The next morning, Silva woke before anyone else in the Fox Family compound had stirred. He'd made up his mind the night before—if Scarlet truly meant to train him, he wouldn't waste a single day. Dressed and ready, he set out to find her. The courtyard by her quarters was empty. He searched the gardens, the training grounds, and even asked a few Fox Family members—no sign of her. Lady Scarlet had simply vanished.
Eventually, he spotted June and Julie lounging beneath one of the massive trees around the estate. "Have you seen Lady Scarlet?" he asked. The twins exchanged a look. Julie started giggling, and even June hid a small smile behind her hand.
Silva narrowed his eyes.
"What?"
"It's that time of the month," Julie said.
Silva froze, his expression turning awkward.
June quickly elbowed her sister.
"Not like that."
Julie burst into even louder laughter.
They explained that once a month, without fail, Scarlet would disappear from the Sien Domain. She'd been doing it for years—always alone, always on the same day, always to see the same person: Cornelius. She never announced she was leaving, never invited anyone along, and never offered an explanation. She just left. No matter how busy she was or how much time passed, she kept up that peculiar ritual—traveling to wherever Cornelius happened to be. Most of the time, she didn't even say a word to him.
Sometimes Cornelius had no idea she'd been there at all. Scarlet would just watch from afar, catching glimpses of him walking around—training, teaching, grumbling about something, or occasionally drinking more than a man his age probably should. And that was enough for her. Yet every month, she carried the same quiet worries: Was he healthy? Had his old injuries gotten worse? Was he eating right?
Seeing Cornelius in person was enough to quiet those worries—for another month, at least. It was something Scarlet would never say out loud. The fearsome demon fox who could intimidate nobles and send Silva crashing to the ground with a single punch only needed a glimpse of one aging man to feel at peace. By evening, Scarlet would head back to the Sien Domain as if nothing had happened, never mentioning Cornelius. The twins knew better than to bring it up. After hearing the story, Silva stared at them.
"So Lady Scarlet's been secretly checking on Grandpa every month for years?" June nodded, Julie grinned. "Pretty much." That's when Silva realized—Scarlet had never forgotten Cornelius.
She had simply chosen to stay out of his life.
Whatever reason kept her away was clearly strong enough to stop her from approaching… but not strong enough to make her stop caring.
Far beyond the Sien Domain, Scarlet stood quietly on a distant rooftop, her gaze fixed on an man below.
Cornelius was in the middle of an argument.
Loud.Still stubborn.
She watched him for a few seconds before the faintest smile touched her lips.
That was all she needed.
Her worries faded.
For another month.
Meanwhile in the Sien Domain
Silva stayed quiet for a moment before another thought struck him.
"Wait."
June and Julie glanced his way.
"Lady Scarlet's stronger than Queen Leonida, right?"
The twins nodded without hesitation.
"And everyone thinks she'll join the next battle for the throne."
Another nod followed.
Silva's brow furrowed.
"Then why hasn't she ever done it?"
Julie's grin stretched wide.
June glanced away, already knowing what was coming.
"Because Master doesn't want the throne."
Silva blinked.
The ruler of the Sien Domain couldn't just vanish whenever they wanted. The Demon King or Queen bore responsibilities to the clans, the noble families, the borders, and the entire domain.
There would be meetings, disputes, ceremonies, challenges, politics—endless obligations binding the ruler to the Sien Domain. And Scarlet wanted no part of it. Not because she despised responsibility, nor because she was afraid of Leonida.
Not because she doubted she could win.
She simply refused to accept any position that might prevent her from leaving the Sien Domain whenever she wanted.
Especially on one particular day every month.
Silva slowly covered his face.
"You're saying Lady Scarlet won't take the Demon Queen's throne..."
Julie was already trying hard not to laugh.
"...just so she can keep visiting my grandpa?"
June calmly corrected him.
"She calls it checking in on him."
That was all it took for Julie to burst out laughing.
For years, the most powerful demons in the Sien Domain wondered why Scarlet never went after the crown. Some figured she thought ruling was beneath her. Others assumed she was waiting for a worthy opponent.
A few even believed she secretly respected Leonida's reign and chose not to challenge her. The truth was far less noble—Scarlet simply valued her monthly visitation rights more than the title of Demon Queen. Meanwhile, far away and completely unaware her disciples were spilling one of her best-kept secrets, Scarlet kept watching Cornelius from afar with utter seriousness. To her, nothing about this arrangement seemed the least bit odd..
She'd only been making sure he was okay. Month after month. Year after year. Always from the shadows, without him ever realizing. In Scarlet's mind, that made all the difference.
Silva still couldn't match the image in his mind—Scarlet, the fearsome woman who'd floored him without hesitation, secretly keeping watch over his grandfather like some bashful maiden too shy to face him.
It just didn't add up.
So, underneath all that violence, Master Scarlet is actually pretty maidenly. Julie teased.
June gave a small nod.
"Only with Cornelius."
Silva stared blankly ahead.
"I don't know if that makes her more terrifying or less—"
"SCARLET!"
A booming voice suddenly echoed through the entire Fox Family estate, making Silva nearly leap out of his skin. Birds burst from the surrounding trees in a flurry as the voice rang out once more.
"COME OUT! FIGHT ME!"
Silence hung in the air as Silva slowly turned to face the twins. Julie let out a sigh, while June closed her eyes. Pointing toward the entrance, Silva asked, "…Queen Leonida?"
Both twins nodded, prompting Julie to groan, "Queen Leonida." Glancing at the gates, Silva suddenly recalled an important detail. "Lady Scarlet isn't even here."
Julie grinned. "Don't tell her just yet." June's smile took on an unsettling edge. "Let her keep shouting."
Leonida's voice echoed on for minutes.
"SCARLET!"
BOOM.
"I KNOW YOU CAN HEAR ME!"
BOOM.
Each strike made the Fox Family estate quake.
Eventually, Silva broke the silence.
"Does she always do this?"
"Yes," June replied.
"Sometimes she's louder," Julie added.
With a shared sigh, they headed to the entrance.
Silva froze upon arrival—there stood Leonida, Queen of the Sien Domain, an enormous mace resting on her shoulder, her foot tapping impatiently.
Then she lifted the mace and slammed it down again.
BOOM!
The earth cracked beneath it.
"SCARLET! GET OUT HERE!"
Silva stared at the crater, then at Leonida, then back at the crater. "…And she's the Queen?" Julie nodded with pride. "Our Queen." June muttered under her breath, "Unfortunately."
Her most striking features were the enormous sweeping black horns rising from her head, curving outward like a crown fashioned by nature itself. Rather than diminishing her femininity, they framed her face and give her an unmistakably demonic majesty. Between them falls a wild cascade of long, midnight-black hair, slightly untamed and flowing around her shoulders. Her pointed ears and golden, predatory eyes further mark her as something beyond human.
Her physique reinforced that impression Silver had. She was tall, powerful, and athletic, with a commanding presence suited for a warrior queen. Yet there is an elegance to her proportions and movements that prevents her strength from appearing cumbersome. She looks like someone capable of swinging an enormous mace with frightening force while somehow maintaining regal grace.
Her greatest visual strength might be the contradictions she carries. Regal without seeming confined. Feminine without losing her warrior edge. Dangerous without ever needing to prove it. She looked like an ancient demon empress straight out of legend.
Leonida's golden eyes finally settled on the trio, her mace pausing halfway to the ground.
"Where's Scarlet?" she asked.
Silva exchanged a glance with the twins before June replied, "Master Scarlet is away for the day."
Leonida's gaze lingered on them. "…Away?"
"She'll be back tonight," Julie added.
A heavy silence followed.
Then, without another word, the mighty Queen of the Sien Domain simply—
Plop.
—sat down cross-legged directly in front of the Fox Family entrance, planting her enormous mace beside herself.
Silver blinked.
"What are you doing?"
Leonida crossed her arms.
"I'll wait."
Silver glanced at June.
June glanced at Julie.
Julie shrugged.
It seemed the Queen had nothing else on her agenda.
Leonida's massive mace stayed buried headfirst in the ground beside her.
The Demon Queen lounged against its handle, one leg stretched out and the other bent loosely beneath her.
Her eyes were shut, and one hand lazily scratched at the base of her horn.
Silver simply stared.
This is the Demon Queen?
Leonida's eye slowly opened, her lazy gaze locking onto him.
"Stop staring at me, brat."
Silver quickly looked away as Julie snorted and June hid a smile behind her hand.
With a sigh, Leonida shut her eye again and went back to scratching her horn.
"Wake me when Scarlet gets back."
Silver glanced at the twins, noting their complete lack of surprise.
…Aster's sister. Yeah.
Now it made sense.