Chapter 171: Council of Devoted Hearts

In Demor.

A meeting room in the palace, where ministers would normally gather to discuss matters of importance, was that day filled with well-known women.

At the center stood Elara Demor, flanked on either side by Caelia and Cassandra, Lisbeth also present not so far away.

A little further to the side were Sylvia Sterling and a slightly lost-looking Seraphine. Elena, who didn’t look much better, was also present.

Selyne Astaford wasn’t far from that group, with her daughter standing beside her.

On the other side, the women of Valois made their presence known.

Cordelia’s expression seemed especially satisfied to be there, though her eyes revealed the constant calculations she was making—ones from which not even her own daughter was spared.

And finally, opposite the main group, stood Adela, with Elizabeth in the center and Rosalind at her other side.

There were two clear leaders who could be distinguished: Caelia and Elizabeth seemed to be directing the entire matter, while Adela and Rosalind appeared to be the most thoughtful when speaking.

Though, of course, neither Cordelia nor Cassandra let themselves be led easily.

"The Master has left. We called all of you here because..." Elizabeth paused for a moment and gave Caelia a brief glance. "All of you have a relationship with him. Even if you are not his wife or do not serve him directly, the truth is that all of you are affected by his actions."

Valeria looked the most confused.

Seeing that her mother remained silent, she stayed quiet, but internally she really wanted to ask: Master?

"Many of you don’t know much about him," Adela began. "But those of us who have been by his side for a long time understand one thing: at any moment, he can leave us."

"He already did, in fact," she added, her voice soft and somewhat incredulous.

"Exactly," Caelia spoke this time. "Although there’s nothing I’d like more than to cut off each of your heads and have him all to myself, the reality is that I still don’t carry enough weight in his mind for him to forgive me if I did. No offense, of course. That’s why I thought it would be a good idea for all of us to unite."

"Cassian hides too many things," Rosalind said uncertainly.

"The Master has people he cares about who are not any of us, and they are very likely equal to or even stronger than him at this moment," Adela added.

The name finally cleared Valeria’s mind a little, but she still didn’t understand how she fit into all this—or how any of the women present did.

"Wait a moment," Cassandra Demor interrupted. "Why was I included in this? I don’t think I care much about what that man does."

"Master!" Elara Demor reproached her, her voice firm. "If I serve my master until death, you have to join me!"

"Huh? Who says so?" Cassandra crossed her arms, giving the women present a determined look. "Even if there are several things I’d like to ask him, I’m not going to become his devoted lover because of that."

"That’s fine," Caelia intervened. "We didn’t call you to become his woman, but to use your power for him."

Cassandra narrowed her eyes. "What are you talking about?"

"Margery, the Master’s sister, has disappeared. On the other hand, he has been trying to make us much stronger. If we deliver this world to him and find his sister, wouldn’t that be the best gift? One he won’t be able to ignore, no matter what."

"I still don’t understand why I should give that man a gift, but right now there’s one reality: if you all cause trouble, it will be Demor that suffers. So..." She crossed her legs and lifted her chin. "What’s the plan?"

All the women looked at each other after those words, each with different thoughts, but all conveying the same thing: What now?

Then, before they could begin planning, Cordelia interrupted, unable to let go of something that had been bothering her for a while:

"Who is she?" She pointed to a woman standing off to the side in a maid’s uniform.

A prominent vein of annoyance appeared on Adela’s forehead when the woman was mentioned, but she tried to contain herself. She knew very well that this bloodsucker was probably gloating about her in her mind.

"Mina, introduce yourself," Adela ordered, wanting to command her.

The woman slowly approached the table and performed a perfect maid’s curtsy.

"I am Bethany’s maid, but I serve the Master as my true lord and owner. If you intend to conquer this world and the beings that inhabit it, you need to understand that the empires you know are nothing more than the tip of the iceberg."

"I heard from Adela that you are from another race. Would you mind clarifying?" Elizabeth asked.

The woman smiled when asked and began to explain with academic detail, even more than what had been requested:

"I belong to the Unliving. We are a rather powerful race. We possess characteristics that make us stronger than an ordinary human, almost like the beastmen—though they depend on their bloodline, while we have all our senses and physical abilities enhanced. This is precisely why we remain a small power among the superior species. Dragons and Seraphim, however, are the true rulers. Then there are some intermediate races like elves, sirens, or dwarves, but they are not taken very seriously. As for humans..." She paused and showed a slight hesitation before continuing. "As far as I know, the Empire of Valvradis is quite strong, but I believe they have someone from the Demonic Continent helping them. I’m not sure. I used to serve a noble house in Serpes, until they decided to betray the one who ruled that place. I thought my fate was sealed when I abandoned them, but fortunately I met the Master..."

Mina’s serious and analytical eyes began to show signs of sweetness. Her cheeks flushed, her tongue passed over her lips as if she were thirsty, and she trembled at the same time, nearly collapsing to the floor just from saying his name.

The information she provided left some of the women present quite uncomfortable—especially those who had no idea there was so much beyond Midvern, Pradiles, and Lucratis.

On the other hand, those who already had some notion of it found that finally putting names to things and gaining a sense of the world’s true scale left them somewhat tense. The women who knew Cassian best also wondered whether he knew all of this—and if so, how much more he was choosing not to tell them.