The next morning, Elias signed the three marriage certificates in the presence of Palensia Crimson.
There was no grand ceremony, no celebration, and certainly no wedding feast. The entire process was almost absurdly simple. Three contracts were placed before him, and he signed each one. Just like that, Elias Crimson officially became the husband of three women who were once admired throughout the kingdom.
Once the contracts had been finalized, Palensia informed him that his new residence had already been prepared and that he would be moving there in a few days.
Elias had expected those days to pass peacefully.
Unfortunately, they didn’t.
The number of spatial rifts appearing throughout the kingdom suddenly increased, and their difficulty rose sharply at the same time. What had previously been isolated incidents became a growing crisis, forcing the kingdom’s strongest forces to mobilize.
Palensia, who was responsible for much of the Crimson Ducal household’s internal affairs, was consequently dragged into the chaos.
Before Elias could leave, she was ordered by the Duke to depart from the main estate and oversee several matters concerning the rifts.
As a result, she couldn’t personally see him off.
The eldest son of the Duke was appointed interim patriarch in her absence.
Elias couldn’t help but feel that the timing was strange. Still, there was nothing he could do about it.
Five days later, Elias stood before the carriage that would take him to his new home.
He looked back at the enormous Crimson Ducal Estate one final time before climbing inside.
The journey wasn’t particularly long.
By the time the sun had risen high into the morning sky, the carriage arrived at its destination.
Elias stepped down and looked at the manor before him.
It wasn’t nearly as grand as the main Crimson residence, but it was still an impressive estate.
A large stone wall surrounded the property, while an iron gate stood at the entrance. Beyond it was a spacious courtyard, several buildings, and the main manor itself.
Elias’s gaze shifted toward the people waiting at the gate.
Three servants stood there.
One man and two young women.
All three were dressed neatly, but their expressions were strangely tense.
They were whispering among themselves, their voices low enough that Elias couldn’t make out what they were saying.
The moment they noticed him, however, they immediately stopped.
The three servants hurriedly straightened their clothes before bowing.
"Welcome, my lord."
Elias raised an eyebrow.
Only three servants?
He had been told that his new estate would have enough staff to take care of him and his wives, yet only three people had come to greet him.
His gaze moved past them, and he saw the woman standing slightly apart from the servants — Natasha Sephila.
She was standing perfectly still, her jet-black hair falling freely around her shoulders. Her complexion was a rich chocolate brown, while her ghost-like, golden eyes stared silently ahead.
Burn marks covered large portions of her body, scars left behind by the ritual that had destroyed her spiritual veins.
Elias had seen illustrations of Natasha before, but they had failed to capture the reality of her condition.
She looked nothing like the radiant Divine Flower. There was no Saintess’s aura around her. Her expression had no pride.
She simply stood there in silence.
Almost as though she were waiting for something she didn’t understand.
Elias frowned.
Where were the other two?
Before he could ask, the male servant stepped forward.
He appeared to be in his forties, with neatly combed black hair and a composed expression that seemed slightly forced.
"My lord, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Benjamin. I have been appointed as your butler."
He gestured toward the two maids.
"These two are the maids assigned to the estate."
The two women bowed again.
Elias nodded.
"Where are my other wives?"
Benjamin hesitated and said, "They are inside, my lord."
Elias glanced toward the manor.
"Then let’s go in."
He stepped through the gate and walked toward the entrance.
The servants hurried after him.
Elias reached the enormous wooden doors and pushed one open.
The door creaked as it swung inward.
He took a few steps inside before suddenly realizing that he was alone.
Elias turned around.
"Why is she just standing there?" He whispered to himself.
Natasha was still standing exactly where she had been at the gate.
He furrowed his brows.
"What’s wrong?"
Benjamin immediately moved closer and leaned toward Elias and called out in a lowered voice.
"My lord..."
"Hm?"
"Lady Natasha is mute and deaf."
"Ah..."
He suddenly remembered.
Of course.
The ritual hadn’t merely destroyed Natasha’s spiritual veins. It had left her unable to speak or hear.
Elias facepalmed and looked at her again.
He was far too nervous.
She was staring into the distance, completely unaware of the conversation taking place around her.
He sighed and walked back to her.
When he reached Natasha, Elias extended his hand toward her and pointed toward the manor.
She looked at his hand, then she shifted her gaze to his face.
Elias waited, and Natasha simply continued staring at him.
He slowly lowered his hand.
Right.
She couldn’t hear him, and apparently, simply pointing wasn’t enough either.
Elias turned toward the two maids.
"Get me a quill and some paper."
The maids immediately nodded and hurried inside.
"Yes, my lord."
A short while later, they returned carrying a sheet of paper and a quill.
Elias took them and quickly wrote a message.
I am Elias Crimson. Your husband. Let’s go to our house.
He held the paper out toward Natasha.
She stared at the words, her golden eyes slowly moved across the page, and after reading it, she looked up at Elias.
Then she turned around and walked into the manor.
"Finally," he mumbled and glanced at Benjamin. "Let’s go."
The servants followed them inside.
Once everyone had entered, Elias looked toward the two maids.
"Take Lady Natasha to the table and prepare breakfast."
The maids nodded and looked at Natasha with a troubled expression, wondering what to do.
"Now, where are the other two?" He asked.
Benjamin smiled and said, "I’ll take you to them, my lord."
Elias nodded, and they walked through the manor.
The interior was far more spacious than Elias had expected, with long corridors, polished floors, expensive furniture, and several rooms prepared for the residents.
Eventually, they stopped before a wooden door.
"Lady Monica’s room."
Elias opened the door, and the first thing he noticed was the bed.
It was unlike any ordinary bed.
Faint blue arcane runes covered its surface, glowing softly beneath Monica’s body. Several magical formations had been engraved into the surrounding frame, and a faint layer of blue light seemed to circulate through the mattress.
Monica Ragnar was lying motionless at the center.
She looked around twenty years old, with short, bright-blue hair and eyes and a lean, somewhat tomboyish figure.
She had a pale, ghost-like complexion with dark, shadowy spots covering portions of her skin. That was the poison.
Elias remembered what he had been told.
Everything within five steps of Monica could be affected by it. Yet here she was, lying quietly in the room as though she were simply taking an afternoon nap.
Elias didn’t approach her.
He merely stood there for several minutes, studying his second wife.
"So this is the Death Flower..."
The title sounded terrifying, though the woman herself looked strangely peaceful.
After a while, Elias turned away.
"Let’s see the last one."
Benjamin’s expression immediately became tense.
Elias noticed but didn’t ask anything.
They walked deeper into the manor and eventually stopped before a wooden door.
Elias frowned upon seeing the lock on it.
"Why is her room locked?"
Benjamin swallowed. "I..."
He hurriedly took out a key. "I’ll open it, my lord."
The lock clicked, and Benjamin immediately stepped backward.
Elias glanced at him.
"Why are you acting like this?"
Benjamin smiled awkwardly.
"No reason."
He gave a nervous laugh.
"Haha..."
Elias stared at him.
Something was definitely wrong.
Before he could ask again, Benjamin pushed the door open.
The room beyond was dim.
Elias stepped forward and stopped.
A woman was sitting inside.
She looked considerably older than the other two.
Perhaps somewhere in her thirties.
Her crimson hair had been cut into a wild wolf cut, framing an ivory face that would have been beautiful even without the madness reflected in her crimson eyes.
Her body was trained and curvy, carrying the unmistakable physique of someone who had once spent years honing herself as a warrior.
For several seconds, the woman simply looked at him.
Elias felt a strange chill crawl down his spine.
This was Stella Crimson.
The Killer Flower.
The sole survivor of the Bloodfang Clan.
The woman who had lost everything and had gone insane.
Yet the expression on her face wasn’t murderous.
Instead, she looked strangely innocent.
Stella tilted her head, then she raised one finger to her lips and began biting the tip of it like a curious child.
Finally, she spoke.
"Are you..."
She tilted her head further.
"...my husband?"