That was a bit relieving. It was sad that his sister died, but it was better than being driven away with a false accusation due to a devil’s scheme.

‘Calling this fortunate…’

Hadel forced a bitter smile. Since returning to the palace, everything about him seemed to be getting stranger along with his head.

Dante, with a smile too bright to call him a demon, continued with words that seemed quite devilish.

“His desires are too straightforward, making it boring. There should be some twists and turns to get me energized, you know.”

Then, looking at Hadel, Dante stuck out a small triangular tongue.
“So, what do you think?”

Dante’s red eyes and black hair resembled Hadel so much that just looking at him sent shivers down my spine.

Faced with Dante’s evaluating gaze, Hadel burst into a forced laughter.

“Are you ready to make a contract with me now?”

Dante shrugged his shoulders.

“Not a bad idea, right? Even if I say so myself, I have quite a bit of power. If Espen, that human, hadn’t made a contract with me, he wouldn’t be in the position he is in today.”

“Are you the one who turned him into the Prince of Crows?”

Even though it marked the unfortunate beginning of Hadel’s life, Dante straightforwardly spilled the truth.

“I was attracted to his anger. When I first met Espen, he was full of rage. He hated the high-ranking folks, resented his own status, unable to say a kind word to the lady, and…”

Eventually, while cherishing Marianne in his heart, he despaired because he couldn’t get closer due to his status.

‘Yet he couldn’t muster the courage to approach her himself.’

Hadel knew Marianne well. She was not someone who would ignore genuine feelings because of status.

It was unimaginable to think about the appearance of the two a hundred years ago. Dante started to whine, so it was no longer possible to imagine.

“But humans are fickle creatures. Once their positions change, it’s as if they wash away those emotions like nothing happened. Now, he seems to mistakenly think he’s been a royal since birth.”

In contrast to when Espen was first chosen, it seemed he was no longer appetizing prey. Dante, with his red eyes glittering, clung to Hadel.

“But you have a very delicious smell.”

Dante’s pupils elongated as if a single line had split through his eyes. It was the first time he revealed a demonic appearance.

“Are those people who left you in the North resentful? You’re just about to become happy, and they want to take it away, right? What about your woman? Is she safe? Has that guy not touched her?”

Hadel was irritated by Dante’s teasing tone, although the sounds of scraping against others were tolerable. However, when it came to Marianne, Hadel fiercely reacted.

“Shut up.”

He never mentioned a word about Marianne to Dante.

‘How does that demon know and talk about Marianne like this?’

That uneasiness was precisely the bait. Tossing out any words to create a crack in the mind and peering into the thoughts – that was the method of demons.

Instead, thanks to Hadel’s uneasiness, Dante, who glimpsed into Hadel’s true feelings, burst into triumphant laughter.

“Haha, this is too good. We also like young humans. Raw, unrefined emotions, we love them.”

Demons were creatures of the spiritual realm. Unlike humans who consumed nutrients by eating food, demons filled their stomachs with negative emotions by eating souls.
And over the 100 years, it was natural that Hadel, who wavered here and there due to not knowing what demons were, was a more enticing prey than Espen, who showed no gaps from being together for so long.

Dante seduced Hadel with a provocative voice.

“How about it? Won’t you become one with me? You also want to reclaim your place, don’t you?”

And with an even more sinister tone, he added.

“That woman will like it when you become stronger.”

Upon hearing that, Hadel’s pupils shook intensely.

After staring at Dante for a while, Hadel slowly parted his lips.

“My answer is….”