273: 6.33 Second Villain

6.33 Second Villain

"Young Master!" Bassil was surprised when he caught sight of Jillian returning at such an unusual hour after the man had said this morning that he would be late, especially when he was looking so ruffled and distraught. "Did something happen? Oh right, we have guests. Sir Cyrus and Sir Luan are currently having tea with Master Regius in the drawing room."0

Jillian skidded to a halt on his way to the east wing. "They are here?" An unreadable look flashed through his eyes. "With Regius?" Bassil hadn't gotten a chance to answer yet when Jillian spun on his heels and strode toward the drawing room. Confused, Bassil trailed behind him.

Indeed, Cyrus and Luan — who had always disappeared for a few days before returning — were currently sipping on tea with the doll Regius on the couch opposite them. When Jillian caught sight of them, he instantly forgot what he was going to say. His eyes took in the sight of the two travelers, their unordinary choice of clothing, the elegance oozing from their every move. How could he not notice anything before?

He was frozen on the doorway until Bassil's inquiry snapped him back to his senses, as well as drawing the others' attention to him. Cyrus and Luan stood up and bowed. "Please pardon our intrusion, Duke." Cyrus said whilst Luan merely inclined his head. "We have just come back and we thought it would be nice to come and see how you are faring. Come and join us," Cyrus waved toward the half opened package of cookies on the table. "It's a local specialty from the next town!" 

Dragons, Jillian's mind repeated numbly. 

"No, that's okay…" Jillian answered rigidly. Goodness, he was going to get an aneurysm sooner or later. How could he have two mythical beasts bowing their heads to him? That was awfully inappropriate! "Please… lift your head." He added with a pained look.

Cyrus considered him for a moment before saying, "You have found out about us, haven't you?"

Jillian's eyes widened in shock. Was that something he could just casually say in front of the servants?! Clearing his throat, he dismissed the servants, pointedly ignored Bassil's curious look and closed the door behind him. Only when they were left on their own accord did Jillian finally recall what he wanted to ask. "Is that true…? Cyrus, the ivory dragon and Luan, the obsidian dragon… is that who you truly are?"

"Yes." Cyrus nodded readily as if he hadn't just shifted Jillian's views of the world. "It's okay, Duke. Please don't treat us any differently. We are nothing but mere travelers."

Jillian needed to sit before he could pass out. Stumbling his way to the couch, he grabbed Regius and held the doll close to him in search of comfort. "Why…"

"Why are we here?" Cyrus tilted his head. "You have given us a roof over our heads and warm daily meals. Doesn't that suffice?"

Jillian had no idea whether to laugh or cry. Did Cyrus think he was a three years old child? If all it took was to feed and shelter them, then everyone would sooner or later housed a mythical beast on their own! 

"Or are you doubting our identity?" 

Before Jillian could deny — what kind of absurd thought was it? — the sight in front of him caused him to choke on his breath. Cyrus' dark hair suddenly morphed into silver and both his and Luan's amber eyes glowed inhumanly like pools of molten lava. As if it was still not enough, a pair of sharp, exquisite horns sprouted out of their heads and glimmers of scales appeared on their cheekbones. 

Jillian gawked. "You—" He got to his feet and hastily drew the curtain shut. "Please refrain from showing your… your dragonic appearance in public! What if you're seen by others?!" He peeked out through the gaps between the curtain and sighed in relief when he saw the servants busily shoveling the thick snow.

"Do not worry, Duke." When Jillian turned back, their appearance had gone back to normal as if the sight Jillian had seen a few seconds ago was merely fatamorgana. Jillian felt strangely drained as if he had just run a few rounds around the manor. "We can only be seen by those we approve of." Then he tilted his head to Regius' direction and chuckled lightly. "Alright, alright. I won't tease him anymore."

"Regius…?" Jillian slumped back to the couch and took Regius into his lap. "Regius knows everything, doesn't he? He knows who you two are and you know who he is." He couldn't help the sour note that seeped into his tone. He was certainly not angry. It's just that, the knowledge that everyone knew except him, that he was the only one kept in the dark was quite upsetting.

"That's not surprising, given who we are." Cyrus blinked. "Feel free to ask us anything. His honor has also given his permission."

"Really? Then…" Jillian fiddled with the hem of Regius' robe. "May I ask what kind of God Regius is?"

Cyrus' eyes darted to Regius for a split second before returning to him. Jillian frowned. Was it supposed to be a secret that no one was allowed to know? Jillian dropped his gaze to the top of Regius' head, eyebrows knitting tightly. In the next second, he felt the air around him shift and a half translucent Regius appeared beside him, his finger pressing gently between Jillian's brows to smooth the lines away.

"Let me tell you in person." Regius murmured gently. "I'm sorry for not telling you. I thought it's not of any importance whether you know it or not." 

Jillian scoffed darkly. He wanted to know everything about Regius, so how could such a thing be unimportant?!

"It's my fault." Regius grasped his hand and took a deep breath. The gesture was so humane that Jillian couldn't help feeling amused. Did he even need to breathe? So why? He couldn't be nervous… right? 

"Jillian, sweetheart, I am the God of Darkness."

***

God of Darkness.

Regius was the God of Darkness. To be honest, he looked nothing like the God who embodied the dark.  His skin was as fair as snow and not to mention his pristine white robes. The answer was so unexpected that Jillian blurted out a disbelieving, "Excuse me?" 

Alas, no matter how earth-shattering the fact was and how Jillian felt like his life wouldn't be the same anymore after knowing the truth, the world still went on as usual. 

The talk of arranged marriage between Hayden and Maia went off without a hitch and preparations were soon made. The entire palace was filled with jubilant air, even the King looked ten years younger with the permanent smiles on his face. The citizens were estatic with the news and all of a sudden, the street was decorated with red silks. 

Jillian was rendered speechless when he went out for patrolling. Everyone was so enthusiastic that they seemed to forget that the marriage between two opposing camps wouldn't happen so soon. It would take approximately one year at least to tie up loose ends and seal the deal. Or two or three years, if there were many disagreements in between.

One thing for certain was, there was no need for war anymore.

Everything should have gone well, except that everything suddenly took a turn for the worse. 

A few weeks passed by yet the weather didn't show any improvement. There was no sign that the snow would melt and spring would arrive anytime soon. On the contrary, Jillian had received reports of storms happening in a few areas and wrecked the citizens' houses. 

Not only that, people also started to get sick. At first, they showed mild symptoms of ordinary cold: high temperature, runny nose, headache, a spell of dizziness, and nausea. Except that on the fifth day, they began to vomit blood. The disease was so potent that in the span of three days, more than ten people had already died due to excessive blood loss. The source of water had been examined, and the livestock had been checked as well but they couldn't find the main cause of the contagion. 

The disease had first been spotted in the countryside but it had been spreading at an alarming speed. Sooner or later, it would reach the heart of the country and then…

[Something isn't right.] Lu Yizhou frowned as he listened to Bassil's solemn report of the increasing deaths to Jillian.

[666: R—Right, Host has alternated villain's fate and pushed the main protagonists together. So why does the plot return to the original one?!]

One more thing confirmed. Lu Yizhou had always wondered how Regius could spread a plague when he was the God of Darkness in the first place and how everyone came to suspect him all of a sudden, leading to Jillian being ambushed in the battlefield. It turned out that there was something more than what met the eye. If he wasn't wrong, then someone else must be behind the scene. Someone who hadn't been included in the original plot.

666's surprised cry broke Lu Yizhou's line of thought. [What's wrong?]

[666: H—H—Host, after laying dormant for all this time, 666 finally picked up anothet signal from the second villain! He—He has just started to move and judging from the direction, he's heading toward us, Host!]

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