Chapter 537: Prince Of Velmora Lives!
Damian stood in front of the wall mirror, staring at his long gray hair with a deep frown. He wore plain black robes with long sleeves that covered both of his hands, including the one that had been badly wounded during his battle with Duke Dantalion.
Against the dark fabric, his long gray hair stood out far more than he would have liked, making the changes to his body painfully obvious. He knew very well that if he appeared before the royal court looking like this, it would not take long for the news to spread. His hair had turned gray because of the damage inflicted upon his soul, not because he was drained of energy.
Once the truth became public knowledge, the confidence his people had in him would inevitably be shaken. A ruler could show his people victory, strength, and certainty, but weakness was another matter entirely.
Alice’s hands slowly wrapped around his waist from behind as she pressed herself against him, a small smile appearing on her face when she noticed the troubled expression reflected in the mirror.
"If you are worried about people finding out your condition, I suggest you alter your appearance and turn your hair black... Or I can dye it black for you if you want." She whispered softly, her chin resting lightly against his back.
Damian’s frown only deepened as he stared at his reflection. "I will change my hair color using my transformation skill... It’s just annoying I have to hide my condition from the people who are meant to be loyal to me. Honestly, the way demons live is quite shitty if you ask me."
Alice blinked in surprise at his words. She truly had not expected such a blunt admission from him, but after thinking about it for a moment, she understood exactly why he was angry.
Damian had just fought one of the most powerful beings in the Underworld, sacrificed part of his own soul to secure victory, and returned barely able to stand. Yet even after defeating Dantalion and crushing the Order of Demons, he still had to stand before his people and pretend that nothing was wrong.
Alice opened her mouth, intending to say something, but before she could speak, the door suddenly yanked open and Damian’s other concubines barged into the room. Mary, Rah, and Loth all froze at the entrance, their eyes immediately narrowing as they stared at Alice holding Damian from behind.
For several seconds, none of them said anything. Then, almost simultaneously, their narrowed expressions slowly transformed into mischievous smiles.
Alice abruptly released Damian and took several steps backward, her face burning with embarrassment. Damian glanced at her, frowning slightly at the nervousness that had suddenly appeared on her face. He looked from Alice to the three women standing at the door, then back to Alice again, completely unable to understand what was happening.
"I apologize, I didn’t know we were ruining the moment between two lovers...." Mary giggled.
"Very deep lovers." Loth added, barely containing her laughter.
"We will leave so that you deep lovers can have your moment together." Rah giggled mischievously.
"Of course, it’s a mortal sin to come in the way of true love." Loth supported, her smile widening.
"BITCHES!" Alice screamed.
Mary, Loth, and Rah immediately turned and ran from the room, their laughter echoing through the corridor as Alice chased after them without hesitation.
Damian remained where he stood, staring toward the open doorway with complete confusion written across his face.
Puff!
Rin appeared on Damian’s shoulder with a small smile on his face, clearly enjoying the spectacle far more than he should have.
"You know... Ever since you left those three bitches behind, your life has been extremely peaceful. You should have taken my advice from the very start." Rin said.
Damian rolled his eyes. "Well, you should have told me I was nothing but a political tool from the start, then I would have listened to you."
"Ask and you shall receive, motherfucker... You didn’t ask." Rin shrugged, completely unapologetic.
Damian sighed in defeat before snapping his fingers. Violet demonic force immediately surrounded his hair, transforming the long gray strands back into their familiar black color.
He gave himself one final look in the mirror before turning away and walking out of the room. His royal guards immediately bowed when they saw him, then followed behind at a respectable distance as he made his way down the palace corridor.
"You know, it’s not too late to make that decision." Rin said from his shoulder.
"I’m not in a good condition right now and you want me to further worsen my condition by breaking a Faustian Bargain?" Damian raised a brow while walking.
"You are already fucked, you can’t get more fucked than that. So what are you bothered about?" Rin asked.
Thud!
Damian stopped in his tracks. He stood silently for several moments, actually allowing Rin’s words to sink in. His expression gradually became thoughtful as he considered the point. Rin’s argument was not completely baseless.
Damian was already standing at death’s door, with barely five thousand years left to live because of the damage inflicted upon his soul. Compared to that, the consequences of breaking a Faustian Bargain suddenly seemed far less frightening.
"Think about it this way... As the wielder of the Lust inheritance, you can only have three permanent ritual mates. Do you want to give out something so precious to three women you may never touch again?" Rin asked again.
"You have Mary, Alice, Loth, and Rah to pick from. These are all people who have earned their place beside you. Wouldn’t you rather have them as your permanent ritual mates?"
Damian’s frown deepened as he stared down the corridor. From somewhere in the distance, he could still hear the soft laughter and hurried footsteps of the four girls, with Alice’s angry voice occasionally rising above the others. Rin watched Damian carefully before continuing.
"Don’t you think your fiancées are aware of your attempts at exposing and destroying their families in court but do nothing? Don’t you think they are waiting to become your wives for a reason? By then, you will lose more from harming them as your permanent mates than you will lose after breaking the Faustian Bargain!"
Buzz!
Damian’s expression suddenly tightened as a violent headache assaulted him. His body staggered backward, forcing one of the royal guards to rush forward and support him from behind. The other guards immediately reacted, their expressions filled with alarm.
"Sireee!" The royal guards chorused in worry.
Damian slowly steadied himself and noticed warm blood running from his left nostril. He quickly wiped it away with the back of his palm before turning toward the guard who had caught him.
"Thank you."
The guard’s eyes widened with a mixture of shock and excitement. He had just received recognition directly from His Majesty, something he would remember for the rest of his life.
"What about Kor?" Damian suddenly asked.
Only then did he notice that Kor was nowhere among the guards accompanying him. The soldiers immediately lowered their heads, their expressions becoming solemn.
"He was badly injured in yesterday’s battle against one of the executives of the Order of Demons... We didn’t want to share it with you because you were already hurt and needed rest." A familiar voice came from the staircase, immediately drawing Damian’s attention.
William stood at the entrance of the staircase, his expression serious as he looked toward Damian.
"Don’t get riled up, you will only worsen your condition. Focus on the court meeting. We can pay him a visit after that." Rin said quietly.
Damian slowly nodded, though the news clearly remained in his mind. "Also consider what I said about the girls... It’s far more important than you think." Rin added.
Damian rubbed his forehead and sighed. "Sure, I’ll think about it." He shrugged.
Damian followed William out of the building and entered the royal carriage, only to find Lucy already seated inside waiting for him. She immediately rose slightly and gave him a light bow.
"I will be acting as your bodyguard until Lord Kor recovers from his injuries." Lucy said.
"I see..." Damian mumbled before taking his seat.
William entered the carriage afterward and sat beside Lucy. Once everyone was settled, the carriage began moving, leaving the palace behind as it headed straight toward the royal court.
Damian leaned against the seat and closed his eyes for a moment, using the journey to gather whatever strength remained within his damaged body.
Several minutes later, the carriage rolled to a stop. Damian stepped out with Rin perched on his shoulder and walked toward the court building. The court eunuchs immediately noticed his arrival, and one of them pushed the massive doors open while another stepped forward to announce his presence.
"HIS MAJESTY HAS ARRIVED!"
Everyone inside immediately bowed as Damian walked past them, but even without looking directly at them, he could feel their inquisitive gazes following him. They were looking at his appearance, his posture, his movements, perhaps wondering about the changes they could not quite explain.
Damian ignored all of it and continued toward the throne with Lucy trailing several steps behind him, her eyes quietly scanning the surrounding court.
Damian reached the throne and sat down as the head eunuch bowed deeply in his direction. Fulgur and Loyd stared at him with proud smiles, giving him slight nods of acknowledgment before Damian leaned back into the comfortable throne and shut his eyes.
Damian could feel the urge to cough blood building in his chest. He clenched his teeth and fought it down, refusing to give his body the satisfaction of exposing his weakness in front of everyone. Only after the sensation finally faded did he slowly open his eyes.
"Duke Dantalion is dead and the Order of Demons is crushed... We won." Damian said.
For a brief moment, silence filled the royal court before the meaning of his words finally struck everyone present. The room exploded into loud cheers as nobles and officials clapped with excitement written across their faces.
The sound rolled through the entire hall, celebrating the death of Dantalion, the defeat of the Order, and the victory Damian had brought back to Velmora.