Chapter 91 Never Show Mercy
Ophelia gasped, her head whipping to the door. Her heart rose as fast as it fell. She was ecstatic to see the maids caught in the crime, but the murderous glower on Killorn's face changed her mind.
Ophelia slowly rose to her feet, but he shot her a warning glance. She froze in fear, sinking back onto her knees. His frigid gaze flickered over her hair. He was not the kind of man to miss a single detail and he most certainly saw her fallen strands on the floor.
"Hah…" Killorn let out a mocked laughter, his lips parting and curling in a frightening manner. Immediately, his attention flicked to the trembling maids who were huddled together like pigs for slaughter.
"M-my lord…" the servants trembled out. "Alpha."
Ophelia wondered if she'd ever regret her decision. When her husband strolled through the opened door, Beetle in tow, and the world ready to bow their knees for him, she knew there was no going back. His stance was commanding, his jaws tightened until veins popped on his forehead, and his glare filled with murder.
"K-Killorn, I—"
"Beetle," Killorn coldly said. "Help your Luna to her feet."
Beetle didn't need to be told twice. His playful demeanor died on the spot. He wondered why this morning he wasn't assigned to guard her, now he knew. She didn't need him when the ultimate guard dog was here. He offered the lady a hand and she shamefully glanced at it.
Not a second later, Killorn grabbed Ophelia by the wrist and pulled her to her feet. She trembled in his grip as if caught red-handed. Without warning, he patted at her dress, flicking off the dust. His grip tightened on her shoulders and he bowed his head.
"You should've told me." His voice came out like murder—lifeless and cruel. Her throat tightened and her gaze trembled. Was she in trouble? When he squeezed her hands, she relaxed. She was not.
"Now, what shall be done about these wenches?" Killorn tilted his head almost maniacally. He often spent his pent-up anger in morning training, but since he skipped that morning, there was nothing to contain him.
Without warning, Killorn took a leisure stroll with the maid. He was barely within the vampire's vicinity before they dropped to their knees in fear.
"We're in the wrong, Alpha!" one of them shouted in fear, bowing her head until the darn thing touched the floor.
Killorn stuck his foot underneath her chin, the same manner that a master did with their dog. She froze, frightened and on the verge of tears. He raised her head, revealing a desire to kill.
"Don't dirty my floor with your head just yet," Killorn promised.
The maids were confused until they recalled what he did to the goblins. Their blood chilled and their faces paled.
"After all, I'd rather drop your head to the floor myself," Killorn mused.
Ophelia's spine stiffened. How did he talk about beheadings so easily? Her mouth went dry when he lazily glanced over his shoulders and in her direction. She was at fault.
"I don't hurt women, my sweet Ophelia."
Ophelia's heart skipped.
"Or perhaps, I'll start today." Killorn taunted, tilting his head.
Ophelia's throat tightened. She shakingly took a step forward, not to plead on their behalf, but they thought so.
"Please, my lady, we're so sorry! We didn't mean to do you wrong! Please forgive us, I beg of you," they cried out, scrambling.
"No," Killorn murmured.
Their attention snapped to Killorn.
"Crawl and beg for her forgiveness on all fours like the dogs you are," Killorn suggested, his voice low and cool.
Ophelia didn't know she had a sadistic trait within her. Not until she saw them shakingly look at each other. Before Killorn could interject, they slowly and painfully lowered onto their palms and knees, bowing their heads like animals. She felt a strange sense of satisfaction, for it was the bare minimum they could do after abusing a master that never did them harm.
Ophelia wasn't a difficult madam to serve. She only needed the necessities and that was all. Yet, they were prejudiced against humans, treating them as worse than scum. This was the only way for these vampires to learn.
"Beg."
Ophelia could feel her head go light. The maids crawled forward on all fours, their faces twisted with embarrassment and horror. They advanced towards her, with shaking arms and bent heads.
"W-we're so sorry, my lady!"
Ophelia's lips parted.
"Louder."
"We're so very sorry, my lady!" they screamed until their lungs nearly burst. "Please forgive us, please—"
"I-I won't."
They squeezed their eyes shut, almost accepting their fate. How did it feel to live this long, but dying at the hands of the very humans you abused? The question suddenly crossed their mind.
"Shame." Killorn shrugged his shoulders and withdrew his sword.
CLANK!
His metal sword clinked against the sheath, earning a deafening screech that made everyone flinch back. He tilted his head with a dark glower, his rage calmer than expected. Of course, he couldn't frighten his wife with the screaming and punching, could he? Had they been a man, Killorn had a thousand ways to torture them. But what he did to women could make him the same cruel monster as his father, or perhaps, Killorn was already on his way to doing so.
"Or should I make them crawl outside and bark like untrained dogs?" Killorn mused.
Ophelia had never felt more relieved as she raised her head to glance at him. She didn't want him to get in trouble with the death of these maids. They were vampires and it'd create a horrible image of her in high society.
Ophelia snuck another glance towards the maids, who resembled dogs with their tails tucked between their lies. They were on all-fours and ready to pant like animals if she told them to.
"Let their peers and the entire empire see this embarrassment?" Killorn offered, for he had realized her face paled far too much.
Ophelia pressed her lips together. She crossed the distance to him, fully aware of how their trained eyes followed her as if she could save their lives. She wrapped her hands around his wrist, urging him to put the sword away.
"Truly…" Killorn let out a scoff, sliding his sword back into the sheath. "You should thank my Luna, it is because of her generosity that you live another day again."
Killorn was referring to the goblin attack where her sacred blood had to be shed for the barrier.
"Thank you, my lady!"
"You are ever so kind, Luna!"
"We will be eternally grateful for you!"
By now, tears were flowing down on their faces. They sniffed and begged for forgiveness, even as Beetle dragged them outside to crawl on the hot pavement.
"Come and look," Killorn murmured, taking her towards the side of the palace that overlooked the empire's entrance.
Ophelia's breath hitched. People were walking in and out of the grand gates, conversing amongst each other as they either left or entered. Gardeners and servants bustled in the background, hurrying to tidy up this or that. Then, everyone seemed to slow down as Beetle yanked them in front of the entrance.
Killorn was not only going to embarrass them, but he was going to slaughter their reputation. When all of this was done, they'd be jobless, ruined, and there was no return. She watched as the maids lowered themselves onto the floors. She could only picture what the people were saying.
"Oh my…"
"What is this…"
Ophelia could barely think. She saw them open their mouths in what she assumed was a bark. Then, one after the other, they did the shame, much to the laughter and snickering of the audience.
Some of the other maids even ridiculed them as high society snorted behind their fancy fans, turning to their acquaintances to either mock the action or criticize them. They never once fathomed who could be behind this, not even when Beetle turned and swiftly left before anyone could get a proper glimpse at him.
"Look properly." Killorn slid behind her, reached around her frozen body, and grabbed her chin, directing her to not tear her attention away.
Ophelia's eyes widened. They continued to crawl on the hot pavement barking like mad dogs, of which the white stone reflected light that must've blinded them.
Not to mention, today was the hottest day of the season, their palms blistering on the spot. The more they crawled, the worse the friction on their soft hands. Killorn planned on ruining them physically too.
There was no recovery from this punishment. Killorn had destroyed them for good.
"This is what happens to people who hurt you, Ophelia." Killorn's grip tightened as he lowered his hand to capture her throat. "They suffer tenfold in a manner that'd make them beg for their deaths."
Ophelia swallowed hard.
"Never show mercy to those that mock you, lest they do it again."
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