The next morning, in the grand hall of Demon King Castle Aisaridu, where the Demon Ministers paid audience to the Demon Queen.
The crystal chandelier hanging from the palace dome swayed slightly, affected by the pure and dense magic power in the air, and the atmosphere was so heavy it seemed it could drip.
At the end of the hall, the new Demon Queen, Sidella Eve Cecilia, sat high upon the throne.
She rested her cheek on one hand, sitting with her legs crossed casually, her boot touching the ground as she looked down at the Demon Ministers below with contempt through the gaps between her rounded toes.
The pressure she released so casually was enough to keep the ministers below from straightening their backs.
Slowly, she spoke, her voice carrying unparalleled majesty.
“I hear that as your new king, some of you are quite dissatisfied?”
A short sentence, but it startled those with rebellious thoughts among the crowd into a cold sweat.
Yet faced with Sidella’s overwhelming strength on the throne, no one dared to voice an opinion.
All were silent as cicadas in the cold.
“Heh.”
Sidella’s smile was mocking.
“You have the courage to spread rumors in the royal city, but when given the chance to petition, not a single one dares to speak?”
Sidella’s eyes narrowed instantly, her gaze as sharp as a blade stabbing toward three among the crowd.
“Carli Marquis! Rama Marquis! Sardin Marquis!”
She quickly named all three, her tone laced with obvious mockery.
“As the most capable generals under the previous Demon King, if not for my appearance, you might have been the closest to the throne of the Demon King.”
“Now I want to know—if you were the ones sitting on this throne today, how would you handle the rumors spreading in the royal city these past few days?”
This was both a threat and a warning.
The term Demon Race did not refer to a single species, but to various non-Human Race intelligent groups.
Within the Demon Race, of course, there were differences in strength among the various groups.
After the previous Demon King of the Demon Race passed away, the new Demon King should have been chosen from among his three strongest generals: Carli Marquis of the mighty Demon Ape Clan, Rama Marquis of the warlike Demon Clan, and Sardin Marquis of the united Demon Hound Clan.
Without question, these three represented the strongest tribes within the Demon Race.
Everyone naturally assumed the new Demon King would come from one of them, but no one anticipated the appearance of the Blood Queen, Sidella Eve Cecilia.
A new queen of the Blood Clan, supposed to be weak and of mixed blood.
Yet she appeared and immediately displayed unmatched power, seized the crown, ended the long war with the Human Race, and even captured the Human Race Hero!
When their names were called, the three stepped forward one after another.
Even when bowing, Carli Marquis’s figure was as tall as a mountain, the fur covering his skin as hard and sharp as steel needles.
“Your Majesty!”
He exchanged glances with the other two at his side.
“We believe that now the Human Race is weakened, and with their Hero captured, the urgent matter should be to press the advantage and enslave the Human Race in one stroke!”
He paused, then continued.
“As for the rumors circulating in the royal city recently—that Your Majesty is enamored with the Human Race Hero’s beauty and uninterested in strengthening the Demon Race…”
“That’s not a rumor.”
On the throne, Sidella’s beautiful eyebrows lifted slightly.
“Don’t you think that child is quite cute?”
Everyone below was stunned, then reacted with grief and indignation.
A foolish ruler! A foolish ruler!
The three Marquises’ mouths twitched.
Naturally, the rumors in the royal city were spread by them together, just to test the new king.
After all, the Blood Clan was not a powerful tribe among the Demon Race, and aside from their unique method of transformation and weak reproductive ability, they were among the weakest.
And why was that? It was rumored the Blood Clan were all face-obsessed…
With a queen suddenly descending, the three Marquises naturally had grievances.
Their intention was to use the rumors to provoke Sidella into attacking the Human Race, thus probing the extent of her strength.
If this king was weak and lost on the battlefield, they could justifiably elect a new king.
On the other hand, if Sidella was strong and led the Demon Race to successive victories over the Human Race, they could profit and strengthen their own tribes, conserving strength while waiting for the right moment.
But how could Sidella not know the little schemes in the three Marquises’ hearts?
The Demon Race was a pile of loose sand at best, and the three Marquises were ministers of the previous dynasty.
When a new king ascends, it’s customary to kill a few chickens to warn the disobedient monkeys.
But since they hadn’t crossed the line, she had yet to find a proper reason to make a move.
She couldn’t just execute diligent ministers without cause—she wasn’t some cruel and bloodthirsty queen.
“That’s enough, return.”
Sidella waved her hand dismissively, signaling the three Marquises to return to their positions and giving her reason for abandoning the attack on the Human Race.
“Since the truce with the Human Race has been agreed upon, wouldn’t attacking them now make the word of the Demon King seem untrustworthy?”
After all, she had already accepted Hualí as a gift.
She then brought up another matter.
“If there’s nothing else, you may all withdraw. Lilith, stay behind.”
“In a few days, it will be the Sixteenth Succession Ceremony of the Demon King. I hope none of you are absent on that day~”
The Blood Queen on the throne wore a smile, but her tone was dangerous.
With her order, the hall emptied, leaving only the Dragonkin Warden, Lilith.
“Your Majesty.”
Sidella put her boots back on and stood up, waving off the respectful bow of the Dragon Princess with impatience.
“Don’t be like those old foxes. Between you and me, there’s no need for such formalities.”
Unlike the other ministers from the previous dynasty, the red-haired Dragon Princess had been rescued by the Blood Queen Sidella on an expedition and brought back to the Demon King Castle Aisaridu.
She was a trustworthy subordinate.
Sidella first inquired about the status of the Human Race Hero, Hualí, in the prison.
After hearing that all was well and she was sound asleep, Sidella’s lips curled in a slight smile.
“Remember to remind Hualí to drink more water.”
She then entrusted all matters regarding the upcoming Succession Ceremony to Lilith.
“Sorry, this might be beyond your usual duties, but you’re the only one I can fully trust right now.”
“Your Majesty, you flatter me.”
A burning light shone in Lilith’s fiery pupils.
“It is Lilith’s honor to serve Your Majesty!”
“Oh, right, Your Majesty. This morning, a Human Race girl was captured on the Demon Race border. She claims to be the Saintess of the Human Race and wishes to see the Hero Hualí…”
“The Human Race’s Saintess?”
Sidella raised her brows with interest.
“Lock her up for now. Let her be Hualí’s neighbor. We’ll decide what to do after the Succession Ceremony.”
Those in the Church were still somewhat different from the Human Race’s Royal Family.
They were the true chosen of the gods.
“Yes, Your Majesty!”