In the end, as if truly considering Seraphina’s dignity, Movira gently set her down, her fingertips brushing over the slightly disheveled collar.
“I still have matters to attend to. I’ll come back later.”
With that, her figure vanished eerily into the shadows of the corridor.
She often did this—disappearing without warning, then reappearing just as inexplicably.
Even when Seraphina asked, there was never an answer.
Seraphina pushed open the doors alone.
The conversations inside quieted instantly, and all eyes turned to focus on her.
Of course, it wasn’t just Lina inside—there were many ministers as well.
But their greatest commonality was…
This made Seraphina’s first reaction: What welcoming back the dust—this is clearly a victory banquet!
To put it more bluntly, a “spoils-sharing” meeting!
Naturally, Dekrian was among them.
He immediately stepped forward, respectfully guiding her toward the seat of honor.
After understanding Dekrian’s intent, Seraphina stopped in her tracks. “No, Your Grace the Duke. Today’s protagonist should rightfully be Lina. It was she who stabilized Asma, not I. This seat belongs to her.”
As the many ministers exchanged glances, Lina immediately stepped forward, bowed, and spoke respectfully. “Your Highness, everything I have done is merely following Your will and carrying out Your wisdom. Had I not learned Your methods in advance, Asma would still be bleeding to this day. You deserve this seat.”
…They were all supporters of the new policies.
Seraphina wanted to say a few more words of refusal, but seeing the unquestionable insistence in Lina’s eyes and the support from the representatives of various clans around her, she finally sat in the seat of honor as requested.
Lina then retreated to a slightly secondary position.
The banquet began, and the atmosphere gradually warmed.
Dekrian was undoubtedly the most active figure, as well as the one who had profited most in the early stages of the new policies.
Not only had he secured mining rights, but his daughter had been sent to study at the Princess Regent’s side.
Furthermore, investigating those anti-demon arrows and other secret intelligence had allowed him to claim several substantial rewards from the royal treasury.
Of course, he had kept some backups for himself, but fortunately not much, and no one else had noticed.
At the banquet, he elegantly raised his glass, steering the scattered topics toward the initial achievements of the new policies.
His words praised Seraphina’s wisdom and foresight, while subtly emphasizing the loyalty of the Bloodborn.
Naturally, Lina’s accomplishments also received praise in his speech.
“Were it not for Your Highness overriding opposition and insisting on implementation, we could scarcely imagine that the black soil once regarded as ‘dead land’ could burst with such vitality!”
He maintained his raised glass, his gaze sweeping over the Giantwing Demon chieftain Jolin and several representatives of clans that had similarly benefited from the new policies—among them, of course, the representatives of the Whiplash Demons and Shadow Demons.
“No doubt, before long, our lands will turn golden like those of the humans! The people of our Demon Realm will no longer worry about rations, and we can accumulate strength to look toward a broader future!”
Jolin nodded gruffly.
She wasn’t very sensitive to such roundabout rhetoric—she couldn’t speak it nor fully understand it—but the gems and minerals that had genuinely landed in the Giantwing Demons’ pockets were undeniable.
Unlike Dekrian’s delicate goblet, she paid no mind to appearances and raised a massive tankard, her voice booming through the hall like thunder. “Wherever Your Highness says to go, we go!”
Just as the wine had flowed through three rounds and the atmosphere was at its peak, the side door of the hall was silently pushed open.
Movira’s figure appeared quietly, clad in her signature black robe, a pleased yet somewhat inscrutable smile on her face.
She arrived without any warning, instantly drawing everyone’s attention and eliciting a wave of suppressed surprise and low gasps.
Conversations ceased abruptly, and everyone rose to pay respects.
Movira waved casually, halting the unnecessary formality.
Her gaze swept the room, finally settling on Seraphina.
She did not approach the seat of honor but instead found an empty seat below, as if she were merely a guest who had arrived a moment late.
Even so, the scene grew considerably quieter, and no one dared to speak loudly again.
“Ahem! Everyone.” Dekrian stood once more. “We are at the height of the festivities—let us not interrupt the momentum!”
Following his lead, Seraphina also spoke from the seat of honor. “Indeed. Today, we need not concern ourselves with rank or status. Enjoyment comes first!”
BANG!
A loud sound echoed in all directions.
The Giantwing Demon chieftain Jolin directly lifted a small barrel of wine and smashed it on the ground. “That’s right! Everyone who comes should leave fully satisfied! I’ll down a barrel first!”
The waist-thick barrel was easily hoisted.
Jolin tilted her head back and drained it all in one go.
Even though spilled wine soaked her body, it could not hide her bold and unrestrained nature.
Dekrian had only acted this way after receiving a hint from Movira’s eyes—otherwise, he would never have dared.
Seraphina paid no attention to Movira; she simply wanted the gathering to be lively.
As for Jolin… her inner thoughts were probably something like this:
Wow! Even someone as clever as Dekrian said it, and Her Highness… whatever she said, I’ll just follow!
On top of that, even the largest goblets hadn’t satisfied her thirst.
Those several barrels piled in the corner had long caught her eye!
This was the perfect opportunity…
Jolin’s antics were indeed quite effective.
Everyone was amused by her actions, which completely mismatched her imposing appearance.
Now no one was paying attention to Movira, right?
“Sister Jolin should drink a little less. Don’t end up like last time—crashing into some remote mountain forest mid-flight.”
A teasing voice came from the crowd.
The speaker was a petite demon—judging by the horns on her head and the tail behind her, a representative of the Whiplash Demons, though not the chieftain herself.
This remark once again triggered a burst of laughter.
“Who is that…?”
“The younger sister of the Whiplash Demon chieftain.”
Before Seraphina could fully voice her question, Lina had already leaned in and whispered the answer.
“How do you know that?” Seraphina vaguely remembered that she had never instructed Lina to learn about such things.
“Hmm… can I say it’s from being around you all the time?”
In the latter half of the banquet, Seraphina could clearly feel Movira’s gaze almost entirely fixed on her, carrying a sense of satisfaction.
She dared not meet her eyes.
No one else could draw Seraphina’s attention—except… Lina?
Lina’s posture remained composed, as if the sharp-tongued, coldly imposing figure from the grand hall earlier had been merely an illusion.
Yet the calm and resolute look in her eyes was already different from the former “maid.”
In those few days in Asma, Lina, what exactly did you go through…
The banquet finally came to an end.
…