Absolute Depravity: Reincarnated with a lustful System



Unaware of the duality of her thoughts, Haruki wasn't too pleased about being confronted so early in the morning. A bit gnarly, he glared up at her with a hint of frustration in his eyes. Rose herself wasn't too adamant on backing off either, so returning the young master's gaze, she stood unmoving in front of his path forward.

"You lied to me, didn't you?" She asked, commandingly.

"About what?" He shot back despite knowing what she was trying to get to.

For now, all he wanted was to get her as far away from his room as possible, and then get his servants out of the room before anyone caught them in there. Maintaining her composure despite his snarky tone, Rose didn't let his tone affect her in the slightest.

"About what you said to me about my kids, and how they hate me," said Rose, pushing further for him to retract his statement.

"I thought you said someone's here to meet me, do we really have the time for this?" Still irked by the events of yesterday, he had little patience to spare.

Losing patience herself, a light frown appeared on Rose's head.

"Just tell me the truth and I'll lead you to the guest," Although she wasn't in the most stable mood, she'd still barely managed to somehow keep her head straight against the rebelling duke.

"I do not need a guide, Roselia," calling her by her full name, Haruki's teeth gritted shut. "Who's visiting so early in the morning anyway?"

Grunting at her, he tried to slip by Roselia, however, holding her hands as barriers in his path, she deterred him from taking more than a step forward.

"It's the high priestess as I've said, but I'm not letting you-"

"Get off Roselia! I don't care what you want me to do," trying to push her away with his fimble hands, Haruki managed only to make her take a single step back. "You want me to say your kids love you? If I say it will that really change anything? Especially when you have to ask me to do it? Maybe instead of doing that you should go visit them or at least allow them to meet you!"

Left huffing at the end of that tirade, Haruki could feel his emptied lungs hunger for air. As he stood there trying to calm his raging heart, Rose glared down at him in disgust. Not only had he hurt her with his words, but he'd also shattered the bridge of bond that once stringed their hearts together.

It wasn't only her who'd realized the folly in Haruki's act, but he himself was beginning to regret what he had just uttered out of his mouth. Looking back at her face, he sensed no hint of emotion, not even anger, and yet being familiar with the state of unnerving look he knew exactly what was going on inside her mind.

'I crossed the line, I should just…' As he tried to voice an apology, Roselia held her hand in front of him to stop speaking anymore.

"The guards probably took the priestess to the meeting hall, you should make your way there, I'll be…" pulling her hand back, she pressed a finger against her chin. "You don't need to know."

With those words, Rose rushed off in the opposite direction of the stairs leading downwards. Watching her back as she walked away, Haruki knew that he'd made a grave mistake, but with the reprehensive mood that she was in there was no way for him to calm her down.

Deciding that giving her time was the best option he had at the moment, Haruki peaked inside his room to send his servants back into their rooms. Opening up a dungeon portal, he used its small distance teleportation ability to transfer them all into their own assigned rooms. Once he was done, he took a quick look at his silver-white suit before making his way down to the meeting hall to greet the priestess.

While descending down the stairs, he caught the many gazes from the long file of priestess's acolytes. Unbeknownst to the events that had unfolded inside the hall, Haruki took their sharp looks as a means of intimidation.

"My lord!" Glancing up at Haruki, the leader of the guards called on him. "The priestess has been waiting for you."

'What's with the tone?' Feeling as though everyone was trying to test his patience, Haruki couldn't wash off the scowl plastered onto his face. 'Ughhh, never mind, I'll just get this stupid meeting done.'

Ignoring all the mean looks, and the worried faces of the guards, Haruki rushed off toward the meeting hall. There as he reached, the first thing that caught his attention was the figure of a wax doll sitting at the very edge of the table. In its hands, it held an oakwood staff with a circle of gold with bells riding on top.

"You're finally here duke," the alleged doll mumbled.

Although he was sincerely frightened by the words coming out of its dead pale lips, Haruki kept his composure and stood by his ground.

'That's the priestess? She looks like a fucking ghost!' With her hair silk silver, and her eyes a hollow dark, Haruki couldn't tell if he was talking to a real person or some monster posing to be human. 'Even her skin, it's so…wax-like.'

"I-I apologize for keeping you waiting, priestess," not knowing what to call her, he simply decided to go with her title.

Pulling up a chair on the opposing side of the table, Haruki pulled himself in and looked right at the priestess's face. Musing over her ghostly features, he found himself staring at her for a while without speaking so much as a word.

"Amused by my appearance, I take it?" She asked.

Letting go of her staff, she places her hand folded onto the table. Standing upright, the staff rotated on its own axis, creating a pleasant chime that could soothe even the coldest heart.

"No, it's…"

The moment he uttered the lie, the staff made a strikingly unpleasant sound.

"Do not lie, duke," She said with a smile.