A Peacock Husband of Five Princesses by day, a Noble Assassin by Night

After cleaning the floor and storing the bodies inside Brianna's own storage ring, Kael and Laura sat in silence for a long moment, their minds still reeling from what had happened. There was no point in leaving now—it was past midnight, after all. They decided to wait until dawn before checking out.

Kael, exhausted from the night's events, eventually drifted off into a light but peaceful sleep.

Laura, however, remained restless.

She lay on her side, staring at the ceiling, then turned to her other side. She adjusted the blanket, then kicked it off entirely. A few minutes later, she pulled it back over herself. No matter how she tried, sleep refused to come.

How could she sleep?

In this very room…

Her hands clenched the sheets as flashes of the night replayed in her mind. The mist spell. The artifact suppresses her magic. Being thrown like a ragdoll. Kael's desperate pleas. Her helplessness. And then—his sudden, terrifying burst of power, the twin daggers slicing through the intruders like they were nothing.

She squeezed her eyes shut.

So much had happened. So much had almost happened.

A shift in the bed beside her made her turn her head. Kael had woken up, his dark eyes soft with concern as he looked at her. "You're still awake?"

Laura let out a frustrated sigh. "I can't sleep."

Kael shifted closer, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her against his chest. His warmth was comforting. "Still thinking about it?" he murmured.

"How could I not?" she whispered. "In this very room, so much happened just hours ago. How am I supposed to close my eyes and pretend like—like nothing happened?"

Kael was silent for a moment before he tightened his arms around her. "We survived and got out nicely without getting hurt, whether it is luck or not. That's what matters," he murmured against her hair. "Just think of it as some nightmare and forget it. We will confront those remaining three in the morning. Now, sleep."

She closed her eyes, letting herself sink into his embrace, her fingers gripping the fabric of his shirt. She could hear the steady rhythm of his heartbeat, strong and unwavering.

Laura let out a slow breath. Maybe she wouldn't be able to sleep just yet… but at least she wasn't alone.

Almost half a day later;

As the golden hues of late afternoon painted the mountain peaks, Kael, Laura, and Nadia trekked through the rugged terrain, the crisp air carrying the scent of damp earth and wild herbs.

Kael adjusted the strap of his travel bag and glanced at Nadia. "You really didn't need to convince us, you know. I would've come along either way."

Nadia smirked. "Of course, but this way, you'll actually gain more knowledge." She knelt by a cluster of plants and gestured for Kael to come closer. "See these leaves? They look ordinary, but when dried and ground, they become a key ingredient in alchemic enhancers. Most people overlook them, which is why they're rare in the market."

Kael crouched down, running his fingers over the delicate stems while taking out an ordinary dagger. He cut those stems and stored them in a traveling bag—which is basically a variant of a storage ring and carries more or less similar space to the smallest storage ring, like a volume of 1000 cu.ft, but is a lot cheaper to purchase, just at 120 gold coins per bag, compared to 4000 gold coins per average storage ring.

Laura, standing nearby with arms crossed, watched them with mild amusement. "This is nice and all, but I still think we should be wary. The three remaining mercenaries disappeared without a word. That's suspicious. Who knows… they might target us in revenge instead of just running away."

Kael exhaled, shaking his head. "I don't think they would dare. I mean, first of all, Brianna was their strongest warrior. They would be cautious to attack us as they might think we have some sort of secret protector. Secondly, they are mercenaries. They don't have that sense of comradeship."

Nadia's expression darkened slightly. "We should still stay on guard, Lord Moonstone. They are crazy enough to try to rob both of you despite knowing the risks of offending royalty. Of course, nothing would happen to either of you as long as…" Nadia paused, realizing that she was about to blurt out assassin K, and simply ended with, "That mysterious protector, probably sent by the palace, is there. But I would still exercise caution. We can never know what happens in the mountains."

Meanwhile, Somewhere far away, on the other side of the world…

In the dim glow of flickering candlelight, a quill moved on its own, gliding effortlessly across the pages of an ancient notebook. There was no hand guiding it, no presence visible—only the eerie scratching of ink against parchment.

The words appeared in elegant, flowing script:

"And so, once again, the shadow has struck down his enemies and protected his secret. Soon, more corpses will follow, falling to the wrath of the shadow.

But, it isn't very far for the shadow to release the great evil into this world and become its greatest enemy. How many days left for the great evil to rise?"

The quill hesitated for a moment, hovering just above the paper as if caught in indecision. Then, with renewed purpose, it continued writing:

"Will the shadow be able to confront the great evil with his Tier-9 strength, or will something rise to shield his destined path?"

As the final word was written, the ink shimmered faintly before settling into the parchment. The candle beside the notebook flickered violently, as though some unseen force had stirred the air.

And then, the room fell into silence once more.

As the quill came to a halt, the soft glow of candlelight cast long shadows across the room. A man stepped forward, his boots barely making a sound against the polished wooden floor. He lowered himself onto a chair before the mysterious notebook, his sharp eyes scanning the freshly written words.

"It wrote something. Hmm?" His brows furrowed as he read, his fingers drumming lightly against the armrest.

"One of those fated moments…" he murmured, his voice carrying a mix of curiosity and concern.

His gaze flickered to the enchanted quill—the Quill of Destiny, an artifact known to transcribe the stories of those bound to certain destinies. Yet, even this legendary tool hesitated at the threshold of what lay ahead.

"So, even the Quill cannot foresee what comes next for this one…" he mused, leaning back thoughtfully.

He closed the book gently, fingers lingering on its worn cover.

He was closely following the story of shadow. And he was also looking forward to the next part.

What would become of the shadow? Would he survive, or would something—someone—alter the course of destiny itself?

Only time will tell.