I became a legion lich

88 Wounded ego

Kastil was true to his word, visiting Selena the day after her fiancé was taken. A stagecoach escorted by over 100 royal guards, the army responsible for guarding the sprout, stopped in front of the tree where Selena’s father lived. The chariot was made of the finest quality wood that could be found within the sea of trees, its intricately carved surface depicting the sprout of Yggdrasil and elves kneeling to it.

4 pairs of unicorns were pulling the carriage smoothly, or more accurately, they were just strolling around. The carriage was enchanted and could move by itself, the unicorns were for show only. the moment the carriage stopped in front of the tree, a carpet of red flowers began to grow from the edge of the carriage to the entrance of the tree, where Selena’s father was waiting for him, along with all the staff on their knees.

The royal guards surrounded the tree before turning, releasing an aura so strong it chilled Selena’s father, despite him being a former general. He made a rough measurement and each of the guards was at least at the 13th layer of life, a height most warriors and mages the world over could only dream of reaching.

The carriage door opened and Kastil descended slowly, savoring every shocked look she received. He walked pompously across the carpet of flowers, his back straight and nose raised, an aura of majesty that would naturally make others kneel around him.

“It is an honor to welcome you to my home, your majesty.” Selena’s father said kneeling, looking down at his feet, not daring to lift his head.

“It’s definitely an honor for you to be in my presence, but I didn’t come here just to state the obvious. I heard about Selena’s condition and I even came to heal her, so lead the way.” Kastil wasted no time and ordered to be guided to Selena. Selena’s father didn’t miss the clingy tone that Kastil spoke Selena’s name, but just nodded and guided him to her room.

He didn’t know that Kastil was proficient at treating minds, so it never crossed his mind to ask the sprout for help. In their eyes, he was just an arrogant bastard with immense power, but who only used it for his own pleasure. He suspected that Kastil had some interest in Selena, but he never imagined that he was to blame for everything.

“It must be difficult for you, isn’t it? Having to return to the position of duke after having already retired and still having to take care of your daughter in such a state.” Kastil spoke suddenly, as they climbed the stairs to the top of the tree. Selena’s room was in the treetops, because her father thought that fresh air and having a view of the entire city would help her even a little.

“Going back to work isn’t a big deal, I was almost dying of boredom after retiring anyway. What worries me is my daughter’s current state. Knowing that that bastard I welcomed home as a member of the family was able to hurt her, i should have killed him the moment he walked through that door.” Selena’s father spoke, clenching his fists so tightly his knuckles turned white.

.....

‘You definitely should have killed him.’ Kastil thought.

“We can’t go back to the past, so it’s no use dwelling on past mistakes. Let’s focus on healing Selena for now.” he really said.

“We’re here. It may seem impolite, but I ask you to wait here for a moment. She tends to get aggressive once the effects of the meds wear off.” Selena’s father bowed his head for a second before entering the room.

‘Stop wasting my time and let me take what’s mine soon.’ Kastil thought irritably, but only nodded. He intended to maintain the appearance of a benevolent person, at least as long as someone was around.

Selena’s father entered the room and after confirming that she was drugged, spoke quietly for him to enter. Selena was sitting on a chair, looking vaguely at the landscape through a gap between the branches. Her eyes were unfocused and she made a few sounds now and then, but nothing coherent. She was wearing a loose yellow dress and was barefoot.

“Daughter, you have a visitor. Her Majesty has come here to treat you.” His father stroked his hair as he spoke slowly. Selena stopped making any sound at this point, her eyes getting a little more focused.

“Well, let me see the extent of the problem.” Kastil placed his hand on her forehead, releasing a glow that spread across Selena’s head. The glow was just a gimmick to entertain the audience and cover up the temporary mental bond and allow them to communicate without others noticing.

‘Good morning, darling. Have you made your decision?’ Kastil asked mentally, her sickening voice sending shivers through Selena’s mind, but she didn’t let it show.

‘I’ll go with you. But I want to make sure you don’t go back on your word.’ Despite her horrible situation, Selena was still thinking about her fiancé.

‘Do you think you are in a position to demand something? If you don’t do as I say, I’ll make sure your family and all those close to you have a miserable life.’ Kastil said irritably, not liking Selena’s sass.

‘If you do, I’ll just kill myself and you’ll never have me. Detonating my core and dying an agonizing death is still better than the hell that awaits me if I go with you.’ Selena responded without giving in.

‘...Tsk. What you want?’ Kastil decided to give in here and listen to her. He would have all the time in the world to discipline her when she was his.

“How is she your majesty?” Selena’s father asked, feeling anxious at the delay.

“The mind is a difficult thing to manipulate. I can’t force my way with brute force, or I risk crushing her mind irreversibly. Selena has hidden in the deepest parts of her mind, so I’ll take some time to get her healed.” Kastil spoke the lie he had prepared beforehand.

‘The discomfort has already subsided. And then what do you want?’ Kastil thought, chuckling inwardly at the sight of Selena’s father nodding like a dog with a cookie in its nose.

‘I want you to let me visit my fiance-‘ Selena tried to impose her conditions, but Kastil cut her off.

‘Denied. You will never meet him again.’ Kastil’s voice grew incomparably cold as he said this.

‘Then release him out of the sea of trees-‘

‘Denied again. He had some influence in the army and I will not allow him to run away and share information about our internal logistics.’ Kastil said, making a logical excuse for once.

Selena wanted to scream in frustration, but she held back.’ At least...at least give him a painless death.’

‘That I can promise. I don’t give a damn what happens to him as long as I have you to myself. I will finish the treatment now, follow my script.’ Kastil agreed to her conditions before explaining the little theater they would have to do.

He closed his eyes and for the next 15 minutes pretended to be in deep concentration. When he finished and opened his eyes, Selena’s gaze was focused again. She struggled to her feet, pretending to be confused. Selema stumbled forward, but Kastil quickly caught her.

“You’re fine now, you don’t have to worry about anything else.” Kastil gave a charming smile, but Selena felt only revulsion at the sight of him. She swallowed the retching she felt just by touching him and flowed mana through her nerves to calm them and stop the shaking.

“Thank you, your majesty.” She bowed so the others wouldn’t see her expression as she thanked them, tears of sadness streaming down her eyes, but to the others it just looked like she was emotional.

“Selena! Glad you’re better! Tell me, what happened to you?” Her father hugged her with emotion, before taking her face in his hands and asking seriously.

“I don’t...don’t want to talk about it right now, Dad.” Selena spoke while biting her lower lip, but for different reasons than her father imagines.

“Don’t worry my daughter, that man will never come near you again.” Her father looked at her with pity, but decided not to delve further into the matter.

“Yes, he’s right, Selena. He’s going to be stuck in the roots of the damned, it’s impossible for him to hurt her now.” Kastil said in a gentle tone, making Selena want to rip the avatar to shreds.

“Well, my work here is done.” Kastil said and turned to leave, but Selena grabbed his arm and stopped him from leaving.

She took a few deep breaths to calm herself and said the lines Kastil forced her to speak: “I cannot allow your majesty to leave without rewarding you in some way. Is there anything I can do?” Selena pleaded.

“Having the gratitude of such a beautiful young woman is more than enough.” Kastil spoke in a seductive tone, lifting Selena’s chin and forcing her to look him in the eye. He almost couldn’t hold back a laugh as he saw the barely contained anger in her eyes.

He intended to force her to run after him like he did, returning all the humiliation and embarrassment he’d gone through. He didn’t give a damn what happened to Selena, but he couldn’t leave her alone until he healed his bruised ego.