5th January, Sunday
LIAM
Days later, I was out for my morning run, headphones on and absolutely no plans for the week.
Life was good.
No palace.
No responsibilities.
No annoying royal duties waiting for me.
Yet, despite all that freedom, my mind kept drifting back to that stranger from the club.
The blond with the amber eyes.
The one who had disappeared the next morning like a ghost.
No, Liam. Focus.
Today was supposed to be about me.
Just me.
But I swear to damn God, if I run into that dumb man again, I'm giving him a real knockout.
I was so busy thinking about it that I almost didn't notice the sudden shift in the air.
Something was wrong.
My instincts screamed.
I stepped aside just in time.
A sword sliced cleanly through the space where my head had been a second earlier.
I froze.
Standing there with the blade in hand…
Was the General.
The fuck?
I yanked my headphones off, glaring at him.
"What gives, dude?" I snapped. "Can't you see I'm in the middle of something?"
The man didn't even blink.
Just that same cold, emotionless stare.
"Apologies, Your Highness," he said calmly, the sword gleaming in his grip. "But I have received strict orders to ensure your return to the Underworld."
His black eyes lifted to meet mine.
"Which I must comply with."
Did Father seriously send this barbarian to drag me back?
I glanced at the sword again.
Sharp.
Very sharp.
I swallowed.
"Yeah," I said slowly, backing away, "I'm gonna have to pass on that."
I gave a casual wave.
"See ya."
Dark smoke swallowed my body as I teleported away.
The General stared at the empty space where I had stood.
Something fluttered gently to the ground.
A single raven feather.
He bent down and picked it up.
"You may run all you want, my dear prince," he murmured.
"But you cannot hide."
I reappeared in a dark alleyway, leaning against the wall as I tried to catch my breath.
My heart was pounding like a war drum.
I hadn't realized I'd been holding my breath until now.
Seriously.
Why was I being hunted like some criminal?
My teleportation should have put plenty of distance between us.
Apparently not enough.
I exhaled slowly in relief.
Then a cold blade pressed against my neck.
"You rely too much on magic, Your Highness."
My blood ran cold.
The General's voice echoed behind me.
"But your magic is not strong enough to escape my senses."
Fantastic.
This was it.
I could already see my future.
Me, buried under mountains of paperwork in that gloomy palace.
All for what?
A stupid prince title?
I hadn't even given that bastard from the club the knockout he deserved.
If there really was a God out there…
Now would be a great time for divine intervention.
Suddenly—
A blinding light exploded around us.
I squeezed my eyes shut.
When I opened them again…
The blade was gone.
The alley was gone.
And I was standing in the empty VIP lounge of my club.
I blinked.
"The Abyss…"
Yep.
Definitely my club.
But how the hell did I get here?
"How the hell did I get back here?" I muttered.
"We finally meet again, Your Highness."
That voice.
I turned toward the entrance.
And there he was.
The blond man from the club.
The bastard himself.
Wait.
Did he just call me Your Highness?
Weird.
But I was too annoyed to care.
I marched straight toward him.
"You damn bastard!" I snapped. "Finally decided to show up after disappearing like that?"
He said nothing.
Just watched me.
"No calls. No texts. Nothing!" I continued. "We're in the 21st century! Haven't you ever heard of a phone?"
Still nothing.
Just silence.
My eyes drifted downward.
And that's when I saw it.
The golden rosary hanging around his neck.
My brain froze.
Oh.
Oh no.
I had a horrible realization.
I'd slept with an angel.
No.
Wait.
Correction.
I'd been fucked by an angel.
I felt sick.
An angel.
Of all beings in existence.
I would've preferred an incubus.
I turned away immediately and collapsed onto the couch.
A glass of wine appeared in my hand.
I took a long sip.
"So," the blond finally said, stepping closer, "are you angry because I left without a word?"
He paused.
"Or because I'm an angel?"
"Both," I replied flatly.
"Then I'll get straight to the point," he said.
"What do you know about the Forbidden Scroll?"
My stomach dropped.
Of course.
Trust an angel to ruin the mood.
I stared at my wine.
"I don't know anything about a scroll," I said.
"And if you'll excuse me, I was kind of in the middle of something before you interrupted."
The blond walked closer.
Then dropped a sheet of paper onto the table.
I glanced down.
BLOOD CONTRACT
The words were written in bold.
I took another sip of wine.
"Yeah," I said. "I'm not signing that."
One signature on that thing and I'd be bound to him forever.
His slave.
No chance.
I had already risked everything for my freedom.
There was no way I was putting myself in another cage.
The angel studied me carefully.
Then he changed tactics.
"I heard about your little escape from Hell," he said.
"I'll give you three options."
He raised one finger.
"First: I drag you back to Hell myself."
A second finger.
"Second: I hand you over to the man currently hunting you."
His gaze sharpened slightly.
"And judging by his expression, he seems to have a personal grudge."
Then a third finger.
"Or third…"
He leaned slightly closer.
"You help me."
"And the freedom you crave so much will finally be yours."
He tilted his head.
"So, what do you say… Your Highness?"
I smirked.
"Where do I sign?"
Look.
Maybe the deal wasn't that bad.
Sure, becoming someone's servant sounded terrible.
But getting caught by the General?
Absolutely not.
And about that personal grudge…
Well.
I may have accidentally broken his family's ancient sword once.
But that was totally an accident.
How was I supposed to know those old antiques were so fragile?
Blame poor craftsmanship.
"So," I said casually, "am I gonna get a name or what?"
"Archangel Adam."
The moment he said it…
I snapped my fingers.
Dark smoke burst around me as I vanished.
Leaving behind only a single raven feather.
I reappeared in a nearby park.
I stretched, satisfied.
Fourth option achieved.
That was, until I spotted the General walking down the path.
I dove into the nearest bush.
Why can't I enjoy one peaceful day?
Seriously.
Was it that hard for a demon prince to live a little?
Maybe working with that angel wouldn't have been so bad.
He was probably furious I ditched him.
But hey.
He ditched me first.
Fair's fair.
And he was an Archangel.
How bad could it be?
Suddenly—
A hand grabbed my shoulder.
Before I could react, I was slammed against a tree.
Archangel Adam stood in front of me.
And he looked furious.
Lightning practically crackled in his eyes.
Yep.
I was definitely dead.
Just as I opened my mouth to explain—
I spotted the General walking closer down the path.
Great.
Thinking quickly, I grabbed Adam by the collar and kissed him.
Hard.
Tongue and all.
My logic was simple.
His angelic mana would mask my demonic presence from the General.
I just needed a few seconds.
Once the General passed, I would pull away—
But suddenly Adam kissed me back.
One hand pressed against the tree beside my head.
The other tangled in my hair, pulling me closer.
And God…
The guy was a really good kisser.
Wait.
What the hell am I thinking?
Snap out of it, Liam.
I bit his lower lip sharply.
Adam jerked back, blinking.
I quickly stepped away, breathless.
"What the hell was that for?" Adam asked, wiping blood from his lip.
"I should be asking you that," I shot back, my face burning.
I rubbed the back of my neck awkwardly.
"You know what? Just give me the damn contract."
The parchment appeared instantly.
I sighed.
Reluctantly, I summoned a dagger and sliced my palm.
Blood dripped onto the contract.
Adam did the same.
With each drop, I felt something inside me weaken.
My dark mana slowly faded…
Until almost nothing remained.
The contract vanished.
I stared at my still-bleeding palm.
"Great," I muttered.
"Didn't even give me time to heal before sealing my powers."
Just my luck.
Meanwhile in Hell
The Demon Emperor stood silently by the tall windows of his chamber.
Moonlight bathed the kingdom below in silver light.
Everything he had built.
Everything he had protected.
And now his family was falling apart.
He sighed.
Suddenly, arms wrapped gently around him from behind.
A soft, sleepy voice spoke.
"Love, we talked about this."
Consort Yu rested her head against his back.
"Staying up all night worrying won't help."
"Apologies, Consort Yu," the emperor replied quietly. "I was lost in thought."
She sighed.
"There you go again with the formalities."
"Our son is perfectly fine," she said confidently.
"Liam can take care of himself."
Her long black hair flowed down her back as she yawned.
"Now come to bed. We can talk about this in the morning."
The emperor hesitated.
But he knew better than to argue with a succubus.
All he could do now…
Was hope his son survived the world outside Hell.