When the all-powerful head of the Office of Darkness cannot crush a sixteen-year-old boy, you’ll agree, that’s terribly irritating… To get rid of the rival, Ligul arranges a duel for Mephu with a monster from the depths of Tartarus. Mephodius survives only by a miracle, and the generous hunchback rewards him with a дарх (gift/boon).
But, as you know, empty дархs do not exist. And then this nasty living icicle, drop by drop, starts sucking the life out of Meph.
However, that wasn’t Ligul’s only surprise. It turns out he has a ward—Meph’s age. Everyone who knows her knows what happens when she laughs or cries. Loving her is also extremely undesirable, because Ligul intends to make Praskovya the new heiress of Darkness.