CHAPTER 396: LITTLE BAT RINA AND THE DUCHESS

Third Person’s POV

Sensing the genuine reproach and fear in Solomon’s voice, the skull nodded slightly to himself, and then it drifted back to the altar.

And after Solomon felt its movement, only then did he dare to straighten himself again.

Keeping his head lowered, he hurriedly excused himself and slipped out of the chamber, as his massive form trembled despite his efforts to appear composed.

Inwardly, he seethed at his own recklessness.

What madness drove me to ask such a question?

The door clicked shut behind him, sealing the sinister altar and its occupant once more in suffocating silence.

His massive chest trembled and heaved with each of his breaths, uneven as a sick realization clawed its way through his mind that he had been a hair’s breadth from death, and a miserable fate waiting in the hollow of that red skull’s teeth.

Yet, by some twist of its eccentric nature, the sinister relic had spared his mistake.

Not daring to linger for even a heartbeat longer, Solomon cast a last wary glance into the dim corridors outside to see if anyone had seen him before he slipped away into the shadows.

His enormous frame moved quickly yet soundlessly, like a beast fleeing unseen hunters, and soon, the desolate passage swallowed him whole and left the chamber in silence once again.

Meanwhile, the same night, in the highest spire at the very heart of the Sanctum’s dark castle, the little duchess prepared for her rest.

She stretched languidly in her oversized chair, and her small form was clad in loose, playful red pajamas that stood in striking contrast to the ancient stone room around her.

Just as she was about to settle into her nap, the faint flutter of wings stirred the chamber as a small black bat with gleaming red eyes slipped through the half-open window while beating its tiny wings frantically as it darted inside.

The creature landed awkwardly on the floor and patted its chest with one wing as though calming a human heartbeat.

Its beady red eyes gleamed with unusual intelligence as it caught its breath.

Altheria tilted her head lazily toward it, her crimson eyes half-lidded but sharp.

"Ah, you are here again, Rina. Tell me, did little Ethan reach the castle safely?"

The little bat was not startled or filled with any sort of hesitation as it turned to answer her question.

With an almost human nod, its eyes glimmered with understanding before a soft, distinctly feminine voice spilled from its tiny mouth.

"Yes, my lady. Young Mister Ethan has safely passed the trial. He arrived together with his companion, Lady Velcy, and an unknown blond demon girl."

Altheria gave a slight nod, as a faint yawn slipped past her lips while she sank even deeper into her chair.

"Mhm. Good. Inform Virelle as well; she may meet with him tomorrow. Is there anything else?"

At her words, the bat bobbed its head obediently, but at the last question, it faltered with its wings twitching uneasily.

But after a moment’s hesitation, it spoke softly, as though reluctant.

"My lady... something struck me as unusual. Tonight, the Enforcement Elder, Solomon, went out personally to receive the young initiates.

And I couldn’t help but think that someone of his rank and stature has no need to do such a trivial and thankless task."

Her sudden statement piqued Altheria’s interest.

She turned her head fully now, with her dark hair tumbling across her shoulder, and her gaze narrowed at the little creature that now sat at the table in front of her.

"Strange, indeed. Did he say anything unusual to the newcomers?"

Rina’s wings folded as she tilted her small head in thought and began sifting through the evening’s events.

For a while, she seemed uncertain, until something surfaced in her mind, finally.

Her eyes flickered, and she answered quickly,

"Ah, I just remembered something, my lady."

"Oh? And what is it?" Altheria leaned back with amusement curving her lips.

"Mister Ethan had a... confrontation with a young mistress of the clan."

Altheria’s brows knit faintly, and her voice was tinged with confusion.

"Which young mistress?"

The word ’clan’ itself was telling enough, as she already guessed it must concern the Sangrials, but she rarely spared them much thought.

To her, they were a troublesome branch family with no figure close enough to matter.

"It was the daughter of the current head of house, Lord Arun," Rina clarified.

Altheria’s lips parted in recognition as she remembered Arun.

It was the name of her distant nephew, and he was the descendant of her long-dead elder brother.

He was a man with whom she barely interacted, given her reclusive life in the lofty Scarlet Hollow Peak while the rest of the Sangrials busied themselves in the underground Scarlet Hollow City.

"Arun’s daughter, hm..." she murmured, twirling a lock of her dark hair idly around her finger.

Her tone was indifferent, but curiosity glimmered faintly in her eyes.

"And what happened? Tell me in detail."

The little bat wasted no time as she began to recount everything she had seen: the girl’s condescending and outrageous behavior, followed by Ethan’s cold dismissal, the Sangrial girl’s hysterical outburst, Velcy’s calmness, the public slap, and the humiliation that followed.

Her words carried the echoes of laughter from the square, of the whispers and schadenfreude.

When she finished, she glanced carefully at her mistress.

And she found that Altheria’s expression was a rare one as puzzlement flickered across her delicate features.

She seemed to be silently asking about the consequences of such an incident without voicing it.

Understanding her unspoken question, Rina dipped her tiny head.

"That girl’s reputation in the academy is indeed infamous, my lady.

Many have suffered from her temper, but the issue behind her actions here lies deeper.

Her elder brother is no ordinary youth.

He is widely regarded as the most talented and the most powerful of our kind in the younger generation at present.

As a result, he is the prefect of the Vampire Society within the Sanctum itself, and even the scions of the other two Duke families follow his lead."