Luca sat upon his throne, chin propped against his hand, regarding his guest with open disinterest.
“You’ve been remarkably patient for an entire month after I pardoned you,” he said lazily.
“Have you been secretly cultivating behind closed doors?”
Behind Lady Emmeline, nine fox tails swayed slowly, deliberately releasing waves of charm.
Even with her spell amplified to its peak, the Demon King remained unmoved—as though his heart were carved from stone.
Emmeline had witnessed the wedding ritual the night before.
She knew the Demon King had suffered grievous backlash to protect his human bride.
If she wished to avenge the rumors that had nearly destroyed her, now was the perfect opportunity.
“I should’ve known,” she sneered.
“The previous king had three sons, yet only one lacked pure blood.
I assumed the second prince killed that fool Beltal.
I never imagined the half-blood prince hiding in the shadows would claim the throne.”
Luca offered no verbal response.
Instead, he released his authority―his demonic king’s aura.
A crushing pressure descended instantly.
Emmeline dropped to one knee, teeth clenched as she resisted collapsing fully.
The weight of a king bore down on her soul.
“Do you really think,” he sneered, “that you can defeat me through a clone?” Obviously, Luca had known that the fox princess before him was only a clone.
Hatred twisted her beautiful features as she glared up at him.
“I know I can’t defeat you directly.
But I know your weakness.
You even used your own blood to forge a device that transfers backlash.
If my true body were here, I could kill you.”
Luca recalled the history well.
The nine-tailed fox clan had once ruled the North, using illusions, fate, and luck to withstand invasions from rival regions.
Their dominance had ended only when a devil dragon, his ancestor, rose and claimed absolute authority.
It was no surprise that Emmeline understood the nature of lava baptism—especially since she alone had inherited the fox demon god’s legacy.
“If you understand that much,” Luca replied calmly, “then you should also know what I gain by enduring the lava’s suffering.”
“Yes,” she said.
“You’ll break through your realm’s limits and grow stronger—but that takes months.
Right now, you’re nothing more than an ant in the eyes of the other Demon Kings—” She choked, coughing up dark blood.
“But do not forget—I still possess a king’s essence.” His gaze sharpened.
“And betraying the nobility carries only one punishment: death.” He flicked his fingers.
A violent wave of pressure erupted, obliterating Emmeline’s cloned body in an instant.
Iom appeared immediately, concern etched across his face.
“My lord, this feels deliberate.
She was stalling for time on purpose.
Should I investigate?”
“No need,” Luca said calmly.
“Her true body is already in the queen’s palace.”
Iom stiffened in alarm—yet his king looked relaxed, even amused.
Shouldn’t they rush to the queen’s palace right now?
“Come,” Luca continued.
“I want to see her expression when she meets my adorable wife.”
Iom’s confusion deepened.
Wouldn’t the fox demoness kill Lady Kelsey the moment they crossed paths?
As Iom feared, Emmeline’s true body had already infiltrated the queen’s palace, disguised as a maid.
She had learned that an assassin sent to poison the human girl had vanished without a trace.
She was certain Luca wasn’t with Kelsey at the time, so how could the assassin have failed?
There was only one answer.
Luca had given Kelsey a protective magic device.
Although Emmeline was confident such an item could only ward off mid-rank demonic attacks, she chose a different method.
Hence, Emmeline disguised herself as a maid and carried a tray of poisoned meat buns.
She walked over and forced herself to greet that lowly human respectfully.
“Greetings, Your Majesty,” she said respectfully.
“I brought you a bun.”
Kelsey sat by the window, sipping tea and reading a book about Human Land.
She had grown curious about the place humans lived—especially since Luca had provided her with countless texts, even human-created storybooks.
She had just reached a part where an angel found her hidden wings and wondered whether she would return to heaven, when a voice interrupted her.
Expecting a maid, Kelsey looked up—and froze.
Before her stood the most beautiful demoness she had ever seen.
Silvery-blue hair cascaded down Emmeline’s back, and nine magnificent fox tails fanned behind her.
She wanted to touch them.
How soft and fluffy they would be!
Thought Kelsey silently.
“Aren’t you Princess Emmeline?” Kelsey asked.
“Why are you here?”
She remembered Luca mentioning that Emmeline would come to her.
Any jealousy she once felt had already faded since she learned how much Luca had sacrificed for her sake.
Kelsey failed to notice Emmeline’s sharp intake of breath.
My disguise was exposed.
That was in her mind, but worse—she couldn’t look away from those starry-like violet eyes.
This wasn’t the first time she’d faced the human girl.
Yet something felt wrong.
No—terrifying.
An overwhelming impulse flooded her chest.
She wanted to protect Kelsey.
To devote herself to her.
To see her smile.
What is this?
Is someone controlling me?
Impossible—
Emmeline followed Kelsey’s gaze and saw the human staring at her tails with pure, childlike wonder.
“Do you… want to touch them?” The words spilled from Emmeline’s lips without permission.
Horror flickered briefly—then vanished the instant Kelsey’s eyes sparkled.
“May I?” Kelsey asked softly.
Emmeline bit her lip, then knelt, bringing her tails forward as if offering them willingly.
“You may, my queen.”
Kelsey hesitated only briefly before wrapping her arms around one tail, hugging it like a pillow.
“It’s so fluffy,” she giggled.
“So comfortable.”
“More comfortable than my hug?” Luca’s voice cut in smoothly.
Emmeline stiffened, irritation flashing through her.
For reasons she couldn’t understand, she resented him for intruding on that moment—
—between her and the queen.