdom, and that in the future we would be recognized as traitors?"
Hearing his questions, Mia asked back,
"Duke, have you ever suffered any intense trauma that shook and burned your soul so thoroughly that even living for the next moment felt comparable to unimaginable pain?"
Surprised by Mia's sudden question, Gelvin replied,
"No."
Mia continued,
"Fortunately, Duke, you have never suffered something like that. But if you had, then you would understand my son's condition."
She went on,
"You want to know about Lucifer's erratic behavior? Then listen. He behaved so strangely because while telling all of you about the upcoming attack from the Purefield Duchy and the Lustbound Kingdom, he remembered Christopher Purefield. And with that man, there are bad memories that are still connected to him and will always remain, whether he lives today or dies tomorrow."
"As for your second question—why my son wants all of you to join Westirifer—it is to save you from himself."
"Save us from himself? What kind of crooked logic is that? Grand Duchess, your son aside… do you really think that if we do not join under your banner, we will die? All right, let's assume Lucifer is every bit as powerful as you all boast every now and then. Even so, do you really… really believe that your territory will be able to stand its ground against the marching knights of the Purefield Duchy? Grand Duchess, do not take my words the wrong way, but that is 2.8 million soldiers, plus they have the support of the kingdom—meaning an even greater army. Jokes aside from earlier, how do you even imagine that you will be able to stand your ground against that many?"
Hearing his questions, Mia smiled.
"Duke, during dinner, for the entire two hours, you have held various conversations with Duchess Velora and Sir Goccrek. And from the basis of our previous conversation in the throne hall, I found that old Count Goccrek is quite knowledgeable. So how is it possible that Sir Goccrek has not discussed anything about how the Asher Duchy became Westirifer?"
She swirled the wine in her cup, took another sip, and continued.
"Duke, it is unfortunate that you know nothing about it, because that means I will have to recount every detail… which is quite time-consuming. But I will still do it. Because only by listening to this will you understand who is truly against whom."
She took another sip.
"Duke Gelvin, before narrating the whole story, let me ask one more time. Do you truly not know how the Asher Duchy became Westirifer? Because during the process, Lucifer told Allen to broadcast it all through the magic crystal ball… and I am completely certain Allen did so. Veronica can testify to it, as she was queen of the kingdom at the time."
Duke Gelvin shook his head in refusal, along with Sir Goccrek of Ironford County.
Duchess Velora, however, answered in the affirmative.
"Your Grace, I still remember that I puked countless times after watching that scenario via the magic crystal ball. Are you talking about that recording in which Lucifer tortured Xavier Asher, Usla Asher, Revina, Wendy, Gerdy, Haaland Asher, and the other people from the Asher noble family?"
At her words, Mia shook her head once more.
"No. What you just mentioned was the latter part of it. What I am asking about is the first half of the recording."
Just as Mia paused, Westeria spoke, her words a bit harsh.
"Mother, why are you asking these people about those things? Just narrate the whole story briefly. If they have even a little brain inside their skulls, they will understand why Lucifer is forcing them to join Westirifer and what it means when he says he is saving them from himself."
She continued,
"Leave it, Mother. I will narrate the whole story myself in short form. If I let you do it, you will take forever. And believe me or not, I am quite tired, and recently Luseria has been kicking my womb quite frequently."
Mia replied,
"If that is the case, then go and rest. I do not want to cause any inconvenience to my eldest daughter-in-law or to her child."
Saying this, Mia gestured for Allen to take Westeria away, but Westeria refused and began speaking.
"About five or six months ago, this ducal palace and this duchy belonged to the Asher noble family.
It is a commonly known fact. At that time there was no Velmora family, nor did we have as many family members as we do now. Most of us lived in Evorywood Village, which is situated on the border of Wielhiem Duchy and Bexihound Barony.
Actually, at that time the man Christopher Purefield—whom Mother-in-law just mentioned—used to be her husband and the father of the young master. And I was just a lowly servant maid in Christopher's mansion.
Which means that if we had not severed every kind of tie with Christopher Purefield and the Purefield family, by now we would have been standing alongside the very Purefield family we are now standing against."
She continued, her face showing an expression of disgust.
"During the time we used to live in Evorywood, various things happened that I am not comfortable sharing with all of you, as they relate to the young master's daily life.
But what I can tell you is that at about the age of eighteen, the young master suffered a very critical and life-threatening attack at the hands of the Evorywood village chief's son and his friends—an attack that somehow changed his entire personality.
What I mean is that before that, the young master was a quiet person who spent his life reading books and drawing. He never talked with anyone… not even his mother, and there were reasons for that as well. He was so quiet that people often forgot he even existed—including his own family.
But when the young master woke from the faint after that attack by Jacob and his friends, he had somehow changed. He became decisive and ruthless… as if someone had simply flipped a switch."
Westeria paused for a moment, then gulped down a glass of water.
She looked around her and could clearly hear the murmurs and whispers about Mia's and Lucifer's past. But she paid them no mind.
She slammed her glass down on the table with a sharp *clang* and shouted in an angered voice,
"I am not here to listen to your prattle, nor do I have any willingness to tell all of you about our past… but I am doing it because you asked for it. So keep your mouths shut and listen well until I finish speaking. Or you can simply enjoy the day-after-tomorrow's ascension ceremony and then go back to your territories, only to die at the hands of the young master and Westirifer's army."
Hearing her furious voice, everyone calmed down. Westeria continued.
"Now the main story begins.
The family structure was like this: Christopher and Mia were husband and wife. They had three children. The eldest daughter was Amelia. The second eldest was Sarah. The youngest son was Lucifer. And the eldest daughter, Amelia, was married to Travis Asher—Duke of the Asher family.
One day, suddenly, Travis visited Evorywood Village and came to Christopher's mansion to meet his wife and to have fun with her, her mother, and her younger sister. But that day, unknown to him, Amelia's younger sister Sarah had already been impregnated by her youngest brother, Lucifer. Travis still had options, however—those options being his wife Amelia and Amelia's mother. But again, unknown to him, Amelia already had plans with her younger brother. So ultimately Travis had to spend his time with Mia.
Somewhere in the mansion, Lucifer was laying with Amelia while Travis was with Mia. As time passed bit by bit, both pairs engaged themselves in extraordinary fucking sessions. In one room Lucifer was with Amelia; in the adjacent room Travis was with Mia. Then suddenly, from the adjacent room, Lucifer heard Mia's scream. He immediately went to check on her condition—and saw Travis.
Lucifer saw Travis brutally fucking Mia's asshole like a fucking bull, while Mia was screaming and moaning in pain.
Seeing that scenario, Lucifer felt that something was wrong with Mia's condition. But at that moment, while getting fucked by Travis in the ass, Mia only gave Lucifer a sweet smile, which calmed him down. More time passed, and Lucifer once again heard Mia's scream—this time even more painful. Lucifer went to the adjacent room again to check on Mia, only to find her unconscious and bleeding from her back hole, while Travis held a small iron pole in his hands, covered in Mia's blood.
This time Lucifer did not back down. He warned Travis to leave Mia alone and to leave their house, saying he would not tolerate such an abusive person under his roof. Hearing Lucifer's words, Travis did not take him seriously and continued to fulfill his own fetish with Mia. Seeing that scene, Lucifer's anger rose higher and higher. Finally he grabbed Travis's hands and pulled him off Mia.
Travis took Lucifer's protectiveness toward Mia as a personal insult. Lost in arrogance and lust, Travis cursed him with every kind of foul word and flaunted his position in the Asher Duchy. But Lucifer did not budge. Seeing that nothing was working, Travis revealed something he should never have revealed. Right in front of Lucifer, without any force applied to him, the arrogant bastard openly admitted that three years earlier—when Amelia and Mia had visited the Asher Duchy right after the marriage—almost every man in the Asher noble family had gang-raped both the mother and the daughter. They had raped Mia and Amelia for three consecutive days. And if both Amelia and Mia could tolerate that kind of treatment, then getting fucked by an iron pole was nothing excessive.
But while revealing these things, Travis failed to notice that something inside Lucifer was changing. He continued explaining what he planned to do next with Amelia and Mia. After that, Travis also revealed that this time he had brought a fine stallion with him specifically to breed Mia and create a new species of centaurs to sell to the Piccolo Kingdom.
Hearing those words from Travis, Lucifer's mind snapped. It snapped so completely and maniacally that in the next moment Travis was in the mansion's underground room, tied to a wooden log with ropes… and the stallion he had brought to breed Mia was standing right next to him.
Then the rounds of different kinds of torture began.
The young master broke every one of Travis's teeth. He plucked out his fingernails with pliers. He shattered his elbows and knees. But it did not stop there—this was only the beginning of Travis's doom. When even that much torture failed to produce the desired results, the young master castrated Travis with his own hands, ignoring the screams and the flowing blood. Yet castration was not the end. After cutting off Travis's cock, the young master diced the meaty dick into bite-sized pieces, added salt, mixed it thoroughly… and finally fed it to Travis himself."
Westeria's words were so terrifying that many of the men present in the dining hall unconsciously grabbed their own cocks out of pure fear.
Seeing their expressions, Westeria gave them a sadistic smile.
"And then he made that same stallion—the one Travis had brought to breed Mia—fuck Travis in the asshole. He recorded every kind of torture on a magic crystal ball and broadcasted it everywhere.
Later that day, the young master confirmed the details from Amelia, Christopher, Mia, and the others… only to discover that all of them had kept this hidden from him. And on that particular day, the young master also promised to deliver justice for his mother and sister."
Westeria continued.
"Then came the time when the Asher ducal family sent envoys and knights to Evorywood Village so they could get Travis released by any means necessary."
With a slight, pleased smile on her face, Westeria spoke.
"I still remember that night. The young master proposed to me, impregnated me, decided the name of our child, and promised to create a territory… in my name.
And just like that, the two of us spent our time together in each other's arms.
It must have been around the second or third bell of the day when the young master woke from sleep and told me that people were coming. I asked him about it, and he accurately guessed that there were a total of two hundred and fifty of them, and that they were ten miles away from Evorywood. How he knew, I do not know—but he has extraordinary senses. Nevertheless, two hundred and fifty knights from the Asher Duchy were approaching, including some mages. He then asked me to wake Mia, Christopher, and Amelia, while he ordered Allen to cast a sound barrier covering the entire mansion, since Sarah was still sleeping.
When I brought Mia, Christopher, and Amelia into my room, the young master explained the situation to all of us. Then he ordered Allen to bring Travis up from the underground room and tie him to a log with ropes.
Time passed as everything moved according to the young master's plan. After another bell, the envoys and soldiers of the Asher Duchy reached Evorywood… but to their surprise, the young master was already standing in front of them. He was dressed in a black obsidian sacrificial robe, a meter-long cleaver in his hand. Behind him stood the rest of us with barrels and containers, still unaware of what we were supposed to do with them. And lastly, behind us stood Christopher and Mia near the mansion, while a short distance away Travis was still being brutally fucked by that stallion.
Oh—I forgot to tell you all: that stallion is now Lucifer's favorite. He named him Mephis.
Seeing Travis's condition, Cedywin—the commander of the knights—asked the young master to free Travis and promised he would take no action against Lucifer or the whole of Evorywood. But the young master did not budge, nor did he agree to Cedywin's words. Instead, he swung his cleaver and severed the hands of ten mages instantly. No one saw how he moved, because it all happened in the blink of an eye. And from that moment on, the young master became a butcher. A butcher so brutal that he did not kill others for gain—he killed to satisfy his own sadistic desires. He cut off their hands with the cleaver, castrated them, and shoved their severed hands into their own vaginas and assholes. He poked out their eyes, bit off their ears, tore out their spines and bones, drank their blood. And even when his rage still had not subsided, he mutilated them into pieces and then mashed those pieces into paste with his cleaver.
That morning, what Evorywood witnessed was not any ordinary massacre of Asher knights. It was pure, unhinged slaughter. In just two minutes, two hundred and fifty knights became a pile of minced meat—and Travis was no exception. His flesh was added to that pile as well. Only then did I understand why the young master had asked me and Allen to prepare those containers and barrels. What he wanted was to fill that slop of minced meat into the containers and send it back to the Asher ducal family."
While Westeria narrated the past events, many people puked again and again, but she paid them no mind at all.
Because she knew that once they heard the next part, many more would puke even harder… and some might even faint.