The morning sun cast a soft, pristine glow over the grandest parlor of the Rosenberg mansion.
At the center of the spacious room stood a large wooden easel holding a massive canvas.
The scene open on this very canvas, where the official portrait of Grand Duke Killian and Princess Evelyn was already half-completed.
The brushstrokes captured them beautifully: Evelyn sat gracefully upon an ornate velvet chair, her amethyst eyes shining, while Killian stood tall right beside her, his long, gloved hand resting firmly on the back of her chair.
The master painter, a highly renowned artist with paint-stained fingers, carefully flicked his brush against the canvas.
He looked toward the couple and offered a respectful nod.
“My Lord, the painting is almost fully complete.
Just a little longer, please.”
Killian and Evelyn remained perfectly still, holding their elegant poses.
After a few more minutes of meticulous detail work, the artist finally set his palette down and smiled warmly.
“Here you go, My Lord!
The painting is completely finished.”
Killian shifted his stance, his deep voice smooth.
“Very well.
Let me see it.”
The painter proudly turned the massive canvas toward them.
The moment Evelyn’s eyes landed on the finished portrait, a wave of profound delight washed over her features, and she became exceptionally happy.
The painting perfectly captured her ethereal grace and Killian’s formidable, handsome stature.
Killian stared at the artwork, a look of genuine satisfaction in his midnight-blue eyes.
“Wow…
you have made our painting incredibly beautiful.”
The painter bowed low, deeply honored by the praise.
He adjusted his tools and looked at the couple with an eager spark in his eyes.
“My Lord, I have a sudden suggestion, if you would allow me to share it?”
Killian looked at him calmly.
“Yes, absolutely.
Please tell me.”
The artist gestured with his hands, imagining the composition.
“My Lord, what if the two of you stand together precisely as if you are dancing?
A pose like that will breathe absolute life and vivid emotion into a second painting!”
Hearing the suggestion, a massive wave of intense shyness hit Evelyn like a tidal wave.
Her entire face turned completely red like a ripe tomato, and she began to blush fiercely as she stammered, “D-Dancing…
while dancing?!”
Killian did not hesitate for a single second.
He looked down at her flustered state and spoke with an absolute, calm authority.
“Is it any trouble?”
Before Evelyn could even respond, Sebastian moved swiftly into the space, sliding the velvet chair out of the way with absolute, deadpan efficiency.
Killian stepped closer to Evelyn, his towering frame completely dominating her vision.
With flawless, elegant grace, he extended his arm and gently placed his large hand directly against her waist.
The sudden warmth of his touch caused Evelyn’s heart to do a violent, erratic flutter against her ribs, her skin burning with an extreme blush.
Killian then reached out with his other hand, firmly yet gently grasping her right hand in his palm.
The painter’s eyes widened in absolute awe as he stared at the perfect couple.
“Wow!
My Lord, the two of you look exceptionally magnificent together!”
Without losing a moment of inspiration, the artist began moving his brush with incredible speed across a brand-new canvas.
Evelyn kept her gaze fixed downward, her heart hammering wildly from the intense proximity, while Killian stared forward, his left eyebrow twitching slightly as he tried to maintain his usual stoic mask despite the sudden warmth in his chest.
After a considerable amount of time, the artist finally took a step back, wiping his brow.
He turned the second canvas toward them, revealing a sweeping, incredibly romantic portrait of the two locked in a timeless dance.
“Please take a look, My Lord!”
Killian scanned the second masterpiece, his voice deep and smooth.
“Wow…
you have created an exceptionally magnificent piece.” He then turned his head slightly, his midnight-blue eyes looking down at his blushing fiancée.
“Do you like it, Evelyn?”
Evelyn raised her eyes timidly, her voice fluttering with immense shyness.
“Y-Yes, Killian…
I love it.”
Killian turned back toward his head butler, his tone returning to a commanding, cold register.
“Sebastian.
Escort this master painter directly back to his residence.
And ensure both of these paintings are framed with the highest quality materials immediately.”
Sebastian bowed elegantly, his deadpan mask firmly in place.
“Yes, My Lord.
I shall handle it right away.”
The butler gathered the artist and his materials, stepping out of the parlor and leaving the couple in the quiet room.
The hours passed swiftly, and the dark velvet of evening officially blanketed the grand estate.
The heavy double doors of the mansion creaked open, and Sebastian returned, holding two massive, meticulously crafted golden frames that housed the finished portraits.
Killian was standing near the grand corridor when the butler approached.
“Have you brought the paintings, Sebastian?”
”Yes, My Lord.
They are completely framed and ready,” Sebastian responded with absolute professionalism.
Under Killian’s precise direction, Sebastian carefully mounted both massive portraits directly on the grand wall of the main hall, right where every arriving guest could witness their bond.
Evelyn walked into the hall just as the butler finished.
The moment she saw the twin canvases hanging beautifully under the crystal chandeliers, her eyes lit up with unadulterated joy.
She walked closer, a radiant smile gracing her lips.
“Killian, these paintings are absolutely beautiful!”
Killian walked up beside her, his gaze resting on the artwork.
“The painter has truly performed a remarkable miracle.”
Meanwhile, miles away across the mist-shrouded capital, a completely terrifying and chaotic crisis was reaching its absolute boiling point.
Deep within the subterranean ritual chamber of the Imperial Palace, the air was thick with a suffocating, volatile dark magic.
The towering obsidian crystal was vibrating violently, and deep, jagged fractures were shattering across its surface with a deafening sound.
The blood-red light at its core pulsed frantically, casting horrific shadows against the stone walls.
The head dark wizard turned toward the royal dais, his face completely translucent with pure terror as sweat poured down his brow.
“M-My Lady!
If this ancient beast awakens and emerges directly within this chamber, its destructive power will completely obliterate the entire Imperial Palace!”
Hearing this, the Empress’s elegant expression completely shattered into a frantic, raging mask.
She pointed her fan toward the exit, screaming at the top of her lungs over the howling winds of magic.
“Insolent fools!
Hurry and transport this crystal directly into the deep woods!
Place it in the jungle where the Rosenberg mansion is within close proximity!”
The head dark wizard turned toward the other sorcerers, shouting frantically in pure panic, “Quickly!
Lift the crystal with your levitation magic and move outside immediately!
Hurry!”
The dark wizards unleashed their forbidden spells, carefully hovering the cracking obsidian crystal into the air.
Moving with frantic haste, they managed to carry the trembling artifact out of the palace depths and deep into the dense, dark jungle surrounding the Rosenberg territory.
The moment they set the artifact down onto the damp earth of the jungle, the obsidian crystal completely shattered into a million pieces with a colossal explosion.
CRASH!
Out from the exploding debris emerged a massive, terrifying creature—a colossal, winged Gargoyle demon.
The beast unleashed a piercing, blood-curdling screech that shook the very trees of the forest, its dark wings expanding as its glowing red eyes locked onto the distant lights of the Rosenberg duchy.
At that exact same moment, the atmosphere inside the grand dining hall of the Rosenberg mansion was remarkably quiet and peaceful.
Killian and Evelyn were sitting elegantly at the obsidian table, quietly enjoying their dinner in absolute tranquility.
But without a single second of warning, a sudden, massive vibration violently struck the entire fortress.
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
The massive stone walls of the mansion began to violently shake and tremble as the heavy, terrifying footsteps of a colossal beast echoed from the distance.
The violent tremors ripped through the dining hall; porcelain plates slid across the wood, and fine crystal glasses tumbled over, shattering against the table as the rich liquid spilled everywhere.
Panic and intense dread seized Evelyn’s chest instantly.
She clutched the edges of the vibrating table, her amethyst eyes wide with pure horror as she looked at the silver-haired Duke.
“K-Killian…
what on earth is happening?!
Why is the ground shaking so violently?!”
Killian’s stoic posture vanished.
He stood up from his chair in a swift, powerful motion, his towering frame casting a dark shadow.
His jaw clenched with a freezing, lethal intensity as he muttered silently within the privacy of his thoughts, ‘They have finally arrived.’
He turned his piercing gaze toward his head butler, his voice booming through the chaotic room with absolute command.
“Sebastian!
Move immediately!
Take Evelyn to the underground safe vault this instant!”
Evelyn scrambled to her feet, her voice trembling with frantic worry as she reached out to grab his sleeve.
“Why?!
Killian, where on earth are you going?!”
Killian slowly turned his head to look down at her.
The moment his gaze locked onto hers, a brilliant, terrifying blue aura erupted violently from his body, and his midnight-blue eyes turned completely glowing blue, radiating the deadly power of the Monster Duke.
His deep, gravelly voice echoed through the shaking hall with absolute chill.
”To meet a guest.”