Dark Lord in Chains 59

Why not go all the way, I decided after thinking for a bit. For all the power that was under her control, she was arrogant. Her magical potential ensured that any attempt to manipulate her magically, even just indirect tricks, was doomed to fail. 

But I didn’t let it affect me the slightest. Her clear inexperience meant I still had a plethora of subtler forms of manipulation. 

For example, seduction. 

Unaware of the decision I had made, she continued to focus on the security of the Eternal Core. “You’re sure it’s well hidden, right?” she asked, trying to act calmer, but I could see the fear dancing in her eyes still. “If you’re lying, and that upstart whore finds it, your fate will be legendary!” 

“No, it’s definitely very secure,” I guaranteed. “I’m willing to bet my life and my kingdom for it,” I said, however, I was struggling to contain my smirk. Her threat had accidentally revealed to me the reason for her to avoid the dark families. She clearly had a rival that was working, probably under an official assignment, making her a rogue operation. 

As if I needed any more evidence for her political lack of awareness. 

“Good,” she repeated as she stilled. “You should release this so-called Dark Lord you mentioned so he could go and get the Core for me. I need it.” 

“As you wish, my lady,” I said as I leaned forward. “However, there are still a few hours until I could sneak back into the palace without being noticed. Is there anything else I can do to help?” 

“You can tell me just how capable those dark families, especially Fyre Eternal,” she said, which was an interesting choice, but from what I could read, those families had at least one, or maybe more rivals of her, and she wanted to be prepared. 

If I had revealed my true identity, it might have made sense. However, the fact that she was focusing on that aspect despite me trying to use the identity of the late king was certainly suspicious. I would have expected her to be more on guard against the other mysterious faction. 

Still, I started giving a detailed breakdown of the dark families. Not completely honest, of course, as I fudged their power upward a bit, just to make sure she felt intimidated about their potential, but not to a point it would sound unbelievable. The more fearful she felt against her rivals, the more opportunity I had. 

However, increasing her fear toward her rivals was just a bonus. No, my real objective was something different. 

I wanted to understand her reactions. 

My approach toward seduction was much different than Lancelot's, smiling like an idiot and hoping it would work. No, I first wanted to understand her preferences and her desires. Of course, that was hardly a simple thing. 

Luckily, thanks to Lancelot, I already knew that smiling like an idiot, hoping that she would fall for me relentlessly wouldn’t work, meaning I had to another attempt. Luckily, thanks to Emma, I knew being excessively submissive wouldn’t work as well. 

There was no guarantee that she looked at Emma as a sexual prospect, but if there was one truth about attraction, it was very rare for a woman to feel attracted to anyone she looked at contempt. 

Unfortunately, trying to take an abrasive pose wouldn’t work as well. She was not only too powerful, but also she was confident in her power.

Maybe too confident.  

In the end, I settled in a calm, non-confrontational power pose, accepting her power over me, but not letting that make me fold like Emma. Hardly the most attractive pose,  but sometimes, not getting scored was more important than scoring. 

It was a rare feeling, something I hadn’t had to deal with since my ascension to my position. Even after I had been captured, it didn’t completely remove their instinctual fear and respect against me, and, counter-intuitively, those were easy emotions to convert to attraction. 

Then, as the explanation continued, I started experimenting with micro-expressions and stances, reading her unconscious physical reactions. At this point, her focus on my words as I explained the various powers of the Dark Families worked wonders, allowing me to experiment carefully. 

Interestingly, I had received the best reaction from not hiding my appreciation in her body, at least not completely. She seemed to be happy as I looked at her like I was stripping her in my mind, but with a caveat. Making even the slightest subtle move was enough to destroy that inclination. 

She clearly enjoyed the carnal attention, but only if I showed I knew my place not to take any action. 

So, as I continued explaining, I tried to maintain fleeting eye contact, dancing the thin line between reflecting my desire and challenging her. 

Amusingly, it was making her blush slightly, a blush that reminded me of Emma rather than Fernhand, at least in terms of the experience that it implied. Such an incredible opportunity. 

How very much interesting. 

So, I maintained my steamy gaze dancing between her beautiful body and her eyes.

Unfortunately, while she was getting aroused, it wasn’t the burning kind, needing only a whisper for her to drop her dress. Not all seduction worked instantly, succeeding with a flick of a finger. Soon, I came to the end of my explanation. 

“I see,” she murmured, trying to sound calm, but I could see that she was worried, clearly unhappy with the relative strength of the Dark Families. I had oversold their strength quite a bit. “I need to think a bit.” 

“As you wish,” I said. “Is there anything else I could do to help?” 

“Not for the moment, no,” she said, dismissing me away. I would have preferred to stay, but unfortunately, she wasn't someone I could sweep off her feet. 

At least, not in the first meeting. 

I left the room, and as I walked away,  I could feel her magic wrapping around gently, showing that she was tracking me. I activated my shadow spell once more, but this time, I deliberately didn’t use the Blade of Shadows. 

There was no harm in being underestimated.