I stood in my office with my father behind me.

I already knew he wouldn't repeat himself.

My office looked the same as usual. Purple paintings. Glow-in-the-dark purple stickers on the walls for long nights. On my left, a half-full coffee machine sat on my small kitchen counter beside my mini-fridge.

"Seems like you don't want me to know. Very well…" my father said. "I have something else I need to talk to you about."

He walked past me wearing a new suit that looked like it came out of a Dior catalog.

Black.

Not the kind that stood out.

The kind that swallowed everything around it.

The coat moved with him.

Not loose.

Not stiff.

Controlled.

"Looks like you and…"

He looked at me from the corner of his eye.

"Brother Belzagus are getting along quite well. Yes?"

My stomach tightened.

Of course he knew.

Across the room, Scorin went still.

Not tense.

Not surprised.

Just still.

Like he was waiting to see which direction the danger would come from first.

My mother stood up and moved to the side of my office chair behind my desk.

My father sat down.

His elbows rested on the desk. He brought his hands together, fingers pressed in front of his mouth.

His deep, heavy, blood-colored eyes stared at me.

My mother stood up and moved to the side of my office chair behind my desk.

My father sat down.

His elbows rested on the desk. He brought his hands together, fingers pressed in front of his mouth.

His deep, heavy, blood-colored eyes stared at me.

"Now explain to me what happened on the battlefield."

I stood there in my purple dress.

Somehow, it wasn't even dirty after everything I went through trying to survive the battlefield.

I fixed my silver hair into a ponytail like I was about to fight my old man.

"So you want me to explain something to you when you already know everything?"

Malphas leaned back in my chair.

My mother poured him a cup of coffee.

I raised my hand toward her.

"Let me get a cup, please?"

She didn't.

I sighed and explained what happened on the battlefield in clear detail.

My father enjoyed every minor detail.

My lips started to feel dry, so I walked over and made myself a cup of coffee.

"You know what? Fine. Scorin is the only one who will help me anyway."

My father leaned forward with an evil smile.

He rested his hands together as his eyes moved to Scorin.

"Yes… seems like he really showed his worth out there."

His smile sharpened.

"Didn't you, Scorin?"

Scorin looked at me with pure desperation, like he was trying to tell me to shut the hell up without actually saying it.

But I didn't notice.

I was still facing the coffee machine, making my coffee.

"You should've seen him out there. He's really strong."

Scorin walked over and grabbed my shoulder, trying to get my attention.

Instead, I looked up at him and offered him my cup.

"What do you want… some?"

Oh.

Right.

Scorin was a prince of the Neutral Lands.

And he had just saved a bunch of demons in front of an army of heroes.

Scorin wore his Dragonic Noble clothing, with a medallion resting over his heart.

His black and red clothes spoke volumes about his lineage.

He turned toward my father.

They both made eye contact.

"Don't get my family involved, Malphas."

I put my cup back down on the kitchen counter.

Then I turned toward my father.

He was already waiting for me to meet his gaze.

"What does he mean by that, Father?"

My father looked at both of us and closed his eyes.

Then he smiled as he opened them again.

"Prince Scorin," he said calmly. "I have no interest in making an enemy of your family."

Scorin didn't move.

My father's smile didn't change.

"However…"

The air in the room felt heavier.

"If the Neutral Lands discover their prince acted in defense of the Demon Empire, questions will be asked."

Scorin's fist tightened.

"And I would hate for those questions to come from me."

My stomach dropped.

That wasn't a threat.

It was worse.

It was paperwork.

Scorin's eyes flared crimson red.

He gritted his teeth at my father.

He was ready for another fight, and I didn't want this to escalate.

"Whoa, whoa. Slow down, both of you."

I stepped between Scorin and my father.

My father sat behind the desk, calm as ever.

Already planning his next move.

I looked at him from the side.

Nira floated beside my face.

"Seems like you couldn't keep your mouth shut again."

My father laughed softly.

My mother walked toward the exit of my office.

She stopped beside me and opened her eyes.

"Even if you didn't say anything, he already found out."

She left my office and closed the door behind her.

The room went quiet for a moment.

Scorin and my father didn't break eye contact the entire time my mother left the room.

"So what do you want me to do, Malphas? Join your army like my father?"

Malphas raised one hand and closed his eyes gently.

He didn't look offended.

If anything, he looked like Scorin had misunderstood the entire board.

"Your father is my closest friend," Malphas said. "He joined my army and became a general by his own choice."

Malphas placed his hands on the armrests and leaned back in the chair.

Then he opened his eyes and looked at me.

I gave him an ugly look and stuck out my tongue.

"Keep doing what you are already doing," he said. "But this time, I need you to watch over my daughter for the next two years."

He shifted his gaze back to Scorin.

"I received another revelation from the Evil Goddess."

Nira crossed her arms under her chest and opened her mouth with a shocked expression.

I looked at her and rolled my eyes.

"I'm guessing you and that goddess aren't that close after all, huh?"

Nira tried to kick me, but I weaved back with a smile across my face.

Scorin sighed and finally calmed down after hearing those words.

"I mean, if that's all, then that's fine by me."

Malphas smiled and snapped his fingers.

A dark document appeared beside him, hovering in mid-air.

"I need you to sign this, by the way," he said. "It only says that you agree to watch over her."

Scorin reached for the document as it hovered toward him.

I snatched it out of the air and gave my father a dirty look.

Like he was trying to get one over on me.

"Uhm… do we have lawyers who can look this over?"

My father laughed and covered his mouth with one hand.

He had to take a breath before he could speak.

"I really do love these moments with you, my darling daughter. Do you want to know why?"

I rolled my eyes.

Then I created a pair of fake glasses out of umbral ice and began reading the document.

My father, caring as he was, told me anyway while I tried to ignore him.

"You really have a backbone," he said. "Unlike your brother."

His smile softened.

"And I look forward to seeing you grow into a wonderful older demon."

I finished reading the document and placed it on my desk.

Then I rubbed my eyes.

I was already getting annoyed.

This contract was ridiculously in favor of my father.

And me.

"So you want him to train me for the next two years while being betrothed to me…"

I looked back down at the document.

"…be responsible for my well-being…"

Then my eye twitched.

"And represent the House when you plan to fight the Human Kingdom?!"

Scorin was about to sign his life away with one signature.

He moved to the chair across from the desk and sat down.

"I mean… I still don't understand what being married has to do with anything."

I stared at him.

My right eyebrow slowly lifted.

"What are you talking about, Scorin?"

He looked at me with an innocent smile.

"What do you mean?"

I shook my head.

"No. What do you mean you don't understand what being married to me means?"

Scorin looked at me.

Then—

A light bulb went off in his head.

His smile disappeared.

"…Oh."

I pointed at the contract.

"Yeah. Oh."

My father stood up and went to fix himself another cup of coffee.

As he poured the sugar in, he stirred it slowly.

"Feel free to think about this," he said. "I'm not forcing you to sign it."

He smiled faintly.

"But just know, within two years, Sophia's life will be in danger again."

Scorin looked at him with an annoyed expression.

"Why not protect your own daughter with your own power?"

Malphas sighed, like he had grown tired of Scorin's innocence.

"As Demon King, I cannot keep protecting my heirs. That would show favoritism. And Sophia needs to grow. She needs to experience the world."

He took the spoon out of the coffee cup and placed it in the sink.

Then he took a sip and sat back down in my chair.

"Ragalia will be coming back."

My stomach twisted.

"And this time, he will come straight for Sophia."

I grabbed my cup from the counter, but before I could take a sip, I stopped.

"Like… why is my life always in danger? Didn't Bel kill him?"

After I said that, Nira smiled.

Like she could see me changing into something colder than my mother.

I narrowed my eyes at her.

"Something funny?"

Nira shook her head with an evil smile.

"…Nope."

My father stared at Nira for a moment, then shifted his gaze to me.

He took another sip of his coffee and placed the cup back on the coaster.

"For now, just hold on to that, Sophia," he said. "And go check on your Belzagus. He seems to be under the weather."

I looked at him with an ugly expression and folded the contract into my pocket.

Then I grabbed Scorin by his sleeve and pulled him with me.

"You should've just led with that."

I opened the door to my office and walked out with Scorin, pulling him toward Belzagus' room.

Hopefully, Madina was there too.

The office door slowly shut behind us.

Inside, my father sat alone, sipping his coffee.

He turned toward the window and stared at the sun as it started to sink below the horizon.

"You will be the key to finally taking down the sealed hero, my darling daughter."