Dragon's Awakening: The Duke's Son Is Changing The Plot-Chapter 66 - 65 - The Deal in the Shadow.

The silence between them was heavier than the scent of drying paint and old blood.

Selena stood near the center of the chamber, bathed in flickering candlelight, her brush still stained red.

Siris remained at the doorway, bone dagger in hand, the blood still dripping from its edge onto the white carpet—red dots blooming like fresh roses.

The knight’s head rested between them like an accusation. Or perhaps... a gift.

The two girls—no, monsters cloaked in beauty—stood locked in a wordless duel.

Their sapphire eyes met.

Neither blinked.

The minutes stretched.

Finally, Selena spoke, her voice low and cold.

"...Why did you kill him?"

Siris tilted her head slightly as if confused by the question.

"He hurt Raven," she said. Her tone was flat. Matter-of-fact.

Selena’s brows furrowed. "And yet, Raven let him live."

Siris didn’t flinch. "That doesn’t mean he wanted him to live."

Selena narrowed her eyes. "That’s just your imagination."

"No," Siris replied. "It’s your imagination. You think you know what Raven wants, but you’re just painting it over what you hope for."

Selena’s lips curled into a soft snarl. "He spared that man. That means something."

Siris stepped forward. The dagger in her hand gleamed like an accusation in the candlelight.

"He spared him because he didn’t care enough to kill him," Siris said. "But I care enough not to let anyone who hurts him live."

The silence returned, colder this time, cracking with tension.

Selena inhaled through her nose, then exhaled in a slow hiss. "Then tell me... why are you still here? You’ve already done your part if all you came for was his head."

Her eyes narrowed, razor-sharp. "So why haven’t you left yet?"

Siris turned slowly.

Her gaze drifted—not to Selena, but toward the shrine.

Toward the walls covered in hundreds of paintings of Raven.

Her voice was softer now. Almost wistful.

"Because of that."

Selena blinked, confused. "You want one of Raven’s paintings?"

Siris looked over her shoulder. Her lips moved into a barely perceptible smirk.

"No."

Her voice was like a drop of cold water falling into the heat between them.

"I’m here for Husba—Raven."

As soon as Siris’s voice fell, the room’s atmosphere changed.

Selena’s expression dropped into stillness.

Her shadows twitched.

Behind her, the dark corner of the chamber shifted—as if stirred by breath.

The inky black twisted, pulling itself into a low, crawling arc.

As if watching.

Waiting.

"You think you can have him?" Selena asked. Her voice was quiet.

Dangerously quiet.

"He’s not an item anyone could give," she added, her shadow hissing.

Siris glanced at the writhing mass behind Selena.

Then nodded. "I know."

Hearing those words, Selena faltered—just slightly.

"That’s why I came to you," Siris said. "Because Raven doesn’t belong to anyone. Not yet."

She took a step closer.

"But Clara..." Her voice dropped like lead in a velvet glove. "She’ll get him."

The shadows froze.

Selena didn’t breathe.

Her eyes narrowed to slits.

"...What are you implying?"

Siris stopped just short of the edge of the shadow’s reach.

Right now, she wasn’t the dumb girl she pretended to be. Because of the spirit in her head, Siris was now intelligent enough to understand everything.

It was so that she could stay by Raven’s side that she never let anyone know the truth.

"You’re Clara’s only friend, aren’t you?" She asked. "Do I really need to spell it out?"

The air shifted. Selena’s heartbeat was the only thing she could hear, thudding in her ears like war drums.

She knew what Siris was talking about—she knew very well.

Clara loved Raven.

Her friend loved the guy she loved.

Selena had tried not to think about it before, but now that Siris had pointed it out, she realized that Clara had better chances at getting Raven than she could ever have.

But she wouldn’t trust someone like Siris, who pretended to be someone else, just because of some words, ignoring that she was the same.

"...what is it that you’re after?" She asked, and Siris allowed the corner of her lips to rise.

"As her friend," Siris replied, "you can get close. To her. To him. It’ll be easier for you to earn your place."

Siris raised a hand and pointed right toward the silver-framed painting of Raven on the wall.

"You want him," she said. "And I want to help you get it."

Selena didn’t speak.

But her mind spun.

Ideas. Images. Plans.

It did make sense.

She was close to Clara.

She could be even closer.

From there... to him...

But—

Her eyes narrowed again.

"What’s in it for you?"

Siris’ expression didn’t change.

But something dark shimmered behind her gaze.

She smiled.

"A Raven with two lovers..."

She stepped closer.

"...won’t have trouble adding a third."

Selena’s eyes sharpened like drawn daggers. For a moment, her instincts screamed to strike.

But then she paused.

Her lips twitched.

A beat.

Then, with the cold grace of a queen lowering her blade, Selena’s expression softened.

"...That sounds reasonable."

The tension thinned.

But it didn’t break.

Selena tilted her head slightly, stepping away from her shrine.

"So... is that all you wanted?" She asked.

Siris turned again—back toward the gallery.

She stopped in front of a particular canvas.

A soft, private smile touched her lips.

"There’s just... one more thing."

.............................

Later...

Selena stood at her bedroom window, a glass of cold wine untouched in her hand.

Her eyes stared at the thick bushes surrounding the rear garden wall—where Siris had disappeared into the night like a ghost.

A frown played at her brows.

She turned.

Her gaze swept the gallery.

One canvas was missing.

She knew which one it was.

It was a painting of Raven... lying bare-chested on a silk-sheeted bed, strands of his hair falling over his eyes. A soft smirk played on his lips like he knew someone was watching.

It had been... one of her more indulgent works.

Now it was gone.

Selena rolled her eyes and muttered, "...You can have one."

Her tone was sharp and clipped, almost irritated.

"That’ll work as a bribe... for your silence about what you saw here."

She sipped the wine.

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Her voice dropped to a whisper.

"But once I’m with Raven..."

Her hand gripped the window’s edge.

"You can forget about ever getting anything out of me again."

Behind her, the candlelight flickered.

The shadows moved.

The floor beneath the knight’s severed head darkened—shifted—as if soaking into something unseen.

Then, from the shadow, a mouth appeared.

Twisted and jagged, like a serpent’s grin made of pure night.

It opened.

Crunch.

The jaw clamped down, and the knight’s head vanished into the void.

Swallowed.

No blood remained.

Only silence.

Selena didn’t even glance back.

She merely closed her eyes, smiling.

’Are you satisfied with this much power?’ A voice spoke in her head, and her smile vanished.

"Go away," she whispered, her eyes cold.

’Are you satisfied with this much power?’ The question repeated, the voice emotionless and genderless.

It was hard to tell whether it was male or female. It was distorted.

Selena clenched her jaw, the glass of wine shattering in her hand.

"We had a deal—!" Her voice rose, but the question repeated again, cutting her off.

’Are you satisfied with this much power?’

This time, Selena didn’t avoid the question; biting her lips, she nodded, "Yes. Now go—"

’You can’t defeat that girl just now with this power.’

The voice cut her off again, making her pause.

"...What?"

She couldn’t believe it.

How strong was Siris?

"I can’t defeat her...?"

Now, the question changed.

’Do you want more power?’

The voice turned sinister now, a chuckle added at the end, and Selena was left with no reply.

She didn’t know what she should do.

She simply stared at Raven’s images, her only support in this world filled with darkness.

Raven, on the other hand, sitting in the lounge of the Vaise mansion, alone with Clara, shivered.

’W-What the fuck? What was... that?’

He didn’t know what had happened, but for some reason, he felt like his troubles had increased.

’Fuck. Will I ever get some peace?!’

He didn’t know.

He couldn’t know.

But for now, he knew he had to face Clara head-on.

He had to talk to her.

It was the only way to at least solve one of his problems.

After all, Clara was one of the few people he treated as his own family, and seeing her hurt—which she tried to hide with jealousy—wasn’t bearable for him.