Movira was indeed absent, but her will permeated everything. Seraphina had every reason to suspect this was part of her crueler game.
For both their safety, Seraphina had to bury any trace of mercy.
She drew a deep breath, suppressing the storm of emotions. Her voice emerged cold and commanding, though hoarse from the ordeal.
“…Vile assassin.”
…
“Where is Her Majesty?”
“She’s away on business. Won’t return for several days.”
From Elasia, Seraphina learned a sliver of Movira’s schedule. Strangely, she was gone at this critical time?
Wasn’t she afraid Seraphina would escape again?
But Seraphina dared not gamble. What if another trap waited? Getting caught once more…
She also learned the would-be assassin’s story. Days ago, an adventurer party. The girl wasn’t a member—she was more like… property. A slave.
After demon forces wiped out the party, Movira had personally brought the girl here…
A simple lunch. No one rushed her to work today—time to slack off!
Elasia? What was she? Without Movira, wouldn’t she still obey?
Before leaving the dining hall, Seraphina pocketed two sausages—despite their poor taste…
The demon realm’s prison wasn’t the filthy stench of imagination. It was unnaturally cold and clean.
Gray stone walls and bars glowed faintly, dividing the space into neat cells. The air carried oppressive, confining weight and a faint metallic tang.
Seraphina wore a thick black cloak. Elasia followed—not as aide, but as watcher…
“Your Highness.”
Guards on both sides bowed.
She nodded lightly, dismissing them… and Elasia.
Elasia merely stepped back a few paces—that was the most Seraphina could manage.
Still, she stood alone before the girl’s cell.
The girl was shackled by the wrists, curled on the stone floor in the corner. Tattered clothes made her look utterly wretched.
Hearing footsteps, she snapped her head up. Emerald eyes instantly filled with wariness and raw hatred—like an injured cub baring teeth.
Seeing Seraphina, that deep-seated loathing nearly solidified.
Faint fingerprints marked Seraphina’s neck. The scabbed cut on her cheek remained visible in the dim light.
Seraphina spoke first. Her voice echoed lightly in the empty prison, deliberately laced with upper-class, emotionless disdain.
“You want to kill me.”
Not a question—a statement.
The girl flinched. Then, like a lit fuse, she surged forward—only to be yanked back by chains and fear.
She hissed through clenched teeth, voice cracking with grief and rage. “You damn demons—stealing our land, slaughtering our kin! And you—one of their leaders! Why shouldn’t I kill you?!”
Her words reverberated, brimming with helpless fury.
Seraphina’s heart was lashed by each syllable. She met the girl’s pure, unadulterated hatred—pain twisting inside her.
“Do you know the price of failure?” She looked away, toward the cold stone wall. Her tone stayed flat, as if discussing someone else’s fate.
“Humans and demons cannot coexist! I regret nothing—only that I failed!” The girl laughed bitterly, a desperate edge to it. “Do it! I never planned to live in your hands. Death—or worse torture—means nothing!”
Silence fell. Seraphina couldn’t believe such a frail, pitiful girl could harbor such iron will.
She looked again. Her eyes gleamed deep in the dim light. “You’re brave. But foolish. You could have accepted captivity. Better than being a slave in the human world. What’s your name?”
The girl turned her head, refusing to answer a demon’s question.
Seraphina’s brow furrowed. She glanced at Elasia nearby, then turned back, voice darkening. “I asked your name!”
Still no reply.
“Fine… very well. You think demon power is as humans imagine? If I hadn’t suppressed their warlust this past year, your kind would’ve vanished in endless conquest!”
“Your hatred, your courage, your silence—pathetic before absolute power!”
Her words were fact and deliberate blows.
The girl snapped. She lunged a step—chains clanking. “So we should thank you?! Pah! Dream on! You’re no different from the rest—just another hypocrite on a moral high horse!”
“Kill me! You fake demon! Keeping me—to mock me? Or torture me worse?!”
Seraphina’s fists clenched below, then slowly released. “Someone—fetch a few strong maids… and a set of clothes she can wear.”
Elasia’s eyes lit up behind her. Curious what Seraphina planned. If she showed pity to a human, Elasia wouldn’t mind punishing her too.
Soon, maids arrived. The lead carried dark purple garments.
“Your Highness.”
“Hm…” Seraphina nodded. “Remove her shackles. Dress her in these. Then… bring her to my study.”
With that, she left without looking back. The girl’s glare burned into her.
“No way!”
But the girl’s strength was nothing against specially trained maids. With no order against roughness, they efficiently forced the change.
No males present—that was Seraphina’s small mercy. It planted a seed of doubt in the girl’s heart.