Jade carefully fed Xylon, holding the spoon close to his lips with gentle patience.
"You don't have to do this for me, miss," Xylon said softly.
At his words, Jade's expression immediately fell.
"But... I've always done this for you," she replied, her voice barely above a whisper.
Xylon fell silent.
Jade lowered her gaze and poured fresh blood into Xylon's goblet. The crimson liquid swirled inside the gold cup as she held it out to him.
"I wish your memories would return," she murmured sadly.
Xylon stared at her. There was so much sorrow in her eyes—sorrow that seemed meant for him, though he could not understand why.
Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through his head.
"Arrghhh!" he cried out, clutching his temples.
"Your Majesty!" Jade exclaimed, panic flooding her voice. "Are you alright?"
"It hurts...!" Xylon groaned.
Lilith, who had just entered the room, hurried toward them.
"What happened?" she asked.
Jade turned to her with tear-filled eyes.
"His head suddenly started hurting," she answered anxiously.
Xylon slowly lifted his gaze and looked at Lilith.
The moment their eyes met, he froze.
For some reason, the pain vanished as quickly as it had come.
"Your Majesty, are you alright?" Lilith asked with concern.
"I-I am..." Xylon replied.
His eyes remained fixed on her. "What is your name?"
Both Jade and Lilith exchanged surprised glances.
.
.
Meanwhile, Titus stood alone on a palace veranda, gazing out at the magnificent kingdom spread before him.
Aria approached quietly and stopped beside him.
"How are you?" she asked.
Titus smiled faintly.
"Your kingdom is beautiful."
A proud smile touched Aria's lips.
"That is because we are blessed with a wise king."
Titus looked toward the distant horizon.
"It is nothing like in Hell," he said bitterly. "There, all we know is violence, bloodshed, and endless conflict. And now that the demons have escaped, they intend to bring destruction to this world as well."
Aria gently placed a hand on his shoulder.
"You are a prince, aren't you?" she said. "Why not try to change things? Why not create a better future for your people?"
Titus shook his head.
"As long as Leviathan lives, cruelty and darkness will continue to rule our world."
Hearing the resignation in his voice, Aria felt her heart ache for him.
Titus turned to face her.
For a moment, his eyes softened.
"Thank you," he said quietly. "You showed me a world I never knew could exist. Since meeting you... I've changed."
His hand slowly reached for hers.
"Aria—"
"Aria?"
A familiar voice suddenly interrupted them.
Cedrick had arrived.
The moment he saw Titus holding Aria's hand, his expression darkened.
Titus immediately let go.
"There you are, my love," Cedrick said as he walked over.
Aria smiled warmly.
"I was just taking a walk. Have you eaten yet?"
Cedrick's face brightened.
"That's actually why I was looking for you. I wanted us to have lunch together."
He wrapped an arm around her shoulders possessively.
"Really?" Aria asked, smiling.
She glanced back at Titus.
"Come join us."
Titus forced a smile.
"I'm not hungry. You two go ahead."
Without another word, Aria and Cedrick walked away together.
Titus remained where he stood, watching their retreating figures.
An unfamiliar heaviness settled inside his chest.
As they strolled through the palace gardens, Cedrick glanced sideways at Aria.
"You seem close to him."
"A little," Aria admitted. "He was the one who helped me when I was trapped in the World of Emptiness."
Cedrick clicked his tongue.
"I should've gotten there first," he muttered under his breath. "Then the two of you would never have met."
Aria couldn't help but laugh.
Through her telepathic gift, she could clearly hear the jealous thoughts racing through Cedrick's mind.
It was strangely adorable.
Yet there was something that continued to puzzle her.
No matter how hard she tried, she could never read Titus's thoughts.
Not even once.
The mystery surrounding him only grew deeper.
Smiling softly, Aria slipped her arms around Cedrick as they continued walking together.
.
.
"Tadaa! I'm handsome, right?" Sagi asked proudly.
He struck a pose in front of the mirror while trying on one of Yvess's old outfits. Since Yvess had no interest in keeping the clothes he no longer liked, he had given them all to Sagi.
"You look terrible," Blake replied with a laugh.
A pillow immediately flew across the room.
"Hey! I'm being serious!" Sagi protested.
"Haha! Just pick another outfit," Zander said, shaking his head.
For the past hour, Sagi had been changing clothes nonstop, only to be met with endless teasing from Blake and Zander.
"I think this one suits you better."
The voice came from Zake, who held out a neatly folded shirt.
Sagi's eyes lit up.
"Really? Alright, I'll try it on!"
He grabbed the shirt and hurried into the bathroom.
A few moments later, Yvess arrived with Heberlin.
"What's going on here?" Heberlin asked curiously.
"Sagi's having a fashion show," Blake answered.
Just then, the bathroom door opened.
Sagi stepped out confidently and spread his arms.
"Alright! Now this is what you call handsome!"
Everyone turned to look at him.
"Niiice. That actually suits you," Zander admitted. "Looks like baby Zake has good taste."
A faint smile appeared on Zake's face.
Yvess glanced at Sagi before rolling his eyes.
"Thank goodness you finally realized to wear decent clothes. Your fashion sense was awful."
Sagi paid him no attention.
Instead, he returned to the mirror, admiring himself from every angle and brushing back his hair dramatically.
"Too handsome," he muttered.
.
.
.
Meanwhile, deep within the forest, a massive demonic wolf emerged from the shadows.
It was Xerxes.
As he stepped out from the trees, his body began to transform.
Dark fur receded into pale skin. Powerful paws became human hands. Moments later, a man stood in the wolf's place.
His ash-gray hair fell over his forehead, and his crimson eyes gleamed with an unnatural light.
Xerxes lifted his head and inhaled deeply.
The scents carried by the wind guided him.
Within moments, he had found the location he was searching for—the small house where the young woman entrusted to his watch by Leviathan was staying.
Hidden among the trees, Xerxes observed silently.
There she was.
The young woman sat outside the modest cottage.
He stared at her body.
Her belly had grown noticeably larger.
The child she carried was developing far faster than any ordinary human baby.
It was the heir of Leviathan—the future prince of the demons.