The morning following the grand engagement feast brought a stark, freezing clarity back to the black spires of the castle. The lingering scent of fine wine and celebratory smoke was quickly dismantled by the cold, biting sulfur wind howling through the private royal study.
Raizael sat behind his heavy desk, casually twirling a silver quill between his long fingers. Standing directly across from him, his posture stiff and impeccable, was Ronin, the ancient high-demon head butler and lead administrator of the palace vaults. Ronin's weathered, crimson-skinned face was drawn into a severe, troubled frown as he adjusted his iron-rimmed spectacles, staring down at a massive, unfurled parchment map of the surrounding territories.
"The engagement with Princess Xaria was a tactical masterpiece for our internal stability, Your Highness," Ronin began, his deep, raspy voice carrying a heavy weight of administrative exhaustion. "But we are facing an immediate, systemic collapse across the outer borders. Because your father, the Demon King, has remained entirely absent and out of public sight, the surrounding autonomous territories are beginning to realize the throne is functionally vacant. The news of the vanguard rebellion has already leaked."
Ronin pointed a sharp, long fingernail at the vast, jagged mountain ranges bordering the lower valleys. "While we have secured absolute alliances with the high elves and the dark elven clans, the feral border species are actively destabilizing. The goblin chieftains and the mountain ogre tribes are mobilizing, violently raiding our mineral trade routes. They no longer fear our borders. Under normal royal protocol, Matriarch Lilithia should be enforcing the crown's laws in your father's stead... but as you know, she possesses zero interest in actually running a kingdom. If left unchecked, the outer estates will spin completely out of our control within weeks."
Raizael leaned back in his leather chair, his realistic, toned-down crimson eyes narrowing as a slow, calculating smile crept onto his lips. He knew this political crisis inside out. In the original script of The Cosmic Prophecy of Celestrix, this exact border instability was what allowed the Hero Caelum to easily liberate the surrounding villages, gathering his massive coalition because the demon kingdom was too fractured internally to respond to his advance.
"Then it's time we give this mountain a proper government, Ronin," Raizael murmured, his voice smooth and deadly calm. "Assemble the high council in the grand strategy hall immediately. It's time to restructure the sovereignty."
Two hours later, the grand strategy hall was packed with a tense, suffocating atmosphere. Massive obsidian arches stretched across the vaulted room, and a massive circular stone table sat at the center, radiating a heavy, historic pressure.
Raizael stood at the head of the table, his presence commanding absolute silence. Gathered around him was the entire core hierarchy of his newly established domain.
On his right sat Matriarch Lilithia, leaning back lazily against her velvet chair, her obsidian wings subtly twitching as she filed her nails, looking completely bored by the logistics but intensely possessive whenever she glanced at Raizael. Beside her was Princess Xaria, dressed in an elegant, dark-trimmed royal gown that contrasted beautifully with her deep charcoal skin and wine-red hair, her molten amber-gold eyes alert and hyper-focused. Sitting across from them were Morrigan, her silver hair falling neatly over her serene, submissive posture, and Princess Sylphiri, standing rigidly with a stack of political documents, acting as Raizael's sharp, protective assistant.
Surrounding the outer ring of the table were several hardened, iron-plated Demon Generals from the frontline vanguard, along with the newly appointed Representatives of the Dark Elves, who sat nervously but proudly in the royal court for the first time in history.
The air was thick with tension. The demon generals were traditionalists, their gazes shifting uncomfortably between the captive human saintess and the newly emancipated dark elf rebels.
Raizael slammed his palm flat against the stone table, the sudden sound echoing through the vast hall like a crack of thunder. Every single general, elder, and heroine snapped their heads up, their breath catching under the sudden, crushing weight of his passive skill, [Sovereign's Gaze].
"We are here today because the old methods of Malgora are dead," Raizael announced, his deep baritone voice booming with an unyielding, terrifying level of command. He looked across the entire room, his crimson eyes locking onto each demon general individually. "From this day onward, Malgora will no longer be governed according to my father's shadow. We will no longer sit in the dark, waiting for a king who remains entirely absent while our outer estates rot and our borders are overrun by lawless filth."
A heavy, collective gasp rippled through the demon generals. One of the oldest, most battle-scarred commanders stepped forward, his voice shaking with a mixture of fear and traditionalist defiance. "Y-Your Highness! With all due respect... King Atlas is technically still our living Demon King! The ancient laws of the sovereignty state that only the crowned king can pass imperial decrees or restructure the military sectors! You cannot simply declare yourself king while your father is still alive... it would be branded as high treason! The loyalist factions across the northern ridges would launch a full-scale civil war!"
Xaria narrowed her amber eyes, her hand tightening against the table as she braced for the political fallout, while Lilithia simply let out a low, mocking chuckle, eager to see how her master would handle the stubborn old fools.
Raizael didn't anger. Instead, his smirk widened, a look of absolute, cold mathematical certainty filling his features.
"I have no intention of breaking the law, General," Raizael said smoothly, leaning forward until his shadow loomed over the entire tactical map. "My father remains our revered Demon King, and his position will not be challenged. But a kingdom cannot function without a active head. Therefore, to ensure absolute political legitimacy and protect our borders from the upcoming continental shifts, I am officially establishing a new executive position within the imperial court."
Raizael reached out, lifting a heavy gold-stamped scroll provided by Sylphiri, slamming it down onto the center of the table.
"From this moment forward, I am assuming the title of Sovereign Regent of Malgora," Raizael declared, his voice cutting through the room like a blade. "As Regent, I hold the absolute legal authority to govern, tax, mobilize the military, and rewrite the laws of this kingdom. Any order passed by my hand carries the exact legal weight of the crown itself. Anyone who refuses to obey my decrees... will be executed on the spot for compromising national security."
The entire hall fell into a profound, stunned silence. The generals stared at the document, completely paralyzed. The "Sovereign Regent" loophole was politically flawless. It gave Raizael 100% of the state's executive power, yet legally protected him from being branded as a usurper, completely silencing his father's loyalists while locking down absolute control over the entire military apparatus.
Later that evening, after the council dissolved and the generals scrambled to enforce the new laws, the tension shifted back to the private sanctuary of Raizael's royal study.
Raizael sat relaxed in his heavy leather chair behind the mahogany desk. Leaning heavily over his shoulders from behind was Matriarch Lilithia. Her voluptuous chest pressed against his back, her chin resting comfortably near his collarbone as her long silver hair cascaded over his shoulders, her amethyst eyes glittering with an intensely lazy, possessive warmth.
Standing on the opposite side of the desk, completely alone with them, was Princess Xaria.
The dark elf princess looked down at Raizael, her molten amber-gold eyes standardizing into a calm, serious expression. The wild fury she had carried in the cages was entirely missing, replaced by a sharp, calculating intelligence
"I wanted to speak with you privately, Raizael," Xaria said, her voice smooth and unhurried. She crossed her arms, her dark-trimmed gown draping elegantly over her curves. "I watched you in the grand hall today. I have to admit... I truly appreciate how serious you are about the safety of this kingdom and your people. You aren't just a brutal tyrant playing with a crown. You actually care about protecting the borders and ensuring our stability."
The moment those words left Xaria's lips, the temperature in the room instantly dropped. Lilithia's eyes narrowed into sharp slits, a sudden wave of fierce, aggressive jealousy vibrating through her obsidian wings. Her arms tightened around Raizael's neck in a blatant display of territory, glaring across the desk at the charcoal-skinned princess.
Xaria caught Lilithia's furious gaze, but instead of backing down, a subtle, highly devious smirk played on her full lips. Recognizing the succubus's jealousy, Xaria locked eyes with Raizael, leaning forward slightly over the desk as she took her tactical chance to strike.
"Since you are a man of your word, Prince Raizael..." Xaria purred smoothly, her amber eyes flashing with a playful, seductive challenge. "I will be eagerly waiting to officially become your royal wife. Don't keep your fiancée waiting too long."
Lilithia let out a low, dangerous hiss from behind his ear, her tail flicking violently as Xaria elegantly turned on her heel, her dusk-rose hair swaying beautifully behind her as she glided out of the room, leaving the Sovereign Regent completely amused by the brewing battle inside his own study.
(Thankyou for reading. It gives me motivation to continue my story.)