RISE OF EROS

Minutes before Teresa's carriage returned to the Flower Mansion, Marquis Donald was in his study reviewing some documents, when he heard a light knock on the door.

The marquess looked up and said, "Come in," and immediately his head butler entered the study. He was a man in his 50s with gray hair, but no wrinkles. He was neatly dressed in a simple but elegant black suit and it could be seen that he had a well-built body, he was definitely a master-level combatant.

Donald seeing his butler asked, "Richard, did Teresa come back?", but the butler shook his head and said, "Master Donald, Mrs. Teresa, was attacked on her way back."

Richard hadn't finished speaking when Donald got up altered. In his face, you could see that he was very angry, but if you were perceptive you could see a little bit of concern hide in that angry face.

"What's the situation?" Donald asked in a deep, annoyed voice, to which Richard replied, "Master Donald, you don't have to worry. Apparently, Mrs. Candice had sent two of her subordinates to protect Mrs. Teresa and with the presence of Antón and Melina, there were no problems.

Hearing Richard's explanation, Donald breathed a sigh of relief, but within seconds his expression turned serious again and he continued to ask, "Do we know who did it?"

"I'm afraid we don't know the mastermind yet, but Anton recently returned to the mansion with the five captured attackers and left them in Scorpion's charge," Richard said calmly.

A cold, murderous glint flashed in Donald's eyes as he heard Richard's words. He was happy because Antón had managed to capture the attackers and thus he would know who had targeted his wife.

He wasn't worried about the fact that he couldn't get the information from the captured, as Scorpion was the intelligence team and assassinated that worked for him. They are experts in obtaining information, so he knew that if the captured had been handed over to them, it was only a matter of time to find out who had done it.

At that moment a young butler approached, "Good evening, Master Donald, head butler Richard, Mrs. Teresa has returned," the young man informed very respectfully.

Donald thanked the young butler and left the study to receive his wife. Richard accompanied him and when they got to the entrance, they saw Teresa and Milena talking to Erick and Vala.

Noticing the approach of Donald and Richard, they all bowed a little. "You can get up, may I know your names?" Donald asked Erick and Vala, who replied, "An honor to meet you, Marques, my name is Erick and the lady who accompanies me is Vala."

Donald nodded and said, "I appreciate the help you've given my wife, let Candice know I'll give my thanks later." At the comment, Erick and Vala just bowed a little and said goodbye.

When they had left, Donald walked over to Teresa and hugged her. Teresa didn't resist, this wasn't the first time she suffered from an attack like this, these situations are one of the curses of being a noble, there will always be people targeting them.

Even though it wasn't her first time, it didn't change the fact that she was a little scared and that's why she stayed in her husband's embrace trying to calm down. Donald noticed that, although she appeared to be strong, Teresa was scared, because her body trembled a little, and that made Donald very angry.

He is an affectionate and protective man with his family, so seeing his wife in that state infuriated him, but he did not explode in anger, it was not the time yet and he preferred to calm Teresa by hugging her more tightly.

After that moment the two separated. Teresa was already calmer and suddenly she felt tired, so she decided to go back to her room. Donald went with her, but he didn't stay.

Teresa knew that her husband would be dealing with the people who attacked her, so she would have to sleep alone for the night. She knew her husband too well and she knew he wouldn't rest until he found out who did it.

Back in the mansion's study, Donald, Richard, Milena, and Anton were gathered to discuss the events that had occurred. Soon, Donald knew everything that had happened, and letting out a sigh he said, "Although Candice's men didn't do much, I have to admit that their intention was good."

He seemed to be speaking to himself, but Milena interrupted, saying, "I think the same as the marquis. They were certainly not powerful, but they were the best men at her disposal, and sending them to protect Mrs. Teresa, without worrying about herself, is a sign of her sincere friendship".

Everyone else nodded their heads. They all knew that Candice was an old friend of Teresa's, but they didn't seem to know that it was a sincere friendship. In this world, especially among people of status and power, friendships are too fragile, to say the least.

While they were thinking about the friendship between Candice and Teresa, a man dressed in black appeared from the shadows, with a hood of the same color that covered his entire body.

"Raven, how's the interrogation going?" Donald asked immediately. "The culprit is Count Gistaly. He wanted to kidnap Mrs. Teresa and threaten you to take control of your marquisate," the hooded man replied.

Raven's words surprised everyone present because they did not understand. Certainly taking control of a marquisate had its advantages, but unless you were extremely ambitious, you wouldn't do that for no reason, but before Donald could ask, Raven spoke again.

"Apparently, the earl's rumors are true and since the master has been investigating him, that seems to be the reason." Now everything was clear and reasonable because trying to hide the dirt that could make him fall was more credible.

"Speed up the investigation on that bastard," Donald said angrily. Although he knew who did it and wanted to kill him, he couldn't, since openly attacking a noble even for a lower-ranking one would be a problem, so he decided to continue the investigation and expose him.

Raven accepted his orders with a short, "Yes" and disappeared into the shadows. Of all those present, only Richard noticed the accumulated anger in Raven's eyes and it was not abnormal, because although Raven serves Donald, it was Teresa who had saved him.

It is not an abnormal story that orphaned children with precarious conditions become assassins, because a child's mind is easily moldable, thus making them loyal, which is the most important characteristic in these groups.

Raven was no different, but he was saved by Teresa, and wanting to protect her he agreed to become a member of the group called Scorpion. Donald didn't want Raven to join, as his wife had taken him in, Donald thought it was better to make him a butler, but the boy refused.

Against all refusal, Raven became a member of Scorpion and within a few years had become the leader of that group. For that reason when he found out about Count Gistaly's plans he was upset.

On the other hand, Count Gistaly was worried, as he knew that his assassins had failed. It had been a long time and his assassins had not returned, so he had to assume that the mission failed.

This bothered him, because not only had he lost his most loyal and strong warriors, but there was the possibility that Donald now knew that he was the culprit and that was what worried him the most because he knew that he had no chance against him.

While Count Gistaly and Marquis Donald played cat and mouse, across town in the red light district, the Heavenly Palace had opened its doors for business once more.

Customers came in droves, as the Heavenly Palace had become their favorite place. When they saw the outside of the establishment, many wrinkled their eyebrows, as it could be seen that the repairs were not finished, but soon a guard approached them saying, "Sir, you don't have to worry, although some renovations are still being done, the recreation area is finished".

Each client who heard these words smiled from ear to ear and entered the establishment, but upon entering they were surprised because the entertainment area was not only finished but was completely different from what they were used to.

The reception where Victor greeted them was spacious, organized, and elegant. It gave the feeling of welcome and with Victor's respectful attitude, all the customers felt special and they walked in very excited.

The more they walked, the more surprised they were. The walls were beautifully decorated with some elegant upholstery, the floor had been replaced and decorations could be seen everywhere, from vases and beautiful paintings to some small plants that set the scene.

Apart from all that, the number of party rooms had increased and although there were rooms that were not yet available, those that were, were more spacious and comfortable. When the customers saw them, they knew that the prices would go up again, but they didn't care, because the Celestial Palace was worth it, at least that was his thought.