The Two Faced Emperor

Lady Marianne was sitting on a tree trunk in the Forest of the Lost Emerald… The two girls were sitting across from her.

They were in a spot called The Dead Silence, which was part of the Forest of the Lost Emerald. The reason for this name was that no one could hear a sound in that place — not even if you screamed at the top of your lungs — despite it being just a kilometer away from the city.

The reason was unknown, likely due to a curse placed by that mysterious individual… Lily was sitting with her hands resting on her cheeks, gazing at Lady Marianne, speaking in a sweet tone:

"Lady Marianne, your beauty is strange… You use the blood element, but your skin is odd, as if there's no blood inside your body."

Marianne smiled beautifully as she held her necklace, which had the image of a woman with unclear features. She spoke in a calm tone:

"It's a long story, but I descend from the bloodline of the great vampire king Kradil… He is my great ancestor on my mother's side, but I've never met him, nor my mother, nor anyone else. Some people believe he's just an ancient legend."

"Wow, are you a vampire? That explains your strange and beautiful skin at the same time." Lulia's eyes widened with astonishment, sparkling with curiosity.

"What I know from stories and legends is that vampires have long, sharp fangs. Do you have those fangs?" Lily asked.

Marianne raised the right corner of her lips, and her fangs were visible — though they were small. The expressions on the girls' faces reflected both amazement and surprise.

"This is the first time I've been with a vampire. What a beautiful feeling." Lily hugged herself from sheer joy.

Lulia leaned close to Marianne's face, which startled Lady Marianne. Lulia held Marianne's cheek and asked her with a concerned tone:

"Are you going to drink our blood?"

Marianne's eyes widened from the shock, then she chuckled softly and replied with a warm tone:

"What a funny question… No, I don't rely on blood as a primary source, but sometimes I enjoy drinking the blood of enemies."

"Oh, you're scary… Does our brother Faithless know about this?" Lily asked in a soft voice.

Lady Marianne scratched her cheek and replied in an embarrassed tone:

"No, he doesn't know… I want it to be a surprise for him."

Then she added in the same tone while looking at the two girls:

"And if either of you tells him about this, I'll suck your blood."

Lulia hid behind her sister, looking fearfully at Lady Marianne… Marianne and Lily laughed at her. Lulia sat down angrily, arms crossed.

"I hope my brother is okay… I'm worried about him." Lily spoke in a sad tone while looking at the city from afar.

"Don't worry, Faithless is a brave man. He has the ability to survive even the toughest missions." Marianne smiled as she spoke sweetly to them.

While they were sitting in the forest, the sky began to sprinkle light rain on the ground. The lightning etched across the crimson-colored sky.

Then, the rain turned heavy. Marianne looked up at the sky and said:

"It looks like it's starting to rain. We should set up the tent and sit inside until the rain stops."

The two girls nodded their heads, and they reached for the tent in their bags — but Marianne suddenly sensed something strange… At that moment, someone attacked her from behind, while two others tried to kidnap the girls. They were dressed entirely in black, with only their eyes visible.

Marianne launched blood daggers that struck the two men in front of her. Then she drew a bloody sword and quickly stabbed the one behind her in the stomach, then slammed him in the chest so hard he crashed into a tree.

Marianne approached the girls to protect them… Lily and Lulia clung tightly to her skirt, both terrified.

"What's happening, Lady Marianne?" Lily asked in a frightened voice, looking around.

"I don't know exactly… but most likely, it's a group after the money we got from the tavern." Marianne was watching the area around them with sharp eyes.

Suddenly, one of them leaped from a tree — his target was the girls — but Marianne blocked his sword. However, the man pulled a small knife from his pocket and slashed her leg.

Marianne groaned in pain from the hit, but she struck his sword away, stabbed him in the chest, and flung him away from the area.

A large group of enemies appeared, surrounding Lady Marianne and the two girls… As they stood in that tense moment, one of the men stepped forward, clapping his hands three times loudly, and spoke in a provocative tone:

"What a performance… It's like you're dancing on a bloody stage. Now I understand how you took down the Black Order."

Marianne glanced to her side and saw a man covering his right eye with a black band. His other eye was brown, his long black hair flowing. He wore a red coat open from the front, underneath which was a blood-stained black shirt. He held a rope with sharp blades.

'What? Are these the ones seeking revenge for what happened to the Black Order?' Marianne muttered to herself in confusion.

"Are you the leader of these fools?" Marianne asked in a mocking voice.

"What if I said yes?" He pulled his hair up and tapped his cheek.

"Then that makes you the biggest fool among them." Marianne gave him a mocking smile.

"What a sense of humor you have at a time like this… Also, I don't see your partner with you." The man closed his eyes and smiled mysteriously.

"He's on another mission — to take down people like you." Marianne replied in a sharp tone.

'Haha, looks like Cleo completed her mission successfully… What a brilliant girl.' the mysterious man muttered to himself.

"I'm one of the nobles of the Emerald City Palace. My name is Nylon… Why don't you surrender yourself and the two girls without causing unnecessary noise?" Nylon extended his hand forward and spoke in a proud tone.

Marianne gave a faint smile as she held the necklace on her neck and spoke calmly:

"All nobles believe they can have whatever they want."

Then she continued:

"The only thing you'll get, noble, is your head — placed in your own hands."