Tyrant's Obsession With The Heiress-Chapter 76: A Familiar Losing Sight Of His Role

Soran had never been one to disobey orders or go against regulations, but ever since Lady Karina's departure, his mind had been at unrest.

He'd been worried about how she was faring, since whatever he heard about Orpheus Van Merikh was certainly nothing to smile about.

And more than that, he'd been worried about whether his actions from before upset Lady Karina or not. As her familiar, he believed he was simply comforting her with a small gesture, but perhaps he overstepped his bounds.

"It is unusual for you to be...uneasy," Naeryn stated as she came up behind Soran, her hooves leaving soft thuds on the snow.

They'd returned to the winter region after the council meeting, but Soran had not slept a wink since the previous night. The sabertooth spent the entirety of the night near a sacred altar under a ceiling of frosted branches.

It was where moonlight usually filtered through onto a basin carved with special rune symbols that would absorb the magic of the moon and convey it to the rest of the land through the roots and lakes.

Soran stood beside it, his fingers tracing over each rune symbol. Normally, he would have shifted back into his beastly form, but this time he remained in his human skin. He only glanced over his shoulder to acknowledge Naeryn's arrival, but he did not bow his head as he usually did.

"Are you worried about Hyacinth?" Naeryn asked, her body suddenly bathed in a white glow as her anatomy changed with each step she took.

By the time she reached him, she stood beside Soran in the form of a beautiful human woman draped in flowing white silks. Her hair was as pure as snow, pin straight and reaching till the end of her spine.

Her elk ears were still visible atop her head, and she gently placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Who would not be worried in such times?" Soran remarked through clenched teeth, showing a sense of anger for the first time since Naeryn had known him.

She could see the anguish in his icy blue eyes, for it was a rare thing for the sabertooth to express any form of emotion, let alone lose his temper, which he was always in control of.

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"We are all concerned, Soran." Naeryn shook her head with a sigh, letting her hand fall from his shoulder. "The man Hyacinth spoke of is troubling and I am almost tempted to leave the sanctuary. I need to see him for myself to see what he is capable of...for I fear he may hold a darkness within him."

Her words only put Soran more at unease. And the longer he allowed his mind to dwell on the matter, the more he started to see sense and reason in Onyx and Amberis' perspective.

Perhaps the two young beasts were right.

If Orpheus Van Merikh was truly such a threat, then why shouldn't they protect their master and put an end to such a threat once and for all?

"I pledged that I would always support her decisions," Soran replied, closing his eyes and hanging his head low in shame. "I promised... I promised Lady Hyacinth on her deathbed that I would protect her daughter at all costs."

"Is it merely because of a promise or something more?" Naeryn eyed him, suspecting that there was more to it than that. "If it is something more, then I will remind you of where you stand, Soran."

Her tone took a sharp turn, becoming more serious than before.

"Karina is your master, and you are familiar," the great white elk emphasised, turning on her heels to leave. "There should be nothing more to it. And don't you ever forget what your duty is."

Soran never needed to be reminded of his role in Lady Karina's life, and it was something he always understood more than anyone else. But perhaps seeing the lady in distress had made him lose sight of his duties.

"Aye, my lady," Soran answered respectfully, his chest clenching painfully. "I will never forget it."

Still, being reminded of his duties did not simply mean that he was going to sit around and wait for Lady Karina to return. There was no certainty that she would have an opportunity to visit the sanctuary again.

"Forgive me, my lady Karina." Soran inhaled a deep breath, lifting his head to look up at the frost-covered branches as snowflakes settled on his face. "I cannot rest knowing you are in harm's way."

"And here I thought you were a stickler for the rules," came a mocking voice, followed by a snort. "Wasn't I supposed to be the more reckless one of the two of us?"

Soran gave a sidelong glance to the young, short-tempered black horse from the Spring region. The sabertooth would usually hear his footsteps before he arrived, but he'd been lost so deep in thought he didn't sense Onyx enter the Winter Region.

"What are you planning to do, old man?" Onyx neighed, brushing his hooves against the snow-covered ground. "You have the same look I do when I have no intention of following rules."

"Perhaps," Soran answered vaguely, running his hand through his hair. "Can we truly call ourselves her familiars if we cower away in a sanctuary while she faces her hardships alone?"

Soran could hardly believe he was seeking counsel in Onyx of all beasts, but it would seem that at the current rate things were going, the black horse seemed sensible enough.

"Don't tell me you're intending to leave the sanctuary?" Onyx made an expression that was something akin to a grin. "That's quite far-fetched even for someone like me."

"Do not be ridiculous," Soran growled back at him. "Leaving the sanctuary without permission is the last thing I would do. Knowing it would upset our lady and defy the laws, I will not take that risk."

"If you say so." Onyx shook his head. "Just don't make a decision you would regret."

That was rich coming from Onyx, but Soran couldn't deny that it was true.

Sitting around and mulling over what to do would bring more harm than good and if that meant defying the laws, then so be it.