The Kind of Evil

‎Carrion went to the garden and listened to the sound of the wind that passed the floating island. It sounded like he was on a blimp, but the sound was a lot louder, and yet it was calming. He was sitting on the edge of the bench, worrying Erlina, since he knew really well how nobles played their games.

‎"So... how does it feel to become a player in the bigger game?" Garret asked, crossing his arms and staring down at Carrion. "I remember you were just a good-for-nothing brother of mine, but now, you seem to have changed drastically," he said coldly.

‎Carrion glanced at Garret with a cynical gaze, annoyed by Garret's presence. He didn't feel like he was changing in the slightest, and he was still the same person as before. However, he remembered that he said the same thing to Erlina earlier, just like how Garret had just said to him.

‎"And that's a problem for you? You already got what you wanted, becoming the head of the Earnwind family. Why do you care what I do now? Are you perhaps anxious that I might become someone bigger than you?" Carrion asked coldly.

‎"We were never close to each other, not even when we were young. Just because we have been seeing each other often recently, doesn't make us close," Carrion stood up and fixed his attire. "Soon, I'll get rid of the Earnwind from my name. We won't be related anymore," he said coldly as he walked past Garret.

‎Garret watched Carrion walk around the garden with his back straightened and broad shoulders. The difference was uncanny, and especially Carrion didn't have that pale skin and sluggish body like a drunkard anymore.

‎"You're going to get rid of the Earnwind from your name? You're replacing it with what? Your own?" Garret asked, keeping his gaze at Carrion.

‎"Rustihel, as in Marquess Erlina Rustihel," Carrion answered, and then left the garden.

‎Garret found it uncanny that Carrion showed a glimpse of Rasmus from the way he spoke and walked. He realized how powerful and influential Rasmus was to be able to turn his good-for-nothing brother into a fine man. He couldn't help but to put a faint smile as he watched Carrion enter the mansion.

‎"Finally, you have a reason to live," Garret chuckled as he shook his head.

‎Carrion was walking in the hallway toward the parlor, and he saw Erlina standing in front of Esprella. He stopped his step and watched how those two no longer had those fierce gazes at each other. He didn't know if it was a good sign or not, so he decided to approach them and find out.

‎"Here you are, the future husband," Esprella said with a smile on her face.

‎Carrion raised his brows, shocked at how Esprella knew about him and Erlina and that they were going to marry each other later. He then moved his gaze toward Erlina, furrowing his brows, wondering what had happened in that room between those two.

‎"So, how did it go?" Carrion asked as he cleared his throat.

‎"Well, there's no way of telling if the ship is safe or not before it endures the heavy storm first. If your goods are promising with that kind of price in the first six months, we will keep this partnership sail," Esprella answered as she crossed her arms. "But be wary, our demands are quite high right now. You need to start mining those mines of yours," she said with her eyes narrowed.

‎Carrion and Erlina shared a look, and then they both smirked at each other. Esprella found it intriguing, tilting her head as she looked at both of them back and forth.

‎"We have mined lots of Mana stones long before we came to this continent. Just tell us how much you need, then we will ship them to you directly," Erlina said as she wrapped her arm around Carrion's arm. "After all, I managed to tame the old tiger, the one that led the pact," she chuckled as she stared at Esprella.

‎Esprella chuckled and then turned into soft laughter as she covered her mouth with the back of her hand. She was astonished by the fact those two knew that she was the target all along.

‎"You two are going to be a troublesome couple..." Esprella said as she walked past them. "I will inform the others about this partnership. You two can go upstairs and rest, we will protect you, hiding behind the curtains just like the rest of us," she smirked as she looked at both of them from over the shoulders.

‎Esprella saw Garret and Rouben at the end of the hallway, and she put a soft smile on her face. Those two were waiting for her, waiting to tell what happened inside the room.

‎"The infamous Esprella Bleuman got defeated?" Rouben raised his brows, mildly shocked.

‎"That young woman..." Esprella turned around to look at Erlina, who was smiling and leaning her head on Carrion's shoulder. "A madam of a brothel with such a dangerous mind. If women could fall for her, no man could stand a chance," she muttered as she shook her head and scoffed in disbelief.

‎Garret looked at how close Carrion and Erlina were as if they were meant for each other. He knew enough about Erlina since he put someone in to keep an eye on his brother. However, he didn't know the background of Erlina, only the tip of the iceberg.

‎"One who's pessimistic and skeptic, the other is ambitious and composed. One prevents the other from reaching too high that might hurt the fall, and one prevents the other from looking down and burying himself in the ground like a good-for-nothing," Garret said as he crossed his arms. "They're dangerous, and meant for each other," he added.

‎"Let those two rest, and I believe Great Sage Lenin would love to know about these two arrivals. After all, she wants to keep an eye on Count Blackheart's people," Esprella said, and then walked away.

‎Rouben and Garret nodded in agreement, then followed Esprella back to the academy. The three of them still held high status in the Gratlan academy, and Lenin was always there in her office as the Chancellor.

‎Erlina collapsed on the couch and almost became one with it because of how exhausted she was when she had to deal with Esprella. Carrion couldn't help but chuckle and sit beside her, watching how it took a huge toll on her mind.

‎"Good work. I honestly didn't know that you could pull that off," Carrion said as he looked at the window.

‎"Well, we had discussed this before with Rasmus. To take such a high risk, we need to consider the consequences both from the success and the failure. We have planned everything, and now we need to tread carefully," Erlina said as she stared blankly at the ceiling. "Now it's your turn, Carrion," she looked at Carrion with a soft gaze.

‎"Right..." Carrion sighed as he nodded. "To convince Great Sage Lenin to be a part of our partnership as well while at the same time keeping an eye on her," he muttered as he looked at the ceiling, remembering Rasmus's request.

"It won't be an easy task, and manipulation or lies won't work against her. Rasmus wants you to act like yourself and purely wants you to do business with her. She must have known a lot about you from your brother, so use that against her," Erlina said with a serious expression.

"I know," Carrion nodded with understanding. "I have been meeting and talking with lots of people, I know what I'm doing..." He sat straight and rested his elbows on his thighs, staring at the spot on the wall. "Rasmus said that she might be keeping an eye on us as well since we are going to be here," he glanced at Erlina, and to his surprise, she was asleep so soundly.

"You must be exhausted, huh?" Carrion sighed as he slowly got up from the couch, making sure that he didn't wake Erlina up. "How can you fall asleep in that attire..." He looked at Erlina in her complicated dress.

Carrion carefully carried Erlina's light body, and suddenly Erlina opened her eyes, staring right into his eyes with a soft smile on her face. Carrion still couldn't believe that the woman in his arms, accepted him for who he was even though she knew that he used to be an alcoholic and played with lots of her women in her brothel. He felt like he didn't deserve such a woman, but he couldn't say it because at the same time, he was happy and wanted this.

"Thank you," Erlina said in a groggy voice as she wrapped her arms around Carrion's neck.

"Good work. You deserve to rest now, and I'll make sure nobody will disturb your sleep," Carrion nodded and brought her to the bed. As soon as he put her on the bed, he smiled at her and said, "Good night."

Erlina didn't answer because she fell asleep again, as soon as she hit the bed.