The Kind of Evil

Rasmus looked at himself in the mirror, wearing a nomad prince's garb made of silk. His tanned skin and appearance made him look like a prince from East Neva. He then glanced at Aris's reflection in the mirror, wearing her tailored dark-green jumpsuit made of silk. She loved that attire ever since she saw Anastasha wear it. He glanced at the other side of the mirror, looking at Rullein wearing a satin dark-blue cocktail dress, revealing more of her skin.

"This is a dress?" Rullein asked as she looked at her long pale legs, showing a glimpse of her thigh from the long slit in the skirt. "Hmm, it feels uncomfortable, but... I like it..." she muttered as she stared at her reflection in the mirror.

Rasmus used his knowledge of dress codes back on Earth, where he used to be surrounded by filthy rich people. Although he didn't know much about dresses, he had seen them long enough to know the type of dress and how they were tailored. The dress that Aris and Rullein wore, they were the result of Rasmus's knowledge. Thankfully, Rullein could reshape her body more flexibly, and matched with Aris's body since the dress she wore belonged to Aris.

"Don't you tear that dress," Aris said as she stared at Rullein.

"Why? Why do you care so much about it?" Rullein crossed her arms with a smug and mischievous smirk. "You can ask Rasmus to make another one for you," she chuckled.

"They're mine, specifically made for me. You're borrowing what's mine, so wear and treat it with care," Aris answered, her cold gaze pierced through Rullein's eyes.

"Say please then," Rullein's smirk widened.

"Are we ready to leave?" Rasmus asked, defusing the tension as he turned around to look at them. "The carriage will be here soon, so make sure that both of you look presentable," he added, staring at both of them from top to bottom.

Aris and Rullein looked down at their feet and then looked at each other's dress. They then looked at Rasmus with their brows raised, staring at him, questioning his words.

"Presentable? We are not presentable in our dresses?" Aris asked.

"Women in this world, they dominate the battle not using their fists, strength, how they're good at wielding a weapon," Rasmus said as he looked at both of them, stunningly beautiful even without a proper make-up. "It's how they represent themselves, the confidence in their walks, their gaze, and how they use their words to dominate both men and women. Just like Anastasha," he explained and then looked at Aris.

Aris gave it a thought, trying to remember how Anastasha spoke and behaved. She remembered how confident Anastasha was, and how Anastasha didn't falter even in her presence the first time she met her. She tried to relive the memories of Anastasha and tried to be like her.

"Who's Anastasha?" Rullein arched her brows, looking at both of them with a confused look.

"Can you read a portion of my memories if I allow you to?" Rasmus asked. He knew that Rullein was capable of reading and projecting people's memories, a power that only Dark Spirit could do, only a being like her that could bend nature's laws.

"Yes, I can," Rullein answered reaching her hand toward Rasmus.

Rullein was so eager to read Rasmus' whole memories, but it was impossible if Rasmus didn't allow her to. If she tried to breach it, she would be devoured by the Dragon's Blood because she could be said to have been born from it as well, and she was powerless in the presence of a True Dragon that produced her.

Rasmus placed his hand on Rullein's cold hand, and relived the memories he had with Anastasha. While he was busy projecting the memories onto Rullein, Rullein reached her hand toward Aris. She raised her brows, wondering if Aris wanted to also see the memories of him with Anastasha. Aris reached out her hand and held Rullein's hand, beginning to see the vivid memories of Rasmus with Anastasha's encounters.

"Hmm, what a lovely woman... I like her..." Rullein pulled her hands away from Rasmus's and Aris's. "I think we need something, don't we?" She glanced at Aris with her brows raised.

"Yes, folding fans..." Aris answered, nodding in agreement.

Rasmus didn't have any in the spatial ring since he or Aris ever needed it. He thought it was a good item to have, especially for both of them to make them look like high-ranking nobles. He then nodded with understanding and went downstairs, to ask Ayla to buy them with his money.

Ayla came back in less than five minutes with two high-quality folding fans. Aris and Rullein were happy to have the folding fan in their hands and began to act like Anastasha.

"We good to go?" Rasmus asked as he fixed the cloth that was hanging around his left arm.

"Yes, let's take the spotlight," Rullein smirked as she unfolded the fan, covering her lower face, her gaze was sharp and mischievous.

The three of them walked into the carriage, and they saw the Jester already inside. The Jester didn't wear his usual Jester make-up, finally revealing how he looked like. The Jester looked like he was in his mid 40s, his slick black hair and bright brown eyes. He looked like a normal man, and nobody would know that he was the Jester that had been haunting the capital city with his madness.

Rasmus sat beside the Jester while Aris and Rullein were across from him, still with the unfolded fans that covered their lower faces. Ayla was standing beside the coachmen, acting like their personal maid while the coachman Braine, the second most skilled Black Hand in combat.

They departed for the palace where the ceremony was held. People all over the town were enjoying the festival, drinking and feasting in the morning. Everyone wrapped their arms around each other, celebrating the day of the princess becoming an adult. It was so lively, especially with many bards all over the city, singing and reciting the poems they made for such a lovely day and for the Princess's coming-of-age.

"So lively..." Rullein looked out the window at the people, laughing and shouting without a single care about the world. "I wonder what they'll look like once this is over..." She giggled mischievously, her pupils shrunk like a cat.

The Jester noticed Rullein's eyes and it gave him shivers because it was something inhuman. However, when he turned around to look at Rasmus, another wave of shivers hit him. Rasmus knew that he knew, and Rasmus stared coldly at the Jester as he put his index finger on the lips, telling the Jester to keep it a secret. At that moment, the Jester realized, something wasn't right, and everything that he found suspicious about Rasmus, began to scream at him, telling him to be careful or even to run away.

The journey felt long for the Jester while for Rasmus, it was fast when they had finally reached the gate to the palace. They were waiting in line because there were hundreds of carriages in front of them. Every carriage was being checked by the royal knights from inside-out, not leaving a single dust unnoticed.

"Wow, how many people that are being invited?" Rullein asked, tilting her head to look at the long line in front of her, trying to count the carriages at the front.

"Around five hundreds guests," Rasmus answered as he fixed his attire.

"Five hundreds..." Rullein licked her lips before she bit her lower lip, her pupils shrunk once again, excited for the main event.

The Joker was oddly quiet, realizing he wasn't the madman or the one who preyed on people. He was placed in a carriage filled with people or even unknown beings that wanted nothing but bloodshed. He heard about the rumors that went around about Aris and Rullein, who withstood the Night Stalkers, and somehow he didn't believe the gossip when people said those two lost against them. He knew that Rasmus, Aris, and Rullein were hiding their true power until the time was right, to be confined in a place where other weak predators were until they finally devoured them all.

Slowly but surely, their carriage finally reached the gate and five royal knights on their horses surrounded the carriage. A royal knight stood at the door and Rasmus opened the door for him. When the royal knight saw them, he felt the intensity in the carriage, the atmosphere was thick with pressure that immediately felt heavy on his shoulder.

"Here are the invitation letters," Rasmus offered the four letters to the royal knight.

The royal knight already knew who those three were, especially with their appearance that didn't look like from Central Neva. He wanted to tell them to get off, but he hesitated, however, Rasmus understood and stood up from his seat. The royal knight moved aside as all of them walked out of the carriage.

"Thank you, Lord Vije, Lady Sira, Lady Lurein, and..." The royal knight paused, not knowing who the fourth person was as a royal knight entered the carriage to do the checking.

"He's with us," Rasmus said calmly. "An important person," he stared at the royal knight with a cold gaze.

The royal knight gulped as he nodded with understanding. He then saw his friend coming out of the carriage and gave him a nod, signaling to him the carriage was safe and clear.

"Thank you for your patient, you may walk back inside and enter the palace area, Lord Vije," the royal knight pointed his hand at the carriage as he moved aside.

Rasmus gave a gentle smile as he let Aris and Rullein enter the carriage first, going into the palace area without a problem.