"Well, with that out of the way, I have an invite for you six. Why don't you join our banquet tonight and then return home tomorrow instead of today?" Uwe offered, surprising everyone.
"Umm, Demon King—is that really alright?" the saintess asked.
"Yes, of course. Tonight, I will introduce you to the Marasuki. She will be attending."
"Thank you, but I can't decide the matter on my own. May I have a moment to speak with my companions?"
"That's fine. I'll have a maid escort you to the drawing room. When you've reached a decision, just inform her."
"Thank you again, Demon King." The saintess rose and gave Uwe a respectful bow before following the maid out.
[Drawing Room | Saintess POV]
The door clicked shut behind us, muffling the ambient hum of the castle's halls. The room was cozy, draped in velvet and obsidian finishes, with high-backed chairs arranged in a semicircle.
"So, what do you all think?" I asked, folding my hands in front of me.
"I don't trust it," said Elric, the tallest of my guards. "The food, the calm—it's too polished."
"They're not trying to kill us, Elric. If they wanted us dead, we wouldn't be sipping tea in a royal drawing room," I said dryly.
"I agree," said Mira, adjusting her gloves. "But something about that Ren girl bothers me."
I frowned slightly. "Why?"
"She's too familiar," Mira said. "Her posture. Her tone. Her understanding of our internal structure is impressive. She's hiding something."
I nodded slowly. "I had the same feeling. I used my healing sense on her earlier, and I found that her body structure is abnormal. She is not merely a demon, nor is she close to being a human. The power present in her system appears to be unusual. Her movement is that of a veteran of war, but we have never seen her on the battlefield."
"Then do you think she's really half-demon?" asked Taren, the youngest of our group.
"No, she is much more than just a normal demon," I murmured. "But I'm beginning to think she wasn't born that way."
"So you think… she might be Ren Bell?" Mira asked, her voice low.
I shook my head. "That's impossible. It's not possible to do that to someone, and she doesn't feel very human." I explained, feeling hurt as I remembered how my friend had to die for it and resented that fact.
"But you said it yourself," Mira countered. "Her presence felt too familiar."
I leaned back in my chair, closing my eyes for a moment. "I want to believe she's not. She might just be another hybrid with a few peculiarities. However, if she is indeed Ren Bell, we do not take it further than these doors, alright?" I said, ending in a stern tone, looking mostly at Leam.
"I'm not concerned about that information. I am from the EU anyways; your American politics don't interest me." Learn, she said, scoffing.
Elric crossed his arms. "Do we accept the banquet invite?"
I opened my eyes and stood. "Yes. But we keep our eyes open. Tonight may reveal more than Uwe intends."
The others nodded.
"Good. Then let's go play the part of honored guests—until we uncover the truth."
[Ren POV—Banquet Preparations Continue]
"Since when did we have the banquet today?" I asked, clearly annoyed.
"It was supposed to happen weeks ago, but delays kept pushing it back," Uwe replied with a shrug.
"Sigh. You do realize if the Saintess sees my house, she'll immediately know I'm still alive."
"She was already skeptical when we first met."
"Yeah, she scanned me—but I've changed enough."
"What do you mean she scanned you?" Leah asked, concern flashing in her eyes.
"You know her ability, right? She can't heal unless she understands the target's anatomy. She can scan a person's body to locate the source of their illness."
"She can do that?! And they let her come here?" Leah exclaimed.
"Yeah. But she knows I'm half-demon now, so her suspicions should've faded. Then again, that might change if she sees me teleport or recognizes my house."
"I see. Hendrian, you understand what we're discussing is top secret, right?" Uwe asked.
"Yes, Father," Hendrian said with a solemn nod.
"Good. Now, come—let's finish our talk," Uwe said, gesturing for us to follow.
"Sigh. At this point, we might as well tell the whole family I used to be human," I grumbled.
Though deep down, this was the first time since Lily that I felt I could trust a family enough to carry my truth.
"Oh, we're planning to. There are no lies in this family," Uwe replied simply.
"Yeah?"
"Alright, so what are you wearing tonight?"
"Umm, actually, Sara got me a suit today for the banquet," I answered, recalling her earlier insistence.
"Oh, so Sara already sorted you out. Good. I wouldn't be surprised if you end up the most handsome girl tonight," Luna said, chuckling.
"...Artemis, are you going to be there too?" I asked, glancing behind where she stood quietly against the wall.
"I will be there."
"Want to partner up?" I offered, getting raised eyebrows from both Luna and Leah.
"Sadly, Father already assigned me a partner. I need to get back to work—see you all tonight." Artemis left quickly, practically fleeing the room.
"Hmm. Is Artemis engaged?" I asked.
"Before we answer that question, do you have feelings for Artemis?" Leah asked, suddenly serious.
"Huh? You do realize I like hot girls, right? She is quite suitable for helping me move on from Liny." I said, shrugging, thinking about Nyx the last week.
"Ren, are you going to play with her feelings?"
"What?! No! If she gets serious, I will too. But I doubt she would." I explained, shrugging.
"Don't toy with people's emotions just to get over your ex. Artemis and Nyx have never known their mother. They don't have someone to lean on if you break their hearts." Lina said these words while narrowing her eyes at me.
"Sheesh, you make me sound like a playboy. I'm not out here trying to hurt anyone." I rebuked defensively.
"I'm just asking—don't break their hearts," Lina said softly.
"Why is it always multiple?"
"Well, isn't Nyx in the picture too? They're sisters. And both seem close to you."
"...Damn it. I blame the demon blood you gave me," I muttered, not having it really sink in that I was actually attached to both sisters at the same time.
'Yes, they're both attractive—and sometimes adorable. But if I lead one of them on, I might ruin any chance for both of them to develop a proper bond with each other. And that's worse than anything.' I considered dropping my head into my hands.
"Hehe, I might've made quite the mess for myself," I said after a bit of silence.
"I hope you will take responsibility for it," Leah said.
"Oh, right—so, is Artemis engaged?" I said I was shifting the conversation.
"No, but her father is trying to arrange it."
"With the person she's partnered with tonight?" I said with a thoughtful expression.
"Yes. So you still have a chance."
"Tsk. I need to see how she feels about him. I don't like the idea of stealing someone's girl—it leaves a negative taste." I said, Think about it.
"So, Nyx is available and ready to be pursued, huh?" Leah muttered to herself, smiling.
"Did you get cheated on?" Luna asked with a raised brow, ignoring Leah's comment.
"Yeah. My first boyfriend cheated on me with that dumb Bell girl." I said with true venom in my voice.
"Ah, the one before Lily?"
"Yep. I still don't know what I saw in him. I said, annoyed.
"Tell us more about your past. We're your mothers now—we need to know."
'Tsk. Is it because I never had anyone asking about me? Or are they just that charming? However, Nyx already knows more about me than the two women do. I thought, eyeing the two women.
"Both," Luna said, making me grumble.
"Why are you so good at reading people? The worst part is Sara takes after you." I said, glaring at Lina with neither true hate nor annoyance.
"Haha, glad to know my daughter inherited something useful."
"But her brother is just like Uwe."
"Huh? He's so quiet."
"Uwe was the same when he was younger. Quiet but charming."
"I can't see it."
"That's because you're into girls."
"Ah, right. Speaking of appearances—should I take out my contacts?"
"We told you from the beginning—no need to hide them."
"No way. People hate my eyes. They look at me like I'm about to kill them."
"That's because they look divine."
"As if! No, I've worn them for a month now. They don't hurt anymore."
'Lie. My eyes hurt every night. But it'll pass. Right? Nyx has also been worried about it for the last few days.' I thought about remembering how Nyx has been pestering me to stop wearing my contacts.
"It won't get better if you keep wearing them," Luna said.
"She's right. If the glasses are not for vision correction, they could damage your eyes."
"But—"
"You're a jack-of-all-trades, Ren. Not a master of biology or medicine." Leah interrupted me, firmly shutting down my argument.
"I'm good at fighting."
"Not a master," Lina said, eyeing me.
"Tch."
"Anyway, I forbid you from wearing them tonight."
"Fine! I won't wear them," I huffed.
"Good. Now go get ready. We need to prep the guest attire."
"But will they even come?"
"They will. It's a beneficial way to gather more information."
A soft knock echoed through the hallway. A maid opened the door, giving a courteous bow before announcing, "The Saintess has returned, Your Majesty."
Leah looked up from the arrangement chart and nodded. "Send her in."
The saintess entered with her usual grace, her guards trailing behind like shadows.
"Thank you for your patience, Demon Queen," she said, bowing once more. "We've discussed it, and we accept your invitation to the banquet tonight."
"Excellent." Leah smiled warmly. "Then I'll make sure accommodations are prepared accordingly. I look forward to introducing you all to Marasuki and my other children."
She gave a practiced smile in return. "And we look forward to seeing what this night reveals."