Last Born Of The Desdemona

Chapter 353: Chapter 353: Darkness of the Heart

Chapter 353 – Darkness of the Heart

Raven arched an eyebrow. "Black market?" he said, his face still so close to hers, their breath mingling together like lovers on their wedding night. "How did you come to know of such a place?"

"What do you take me for, Raven?" Anesthesia retorted. "I believe I know this kingdom better than you, the very prince and future king."

"You might be right," he acknowledged, "but you still haven’t told me how this someone owes you money."

"She—!"

"She?" Raven interrupted her. "It’s a woman?"

"Yes, it’s a woman," Anesthesia nodded. "She owes me money because she didn’t pay me for a service I did for her."

"What kind of service?"

"Do you truly want to know?" Anesthesia said, her eyes serious.

The prince paused at the intensity of her eyes and the hardened tone she’d just used. He nodded shortly after, now even more curious. "I do."

"As you wish." The Chosen Heiress decided to show him who she was to her now-boyfriend. Not the version most people in the kingdom knew.

Not the version of Anesthesia she’d decided to be while beside Emrys.

This was her, Anesthesia Amaris, in her most honest form.

"That woman wanted her sister’s marriage to fail, because she loved the husband herself," Anesthesia said. "So she asked me to do something about it."

"What did you do?" Raven asked, not breaking eye contact.

"I kidnapped the sister and blackmailed her, threatened to kill her son if she didn’t follow my orders," she replied. "And before you ask, the order was to sleep with one of my subordinates."

Raven’s eyes widened slightly.

"I took pictures of them together and sent them to the woman who’d commissioned me. I heard soon after that the sister’s marriage had broken down," Anesthesia continued the story. "And soon after that, one of my subordinates told me that..." She hesitated over this part, wondering if it was wise to be honest about it.

But Anesthesia truly wanted to build something solid with Raven. He’d loved her with everything he had, and she believed he could bear every side of her.

Even the most disgusting and darkest side no one would ever guess she had.

So she straightened herself and continued, "...one of my subordinates told me the woman killed her son, then killed herself after her husband divorced her."

Anesthesia smiled thinly. "So you see? I destroyed a happy middle-class family, killed a mother and a child, and broke a man. I did all of that for money."

"Do you need money that badly, Anes?" Raven asked, his voice still steady.

"I’m a Tier Three, Raven," Anesthesia shot back, her voice slightly cold. "I’m at the bottom of the noble ladder. I need resources; I have people who work for me, and I need to pay them. I need money, and I can’t ask my family for it. So yeah, Prince, I need to do things like this to climb the ladder."

"You think it’s worth it?"

"If it means making my family a Tier One, then anything is worth it," Anesthesia said. "No moral limit will stop me, as long as it doesn’t go against my own principles."

"How much does that woman owe you?"

"She owes me 3 million SN, plus one artifact she says is worth around 4 million." Her purple eyes glinted. "If she really thinks I’ll let this go after everything I’ve done for her, she’s in for a deep, bloody surprise."

"Have you asked yourself whether she’s running because she doesn’t have the money?"

"I did, Raven. And the answer is simple." She replied flatly. "That woman will whore herself out until she’s paid me everything."

Raven stared at her, then shook his head. "You’re insane."

"That’s the woman you love, Raven. So now what?" she said, her voice heavy. "Did I disgust you? Are you revolted by how far I’m willing to go for my goals? Do you see me as a killer?"

"I do see you as a killer," Raven replied. "But then again, in this world, it’s easier to be a killer than anything else. And I think you forget who I am. I’m Raven Hood, Prince of Death. You don’t know it yet, but you have no idea what kind of family you’re stepping into."

He chuckled.

"The fact that I don’t do such things doesn’t mean I’m clueless about them. In fact, I’m used to it. You know my aunt, Anesthesia. She once destroyed an entire village so thoroughly it’s now known as a Damned Village, with a Tier 5 Fractured Land." He smiled faintly. "I’m a Hood, Anes."

At his words, for some strange, twisted reason, Anesthesia’s dark feelings of fear and apprehension began to slowly recede. "You mean... I don’t disgust you?"

"You don’t."

"Then," she began to smile, relieved, "will you help me with this? I want what’s mine to be mine. That woman cheated me. I can’t let this go."

"Did you show her your real face during the transactions?"

"Of course not." She shook her head. "I used my subordinates. I have three of them, I’ll introduce them to you later. I only appeared at the end, and I was wearing a mask."

"Alright. I’ll help you," Raven said, before grimacing at a sudden thought. "But the Prince of the Kingdom, wandering the black market. And even Anesthesia Amaris, second most beautiful woman in the kingdom, in the black market..."

Now Anesthesia grimaced in turn.

"Let’s make sure no one catches wind of it," she said.

"Definitely."

Anesthesia smiled, relieved. It was strange, being honest about yourself, and having someone accept that honesty without flinching.

She wondered, for a brief moment, if this was how her sister felt with Cassius.

To finally be seen, be understood, both the good and evil parts of your being, accepted wholeheartedly by that one person.

Now Anesthesia felt like she could grasp why her sister loved Cassius so much. Because the feeling of safety and liberation that followed was something she’d never known could be this freeing.

That feeling made Anesthesia bolder as she said next:

"At the same time, we could ruin Love."

"Love? Love de Bayard?" Raven muttered, confused. "Why her?"

"Well, you know, right? She’s been ungrateful towards me. I need her to pay for that," she replied. "And you’ll never guess what I have."

"Tell me. Is it about her?"

"Oh no. It’s about Love’s manager, Meursault." She smiled. "His wife is cheating on him. Now, that’s a normal thing in this Vorn-cursed kingdom. But the thing is, she’s cheating on her husband with the owner of Bliss’s House, that brothel."

Raven instantly frowned. ’Bliss’s House? Isn’t that the brothel Esmeray used to love going to?’

"How do you know all of this?" Raven asked, deeply curious. Anesthesia never ceased to amaze him.

"I ordered my subordinate to ambush her," she replied calmly, as if talking about the weather. "He broke her finger and stole her space ring. Inside were her phone and a few other things, but the important part is the phone. I can show it to you if you want, it’s in my room."

"I don’t mind taking a look. What’s on it?"

"What else?" Anesthesia shrugged. "Pictures and videos. She was there, naked, her whole body covered in semen. In some pictures she was on all fours, like a dog taking—!"

"You don’t need to be that explicit, do you?" Raven chuckled nervously, cutting her off.

"Why not?" She smiled knowingly. "I’m simply telling you what I saw. The videos were hardcore, mind you."

"You’re doing this on purpose, aren’t you, Anes?"

"What if I am?" she shot back. "Since it seems like I have to take every first step in this relationship, I might as well pin you down and fu—!"

"Anes, for Vorn’s sake!" Raven interrupted her, his lips twitching, while Anesthesia struggled to keep her laughter from bursting out. "You’re so damn vulgar."

"You hate it?"

"No."

"Good. I wouldn’t care even if you did. I’ll continue either way."

"Fuck you."

"Such a princely thing to say. I love it."

Raven was speechless. It felt like he was looking at an entirely new side of Anesthesia.

But this wasn’t a new Anesthesia. It was simply Anesthesia Amaris, being exactly who she was.

Raven smiled, and his lips edged closer to hers. "About Love," he said, "let it go."

"Why?" She frowned.

"It’s in the past."

"I don’t care."

"Love kissed Klaus during the Opening Ceremony, and you know Klaus was supposed to marry Love," Raven said, his lips brushing against hers. "There might be something between them. Don’t touch her. Klaus is strong. Have you seen his duel against Love? He might be stronger than you if he fight seriously. Even Love is incredible."

She rolled her eyes. "I can deal with these two arrogant, prideful people without touching them."

"Klaus is Cassius’s friend. You can’t deal with that."

"Even with Cassius’s uncle as my boyfriend?"

"Especially with Cassius’s uncle as your boyfriend."

Anesthesia smiled coldly. "You’re getting on my nerves, Raven, ordering me to let go of a grudge I’ve held for so long."

"Swallow that grudge."

"Yeah, fuck you. Do you think it’s that easy? Love needs to pay."

"Not everything needs a response. It’s a waste of time at this point. You’ll only create more problems," he said. "And knowing you, you might do something deeply unpleasant."

"That’s how you see me?"

"That’s how you are."

"You sicken me." Anesthesia narrowed her eyes at him.

Raven only smiled slowly, then after a moment "About Love?"

"I wanted to show these pictures to Meursault, you know? His reaction would’ve been funny," she whispered, then sighed, rolling her eyes. "But alright. I’ll let the Love matter settle. For you."

Raven smiled. "Thanks—!"

"Just shut up before you annoy me even more."

"It’s unhealthy to get angry so easily, Anes."

"You have a talent for getting under my skin," she replied. "I don’t like letting go of grudges. It makes me feel—!"

"Weak?" Raven shook his head. "You have such a big ego, Anes. I think it’s holding onto grudges that makes you weak. It takes real inner strength to let go of things that don’t matter in the grand scheme, even when you’re emotionally attached to them."

"Hey, Raven, I’m really not in the mood for your bullshit lesson right now," she hissed. "What? I literally put you on top of me. Do you really need me to do anything more?"

"What do you—!"

"I’ll spell it out for you, then." She didn’t even wait for him to finish. "Kiss me. Now."

Raven’s heart skipped a beat, nervousness blooming inside it. "You—!"

"You talk too much at the worst times." Anesthesia grasped his cheeks and pulled him closer to her face. "I’ll do it myself."

And she kissed him.

—End of Chapter 353—