Undead Beast Master: Living Solely for My Desires

David furrowed his eyebrows, then massaged his forehead.

He was being assaulted by a devastating headache. He felt like everything he knew had been flipped upside down, and he was beginning to doubt if what he was seeing was real anymore.

With a grunt, he got up from his seat and made his exit out of the diner.

He was still in the emperor's castle, and it felt like a bad idea to just sit in the still unfamiliar place.

So he judged that it was better to go home.

There, at least, he would be able to sort his thoughts in peace and not be in potential danger.

He took slow steps as he made his way out. Each step created a small echo that traveled around the halls of the castle.

A few soldiers that had been stationed on duty threw a glance at him but didn't give him more than a second of their attention. They knew the man and wouldn't question him.

David's mind was blank at the moment. He didn't want to bother with thinking about the implications of what he had learned today until he was in a place that he considered safe.

As such, he took his steps idly, not really thinking about the process.

But suddenly, seeing a woman walk from the opposite end of the halls, he couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.

He, of course, immediately recognized who this woman was.

Just by the clothes that covered her body, as well as the black gloves she was wearing—an attempt to hide her features—it was made apparently clear who she was.

Althea—one of the queens of the empire. Despite the emperor's attempts to keep her hidden, she seemed to draw even more attention, as most were aware of her existence,

It was clear that the emperor did not like her, as he most likely viewed her as a thorn in his side, so he attempted to hide her from public view.

What was the general perception of the woman?

At the beginning, it had been neutral. She was just one of many of the emperor's wives—at least, she was regarded as the most beautiful out of all of them.

However, that perception did not last long. As soon as their wedding became official, the emperor's attitude toward her shifted, and he began trying to keep her hidden.

Most of the people wondered what could be the reason. After all, she was perhaps the most stunning out of all of his wives.

But the reason was soon revealed. Despite the fact that Althea attempted to hide from public view and wore concealing clothes, soon it was discovered that she had the muscle rot disease—which, of course, few knew was actually a curse.

Nevertheless, what it was didn't matter, as it was common knowledge—or more accurately, a theory—that coming into contact with such a person would result in you getting that curse.

So she began to be hated, feared, shunned, avoided.

This lasted for a long time. Naturally, the emperor didn't like her as well and began to send her on political missions that he didn't want to handle himself.

Curiously enough, everywhere she went, there was a danger of death—almost as if the man wanted to get rid of her…

But as time passed, something interesting happened.

Althea had been sent to more and more places where the people were struggling.

She was shunned, avoided, feared… and yet, she helped them.

She helped the poor, the scared, and those who had lost hope for a better future.

And the more missions she had been sent to, the more people began to take note of her.

The hatred turned into resentment, then it turned into caution, then into pity…

And somewhere along the way, she began to be liked.

Of course, no one said their opinion publicly. They knew that the emperor didn't like her, so they didn't show that they felt pity for the woman.

They may have been hidden, but they were still there—the feelings that the public had toward the woman.

As David saw her approach him, he took a step to the side.

He didn't believe the rumors, but he didn't want to risk it, so he went to the other corner of the hallway.

His eyes darkened for a moment.

David was one of those people that pitied the queen as well.

Originally, he wasn't from the capital but from a city quite far from it.

When he was young, still living with his parents and sister, their city had gone into crisis. The emperor didn't do much, but Althea helped them—she helped them fix their water supply.

That problem had tortured them for years. During this time, David understood how vital clean water was and how hard life could be without access to it.

After some time, the city had lost hope that the problem would ever be fixed.

That was until one day, Althea arrived.

She wasn't accompanied by many guards—only one person was with her.

Still, she was a queen, and as such, she held a certain amount of influence that no one could deny.

She quickly identified and resolved the issue

After that, David was able to live every day without worrying about where he would get clean water to drink.

Althea had appeared out of nowhere and helped him and his family greatly.

So, in a way, he felt indebted to her, even if he was scared to show his gratitude.

If he did, the soldiers were going to see it. They were going to report to the emperor, and it could end badly for him.

So, with a sigh of regret, he looked to the side, acting like he was disgusted.

Althea didn't pay him much mind—she was used to this kind of treatment.

Exiting the castle, David took slow and steady steps toward his home.

It was late at night, so he was alone.

…If one weren't counting the being behind him.

That being that always tried to drive David mad.

That fucker that never seemed to know how to shut its foul mouth…

Was silent.

Deadly silent ever since David's talk with Amara.

For the first time in who knows when, David experienced complete silence.

He enjoyed it, so he didn't rush back home, as he knew once he did, he would have to begin speaking with the fucker.

*****

He opened the door and entered. After locking it behind him, he threw a glance at the two beds positioned in each corner of the room.

One was his, and the other was his sister's…

Every time he went home, he was reminded that she was being healed away from him, and that fact made his heart ache.

She was his only family left, and losing her as well...

David didn't think about what he would do if that happened.

He didn't have time for self-pity, however, as he approached his bed and sat on it.

For the first time after Amara's conversation, he looked at the Spectral Warden.

The thing's eyes seemed even more hollow than usual as it stared at David silently.

After a moment, David parted his lips, his voice filled with pure anger.

"Now mind explaining all the things you have been hiding from me, you fuck?"