"Leave Elara first, Elizabeth. I need to talk to you about something."
The only sound inside the carriage was the rhythmic clatter of the wheels.
When I finally decided to break the silence, even though we had achieved what we wanted, there was no real excitement in the air. Part of that was my fault, I suppose. On one hand, it all seemed like a normal outcome, but something had been bothering me for a while now…
Luckily, we dropped Elara off quickly and soon arrived at the Nexus headquarters. Elizabeth led us to her office, and the moment we stepped inside, I couldn't hold back any longer.
I grabbed Thalassa by the throat, squeezing with enough force to cut off her air.
"Did you really think I wouldn't notice?" I snarled.
Her eyes began to water, her face turning red from lack of oxygen. Her hands frantically tried to pry my fingers away, but it was useless.
Elizabeth looked at me in shock, completely confused by what I was doing.
"You know the only reason you're still alive?" My voice was so cold it seemed to freeze everything around us.
I released her and threw her carelessly to the floor. She coughed violently, gasping for air, then looked up at me, waiting for me to continue. When she realized I wanted her to speak, she answered in a hoarse, strained voice:
"Because… I only put a light hypnosis on her…" she admitted, glancing at Elizabeth with a mix of guilt and terror.
"Yes. If I had sensed that you really dared to toy with her mind, we wouldn't be having this conversation."
I paused, letting the weight of my threat settle heavily in the room.
"Even so, I think you understand what I want. Don't you dare show your face in front of me or anyone close to me again. You have your own problems—go solve them yourself. I won't play your games anymore."
Thalassa lowered her head in defeat. She knew there was nothing she could say that would make me change my mind.
Elizabeth stared at her in surprise, her brows furrowed with irritation. She still couldn't believe someone had been tampering with her mind without her noticing.
She also thought about Marquis Lothe, whom they still needed to deal with, but seeing my current state, she decided it was better to find another way to handle the situation.
The silence in the Nexus office was thick and oppressive. Thalassa left without daring to look back.
I let out a long sigh and sat down in Elizabeth's chair, rubbing my forehead as if trying to ease the stress.
She watched me with concern.
"I don't think she meant any real harm… I still don't understand what she changed in my memory," she said uneasily.
I fixed my gaze on her and motioned for her to come closer.
I took her hand and undid any spell that might have been influencing her, while also placing a protective ward on her soul to make sure it never happened again.
I'd probably have to do the same with everyone close to me, I thought—Margery, Rosalind, Adela, even little Bethany. Although some of them could defend themselves, a mage of the eighth circle or higher could always appear.
I turned my attention back to Elizabeth. She now seemed a little less at ease, but her mind was clearer.
"So… her hypnosis was meant to make me feel comfortable with her presence," she murmured, finally realizing the manipulation.
"Yes. Even if it seems harmless, it only shows what she's willing to do. I don't want a woman capable of manipulating anyone to get what she wants anywhere near me—or any of you," I declared.
Right after those words, Adela appeared. It seemed she was already aware of what had happened.
"Master…" she said, head slightly bowed. She looked guilty for not having detected Thalassa's interference with Elizabeth.
But with her arrival, my mood shifted. I smiled, thinking of something far more enjoyable to do. Adela noticed the change immediately and approached with excitement, catching the spark in my eyes. Elizabeth, pushing the siren to the back of her mind, seemed to sense it too, because she quickly sat on my lap, as if wanting to claim ground over Adela.
Adela wasn't one to be left behind. She moved behind me and began massaging my shoulders, pressing her breasts against my back in a way that was far too suggestive.
I stayed right there, caught between their possessiveness and devotion.
…
Once we were done with Adela and Elizabeth, we cleaned up the mess we had made and started talking about other matters.
Mostly about what was coming next.
Elizabeth traced circles on my bare shoulder as she asked:
"So, what are we going to do about the Lothes now? We were going to use Thalassa, though we also considered other, less direct methods…"
"Mmm… first, meet with him. Maybe we can get the answer that way. If not, dealing with Leonardo should be enough—two dukes ought to do it," I replied calmly.
Adela nodded, while Elizabeth didn't seem happy that there wasn't a more decisive option.
"When will the meeting be?" I asked.
"We'll summon him here tomorrow morning, at the central Nexus headquarters."
"Master, regarding the Empress… when do you plan to start using her?" Adela asked, watching me attentively.
I thought about that woman who, with every visit, I made need me more and more. After thousands of years dealing with women, making one unable to think about anyone else had been easy. It always was.
Still, I let out a sigh in response. I knew Caelia was getting quite desperate.
At any moment she might do something crazy—like chaining me to her bed. So I needed a way to make sure she wouldn't do that and would instead agree to help Elara, while destroying her own son in the process…
"Adela, how are things going with Astrid?" I changed the subject.
Her face immediately lit up.
"I already found a place for her. It's a small village in Pradiles. If she wants, she can move later, but no one should come looking for her. And even though Pradiles doesn't get along with Lucratis, as long as she changes her appearance, she shouldn't have any problems."
I nodded and stood up from the bed in the side room attached to the office. I put on a shirt that Adela began to straighten while I looked at her. I said goodbye to Elizabeth, and Adela and I teleported back. We appeared directly in front of Astrid; there was no longer any reason to hide it.
She looked at us in shock, eyes wide open, not understanding what had just happened. I didn't waste time explaining. Adela had already given me the details of the destination, so I approached Astrid—since it was easier to take someone when close—and teleported the three of us to a small house on the outskirts of the village of Delvin, in Pradiles.