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"Safer?" Vesta asked back. "I don\'t think being with him is safer. Father, let me stay by your side. I can help you with any–"

"No. You\'ll just be a hindrance." Joash looked at his daughter coldly. "I don\'t have time to babysit you. Now is a very crucial time and I don\'t have the time to spare to make sure that you are behaving properly. William has no intention of fighting against Felix right now, so being with him is the safer option."

Vesta felt her heart tremble inside her chest because this was the first time that she had seen her father look at her so coldly. It was as if he was looking at a complete stranger, and not his own daughter whom he had loved and raised for the past nineteen years.

"I… understand," Vesta replied as she lowered her head. "I will do as you say, Father."

"Good." Joash moved closer and gave his daughter a tight hug that lasted only for a brief moment before pulling back.

Without another word, he turned his back to her and walked away.

Vesta could only watch her father\'s back until it disappeared from her view. She didn\'t dare call out to him because she knew that she would only be disappointed. The only thing she could do was lower her head and bite her lower lip.

"You liar," Vesta muttered softly as a drop of tear fell from her eyes.

With the current state of the Demon Realm, it was hard to say who was friend or foe. She knew that her father truly wanted to protect her, so he decided to let her stay with William. That way, Joash would be able to focus more on the things he needed to do without worrying for her safety.

—--

"Look after her for me," Joash said as he walked past William on his way out of the Sand Clan\'s main residence.

"Okay," William replied. "She\'ll be my emergency food when I run out of things to eat."

Joash didn\'t bother to reply to William\'s words as he flew towards the sky. The Black Dragon headed towards the South where his fortress was waiting for him.

"Two months…," William muttered as he put his hands behind his back. "That is far from enough."

The Half-Elf shook his head before returning to his room. Along the way, he met Princess Aila, and Shannon who were headed to the dining area.

"Are you not going to eat, Lord William?" Shannon asked.

"I\'m not hungry," William replied.

Princess Aila didn\'t say anything and simply stood to the side with her head lowered. She couldn\'t look at William, especially since tonight was the night that he would visit her in her room.

This was the second time that they would be sharing some private time together, and the angelic Princess couldn\'t help but worry about what the black-haired teenager planned to do with her.

Suddenly, Princess Aila felt a finger press upward on the bottom of her chin, raising her head so she would look at the black-haired teenager, whose golden eyes made her heart skip a beat.

"Am I so scary that you won\'t even look at me?" William asked as he stared into Aila\'s clear, purple eyes, that showed her true emotions.

"N-No," Princess Aila replied. "I-I am just nervous."

"And why are you nervous?"

"B-Because tonight…"

A light cough stopped Princess Aila from continuing her words. Shannon immediately moved in to hold her body and make her take a step away from the Half-Elf who made her feel very nervous.

"Lord William, please don\'t bully Aila," Shannon said as she hugged the angelic Princess from behind. "Can\'t you see that she\'s scared stiff of you right now?"

"Is that so?" William asked back.

"N-No! That\'s not it," Princess Aila stuttered. "I just… I just don\'t know what to wear tonight. Yes. that\'s it."

William nodded before walking past the two girls without another word.

Princess Aila and Shannon watched him go with complicated expressions on their faces. One of them wanted to reach out to him and help heal his sadness, while the other wanted to find ways that she could be useful to him.

Right now, William was like an iceberg. What they could see was merely its tip, while the rest of it was hidden under the freezing surface.

Both ladies knew that William was still grieving for his loss. Even so, a part of them wanted to be part of that cold world in order to help thaw some of the ice that covered his obsidian heart.

—--

Inside Celeste\'s Room…

"Yes, he doesn\'t plan to return to the academy, Headmaster," Celeste said as she stared at Byron\'s projection.

All the professors in Hestia Academy carried communication artifacts that allowed them to talk directly to Byron in case of an emergency.

"Is that so?" Byron asked. "A pity, but there\'s nothing we can do about it. Professor, when will you be returning to Hestia Academy? Now that the Heir of Darkness, as well as the Prince of Darkness have arrived, it will be time to gather the members of the Holy Order of Light.

"The Pope contacted me earlier and said that she had already sent notices to all the Virtues to gather at the Palace of Light. She expects you will go there as well."

Celeste shook her head. "I can\'t go, Professor. I am tied to William right now, and without his orders, I can\'t leave his side."

"Can\'t you convince him to let you go?"

"I tried, but he said that he needs me by his side."

Actually, Celeste was lying. William had already told her that she could return to Hestia Academy anytime she wanted. She was the one who didn\'t want to leave the black-haired teenager for reasons known only to her.

"Just do your best." Byron pinched the bridge of his nose before shifting his gaze back to the beautiful Elf, who was currently beside the prophesied Prince of Darkness. "Head straight to the Palace of Light when you get the chance."

"Understood, Headmaster," Celeste replied.

The connection ended a minute later after Byron told Celeste about the current movement of their forces. Byron had already informed all the kingdoms and empires in the Central Continent about the recent developments in the Demon Realm.

Although he didn\'t say anything more than that, she understood that this news would definitely cause a ripple effect, and shatter the peace that everyone had enjoyed over the past two decades.

"Are you sure about this, Celeste?" Claire asked as she landed on Celeste\'s shoulder. "You went as far as to lie about your current situation to the Headmaster. Are you perhaps worried about Chloee?"

Celeste nodded. "Of course I am. How can I not be worried about her? But, that is only half the reason."

"The other reason is William, yes?"

"Mmm."

Celeste sighed as she poured herself a cup of tea. After taking a few sips she returned the cup on top of the table and sighed a second time.

"I want to be with him right now because I\'m afraid that if I keep my eyes off him for a few seconds, he might do something reckless. I will not be able to sleep at night knowing that my negligence caused him to take the wrong path."

"Celeste, don\'t you think it\'s already too late for that? He has already chosen to become the Prince of Darkness. Sooner or later, he will stand on the opposite side of the Holy Order of Light. Also, I\'m sure that Chloee would be fine. Even though William looks like that right now, he will not allow my sister to come to any harm."

Celeste also shared Claire\'s opinion. She had seen how William cared for the people around him, so he would definitely take care of Chloee and not allow her to endanger herself.

"Celeste, I think you are forgetting something important," Claire said with a serious expression on her face. "Being near William is the most dangerous thing you can do right now. Not only does he have control over you through the mark on your body, your Virtue is also in danger."

Celeste chuckled as he covered her eyes with a hand.

"Yes, my Virtue. The always pure maiden," Celeste commented with sarcasm. "The untainted, the chaste, and similar other titles. Throughout my life, I\'ve seen the looks of the men who have coveted this Chastity of mine. All of them wanted me to become their greatest conquest. They wanted to know what it will be like to make me their woman, and take my Virtue away from me.

"I\'ve known this all my life, and yet, I didn\'t dislike it. In fact, I\'ve long wanted to know what would happen once my pureness was sullied. Would I lose my powers? Would I become an ordinary woman? I don\'t know the answer to these questions. All the Virtues before me stayed chaste throughout their lifetimes. All of them lived sad and bitter lives, just because this… Virtue was given to them the moment they were born."

This time, it was Claire\'s turn to sigh as she gazed at the beautiful Elf\'s face.

"And yet, the most chaste, and most sought after woman in the world… is being neglected by the man who was prophesied to become her Prince," Claire said, imitating the sarcasm in Celeste\'s voice. "Celeste, I think you\'re playing with fire. William is very unstable right now. One wrong move… and he will eat you up, drink your blood, and make you unable to live without him."

"If only he would do that, Claire," Celeste replied, "But he won\'t. Even if I offered myself to him on a silver platter, he wouldn\'t even bother to touch me. Chloee has a higher chance to end up in the same bed with him than I do."

"It\'s because the two of you don\'t love each other."

"Yes. We don\'t love each other, and that is the reason why I\'ll be safer with him than anywhere else in the world."

Claire frowned, but she no longer tried to persuade Celeste to change her mind. If being in the most dangerous place allowed her to be safe then she would accompany her Master even if it meant being in the eye of the storm.

"Just, don\'t regret your decision later, okay?" Claire said as she lightly caressed Celeste\'s beautiful face.

"I will keep that in mind," Celeste replied. "Thank you, Claire."

"You\'re welcome." the green-haired fairy smiled sadly before closing her eyes. "I\'ve already lost Chloee, I don\'t want to lose you as well."