“Make a contract with me and become one. Then, you can become stronger than Espen.”

Dante’s proposal was very tempting.

Hadel’s pupils shook. If this demon helped in the current situation, it would be easy to defeat Espen.

“My answer is…”

However, without looking back, Hadel promptly rejected the devil’s proposal.

“Decline.”

“Oops!”

A large flame engulfed Dante. Dante opened his eyes wide, as if he couldn’t believe it.

“Why?”

“…”

Hadel didn’t respond any further. She just tried to perceive the presence in front of her as a demon wearing her younger brother’s shell.

The reason Hadel rejected Dante’s proposal was straightforward.

“Marian said the demon race is extremely dangerous. There’s no way Marian would wantonly take lives. Surely, it’s because humans cannot control the demon race.”

Because Marian said demons should not be spared.

“She read my mind earlier.”

Hadel attacked Dante sparingly, saving her words as much as possible. Dodging the flying flames, Dante continuously tempted Hadel.

“Now you won’t even talk to me?”

“You’ll regret it.”

“I’m sorry for taking Espen’s side! I’ll apologize! But I had no choice to survive!”

She ignored all those words in silence.

“…”

Hadel clenched her fist.

‘Don’t show any gaps in your emotions.’

In the midst of Hadel’s confusion, Dante gradually fell behind in the attacks. Then, as a last resort, he began mimicking his younger brother.

“Oh, big brother, are you going to kill me?”

“…”

Instead of answering, Hadel shot a flame. As Dante tried to crawl away, she even stepped on his back.

When Dante tried to escape, Hadel stomped on his spine.

Dante signaled Hadel to stop.

“Stop!”

Dante turned around with a horrified expression. And facing Hadel’s face, he, too, lost his expression.

Despite the acrid smell of burning flesh, Hadel kept looking at the traces of the demon that had worn her younger brother’s shell and sighed.

“I’m naturally poisonous.”

It was Marian, who softened him who didn’t know love.

So, he could become indifferent to anyone other than Marian.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Due to Espen’s urgency, Evelyn arrived at the capital much earlier than initially planned.

It is a very honorable thing for a rural lord to receive a summons from the royal family and ascend. However, throughout her journey, Evelyn’s expression was not pleasant.

‘Since my master has passed away, I knew I would be called to the capital sooner or later.’

But it was faster than she expected.

‘I can see that they are calling me because they’ve captured Lady Marian and Duke Hadel in the capital.’

Espen, the disciple of Yunisia, had only one reason to find Evelyn.
It is the completion of the experiment her deceased mentor conducted.

To revive Marian by restoring her long-lost heart.

“Anyway, Lady Marian woke up from the body of a chick. The experiment has already failed.”

Espen might be angry at first, but he will soon resign. That part wasn’t a concern. However,

“It’s a pity that Lady Marian’s peaceful time is so short.”

Espen didn’t think he would lose his obsession with Marian.

Evelyn, who had been sitting quietly for a while, bit her lip.

“I might be…”

When she gathered her thoughts, the carriage arrived at the royal palace. Getting off the carriage, Evelyn was guided to Espen’s office in a hurry.

“He’s in a hurry.”

Evelyn stood before Espen with disdain. Surprisingly, Espen hadn’t changed at all in decades.

“It’s been a while.”

Instead of responding, Evelyn bowed her head. As Espen was not interested in Evelyn’s response anyway, he continued with what he wanted to say.

“It would have been nice if Yunisia were still alive, but I’m relieved that at least Yunisia’s disciple remains. Do you know everything about the experiment?”

“Yes.”

Satisfied with the brief answer, Espen nodded.

“Then, let’s start the heart transplant right away.”

“…Now?”

“Is there a reason to delay further?”

Espen’s face, questioning her, looked like that of an innocent child, which made an eerie impression. Evelyn remained silent for a moment and then asked,

“Lady Marian is currently alternating between the appearance of a chick and a human.”

“Marian wasn’t lying.”

And the way to turn a chick back into a human…

Espen twisted his lips in annoyance. Then, he commanded Evelyn again.

“She’s currently in human form. Perform the heart transplant before she turns into a chick again.”

If Hadel kisses Marian to turn her back from a chick to a human, it might be a total disaster.

Even thinking about it caused a chill to emanate from Espen’s distorted body.

Evelyn swallowed her saliva.

“…It’s excessively risky. There’s a high chance her body won’t endure.”

“To achieve the original goal, you must bear the risk. That’s why I called you—to make it possible.”

Evelyn was taken aback by Espen’s stubborn attitude. Although she was worried about Marian and Hadel, this directly affected her own safety.

‘What if it fails…?’

Images of that crazy guy coolly brushing off the possibility of failure didn’t come to mind.

Evelyn shook her head decisively.