Dark Lord in Chains 91 (Patreon)

I spend a moment watching Cinder, her breaths pushing her chest out as the room continued to burn around her. It would have been the picture of a disaster if it was anyone else in her place. 

But for Cinder, flames danced around her, caressing her skin gently as if they were singing her a lullaby. 

And with her heritage, it might as well be the case. As the weird transformation spread along my body, I started to feel that the phoenixes connected with the concept of fire deeper than I had been expecting. 

I was tempted to turn and leave her here, as flames clearly created a comfortable bed for her. And she certainly deserved her rest. However, ultimately, I decided against it, for one simple reason. 

I couldn’t trust her. 

At least, not in terms of acting like a political agent. There was no guarantee that she wouldn’t throw a tantrum once she woke up — especially since, everything I had seen about her shouted that she lacked the necessary political acumen to truly understand the playground she had stepped on. 

Which meant, she could as well throw a tantrum just to make a point, unaware of the number of plans that would have been destroyed in the process — some of those actually hers. 

Clearly, I needed to bring her along. 

Yet, as I summoned her fascinatingly-useful silver dress back on, I continued looking in her room, hoping to find something still in good condition that would keep her from the gaze of the others. Her wardrobe was disappointed in that aspect, as none of the clothes that survived the fire was useful in terms of reducing the attention carrying her shimmering body wearing a silver dress. 

It wasn’t as much about the modesty of her clothes, but her preference for the brighter end of the spectrum. 

I could have worked to make useful clothing out of them, but instead, I decided to pick an alternative direction. I walked away, carrying her, and stopped by the kitchen to pick up two large tablecloths. 

Naturally, I could have created something more interesting by working on the remains. While not as glamorous as my combat or magic capabilities, they still included a range of abilities. However, this was both easier and potentially more amusing, so I let that slide. 

Since her attitude forced me to take extra work, I decided to make her pay. 

I walked down the corridor, both sides sprawled with magical constructs, though they were much less threatening as I carried their owner. I climbed down two floors, until I was at the basement once more, which had been converted into a cell to house unfortunate guests. 

Like Isolde. 

“You’re here,” she growled as I opened the door, only for her eyes to widen. “And she’s here as well,” she added, her face gaining a vicious smirk as she looked at who I had been carrying. “And you took down the head bitch as well. Thanks,” she said. 

“I’m guessing that she tortured you for you to have such an intense reaction?” I said as I walked closer to her. 

“Worse,” she said, her smile threatening as she locked her eyes on Cinder. “She was smug.” 

I chuckled. “How frightful. And I’m guessing that’s the first time you have to suffer that.”

“Not particularly,” she answered, her gaze locked. “But she was particularly smug, and she’s an enemy. Since she’s an enemy, there’s no harm in some payback.” 

I chuckled. “You’re a bit late on that aspect.” 

“No!” she gasped. “You lied! You told me that she was an enemy.” 

I let my smirk widen. “And that was true, at the time.” 

“Nonsense,” she was quick to respond as she leaned against the bars of her cell. If it wasn’t for their presence, I had no doubt that she would have charged forward aggressively to teach me a lesson, but the current circumstances didn’t allow for that. 

“Of course, you got me,” I answered, my smirk getting wider. “There’s no way in hell I could actually convince a beautiful and competent woman to change her alliance in a few hours,” I said. 

Isolde had a tendency to be obstinate, which meant she was never the greatest target for sarcasm, even the more obvious kind. Yet, even for her, it was impossible to miss it after her own experience of doing exactly the same, declaring her loyalty in a rather spectacular manner that left her spent. “T-that’s different,” she stammered. “I didn’t have a choice.” 

“I see,” I murmured, looking thoughtful. “So, you would change your mind after I let you go,” I said.

“No!” she gasped, her urgency clear. “Well, I gave my word…” she added, an uncharacteristic blush invading her face. 

“So, if I let you free of your world,” I followed, which only increased her blushed frustration. “Don’t worry, I have no intention of letting you go,” I said with a chuckle, but with a hard undertone, showing my intent. 

Amusingly, my determination actually allowed her to perk up. And, it sufficiently distracted her from her initial complaint, enough to prevent her from attacking forward once I unlocked her cell. “It’s time to go,” I said with a smirk. 

“Not before I find my bow,” she answered. 

“Do you know where it is?” I asked. 

“I’m sure she knows,” Isolde said as she pointed at Cinder. “Let’s wake her up,” she added as she took a step forward, her hand already raised. 

“Not necessary, I’m absolutely sure she wouldn’t have bothered with where your bow had been placed. Are you sure Lancelot actually brought your bow here? Maybe he kept it, in case he had to tell the Queen about your demise. 

“He wouldn’t!” she gasped. I just shrugged, letting her come to terms that her precious bow was gone. I was almost sure that what I said was correct, and if, by any chance, it was not accurate, I could always ask Cinder to retrieve it later. 

But I certainly didn’t want to waste half a day trying to explore every single room, and Cinder was far too gone to wake her up for such a simple thing. Isolde simply needed to do. 

“How did you manage to…” she murmured as she glanced at Cinder. 

“Bang her until she swore her loyalty to me as well,” I completed her sentence. “I find that a combined offer of untold levels of pleasure, along with promises of assistance to fulfill their most desperate dream works wonders to spice up an offer to change a lady’s allegiance. Don’t you agree?” 

Isolde just blushed. “It’s not like she’s desperate?” she asked. 

“Oh, really? Why do you think so?” I said just as we finished climbing the stairs and once again reached the ground floor. 

We were in the lobby, which was filled with many magical constructs, and while Isolde might not be an expert of magic, she wasn’t unaware of the general value of such constructs, not only costing enough to bankrupt a large noble house, but created enough threat to easily destroy one or two military forts. 

“And did you ever wonder why, despite all that money and power, she’s in the enemy territory, with no loyal assistance and no support? Does it sound like a casual choice?” 

Isolde didn’t answer, but the way her head dipped down gave me the answer I was seeking. Of course, once again, I was fiddling with the truth a bit, as Cinder’s situation was more of a pointless rebellion than desperation.

Fibbing the truth a bit was hardly my biggest sin to date. 

“I need some new clothes—“ she started, only to fall silent as I threw the tablecloth to her. I had no doubt that, for any other woman, it would have been a great insult to rely on that instead of clothing, but luckily, Isolde was not one of those that cared much about her clothing, especially during a mission. 

Amusingly, she looked strangely arousing in that as she carefully wrapped around that. 

I wrapped the other one around Cinder, but before stepping out, I grabbed Isolde, and pulled her closer, capturing her lips in a searing kiss. 

“What—“ she barely managed to say before her lips were captured in a kiss, her body tensing for a moment before she accepted the invasion of my tongue. 

When I pulled back, she was panting desperately. 

“So, where’s our destination?” Isolde asked, though she was already turning toward the nearest gate as she did so. 

“Good question,” I answered as I paused, realizing that, after the surprise transformation, I didn’t exactly spend any time deciding what should my plan be.