[Leah POV]
'It hasn't even been a day, and people are already complaining,' I thought, annoyed at the growing pile of letters cluttering Uwe's desk. My fingers tapped against the polished wood as I watched his agitation grow with each new report.
Uwe slammed his fist against the desk. "Okay, I knew people wouldn't be happy, but what is this?!"
I narrowed my eyes at the top letter. "Dear, calm down. Here's another complaint from the Red Dragons."
Uwe groaned. "Sigh… Why are all of them complaining now?"
I replied calmly, "Well, both their dates were stolen by Ren."
Uwe huffed. "So if they're not man enough to keep their dates, they shouldn't complain! It's their fault for being so weak."
I nodded. "Nyx knocked one of them out, while Artemis ignored her own to go dance with Ren. And Ren was definitely doing it to provoke them."
Lina let out a soft chuckle. "It didn't help that both of them are from the Crimson House. That's what's really causing the ruckus."
I sighed and rubbed my temple. "Okay, so what do we do? Most of these complaints say that an adopted child shouldn't be allowed to take nobles' dates at a banquet. They claim it brought shame to them in front of the humans. As if the humans would even notice."
I shifted the topic. "Speaking of humans—did Ren and Artemis take them back?"
Lina answered, "Yes, they dropped them off a while ago. They should be back in about thirty minutes."
I added, "They could arrive at any second now—knowing Ren."
Uwe leaned back. "Were Ren and Artemis fighting after the dance?"
Lina nodded. "They had an argument. Ren thinks that going after both sisters might be what's bothering Artemis. Artemis and Nyx never had much of a relationship, so maybe it's connected to that."
I muttered, "Well, let's keep an eye on that. I don't think Ren will—"
Lina interrupted, "But she's still in love with her ex."
Lina sighed, shaking her head. "I don't think she'll ever get over her completely."
I sympathized. "I can understand those feelings. I'd never be able to move on from Uwe—it's just not something I could do. Then again, Ren has demon blood. Sharing comes more naturally to us."
I continued, "I just hope she doesn't think of these two as replacements for her."
Lina replied firmly, "I doubt she would. Ren might come off as easygoing, but she takes personal matters very seriously."
I shifted again. "Okay, with that sorted out, what do we do about the Crimson House?"
Uwe grunted, "We could just have Ren beat the shit out of them and be done with it. The head of the house can't get involved—it's a generational issue. If he tries, I'll step in."
Lina looked serious. "That's the least of our problems."
Uwe blinked. "What do you mean?"
"What about Duke White?" I asked.
Lina sighed. "Ah… yeah. He might get involved either way."
Uwe shrugged. "But if she just shows her full power, maybe he won't care."
I shook my head. "No, he'll care either way. Having both of his daughters end up with one person isn't good for maintaining a noble house."
Uwe tilted his head. "Hmm… I don't see the problem."
I shot him a glare. "Musclehead. Just agree. No need to overthink it."
Uwe grumbled, "Okay…"
Lina said thoughtfully, "Honestly, we should just see what happens. Artemis might not even be interested anymore. Ren told her she was going after both sisters, and Artemis left the banquet after that."
I shook my head. "There's a slim chance that it'll blow over… But we are talking about Ren."
Lina gave a weak laugh. "Yeah, true. Ren's too charming for them to let her go. I was just grabbing at straws there."
Suddenly, a familiar voice cut through the tension.
Ren: "Oh, did you guys already hear the news? You all look so depressed."
Uwe blinked. "Ren?!"
I leaned forward. "What news are you talking about?"
Ren waved a hand nonchalantly. "That Blaze guy, you know, the red dragon? He challenged me to a duel."
Uwe frowned. "No, that's new."
Ren tilted her head. "Oh… then what made you all look so gloomy?"
Uwe smiled faintly. "Well, one problem might solve itself once you win that duel."
I changed the subject. "Did Artemis say anything about her father?"
Ren shook her head. "Artemis wasn't there. One of her deputies helped escort the humans back."
Lina asked quickly, "And Nyx?"
Ren gave an awkward laugh. "Haven't seen her at all since the banquet. Haha… both of them kind of ditched me after I told them I was going after both sisters."
Even though she said it with a smile, we could all see the heaviness in her eyes.
Silence.
More silence.
Even more silence.
Ren eventually said, "Okay, can we not have this awkward silence, please?"
Lina muttered, "It seems we've got a bigger issue on our hands."
I offered, "Maybe they're just talking it out right now."
Ren looked doubtful. "I doubt it. They haven't really spoken in years. If they're together, they're probably fighting. Actually—yeah, I'd bet on it."
Uwe raised an eyebrow. "Why are you so sure?"
Ren sighed. "Because Nyx is involved. She's… not particularly good at talking. Her body language is readable, but her words? Gibberish half the time."
I murmured, "I just hope they don't kill each other."
Ren gave a softer look. "Artemis won't let that happen. She wants to reconnect with her sister more than anything."
Uwe leaned forward again. "Alright. Ren, you said Blaze challenged you to a duel?"
Ren nodded. "Yep. It's this afternoon at the training arena."
Uwe narrowed his eyes. "I didn't give permission for that."
Ren smiled sweetly. "That's why I'm here, to ask."
Uwe grunted. "Fine."
Ren gave a mock bow. "Thank you~" She vanished in a flash of teleportation.
I glanced at Lina. "Do we need to go spectate?"
Lina raised a brow. "It's Blaze Crimson. Do you really think he can beat someone like Ren?"
I shrugged. "It's not Blaze I'm worried about. It's the oldest brother. But even then… It's still Ren. That said, this is the Crimson House we're talking about, they'll probably cheat, still lose, but cheat anyway."
Lina tilted her head. "Would Ren even win against the eldest brother if she's not allowed to teleport?"
I sighed. "It would be harder. She's still not fully healed."
Lina smiled confidently. "She'll be fine. She's been training a lot."
I looked skeptical. "There's only so much she can do while recovering."
Lina added, "But she's way better with her swords now than when she fought Uwe."
Uwe, suddenly grinning, said, "Well, if you say so, let's go."
I nodded. "Alright."
[A few hours later]
The training grounds were already buzzing with activity by the time we arrived. Word had spread quickly—Ren, the Demon King's adopted daughter and a general-level powerhouse, was going to duel Blaze Crimson of the prestigious Crimson House.
The stands were full of young nobles whispering excitedly, curious knights who had slipped away from duty, and even a few human guests who had stayed longer than expected. The arena itself was a wide, stone-paved circle bordered with low runes that shimmered faintly, ready to contain any collateral from magic or swordplay.
I scanned the field. The afternoon sun was heavy in the sky, casting sharp golden shadows over the fighters. Ren stood in the center, relaxed but alert, one hand resting lightly on the hilt of a sword strapped to her back. Her stance was casual, but I knew better—she was always most dangerous when she looked like she didn't care.
On the other side, Blaze Crimson was pacing in slow circles, fire flickering at his feet and coiling up his arms in a not-so-subtle display of intimidation.
Lina, standing beside me, scoffed. "You'd think with all that fire, he'd at least be warm enough to stop shaking."
I nodded. "He's showboating. But Ren… she's not interested in drama."
Just then, Ren casually reached over her shoulder and drew her sword with a smooth motion. She tapped the flat of the blade against her boot like she was warming up, her eyes locked on Blaze with mild boredom.
A bell rang, marking the start of the duel.
Blaze charged forward almost instantly, fire erupting from his fists in a blaze of crimson and orange. He was fast—but sloppy. Ren didn't even flinch. She waited until the last second, then stepped lightly to the side, catching his punch on the flat of her blade with zero effort.
Lina muttered, "Oh, he's done for."
Ren's counterattack was elegant and brutal—three strikes in quick succession, each one aimed to unbalance rather than wound. Blaze stumbled back, coughing, his flames flickering violently.
I, observing, murmured, "She's not even going full speed."
Another charge from Blaze—this time with a drawn blade. He shouted something about "honor" and "respect," but it was hard to hear over the crowd.
Lina sighed. "Is he really trying to give a speech mid-fight? That's embarrassing."
He swung his sword wide, flames trailing the blade—but Ren ducked low, parried once, then delivered a kick to his chest that sent him flying backward ten feet.
I winced. "Oof… that's going to bruise."
Blaze scrambled to his feet, red-faced and furious. His aura flared—his flames now turning blue at the core. That level of fire was dangerous… to him.
Ren, however, looked more annoyed than concerned. She cracked her neck and stepped forward.
"Still want to keep going?" she asked, her voice loud enough to carry across the field.
Blaze spat blood and yelled, "I'm not done!"
He lunged again—and this time, his blade connected with Ren's shoulder. Or so it seemed.
Sparks flew, followed by the sound of metal clanging against scales. The crowd gasped.
Lina blinked. "Did he just… hit her armor?"
I squinted. "No. That's her. Her scales are just that strong."
With Blaze's fire burning away some of Ren's clothes, we finally notice why she has been secretive about showing skin these days.
With her clothes burned, her skin became visible, showing a gleam of black and silver light reflecting off her scales. Even with Blaze hitting her as hard as he could, she didn't even look fazed by the hit.
Ren tilted her head. "You're really not going to stop, huh?"
Blaze answered with a snarl. Ren's arm shot forward, tightly grabbing Blaze's throat, holding him before throwing him to the ground with a satisfying thud. He didn't get back up.
Lina, blinking slowly, said, "That was... anticlimactic."
Uwe, clapping once, muttered, "At least she didn't kill him."
The crowd slowly erupted into murmurs—half impressed, half scandalized.
I looked at Uwe. "Do you think that's going to shut the Crimson House up?"
Uwe snorted. "Not even slightly."