Villain: The Play of Destiny

Sameran Palace, previously known as the Citadel on the Clouds, was situated in the heart of the Agnolian Hills by the Old Town. With its first foundation laid nearly 2000 years ago, it was considered amongst the oldest Palaces in the world and had been home to three different dynasties.

After the passing of the last King of Sameran, the Palace was declared as a Heritage site the day the City was assimilated in the Netherian Federation in 1606. And today, it was one of the most favourite tourist points in all of the country together with the Old Town, which was a market situated at the foot of the Agnolian Hill Range.

Usually, people would prefer coming here in daytime, but the natives knew that the real beauty of the place could only be explored after the sun took its leave.

There was no Parking Space in the Old Town, and so the four of them parked their Car at the entry before walking inside on foot.

They paid the entrance fee and the parking fee before they were allowed in the Old Town, and as soon as they closed in on the market, the hustle and bustle greeted them cordially.

"There's so many people here!" Nana surpisedly looked around the Tavern-like shops, Lodgings, Street Food stalls, clothing shops mixed in with some handicraft points, all owned by the remaining indegeous Sameranian people who still lived in these Hills around the Palace.

There were more than a dozen villages, and each was famous for its own craft.

"Let's check out the Palace first, and then we will have our dinner here." Keith found the restaurant he was searching for and then pointed it out to the girls.

"You have been here before?" Qingyue curiously asked.

She never had a meal on the streets, and if she was being honest, she was a little concerned about the hygiene in this place.

"Yes. I have eaten in this place before. It was my grandmother who first introduced the Old Town to me, and I have come here a few times over the years." He informed them. "The last time I was here was with the boys, couple of months back after a car race. The alcohol here is good, and so is the food. There are no problems with the hygiene."

"Okay." Qingyue nodded her head and curiously looked around the place. It was the first time she was visiting this place even if she was born and raised in Sameran. And she had always wanted to see it someday.

Her curiosity was shared by Amelia too, but they were not the only ones who were curious. Even though they were not dressed in anything flashy, their group still stood out amongst all the tourists because of their looks. And curious and appreciative glaces greeted them everywhere.

A ridiculously handsome boy accompanying three beautiful fairies. How could it not attract the attention of the people? However, this place was quite peaceful and the people were quite respectful. No one bothered them more than stealing glances every now and then. And some did secretly take a few pictures under the guise of shooting the market, but it did not bother them much.

Keith and Qingyue were used to it. Amelia simply did not care about it, and Nana was too preoccupied looking around to pay attention to anybody.

They walked for a couple of miles before they arrived at the stairway to the Sameran Palace, and Nana excitedly hopped forward trying to ascend the hill first.

Keith and Qingyue chuckled at her antics but did not show any haste. They caught up with the clumsy girl who was panting heavily, resting at the 40th stair.

"I guess you are not used to hiking." He playfully leaned near her face and nudged her nose with the tip of his finger.

Nana embarrassedly lowered her head, but then looked back at him.

"I have never been here before. This place is beautiful!" She said as she looked back at the stairway which was lit up in yellow lights.

"Really?" Keith curiously asked.

"Mhm.." Nana nodded her head. "The stairs are so peaceful. I just wish it was a little less crowded, but it is still fun."

He really did not know that she had never been here before. Which meant that all the three girls were visiting this place for the first time.

"Well, you are in for a treat. Let's get going, we are half-way there." He urged the girl and helped her get up before pulling her up with him.

"Wow!" Nana exclaimed when they finally reached the summit, coming face to face with the majestic Samran Palace that was lit up in yellow lights.

There were a lot of people in the front compound, taking pictures or just sitting around on the benches chatting with each other. There were even street vendors selling refreshments and snacks, and the security was quite strict here compared to that of the Old Town.

The inside of the Palace was restricted and if you wanted to see it, you had to pay a fairly high fee for it; 200 Neris per person for a time limit of three hours.

They were offered a guide at the reception, but Keith refused it, taking it upon himself to show the girls around the place.

Throne Room, Hallways, Ballrooms, Armory, Royal Kitchen, Watch Towers, Courtyards, Courtroom, Cellars, and then the Royal Chambers.

Keith showed them everything, giving them prieces of history as he introduced each place. He even knew the history of some of the statues and artworks in the Palace, and what he knew the most about were the stones that were used to build the place and the thought that was put behind the designing of the roofs.

The place had been preserved as much as possible and so it was pretty much just like how it had been during the time of the last King of Sameran. Well, there was no electricity back then, so the place must have looked quite different at night all those centuries ago. However, the lights were cleverly disguised in form of lamps which did not take away the immersion of the tourists, and gave a profound experience of the Palace.

Nana was simply awestruck by everything, Qingyue was happy at finally getting a chance to see this place, and Amelia was the one who took the most time looking around at everything.

Nana and Qingyue took a few pictures of the place, and then they asked a fellow tourist to take a couple of pictures of their group to save this memory. Each of them did not like taking selfies, and so they were not behaving like others who pulled out their phones to take a picture with every statue they came across.

"The Architecture is wonderous, isn't it?" Qingyue finally could not play the silent games with Amelia, and decided to start a conversation with her for the first time in the day.

"It is indeed wonderous, considering the fact that this place it over a millenia old." Amelia nodded her head. "And it must have cost a fortune to build this place in those times, not to mention decades of work and effort to make it look like this."

"I see that you love your work." The grey-eyed girl smiled at her, and the emerald-eyed girl simply nodded her head.

"Keith told me that you are planning on operating a cosmetics and fashion company."

"That's right!" Qingyue nodded her head.

"Would you help me out with shopping after dinner?" She smiled and asked. "I have never bothered with branded attires, but since I am going to represent the Demiliore Family, I need to have some good idea about it."

"Sure!" Qingyue happily agreed to her request. "Lucky for you, I know what types of outfits Keith would love on the woman who belongs to him." She mischievously spoke.

"Oh, is that so?" Keith chuckled and asked.

"Yup." She nodded her head and then winked at him. "I will make sure that your wife only picks the modest clothes, Mr Control Freak."

"Now this is getting personal." Keith played along with her and feigned some dissatisfaction, which she caught onto.

"Hmph... You admitted it yourself." She reminded him.

"But who told you I would only love to see her covered up?" He teasingly smiled at her. "She's my wife, you know? And inside our chambers, where we are all alone, I would love to see her in the bare minimum."

"I don't want to know that!" She immediately cut in, but Keith wanted to tease her some more.

"Have you ever tried on the Lingerie by Medusa?" He smirked at her. "I know a lot about it, and can even help you pick some articles."

However, the reaction he was expecting did not come, but instead, Qingyue narrowed her eyes at him.

"So, it was true."

"What?" Keith raised his brow at her.

"You slept with Irina D'silvia, the hottest model of Medusa's Secret, three months back when she was in Sameran for a show." She told him rather than ask him about it.

"I did." He nodded his head. "But what does that have to do with my knowledge about Lingere?" He curiously asked, ignoring the narrowing eyes of the girls.

"Didn't you learn about everything just to woe her?" She smirked at him.

"Do you think I need to woe the girls with such means?" He surprisedly looked at her. "Have you seen a more handsome man than me? She was the one who offered herself to me, and I took her on that offer for a night. I did not even give her my contact when she asked for it." He informed her.

For some reason, Qingyue was at a loss of words. What he said was indeed true, and given how ridiculously handsome he was, it was not impossible that Irina was the one who took the initiative.

"So you slept with a woman who casually offered herself to you."

Keith felt a chill run up his spine when he heard those words from the mouth of Amelia, however, he still kept a polite smile on his face.

"It was a one time thing." He said.

"Good. I don't want to learn that you have been sleeping around with women who have no respect for their bodies." She straightforwardly said, much to his surprise.

"It would be rude to not accept the offer if the girl is beautiful..." He smiled in his heart but lamented through his words.

"I am serious, my dear husband." She spoke her words devoid of any emotion, and Keith felt bells of crises ringing in his head.

"Okay. No sleeping around with models, actresses, singers... or just any girl who is ready to casually sleep with me." He raised his hands in surrender.

None of the girls liked the way he worded his answer, but they did not say anything about it.

Keith smiled when Amelia nodded her head, and then he grabbed her hand and squeezed it lightly.

"You know, I am not really attracted to women who are casual about sleeping with any man they find attractive."

"And yet you sleep with them." Qingyue looked him in the eyes.

"I just needed someone to satiate my lust that night." He shrugged his shoulders.

Nana frowned at his words and then subconsciously stepped forward, grabbing his free arm and squeezing it, reminding him of her presence by his side.

Even if she did not say anything, Keith understood what she meant to convey to him. She wanted him to know that he had her if he needed to satiate his lust in the future. There was no need for him to sleep around with casual women.

He planted a kiss on her cheek, which made her blush, and then the four of them walked back to the Old Town to have their dinner.