Chapter 1150: Vacation Status: Cancelled [Part 4]
Chapter 1150 – Vacation Status: Cancelled [Part 4]
She gave a small, humorless laugh.
"Demons came to me constantly in those days. They wanted roads, laws, cities, armies, trade agreements. Every problem was apparently mine to solve."
Lux could almost hear the centuries of irritation in her voice.
"Kaelmor was different. He spoke about bringing order to a realm that had spent too long tearing itself apart."
She paused.
"I believed helping him would benefit Hell."
Runa’s gaze dropped. "And then?"
"And then he discovered how much power could accomplish." Lilith’s eyes narrowed. "People change when power gives them what they want. Sometimes they begin believing they deserve everything it can take."
She looked back at Runa.
"I allowed him access to my power. By the time I understood what he had become, he had already prepared the means to hide me and make me his source of power."
Lux’s fingers tightened around his cup.
Lilith noticed.
She gave him a small smile.
"Don’t look so murderous, Little Greed. We have plans for that."
"I know."
She turned back to Runa."That is why I want to fix this."
Runa’s tail curled around her leg. "But you helped him."
Lilith did not look away. "I did."
The admission settled between them.
No excuses.
No grand speech about how an ancient being couldn’t possibly be held responsible for a mistake.
Just two words.
Runa looked startled by them.
Lilith leaned closer, bringing herself to Runa’s eye level.
"Come here, little cat."
Runa hesitated.
Lilith offered her hand. "I know you’re angry with him. You have every reason to be." Her voice softened. "But don’t blame me for what he did to you. And don’t mistake my old trust in him for approval of what he became."
Runa looked at the offered hand.
Lilith continued, "I am the first demoness, not a prophet. I cannot see the future. I couldn’t know every choice he would make."
Her smile returned, smaller this time.
"I can, however, decide what to do now."
After a moment, Runa took her hand.
Lilith squeezed it gently.
Lux watched them.
He had expected many things from the first demoness.
Terrifying power.
Ancient secrets.
An appetite for chaos.
He hadn’t expected her to kneel beside a frightened former prisoner and speak to her as an equal.
Then again, he was beginning to suspect that Lilith’s most dangerous quality wasn’t her power.
It was her ability to surprise him.
She stood. "Now."Her expression brightened. "Breakfast."
Lux blinked. "You can eat?"
Lilith turned toward him. "Of course I can."
"In that form?"
"Yes."
"Coffee?"
She smiled. "Especially coffee."
Lux placed a hand over his chest. "Good. I was beginning to worry about our compatibility."
Lilith laughed and caught his arm. "I’ve been asleep for a very long time, Little Greed. I’m curious how food has changed." She glanced toward the door. "Come. Show me what civilization has accomplished without me."
"Prepare to be impressed." Lux rose, bringing his coffee along. "System."
[Yes, sir?]
"Tell the kitchen to double everything."
[A prudent response to an unprecedented diplomatic crisis.]
Lilith laughed all the way down the corridor.
By the time they reached the dining hall, Gula had already claimed a chair and established a defensive perimeter around three plates of pastries.
Breakfast had become a battlefield.
A delicious one.
Golden pancakes arrived beneath ribbons of honey. Fresh bread released clouds of fragrant steam, while silver platters carried roasted meats, eggs, fruit, and enough desserts to make a responsible nutritionist resign.
Lilith examined everything with the delighted curiosity of a woman discovering that civilization had finally developed a worthwhile purpose.
She tasted a strawberry tart.
Paused.
Then took another bite.
Lux watched her expression change and smiled into his coffee.
Apparently, several thousand years of progress could be summarized in two words.
Excellent pastry.
The others joined them gradually.
Mira arrived with a stack of documents that Lux promptly confiscated until she had eaten. Yue took her seat with the composed elegance of a dragon princess, although her gaze lingered on Lilith with unmistakable curiosity.
Naomi came next, followed by Fiera, whose nine white tails swayed behind her like an exceptionally luxurious royal procession. Rava arrived carrying the latest intelligence reports, while Ely and Aela joined them shortly afterward.
For a brief, precious stretch of time, the mansion felt almost normal.
Almost.
Because the first demoness was sampling modern cuisine, Gula was conducting aggressive negotiations over the last pastry, and Lux had an impending war scheduled immediately after breakfast.
His system would probably classify this as a healthy work-life balance.
Lux ate while reviewing the final team assignments.
Naomi would remain behind.
The unresolved problems within her family demanded her attention, and Lux had no intention of dragging her into another conflict before those matters were settled. She would help coordinate communications and protect the mansion instead.
Fiera faced a similar complication.
Her cousin Aelitha remained a troublesome loose end, and leaving that situation unattended could expose Fiera’s family to retaliation.
The others, however, had made their decisions.
They would fight.
Openly, if necessary.
Sira would lead one team, her authority and sharp instincts making her particularly suited to handling hostile encounters.
Gula would command another.
Lux had complete confidence in her ability to overwhelm an enemy position.
He had slightly less confidence in her ability to leave an enemy kitchen intact.
Yue would lead the third team, supported by the intelligence Rava and the others had assembled.
Each group would have its own targets, soldiers, escape routes, and contingency plans.
Lilith required none of those arrangements.
She would operate alone.
A rather unfair development for whichever royal facility had the misfortune of receiving her personal attention.
And Lux?
He would take Runa.
She remembered Kaelmor’s map, recognized its markings, and understood details that no surveillance report could reproduce. With her beside him, Lux intended to trace the connections between the hidden facilities and find whatever Kaelmor had buried deepest.
He finished his coffee.
Around him, the women continued eating, laughing, and stealing food from one another’s plates.
Lux let himself enjoy the sight for another moment.
Then his smile sharpened.
Breakfast first.
After that?
They were going to ruin a king’s day.