Chapter 422: The Plan
The royal carriage rolled to a smooth halt before the towering gates of the Grand Palace. The violet insignia of the imperial family gleamed beneath the afternoon sun as rows of palace attendants stood waiting in perfect formation.
Their heads lowered respectfully the instant the carriage stopped, while one familiar figure stood apart from the rest with all seven fluffy tails lazily swaying behind him. Rin waited with his paws tucked into the sleeves of his robes, his ears twitching occasionally as he watched the carriage door open.
Damain stepped down first, looking no different from when he had entered the royal court, yet those who knew him well could immediately sense the invisible weight pressing down on his shoulders. William descended moments later and quietly followed several paces behind, maintaining the respectful distance expected of him.
"You should have come with me," Damain said as he walked past without slowing his pace.
Rin fell into step beside him, rolling his eyes so hard it almost looked painful. One of his tails flicked lazily behind him as though brushing away the suggestion itself.
"And go through all those emotional highs and lows? Nah, I’ll pass."
"Motherfucker, we’re supposed to be a team."
"If you’re getting jumped, call me. If you’re fighting politics, kindly keep me out of it."
Damain couldn’t even argue. A tired smile tugged briefly at the corner of his lips before disappearing just as quickly. The attendants remained silent as the pair walked past them, bowing only after both had crossed through the palace entrance before quietly following several steps behind.
Instead of heading toward the study room as everyone expected, Damain suddenly veered down an entirely different corridor.
Rin’s ears perked upward and William blinked. Even the attendants exchanged puzzled glances before hastily changing direction and following after him.
It wasn’t until Damain pushed open the doors leading to the imperial bathhouse that realization slowly dawned on Rin.
Without removing a single piece of clothing, Damain walked straight to the edge of the enormous bathing pool before diving headfirst into the crystal clear water.
Splash!
Water surged high into the air before settling once again.
Everyone froze. No one understood what the he was doing. Only Rin’s expression gradually became more serious.
He turned around immediately, his tails stiffening slightly.
"Everyone out. Including you, William."
William bowed without hesitation.
"Yes, my lord."
The attendants lowered themselves respectfully before filing out one after another, quietly shutting the heavy doors behind them until only Rin remained inside the enormous bathhouse.
Silence quickly returned.
Rin slowly walked toward the edge of the pool before lowering himself onto the polished stone, one leg dangling casually over the water while his tails spread comfortably behind him.
The clear water was already changing.
Darkness seeped outward from the point where Damain had disappeared, spreading through the pool like ink until every drop became pitch black.
Only a single crimson glow remained beneath the surface.
Rin sighed.
"I guess he got impatient."
Damain’s eyes slowly opened. The familiar storm of endless darkness greeted him once again.
Black clouds churned endlessly overhead while crimson lightning flashed somewhere beyond the horizon, illuminating the endless void for mere moments before everything sank back into darkness. He instinctively lowered his gaze toward the source of the crimson light beneath him.
The single enormous eye stared back. It watched him without blinking.
"What do you gain from torturing me?"
His voice carried exhaustion.
Throughout the royal court the Abyss had deliberately amplified every emotion he experienced. Irritation became rage. Suspicion became paranoia. Every few moments another whisper slithered into his ears while fragments of impossible visions flashed through his mind without warning. It had become less like enduring an enemy and more like living beside an endless parasite that never stopped clawing at his sanity.
"If I break your mind, I steal control. If I fail, I can still influence your decisions until you create circumstances where you have no choice but to rely on me. I gain everything either way. Why wouldn’t I?"
The answer came without hesitation.
Damain slowly rubbed his forehead.
"You are an existence that has survived since the beginning of creation. Do you really have to stoop so low?"
"The method does not matter. Only the outcome."
The eye remained perfectly still.
"Well... fuck you."
Damain opened his own eyes.
Immediately the crimson glow within them blazed brighter as every strand of darkness surrounding him began rushing violently into his body. The endless storm collapsed inward until nothing remained.
Back inside the bathhouse, the black water rapidly cleared and the darkness dissolved as though it had never existed.
Moments later Damain floated quietly upon the now crystal clear surface, staring blankly toward the ceiling with a weary expression.
Rin remained seated at the edge of the pool, his tails gently drifting across the polished floor behind him.
"You got a negative response, didn’t you?"
Damain nodded without even looking at him.
"Apparently everyone wants a piece of me now that I’m down."
"I’m surprised you didn’t immediately go after your wives’ clans."
Damain slowly sat upright inside the water before leaning against the pool’s edge.
"As long as I don’t openly antagonize them, they’ll gladly use this opportunity to attack Amon and Dabin alongside me. Once one faction disappears, I can redirect all my attention toward the next."
He had absolutely no intention of creating unnecessary enemies.
There was no reason to willingly fight two wars when one was already threatening to consume him.
Rin’s ears twitched thoughtfully.
"True... but once the Duke’s faction is gone, how exactly are you planning to deal with your wives’ families?"
He looked directly at Damain.
"And don’t tell me your wives. It’s stupid to think they’ll simply betray their own families."
Damain merely shrugged.
"Not their families. Just their parents."
His answer came so casually it almost sounded insignificant.
Rin stared. He genuinely couldn’t tell whether Damain was a genius or had completely lost his mind.
He spoke as though removing the heads of the most powerful noble houses in the empire was little more than rearranging furniture.
Seeing Rin’s expression, Damain finally elaborated.
"Relax. I’ll simply offer them what they’ve wanted all along in exchange for what I need."
Understanding flashed across Rin’s face and his pupils narrowed.
"You mean..."
Damain nodded once.
"I’ll officially marry them."
He spoke with complete confidence.
"I’ll make them my legitimate wives. In return, they’ll help remove their parents from power and replace them with other members of their respective clans who’ll remain loyal to the Crown."
"They lose only their parents. They regain their status as queens and they secure the future of their clans. It’s a fair trade. Even demons understand profit."
He shrugged and Rin fell silent.
His tails slowly swayed behind him while he considered the proposal from every possible angle.
"I still hate it, I don’t like the idea of you marrying those girls." Rin admitted honestly.
"But... I agree it’ll probably stabilize the realm faster than any war."
Damain simply nodded. That had always been the point.
Victory achieved with the fewest casualties was always preferable.
Rin suddenly pointed a paw toward him
"Fine. But Rah is becoming your official concubine and you’re choosing at least two more. Otherwise I’ll personally become the reason you stop sleeping at night."
Damain slowly rolled his eyes.
Considering the enemies already surrounding him, Rin’s threats barely even registered anymore.