Chapter 71: Red Riding Hood (Part 3)
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And with that, they ate humans in silence and peace. Even the two cheeky princes behaved and merely mouthed jokes at one another, and sometimes whispered it to their Uncle Sangfroid discreetly.
Uncle Sangfroid never laughed and reacted much, since he is trying to be more respectful and felt partially at fault as well. He avoided King Leron's gaze because of shame, but the King just observed his eating with a burning interest.
Perhaps he wanted to know how Sangfroid is doing while cannibalizing people. But voices in Sangfroid's head are making so many assumptions that he blocked it out to avoid choking from embarrassment.
Once they cleared up the plates and only bones were left, the full moon also stopped shining upon them and was engulfed by the clouds. The fires on the candles came back on, and the green aura escaped from their mouths again. Their snouts and claws and body hair start to shrink, and they turn back into humans.
This meant that they were also naked and only the long table covered the lower half of their bodies. Sangfroid avoided looking directly at any of them, eyes focused on the utensils.
"That was a fine meal you have prepared for us, Sangfroid." King Leron handed out the prepared extra clothing by his side to his wife and his children. He complimented Sangfroid as he buttoned his new shirt. "You are truly the best suited to be our Red Riding Hood."
"I am very honored for your high praise, Your Majesty." Sangfroid still averted his gaze from him until he was fully clothed.
"You may now go back to your chambers, I still have some matters to discuss with my family." King Leron said with that gentle face yet piercing blue eyes. He gave Sangfroid the most accomodating of smiles. "I hope you enjoyed your meal."
"I did, Your Majesty. Thank you, and to you as well, Your Highnesses and... my Queen, for having me." He gave a short bow to all of their directions, and book it for the night.
He took unhurried yet quick steps so as not to listen to what the King will say out of respect. It is family matters after all, and he has no intention of eavesdropping on them. Though he already has a few hunches on what that may be...
He felt his stomach lurch, and he held it still until he reached his own bedroom.
All of its contents immediately came out of him the very same night. He felt sick and could not sleep. He tried hard not to vomit since it felt like by doing so he was desecrating something important to His Majesty. As Queen Veridia mentioned, they consider it sacred after all and part of reverence to the Lord of the Dark Gifts.
Yet his body simply won't listen no matter how strong his will was. It was not used to humans, or maybe his subconscious is not used to doing something as vile as consuming humans.
Either way, Sangfroid became disappointed in himself, and his mood soured.
He went to wash his face with cold water and stared at his reflection for a bit. The rims of his eyes were red, and his eyes were deep and dark because of his constant insomnia.
What has his life come to? How did all this happen in the first place?
There were gaps in his memory, something that he can't reach the back of his mind. All he remembers is that since childhood, he had been severely devoted to King Leron, who was his friend when he was a child. He and his fellow orphans were trained just like knights by the Bishop..... but for what exactly?
And then, the former Ilvedia crumbled... but how? A New Ilvedia was built, and King Leron accepted his Amulet..... but why was the Amulet of the Dracon with him in the first place?
What is the cause of all this?
As he continue to ponder this, voices and various incomprehensible sounds kept on blocking him from thinking further and reaching out towards those gaps. They were so loud that it made his head hurt, but he did manage a small voice among the loud ones saying....
'Not what. Who.'
He blinked, and the voices died down. Who? A person..... A person started all this....
He heard a knock from his door.
His muscles tensed, and he wiped his face with a dry white cloth. He then slowly approached the door to turn the knob.....
"Good evening, Sangfroid. Still awake?" King Leron greeted him with his familiar comforting smile.
That unknown person in the back of Sangfroid's mind was washed away by his flusterdness from that smile. "Yes, Your Majesty. Is there something the matter? Something you need from me?"
"No. I simply want to check on you. The evening is actually about to pass, and you only have a few hours left to sleep before a new day comes." King Leron's furrowed a bit, showing a hint of worry. "Are you feeling alright?"
Sangfroid felt his stomach turning again but his face showed no sign of discomfort. "Yes, Your Majesty."
"Oh, I see. Well, good night then." King Leron nodded and left with a smile.
Sangfroid calmed himself and was about to close the door when the King immediately came back. "I'm just kidding you. I have heard how unwell you are, you don't need to hide it from me."
Sangfroid was stunned. "You.... You've heard me?"
"My enhanced senses from the transformation still last for quite a while. " King Leron explained. "Why didn't you stop eating if it made you feel nauseous?"
"I wasn't nauseous back then, Your Highness. My body only acted up afterwards, I do not understand it either." He rubbed his forehead. "Perhaps it was also because I have lost some sleep."
"Oh. Then why have you not asked for a physician to heal you? Have you tried mandrake root?"
Sangfroid shook his head. "No. Is it effective?"
King Leron briefly nodded. "I believe so. It was effective for me, so it may be effective for you. Come, I have some in my room."
King Leron just took his hand and dragged the much heavier Sangfroid who out of habit followed after him.
He then realized how..... improper this whole arrangement was right before they went to the door and his ears turned bright red. Only then did he protest: "You're Majesty.... I'm not sure about this....."
"Why?" King Leron asked his blue eyes widening, making him appear more innocent like a tiny rabbit that is merely jumping around and had done nothing wrong.
"Well, it does not feel right for a commoner like me to enter your chambers, especially this late at night when everyone should be sleeping. Any activity done during these hours are bound to be seen as suspicious." Sangfroid looked around, especially eyeing the doors of the queen and the princes' bedrooms just down the hallway.
"Hmm, you do have a point." King Leron nodded. "But...."
"If there is no one who can see us, who would find it suspicious?"
He placed a finger over his lips. "If we just stayed quiet and made sure the others are deep in slumber, there's nothing to worry about. I cannot allow my vanguard to just endure sickness the whole night when I can do something about it, can I?"
Sangfroid felt like he may be overreacting. The king had taken him here with good intentions, he worries about him. He should be grateful instead of complaining about futile matters.
And so, Red Riding Hood was succesfully coaxed by the Wolf King to go inside his bedroom.
"Just sit over there while I prepare the mandrake root tea." King Leron pointed to one of the stools near his bed the size of two tables, with luscious green canopies. Sangfroid followed his instructions and clasp his hands together anxiously as he watched His Majesty prepare medicine for him.
He had never seen a mandrake before. He do know that they exist in the forest and closer to the territory of the Kingdom of Mystopia, an strong ally kingdom of Old Ilvedia. It is symbolized by a green-winged dragonfly, and was more of a nomadic kingdom rather than something with a very strict and proper system like Ilvedia. They know many things about medicinal properties of herbs and plant-life, but it is never through spiritual healing like Zhauli, or a well-studied craft that most physicians in the Thirteen Kingdoms have.
What they are well-known for is witch doctors, and those who claims that they can call out the guidance of the fae through dreams and visions.
He had heard from stories that the mandrake is used as a cure for a variety of diseases because its roots resembles the shape of a human, and so they are believed to be fae themselves. A fae creature that is neither dead or alive, but could only scream ones pulled by its 'hair', which were the leaves, the only visible part of it that hid the human-like mandrake in the soil below. And fae carries magical properties in their bodies, such as self-healing and prolonged life, so consuming them would give you these powers as well.
Sangfroid thinks its all superstition, of course. But His Majesty believes it, then he would believe in it as well.
King Leron hummed to himself as he heated a teacup from the small boiling equipment, a round pit of coals small enough as to not cause too much smoke or fire. It was the only light source in this room at the moment. Since it was meant to be weak after all, it's not a very good source of light, but it was perfect for heating water that had long grown cold.
Once the water was boiled, he poured it to a teacup and pulled out something from his vanity table's drawers.
In the darkness of the room and from the distance where Sangfroid was seated, it looked like he was holding very small doll at first. The mandrake root does resemble a humanoid figure that it unsettles him.
King Leron took out a small knife, which Sangfroid realized was the same one that Queen Veridia aimed at him and was stuck on the wall the last time he saw it. He cut the madrake root horizontally and put the lower half in the cup, and the steam that came out almost seem to carry out a distant scream.
Sangfroid covered his ears a bit, and once King Leron blew the smoke away, the silent scream was gone.
"Drink up." King Leron offered the cup at him with that same angelic smile.
The mandrake tea was so green. It did not remind him of the canopy, nor the emerald or Queen Veridia's eyes. But instead, it reminded him of the greenish aura that emitted out of His Majesty's mouth during his transfromation. That aura still seems to hide behind his blue eyes, giving it the sense of something innocent-looking yet poisonous.
For the first time, Sangfroid hesitated to follow his beloved king's order.
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And with that, they ate humans in silence and peace. Even the two cheeky princes behaved and merely mouthed jokes at one another, and sometimes whispered it to their Uncle Sangfroid discreetly.
Uncle Sangfroid never laughed and reacted much, since he is trying to be more respectful and felt partially at fault as well. He avoided King Leron's gaze because of shame, but the King just observed his eating with a burning interest.
Perhaps he wanted to know how Sangfroid is doing while cannibalizing people. But voices in Sangfroid's head are making so many assumptions that he blocked it out to avoid choking from embarrassment.
Once they cleared up the plates and only bones were left, the full moon also stopped shining upon them and was engulfed by the clouds. The fires on the candles came back on, and the green aura escaped from their mouths again. Their snouts and claws and body hair start to shrink, and they turn back into humans.
This meant that they were also naked and only the long table covered the lower half of their bodies. Sangfroid avoided looking directly at any of them, eyes focused on the utensils.
"That was a fine meal you have prepared for us, Sangfroid." King Leron handed out the prepared extra clothing by his side to his wife and his children. He complimented Sangfroid as he buttoned his new shirt. "You are truly the best suited to be our Red Riding Hood."
"I am very honored for your high praise, Your Majesty." Sangfroid still averted his gaze from him until he was fully clothed.
"You may now go back to your chambers, I still have some matters to discuss with my family." King Leron said with that gentle face yet piercing blue eyes. He gave Sangfroid the most accomodating of smiles. "I hope you enjoyed your meal."
"I did, Your Majesty. Thank you, and to you as well, Your Highnesses and... my Queen, for having me." He gave a short bow to all of their directions, and book it for the night.
He took unhurried yet quick steps so as not to listen to what the King will say out of respect. It is family matters after all, and he has no intention of eavesdropping on them. Though he already has a few hunches on what that may be...
He felt his stomach lurch, and he held it still until he reached his own bedroom.
All of its contents immediately came out of him the very same night. He felt sick and could not sleep. He tried hard not to vomit since it felt like by doing so he was desecrating something important to His Majesty. As Queen Veridia mentioned, they consider it sacred after all and part of reverence to the Lord of the Dark Gifts.
Yet his body simply won't listen no matter how strong his will was. It was not used to humans, or maybe his subconscious is not used to doing something as vile as consuming humans.
Either way, Sangfroid became disappointed in himself, and his mood soured.
He went to wash his face with cold water and stared at his reflection for a bit. The rims of his eyes were red, and his eyes were deep and dark because of his constant insomnia.
What has his life come to? How did all this happen in the first place?
There were gaps in his memory, something that he can't reach the back of his mind. All he remembers is that since childhood, he had been severely devoted to King Leron, who was his friend when he was a child. He and his fellow orphans were trained just like knights by the Bishop..... but for what exactly?
And then, the former Ilvedia crumbled... but how? A New Ilvedia was built, and King Leron accepted his Amulet..... but why was the Amulet of the Dracon with him in the first place?
What is the cause of all this?
As he continue to ponder this, voices and various incomprehensible sounds kept on blocking him from thinking further and reaching out towards those gaps. They were so loud that it made his head hurt, but he did manage a small voice among the loud ones saying....
'Not what. Who.'
He blinked, and the voices died down. Who? A person..... A person started all this....
He heard a knock from his door.
His muscles tensed, and he wiped his face with a dry white cloth. He then slowly approached the door to turn the knob.....
"Good evening, Sangfroid. Still awake?" King Leron greeted him with his familiar comforting smile.
That unknown person in the back of Sangfroid's mind was washed away by his flusterdness from that smile. "Yes, Your Majesty. Is there something the matter? Something you need from me?"
"No. I simply want to check on you. The evening is actually about to pass, and you only have a few hours left to sleep before a new day comes." King Leron's furrowed a bit, showing a hint of worry. "Are you feeling alright?"
Sangfroid felt his stomach turning again but his face showed no sign of discomfort. "Yes, Your Majesty."
"Oh, I see. Well, good night then." King Leron nodded and left with a smile.
Sangfroid calmed himself and was about to close the door when the King immediately came back. "I'm just kidding you. I have heard how unwell you are, you don't need to hide it from me."
Sangfroid was stunned. "You.... You've heard me?"
"My enhanced senses from the transformation still last for quite a while. " King Leron explained. "Why didn't you stop eating if it made you feel nauseous?"
"I wasn't nauseous back then, Your Highness. My body only acted up afterwards, I do not understand it either." He rubbed his forehead. "Perhaps it was also because I have lost some sleep."
"Oh. Then why have you not asked for a physician to heal you? Have you tried mandrake root?"
Sangfroid shook his head. "No. Is it effective?"
King Leron briefly nodded. "I believe so. It was effective for me, so it may be effective for you. Come, I have some in my room."
King Leron just took his hand and dragged the much heavier Sangfroid who out of habit followed after him.
He then realized how..... improper this whole arrangement was right before they went to the door and his ears turned bright red. Only then did he protest: "You're Majesty.... I'm not sure about this....."
"Why?" King Leron asked his blue eyes widening, making him appear more innocent like a tiny rabbit that is merely jumping around and had done nothing wrong.
"Well, it does not feel right for a commoner like me to enter your chambers, especially this late at night when everyone should be sleeping. Any activity done during these hours are bound to be seen as suspicious." Sangfroid looked around, especially eyeing the doors of the queen and the princes' bedrooms just down the hallway.
"Hmm, you do have a point." King Leron nodded. "But...."
"If there is no one who can see us, who would find it suspicious?"
He placed a finger over his lips. "If we just stayed quiet and made sure the others are deep in slumber, there's nothing to worry about. I cannot allow my vanguard to just endure sickness the whole night when I can do something about it, can I?"
Sangfroid felt like he may be overreacting. The king had taken him here with good intentions, he worries about him. He should be grateful instead of complaining about futile matters.
And so, Red Riding Hood was succesfully coaxed by the Wolf King to go inside his bedroom.
"Just sit over there while I prepare the mandrake root tea." King Leron pointed to one of the stools near his bed the size of two tables, with luscious green canopies. Sangfroid followed his instructions and clasp his hands together anxiously as he watched His Majesty prepare medicine for him.
He had never seen a mandrake before. He do know that they exist in the forest and closer to the territory of the Kingdom of Mystopia, an strong ally kingdom of Old Ilvedia. It is symbolized by a green-winged dragonfly, and was more of a nomadic kingdom rather than something with a very strict and proper system like Ilvedia. They know many things about medicinal properties of herbs and plant-life, but it is never through spiritual healing like Zhauli, or a well-studied craft that most physicians in the Thirteen Kingdoms have.
What they are well-known for is witch doctors, and those who claims that they can call out the guidance of the fae through dreams and visions.
He had heard from stories that the mandrake is used as a cure for a variety of diseases because its roots resembles the shape of a human, and so they are believed to be fae themselves. A fae creature that is neither dead or alive, but could only scream ones pulled by its 'hair', which were the leaves, the only visible part of it that hid the human-like mandrake in the soil below. And fae carries magical properties in their bodies, such as self-healing and prolonged life, so consuming them would give you these powers as well.
Sangfroid thinks its all superstition, of course. But His Majesty believes it, then he would believe in it as well.
King Leron hummed to himself as he heated a teacup from the small boiling equipment, a round pit of coals small enough as to not cause too much smoke or fire. It was the only light source in this room at the moment. Since it was meant to be weak after all, it's not a very good source of light, but it was perfect for heating water that had long grown cold.
Once the water was boiled, he poured it to a teacup and pulled out something from his vanity table's drawers.
In the darkness of the room and from the distance where Sangfroid was seated, it looked like he was holding very small doll at first. The mandrake root does resemble a humanoid figure that it unsettles him.
King Leron took out a small knife, which Sangfroid realized was the same one that Queen Veridia aimed at him and was stuck on the wall the last time he saw it. He cut the madrake root horizontally and put the lower half in the cup, and the steam that came out almost seem to carry out a distant scream.
Sangfroid covered his ears a bit, and once King Leron blew the smoke away, the silent scream was gone.
"Drink up." King Leron offered the cup at him with that same angelic smile.
The mandrake tea was so green. It did not remind him of the canopy, nor the emerald or Queen Veridia's eyes. But instead, it reminded him of the greenish aura that emitted out of His Majesty's mouth during his transfromation. That aura still seems to hide behind his blue eyes, giving it the sense of something innocent-looking yet poisonous.
For the first time, Sangfroid hesitated to follow his beloved king's order.
And with that, they ate humans in silence and peace. Even the two cheeky princes behaved and merely mouthed jokes at one another, and sometimes whispered it to their Uncle Sangfroid discreetly.Uncle Sangfroid never laughed and reacted much, since he is trying to be more respectful and felt partially at fault as well. He avoided King Leron's gaze because of shame, but the King just observed his eating with a burning interest.Perhaps he wanted to know how Sangfroid is doing while cannibalizing people. But voices in Sangfroid's head are making so many assumptions that he blocked it out to avoid choking from embarrassment.Once they cleared up the plates and only bones were left, the full moon also stopped shining upon them and was engulfed by the clouds. The fires on the candles came back on, and the green aura escaped from their mouths again. Their snouts and claws and body hair start to shrink, and they turn back into humans.This meant that they were also naked and only the long table covered the lower half of their bodies. Sangfroid avoided looking directly at any of them, eyes focused on the utensils. "That was a fine meal you have prepared for us, Sangfroid." King Leron handed out the prepared extra clothing by his side to his wife and his children. He complimented Sangfroid as he buttoned his new shirt. "You are truly the best suited to be our Red Riding Hood.""I am very honored for your high praise, Your Majesty." Sangfroid still averted his gaze from him until he was fully clothed."You may now go back to your chambers, I still have some matters to discuss with my family." King Leron said with that gentle face yet piercing blue eyes. He gave Sangfroid the most accomodating of smiles. "I hope you enjoyed your meal.""I did, Your Majesty. Thank you, and to you as well, Your Highnesses and... my Queen, for having me." He gave a short bow to all of their directions, and book it for the night.He took unhurried yet quick steps so as not to listen to what the King will say out of respect. It is family matters after all, and he has no intention of eavesdropping on them. Though he already has a few hunches on what that may be...He felt his stomach lurch, and he held it still until he reached his own bedroom.All of its contents immediately came out of him the very same night. He felt sick and could not sleep. He tried hard not to vomit since it felt like by doing so he was desecrating something important to His Majesty. As Queen Veridia mentioned, they consider it sacred after all and part of reverence to the Lord of the Dark Gifts.Yet his body simply won't listen no matter how strong his will was. It was not used to humans, or maybe his subconscious is not used to doing something as vile as consuming humans.Either way, Sangfroid became disappointed in himself, and his mood soured.He went to wash his face with cold water and stared at his reflection for a bit. The rims of his eyes were red, and his eyes were deep and dark because of his constant insomnia.What has his life come to? How did all this happen in the first place?There were gaps in his memory, something that he can't reach the back of his mind. All he remembers is that since childhood, he had been severely devoted to King Leron, who was his friend when he was a child. He and his fellow orphans were trained just like knights by the Bishop..... but for what exactly?And then, the former Ilvedia crumbled... but how? A New Ilvedia was built, and King Leron accepted his Amulet..... but why was the Amulet of the Dracon with him in the first place?What is the cause of all this?As he continue to ponder this, voices and various incomprehensible sounds kept on blocking him from thinking further and reaching out towards those gaps. They were so loud that it made his head hurt, but he did manage a small voice among the loud ones saying....'Not what. Who.'He blinked, and the voices died down. Who? A person..... A person started all this....He heard a knock from his door.His muscles tensed, and he wiped his face with a dry white cloth. He then slowly approached the door to turn the knob....."Good evening, Sangfroid. Still awake?" King Leron greeted him with his familiar comforting smile.That unknown person in the back of Sangfroid's mind was washed away by his flusterdness from that smile. "Yes, Your Majesty. Is there something the matter? Something you need from me?""No. I simply want to check on you. The evening is actually about to pass, and you only have a few hours left to sleep before a new day comes." King Leron's furrowed a bit, showing a hint of worry. "Are you feeling alright?"Sangfroid felt his stomach turning again but his face showed no sign of discomfort. "Yes, Your Majesty.""Oh, I see. Well, good night then." King Leron nodded and left with a smile.Sangfroid calmed himself and was about to close the door when the King immediately came back. "I'm just kidding you. I have heard how unwell you are, you don't need to hide it from me."Sangfroid was stunned. "You.... You've heard me?""My enhanced senses from the transformation still last for quite a while. " King Leron explained. "Why didn't you stop eating if it made you feel nauseous?""I wasn't nauseous back then, Your Highness. My body only acted up afterwards, I do not understand it either." He rubbed his forehead. "Perhaps it was also because I have lost some sleep.""Oh. Then why have you not asked for a physician to heal you? Have you tried mandrake root?"Sangfroid shook his head. "No. Is it effective?"King Leron briefly nodded. "I believe so. It was effective for me, so it may be effective for you. Come, I have some in my room."King Leron just took his hand and dragged the much heavier Sangfroid who out of habit followed after him. He then realized how..... improper this whole arrangement was right before they went to the door and his ears turned bright red. Only then did he protest: "You're Majesty.... I'm not sure about this.....""Why?" King Leron asked his blue eyes widening, making him appear more innocent like a tiny rabbit that is merely jumping around and had done nothing wrong."Well, it does not feel right for a commoner like me to enter your chambers, especially this late at night when everyone should be sleeping. Any activity done during these hours are bound to be seen as suspicious." Sangfroid looked around, especially eyeing the doors of the queen and the princes' bedrooms just down the hallway. "Hmm, you do have a point." King Leron nodded. "But....""If there is no one who can see us, who would find it suspicious?"He placed a finger over his lips. "If we just stayed quiet and made sure the others are deep in slumber, there's nothing to worry about. I cannot allow my vanguard to just endure sickness the whole night when I can do something about it, can I?"Sangfroid felt like he may be overreacting. The king had taken him here with good intentions, he worries about him. He should be grateful instead of complaining about futile matters. And so, Red Riding Hood was succesfully coaxed by the Wolf King to go inside his bedroom."Just sit over there while I prepare the mandrake root tea." King Leron pointed to one of the stools near his bed the size of two tables, with luscious green canopies. Sangfroid followed his instructions and clasp his hands together anxiously as he watched His Majesty prepare medicine for him.He had never seen a mandrake before. He do know that they exist in the forest and closer to the territory of the Kingdom of Mystopia, an strong ally kingdom of Old Ilvedia. It is symbolized by a green-winged dragonfly, and was more of a nomadic kingdom rather than something with a very strict and proper system like Ilvedia. They know many things about medicinal properties of herbs and plant-life, but it is never through spiritual healing like Zhauli, or a well-studied craft that most physicians in the Thirteen Kingdoms have.What they are well-known for is witch doctors, and those who claims that they can call out the guidance of the fae through dreams and visions.He had heard from stories that the mandrake is used as a cure for a variety of diseases because its roots resembles the shape of a human, and so they are believed to be fae themselves. A fae creature that is neither dead or alive, but could only scream ones pulled by its 'hair', which were the leaves, the only visible part of it that hid the human-like mandrake in the soil below. And fae carries magical properties in their bodies, such as self-healing and prolonged life, so consuming them would give you these powers as well.Sangfroid thinks its all superstition, of course. But His Majesty believes it, then he would believe in it as well.King Leron hummed to himself as he heated a teacup from the small boiling equipment, a round pit of coals small enough as to not cause too much smoke or fire. It was the only light source in this room at the moment. Since it was meant to be weak after all, it's not a very good source of light, but it was perfect for heating water that had long grown cold.Once the water was boiled, he poured it to a teacup and pulled out something from his vanity table's drawers.In the darkness of the room and from the distance where Sangfroid was seated, it looked like he was holding very small doll at first. The mandrake root does resemble a humanoid figure that it unsettles him.King Leron took out a small knife, which Sangfroid realized was the same one that Queen Veridia aimed at him and was stuck on the wall the last time he saw it. He cut the madrake root horizontally and put the lower half in the cup, and the steam that came out almost seem to carry out a distant scream.Sangfroid covered his ears a bit, and once King Leron blew the smoke away, the silent scream was gone."Drink up." King Leron offered the cup at him with that same angelic smile.The mandrake tea was so green. It did not remind him of the canopy, nor the emerald or Queen Veridia's eyes. But instead, it reminded him of the greenish aura that emitted out of His Majesty's mouth during his transfromation. That aura still seems to hide behind his blue eyes, giving it the sense of something innocent-looking yet poisonous.For the first time, Sangfroid hesitated to follow his beloved king's order.
