Undead Beast Master: Living Solely for My Desires

The great ball had begun, and over a hundred influential figures had gathered. Each of them held significant power in the empire, whether through wealth or military strength.

Most of them talked with one another, seeking to build connections that would secure smoother paths for their futures.

They also enjoyed the classical music played by the man at the piano, while some were already savoring the provided food and drinks.

Only the top of the empire were invited here.

If a person was here, it meant that they had already changed the empire, or would do so in the near future, one way or another.

Draconis looked at the people that were at the ball.

They were all the empire's most influential figures, the heads of the families, with many of their heirs present as well.

Some people were allies…

Draconis threw a very quick glance at Elysia, who was here as well. For some reason, today the woman appeared to be in a much better mood than usual, as though she had relieved herself of a great deal of stress.

While others were foes.

Nevertheless, this was politics, and one had to maintain appearances, even if they didn't like each other.

Draconis would have sighed if he wasn't visible, so well-sitting on the throne.

He despised the empire, he hated that so many people had to work together for it to function.

It was like a fragile machine; if one component broke, the entire system would collapse.

But thankfully, this would change this day.

Most of the influential people in the empire were present, and once the salesman completed his task, the majority of those in the room would die, as they had outlived their purpose.

Draconis gazed at a man with black hair and crimson eyes—Alexander.

It was quite surprising that he hadn't killed his nephew yet. Was he just delaying it, or had he changed his mind?

'Doesn't matter, he is one of those that will die anyway,' Draconis kept his face perfectly neutral.

How many of the heads of the great clans and families would remain alive to see the next day?

The answer was zero.

They were worthless.

Draconis shifted his gaze as it fell on David.

The man had reached second place at the tournament, and as such, it was a worthy achievement to be invited here.

A part of Draconis felt disappointed; the person who was meant to win the tournament had lost, defeated by Elysia's chosen, and it was a bitter truth to swallow.

One might wonder if he was worthy of Amara.

But in the end, the facts were facts. David was able to use the Abyss, and that alone made him more worthy than any of the heirs of the people gathered here.

And by the way these heirs threw menacing gazes at David, it was clear that they knew it.

What about his family?

Draconis shifted his gaze to one side.

A few of his wives sat on their own smaller-sized thrones.

They were all beautiful and intelligent.

Each of them would be seen as a goddess through the eyes of any ordinary man, and yet, they were all his wives.

They were so fun to play with.

But after today, they would become useless, meaningless, and unworthy of being kept alive

After all, Draconis would probably never be able to share intimacy with anyone again after today.

So no matter how beautiful they were, once he no longer needed their beauty, they became worthless… but at least there was a time in their lives when they had served a purpose.

Meanwhile, Draconis cast a glance at Althea—the one person he was most ashamed of.

She wasn't even worth a second glance, as her body was afflicted with the muscle-rot curse.

He would have gotten rid of her by now if it weren't for these st—

He took a deep breath; after today, nothing will matter.

They will all die anyway.

'…At least there would be some useful people,' Draconis thought as he gazed at Amara.

She was also able to use the Abyss like David, though not to the same extent, but that didn't make her the only child the emperor considered a success.

It was the fact that he had told her the truth about his existence as she had proven herself worthy.

And as expected, after hearing that he wasn't really her father and learning about his plan, her eyes sparked as she realized the potential in it.

Amara and the salesman were the only two people who knew about his powers and plans, making them the most valuable.

Even when Draconis ascended to the top of the world, he would keep them around.

'But that will only happen after a few hours, not get ahead of ourselves,' Draconis thought with a smirk as he gazed at the clock.

"Weird," he couldn't help but mutter.

Amara heard him, and as such, she shifted her gaze to the emperor.

"What is it?"

"The guest of honor isn't here; is he late?"

Amara guessed that the emperor was talking about Zaroth, the winner of the tournament, the champion.

"Maybe the fact that he won first place has gone to his head, and now he's acting like a big shot?" Amara said with amusement in her voice.

Draconis smiled. Amara knew that David's loss had frustrated him, so she tried to make him feel better by mocking Zaroth.

"Ah, such a perfect child you are," Draconis spoke as he patted her head.

The reason she was sitting close to the emperor was because if some of the heirs wanted to approach her, they would have to get close to the emperor, and nobody wanted to do that just yet.

At this moment, the grand doors opened, and a person entered.

A man on the shorter side with white hair and green cat-like eyes, the champion of the tournament, Zaroth.

Naturally, most people present in the ball shifted their gazes to look at the person who had arrived.

Most of them were quite powerful themselves, so they took a second to gauge his strength, now that they were so close.

A moment later, they were disappointed as the man didn't have all that strong aura—

In that moment, it seemed as if everybody present in the ball held their breath.

This didn't just include the rich aristocrats who were here because of their wealth, but powerful figures as well.

Even the heads of families narrowed their eyes, sensing the menacing presence that had entered.

The emperor and Amara weren't an exception as they too felt the danger closing in.

The only person who seemed unbothered was Elysia, but it wasn't because she didn't feel the threat—she simply wasn't fazed, as it wasn't the first time she had seen her.

Next to Zaroth stood a tall woman who walked beside him.

She was strikingly, almost unnaturally beautiful—making every other woman in the room seem insignificant in comparison.

Her hair was as white as snow, and her green, cat-like eyes carried an eerie, deathly presence.

The black dress she wore accentuated her flawless features even more

Zaroth had summoned Luna to accompany him to the ball, as each guest was allowed to bring one person with them.

From this moment on, Zaroth's plan to win Althea's heart in a single night had begun!