Standing in front of Shirley was a crimson-robed woman. She looked beautiful, but there wasn't much emotion on her face. She wore the dress she wore when she first appeared, buttered up and ready to be served like the sacrifice she was on that day sent to the Emperor of Death as a sacrifice.
It was none other than Zestria Domitian.
"What are you doing here?" Davis narrowed his eyes, "Actually, who sent you here?"
He knew that she was not brave enough to step inside, not to mention Evelynn was guarding outside, making him feel assured that no one would manage to enter without her permission. Besides, Evelynn's Sealing Hex was still on Zestria Domitian and Bylai Zlatan, so it is impossible for her to not notice Zestria Domitian's entry.
On the other hand, feeling his heavy voice weigh on her soul, Zestria Domitian bit her lips lightly as her expression trembled and appeared as if she was about to cry.
"I told her to come~"
Shirley suddenly spoke, causing Davis's eyes to become wide. He looked utterly confused before his eyes narrowed.
"What is the meaning of this?"
Shirley reached out her hand and captured Zestria Domitian's wrist before she took a step forward and walked inside as the door closed in upon itself.
"Meaning? It is what it is."
Shirley spoke with composure as she drove Zestria Domitian to the front, causing her to jog a few steps before her knees went weak from his terrifying gaze as she collapsed and knelt a few meters before him.
Davis stared at her with hellish intensity, causing her to lower her head. Only then did his eyes relax before he raised his hand and rubbed his forehead.
"Shirley, to tell the truth, I pity her."
He sent her a soul transmission.
"Davis, you look at her and pity her differently because you are a man."
Shirley walked towards him and sat beside him, looking at Zestria Domitian, who was still on her knees before them.
"I understand why and am not telling it is wrong. But to us, even though we pity her, she is nothing but a woman who carries the sins of her family-"
"Forced to…" Davis interjected, but Shirley held his shoulder.
"Be that as it may, she still carries the burden of her Zlatan Family's wrongdoing. Would you feel the same pity for a man who is carrying his family's burden? No, you would unhesitatingly kill the man because he's a future threat."
"…"
Davis could only stay silent as he couldn't find a rebuttal to that sentence before Shirley's lips curved.
"It's fine if you don't want to sleep with her. However, if she isn't going to redeem her family's mistakes, then who is? Are you going to let the Domitian Family go scot-free?"
"But this isn't the way…" Davis pressed hesitatingly.
"You're too kind."
Shirley couldn't help but shake her head as she recalled the time where he cured her of the aphrodisiac instead of taking advantage of her. Not all men would be able to replicate that action that it could almost be said to be foolishness in the cultivation world.
'However, that is why I…'
Shirley grabbed his chin and made him look at her.
"Either you should sleep with her or kill her. Otherwise, there's no reason to keep her with us as we can't harbor a person who might secretly hold a grudge against us."
"…"
Davis's eyes shook as she gazed at the solemn glint in her eyes. She was not teasing nor kidding but completely serious that it made his mind tremble. However, his trembling eyes became calm before he nodded.
"Fine."
Davis's clear voice resounded in Shirley's mind, causing her eyes to narrow at him as she saw him turn his head.
"Zestria Domitian. I relieve you of your slave status. You can go back to your home,"
"…!?"
Davis uttered as he looked at Zestria Domitian while Shirley's eyes widened. The kneeling Zestria Domitian also shook before she raised her head and looked at the Emperor of Death, her thought process refusing to move.
"W-What?"
Zestria Domitian couldn't help but finally utter as she came to the realization that she was being released.
What was going on here? She couldn't understand when the Emperor of Death nodded his head.
"Yes, you can go back to your Domitian Family. However, you'll have to sign a Blood Soul Contract that disallows you to speak of any information that you learned here in addition to being cast a soul chain of secrecy."
The soul chain of secrecy was the same thing that bound his mother from revealing anything about the Fifty-Two Territories, except it would be more powerful when he cast it as his prowess was much higher, not to mention he had Soul Palace's soul chain techniques.
Unlike the Blood Soul Contract, it could be eradicated as long as the cultivator was more powerful than the user, but Davis believed that Zestria Domitian would not surpass his current strength, and even if she did in the future, the information she learned here would become useless by that time.
Nevertheless, hearing him give her an easy way out, Zestria Domitian was dumbfounded.
"You…" Shirley's expression trembled as she sent him a soul transmission, "You're going against Isabella's wishes."
"This is not Isabella's wish." Davis shook his head as he turned to look at Shirley, "She just wants to see them suffer but not die. How can I make Zestria Domitian suffer if I make her my woman? You know I'm not such a person, so do you understand the fallacy in what you're all asking me to do!?"
"Huh? Who told you to make her your woman?"
"She hadn't personally done anything against us, so it not possible for me to hold a grudge against her. Besides, it is ridiculous for me to think that I can sleep with a pity-inducing woman and remain impervious to her plight."
'You think we don't know that?'
Shirley almost rolled her eyes, but a faint smile appeared on her face.
"Then embrace and make love with her already…"
"Huh?"
Davis became utterly confused by Shirley, who genuinely smiled at him, giving him the illusion that it was a dream.
'If you think Isabella's wish is to make them suffer at the cost of your sanity, you're dead wrong, silly~ She merely wanted to gift you with the women she approves of and perhaps, gain more favor from you when you start loving them.'
Shirley inwardly thought as she couldn't help but recall the talks she had with Evelynn and Isabella this week, and even this morning, of how Isabella had given many hints and recommended the two Dragon Queens to him, but he refused to take them. That was when Shirley knew that he was faithful to his own feelings of strictly being intimate with the women he loves instead of using it to purely satisfy his vanity and male ego like most men, and so today, she felt sad that she couldn't satisfy him on the bed while she was already satisfied with having his baby in her womb.
Shirley thought it was wrong to bring another woman her but also felt that it was wrong and improper if he didn't embrace a woman on one of his rare weddings, which many women were envious of, so in her stead, she simply thought of replacing Zestria Domitian, wondering if he would really take her, but seeing him remain this adamant enough to let her go scot-free, she finally said it as she made up her mind.
After all, she was keen enough to know of Zestria Domitian's character after enslaving her and keeping her by her side as a slave. It wasn't much different from the time she assessed Esvele to be a friend or foe; only this time, she enslaved the other party in order to protect the baby inside her womb from her just in case.
Even if she wanted an illustrious character as a maid for a short period of time, she felt that it was best to keep that character under her control while investigating whether if she was fit for Davis or not, as Isabella recommended.
"Your eminence, there's no need to feel pity for me."
Zestria Domitian kneeled and lowered her head to the ground at this moment, her melodious voice attracting their attention as they both turned to look at her. She had no idea what they spoke with each other, nor did she think much as she summoned her courage and raised her head.
"I am nothing but a slave, sent by my own family to satisfy your needs so that no harm will befall them. My pride… shattered in front of you when I kneeled and grabbed your legs like a miserable woman."
Her words caused Davis to narrow his eyes.
"Even… even if you let me go, I have no face to return, neither do I want to return to the family who sacrificed me. If at all you want to send me back, all that awaits me is a miserable fate of being reduced to a plaything and a bloodline vessel."
"…"
Zestria Domitian waited for the Emperor of Death's answer, but looking at him still appear hesitant, she bit her lips and spoke.
"If I had to choose this moment, I'd rather continue being your eminence's slave than return to my family. At the very least, give me the last bit of face and let me fulfill the responsibility that was forced on me and my promise to you."
"…"
Davis felt bad hearing her words, but he couldn't help but blink.
"What promise?"
"…!"
Zestria Domitian's expression became crimson as she looked away.
"That day, in exchange for not trading me with the Scarlet Tyrant Hawk Abode, I swore I'm willing to become yours."
Davis's expression wavered. He really didn't take that promise into account as it was something made under duress. However, if she insisted on him out of her own will even after he told her to go back home…
'Not good…'
Davis could feel his desire rising, especially as he hadn't done it the past week since he wanted to give Shirley the same treatment even if he was not going to embrace her.
At this moment, Shirley stood up and placed a gentle kiss on Davis's cheek, causing him to look at her beautiful face.
"Believe in Isabella and me, okay?"
Davis could only absentmindedly nod before he saw her walk away, opening the door before he saw the figure of another person who slyly smiled at him.
'Evelynn…'
Davis became dumbfounded to see Evelynn was on this nor stop him. He could only see the both of them nod before the door closed on him.
