Lucifer woke up in the middle of the night.
Then he immediately passed out again from the pain.
When he woke the second time, he decided not to move. Moving felt like a mistake, one of those mistakes that taught painful lessons.
By the third time he opened his eyes, three days later, he finally accepted reality.
He was alive.
More than that, he felt fine.
No pain. No lingering sensation of something gnawing at his soul. No invisible ants crawling through his thoughts like the last thing he remembered.
If anything, his body felt refreshed.
That alone unsettled him.
Lucifer stared at the ceiling, trying to reconstruct the missing pieces.
The hall.
The Monarch.
The card.
Pain.
And then nothing.
The manor was silent. Not the tense silence of anticipation, but the empty kind. No servants outside his door. No guards. No whispers.
No one had dragged him out.
Lucifer exhaled slowly and stretched his fingers experimentally. They moved without resistance. He flexed his shoulder slightly, then relaxed again.
I will take that as a victory.
The only person who would know what happened was Amelia.
And she was nowhere to be seen.
The last thing he remembered clearly was naming Adam von Paradox as the mastermind.
The memory alone sent a chill down his spine.
He had been scared.
Not anxious. Not pressured.
Terrified.
The Truth Card had carved itself into his instincts. Even now, he could almost feel it as an echo, a warning. Honesty enforced by pain.
He had never intended to reveal that information so early. He wanted to use it later, when it would hurt more, when it would matter more.
But under that card, there had been no room for timing.
He closed his eyes briefly.
Adam was not just another noble. He stood at the center of the main story's orbit. The kind of person who grew stronger with every crisis, the type who turned disasters into stepping stones.
The sooner that thread was cut, the better.
Monarchs were terrifying, Lucifer concluded.
He decided to make a lifelong habit of never standing in front of one again.
Whatever childish fantasy he once had about being a protagonist shattered quietly that day.
But he had survived.
Either that or death.
There had been no third option.
What he had not expected was that the Monarch already suspected he might know the culprit. Making Adam a scapegoat had not even crossed his mind at the time.
But what did that matter.
If events had followed their original trajectory, he should already be dead.
The fact that he was breathing meant something had shifted.
A butterfly effect.
And he liked it.
At the very least, he had no intention of dying again.
To do that, he would have to keep a very careful distance from the main characters.
He swore that if he ever went near Selena again, he would accept being called a dog without complaint.
The door opened.
Amelia stepped inside.
Her eyes paused on him for a fraction of a second, long enough for relief and concern to flicker through, before settling back into calm.
"Hey, Amy," Lucifer said weakly, though a faint grin tugged at his lips. "How many days has it been?"
"Today is the fourth," she replied.
Lucifer blinked.
That explains the headache.
Then everything came rushing back.
"What happened?" he asked quickly, pushing himself slightly up against the pillows. "What was the judgment? Did Zeus say anything? Was I sentenced? Exiled? Executed? Please tell me I was not executed."
"You were not executed," Amelia said evenly.
Lucifer relaxed visibly, sinking deeper into the bed with exaggerated relief. "Good. That is a solid baseline."
"You were also not declared innocent. At least not publicly."
"Less solid."
"Nor were you declared guilty."
Lucifer frowned slightly, but he did not look too troubled. Instead, he tapped his fingers lightly against the blanket.
"That is new."
"The situation became complicated," she said. "Politically."
"Define complicated."
"The official version," Amelia replied calmly, "is that you were bothering a maid. Lady Selena intervened. You were beaten unconscious."
Lucifer stared at her.
"That is it?"
"Yes."
He leaned back against the bed and let out a short laugh.
"Wow."
Amelia tilted her head slightly. "Wow?"
"That lie is disturbingly believable," he said. "I almost feel insulted by how reasonable it sounds."
He did not look particularly upset. If anything, there was a faint glint of amusement in his eyes.
"So no public trial. No lightning. No divine smiting."
"No."
"I will take it."
Amelia stepped closer.
"The Celestials stayed here for two days," she added.
Lucifer's eyes shifted toward her.
"Two days?"
"Yes. They remained in the manor. Lady Selena checked on you several times."
Lucifer raised an eyebrow.
"She did?"
"She asked me to inform you that if you need anything, you may contact her."
Amelia paused.
"Her communicator number has already been added to yours."
Lucifer stared at the ceiling for a moment.
"She appears… slightly guilty about what happened," Amelia finished quietly.
Lucifer's expression flattened.
"I had nothing to do with her before," he said calmly. "Even more so now."
There was no bitterness in his tone. Just distance.
Amelia studied him carefully.
Lucifer waved a hand dismissively.
"She can keep her guilt. I will keep my peace."
Then he glanced sideways at Amelia, a teasing smile forming.
"You must be quite disappointed."
"Disappointed?" she asked.
"That I was not punished," he said lightly. "No exile. No whipping. No tragic execution."
Amelia's lips curved faintly.
"A little punishment would not have hurt either," she replied.
Lucifer blinked.
"Brutal."
She did not deny it.
He sighed dramatically and stretched his arms above his head, clearly comfortable in his own bed.
"You know," he muttered, "this room feels significantly better when one is not under threat of Sovereign's Judgement."
Amelia allowed a small breath of amusement.
"The Celestials have already released a public notice," she continued.
Lucifer's gaze sharpened slightly.
"They announced that their reservation quota for Astral Crowncrest Academy has been used."
"Oh?"
"They mentioned you by name," Amelia said. "They stated that you would be sent to the Academy to temper your character, despite being unawakened."
Lucifer blinked once.
"Temper my character?"
"Yes."
He snorted softly.
"How generous of them."
"They did not mention me officially," Amelia continued. "They only stated that the second seat has also been occupied."
Lucifer looked mildly pleased.
"Subtle."
"Yes."
She paused.
"You should also be slightly nicer to Lady Evelyn."
Lucifer frowned.
"Why."
"She checked on you repeatedly during those three days," Amelia said. "More than once."
Lucifer looked away briefly, scratching his cheek.
"…I see."
He was quiet for a moment.
Then he straightened a little, energy returning.
"Your seat at Astral Crowncrest Academy was approved. You can join the Academy even as an unawakened."
He froze.
"Wait."
She met his eyes.
"Yes."
"That actually worked?" he asked slowly. "I barely remember saying that. It was just a thought in the back of my mind. I never expected Uncle Zeus to agree."
"The Monarch described it as a temporary indulgence," Amelia added.
"That sounds accurate."
Lucifer stared at the ceiling for a moment.
Then a slow grin spread across his face.
"Well. Looks like the Celestials do have a conscience."
He turned toward her.
"And what about you?"
Amelia blinked. "Me?"
"If you want," he said, sitting up more confidently now, "you can come too. Normal exams. Rankings. No special treatment. I forced you to change your decision earlier, so it is only right that you have the same opportunity."
He pointed at her lightly.
"But you will have to work hard."
She watched him quietly.
"The Monarch did me a favor," Lucifer continued. "Which means you now owe me top performance. Top fifty at least."
He smirked.
"No, scratch that. Top thirty."
She did not respond immediately.
Lucifer leaned forward slightly.
"You are SSS-tier, Amy. That is not decoration. That is a statement. If you enter that Academy and do not dominate at least half the evaluation boards, I will be personally offended."
Her eyes brightened faintly.
"I will," she said.
Lucifer smiled with clear satisfaction.
"Good. That is the spirit."
The door burst open.
Michael walked in laughing, Sebastian close behind.
Lucifer frowned immediately.
"What."
Michael shook his head. "Apparently someone was begging a Monarch to let his Amelia enter the Academy."
Sebastian covered his mouth, shoulders shaking.
Lucifer scowled.
"Who is that idiot?"
"The Celestials do not even open their private seats for family," he continued irritably. "Giving one to a ducal house under another Monarch's banner is practically suicide."
Michael and Sebastian completely lost it.
Even Amelia turned away, her shoulders trembling.
Lucifer paused.
Something was not adding up.
Amelia finally explained calmly, "Master, I was granted entry regardless of whether you attend or not. The Monarch approved it because of you."
Lucifer's ears turned red.
"Oh."
"Well," he muttered, pretending to adjust his blanket, "that is good."
He cleared his throat.
"Still. Work hard."
They left, still laughing.
Amelia lingered at the door, glanced back at him once, then quietly closed it.
Lucifer lay back down, hands behind his head, staring at the ceiling with a faint smile.
"Hah," he breathed. "Figures."
The next day, the clan trained Amelia seriously.
Very seriously.
Elders personally supervised her. Resources were allocated without hesitation. No one treated it lightly after the Monarch's offer.
At lunch, Lucifer told her he would eat in his room.
As usual.
She entered without knocking.
The room was empty.
No bedcovers.
No pillows.
Only a letter placed neatly on the bed.
Hey.
I have been under a lot of stress lately.
Time for a small vacation.
Do not search for me. I need some time to think.
I promise I am not running away.
Just stepping back.
I will be gone for a bit.
Lucifer
She stared at it.
Then searched the room anyway.
No prank.
No hiding place.
Just documents laid out on the table.
Her official joining papers.
Her Guardian contract from before the soul contract.
Another letter rested beneath them.
Hey, Amy.
This is something for you.
I told you before that I would not ask anything from you again.
I meant it.
I do not know when I will awaken. I do not know when I will return.
And if I do not return at all, then show this letter to the family.
I doubt they would make things difficult for you, but if the elders object for any reason, show them this contract. I am voluntarily giving up my guardian rights.
You should not be bound to someone whose future is uncertain.
You deserve stability.
You deserve freedom.
There is another letter attached at the end of the contract explaining everything properly.
You are free.
Do not worry about me.
And do not feel obligated to wait.
Lucifer
P.S. Do not show this letter to the family. Destroy it.
P.P.S. The black card is empty. Do not use it. Sorry.
Peace.
Amelia sat down slowly.
She remained there for a long time, holding the letter in her hands.
Then she carefully folded the contract and the letter without rereading them.
Her hands were trembling now.
She picked up her communicator.
"Michael," she said quietly.
Her voice was steady.
Her hand was not.
"Lucifer is gone."