Villain: The Play of Destiny

"Everything seems legit." The blonde-haired girl said after they were done greeting the foreign dignitaries and other businessmen at the conference. 

"It is. The Environmental Conference is indeed taking place, but the Fundraiser is much more than that." Keith informed her and led her to the Auditorium. 

The Conference started at exactly 3pm, and the various Geologists and Environmental Activists addressed the audience, raising their concerns about the changing environment, and how the world needed to completely let go of their remaining dependence on Fossil Fuel.

Most of the major countries of the world were free of Fossil Fuel dependence, but some developing countries still relied heavily on them. And it was the primary objective of the Conference, accumulating funds to help the transition to renewable energy resources in these countries. 

The Conference ended at 5pm, and then the Fund Raising Auction was announced to start at 7pm, at another venue which was on the nearby Island. 

The Media was not allowed to broadcast the Auction, and they were led away. Most of the Foreign Dignitaries took their leave too. 

The Organizing Team carefully escorted the special guests of the Fundraiser to the Venue, and they were all settled in a luxurious hotel whilst they waited for the start of the Auction.

The security on this island was on high alert as if a war was about to break out at any moment. And as the sky darkened, the overlords of the Underworld started arriving at the venue, but Keith was busy somewhere else, not paying attention to these people. 

"Mr Demiliore!" A tall and sophisticated man in this early fifties, wearing a fitted suit and rimmed glasses shook his hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you." His bright smile was genuine after he sneakily inspected the Aura of Keith, which the latter allowed him to do. 

"I shared the same sentiment, but it was quite rude of you to not ask for permission, Mr Wednesday." He lightly smiled and said, telling him that he had been caught.

"My Aplogies, but I have to be aware of whom I am dealing with in my business. You hide deep, Mr Keith. And must I say, you are outrageously Talented." The old man sincerely said and gestured him to be seated. "Please!" 

"Thank you!" Keith and Rebecca took their seats on the couch, whilst Yingying, Caesar, and Ryouta stood at guard around them.

"How can I help you?" Wednesday asked straightforwardly. 

"I am in search for a talented bodyguard. A Shadow to be exact." Keith revealed to him. "You are one of the finest in the Business, the Second Herald of the City of Sin. And I was hoping you have some prized treasures ready for this Auction." 

"I am surpised you know so much about the City of Sin, Mr Demiliore." The old man faintly smiled, and his curious grey eyes took a better look at the ridiculously handsome boy. "A Shadow?" 

"Yes." Keith nodded. 

"So a female, I suppose?" Wednesday nodded to himself and then took the tablet from his Assistant's hand. 

"Yes." Keith nodded again. "It would be better if she's young, still in her teenage years." 

"Of course!" Wednesday lightly chuckled. "And she has to be beautiful too." 

Keith laughed at his words and nodded. 

"The beautiful the better, but I need a competent Shadow." He reminded the old man. 

"Very well." He said and looked Keith in the eyes. "An Auror? Esper? An Esper who can Cultivate? Or..." He did not say the next words. 

"I am not exactly looking for a Vampire or a Werewolf, Mr Wednesday." He chuckled, much to the surpise of the old man, and much to shock and horror of his team. "Preferably an Esper with the ability to Cultivate. But I am open to options." 

"Must I say it again, you are hide deeply, Mr Demiliore!" He laughed and nodded his head. "Here. I have these eight girls that should meet your requirements." 

Keith grabbed the Tablet from his hand and carefully looked at the images and the details of each of the girls. 

"Five of them have not been touched by men or women. The other three have been trained to please their Master in bed." Wednesday smirked when he saw the uneasy expression on Rebecca's face after she read through the details of some of the girls. 

Keith, however, paid no attention to his words and the reactions of the blonde girl sitting by his side. 

His eyes were only focused on the image of a girl with Auburn hair and Amber eyes, who looked to be around the age of 15, and was enchantingly beautiful. 

Even if he had never seen her before, he had recognised her without even looking at her details. 

"I am interested in the girl named Ingrid." Keith returned the tablet to the old man and said. 

"Excellent choice, Mr Demiliore. Ingrid is the finest of the lot. She has only started Cultivating, but she is a strength-based Esper with ample experice in combat. She's young, much more beautiful than the rest, and she's untouched." He said and then sighed. "But unfortunately, I am afraid you might not be able to get her." 

"Heh, is that so?"

"Don't misunderstand, Mr Demiliore. With your Wealth, you can easily get her. Since you know so much about me and the City of Sin, you should know that we do not sell these willing Slaves without their consent." Wednesday politely smiled. "Ingrid may not be willing to become your Shadow. She's looking for someone else." 

"Doesn't the Highest Bidder get the prize?" Rebecca frowned and asked. 

"It is indeed the case for other Traders, but my birds retain the right to choose amongst the top three bidders." 

"And you are willing to bear the losses?" She asked in disbelief. 

"It's our code." Wednesday smiled and said before turning his attention back to Keith. "If I may suggest, the girl Marianne will be perfect for you. She's much stronger than Ingrid, not as beautiful, but she's an untouched beauty too. And she's better trained in combat as well." 

"But she's not an Esper." Keith chuckled and shook his head. "Why would I settle for anything less than perfect?" 

Wednesday sighed and understandably nodded his head. 

"If you want, I can call Ingrid and you can try to convince her." He suggested. "But be prepared since chances are that she won't accept your offer."

"Thank you for your understanding, Mr Wednesday!" Keith stood up and drew his hand forward. 

"It's pleasure to do business with you, Mr Demiliore. And I hope we will reach a deal at the end of the day." The old man sincerely said. 

"I hope so too, Herald of Sin." He inently smiled. 

The Old Man poitley laughed at his formal address, and appreciatively nodded his head. 

"I will send for her. Take Care, and Good Luck!" He wished him and then took his leave from their suite. 

"Marianne isn't so bad." Rebecca, who remembered every single detail on that tablet about the girls, interestedly said . 

"You want her?" He surprisedly looked at her. 

"Only if you are not interested in her." She bared her intentions. 

"She's meant to be a Shadow. You know that, right?" He smiled and asked. 

"I know what a Shadow means, Keith." She huffed and said. "My Father has one too, but neither I nor Julian ever received one." She complained as she glanced at Yingying. 

"Why is that so?" He curiously asked.

"My mother is against he idea of Slavery." She sighed. "Julian has a bodyguard which father arranged for him, but my mother made it clear that he would never be a Shadow. She calls it an Archaic tradition that has no place in modern times. And she's a strict advocate of personal space and privacy." 

"Is that so?" He chuckled and shook his head. "And what would she say if you bring Marianne home?" 

"I will tell her that she's only my Bodyguard." She casually shrugged and answered. "And even if she realizes that she's not just a bodyguard, it would be too late for her to do anything about it." 

"Aren't you a rebellious girl." He laughed at her words and even Caesar couldn't hide his smile. 

Keith knew that there was much more to the story that Rebecca was not telling them. Other than just finding it a cruel and Archaic Tradition, an important reason why Mrs. Grayson was against the idea of Shadows was because she had lost her Shadow when she was young. She did not want her children to go through the pain of losing someone whom they considered their sibling. 

Bodyguards were fine, since they could be replaced, but a Shadow's place in their Master's heart was hard to replace. Of course, it was only if the Master genuinely cared about their Shadow. 

And then there was the unpleasant fact that almost all the Masters outlived their Shadows. 

"So, Vampires and Werewolves are not myths..." She suddenly said, still shocked at the revelations. 

"They are real. But may not be as outrageous as some myths make them out to be." He nodded to her and smiled. 

They did not have to wait long before the door bell to their suite rang. 

Caesar opened the door and invited the Auburn Haired girl and the guards of Wednesday inside the suite. 

"Mr. Demiliore!" The young girl, who was stunningly beautiful, bowed to him politely. 

Keith sighed in his heart when he looked into her Amber eyes. 

No one else could see it, but he could see the fire of vengeance burning brightly in those beautiful eyes. 

Ingrid was not a Heroine of any story. She was like him, a Villainess. And she was meant to die at the hands of her younger sister in the future. 

"Come with me." He said and turned to walk towards the Guest room. "We will talk in private."

The girl frowned at his words but followed without any care. 

She knew that he would not do anything harmful to her. No matter how powerful of a person he might be, antagozing a Herald of Sin would be the last thing he would want to do. 

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