Chapter 425: The Vault

The kitchen was quiet except for the soft kettle hum on the stove.

Grayson stood at the counter with total focus. He held a porcelain teacup like a fragile gem, pouring the hot water with slow, perfect care. Anyone watching would think he was completing an ancient dark ritual, but he was simply making jasmine tea for his human wife.

"If the water is one degree too hot, the leaves burn," Grayson muttered to himself, his eyebrows pulled together in deep concentration.

Mailah sat at the kitchen island, resting her chin in her hands with a fond smile. "Grayson, it is just tea. You don’t need to inspect every leaf."

Grayson turned around, holding the cup on a small saucer. He walked over like a king presenting a royal crown, setting it gently in front of Mailah.

"Nothing I give you is ’just’ anything, Mailah," Grayson said, his deep voice smooth and full of warmth. He leaned down, pressing his lips softly against her cheek before standing up tall to face Chloe.

Chloe was sitting on the far side of the island, clutching a mug of warm milk. She had finally taken off her oversized sunglasses, revealing tired dark eyes. She looked smaller without her bratty attitude, pulling her knees up to her chest.

"Now," Grayson said, his voice instantly dropping twenty degrees into cold steel. "Talk."

Chloe took a shaky sip of milk and let out a long, ragged sigh. "The day I helped the demon princess escape... it was the worst day of my life."

Mailah leaned forward slightly, her gentle eyes fixed on her. She could hear the deep pain hidden behind Chloe’s sharp tone.

"Tell us what happened, Chloe," Mailah said softly.

Chloe wiped her nose with her sleeve, staring down at her milk. "Everyone in the dark realm thinks the House of Valerius is so noble and perfect. They think my family is full of proud, honored leaders. But they are monsters. My father and the family elders... they didn’t treat me like a daughter. They treated me like a piece of property."

Grayson folded his broad arms across his chest. His eyes remained calm, but his posture grew still as he listened.

"What did they do to you?" Grayson asked flatly.

"Father lost a massive debt to an old, cruel dark lord," Chloe whispered, her voice trembling with real anger and hurt. "To pay off the debt and gain more power in the Council, Father decided to give me away. They wanted to force me into a dark soul-binding ritual. A ritual that would strip away my freedom, bind my life force to that old lord, and turn me into a helpless puppet for the rest of my life."

Mailah gasped softly, her hand flying to her mouth. "That’s terrible..."

"I refused," Chloe choked out, a fierce tear slipping down her cheek. "I screamed at them. I told, Father I would rather die than be bound to that evil man. So... do you know what my family did? To make sure I wouldn’t fight back, my own father locked me in an underground dungeon beneath our manor. For three whole weeks, they kept me chained in the dark with no light, barely any food, and dark spells running through the walls to break my mind."

Grayson’s jaw tightened. Even among dark nobles, forcing a soul-binding ritual on one’s own child and locking them in a spell-dungeon was considered an atrocious act. It was cruel, cowardly, and stripped away all honor.

"They pushed me to my limit," Chloe continued, her voice turning sharp and rebellious. "By the third week, I was insane with anger. I hated my father. I hated the Elders. I hated the entire dark realm! I wanted to burn everything to the ground. And that was when her voice reached me."

Mailah looked at Grayson, then back to Chloe. "The demon princess?"

"Yes," Chloe admitted, nodding her head frantically. "The demon princess was locked in the lower vault right next to my family’s estate. She started whispering to me through the dark stone walls. She told me she knew what my family was doing to me. She said she could help me break my chains. She told me that if I used my royal Valerius key to unlock the outer seal of her vault, she would take me far away where my father could never touch me again."

Chloe looked straight into Grayson’s eyes, her hands shaking as she clutched her mug.

"I swear to you, Grayson! I swear on my life, I didn’t know what she was planning!" Chloe cried out, her voice cracked with desperation. "I was just so scared, angry and I wanted to escape my abusive family! I thought she was just another prisoner who wanted freedom! I didn’t know she wanted to bring war, death, and chaos to you! The moment I turned the key and the outer door opened, she didn’t help me. She laughed in my face, stepped into the human world portal, and left me behind to take the fall!"

Silence settled over the kitchen. The hum of the kettle had stopped, leaving only the quiet crackle of the fireplace in the next room.

Mailah reached across the marble counter, placing her warm hand over Chloe’s trembling fingers. "Oh, Chloe..."

"When the High Council found out," Chloe sniffled, "Father blamed everything on me to protect his own name. The Elders stripped my noble title, banished me to Earth, and locked the trial records so no one would know a royal prisoner escaped."

Grayson took a slow breath. The cold, violent rage that had filled his chest earlier began to shift. He realized Chloe was not a dangerous mastermind who had plotted against his family. She was a wounded, rebellious girl who had been used as a pawn by a monster.

"If you were banished to Earth," Grayson said slowly, his voice losing its harsh edge, "how did you end up at the Ashford manor?"

Chloe wiped her eyes with her sleeve, letting out a small, bitter laugh.

"When I fell through the portal onto Earth, I was completely lost," Chloe explained. "I wandered through the human world for days until I accidentally walked into the magical barrier surrounding the main Ashford Manor."

"My brothers found you?" Grayson asked.

"They caught me near the garden gate," Chloe said. "They brought me inside... and that was when I saw her. That was the moment I figured out what the demon princess had really been up to."

Mailah nodded gently.

They didn’t kill the dmon princess. Instead, with the help of an ancient witch turned the dangerous princess into an ordinary, mortal human girl. With no magic left in her body, she was powerless. In return, Grayson lost all his memories during his stay on earth. They had all agreed to keep her under strict care at the main Ashford Manor, watching her every move to ensure she could never threaten anyone again.

"I walked into the grand courtyard," Chloe whispered, her eyes wide with lingering fear. "And I saw her sitting under the big oak tree. The demon princess... the most terrifying monster in the dark realm... was sitting there looking like an ordinary human girl. Her dark magic was completely gone. She was drinking tea while your brothers stood guard over her."

"You recognized her immediately," Mailah said softly.

"Of course I did!" Chloe shuddered, pulling her knees tighter against her chest. "The moment I saw her sitting there, looking so helpless and human after everything she caused, my stomach turned upside down! I freaked out. The guilt hit me like a heavy hammer. Knowing that I was the idiot who let that monster loose made me feel like I couldn’t breathe. Being under the same roof as her felt like a nightmare!"

"So you wanted to get away," Grayson noted, his sharp eyes watching her closely.

"I had to get out of that house!" Chloe yelled. "I couldn’t look at her! I couldn’t stand being near your brothers or her! But your brothers told me I had to stay at the main manor where they could keep an eye on my banished status. They refused to let me leave."

A small, amused smirk suddenly touched the corner of Grayson’s dark lips. "And then you heard about me."

"Yes!" Chloe admitted, nodding fast. "The servants said Grayson lived far away in his own private estate with his human wife. They said you hated noise, hated trouble, and refused to live with the rest of the family."

"So what did you do, Chloe?" Mailah asked, trying to hide a small smile.

Chloe looked down at her feet, her cheeks turning slightly pink. "I decided to make your brothers hate me so much that they would have no choice but to throw me out. I trashing everything!"

Grayson raised an eyebrow. "Trashing everything?"

"I smashed three of your brother’s ancient marble statues in the hallway!" Chloe confessed proudly. "I took bright red paint and painted silly mustaches on all your historic ancestral oil portraits! I poured a whole bowl of hot tomato soup straight into your brother’s grand piano! I yelled, I threw tantrums, and I acted like the most bratty, unbearable nightmare in the entire world!"

Mailah covered her mouth, a soft laugh escaping her lips.

Grayson rubbed his temples with one hand, letting out a long, dramatic sigh of pure disbelief. "You ruined my brother’s priceless piano just to force them to get rid of you?"

"It worked, didn’t it?!" Chloe argued, pointing a finger at him. "Your brothers were losing their minds! After three days of my chaos, Mason threw his hands in the air and said, ’That’s it! Send this brat to Grayson! Let him deal with her!’ And two hours later, I was on a car to your house!"

Grayson looked down at his wife. Mailah was shaking with quiet laughter, her bright eyes shining with delight.

"You see, Grayson?" Mailah teased him softly, taking his long hand into hers. "She isn’t an evil villain trying to destroy us. She’s just a mischievous little cousin who needed a place to run away to."

Grayson looked at Chloe for a long moment. The dark tension that had filled the estate all morning finally vanished completely.

"You are an absolute menace, child," Grayson declared flatly, though his deep voice no longer carried any dangerous anger. "You smashed my family’s heirlooms and ruined a piano."

"Your brothers deserved it," Chloe mumbled, taking another sip of her milk. "And besides... I feel safer here. The demon princess isn’t here. It’s just you two... and your silly, romantic house."

Grayson stood up straight, smoothing down his dark shirt. He reached down and caught Mailah’s waist, pulling her close against his side. Mailah rested her head comfortably against his broad chest, her arms wrapping around his waist.

"Do not think for a single second that you are completely off the hook, Chloe," Grayson said, his eyes narrowing as his tone turned sharp and serious. "You might have been a victim of your family’s cruelty, but your foolish choices still caused endless chaos. When you unlocked that vault and set the demon princess free, it started a chain of terrible events. Because of her escape, we had to make a witch use dangerous ancient magic during her capture—magic that wiped away a huge chunk of my own memories."

Mailah felt Grayson’s body tense beside her, and she squeezed his waist gently in quiet comfort. Chloe flinched, looking down at her mug as a heavy wave of real guilt washed over her face.

"I lost centuries of my own past because of the mess you helped create," Grayson continued softly, though the harsh anger was gone, leaving only a firm truth. "You owe this house a massive debt. So, you may stay here, but only under strict conditions. First, you will never touch my imported coffee. Second, you will respect my wife above all living beings. And third, if you ever paint a mustache on estate portraits, I will personally throw your neon-orange coat into the fireplace."

Chloe swallowed hard, nodding her head slowly. She looked up at Grayson with genuine regret in her eyes. "I know... I really am sorry about your memories, Grayson. I didn’t know setting her free would do that to you." She rolled her eyes playfully to hide her emotion, though a relieved smile touched her lips. "Fine. Deal. Now can someone make me real food? Milk doesn’t fill me up."

Mailah giggled, leaning up to kiss Grayson’s sharp jaw. "I’ll ask Mrs. Baker to make some pancakes."

Grayson smiled down at Mailah, his eyes softening into total, swoon-worthy warmth. He pressed a sweet kiss to her forehead, completely forgetting about the dark leather file on the counter. His world was safe, his wife was happy, and his home was peaceful once again.

By seven o’clock that evening, the master bedroom was filled with gentle chaos.

Boxes of designer dresses and suits had been delivered by four nervous shop assistants who were paid double by Grayson’s head butler to bring the clothes straight to the room.

Grayson stood in front of the tall, gold-framed mirror, wearing a tailored black tuxedo with a dark silk bow tie. He looked like a dark prince from an ancient storybook, his broad shoulders and tall frame making the expensive suit look like custom armor.

He wasn’t looking at his own reflection, though. His dark charcoal eyes were completely fixed on the velvet dressing screen near the corner of the room.

"Mailah?" Grayson called out softly, his deep voice rich with quiet anticipation. "Do you require my assistance with the zipper, my love? I am more than willing to help."

"I’m almost done, Grayson!" Mailah’s sweet voice called back from behind the screen. "Just give me one second!"

A moment later, Mailah stepped out from behind the velvet screen.

She was wearing an off-the-shoulder emerald green silk gown. The rich dark green color made her soft skin glow like porcelain, and the silk fabric flowed down to her ankles in smooth, heavy waves. Her dark hair was styled in soft curls that rested over her collarbones, and a delicate silver necklace sparkled around her neck.

Grayson forgot how to breathe.

He stood completely still in the middle of the room, his long, aristocratic hands frozen on the lapels of his suit jacket. The great, terrifying demon lord looked as if he had been struck by a bolt of lightning. His sharp dark eyes widened, scanning her from head to toe in absolute, stunned silence.

"Grayson?" Mailah asked nervously, smoothing down the front of her skirt. "Is it too much? I know we are just going out to a high-society dinner event in the city... I can change into something simpler if you don’t like it—"

Before she could finish her sentence, Grayson moved across the room like a swift, dark shadow.

He closed the distance between them in two long strides, wrapping his long, strong arms around her waist and pulling her body flush against his hard chest.

"Grayson!" Mailah gasped lightly, her hands instinctively resting on his crisp black lapels as she looked up at him.