Tyrant's Obsession With The Heiress-Chapter 72: Approaching Haleville Gone Horribly Wrong

The more Orpheus indulged Lady Karina, the stronger his curse grew.

It would be simple to deny that, but the fact that a twisted sense of ownership began to awaken inside him was a clear sign that the curse was reaching its peak.

And if he didn't find the White Phoenix soon enough, then he would be devoured whole by the darkness lingering on him.

Yet again, Lady Karina could see the crimson glint beneath the dual shades of the man's eyes, but this time it was far more than just a glint.

It was almost as if a second pair of eyes were glaring back at her, like it had come to the surface for the first time and it was now analysing every inch of her.

It was no doubt frightening to say the least, especially since she could feel that air of death around Orpheus yet again.

An unsettling feeling, and the longer she remained on the horse in his arms, the more her discomfort grew apparent.

Orpheus had no doubt noticed it and he knew he needed to gather his wits about him before he allowed his darkness to take control completely.

It wasn't difficult for Lady Karina to notice the conflict brewing in his eyes but she kept herself quiet for lack of anything useful to say. The man seemed to quieten down and focus on the road ahead, his demeanour completely changed.

She sighed inwardly and brought her attention back to her surroundings, seeing that the morning was soft and fresh, warming the land slightly.

The lady and the demon travelled in silence for the remainder of their journey; she was afraid to say anything more and Orpheus would not let his attention be diverted by further chatter, even if it was her chatter.

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So the hour's ride went on rather slowly until the outskirts of Haleville came into view. Down a slight hill, they could see it in the distance, a cluster of brown within a vast sea of green.

Lady Karina kept her eyes on the village as they drew closer and it didn't seem like there was anything out of the ordinary; she noticed there were villagers milling about, farmers with their carts, and children running freely in the road.

But as the escort party of Van Merikh knights drew close enough to be within voice shot of the village, it was as if someone had suddenly sounded an alarm; the entire village erupted in an uproar and the people began running madly, slamming doors and windows and closing up shop.

It very quickly occurred to Lady Karina what was happening and she hastened to staunch the flow of panic.

"Stop," she commanded Orpheus softly.

"Why?" He arched his brow.

Lady Karina craned her neck back to look at him, patting him heavily on his armoured arm to emphasise her point.

"Orpheus," she said firmly. "Command your knights to stop this instant." She pushed herself out of his grip and slid down his warhorse to the ground. "Tell them to turn back and to return to the rise in the road and wait for me there."

Orpheus did not flip his visor up to look at her for he was in pure battle mode, as he always was when an unfamiliar situation came about.

"What are you doing, my lady?" He demanded.

Lady Karina gestured to the village as if to state the obvious. "Do you not see what has happened?" She asked quietly, but her voice held on firmly. "The appearance of your knights and their warhorses has terrified the people."

"Word always travels fast, and undoubtedly these villagers have heard what has happened to Moonveil," she stated, her fist clenched quietly at her side. "Only a fool would not understand that an approaching army of heavily armed men summons a cause for fear and concern."

Orpheus was not the least bit bothered but the lady wasn't quite finished either.

"They will assume that you and your knights have come to raid the village and command their allegiance," she added.

Orpheus looked around, noticing that the once-busy berg was now eerily still. In his world, that was nothing out of the ordinary, but he realised they were trying to accomplish something other than total domination, so he shifted his thought process to that regard.

It was no doubt a struggle.

"I will not allow you to attend to this matter by yourself," Orpheus said, holding up a hand to stop her protests. "But I will order my knights to return to the rise in the road."

Lady Karina wasn't quite certain it was a bright idea to have the Black Frost Demon himself as her escort since it was mostly him that the people were afraid of.

But she knew she couldn't fight him on the matter either, praying that her presence alone would be enough to convince the villagers that doom was not about to rain down upon their little town.

She waited patiently as Orpheus passed the order to Lyall, who, in turn, commanded all but four knights, including himself, to retreat back down the road about half a mile and await their return.

And when the army was finally on a reverse course, Orpheus dismounted his black beast of death.

He removed Lady Karina's box and parchment from his saddlebags and made his way to her.

The lady eyed him as he approached.

"The claymore," she said, nodding her head at the weapon strapped to his back.

Orpheus glanced over his shoulder at the claymore and back at her. "What of it?"

"If you want these villagers to emerge from their burrows and bungalows, then I suggest you leave the weapon behind on your horse."

Orpheus flipped up his visor. "I will not leave my weapon behind with the horse."

Lady Karina shot him a mildly impatient look. "Only a madman would be daring enough to attack you,' she said steadily. "And we are not expecting a military offensive at this time, so I believe you can safely leave it behind."

"Moreover, I would suspect that a claymore isn't the only weapon you are armed with," she added.