For Lances, that single statement could arguably be deemed the greatest humiliation of his five-hundred-year-old demonic existence.
The entire ballroom fell into a silence so profound that the dropping of a pin could be heard. In an environment like this, even the faintest chuckle would carry across every corner of the room let alone a laugh as brazenly loud as the one echoing now.
“Hahahahaha. Lances, not every demon falls for your routine.”
Herman laughed so hard he could barely straighten his back; even with his mother glaring daggers at him from nearby, she couldn’t manage to stem his flamboyant, unrestrained laughter.
The awkwardness intensified tenfold.
Lances’s face had already turned darker than the Sea of Oblivion. Clenching his hands into tight fists, he trembled violently with rage as the shame and venom boiling within his eyes became nearly impossible to mask.
He knew Xavier was a tough nut to crack, but he had never anticipated the man would refuse to grant him even a shred of face. This behavior completely transcended what any self-respecting, cultivated demon ought to exhibit!
Crouching off to the side, Frank massaged his temples in resignation, thinking to himself that Lances had truly walked straight into the line of fire. Had he approached at literally any other time, he wouldn’t have been subjected to such a blunt, unvarnished rejection.
“Y-you… even if you dislike me, there is no need to humiliate me so ruthlessly.”
Lowering his head to mask the venom roiling in his gaze, Lances choked out his protest in a fragile, tear-choked whine, desperate to awaken the protective instincts of the surrounding demons.
After all, he had to consider his future. Should word of tonight’s fiasco spread, prideful demons would hardly be eager to court a succubus who had suffered such a public, humiliating rejection from another man.
The delicate succubus kept his head bowed, his petite frame trembling uncontrollably as the black velvet heart-shaped tail wrapped tightly around his slender, pale waist quivering as though thoroughly traumatized.
A genuinely heart-wrenching sight.
“I did not humiliate you.” Xavier’s expression remained utterly serene, one hand casually massaging the platinum-gold little heart tip resting against his palm. “I merely stated a factual truth.”
Help me… Hidden away safely inside Xavier’s embrace, Huey didn’t even dare to raise his head, terrified of locking eyes with Lances. He felt a secondary embarrassment purely on the other’s behalf.
A devoid-of-emotion gaze paired with an indifferent, deadpan tone this toxic combination stoked the fires of fury raging within Lances’s chest to blistering heights.
Unbeknownst to anyone, a thread of black mist slithered out from the air to wrap around Lances’s frame, causing the heart patterns within his eyes to flicker erratically before dimming completely.
“So, you would rather cradle that ugly-tailed Huey in your arms than dance a single waltz with me?!”
A bizarre, gratingly harsh voice rumbled out from Lances’s throat, entirely stripped of its usual ethereal resonance.
I’m just standing here minding my own business why did he have to launch a personal attack on my tail?!
Indignant, Huey popped his head out from Xavier’s embrace and glared angrily toward Lances, only to recoil in mild shock as he caught sight of the oppressive aura swirling around the other’s body.
“Um… though I’m furious that you insulted my tail, is your current condition actually alright?” Throwing him a wary, uneasy look, Huey sensed an eerie, uncomfortably familiar undertone to Lances’s state, though he couldn’t quite pinpoint its origin.
Unlike the clueless Huey, Xavier and Frank instantly intercepted the unmistakable, chilling resonance of the evil spirits.
“Frank,” Xavier commanded coldly, “subdue him.”
Leaping forward instantly, Frank closed the distance. Since he had already been crouching nearby, the gap between them was negligible; a single flying tackle ought to have pinned the target securely. To his shock, the moment his fingertips brushed against Lances’s skin, a ferocious surge of freezing frost energy erupted outward, blasting Frank backward a dozen meters as he plowed through multiple tables and chairs, kicking up a blinding flurry of icy mist in his wake.
“Are you alright?”
Before Frank could even reorient his posture, a strong, muscular pair of arms caught him from behind. Looking up, he found himself staring straight into Herman’s striking, flamboyant face inches from his own.
“I-I’m fine,” Frank stammered, scrambling to his feet with a flutter of flustered embarrassment. Eager to launch back into the fray and simultaneously put physical distance between himself and Herman, he was halted by his superior’s command.
“Stay back, Frank. You are no match for him.”
Releasing the little succubus, Xavier stepped forward to shield him, fixing his gaze upon the threat.
The blue-tinted frost cleared away, revealing a tall, imposing frost demon who had gathered the unconscious Lances into his arms.
“As a demon, treating a beautiful succubus in such a fashion is…” The frost demon shook his head slowly, enunciating each word with deliberate weight: “…unpardonably boorish.”
“Good evening.” His ice-blue eyes, glittering with frozen crystal specks, shifted toward Huey hiding behind Xavier, offering a warm, genial smile. “Allow me to introduce myself: I am Caron. A pleasure to make your acquaintance, my little live-streamer.”
The Frost Demon Lord Caron the host of the upcoming auction banquet.
“H—hello.” Surprised beyond measure, Huey hadn’t anticipated encountering his future boss under such circumstances. Hastily stepping out from behind Xavier, he bowed respectfully. “It is an honor to meet you, my lord.”
Caron gestured with a casual wave of his hand, conjuring a rose sculpted entirely out of glistening ice crystals that drifted gracefully through the air toward Huey. “You are even more adorable than I imagined. With you onboard, my auction banquet is guaranteed to be an unmitigated success.”
Before the crystal rose could touch Huey, however, it collided against an invisible barrier and shattered instantly into sparkling dust.
“What is the meaning of this?” Frowning coldly, Xavier stepped in front of Huey once more, fixing Caron with an unyielding glare.
Placing the unconscious Lances securely upon a plush sofa, Caron sighed helplessly in response. “I merely did what had to be done. I simply cannot stand seeing a succubus bullied by a pair of boorish demons.”
“You are telling falsehoods.” A murderous glint flared within Xavier’s golden eyes as an overwhelming wave of pressure radiated outward, forcing several weaker demons in the vicinity to their knees.
Crack
Two opposing forces collided in a violent clash of supremacy, generating an atmospheric shockwave that surged upward to shatter the massive crystal chandelier suspended from the vaulted ceiling.
The elaborate, heavy chandelier came crashing down, its solid crystal globes fracturing into millions of razor-sharp shards that rained down across the hall in a lethal spray.
Xavier moved with breathtaking velocity. Whipping around before the debris could descend, he unfurled his massive black feathered wings, enclosing Huey within a secure, warm, and impenetrable barrier.
Though clueless as to the underlying conflict, Huey instinctively understood the cardinal rule of not creating distractions. He stayed completely still, burying his face softly against Xavier’s chest and offering affectionate, reassuring little rubs to communicate his unwavering obedience.
As the dust settled and the wings parted, both Caron and Lances had vanished entirely from the estate, leaving behind only an inscription carved into the air by freezing frost:
Lances is a succubus of exceptional charm, and I shall be more than delighted to take him as my companion. ——Caron
Reading the message, Lances’s mother practically beamed with radiant triumph. Though they had failed to hook the immensely formidable Xavier, securing an alliance with the powerful and influential Caron represented an astronomical victory for the Soren family.
Deprived of its leading participants, the banquet naturally drew an abrupt, premature close. The jubilant Soren household was currently in no frame of mind to entertain remaining guests.
Three hours later, beneath the blood-red moon.
Peering cautiously around a stone pillar, Huey poked his small head out and whispered in bewilderment, “Lord Xavier, why on earth are we sneaking back into the Soren estate in the dead of night?”
Crouching down right beside him, the Grand Archangel wore an expression of grave solemnity as he replied: “Business.”
The sheer killing intent radiating from his frame felt entirely unrestrained no, truth be told, he wasn’t even attempting to conceal it in the slightest!
Trembling with apprehension, Huey shrank back, pulling his features into a miserable little pout as he whimpered, “Am… am I permitted to know what kind of business?”
As smitten as he was, the young succubus valued his life far too much to walk blindly into an execution.
Pausing to ponder the question thoroughly, Xavier offered a firm, unwavering head shake.
That response pushed Huey to the verge of tears. “Then… can I please wait for you back at home?”
With a cold, unyielding expression, the intoxicated Archangel firmly reached out and nabbed the young demon by his heart-shaped tail, declaring flatly: “It is unsafe to leave you behind while we are away.”
Crouching three meters away and observing the exchange in silence, Frank wisely opted to turn his head completely away, choosing willful blindness.
Who told you to go plying the lord with alcohol? May the Light God have mercy on you, I have no earthly idea when the lord will sober up, and I certainly refuse to court death by interfering!
Trapped by his captured tail, Huey shook like a leaf, his legs entirely numb from squatting.
At long last, as the final flickering lantern within the Soren fortress was extinguished, Xavier rose to his feet. “Let us proceed.”
The two angels strode forward by several paces before realizing the young succubus hadn’t followed. Looking back, they found him huddled pathetically in place, crystal tears welling up in his eyes.
“My… my legs fell asleep. I can’t stand up, QAQ.” Huey sniffled, thoroughly aggrieved.
Exhaling a soft sigh, Xavier retraced his steps, scooped the small succubus up into his arms, and settled him securely against his forearm.
“We are heading toward Lances’s chambers. Frank, search the estate to verify whether any other areas harbor that particular signature.”
Carrying the little succubus, the cold-faced Archangel issued his directives. “And ensure you maintain absolute stealth.”
Standing behind them, Frank stared at the intertwined silhouettes of the pair being carried away, his mind vacant.
Who exactly is supposed to be worried about getting caught?!
Resting within Xavier’s embrace, Huey experienced a sudden shift in perspective as the landscape blurred before his eyes, depositing them instantly inside an unfamiliar bedchamber.
The room was surprisingly modest if this truly constituted Lances’s personal quarters, it bordered on cramped. Even Huey’s bedroom back in the Christie Castle possessed three times this floorspace.
The entire chamber lacked any decorative flair, dominated entirely by an oppressive palette of obsidian black: a black bed, a black wardrobe, black drapery, and even black carpeting.
“Is this… truly Lances’s room?” Huey murmured in disbelief. “He is the prized gem of the Soren family; how could they possibly relegate him to such dreary quarters?”
Setting Huey down onto the floor, Xavier immediately reached out to snag his wandering tail and wrap it back around his waist.
“Lord Xavier…” Huey protested mildly. “Your tail is trapping me; I can’t walk properly.”
Turning a cold, indifferent gaze upon him, Xavier replied: “It has always been this way.”
Your tail has continuously remained wrapped around my waist.
The cold-faced lord was terrifyingly stubborn. Recognizing the futility of arguing with an intoxicated Archangel, Huey wisely compromised, shuffling closely against Xavier’s side to maintain physical contact.
“Well… I suppose I can simply walk closely beside you.” The little succubus offered a sweet, accommodating smile.
Xavier appeared adequately placated by the concession. Though his expression remained frozen, the grip around the little tail loosened slightly, allowing a gentle, comforting stroke across the fur.
Huey sighed silently to himself.
It seems we truly shouldn’t let the lord drink alcohol ever again!