"So, this is where I''ll be working?" Evelyn asked, surveying the space around her. The room was functional yet peculiar. It was set within a spacious greenhouse, surrounded by exotic nts and vines that glowed faintly under the magical lights installed in the ss ceiling. The fresh aroma of leaves and flowers filled the air, giving the ce a calming, almost mystical aura.


    "It''s more than just a room," Strax replied, leaning casually against one of the columns supporting the structure. "This greenhouse is magical. It not only keeps the nts alive but also amplifies the energy around it. You can use it for your experiments, rituals—or just meditate, if you prefer. You''re an elf, after all; you''ve got a strong connection to nature."


    Evelyn took a step forward, running her fingers over a nt whose leaves changed color at her touch. "Interesting... but I still don''t understand why I''ve been ced here and not in the mansion. Is this some kind of istion? A disguised punishment?"


    Strax let out a sigh, crossing his arms. "Well… how can I put this simply?" He paused, ncing out through the greenhouse ss at Scarlet''s imposing mansion in the distance. "My... new wives aren''t exactly fans of elves. Except for Scarlet, who''s older and, let''s say, wiser, the other three are...plicated to deal with."


    Evelyn raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms. "Complicated to deal with? Sounds more like your problem than mine."


    Strax chuckled softly, his usual crooked smile ying on his lips. "Maybe it is. But look at the bright side: here, you have all the privacy in the world and can avoid unnecessary conversations with them... and with that knight who, let''s say, isn''t exactly my biggest fan," he said, attempting a subtle charm.


    "As I''ve said before, sir, trash will always be trash."


    Lyana''s cold, cutting voice rang out behind him, making Strax flinch involuntarily. He turned slowly to see her carrying a few bags.


    "Ah, Lyana! You didn''t have to bring those..." Strax remarked with a nervous smile, trying to diffuse the tension.


    "Oh, really?" Lyana growled, brushing past him and purposely bumping his shoulder. Before heading to the room, she leaned in and whispered with a voice full of menace, "I''m still going to kill you in your sleep."


    Strax sighed but kept his crooked smile. "Ah, always so warm..."


    Evelyn, watching the scene with her arms crossed, raised an eyebrow, clearly amused by the exchange. "Interesting how you try to mask your choices with advantages, Strax. But fine, I''ll tolerate this ce for now... at least until you deliver that ingredient we agreed on."


    She scanned the greenhouse again, analyzing the details of the environment before turning back to him. "So, how did you manage to get four wives in under five months?"


    Strax scratched his head, visibly ufortable. "Ah... long story."


    "He''s a pervert, princess. Always has been, from the very beginning," Lyanamented dryly as she dropped the bags at the entrance of the room that connected to the greenhouse.


    Strax let out a tired sigh and ran a hand through his hair. "Well... if you really want to know... I was kidnapped, Scarlet brought me here, trained me, and, well… things happened. I ended up with her and her daughters. And here I am: four human wives, four vampire ones." Enjoy new adventures from My Virtual Library Empire


    Evelyn smirked, leaning slightly closer. "You know, you should add four elven wives to the list. Honestly, I''d love to see you and Lyana at the altar. It would be a spectacle."


    "Princess, is treason allowed among elves?" Lyana retorted, her devilish smile widening. "Because I''m seriously considering betraying my race and strangling you here and now."


    Strax raised his hands in a gesture of surrender, cautiously stepping back. "Calm down, Lyana! It''s not that bad! I''m sure you two could get along… eventually. After all, living together fosters bonds, doesn''t it?"


    Lyana narrowed her eyes, giving him a re sharp enough to pierce steel, but she chose to ignore him, focusing instead on organizing the bags. Evelyn, however, chuckled again, clearly entertained by the situation. "Oh, this is going to be more interesting than I expected."


    Changing the subject, Evelyn turned to Strax, her eyes gleaming with a practical curiosity. "So, Strax, about the skeletons. When will they be ready for me?"


    Strax scratched his head, visibly ufortable. "Honestly... we''re still working on it. Scarlet found a dwarf who''s an expert in forging enchanted bones, but apparently, the process is going to take a month or two. He''s... let''s say, a perfectionist."


    Evelyn raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms again. "A month or two? That''s a problem. The rituals I''m nning are on a tight schedule, and without the skeletons, I''ll be seriously limited."


    Strax sighed, rubbing his face as if trying to brush off the weight of the world. "I know, Evelyn, but these dwarves have their own pace. And frankly, it''s not a good idea to push them too hard. You know how they get when they feel rushed... thest one tried to hit me with an enchanted hammer."


    Lyana scoffed, crossing her arms as she cast a sidelong nce at Evelyn. "Maybe you could use this time to, I don''t know, learn some patience. It wouldn''t hurt, considering your temper."


    Evelyn narrowed her eyes, her voice dripping with irony. "Patience? Coming from someone who threatens to kill half the people around her just because they''re breathing too close? Curious."


    Before Lyana could fire back, Strax raised a hand, trying to cut off the brewing argument. "You two seem pretty... lively, don''t you?"


    "Quiet," they both said in unison, their firm tone enough to make him take a small step back.


    "Alright, alright." Strax raised his hands in a gesture of surrender, his crooked smile returning to his face. "I was just trying to help."


    Evelyn shook her head, exasperated, while Lyana red daggers at him.


    "Anyway," Strax continued, straightening his posture. "I really need to go now. I still have to deal with a certain stubborn dwarf and make sure he doesn''t decide to drop the job and head back to the mountains."


    "How convenient," Evelyn remarked, her sarcasm unmistakable. "Running off just as things heat up?"


    Strax shed a carefree smile as he backed away. "I''d call it strategy. But feel free to praise me when everything''s sorted."


    Lyana scoffed again, shaking her head, while Evelyn let out a soft chuckle.


    "Good luck with that, Strax," Evelyn said, waving slightly as he disappeared through the door.


    Once he was gone, Lyana turned to Evelyn, arms crossed. "You really know how to get under someone''s skin, don''t you?"


    "I call it natural talent," Evelyn replied, a teasing smile spreading across her lips.


    ...


    The perpetually crimson and gold-tinged sky of Strax''s spiritual realm shimmered with an almost blinding radiance as two dominant presences filled the space. Ouroboros, the ck dragoness, spiraled gracefully through the heavens, herughter echoing like soft thunder. Beside her, Tiamat, the imposing golden dragoness, rested atop a formation of glimmering crystals.


    "Living bodies, atst!" Ouroboros roared, her scales shimmering like a sea of ck stars. She dove in a graceful arc, coiling around Tiamat, the clouds swirling in her wake. "Do you understand what this means? No longer confined to this world! We will feel the wind, the warmth of the sun... freedom!"


    Tiamat, her fiery golden eyes aze, responded with a roar that made the ground tremble. "Freedom, yes! And more than that. With living bodies, we can... do that... with him!"


    As the two dragons celebrated, leaping and roaring, two figures observed from a distance, their expressions a stark contrast to the frenzy of joy. Kamus, amon dragon with dull gray scales and weary crimson eyes, sat on a volcanic rock outcrop, his ws scraping the surface. He watched Ouroboros and Tiamat with a mix of disdain and resentment.


    "Arrogant," Kamus muttered, his voice deep, almost a whisper. "They act as if they''ve already conquered the world. Just because they''re ''special,'' they think they deserve more than the rest of us."


    Beside him, Lithara, the subus queen, reclined on a throne of bones and shadows, her form draped in a veil that seemed to dance with nonexistent breezes. Her crimson eyes glimmered with envy, carefully masked by a seductive smile. "Oh, Kamus, haven''t you realized yet? Our time wille soon enough."


    Kamus turned to her, his nostrils ring with smoke. "They''re just luckier, nothing more. Ouroboros has the blessing of her lineage, and Tiamat... well, who would dare deny her anything?"


    "And Strax," Lithara added with a venomous smile. "That blessed dragon. He chose them, after all. Maybe I should''ve tried harder to seduce him. Who knows?"


    Kamus let out a low growl. "He doesn''t see my potential. He just expects me to be... support."


    "You talk too much." Strax suddenly appeared beside them, his voice calm but firm. "I''ve been here the entire time, you know," he said.


    The two simply ignored him.


    "Alright, alright," Strax sighed. "Could you turn the world back to normal? I—"


    "Annoying," Kamus interrupted, and with a snap, the entire world shifted, transforming into an enormous pce of crystal and gold.


    "Darling!" Ouroboros reverted to her human form, dashing toward Strax like a ck lightning bolt. At the same time, Tiamat followed suit, a golden streak hurtling through the air toward him.@@novelbin@@


    "Hello," Strax greeted, a sly smile curling his lips. "Let''s talk," he said, arms outstretched to catch them both.