Chapter 8 The Creatures Behind The Door

Margarette's eyes widened as soon as she saw the creatures behind the door. They're drinking at a long table. As Avinar stated, she will meet powerful yokai in this place, but she is not prepared for what awaits her. These creatures even outperform humans in terms of charisma and grace, but she is certain that their gorgeous faces conceal their true looks.

"You all appear to be having a great time. Please excuse me if my wife and I just came. We had a little difficulty on our way here, and I hope you understand." Avinar grinned broadly and drew Margarette to his side.

Margarette was shocked from her position as one of the creatures abruptly got up from his seat and struck the table hard after hearing Avinar's comment.

The great contempt on this creature's face could not be concealed as he turned his gaze to Margarette, "What nonsense are you talking about?! Don't you know what kind of creature is next to you? She's a mortal. She's not our kind so what you're saying is so impossible!"

Margarette averted her gaze right away. Similar to Avinar, it also has long hair. His skin tone is average, and he has a noticeable scar above his right eye.

"Everything Shinto stated was correct; if I were you, I would return that woman to wherever you found her rather than bear the consequences of your wrong decisions," the other one suggested in a low and calm voice. Aside from his companion, he does not appear violent, but rather gentle when you look at his face.

One of the creatures got up and moved towards Avinar and Margarette with a wicked smirk on his lips, "I don't understand why we have to fight over such a simple thing." This is the most terrible to gaze upon of all the creatures in the room. His entire body is encircled by numerous eyeballs, except for the numerous scars on his face.

The creature touched Margarette's chin. He then tilted it and pulled it closer to his face as he drew nearer. When she saw his face, Margarette swallowed forcefully and began to perspire heavily. Although Margarette had seen numerous yokai, she was terrified of this one.

"I didn't think that human beings like this woman are truly such a beautiful work of art," he smiled as he lowered his face and moved it to Margarette's neck, where he smelled it like a wonderful delicacy. "Why not devour her instead? I'm sure this woman tastes good because I can smell her virginity."

"What do you think, Avinar? Isn't what I was thinking more rewarding? Not only will you love it, for sure..." he said before being cut off by Avinar's abrupt appearance behind him. He was ready to attempt to flee when he felt a sharp thing on his side.

"Try touching any part of my wife's body again, I will never think twice about burying my nails into your flesh, let's see who my pets feast on," Avinar raged. Without Margarette, he would take off this creature's head and make certain that no one remained on his body. He didn't want to appear cruel to Margarette, so he held back as much as he could.

"Why have you been speechless? Don't tell me you're still afraid of that creature?" Avinar asked. "Don't worry, Margarette, I won't let you get hurt." They're currently in the garden.

Without a doubt, Avinar could still see the terror in Margarette's eyes at Midori's brazenness. Even though he was the group's leader, the others didn't recognize him and held him in the highest regard; yet, in light of what had transpired earlier, he was confident that none of them would dare to touch Margarette again.

"Tell me whether your perspective on yokai has changed in any way."

Margarette bit her bottom lip. Is it time for her to revise her opinions towards yokai? Avinar was correct; not every yokai she had encountered was as trustworthy and good as the ones he had encountered when she was younger. She was incredibly grateful since if Avinar hadn't been by her side, those circumstances might have resulted in her death.

Slowly raising her head, Margarette cast a glance at Avinar's way. Does that imply she owes this something?

Margarette curtly apologized before turning her gaze away from Avinar and said, "Sorry."

"You don't need to apologize because it's my duty as your husband to keep you safe; as I always remind you, as long as I'm by your side, no one can harm you."

Margarette's face turned red when she heard this. Avinar had said those words numerous times, but she was still baffled as to why she always had this impact on him each time. Doesn't he grow weary of reminding her about that thing?

Margarette cast another glance toward Avinar, who was now absorbed in the lovely flowers. Despite spending the entire day together, she only just became interested in looking at his face. The reality is that she does not see anything wrong with his appearance because everything about him is exquisite, including his long, shining hair, heart-shaped face, and red, tempting lips. But why is it that, despite his attractive looks, she cannot detect any life in his eyes? It sounds like she is conversing with a corpse.

"Is there a problem?" Margarette's eyes widened as she noticed Avinar staring at her. She hurriedly turned her gaze. away.

Margarette swallowed and said, "N-nothing. I just suddenly remembered something." She could think of no other excuse.

"Okay, well, are you hungry, by the way?"

Margarette didn't realize she hadn't eaten till after that. She became so hungry that she lost her mind as a result of what had happened.

Margarette claims, "I'm perfectly fine. You have nothing to worry about," but in reality, her knees are almost shaking from hunger.

Margarette sighed. She had been considering for a long, to be completely honest, what her fate would be now that she was in the world of yokai, especially with Avinar by her side. She will undoubtedly face many challenges, but she is determined to leave this situation as quickly as possible. She was unable to allow herself to remain permanently on this planet with these monsters.

If Margarette is forced to interact with these creatures, she will only do so to liberate herself. And she hopes that she will still be alive when that day comes.

"Master Avinar, the food is ready."

When Margarette heard the voice behind her, she abruptly stopped. She gripped her chest when she felt an odd warmth. She couldn't put her finger on why she was feeling that way. She had the impression that the voice was a familiar one.

Avinar turned to face the creature behind him and said, "That's okay then. By the way, Margarette, allow me to introduce you to my trusty right-hand, Kei."

Slowly, Margarette turned around. A creature who appeared to look exactly like Avinar, with long white hair and blue eyes, greeted her. He resembles the twin brother of Avinar.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Lady Margarette," Kei said, placing his right hand on his chest and slightly bowing his head in respect to Margarette. The wind blew as his face lifted.

Margarette's world came to a halt when she noticed a sweet smile on Kei's lips.

Margarette had been silent since she and Riku parted ways. While he was away, Kei was tasked with keeping an eye on her. Avinar stated that he was scheduled to go somewhere significant. She did nothing except comply with his wishes. Furthermore, in comparison to the creatures she encountered earlier, Kei does not appear to be violent. To be honest, she felt far more at ease with him than with Avinar.

"If there's anything you want to ask or talk about, don't be afraid; I'd be pleased to be of service to you, Lady Margarette," Kei said. He was the first to break the silence.

"Don't worry, Lady Margarette; I'm not dangerous like the others; you can always count on me," Kei added, causing both of Margarette's cheeks to heat up.

Margarette said timidly, "Thank you very much."

"We've here," Kei said as he came to a halt in front of a room. He then slowly slide the door open.

"I hope you enjoy it."

Margarette's eyes appeared to shine like stars when she noticed the food prepared on the table. She had only ever seen so much food in her entire life; it was as if it was all a dream. She felt even more hungry after seeing them

Margarette questioned, "Did you prepare all of these?" She was still overcome by the food that was in front of her.

"Indeed, Lady Margarette."

"Wow? Everything you cooked is so delicious. If only I could take them home. I'm sure my friends, especially Aunt Cecille, will be happy when they taste all of this food." The happiness on Margarette's face changed to one of sadness. After seeing her reaction, Kei rushed to her side.

Kei asked with a worried look on his face, "Is there a problem? Are you in pain? Do you want to call Master Avinar?"

Margarette shook her head. A bitter smile appeared on her lips.

"Don't worry, I'm fine. Thank you so much for..." Margarette couldn't continue what she was about to say when Kei suddenly touched her face. She experienced an odd warmth in her chest once more when she felt the warmth of his palm.

Kei looked into Margarette's eyes, worry evident on his face, "Thank goodness. I get scared. My life is not enough to compensate if something bad happens to you, Lady Margarette."

"I'm fine. You have nothing to worry about. Thank you." Kei's gentle touch temporarily alleviated Margarette's sadness.

***

"What are you planning to do with that woman? Sometimes I don't understand what's going through your mind. You even dared to bring her to our world even though you know she's mortal." Kauki, a dog yokai. He is Avinar's best friend.

Before pouring some sake, Avinar grinned and said, "Whatever my plans are, none of you can stop me. You know me well; if you dare to get even close to Margarette, I won't hesitate to cut off your head. Avoid doing so at all costs."

Among all the yokai Avinar has encountered, Kauki is at the top of the list of yokai who enjoy women, especially if they are virgins and mortals. He rapes these women and then feeds their dismembered bodies to his pets.

The four corners of the room erupted in raucous laughter. Following Avinar's accusation of him, Kauki was unable to control himself.

"Maybe you're forgetting that we were together in those times. Don't let it out that I'm the only one who's mean to us." Kauki stopped laughing after receiving a sharp look from Riku.

"Okay, fine. You won." Kauki got up from his seat and turned his back.

"Do whatever you want with that woman. But this is what you need to remember, Avinar; you're not the only one who has eyes on her so don't make any mistakes because the moment you lose sight of her, there will be nothing left for you even a single strand of her hair," Kauki warned before leaving the room.

"If you think I'm going to be swayed by everything you said, you're mistaken. I'm ready to kill someone of my kind if necessary, even you, my best friend."

Avinar didn't intend to go back right away, but he couldn't rest easy after what Kauki told him. Even though he didn't want to concur with them, he knew the moment his companions encountered Margarette, they wouldn't stop until they had her—something he would never permit to happen.

"It looks like you're not with that woman. Aren't you concerned that our companions might be feasting on her?" Renji, a bekeneko was waiting for Avinar as he was standing outside the door.

Japanese yokai, or supernatural beings, include the bakeneko, which is specifically a kayo, or supernatural cat. It frequently gets mixed up with the nekomata, another cat-like yokai.

"If that's the case, don't worry—as long as Margarette is in my care, nothing bad will happen to her." Avinar stepped up, placing both of his hands inside the sleeves of his kimono. Instead of even looking Renji in the eyes, he simply walked by as if he hadn't noticed anything.

"Maybe you are right. She won't be hurt because Kei is also watching out for her, but be cautious. After all, it appears that he is also interested in her." Renji smirked.

Avinar abruptly came to a stop after hearing Renji's words. He questioned, "What do you mean?"

"Why don't you find out for yourself; if you speed up, you will catch up with them," Renjie smirked once more.

"All right, I'm leaving now."

Avinar didn't waste any time. With a flick of his finger, he vanished into thin air. In less than a second, he was at the front of the room, where Kei and Margarette were. He then slowly opened the door. He clenched his fists. He couldn't figure out why he was so irritated to see how happy Margarette was with Kei.