The heavy doors of the mansion creaked open as Nora stepped inside, the chill of the evening clinging to her skin like a second layer. She kept her head low, her footsteps light, almost ghost-like, as she walked past the flickering hallway lights and went straight to the maid quarters. Her heart was pounding, but not from fear—no, it was something else. Something that had been growing inside her since her return.
She locked the door behind her and slumped onto the edge of the bed. The silence of the room welcomed her, but her mind refused peace. Thoughts spiraled. What now? What did she even mean to him—Zayan, the Devil King? She touched the slight scar on her wrist. She had survived too much to keep breaking.
Meanwhile, upstairs, Zayan stood in the golden parlor with his mother, Catalina, and Aveline beside her. The atmosphere was unnervingly calm.
"Is the little boy okay?" Catalina asked, sipping tea delicately.
Zayan's expression didn't change. "Hm. He's fine."
There was a long silence before Catalina spoke again. "Call Nathaira's parents. Tell them to come over tomorrow morning. Fast."
Zayan's eyes narrowed. "Why?"
"Just call them," Catalina replied firmly, but her tone held more weight than usual.
Zayan didn't argue. Instead, he took out his phone and made the call. "Be here by seven," he said coldly. "Don't ask questions."
Catalina then called her mother. "Yes, he wants everyone here by 7 AM. Please come. Alright. Thank you."
Aveline broke the silence. "Where's Nora?"
"In the maid quarters," Zayan replied.
He left the room abruptly, and the atmosphere shifted. There was a storm inside him—boiling, bitter, and violent. With every step down the hallway, his breath grew heavier, the heat around him rising. His fists clenched. His jaw tightened. The devil in him was stirring.
And then it snapped.
He threw open the door to his private chamber and slammed it shut. The walls trembled. Shadows twisted unnaturally around him, the air thickening. His eyes burned a deep crimson as he stared into the mirror—seeing not a man, but the monster he'd tried to suppress.
The devil within him had tasted power, tasted rage… and now, it wanted out.