Chapter 96: Shadow Patron

Kira was about to touch Lagoo's face with her hand when suddenly one of his hands grabbed her wrist, his eyes opening wide with a dark green light shining within, "You have succeeded in grabbing my attention," Saying so, he placed his other hand on his face and removed a layer of skin or what seemed like a magical mask that revealed what was hidden within.

Kira's eyes shook and widened as she saw his skin color turning dove-gray, his hair transforming into a silver waterfall, and his eyes a flaming dark yellow.

He slowly stood up as she involuntarily raised her head to look up at him. Her expression was filled with shock and disbelief. How could she not be shocked upon seeing that this man was the royal consort who was dignified by the people today after revealing his power. Even if it only happened just a couple of hours before, someone like her had already learned about everything that happened in the Tower of Hell.

Why would someone like him be doing here in disguise? Was he that desperate for the warmth of a woman? No...that couldn't be the reason.

Her lips parted as she saw him wipe away the blood that had trickled down one of his nostrils before. How was he still standing after drinking that?

But her mind snapped out of it as her thoughts raced to think what to do next.

"Keep it quiet and easy unless you want to let others know you just tried to poison and kill the royal consort," Asher said with a calm smile while still holding on to her wrist. He knew her protector Shochi was standing right outside and might come in if she caused any kind of ruckus. But he felt that she was quite strong since he couldn't see through her mana circuit, not that it really mattered in this situation.

Kira's body froze upon hearing his words as she held her breath. She realized how much trouble she was in, but she didn't want to let him think he had the upper hand.

And so her expression relaxed as she calmly smiled and said in a melodious voice, "Are you sure I am the only one in trouble? Won't people also then ask what the royal consort was doing in my chambers when his queen was expecting his presence back in the castle?" Kira inwardly relaxed a bit, thinking that he wouldn't dare reveal his presence in this building unless he wanted to risk angering the queen. He was still her consort in the end.

Seeing him being silent, she added with a hint of confidence in her eyes and caressed his sleeves in a sensual manner, "But don't worry. I know you are a man with needs just like anybody else. I won't tell if you won't. So how about we forget this misunderstanding due to mistaking your identity? It's not every day I see someone like the royal consort coming into my chambers with a disguise," Saying so, she gently freed her wrist from his hand and inwardly scoffed, seeing that no matter how much of a genius he was, he was no different than any other man here when it comes to his lower brain.

But her eyes quivered when his hand suddenly clutched her neck, "Don't fuck with me, woman. You can try and blackmail me all you want, but I simply don't care," Asher stressed calmly with a slight shake of his head and added, "What's the worst that could happen to me, hm? I can think of a hundred reasons to tell my wife why I was here, and she will believe me. But what about you? There is no reason or justification in this world that will let you escape getting punished for trying to hypnotize and kill the royal consort. Your honeyed words won't work on my wife's ears."

Kira's lips firmly pressed together, seeing that he was serious about what he was saying. It seemed like he didn't really care about his presence here getting exposed.

But the same did not go for her, and he knew this too. She couldn't understand how a boy who had been sleeping for years could be this calm, bold and perceptive. Not even older men would necessarily know how to talk like him.

Still, what baffled her more was how he failed to get charmed by her when even powerful men had fallen under her spell. He was no stronger than a Soul Warrior, which only made it seem even more impossible. And that poison in the drink was something even a Soul Reaper won't necessarily survive.

Realizing that she was up against someone she wasn't prepared to deal with nor see through completely, she dropped her seductive and charming tone as she looked at him with a harsh glint in her eyes, "What do you want?"

"Wow...look at you. I haven't seen a woman who could turn into a completely different person in the blink of an eye. A temptress indeed..." Asher softly scoffed as he removed his hand from her neck, making her straighten her clothes with a taut look.

"First, tell me why you tried to poison some nobody?" Asher knew she had poisoned him before she saw through his disguise. However, what he didn't understand was why she would try to kill someone who was of no threat to her.

Kira shook her head slightly and said with a lazy look, "Because other nobles down there, especially Oberon and Edmund were planning to make your death a not-so-pleasant one the moment you leave. I was trying to do you a favor. What else?"

"Well, aren't you such a kind soul," Asher sarcastically chuckled, but he didn't forget the strange set of questions she asked while she thought he was under her spell. He also noticed how she was casually using the names of two young men hailing from the most powerful backgrounds.

Still, he casually shrugged and said, "I will cut to the chase. There is only one thing I want from you," He said as his gaze caressed her from top to bottom.

Kira's cold eyes faintly shone with killing intent, wondering if he was really after her body.

Asher saw the look in her eyes and smacked his lips softly, "Don't flatter yourself. If I wanted, you would be in my bed already. But for now..." His gaze narrowed as he continued, "...all I need is information."

Her eyes blinked, and her brows furrowed as she asked, "Information? Don't tell me..."

"Yes...The kind of information you are thinking about. Since you are officially the leader of the succubi here, I want you to tell them to charm out all sorts of important information from the lusty idiots who come visit them every day," Asher knew all kinds of powerful men come here to relax and enjoy, but that also meant this was the only place they let themselves become vulnerable.

Kira took a deep breath as she said, with a hint of anger in her voice, "Are you serious? You are only going to put those women in danger. If caught, they would die for sure, and my business would be ruined. Are you trying to have us get shut down and killed?"

Asher let out a tired sigh and said with a head shake, "Do you seriously think I give a fuck? It's either you, this business, or them. You choose."

Kira couldn't believe she was getting herself cornered by this bastard. She realized how careless she was before and felt that she should have dug into the royal consort earlier. How could she have known that someone with no power till yesterday would suddenly pop out to cause trouble for her?

He smiled, seeing her being silent, and added, "I am going to be your most regular patron from now on...a shadow patron, of course. So you can expect me to frequent here."

"Wait, you can't just barge in whenever you want. People will take notice and—"

"Don't act dumb with me. I know you people have a backdoor, and I am going to use just that. If some kind of pass is required for me to access such a backdoor, you know what to do, right?" Asher said as one of the corners of his mouth turned up.

"How about you show me out of that said backdoor now?" Asher said as he put on his mask again, disguising himself as Lagoo.

"Shochi, come here," Kira said with her arms crossed, her gaze piercing into Asher.

The door to her chambers immediately happened as Shochi came in with his hand on his blade, ready to shed bled on the one who dared to anger her.

Kira's posture expression relaxed as her captivating and seductive aura enveloped her again, "Shochi, relax. He is a good friend of mine now, and I would like you to..."

Kira told him about Asher's identity and how he was going to be her most important patron from now on.

Shochi's eyes widened in disbelief, and he couldn't believe this Lagoo idiot was the royal consort all this time. Even if he was the royal consort, how dare he thirst for his Madam when he has the queen by his side?

"Shochi? Stop thinking about it and show our guest out. He might get late reaching home. His wife must be waiting," Kira added with a smile, though her eyes were staring at Asher with a bitter gaze.

"Not so fast. I need some compensation after getting scammed by you. What would others think if the Temptress Supreme was a woman of deceit and tricks?" Asher asked with a curve of his lips.

Shochi's face puffed up as if he was holding in the temptation to strike down on this uncouth fellow for slandering his Madam.

The corners of Kira's lips faintly twitched for a moment before revealing a charming smile, "Ora~ I am so sorry that I let you down, Sir Lagoo. But I will happily compensate if that is what you need," Kira snapped her fingers together as two of the best succubi in this building entered the room with alluring smiles.

Asher turned and saw two women with long, flowing hair that cascaded down their backs in soft waves. Their eyes were deep and mesmerizing, with full lips, which were a natural red. Both had curvaceous figures with smooth, soft skin that exuded a sense of sensuality and allure, their presence capable of tempting the forbidden desires of any man.

One of them had green hair with brown eyes, while the other had black hair with pale gray eyes. He could recognize that the alluring beauty with green hair was from a naga clan while the other was from a tribe of purebloods known for their powerful affinity towards water.

"These lovely women are Azura and Kiera, two of the best succubi I trained personally. They are untouched, and from now on, these two will remain exclusive to only you, catering to your every need happily," Kira said as she pointed her hands toward them.

Asher saw these two charming beauties looking at him with a seductive gaze with a hint of playfulness in their smiles, inviting him to go crazy on them. He now had no doubt that these two were among the best.

"Hmm, not bad. For now, I shall accept your compensation," Asher said with a wink as he put his arms around the two women before walking out with a smile.

Shochi's expression was taut, seeing him go out while Kira stopped smiling and rubbed the ends of her hair with a narrowed gaze, deeply thinking about something.

...

After Asher was gone, Kira was standing on the balcony, looking down at the town with an unfeeling gaze.

"Madam, is this really wise? Why do you have to entertain and give him special treatment like this? This is unprecedented," Shochi mumbled with a confused look as he stood behind her.

Kira lightly smiled and said, "Don't think too much about it, Shochi. The royal consort is going to be quite important for me, more than the others. Considering what happened today, he is going to be more important than we can expect, though I wonder what his real agenda is," She said while thinking about the request he made.

Shochi pressed his lips together, feeling some kind of uneasiness, though he felt that she knew what she was doing.

"Is there anything you would like me to do?" Shochi asked with an expectant look, his tail swaying in the air.

Kira narrowed her eyes and said as she arched her lips, "Hmm...Yes, there is one thing I want you to do.."