The City Lord's Office on Black Reef Island.
"Get out!"
"All of you, get out!"
Accompanied by a woman's furious shriek, an exquisite silver vanity box flew out of the bedroom and struck the doorframe with a clang.
Several servants carrying potions and hot water went pale with fright and hurried out with their heads lowered.
The room was a wreck.
Shattered glass littered the floor. Not a single mirror that had stood on the dressing table, against the wall, or beside the wardrobe had survived.
The City Lord's Wife sat on the edge of the bed in a loose nightgown, her hair disheveled and her eyes red and swollen. Large patches of gray-silver scales covered her shoulders and neck.
"What good are all those Alchemists you keep?!"
The City Lord's Wife raged, "One at tier six, another at tier five, and all those alchemy apprentices, yet they can't even cure a plague!"
"They make me drink one potion after another every day! They're bitter as hell, and they don't do a thing!"
The City Lord stood beside her like a frightened quail, not daring to utter a word in protest.
"Darling, please don't get worked up. Calm down..."
"How can I not be worked up?! Are you waiting until I turn into a complete monster so you can marry someone else?!"
"Of course not!" The City Lord hastily pledged his devotion. "Heaven and earth can bear witness to my love for you. I'll never love anyone else as long as I live!"
"Hah, you'd better not, or you won't be keeping your position as City Lord either!"
The woman sneered. Not only were they childhood sweethearts, but her family also belonged to Black Reef Island's hereditary aristocracy. If their marriage fell apart, the position of City Lord could change