Thalior stared at the two men who were standing in front of him. He observed both of them and found that they looked like normal people, nothing different about them. Although they looked normal, Thalior noticed that those two hadn’t made any facial expressions, they were completely still and stiff like a statue when they were standing. It was eerie and unnerving to be standing among angels, beings that were said to be the most powerful beings after Gods.

"Please, have a seat," Thalior offered for the second time. "It must be uncomfortable to be standing all the time."

"We are fine standing like this, Archduke Thalior. We are here not for pleasantries, we are here to convey a message, an offer," the man with curly black hair answered, his gaze never leaving Thalior’s as if he was learning and observing his existence.

"An offer?" Thalior asked, trying not to seem intimidated or anxious.

"For the safety of humankind, our The Prince is offering you a Dome of Peace," the man with long gray hair answered, his gaze identical to the first man that stood beside him.

"Wait a moment, I don’t understand a single word you said. What’s the Dome of Peace? And who’s The Prince you’re talking about?" Thalior furrowed his brows as he looked at both of them with a confused look.

"As we said, we are here to convey a message and an offer. We have conveyed our message and the offer. If you want to know the detail, we will send you someone else," the man with black curly hair replied.

"Or you may come to visit us," the man with gray hair offered.

Thalior was speechless, not knowing what to say because for the first time, he spoke with a higher being, and they were nothing like humans by the way they spoke. He tried to not offend them or annoy them with questions, knowing what they were capable of.

"I understand. We would love to speak with someone else because we might have so many questions to ask," Thalior said as he looked them in the eyes for a moment before he averted his gaze. Something was off with the way they stared at him, and it gave him a chill down his spine. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

The two men nodded with understanding and then they walked away toward the door. However, the man with black curly hair stopped mid-way and slowly turned around to look at Thalior.

"How did you know that we are angels?" The man asked, his expression still impassive.

"Count Rasmus Blackheart mentioned something about you," Thalior answered, giving the answer that Rasmus wanted him to give.

"Rasmus Blackheart," the man with gray hair repeated.

"What did he say about us?" The man with black curly hair asked.

"He didn’t say much about you because he said he knew nothing about angels, but he said that we need to be cautious because we have encountered many powerful beings in the past year, and we are all walking on an eggshell," Thalior answered without hesitation.

"Thank you for the information, Archduke Thalior. We will send someone very soon," both men talked in unison and in sync and then left the room.

As soon as Thalior was sure he was alone and closed the door behind him, he let out a shaky sigh. His heart was beating so fast that he could feel blood running through his veins. He had experienced fear many times, especially after everything that he had encountered, but this one was the scariest thing he had ever encountered so far.

He sat at his desk, hands clasped together and pressed against his forehead as he tried to calm down. He remembered what Serena had told him about angels, and he never thought the angels were exactly like what she had described.

"Emotionless, lifeless, merciless, thoughtless..." Thalior repeated the words like a mantra, the words that Serena wanted him to remember.

When he was about to stabilize, someone knocked on the door, and it was enough to make his heart race once again and he felt cold on his fingers and toes. However, when he heard Erlina’s voice, his shoulder slumped and sighed in relief. He allowed Erlina to come in, and he didn’t bother to hide his anxiety from her.

"Those two..." Erlina closed the door behind her. "They’re angels?" She asked and observed Thalior’s expression, seeing the anxiety and fear on his face. "Seeing you like this, it seems they didn’t do anything to you, Your Grace," she raised her brows.

"Yes, and I’m fine," Thalior nodded with his eyes closed. "They came to convey a message and an offer," he revealed.

Erlina arched her brows as she approached Thalior’s desk.

"Please tell me the details, Your Grace," Erlina said with a serious expression.

After Thalior shared what had happened a few minutes ago, Erlina realized this was exactly what Rasmus had warned her about. She also remembered that he wanted her to play safe knowing that Videl might look for her and Carrion. She knew how dangerous it was if she decided to take the risk to find the cult and the angels, but she wanted to do it.

"Let me be the representative for the Union," Erlina offered with a serious expression.

Thalior was surprised that Erlina volunteered to visit the cult and the angels. He wondered if it had something to do with Rasmus, wanting her to keep an eye on them.

"No, I’m not doing this for Rasmus," Erlina said before Thalior could ask the question. "I’m doing this for my own benefits, ours too, and the people. I don’t think they’re trying to do any harm to us, but if we play our card carefully, we can try to secure our position and influence here in South Neva," she explained as she clenched her fists.

"You associate with Count Blackheart, and we both know that the cult and him don’t really have a good relationship. If they decided to use you, Count Blackheart won’t be able to save you," Thalior stared into Erlina’s eyes. "But, you said that you’re doing this on your own accord? Does that mean Count Blackheart doesn’t know that you’re going to do this?" He furrowed his brows.

"Yes, he doesn’t know and I’m going to do this for myself and for my husband. However, I will also help him to understand them and what their plans are. That also applies to us," Erlina answered and nodded.

Thalior rubbed his nose bridge, thinking for a moment knowing that this was too risky. Deep down, he knew that his fear wasn’t about Erlina’s life but Rasmus’ reaction if he found out that she was in danger.

"Then I’ll let Commander Uriel come with you. Both of you will be representatives for the Union. I know your skills, and I can see that you understand the risk. I’ll prepare the letter and inform Commander Uriel. You can wait in the meantime," Thalior nodded with understanding.

Erlina slowly stood up from the couch and then lowered her head before she left Thalior’s office. Thalior rested his head against the headrest, his gaze lingered on the chandelier.

"I really need a drink..." Thalior sighed as he closed his eyes.

(At the same time at the Maloses Port)

All the merchants, the townspeople, mercenaries, and everyone that were near the harbor were looking at Rasmus with their mouths gaping. They saw Rasmus unboarding the ship with naval ships in the background, but their eyes lingered on the three women who walked on either side of him with two of them wrapping their arms around his. The three women wore black Bedlah, revealing their curves, their navel, and the high cut of the skirt that revealed one leg, and to add another alluring appearance on them, they had a black scarf that covered their lower half of their faces.

Aris, Rullein, and Serena were fine wearing those because in the first place, they didn’t care about others’ opinions. An Aristoria who enjoyed experiencing new things, a Dark Spirit who would do things as she liked, and a soul that had spent her whole existence in Hell until two years ago she came to the world where she meant to be. Three women who had spent their whole lives in solitude and finally could express themselves in any way they wanted.

It was enough to make all men feel weak on their knees, but then the final punch to the gut appeared. Anastasha Asghar unboarded the ship and slowly stood beside Rasmus. The whole port went silent, something that had never happened before, and slowly but surely everyone averted their gazes, lowering their heads. The world knew about the infamous Asghar family, but the Eastern people could smell the blood, could see the corpses, and could hear the screams when they saw Anastasha.

"Isn’t this a bit pointless if you decided to reveal yourself? Making these three to wear something like this when you’re the very reason that makes people look away," Rasmus said as he glanced at Anastasha.

"Well, let’s just say I also want to be a part of the fun," Anastasha chuckled softly as she smiled at Rasmus. "It’s not really pointless when they have seen me walking and standing beside you. In the end, you’ll be the one they’ll talk about, the mysterious man who captured three beauties and one Princess," the smile slowly turned into a smirk as she stood in front of Rasmus and gently rested her hands on his chest. "We will turn this continent upside down, just like you did to the first two and a half," she winked.