The Villainess's Secret Bedroom Service
Chapter 165: The Last Wish

Chapter 165: The Last Wish

The dining hall echoed with another wave of bewildered gasps as Amarath, the demonic judge well-known amongst every single dweller of the underworld, stepped inside the room, his long, silk robe flowing with every step he took, shimmering under the dimmed candlelight with dozens of embers that surrounded his entire body as if it was on fire.

Asmodeus’s handsome face darkened as the arrival of an unexpected guest clearly ruined his fun. Struggling to maintain his composure, his black eyebrows twitched as if they were tugged by invisible strings, while his trembling lips curled into a fake smile as he said,

"Welcome to my gathering, Amarath. How can I help you this wonderful night? Would you like to join our festivities?"

Amarath slowly looked around, seemingly assessing every single being present in the dining hall, then pulled his hands from inside the flowing sleeves of his robe and snapped his fingers, instantly turning the room empty with only him, Asmodeus, Rosalie, and Damien left.

He then offered the demon the same insincere grin and finally spoke again,

"Now, this is much better. We do not need a jury for this case."

Asmodeus furrowed his eyebrows again, an unreasonable sense of anger relieved him of his nervousness, flaring up a new surge of confidence and courage inside him. He walked out from behind the table, meeting the demonic judge halfway on the red carpet, and continued in a colder, more relaxed tone,

"I do not see how this falls under your authority. You sent Lady Rosalie here because you knew that she would have to agree to my terms in order to have her wish granted. No rule of the demonic contract was broken by me and you know it, Amarath."

The man released a long, tired sigh and fixed his piercing eyes on Rosalie who was still quietly sitting at the dining table, her beautiful face now succumbing to the scarring shadows of enormous grief.

"Lady Rosalie should have been the only one present here. Neither the duke nor the other man were involved in her deal with you, Asmodeus. You have broken the rules of negotiation, therefore, your contract is now invalid."

"What?!"

The demon rounded his black eyes at the judge while Rosalie finally jumped to her feet as if stricken by a lightning bolt. Amarath nodded,

"I had enough of your antics, Asmodeus. The law of the contractual binding is simple, yet you always find ways to twist it to your liking, tainting the mere nature of such deals. We give our powers to those who need them while feeding on their lives, it’s as simple as that. You were given the authority to renegotiate but you have no right to mock human lives and use them as mere entertainment."

The demonic judge waved his hand at Rosalie, ordering her to approach him as well.

Grinding her teeth from the already-forgotten pain of the torturous attire, the woman slowly walked up to him, still somewhat scared to look at Damien whose golden eyes, on the other hand, were glued to her, watching her every move, observing every twitch of every single one of her muscles.

At last, as she made her last step, positioning her exhausted body before the judge, Amarath snapped his long fingers one more time, relieving the duchess of every single article of her monstrous clothes.

The dress, the metal frame that was holding it, the stabbing shoes, the piercing jewelry, and finally, the crown – everything shattered into thousands of tiny golden pieces that sparkled under the dimmed lights for a mere second before completely disappearing.

The unexpected lightness of her own body made Rosalie lose her balance but before she could succumb to the relentless forces of gravity, Damien rushed toward her, skillfully catching her falling body into his strong arms.

"Rosalie? Are you alright?"

"I’m sorry, Damien. I had no idea you would have to do this..."

Rosalie felt her body melt into her husband’s arms, the absence of pain seemed more intolerable than the agony she felt before.

Damien ripped off the long red mantle of his armor and carefully wrapped it around his wife, cradling her tenderly in his embrace, scared to inflict even more pain on her suffering body.

Bowing his head down to her, he whispered,

"You have nothing to apologize for, Rosalie. I promise you have nothing to apologize for."

"Please hold off the sentiments for now."

Amarath’s cold voice bounced off the walls of the dining hall, forcing them to direct their attention back to them. The judge continued,

"Asmodeus, you know what to do. Proceed to break the blood bond."

Clenching his fists in annoyance and frustration, Asmodeus had no choice but to admit his defeat and obey the order of the demonic judge.

Standing before the duke and his wife, he offered Rosalie his open palm and grumbled,

"Your hand, My Lady. The one you used to make the summoning."

Rosalie hesitated. She shifted her deep gray eyes to Amarath who in turn reassured her with a brief nod, indicating that she, too, needed to follow the procedure.

Reluctant, the duchess put the open palm of her right hand on Asmodeus’s. The demon touched her skin with the long nail of his index finger and cut through it with one swift, painful motion, pausing for a second to watch the dark red blood seeping through the wound.

Then, he did the same to his own hand and pressed it against Rosalie’s, engaging the two of them in a right handshake as he concluded,

"The bond that starts with blood, ends with blood. Rosalie Ashter, you are no longer in debt before me. Your soul is free."

Once Asmodeus uttered the last word, the dining hall was momentarily drowned in a blinding red light and when it slowly disappeared, the demon was nowhere to be found.

"He’s gone... It is over..."

Rosalie whispered quietly, lowering her gaze to examine the wound on her right hand.

’This story began with this wound and now... I guess it will end with it too.’

"Lady Rosalie," Amarath took a wide step toward the couple, hiding his hands inside the sleeves of his robe once again, "There is still something you and I need to discuss."

The woman raised her eyebrows, her voice trembling as she asked,

"I beg your pardon? There is more?"

The judge looked at Damien and continued,

"This is a private matter. Your Grace, if you walk through the doors to the hall, you will be instantly transported back to your mansion in Rische. Once I am done talking to Her Grace, she will be able to return as well."

"No, I cannot––"

"Have you forgotten where you are, Your Grace? Do not make me use force."

Damien shifted his narrowed eyes to Rosalie, perhaps seeking reassurance or help in convincing Amarath that he could stay. The duchess, however, offered him a warm smile and shook her head, forcing him to surrender.

"It’s alright, Damien. It’s over, I will be back."

With a heavy exhale, the duke carefully released his wife from his embrace, fixing his mantle around her trembling body, offered the demonic judge one final glare, and walked away, disappearing behind the tall, heavy doors of the dining hall.

Amarath took another step toward the woman, their bodies almost touching, measured her with a long, somewhat intense stare, and finally spoke again,

"So, what is it that you desire, Lady Rosalie?"

"Excuse me?"

Perhaps it was mere exhaustion that did not let her think clearly but the man’s words refused to register inside her brain. She arched her eyebrows while the judge explained,

"The contract is broken but you were still promised one wish. So, what will it be?"

"I can still do that?"

"I am simply giving you what was promised."

Rosalie hesitated again. Her mind turned heavy from all the thoughts that swarmed through it, rendering it almost impossible for her to concentrate.

What did she want? Was there really anything she wished to ask for?

Suddenly, as if by magic, her head turned in the direction where Damien and Altair were engaged in a fight not so long ago. Altair’s body was gone but the spot where he drew his final breath was still covered with a large stain of his dark blood.

As if having read her mind, Amarath shook his head, dismissing Rosalie’s delusions,

"He is dead. I cannot return him from the dead."

"I figured this much..." The duchess’s eyes refused to look away, her brain was still able to see the massive body of the black wolf lying on the floor. "So then... There is still no way for me to see him again?"

"There is something I can do, however..."

Amarath placed his hand on top of Rosalie’s shoulder and went on,

"Do you think you can say good bye to the life of Rosalie Ashter and return to the life that belongs to Wang Meiling?"