Chapter 9 Between The Lines

I could feel the fear emanating from her body as her legs were shaking while she bit her lip.

"I don't understand..." she trembled, shaking her head, "why should I trust you?"

"There's nothing as to why you should trust me, Nari." I put my hand down, took another look at her and sneered, "do you have any other choice but to trust me?"

She looked at me and furrowed her eyebrows, "What?"

"You killed two men in a row without hesitation," I reminded her.

Her widened eyes and her slightly opened mouth made me understand that she clearly knew what I was talking about.

She felt guilty about killing them, but I forced her to accept the fact.

I then stood up from the chair before turning around and walking over to the window.

I could hear her breathing heavily. I knew that if she wanted to, she could kill me right now, instantly.

She was scared and I could sense that she wasn't willing to betray anyone, including the master she served.

"What is your point for acting this way?" She asked me in a low tone voice while rubbing her thin little fingers together.

I turned around and looked into her eyes. "You will soon learn that it is best for you to trust me, Nari."

"Why?" She asked again.

I gave her no answer to this but still continued looking at her, "Now, please tell me what is your wish?" I asked her in a serious tone.

She stared at me for a moment, and then she bit her lower lip. "I-I want to find the person who murdered my parents and sold me off to your father, I want him dead."

I sighed, "Your wish is foolish."

"Why?" She asked, biting her lips hard enough that I could see some blood trickling from her lips.

I shook my head and explained.

"Because he is a very powerful man, a member of the royal family," I continued, "he can easily escape from any prison."

"But I-" she started, but I interrupted her, "but I don't care about the legal system or laws." I put my hands into my pockets.

"Then what do you want?" She asked.

"I want you to join me," I told her.

Her eyes narrowed, "join you as... ?"

"My ally," I answered, "and I need you to train my magic skills. You are an expert in the art of assassination, so I want you to teach me everything that you know."

She stared at me, and I could sense that she was deeply thinking about what I just said.

"Do you really believe that you can defeat those who are stronger than you?" She asked me.

"Of course not!" I laughed, "but I need you to help me in order to achieve my goals. We both have the same goal: we want to take down our targets, and I hope that you will help me."

"How can I trust you?" She asked, believing that I was just a child in her eyes.

"You can trust me only after you have seen my power," I told her, "I will show you once you are ready."

"Okay," she nodded, "I'll train you." She agreed but her cold glare made me doubt it.

"Good," I replied with no tone in my voice.

I turned away from her and headed back to my room.

Engaging in a conversation a little longer would have made me look weak. For now, she wasn't on the level to trust me completely and I didn't need her to see my weak point just yet.

In the novel, she was the one who spilled Rowen's weakness to Dante. I couldn't risk that for now.

I sat on my bed and stared out of the window.

A thought came to my mind.

I needed to keep her close to me until I could start training with her. I had to make sure that she wouldn't run out of the mansion.

I needed to be careful.

That night, I stayed up in my room. I spent hours thinking about how I could make Nari fully trust me and enough to have faith in me as well.

I was tempted to use my powers to force her, but I knew that it wasn't the right thing to do.

Nari wanted the murderer of her parents dead. In the book, Dante was the one who killed him, gaining a complete Nari's trust.

It would have worked in the novel, but here things were different now. My status was higher than Dante's and my position as the heir of this family could be tarnished with one failed move. I had to think twice about my steps forward.

Nari was more intelligent than she looked. She was capable of making her own decisions.

I needed to earn her trust, and I knew that I could do that by staying true to my words.

The next morning, I woke up and went downstairs.

I ordered some food from the kitchen and ate breakfast in my bedroom.

I searched through the map of the Merpha kingdom where we lived for the Elbon Blades organisation's location.

While eating my meal, I looked at the city map and found a place called 'Bastion'.

It was located north of the capital, and it was known as the strongest fortress in the kingdom. I remembered this name, it had been mentioned in the diary of the previous owner of the house.

I took out the parchment and read the information written on it.

'An ancient fortress built during the time of King William.'

The parchment was old, but the words were still readable.

ραпdα nᴏνa| сom Scums, murderers, and thieves used to gather in this place to plan their crimes.

During the reign of King William, the king built three fortresses called Bastions all around his land.

The other two bastions were located near the sea, but this Bastion was situated in the middle of the kingdom. The reason why it was chosen as a central position was that the castle was protected by the mountains surrounding it. It was the most secure point in the entire Merpha Kingdom.

'Due to its strategic location, Bastion has become an important military base for the kingdom, and that's where the man who murdered Nari's parents and sold her off lived.'

He was a scum who served under the crown, and he was involved in many shady deals. He was also the one responsible for selling young girls to the royal family.

After reading that part, I sighed, remembering the past. I had a bad feeling about this mission, but this was a sacrifice I was willing to make for Nari's trust.

I knew her desire and when that desire will become a surrender then surrender will become the power one can control.

And I wanted that power in my hands.