Weeks passed, and Grey Waste was transformed completely. The damage done from the Great War was completely erased. The witches came and rebuilt the city using the blueprint I created. I had Ivy be the one to communicate with the witches.

They were paid in blood, my blood. They were also told that the lamia queen was the one ordering the repairs, as she planned to live beside the ghouls.

While the reconstruction was underway, I hid out where the lamias used to live so I wasn't found, since there was a manhunt going on for me already. After a few weeks, everything was completed.

The witches had refused to create the barrier I wanted around our settlement, but apart from that, everything seemed perfect. It was designed in a way to accommodate the lamias' specific needs.

I was currently sitting in my room contemplating my next move when I heard the sound of heavy breathing coming from outside my room, and then a knock came on the door.

"Come in," I instructed to whoever was outside.

The door lock slowly twisted and turned, and soon a lamia stepped in.

It was a young girl with long red hair and ember eyes. If I remember correctly, she was one of the lamia queen's, Charlotte's, handmaiden.

Her eyes gave the room a once-over before it settled on me sitting on the bed.

"Alpha, our queen wants to speak with you. She said it's an important matter." The handmaiden bowed her head deeply.

Since I wasn't doing anything particularly important at this moment, I decided to go see her.

…

I had made sure that the witches had built buildings that could satisfy the queen. These buildings were large and spacious, and they had sections resembling a den since that was what the lamias were used to.

When I arrived at where the queen was, this time she was alone in her bed chambers.

Her lips curved upwards into a smile when she saw me.

"What is it?"

Instead of answering, her eyes turned sharply to the lamia standing at the door beside me.

"Leave."

The handmaiden quickly bowed her head and slithered away. I looked at the queen and raised an eyebrow.

She was dressed in her nightgown, and given her reddened face, I could guess why she called me here, but something told me that wasn't the only reason.

"I have something that might be of interest to you, but first I need a reward."

Her eyes were wild, and she didn't seem to notice her venom trailing down her chin. She was curled up on a rather large mattress built for her.

I slowly approached her and climbed onto the mattress. She didn't waste a second before her snake form wrapped around me, bringing me closer to her. She had a strong, mature scent from her, the kind you get from an animal in heat.

She made a loud hiss before her sharp fangs sank into my neck. She drank and gulped down my blood as if she was dying of thirst. Her snake form pulsed softly as it tightened around me.

She drank until she was out of breath and finally pulled herself away, breathing heavily. She took a few heavy gasps before she began to explain why she called me here in the first place.

"There will be an auction taking place later today. I've received an invitation."

"An auction?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes. It happens once every couple of months. It's an underground auction, so nothing that takes place there is technically legal. There will be all sorts of ancient artifacts being sold. Some are cursed, others are blessed."

"Is there an item there that you think I'll need?"

"Not particularly. The reason I am telling you is because Damian Dracule frequents this auction every time it is held."

That is interesting…

"The auction is mostly being run by that gang of ghouls that has been running around. But there have been rumors for years that someone powerful was pulling their strings."

I remember I thought the same when they suddenly disappeared from Grey Waste.

"Some of the rumors say it's Damian himself, but I don't believe that is the case. It doesn't seem in his character. He comes at the auction and sits and buys like everybody else. Or maybe he's just taking us for fools."

I considered both of them a possibility. Damian seemed like a mystery. I needed to find out more about him.

"Another good thing about this is that the Veylmont clan doesn't frequent the auction, so you don't have to worry about them being there."

"That makes things easier then. I don't want to have to worry about facing off against them."

She smiled happily.

"Are you pleased with me?"

"Very much so. You did good."

"I'll have my handmaidens get a suit for you to wear at the auction. I'll also get a dress for myself," she said.

"Get two dresses instead of one," I told her. "Something blue. I'm planning to bring one of the girls along with me."

"Oh… that should be fine, I guess. But I was kind of hoping that it would be just the two of us."

I gave her a smile and patted her on the head.

"Another time. We'll have plenty of time to spend together in the future, so don't worry too much about that."

…

Later that day, when it was time for the auction, I received the suit I was going to wear and the dress I ordered. At the same time, the person who would be wearing the dress arrived at my room.

"Darling, you wanted to see me?" Selthia asked.

I opened the closet and pulled out the dress.

"What do you think of this?" I asked.

Immediately when she saw the dress, her face brightened. She quickly grabbed it from my hand, examining the material.

"It's beautiful. The material is of high quality. It's almost as good as the ones in Atlantis. Thank you."

She threw her arms around my neck and pressed her lips against mine.

"I want you to wear it today. I have a function I need to attend and would like you to come along with me. Is that alright?"

"Yes," she quickly nodded her head.

"Thank you."

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