"What are you going to do to me? Drown me?" The duke asked, spitting the words like venom as he was unceremoniously dropped beside the lake's shimmering edge. He craned his neck, glaring up at me, blood matting his silver hair, still bound in chains, his limbs trembling under the weight of his bruises and arrogance.
I didn't respond right away. Instead, I turned my gaze toward the cascading waterfall behind us. It sparkled in the moonlight like a curtain of silver, concealing the cold beauty of the lake it fed. The sound of water thundering into the basin below echoed through the surrounding forest—isolated, serene, deceptive.
"Drowning you?" I finally scoffed, letting out a low chuckle that echoed like cracking ice. "Hahaha, that's far too easy a death for someone like you. No, I've got something special in mind. A place worthy of scum like you."
I stepped forward, my boots crunching softly on the grass and damp soil. The duke flinched as if expecting a kick, but I ignored him and made my way to the lake's edge. My breath puffed out in the cold air, visible for a brief second before vanishing into the night.
As I extended one foot over the surface, the lake responded—not with a splash, but a sudden crack and shimmer. The water froze instantly beneath me, rippling with veins of glowing blue mana. The illusion that once cloaked the lake's true nature shattered like glass, revealing a crystalline ice path that spiraled elegantly toward a small shack resting atop the water's surface. The structure looked modest, a simple cabin of enchanted frost and solidified mana—beautiful, deadly, and impossibly out of place.
The duke stared at the shack, his voice low with disbelief. "Who made such a strong illusion?"
I smirked, not bothering to look back. "And why should I tell you?"
"I am the Duke!" he shouted, struggling to rise despite the bindings. Fury twisted his features, but his voice shook with the beginnings of dread.
"Since when are you still a duke?" "I asked," my voice dripping with mockery as I stepped lightly onto the frozen lake. Each step hummed with the magic that obeyed my will. "You've got no right to order me around anymore. Want some advice for the future? It's unlikely that you'll survive long enough to apply it. Only people I care about get to order me around. You? You don't even make the list."
As I approached the shack, I waved a hand, and the door swung open with a creak. Cold mist spilled from the dark interior like breath from a sleeping beast.
"What is this?" he asked again, more cautious now.
I sighed theatrically. "Did I not just say I'd entertain you? Pay attention."
With that, I descended the staircase inside the shack, the steps spiraling downward into the heart of the lake. Walls of enchanted ice glowed faintly with inner light, pulsing like veins. My footsteps were silent. The air grew colder with each level, wrapping around us like a noose.
"I asked my mother if I could have this lake," I continued, my voice echoing in the cavernous descent. "Being the soft-hearted queen she is, she said yes. So, I claimed it and made it mine. A man cave? Nah. Welcome to my woman's ice dungeon. Or perhaps it could be called a torture haven—I'm still working on the name.
We reached the base level—an expansive corridor lit by soft blue runes embedded into the floor. The walls glistened with translucent layers of ice that hummed with my mana. To anyone else, this place would be a frozen hell. To me? It was home.
"You made this place… completely out of ice?" he asked, voice trembling—not from cold, but from the growing realization of how much trouble he was in.
I stopped and looked at him with a grin. "Yes. My ice. I have complete control over everything in this place. Every wall, every inch, every cell. This isn't just a dungeon. It's my world."
"A world? "A person like you could never have her own world!" he spat, trying to sound bold.
I tilted my head slightly. "Sigh. You're just as dumb as that son of yours. Or did he inherit it from you?"
"YOU—AGH!" The duke jerked forward, chains tightening around his limbs. Crimson droplets bloomed as the enchanted links bit deeper into his already broken skin.
I tsked mockingly. "Come now. I reinforced those chains just for you. They're not meant to be struggled with. After all, our little ride here wasn't exactly first-class, was it?"
He growled under his breath, fury smoldering in his eyes.
We stopped in front of a heavy ice door fitted with a barred window. I snapped my fingers, and the door creaked open. A gust of frost-tinged air escaped as I shoved him inside like the sack of garbage he was.
"This is your new home," I said as I stepped in behind him. "You've got a bed—nice frame, soft enough. A desk to write on. Working toilet in the corner. Meals will arrive when I feel like it. Welcome to solitary confinement, deluxe edition."
He stared around, clearly confused. "Why… why is this room so nice?"
I leaned on the doorframe with a smirk. "You expected torture chambers, didn't you? No. This is worse. Silence. Emptiness. Time. It'll eat away at you faster than any whip or blade. But hey—"
I pointed to the desk. "—If you get bored, write me a list. Slavery contracts. Illegal businesses. The more detailed, the better. If you're lucky, I'll make your death quicker."
"Fuck you, bitch! I'm no snitch!" he shouted, face red with rage.
I chuckled. "Ah, how lively. Wonder how long you'll keep that fire."
I shut the door on his curses and walked to the next cell.
[Brad's Cell]
Knock, knock.
"Are you still alive in there, Brady boy?" I called, peering through the frost-covered window. He was curled up on the bed, arms around his knees, shivering despite the room's insulation. My smile sharpened.
"Still kicking, huh?"
"..."
"Still not talking? I only want one name—who hired you to kill Apricot?"
"I told you… I don't know. They paid in coin and gave a name. That's all."
"You said that before," I said, tapping the ice with my claws. "But why would you, second in command of the torture squad, take assassination contracts?"
"I… I have a family to care for."
I leaned my head against the doorframe, sighing. "Brad, I've read your file. Three kids, a loving wife, and a stable home. And yet the Black Ops salary was more than enough. So tell me—what pushed you to take blood money?"
He didn't answer right away. Just curled tighter.
"Have you told my wife yet?" he mumbled.
"Tsk. Brady, boy, what do you take me for? A monster?"
"You're closer to a monster than a human… Primordial fox."
He finally looked at me, and I saw it—the fear, the guilt, the hopelessness. It soaked into his bones like rot.
"True," I admitted with a casual shrug. "But even monsters have rules."
I stepped closer to the door. My tone dropped, sharp and cold. "You aimed a blade at someone I care for. I might just throw my morals out the window and drag your family in front of you. Make you watch."
"You... wouldn't," he whispered.
"You never know," I said sweetly. "I do have mood swings."
"Pffft—mood swings?!" Brad barked a bitter laugh.
"Fine, fine, multiple personalities. But I keep them mostly in check."
"Like hell you do!" he snapped, glaring now.
"Ooh, you're finally fighting back," I teased. "But let me make this clear: you have one week. Reveal the name, or I will involve your family. Don't blame me. You're the one who tried to kill Apricot."
"She's an ex-federation soldier! The same federation that massacred your kind like livestock! And yet you welcome her into your personal squad?!" He shouted, rising to his feet, fists clenched.
"Aww," I mocked, "are you jealous, Brad? Of my little doggie? How adorable."
"Fuck you!" he roared, slamming his fists against the door.
I stared calmly. "Three days. That's your new deadline. Fail, and your family joins you for execution."
"You're a monster. A real monster! You should burn in hell!"
I smirked. "Brad… I am hell."
Turning, I walked off, waving a hand casually. "Oh, and Furry—seven days. Finish the list, or I start my training on you."
Their howls followed me as I stepped back into the icy hallway.
'With the furry's regen, I can finally practice a healing skill. Once I finish Kayda's remaining poles… I might even split my dimension magic. Hard, sure. But worth it.'
I exited the shack and looked up at the fake sky projected by the illusion. It shimmered beautifully.
"Apricot did such a fantastic job with this illusion. Completely worth letting her go out with that dense Nekro. Wonder how long it'll take the little 13-year-old to notice Apricot's heart eyes."
I chuckled to myself.
'Like you're one to talk!!!' The shadows groaned in unison, though only I could hear them.
[Dan POV – The Next Day]
"What do you mean fifty buildings were destroyed?!" I slammed my palm on the desk, the echo cracking across the minister's spine.
"Sir… I am unsure how to explain it. Witnesses say it was someone tied to a white rope and being thrown around by an animal. A teleporting one."
My eyebrow twitched.
"I know who did it. I want to know how. How the hell did twenty buildings in the north, six in the south, twelve in the east, and twelve more in the Midwest all get leveled—in one night—by someone who lives in the noble district in the north?!"
The papers scattered across my desk, each stamped with a red seal. Every one of them has a report. Every one of them is saying the same thing: giant, humanoid holes in buildings.
The minister flinched. "Your Highness… You know who did it?"
I slumped in my chair. "Yeah. I know. What a fucking pain."
Grabbing the nearest bottle of alcohol, I downed it like water, wiped my mouth, and stood.
"You may leave. I'm done for today. There's no way I'm dealing with more of this."
"But Your Highness, Marquess Anabald's daughter is waiting—"
"Let me guess. Complaints about the fox? Tsk. Fine. Let her in. I hate foxes."
I particularly dislike foxes that are red in color.