The Dining Hall ~
The grand obsidian table stretched through the room like a sword, untouched food laid out in perfect symmetry by trembling hands.
At its center, the largest seat loomed—high-backed, dark-spined.
The seat of the Demon King.
Kiel sat to the right of it, posture straight, hands folded on his lap. Lily sat beside him, fingers twitching nervously, legs not quite reaching the floor.
The two of them waited in silence.
Then, the doors opened.
The Demon King entered.
They stood immediately, heads bowed.
His presence chilled the room like an unexpected frost. Even the chandeliers dimmed slightly, their golden glow paling as if shrinking away from him.
He didn't look at them.
Not at first.
His eye scanned the room as if looking for someone.
Is he looking for someone?
Kiel thought it immediately.
Maybe… Mom?
'Is he missing her?'
But he knew that wasn't possible.
Their mother—the Queen—was not in the Demon Castle tonight. She had left two nights ago to handle matters in the Lust Clan. As the Clan Leader, her responsibilities often took her far from the castle.
When she was here, things were always… warmer. Softer.
She talked to them.
Asked how training went.
Complimented Lily's hair. Patted Kiel's head and smiled with that knowing look that made the whole hall feel like home.
But now…
The only sound was the faint clatter of forks against plates as the maids finished setting the table.
He walked toward the main chair belonging to him and sat on it following his moment the Kiel and lily also sat
Kiel's stomach rumbled, but he said nothing.
They hadn't started eating yet. Because the King hadn't started.
He didn't even glance at the food.
He sat still, completely unmoving, eyes fixed on the door again, as though waiting for something—or someone—to appear.
Time stretched.
Then the King sighed softly, and the heaviness in the air thinned just a little.
Kiel turned toward him, about to say something—ask him if he was okay—but then he heard it.
A name.
Muttered under the Demon King's breath.
"…Amel."
Before Kiel could even react, a figure slipped into the room like a shadow being pulled from the floor itself.
The butler.
An older demon, back straight despite the years, with dark red horns polished smooth. He knelt low, head down, eyes fixed on the floor.
"Did you deliver the message?" the King asked, his voice low and measured.
"Yes, my lord,"
The butler nodded silently.
Kiel and Lily shared a glance. The tension in the air coiled again.
Then came the command:
"Go. Bring her."
Nodding once more, the butler vanished without a sound—swift and seamless, as if he'd never been there at all.
Her…?
Kiel's eyes widened.
No. He couldn't be talking about her.
He turned to Lily, only to see her staring back at him with the same look—part confusion, part dread.
Ever since they were children, there had been one unspoken rule in the Demon Castle.
Rie never ate dinner with them.
She was never invited to the hall.
Not once.
Why? because for some reason both her father and mother mood turn sore whenever they see her.
Neither the King nor the Queen spoke of her—never praised her, never scolded her. They treated her like she didn't exist.
Maybe that's why she was trying so hard.
Every day, she messes thing around do crazy things to get even a sliver of attention from their parents.
To Keil she was nothing but a 'attention seeker'.
And maybe that's why she hate lily who got all the attention.
His eyes started following Lily. Watching her with pity.
Kiel still remembered the first time he saw Rie push Lily down the stairs.
Lily didn't tell anyone. She never did. But after that, the bullying continued in whispers and corners.
Jealousy.
That's what it was.
Lily was everything Rie wasn't—graceful, powerful, gifted. Their parents adored her, while Rie remained invisible.
'Does she think. She can compete with the real daughter'
She was adopted. A half demon… while lily just like him carry the blood of the noblest demon. The demon king'
But despite all the coldness he showed her—despite the silent hate—it always confused Kiel.
He knows his parents hated her.
So, if they hated her so much, why not throw her out?
Why keep her in the palace?
Why pretend she didn't exist, yet never let her leave?
He never found an answer.