Knock. Knock. Knock.
The soft, repetitive knocking echoed through the quiet hallway, gentle but firm—persistent.
Inside the dimly lit room, a pale figure stirred beneath layers of silk sheets.
Rie groaned softly, turning over, burying her face deeper into her pillow.
The knocking didn't stop.
She pulled the blanket over her head.
Just go away… whoever you are…
She was not in mood right now.
KNOCK. KNOCK.
But it only grew firmer.
Click.
The door opened slightly, letting in the faintest sliver of warm hallway light. The butler entered quietly, his expression blank as always, though his brow twitched at the scene before him.
She was still in bed.
Sleeping.
Or pretending to.
"Lady Rie," he called respectfully. "His Majesty has summoned you."
Rie peeked one eye open from under the blanket, her voice muffled by fabric. "Summoned me?"
"For dinner."
There was a pause. Then:
"Ahh…" she groaned. "Tell him I already ate."
The butler's eyes narrowed slightly, lips thinning. For a moment, the atmosphere grew a little colder.
The audacity of her words was hard to process.
Did she just refuse the Demon King?
He cleared his throat, standing straighter. "Lady Rie… His Majesty told me personally to bring you to the dining hall."
"…"
A sigh escaped from under the sheets.
There was a long, stretched moment of silence before she finally sat up, slow and lethargic. Her arms reached above her head, and she stretched—elegantly, lazily.
The butler immediately looked away.
Dangerous.
That was the first word that came to his mind.
Even in her careless, half-asleep state, she was breathtaking.
Her skin was porcelain-soft, the kind that looked like it would bruise at the lightest touch. Her long white hair spilled down her back like fresh snow, and her red eyes, half-lidded and tired, shimmered like polished rubies in the dim light.
Her body…
Even as a Marquis-ranked demon, one used to seeing the beauty of Lust Clan women, he felt a bead of sweat crawl down his temple. She had the form of temptation itself. Her curves, her posture—even the way she sighed—carried the bloodline of her mother, the Queen of Lust.
But even still, Rie was…
Different.
Rie always try to copy her mother, but tonight she looks completely different…
There was no performance. No false sweetness. No effort to seduce. She didn't flaunt her body like she used to be—no elaborate robes, no glittering charms, no revealing gowns.
Tonight, she wore something that startled him more than if she had worn nothing at all.
A silky black pajama set.
Loose-fitting. Soft. Comfortable. Purely functional.
Her top button hung open slightly at the collar, revealing a slender neck and collarbone. Her hands were gloved in black silk gloves—but they couldn't contain her claws. Long, crimson nails stretched past the fabric, sharp and perfectly shaped, like a predator hiding behind elegance.
She looked more like a sleepy demoness out of an old folktale than the daughter of royalty.
A peculiar choice of clothing… he thought.
But truthfully, he was relieved. The way those clothes covered her made it easier to think.
Mostly.
She slid off the bed with lazy grace, slipping her feet into black slippers. "Tch. Such a pain..." she muttered as she walked past him, not even looking back.
He followed behind her quietly, every step echoing off the polished marble halls of the palace.
And as they walked, his thoughts drifted.
It wasn't just her.
Even among the royal children—Prince Kiel and Lady lily's—their beauty was something otherworldly. Noble demons always took pride in appearances, but these three were different. Each one carried a rare kind of allure.
Prince Kiel's calm, cold elegance. Lily's bright radiance.
And then Rie…
She was like the moon in a dark sky. Distant. Beautiful in a way that made you forget how cold the night could be.
Yet no matter how lovely she was, everyone knew the truth.
She didn't belong here.
The butler glanced at her again as they neared the dining hall.
She walked slowly, head held high, her eyes half-lidded with boredom.