After leaving the Beasts alone for a few minutes in deep reflection, he had obviously mixed so truth with quite well-crafted bullshit about Nostradamus.
Kaiser remained motionless in the dark corridor, his gaze fixed on the floor. He was still thinking about what ca next. Their loyalty was not in doubt; what he was about to do required more than brute force. Rather, a flawless strategy...
’Fortunately I have Eleanor for this part.’
"I’m relying on her a bit too much; maybe I should investigate her past..."
Kaiser took a slow breath, then put his black mask back on.
Kaiser reassured himself of the last doubts because if the Yggdrasil elves were known for being arrogant and conservative, the elves of Babylon were known for their perfidy, their dishonest actions to achieve their goals.
Prejudices are mostly not unfounded. For the mont, there was no ti to worry about their loyalty; each had signed a contract that bound their hearts. They therefore could not harm him.
As soon as the cold tal embraced his face, Kaiser disappeared.
The Predator took control.
[Kara is confused about the identity of the Mysterious Nostradamus]
He advanced with asured steps toward the secured wing where Isabella was being held. Two guards bowed slightly upon seeing him approach.
"We salute the Predator of Predators."
"At ease, my jackals! How are things here?"
"She hasn’t caused any trouble," one of them declared.
"Has she eaten?" The Predator asked in a calm voice.
"Very little."
He nodded and opened the door himself.
The room was spacious, lit by a white and even light. Nothing like a miserable cell. A large table occupied the center, covered with still-warm dishes: at, vegetables, fruits, bread, water, multiple foods that looked very succulent. Yet Isabella was simply sitting on it, arms crossed. She had barely touched anything.
When she raised her eyes toward him, her anger was obvious.
"Finally," she let out. "Are you going to explain how much longer you’re going to keep here?"
The Predator closed the door behind him. He advanced without haste and stopped a few ters from her.
"I locked you up here for a specific purpose," he said. "I an you no harm."
She let out a brief, humorless laugh.
"You kidnapped without my knowledge, then imprisoned , and you say you an no harm? The Black Neon adored by the masses was actually a gang of criminals!"
She straightened up abruptly.
"Watch your next words..."
She was about to say sothing but the aura emanating from The Predator made her phrases much more polite...
"How is my mother? My father?"
"You had a beautiful funeral; you can be assured of that. Duchess Dyana was crying a lot, and so Duke Randal slapped her to get her back on track."
"What?!" Isabella was shocked not only by this rather precise story but by the relaxed way he said that her father had beaten her mother.
"Don’t make that face; a couple’s argunt is obvious in this kind of situation, and it opens doors to others." Beneath the mask, Kaiser was smiling slightly. Thinking about how he had thoroughly fucked Dyana after the duke’s blunder.
’I should go see her when I have so free ti.’
"And Kaiser? At least tell they didn’t do anything to him. He really helped a lot..."
"Oh... The son of Count Paragon!? He seems important to you?" Kaiser inquired, wanting to know how he was truly perceived.
"He’s a handso man, but there will never be anything between and that skirt-chaser, especially since I have a fiancé who loves and respects ..."
Kaiser remained silent.
’It was true; so won, the perfect example being Olivia who would never accept anyone else, unlike Irene who doesn’t care... I should worry a bit more about my reputation, otherwise I risk getting stabbed to death in my sleep by a Yandere.’
"Anyway, I don’t even know why I’m telling you about my private life. I suppose my brother is fine too?"
The Predator tilted his head slightly.
"Your brother?"
"Yes, my brother! Has sothing happened to him?" she replied. "Don’t pretend you don’t understand."
A short silence settled in.
"You never had a brother," he finally answered.
Isabella stared at him, incredulous.
"What are you talking about?"
"What you consider your brother is nothing but an avatar."
"Huh? An avatar of what?"
"Of a Constellation."
She narrowed her eyes.
"Constellation? What nonsense is this now?"
Her voice trembled slightly; she didn’t understand what he was talking about. ’What was a constellation supposed to an?’ But she didn’t want her little brother to be in danger.
The Predator did not react to her tone.
"You don’t know anything for now. And it’s better for you."
He paused, then continued in a deeper voice.
"One day, perhaps, I will no longer be here. And I want to be sure that soone else will continue my fight."
Isabella climbed down from the table and approached him, despite the tension.
"Your fight? What are you talking about? What do you ultimately want from ?"
In her gaze, he read fear... but also contempt. She took him for a madman. A dangerous man spouting absurdities.
Kaiser was not offended.
"For now, train. The Beasts will handle your training until I can teach you personally."
She shook her head.
"And if I don’t want to?"
Silence fell again.
The Predator looked at her for a few monts. His mask revealed nothing, but his immobility was enough to weigh on the atmosphere.
"Then you will be considered useless," he said calmly. "I hope that won’t be the case."
He took a step toward her.
"They say a woman’s beauty withers in less than twenty-four hours underground. Would you like to verify that hypothesis?"
The tone was neither loud nor aggressive... just very calm...
Isabella felt a shiver run down her spine. She clenched her teeth. Her fists tightened.
She knew he wasn’t joking.
After a few seconds, she murmured:
"No..."
The Predator stepped back slightly.
"Good."
He headed toward the door, then stopped without turning around.
"Train hard. Rest. Training begins tomorrow at dawn."
She lifted her head.
"And my family?"
He opened the door.
"As long as you cooperate, they will remain safe. Even if I doubt Kris needs any protection..."
Then he left.
The door closed behind him with a sharp click.
Isabella remained motionless for several seconds. Her gaze fell on the food in front of her. She finally took a slice of bread, squeezed it in her hand, then set it down again.
"Constellation... avatar..." she murmured. "He’s really crazy..."
Yet deep down, sothing troubled her.
’If he was lying, why did he seem so sure of himself?’
And above all... why did she have the impression he was telling the truth? He had no reason to spout so much nonsense; he was one of the most powerful in this world.
She even wondered who between him and Emperor Leonard Dantalion was more powerful.
"So why would he lie? Either he’s crazy... or..." She was lost in her thoughts when The Predator entered the room again.
"Do you want to put the spoon in your mouth?"
"Huh?"
Before she could understand what he was saying, The Predator had already taken a chair and sat beside her. He cut a piece of juicy at...
"What are you doing?!"
"Say ahh." He made an airplane gesture with the at on the end of the fork.
Isabella was a little embarrassed, but looking at his rather dissuasive mask, she took a bite while blushing slightly.
"You see, when you want to, you can... You were playing hard to get so I’d feed you? Noble ladies are so capricious~"
Isabella took a second bite.
’Definitely... He was just crazy...’
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