“Fortunately, there seems to be no problem with the seal.”

Vincent, who meticulously checked the seal, scratched his nose.

Having spent the night at the Light Manor, he set out for the Manaquin Mountain in the Demon Realm early the next morning with Cedric.

It was to verify if Lillian’s heart was properly sealed.

To Cedric’s eyes, there seemed to be no issues with the seal.

“I guess we can close the hole now, Manaquin.”

Upon Cedric’s words, Manaquin snorted with a sullen expression.

“Arrogant fellows. Troubling this old man since the morning.”

Manaquin, who spoke like that, slowly moved his giant foreleg.

Kwoong―.

As Manaquin sealed the large hole that had formed underground, a simultaneous majestic sound accompanied a light earthquake within the cave.

However, Cedric and Vincent, accustomed to the situation, calmly stared at Manaquin’s giant eyes.

Cedric, Vincent, and Manaquin.

The three had made a contract to seal the ‘Heart of Lillian.’

Thanks to their contract, the dangerous object was sealed with the magical power of the two Dukes’ families, buried beneath Manaquin’s massive foot.

When the surrounding earthquakes stopped, Vincent jeered at Manaquin.

“Hey, old man. Even if it’s time to die, what if moving your foreleg is too bothersome?”

As Vincent spoke, Manaquin glared fiercely and exhaled hot air towards Vincent.

As if used to it, Vincent skillfully avoided the attack and glared back at Manaquin, sharpening his knife.

“Oh, this old man again!”

“The little kid who came to greet me following his father’s footsteps used to act all cheeky and spirited. How come that brat is acting the same, even after becoming the head of a noble family?”

Cedric, looking slightly disgusted by their bantering, observed the situation with a slightly annoyed expression.

Eventually, when Vincent saw that a red ember began to smolder between Manaquin’s teeth, he quickly turned his back to the entrance of the cave.

“Now that we’ve checked the seal, I guess I should be going, Cedric. If I stay here any longer, it seems like the Norman family’s lineage might really be cut off!”

Turning away, Vincent gradually moved away, waving his hand.

“Also, tell Rebecca I said hello!”

The large pupils of the dragon Manaquin, watching Vincent leave, moved slowly toward Cedric.

“Rebecca…”

Manaquin muttered in a low, ominous voice.

Then, with an expression that seemed to pluck out one memory from many, she asked.

“Was that your wife’s name?”

As Cedric nodded slowly, she exhaled a small breath.

“Still not imprinted?”

It was a deep voice.

As Cedric grimaced in response, Manaquin burst into a hearty laugh.

“It seems you still think my choice was a mistake.”

Cedric had always asserted that Manaquin’s choice, connecting him and Rebecca, was a mistake.
However, now, Cedric, with a bewildered expression, remained silent.

After a long while, Cedric slowly parted his lips.

“I can’t quite figure it out at the moment.”

“…….”

“I sometimes think that your choice might not have been wrong… that’s what I hear.”

Cedric, who used to pour out resentment towards Manaquin, gave an unexpected response. However, Manaquin’s face didn’t show any sign of disturbance, only a slightly ambiguous smile.

“Are you still suspecting that woman from ‘that night’?”

Manaquin’s words made Cedric’s brows furrow. It was because memories from the past surfaced.

On the night of their wedding, Cedric received an urgent call from Vincent.

There was news of suspicious movements near the Manaquin Mountain.

Thus, while leaving for the Manaquin Mountain and promising to meet Rebecca next, Cedric unexpectedly encountered her again in an unusual place.

“Rebecca, how did you end up here…?”

This place was the seal of the ‘Heart of Lillian.’

Cedric was fortunate enough to discover Rebecca before Vincent arrived.

If not, Vincent would undoubtedly have tried to kill her when she appeared at the seal.

In fact, Vincent hadn’t hidden his suspicions about Rebecca’s origins, even until their wedding day.

“Her father is from the Kingdom of Katchis? Spending the first night with such a woman, and what if you, the manager of the seal on that thing, were being used?”

Vincent’s playful laughter had a mocking tone, but Cedric understood the meaning behind his words.

The fallen Kingdom of Katchis, a few years ago.

That royal family had been a lineage dating back to ancient times.

Hence, even though they were humans, they knew the secrets of the demons not well-known in the human realm.

It was about the Mark and the ‘Heart of Lillian.’

Of course, due to the contract with the Demon King, they had kept this secret for a long time.

‘In an instant, a fallen human, desperate to regain power, is bound to become obsessed with that power.’

The Kingdom of Katchis had collapsed just a few years ago, and they were currently in a state of being expelled to a nearby island.

To them, the ‘Heart of Lillian,’ which promised the greatest power the moment it was obtained, was the most tempting item.