After the tour, I led Elara and Lady Margot to a sitting room where tea had been prepared.
Because even dark magic families have standards.
We're CIVILIZED villains.
As we sat, Elara leaned forward, her eyes bright with curiosity.
"When can we start training?" she asked. "Real training. Not just... observation."
She's EAGER.
She wants to LEARN.
She wants POWER.
My perfect little student.
"Actually," I said, glancing at the clock on the mantle, "I have an afternoon training session with my mentor. Illusion magic. You could... observe. If you want."
Elara's entire face lit up.
"Really?" she asked, leaning forward so fast she nearly knocked over her teacup. "You'd let me watch?"
The princess is VIBRATING with excitement.
She's like a puppy who just got told she's going to the park.
This is ADORABLE and also slightly concerning.
"It's not going to be exciting," I warned. "Illusion magic is all mental discipline and focus. Very boring. Lots of standing around trying not to think too hard."
"I don't care," Elara said immediately. "I want to see how it works. I want to understand the process."
She wants to LEARN.
She wants to see the WORK behind the power.
This girl is going to be INCREDIBLE.
Lady Margot looked like she wanted to object, but one glance at Elara's determined expression and she wisely kept her mouth shut.
Smart lady-in-waiting.
She knows when to pick her battles.
"Fine," I said. "But you have to stay quiet. No questions until after. Corvus doesn't like interruptions."
"I promise," Elara said, practically bouncing in her seat.
The princess is BOUNCING.
The fourteen-year-old heir to the throne is BOUNCING with excitement about watching dark magic training.
I've corrupted her SO WELL.
The training chamber felt different with an audience.
Corvus stood in the center of the room, arms crossed, his dark eyes taking in Elara's presence with mild interest.
"The princess is observing today," I said.
"So I see," Corvus replied. "Your Highness, you may watch from the edge of the room. Do not interrupt. Do not interfere. And do not touch anything."
Elara nodded eagerly and positioned herself near the wall, Lady Margot standing protectively beside her.
The princess looks like she's about to watch the most fascinating thing in the world.
She has NO IDEA how frustrating this is about to be.
"Today," Corvus said without preamble, "we're moving beyond blood magic and necromancy. Today, you learn illusions."
Illusions.
FINALLY.
Something that doesn't require me to bleed or touch dead things.
This is going to be EASY.
"Illusions are different from the magic you've learned so far," Corvus continued. "Blood magic requires sacrifice. Necromancy requires connection to death. But illusions..." He paused. "Illusions require perfect mental control."
Mental control.
I can do that.
I'm GREAT at mental control.
I'm the most controlled person I know.
"Illusions don't draw power from blood or death," Corvus explained. "They draw power from your mind. Your focus. Your ability to hold an image so clearly, so perfectly, that reality itself bends to match it."
He gestured, and suddenly there was a butterfly in the air between us.
What the FUCK.
That looks REAL.
That looks COMPLETELY real.
The butterfly fluttered around the room, its wings iridescent and delicate, and I could SWEAR I felt the air move as it passed.
I heard Elara gasp softly from her position by the wall.
Yeah, that's the appropriate response.
Then Corvus closed his hand, and the butterfly vanished.
Gone.
Like it was never there.
That's INCREDIBLE.
"That's what you're going to learn," Corvus said. "To create images so convincing that even YOU can't tell they're fake."
Challenge accepted.
Let's do this.
Corvus walked me through the basics.
"Close your eyes," he instructed. "Picture something simple. An object. Something you know well."
I closed my eyes and pictured a rose.
Simple.
Easy.
I've seen a thousand roses.
"Hold that image in your mind," Corvus said. "Every detail. The color. The texture. The way the petals curve. The thorns on the stem. Hold it so clearly that you could describe it to someone who's never seen a rose before."
Got it.
I'm holding it.
Perfect mental image of a rose.
"Now," Corvus said, "channel your magic into that image. Not blood magic. Not death magic. Just... pure magical energy. Let it flow from your core into the image in your mind."
I reached for my magic—the same power I used for necromancy and blood magic—and tried to channel it into the mental image of the rose.
Come on.
Just... appear.
Be a fucking ROSE.
I opened my eyes.
Nothing.
What.
WHAT.
Where's my rose?
Where's my ILLUSION?
"Try again," Corvus said calmly.
From the corner of my eye, I saw Elara lean forward slightly, her expression confused.
Yeah, I'm confused too, Princess.
This should be WORKING.
I closed my eyes and tried again.
Rose. Red rose. Perfect petals. Sharp thorns.
APPEAR, goddammit.
I opened my eyes.
Still nothing.
This is BULLSHIT.
I can raise the DEAD.
I can channel DEATH ITSELF.
But I can't make a fucking ROSE?
"Again," Corvus said.
I tried again.
And again.
And AGAIN.
Each time, nothing appeared.
What the FUCK is wrong with me?
Why isn't this WORKING?
"You're too tense," Corvus observed. "Your emotions are interfering with your focus."
I could feel Elara watching, could sense her confusion and concern.
Great.
The princess is watching me FAIL.
My brilliant little pet is seeing me struggle.
This is HUMILIATING.
"Illusions require calm," Corvus said. "They require clarity. Every time you get angry or impatient, the image in your mind fractures. And when the image fractures, the illusion fails."
So I need to be CALM.
I need to be ZEN.
I need to NOT be frustrated by the fact that this is taking FOREVER.
Great.
Just GREAT.
I took a deep breath and tried again.
Rose. Calm rose. Peaceful rose.
Just... exist.
I felt the magic flow, felt it start to take shape—
And then I got excited.
It's WORKING—
The image shattered.
FUCK.
"Emotional spikes break the illusion," Corvus said. "Excitement. Anger. Impatience. Any strong emotion will fracture your focus."
This is IMPOSSIBLE.
How am I supposed to create an illusion without feeling ANYTHING?
I'm not a ROBOT.
I tried again.
And again.
And AGAIN.
Each time, the illusion started to form—I could feel it, could almost SEE it—and then my emotions would spike and it would shatter.
This is the most frustrating thing I've ever done.
And I've died and been reincarnated into a villainess.
THAT was less frustrating than THIS.
After what felt like HOURS of failure, I heard footsteps behind me.
Oh no.
Please don't be—
It was Mother.
Of course it's Mother.
Mother always shows up when I'm failing at something.
It's like she has a RADAR for my incompetence.