Malakai approached the door to his room cautiously.
Yes, he had heard Nyx’s voice clearly. But he was still wary. With enough mastery over blood, anyone could mimic a voice to sound like anyone they wanted.
‘Go confirm if it’s really her,’ Malakai said in his head.
Valentine’s response came quickly, sounding nervous. “H-hell no! What if it’s some assassin?”
‘We’ve gone through this before. You can’t die,’
Malakai felt like pulling his hair out. This spirit was absolutely hopeless.
‘How the hell did you even convince yourself to fight darkness creatures back in your day?’
Valentine went silent. And even though they couldn’t share emotions directly, Malakai just knew he was hesitating hard.
But after a few seconds, Valentine reluctantly phased out of Malakai’s body, then hesitantly drifted through the door.
Malakai waited, holding his breath.
A moment passed. Then Valentine phased back in. But his reluctant expression had vanished, replaced with a wide smile.
He nodded.
Seeing this, Malakai relaxed slightly, but the cold look on his face didn’t change.
He reached out and opened the door with a soft click and his eyes locked onto the figure just outside.
Nyx.
“Ninth Vein,” she greeted, bowing.
Malakai didn’t respond.
Instead, he turned and walked back into the room, heading toward the window.
He leaned against the wall, arms folded across his chest as he stared coldly at her.
Despite the fact that there was literally nothing he could do if Nyx decided to kill him right now, he still gripped his scythe tightly. Ready for battle.
“Come in.”
His voice was cold.
Nyx bowed, then stepped into the room, quietly locking the door behind her.
Silence fell.
Valentine hovered in one corner of the room, his gaze shifting constantly between Malakai and Nyx.
Malakai just kept staring at Nyx, saying nothing.
And just as Valentine was about to move toward Malakai, Nyx’s head suddenly snapped in his direction. Her icy gaze locked right onto him.
‘C-can she see me!?’ Valentine panicked.
But before Nyx could say a word…
“Who are you working for?” Malakai asked.
Nyx froze.
She turned slowly to face him.
And immediately, she saw it, his grip on the scythe had tightened again. He was fully on guard. One wrong answer, and she would lose his trust completely.
Nyx paused.
Then she answered in a low tone, “No one, Ninth.”
Malakai’s gaze narrowed. He didn’t speak right away. Then…
“Who were you working for?”
Nyx’s eyes widened slightly. Malakai’s insight was… sharp.
After a second, she finally said it:
“…The Sovereign.”
As expected. Malakai’s eyes sharpened.
Nyx had always been a mystery to him.
Unlike the other maids, she never joined their gossip. Her expression was always cold. She never slipped, always acted like a servant.
He had always suspected someone had planted her in his service but didn’t know who.
But ever since he discovered that Nyx was a Bloom, the list of potential suspects had narrowed drastically.
At the very top of that list… was the Sovereign.
“And what about now?” Malakai asked.
“I’m not working for him anymore,” Nyx replied.
“But you were before.”
“Yes.”
“You just walked up to him and told him you wanted to stop?” Malakai asked, feeling guarded. “And he let you go? Just like that? No conditions, no demands?”
Nyx bowed her head. “Yes.”
Malakai fell silent.
He was desperate, he knew it. Without Nyx, he might not live to see the next morning.
And although his mastery over blood wasn’t nearly advanced enough to sense if she was lying… he had been betrayed so many times that he’d developed a sharp instinct for deception. Especially when it came to Nyx, who wore her emotions on her face.
Still, too many things didn’t add up.
‘Why would the Sovereign let her go now?’
Now of all times, when Malakai had just evolved. This would be the perfect moment to place a spy to monitor and find out his secrets.
The Sovereign didn’t rise to power through strength alone. He was sharp, ruthless. And he would have known that Malakai needed Nyx now more than ever.
It just didn’t make sense.
Malakai shook his head.
What mattered was that she wasn’t lying. He could feel it.
“So… what’s your plan now?” he asked, voice cold. “Why are you here?”
Nyx clenched her fists. Her face turned troubled. Then she bit her lip, steeled her nerves and dropped to one knee.
“Use me, Ninth Vein.”
Malakai raised an eyebrow. “Use you?”
“Yes, Ninth Vein,” she said firmly. “I want to serve you.”
His gaze narrowed. He didn’t speak for a few seconds. Then…
“Why should I trust you?”
“Because I’ve never lied to you,” Nyx answered immediately.
Malakai didn’t reply.
He simply stared at her kneeling quietly, looking straight up at him with a serious gaze.
And although he knew she could kill him in an instant… all he saw in her eyes, was warmth.
“Why do you want to serve me?”
Nyx froze. Her lips parted slightly, but no words came out. Silence descended once more in the room.
Valentine, who had drifted closer, suddenly whispered:
“What are you doing, Malakai?! Didn’t you say you wouldn’t last the night without her? Why all these questions?”
‘I want to confirm the level of trust I can give her,’ Malakai replied in his mind.
Valentine’s expression morphed into confusion. “What does that even mean?”
‘Just shut up,’ Malakai said.
He turned his focus back to Nyx, who was finally speaking.
“Because… you remind me of someone.”
“Who?”
Nyx bit down hard on her lip.
“I’m sorry, Ninth Vein. I can’t say.”
Hmm. Malakai stared at her for a long moment. Then he nodded.
“Alright. I won’t push.”
He paused. “You still want to serve me… despite my current circumstances?”
“Yes,” she answered without hesitation.
“The Pulses will come after me,” Malakai warned. “Many will try to kill me. I’ll be an enemy to the entire clan. And you… you still want to serve me?”
“Yes,” she said again.
Malakai stared at her one final time.
Then, he nodded.
“…Alright then. I accept.”
