[Samael Ashwood''s POV]


    The sudd knock on the door and the familiar voice st a jolt through both of us. rissa''s eyes wided in surprise, while I quickly masked any visible reaction.


    "Mother..." I muttered under my breath, already ssing the disruption she might cause to the carefullyid ns.


    The door swung op before I could respond, and Elysia Ashwood, my mother, stepped into the room with her usual happy-go-lucky smile as she jumped into my arms with practiced grace, embracing me tightly. Her snow- hair cascaded over my shoulder as she pulled me close, her eyes sparkling with warmth and a hint of mischief.


    "Samael, my darling," she purred, her voice soft and affectionate. "I''ve missed you."


    I returned her embrace, though my mind was racing to keep up with the abrupt shift in the situation. Elysia Ashwood was many things—fierce, unpredictable, and incredibly powerful—but subtlety was not her strong suit. If she ssed the tsion in the room, she didn''t show it.


    "Mother," I greeted, managing a smile, "I''m in the middle of an important discussion."


    Elysia pulled back slightly, her eyes flicking to rissa, who was doing her best to appearposed despite the sudd intrusion. My mother''s gaze sharped, and I could tell she was sizing up the situation with the same ke instincts that had kept our family safe for years.


    "Oh, I see," Elysia said, her tone shifting from yful to serious. "I didn''t mean to interrupt, darling." She turned to rissa, her smile warm but her eyes calcting. "You must be rissa. That pig''s eldest daughter, What are you doing here?"


    rissa stiffed at my mother''s words, herposed facade momtarily cracking. The tsion in the room thicked as Elysia''s gaze bore into her, assessing and judging with the same ruthless efficicy she applied to everything in her life.


    "Mother," I said sharply, stepping betwe them, "rissa is here as an ally. We''re working together to stop her father."


    Elysia''s eyes didn''t leave rissa, but her expression softed slightly, though I could still sse the underlying mistrust. "An ally, you say? Interesting." She finally turned to me, her gaze questioning. "But, I can easily squish that pig without any need to ev lift my finger. So why bother involving her?"


    Elysia''s words hung in the air, a clear disy of her overwhelming confidce and disdain for rissa''s father. It was no secret that my mother held a particr loathing for him, and in her eyes, involving his daughter in our ns must have seemed unnecessary at best, a liability at worst.


    "Because this isn''t just about brute strgth, Mother," I replied, keeping my voice calm and measured. "It''s about strategy. rissa knows her father''s operations better than anyone. She can provide us with insights that ev you might overlook."


    Elysia raised an eyebrow, clearly skeptical. "And you trust her? After all, she''s be a part of?"


    I didn''t hesitate. "I do. rissa has prov herself already bying to us and offering her help. She has as much to lose in this as we do."


    My mother regarded me siltly for a momt, her piercing gaze searching my face for any sign of doubt. Th, slowly, she nodded, her expression softing just a fraction. "Very well, Samael. If you believe she''s trustworthy, th I''ll stand by your decision.


    But know this, rissa,"—she turned to the young woman, her voice carrying a deadly seriousness—"if you betray my son, there won''t be a corner of this world where you can hide from me."


    rissa met her gaze with a steady calm, though I could see the tsion in her shoulders. "I understand, Lady Ashwood. But I assure you, my loyalty lies with Samael and the cause we''re fighting for."


    Elysia studied her for another long momt before finally stepping back, the intsity in the room easing slightly. "Good. Th we''ll see this through together."


    With that, my mother turned her atttion back to me, her earlier warmth returning. "I trust you know what you''re doing, Samael. Just remember, your family is here for you." She closed the distance betwe us and whispered, "And your lover too, I can''t wait to ''ride'' you."


    A slight blush crept up my neck as my mother''s words took a decidedly unexpected turn. Elysia''s mischievous smile only grew wider as she saw my reaction, clearly joying the effect her teasing had on me.


    "Mother, please," I muttered, trying to keep myposure, especially with rissa still in the room. Elysia''s yful antics were nothing new to me, but this wasn''t the time or ce for them.


    Elysia chuckled softly, giving me a light pat on the cheek. "Just remember, darling, life is too short to be all serious and no fun." She nced over at rissa with a wink. "And don''t worry, dear. I''ll make sure not to interrupt again. For now."


    "Mother, Take these files. They contained some evidce of experimts performed by rissa''s father on innoct people. You might find them useful." I handed the files to Elysia, who epted them with a raised eyebrow.


    I continued, "The ck file with no tag contains some ''special'' project by him on Xandros ckthorn..."


    "The dead youngest prince? wasn''t he announced dead years after his birth?"


    "Yes," I replied, my voiceced with tsion. "But there''s more to it than what the public knows."


    Elysia''s eyes narrowed as she oped the ck file, her usual yful demeanor reced by a grim seriousness. The room felt charged with the weight of the revtions contained within those pages. rissa remained silt, her eyes fixed on the floor, the reality of her father''s actions hanging heavily in the air.


    Elysia flipped through the pages, her expression growing darker with each passing momt. The file detailed experimts that were inhumane and horrific, conducted on Xandros ckthorn—who was supposed to be dead. The truth was far more sinister. It revealed that Xandros had be kept alive in secret, subjected to gruesome experimts that twisted and distorted his very essce.


    His body was used as a vessel to hance rissa''s father''s dark ambitions, a fate worse than death.


    "This is… monstrous," Elysia murmured, her voice barely above a whisper. "I knew he was a cruel man, but this…"


    Her words trailed off, unable to fully capture the depth of her disgust. She closed the file with a snap and looked at me, her eyes zing with a mix of fury and determination. "Samael, we cannot allow this to continue. This—this atrocity must be brought to light."


    "That''s why we need rissa," I exined, my voice firm. "She has ess to ces and information we wouldn''t otherwise have. With her help, we can expose her father and put an d to his madness."


    Elysia turned her gaze to rissa, her expression softing slightly. "I underestimated you," she admitted, her tone sincere. "It takes great courage to stand against your own blood, especially wh they wield so much power."


    rissa met Elysia''s gaze with a mixture of defiance and resolve. "It''s not just courage," she said quietly. "It''s desperation. My father''s actions have affected countless lives, and I can''t stand by while he continues this madness."


    Elysia nodded slowly, acknowledging the gravity of rissa''s words. "I understand. We will need to tread carefully. This is more than just a matter of exposing his actions; it''s about dismantling a dangerouswork that has infiltrated many aspects of our kingdom."


    "Oh! right, what about your remaining family? are they aware of the situation?" I asked rissa the question with a tone of concern.


    "Yes, I told them to try and keep them out of father''s reach. But it seems I was toote," rissa''s voice faltered, and her eyes clouded with a hint of shame. "Alexandra and Raine were involved with my father helping him gather subjects to experimt on. My sisters were already tak to the safe house by my father and only my mother...


    she had be ina for quite a few years so at least she was safe." rissa''s revtion weighed heavily on the room. Elysia''s expression harded further as she processed the implications of rissa''s words.


    "I understand," I said, trying to keep the situation in perspective. "But we still have a chance to interve. We need to locate your family and make sure they''re safe, especially if they''re still under your father''s influce or at risk from his machinations."


    rissa nodded, her determination rewed. "I''ll provide you with whatever information I have about their locations and any pottial threats. My father''swork is extsive, but we have to act swiftly."


    Elysia turned her focus back to rissa, her voice resolute. "We will make this a priority. Protecting the innocts and dismantling the corruption within our kingdom is crucial. If your family is in danger, we''ll need to n a rescue and sure their safety."


    rissa''s eyes brighted with a glimmer of hope. "Thank you. I appreciate your support more than you know."


    Elysia gave a firm nod. "We''ll start by securing the safe house and any other locations where your family might be. Samael and I will coordinate with our contacts to sure we cover all possible angles."


    I nced at rissa, th back at my mother. "We should also consider the possibility of further traps or maniptions from your father. He won''t hesitate to use his remaining resources against us."


    Elysia''s eyes sparkled with a fierce determination. "Th we''ll outmaneuver him at every turn. This ds now."


    As the discussion turned to detailed ns and strategies, the tsion in the room began to dissipate, reced by a shared sse of purpose. rissa, though visibly exhausted, stood tall, her resolve steeled by the urgcy of our mission.


    With the files now in Elysia''s hands and our course of action clear, we proceeded to map out the next steps. The revtion about rissa''s family and her father''s cruel experimts had shifted the stakes significantly. Our focus was now on a multi-pronged approach: rescuing rissa''s family, exposing her father''s heinous acts, and dismantling his influce within the kingdom.


    As we began to outline the logistics and assign tasks, a sse of unity and determination filled the room. The challges ahead were formidable, but with each of usmitted to the cause, we were ready to face them head-on.


    The conversation continued into the eving, filled with tactical discussions and nning. rissa contributed valuable insights about her father''s operations and theyout of his strongholds, while Elysia and I worked to integrate this new information into our strategy.


    By the time we wrapped up, the room was buzzing with a rewed sse of urgcy. Our next steps were clear, and the path forward, though fraught with danger, was now illuminated by our shared determination to see justice done and protect those who were vulnerable.


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    [To Be Continued]


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