A profound silence had settled over the Citadel of Gilded Sorrow, broken only by the distant, rhythmic tread of my Dark Knights on patrol. I stood before a vast mirror, its surface polished from a single sheet of volcanic obsidian. The reflection staring back was both familiar and alien. Devon Ashcroft. My creation. My skin.
My fingers traced the sharp line of my jaw, so different from the soft, sickly features I had known. The platinum hair, slashed with strands of jet black, felt like silk. But it was the eyes that held me—those glowing crimson pools that held the ghost of a system interface. This was the face of a king. The face of a god who paid his way to divinity.
A soft chime echoed in my mind.
[Wife Slots: 4]
A dry, incredulous laugh escaped me. So, the system was a cheeky bastard. "Well, if you're offering," I murmured to the empty room. "System. Instate Alice Karfallen as my second wife."
The update was instantaneous.
[Nyx Bloodborne: Designation confirmed as First Wife.]
[Alice Karfallen: Designation confirmed as Second Wife.]
[Affinity with Wives: +50%]
[Spousal Obedience: +20%]
[Emotional Resonance: +40%]
A slow, predatory smile touched my lips. The game, it seemed, was truly beginning.
Before I could delve deeper, I decided to test the waters. "Nyx," I called out, my voice echoing with a command that felt both foreign and innate.
The door opened without a sound. She was there, a statue of shadow and devotion. "Your Majesty."
"My schedule."
"The war council convenes in one hour to address the Lulusian threat," she recited, her voice a cool, clear stream. "Following that, the—"
My mind drifted as she spoke, cataloging the absurd power of my abilities. A flick of my wrist could likely level a mountain. And yet, the most daunting prospect was the woman standing before me. I could command her to come here. To… I shut down the thought. A king did not seize; he was given.
"Closer," I commanded.
She took the three steps to stand before me. "Look right."
As her head turned, presenting the elegant line of her jaw and neck, I closed the distance and pressed my lips to her cheek. Her skin was cool, like marble warmed by the sun.
She did not pull away. She did not move. But a tremor ran through her, a tiny, almost imperceptible fracture in her perfect composure. A blush, deep and crimson as her eyes, bloomed across her cheekbone.
"I… if there is nothing else, Your Majesty…" Her voice was a strained whisper.
"Dismissed."
She was gone in a whisper of black lace, leaving me alone with the ghost of her scent and the thrum of my own power. A laugh, low and genuine, bubbled in my chest. This was a different kind of power, one no amount of money had ever bought me.
But sentiment was a luxury for peacetime. "System. Display the military assessment of the Kingdom of Lulusia."
Data streamed across my vision. Thirty thousand men. Two S-Rank swordsmen. A respectable force for a mortal kingdom. A minor nuisance for me.
"Display my full ability list."
The list was a tapestry of destruction. I could turn their army to dust with a thought. But where was the spectacle in that? Where was the legend?
The throne room hummed with the anxious energy of two dozen of my "top" advisors. I listened to their droning strategies for exactly four minutes and seventeen seconds before I grew bored.
"Enough." My voice cut through the debate like a blade. "I will handle the Lulusians. Alone."
The silence was absolute, broken only by the sharp intake of breath.
It was then she emerged, a vision of golden hair and gothic elegance materializing from the shadows behind my throne. Alice.
"That is not the place of a king," she stated, her voice melodic yet firm. "A monarch does not fight his own battles."
My eyebrow arched. "Do you doubt my capability?"
A faint, knowing smile touched her lips. "I merely observe. A ruler of a 'Dark Continent' who leads from the front is either invincible… or has a death wish. You have just been born into this world. Which is it?"
The challenge hung in the air. A lesser man would have flinched. I felt a grin spread across my face. She had spirit. I liked it.
I rose from my throne and descended the dais until I was mere inches from her. Her amber eyes widened slightly, but she held her ground. I reached out and gently patted her head, as if soothing a spooked cat.
"You misunderstand," I said, my voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "This isn't a battle. It's a demonstration." I turned my back on the stunned council and walked away, leaving her with a blush and a bewildered expression.
Later, in my chambers, Nyx found me.
"Your Majesty," she began, her posture rigid with concern. "The plan… to face them alone. It is my duty to fight at your side."
I looked at her, this perfect weapon I had crafted. "Sit," I commanded, gesturing to the space beside me.
Hesitation flickered in her eyes for a single, telling moment before she obeyed, perching on the edge of the seat. I reached out and began to idly twist a lock of her night-black hair around my finger.
"Your concern is noted," I said softly. "But this is a matter of statement. However…" I leaned closer, my voice a low murmur. "I will allow you to accompany me. Just you."
The relief that washed over her was palpable. "Yes, Your Majesty!"
"Go. Rest. I will require you at your best."
The moment the door closed, I spoke to the empty air. "You can come out now, Alice."
She peeled herself from the shadows in the corner, looking entirely unrepentant. "A king who fights his own battles and a vampire who eavesdrops. We are a pair, are we not?"
"You were given a role," I pointed out, circling her slowly. "Military command belongs to Nyx. The question remains… what is your purpose here?"
She met my gaze, a defiant glint in her eyes. "I am a Primordial of the Crimson Moon. I do not fetch and carry."
"Don't you?" I stopped in front of her. "Your new role is 'Personal Attendant.' You are to see to my… personal needs." A slow smile spread across my face at her stunned expression. "Your first duty begins now. Sit."
Bewildered, she sat on the nearby divan. I promptly lay down, resting my head in her lap.
"Wha— Your Majesty! The bed is three paces away!"
"And your lap is here," I replied, closing my eyes. "A personal attendant sees to their master's comfort. Is that not your purpose? Or do you refuse?"
A long, tense silence followed. I could feel the conflict radiating from her. Then, a soft sigh. "…No, my King. I do not refuse."
I hid my smile against the fabric of her dress. The +20% obedience was working beautifully. I didn't sleep, of course. I spent the hour memorizing the feel of her, the scent of old books and night-blooming flowers, the subtle rhythm of her breath. When I finally opened my eyes, my gaze met hers. She was staring down at me, her expression unreadable.
I reached up, my thumb stroking the line of her cheekbone. "You are… remarkably beautiful," I said, the words feeling less like a line and more like a simple truth in the quiet dimness.
Her breath hitched. "You should not say things you do not mean, Your Majesty. A woman might… get the wrong idea."
"Perhaps," I said, sitting up and fixing her with a direct look, "it is the right idea."
Her eyes widened, her lips parting in a silent "oh."
"Now," I said, rising to my feet, the moment broken. "The Lulusians await. And I believe I have a statement to make."
The training hall was a cathedral of combat, and its altar was a ten-meter wall of magically reinforced adamantine, scarred by the greatest warriors in the kingdom's history. A few soldiers paused their drills to watch as I approached.
I didn't summon a sword. I didn't chant a spell. I simply lifted a single finger, and a blade of pure, solidified light erupted from its tip. With a casual, almost dismissive flick, I swept it through the wall.
The air hissed. For a moment, nothing happened. Then, the entire massive structure slid apart into a dozen perfectly sliced segments, collapsing with a sound like a mountain sighing.
I turned to the stunned, silent soldiers. "See to it this is repaired with something… sturdier."
Before they could respond, I was gone, teleporting back to my room. The legend of the king who cut the adamantine wall would spread. It was a better investment than any speech.
A final system prompt glowed. [Summon: Flare?]
"Here is fine," I said, gesturing to the empty space on my bed. I lay down, expecting a flickering wisp of fire. The magic flared, and a weight dipped the mattress beside me. I was asleep before I could see what I had summoned.
I was woken by something warm and soft in my hand. Half-asleep, I gave it a gentle tug.
A high-pitched yelp shattered the silence. I was on my feet in an instant, mana flaring around my fists. A girl with hair like liquid gold and eyes the color of a summer sky was clutching her lower back, from which a sleek, fox-like tail now swished in agitation. She was clad in a form-fitting black bodysuit that left little to the imagination.
An assassin? A honey trap?
She recovered instantly, a sly smile gracing her features as she lounged back on the bed. "Hello, Master."
I approached warily, lifting her chin with my finger. "You are… Flare?"
"The one and only!" she chirped. "Though I think you were expecting something… smaller?"
The blast of a war horn echoed from the plains beyond the palace.
"It seems your timing is impeccable," I said, a plan forming. I teleported us both to the front lines in a flash of light. The Lulusian army was a dark tide on the horizon.
A moment later, Nyx arrived, her run a blur of deadly grace. "Your Majesty! I am here!"
She skidded to a halt, her eyes instantly locking on Flare.
"This is Flare," I explained. "A new… asset."
Nyx's eyes narrowed. "Spirits are typically… less substantial, Your Majesty."
I took a single, swift step toward her and raised my hand. Nyx flinched, bracing for a strike. My heart clenched at the instinct. Instead, I gently laid my hand on her head.
"I summoned her from a different stratum of reality," I said softly. "Do not question my methods again."
The fear in her eyes melted into pure, unadulterated devotion. "Yes, Your Majesty."
I turned to face the enemy, my two wives—one of war, one of shadow, and a spirit of fire—at my back. The three pillars of my new world.
"They have numbers," I stated, my voice carrying over the gathering wind. "But we have a truth they have yet to learn."
I looked at the sea of soldiers, my crimson eyes glowing with the promise of purchased annihilation.
"Let's give them their first lesson."