Chapter 106: Audacious

Morghanna stepped into the room, her crimson eyes settling immediately on the shadow elf sitting on the bed.

​She raised an eyebrow. For a moment, she simply stared at Nyxara before a smirk slowly spread across her face.

​"Well, well. I thought I smelled the lingering stench of elven pretension. I suppose my nose hasn’t betrayed me after all."

​Nyxara rolled her eyes as the orc sauntered into the room without a shred of decorum.

Morghanna carried herself with the casual arrogance of someone who considered every room she entered her personal property.

Without asking for permission, she crossed the bedroom and sat on the edge of the mattress.

​"Don’t tell me our Lord eventually found no use for bringing you along," Morghanna said, leaning back and supporting herself with her arms. "Though, I suppose I can understand. After all, you reek of lust. Perhaps he decided keeping you around was more trouble than it was worth."

​"What?" Nyxara turned toward her, her violet eyes narrowing.

​She had endured plenty of Morghanna’s insults since the orc’s resurrection, most of which seemed to stem from her inexplicable hostility toward elves.

Ordinarily, she could ignore the crude jabber without much effort.

​This time, however, the orc’s specific phrasing caught her off guard.

​"What exactly do you mean by that?"

​Morghanna’s smirk widened, but she offered no immediate explanation. Instead, she stretched out on the bed, resting her head against the pillow as she stared lazily at the ceiling.

​Nyxara watched her in silence, struggling to decide whether the orc was deliberately provoking her or simply being her usual insufferable self.

​After several seconds, she released a quiet sigh. "I will spar with you. Explain what you meant, and I’ll give you a proper match."

​Morghanna’s crimson eyes gleamed with instant interest. "Now we’re talking."

​She shifted onto her side, facing the elf with an expression of exaggerated sympathy. "You see, when a female is overwhelmed by primal instinct, her body projects certain subtle cues. Most people wouldn’t notice them unless they were particularly sensitive, but yours is practically impossible to miss whenever you’re around our Lord."

​Nyxara’s expression stiffened.

​Morghanna continued, clearly delighted with herself. "Honestly, I’m impressed. I’ve seen females fall in love, become infatuated, and even lose their minds over a man. But you’re the first I’ve encountered who seems so utterly desperate to become a breeding Sow."

​Nyxara stared back in dead silence, her eye twitching slightly.

’Breeding sow?’

​Nyxara stared at Morghanna for several long seconds before slowly turning her full attention toward the orc.

Her violet eyes narrowed into thin slits, but she said nothing. There was little point in arguing with someone who derived genuine, childish pleasure from being insufferable.

​Instead, she released a soft sigh.

​She was well aware of her growing feelings for her Lord. Pretending otherwise would be foolish, especially when her own behavior had become increasingly difficult to rationalize.

However, acknowledging those feelings internally was one thing. Claiming she wanted to be bred by him was another matter entirely.

​Was that not taking things a bit too far?

​She had already accepted her absolute role as his Champion. Her duty was to serve Cassian, fight at his side, and help him achieve his grand ambitions.

She had never dared to expect anything beyond that boundary.

​Then she had learned he already had a family, not only a mother, but a daughter as well.

​That revelation alone had been more than enough to convince her that whatever foolish hopes she might have entertained were destined to remain nothing more than distant fantasies.

​Yet here was Morghanna, arrogantly informing her that she practically radiated unbridled desire whenever she stood near their Lord.

​Preposterous.

​Nyxara felt her cold cheeks grow noticeably warm.

​Worse still, her chest suddenly throbbed.

​Thump. Thump. Thump.

​Ever since consuming the [Graveheart Sap], such occurrences had become disturbingly frequent.

Her once-dead heart would occasionally beat without warning, as though her undead body were gradually remembering what it meant to be truly alive.

​Unfortunately, the timing of her body’s resurgence could hardly have been worse.

​Each erratic beat seemed to stimulate the soul bond connecting her to Cassian, making her hyper-aware of his existence. Even now, she could faintly sense that connection stirring in the back of her mind.

’​Why now, of all times?’

​Morghanna, meanwhile, had been watching the elf’s subtle physical reaction with undisguised amusement.

​The orc suddenly sat upright on the bed, her crimson eyes gleaming with predatory anticipation. "Well then, Horny Elf. Time to pay up."

​She cracked her knuckles with a series of loud pops, looking as though she had just been handed an invitation to her favorite pastime.

​Morghanna had been itching for a proper, blood-pumping fight ever since arriving in the Lord’s territory.

Unfortunately, opportunities had been scarce; the undead commanders were currently exhausted and needed time to recover their stamina.

Morghanna found it bizarre that undead would require rest, but she graciously granted them an hour to recover, she had no intention of provoking Cassian by causing trouble in his home.

​However, she desperately needed action now.

​And the fact that Nyxara had just agreed to a match? What could possibly be better?

​The shadow elf’s expression darkened. She was just about to rise from the mattress when—

​Whoosh!

​Her figure vanished into thin air without warning.

​Morghanna froze.

​She stared blankly at the empty space where Nyxara had been sitting, her triumphant smile gradually dissolving.

​"..."

​Dead silence filled the bedroom.

​Then, the orc’s expression twisted into pure, unadulterated disbelief.

​"That audacious bitch!"

​Morghanna sprang to her feet, cursing violently at the empty air.

​"YOU COWARDLY, TWO-FACED ELF! YOU AGREED TO SPAR! GET BACK HERE RIGHT NOW!"

​Her roar echoed off the walls, but naturally, no response came.

​Morghanna clenched her fists, her massive body trembling with indignation. "THE NERVE! THE ABSOLUTE AUDACITY OF THAT BITCH!"

​She had finally secured a proper opponent, only for that opponent to vanish into thin air at the absolute last second.

​Worse, Nyxara had clearly been summoned by their Lord, which meant Morghanna couldn’t simply track her down and drag her back by the collar without risking Cassian’s direct displeasure.

​The orc glared at the empty bed for a moment longer before baring her sharp fangs in a vicious scowl.

​"Fine. Run while you can."

​Her wide grin returned, though this time it carried a distinctly dangerous, promise-filled edge.

​"I’ll collect my debt eventually."