Bela stopped smiling completely.
Her hand slowly slipped away from Henry's arm as the earlier playful attitude disappeared from her face for the first time that night.
Until now, despite the strange things surrounding him, she had still viewed Henry as human. Dangerous maybe. Unpredictable definitely. But still someone she could read, manipulate, steer when needed.
Now—
that confidence cracked.
Because there was no normal way he should know about her deal.
Not the deadline hanging over her head like a noose.
Bela looked at him differently now, more cautious than before, like she was trying to figure out exactly what was standing beside her inside this ballroom.
Henry noticed every bit of it.
Completely calm, he picked up a glass of champagne from a passing waiter and took a drink.
"Now that," he said after swallowing, "hits the spot."
Bela kept staring at him. "Who told you?" she asked quietly.
Henry ignored the question completely.
Instead he turned slightly toward her, expression unreadable beneath the soft ballroom lights.
"So," he said casually, "why don't we talk about your deal, Bela?"
"I can help you with your deal," Henry said calmly. "Of course, for that I'm going to need—"
He took a step toward her.
Bela immediately took one step back.
Then Henry pointed his finger directly at her.
"Me?" Bela asked, raising an eyebrow.
Bela tilted her head faintly. "I thought you were a married man," she said smoothly. "And now suddenly you want me?"
Henry went completely silent for a second.
The serious atmosphere from moments ago evaporated instantly.
He stared at her with pure disbelief. "What the hell is wrong with your brain?" he asked flatly.
Bela looked entirely unbothered. "You were being rather dramatic while walking toward me."
"I pointed one finger at you!"
"Yes," Bela replied calmly. "Very suggestively."
Henry looked genuinely dumbfounded now. "Do all women immediately jump to insanity like this?" he muttered. "I say one sentence and suddenly you're writing romance plots in your head."
Bela's lips twitched slightly, clearly entertained by his reaction.
Meanwhile Henry rubbed his forehead with visible frustration. "I was going to say I need your cooperation," he said. "Not… whatever disturbing thing you imagined."
"Oh," Bela replied softly. "That is significantly less interesting."
"You know," Henry said while looking at her thoughtfully, "I kinda liked the terrified version of you better."
Bela immediately frowned. "Umm… no," she replied. "That feeling disappeared the moment you made that face."
Henry snorted quietly at that, though he still noticed the tension underneath her voice. Despite the jokes, her heartbeat had sped up the second he mentioned helping with the deal.
Because no matter how calm Bela acted—
she was scared.
And desperate enough to tolerate him if it meant surviving.
Bela folded her arms lightly before finally asking the real question. "Can you actually help me with the demon deal?"
"Yes," Henry answered without hesitation. "We just kill the demon holding your contract. Once the thing dies, problem solved."
Bela blinked at him.
That was the plan?
She had expected rituals, hidden magic, impossible loopholes—
not murder.
The simplicity of it genuinely caught her off guard.
Because she had already considered killing the demon. The problem was the info she got from ghosts about the thing holding her contract. From what she had learned, it wasn't some weak crossroads demon wandering around back roads making cheap deals.
It was dangerous.
Very dangerous.
Bela looked at him carefully. "You say that like it's easy."
Henry took another sip of champagne. "Not easy," he corrected calmly. "Just straightforward."
Bela stayed quiet for a moment before lowering her voice slightly. "The demon holding my contract isn't weak."
Henry looked completely unconcerned by that.
"You probably think this sounds stupid," Henry said, "but I already have a solid way to drag them into a trap."
Then he glanced over Bela's shoulder toward the ballroom crowd and immediately frowned.
"…So," he muttered, "can we do the thing we actually came here for? Because I'm starting to feel violated by those old ladies staring at my ass."
Bela followed his gaze.
Sure enough, a group of wealthy older women near the champagne table were very obviously watching Henry while pretending not to.
One of them even smiled when he looked over.
Henry looked disturbed. "I feel like a piece of meat."
Bela looked dangerously amused by this. "Now you know how women feel."
"That is not comforting."
Without warning, Bela suddenly grabbed onto him.
Henry barely had time to react before she dramatically sagged against his chest like she was about to faint.
"Catch me." She whispered under her breath.
Then she fully committed to the act.
Henry instinctively caught her before she hit the floor, one arm around her waist while nearby guests immediately turned toward the commotion.
"Oh my God," someone muttered nearby.
Henry stared down at Bela for one second.
"…You are enjoying this way too much."
Bela kept her eyes closed like a professional actress.
Henry sighed internally before immediately switching into performance mode himself.
"My wife needs somewhere to rest," he said firmly toward one of the event staff approaching them. "She nearly collapsed."
The nervous waiter looked completely unprepared for the situation. "S-Sir, we don't really have guest rooms available downstairs—"
Henry looked offended instantly. "So what, you expect my wife to lie on the floor?" He tightened his hold around Bela slightly while glaring at the poor employee. "Do you have any idea how precious she is?"
Bela nearly broke character hearing that.
The waiter looked panicked now. "I-I didn't mean—"
"What kind of cheap place is this?" Henry continued. "People spend millions here and you can't even provide a room for a sick woman?"
The commotion finally caught the attention of the manager, who hurried over after noticing wealthy guests starting to stare.
"Sir, please," the manager said quickly, trying to calm things down. "There's no need for this."
"Then solve the problem," Henry replied immediately.
The manager looked at Bela leaning weakly against him and gave up almost instantly. "Fine," he said. "We have a private room upstairs your wife can rest in."
Henry's expression relaxed immediately. "See?" he said calmly. "That wasn't difficult."
As the manager led them toward the staircase, Bela kept her face hidden against Henry's shoulder to avoid laughing.
*****
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