Chapter 471: Progress

Thud!

Thud!

Thud!

The steady footsteps of the palace servants and guards moving through the corridors barely reached Damian as he stood alone on the balcony beneath the twin crimson moons. Their pale red light spilled across the violet palace and stretched over the capital beyond its walls, bathing the rooftops in a faint, unnatural glow. From this height, Velmora looked peaceful. Beautiful, even. Yet the sounds drifting through the night told a different story.

The capital was alive.

Cheers rose from different districts, sometimes fading into the distance before another wave of celebration replaced them. Somewhere below, families were being reunited as soldiers and civilians connected to the rebellion swore new oaths to the crown and surrendered whatever information they possessed.

Most of that information had turned out to be useless. Nothing that would change the direction of the war. But Damian did not care.

Information was only one part of what he wanted. Public opinion was worth far more.

The people had come to the execution expecting to hate him. Instead, they watched him pardon those willing to abandon the rebellion and return home to their families. Then, in the same breath, they watched him torture six demigods to death and forge their suffering into a cursed weapon.

The contradiction should have frightened them away from him. Instead, it made them feel safe.

Who cared if Damian was cruel to his enemies?

As far as the people were concerned, that cruelty was the reason no one would dare threaten Velmora or the people who remained loyal to its crown. For the first time since his arrival, the people had begun seeing him not merely as a replacement for Lin Qui, but as something different.

"So far, Lady Mary has taken the oath of loyalty of two legions from Duke Darbin’s forces, and as we speak, more than ten legions are waiting to swear allegiance to the crown. She’s working overtime and won’t be able to return tonight," William reported from behind him.

Damian nodded slowly, a satisfied smile appearing beneath the dim moonlight. He had expected resistance yet the moment survival was placed directly against loyalty to fallen leaders, most of them had chosen survival.

It was not cowardice, it was human nature.

"And their clans?" Damian asked as he looked over his shoulder.

William frowned slightly and hesitated. That hesitation alone was enough to make Damian understand the situation before his Grand Chamberlain spoke.

Compromising soldiers was one thing but compromising their families was another.

"Unfortunately, the Damika Clan and the Amon Clan still stand firmly with their patriarchs. Lady Racheal has yet to convert either of them, so she’s requesting approval to use torture if necessary."

Damian’s smile became slightly disturbed as he looked back toward the city. He was not surprised by Racheal’s request. Among his wives, she had always possessed a particularly vicious streak whenever she believed someone was threatening the people she loved. She could be affectionate one moment and terrifying the next.

"Of course," Damian said calmly. "Tell her to use whatever methods she deems necessary."

William nodded and quickly scribbled the instruction into his notebook. He did not question the order.

Before William could continue, hurried footsteps echoed through the corridor leading to the balcony. Damian turned his head slightly and immediately noticed Rah approaching with an expression filled with frustration. Kor was behind her, clearly attempting to stop her, but she pulled away whenever he tried to hold her back.

"You had them stop my preparations to travel?" Rah demanded, her face tense with frustration.

Kor stopped the moment Damian noticed them and immediately bowed deeply. "I’m sorry, Sire. I couldn’t stop her."

Damian casually nodded before waving for William and Kor to leave. His attention returned to Rah as she approached the balcony. The frustration on her face did not fade simply because he was looking at her.

"I thought you already agreed to this," she said, her voice calmer now but still carrying obvious disappointment.

"That was before they threatened to burn Velmora to the ground and rebuild it from the ashes," Damian replied. "I can’t let you leave in a situation like this."

Rah released a tired breath and walked toward the railing beside him. For several moments, neither of them spoke. She simply stared at the city with her arms resting against the cold stone, listening to the distant celebration.

"Everyone else around you is a demigod," she finally said, her voice quieter than before. "They can help you in several ways, but I’m not yet at that level. This is all I can do for you."

Her words carried more emotion than anger. Rah did not simply want to travel because she was restless. She wanted to be useful. She wanted to contribute something meaningful to the man who was preparing himself for a war against a being powerful enough to threaten the entire underworld.

Damian understood that.

He stepped closer and slipped an arm around her waist, pulling her gently against his chest from behind. Rah stiffened for a moment, her face immediately turning red as she felt his warmth against her back.

"If something ever happens to you, I don’t think I’ll ever recover from that loss," Damian whispered near her ear. "Just wait a little longer. Not only will I let you help me gather allies, I’ll also make sure you become a demigod."

Rah’s body shuddered slightly, and whatever anger remained in her expression quickly melted away. She leaned back against him despite herself, allowing the warmth of his embrace to settle her emotions.

"But we don’t have time to make love long enough to make me a demigod," she muttered. "You’re too busy right now, and with so many others around you, you can’t just focus all your attention on me."

Damian’s grip tightened slightly, making her gasp before he rested his chin briefly against her shoulder. "All you need to do is sit tight for the next two months. After I crush the Order and get crowned, I’ll take you everywhere with me. You’ll have plenty to do with me and for me."

The seductive tone in his voice made Rah blush harder. She quickly nodded, unable to maintain her earlier determination in the face of such reassurance. Damian did not need to threaten or command her. He simply needed to remind her that she was not being left behind.

She was being protected.

Clank!

The door to Damian’s chamber opened several minutes later, and Rah stepped out with dreamy eyes. She did not even notice William and Kor standing nearby as she walked down the corridor while hugging herself, completely lost in her thoughts.

Kor watched her disappear before a smile appeared on his face. "He sure knows how to deal with women."

Seeing how Damian treated his sister remained one of Kor’s greatest motivations for protecting the crown. He had seen the happiness in Rah’s eyes since she became his concubine and he had watched her become more confident since Damian entered her life. Kor had no intention of allowing anyone to destroy the man responsible for putting that expression on his sister’s face.

"Taming that dynamic trio is not an easy task. Even Lin Qui failed to do that. So it’s only natural that the man who succeeded would be this skilled with women," William responded with a faint smile.

"Excuse me."

Buzz!

Both men immediately jumped apart, instinctively moving several meters away from the door. Their eyes widened when they saw Alice standing there with a cold expression.

Neither of them had noticed her approach.

Alice merely spared them a brief glance before walking past them and entering Damian’s chamber without hesitation.

Inside, she paused for a moment and looked around. This was her first time entering Damian’s private room, and despite her attempts to remain indifferent, she could not deny that curiosity had taken hold of her. The chamber was enormous, luxurious and decorated with the colors and symbols of the Violet Fox. Yet it did not feel as oppressive as she expected.

Her attention eventually shifted toward the balcony. Damian stood there alone, staring into the city beyond the palace walls.

"Sire," Alice said as she approached before giving a slight bow.

Damian glanced over his shoulder for only a moment before returning his attention to the city. "What is it?"

His cold voice made her flinch.

Alice hesitated. Coming here had already required her to swallow a great deal of pride. Her relationship with Damian had begun with hostility, and she knew very well that she had been one of the people most resistant to his presence.

Still, after watching Mary, Racheal and the others receive important responsibilities, she could no longer ignore the uncomfortable feeling growing inside her.

She wanted to be useful too.

"I want to help you like the others," she finally said. "Give me something to do."

Damian chuckled softly.

"Go back to your room, woman. Your help is not needed."

Alice’s frown deepened immediately. She wanted to argue, but she knew she had created much of the hostility between them from the beginning. If her father had not repeatedly reminded her that marriage to a prince came with responsibilities, she would not have come here in the first place.

"I’m not doing this because I regret what I said or did," Alice said firmly. "I’m simply asking to be given a chance to accomplish my duty to you."

"And I said there is no duty for you to accomplish. Everything is under control. Now leave me. I have more important things to concern myself with."

Damian waved her off before placing a cigar between his lips. The tip immediately lit with a faint purple flame, and he took a slow drag while continuing to stare into the city.

Alice’s frown deepened further.

If it were not for her father’s constant scolding, she would not even have bothered coming here. Yet being dismissed so easily irritated her far more than she expected.

Swoosh!

A strong wind swept through the balcony, causing her robes to flutter as she turned sharply and walked toward the exit without another word.

Damian did not stop her. The door closed behind her, leaving him alone once more.

Thud!

A few moments later, another set of footsteps approached. Damian turned over his shoulder and saw William standing at the entrance with an expression of obvious shock.

"Sire," William said, his voice filled with disbelief. "Lord Amon requests your presence."

Damian’s lips slowly curved into a mischievous grin.

A man falling from a cliff would grasp at every hand extended toward him.

Damian knew Amon would eventually break. The fallen angel had too much to lose and too little faith in the demons who surrounded him. Once the reality of his situation settled in, the path ahead of him had become painfully clear.

Damian simply had not expected it to happen so quickly.

"That man is quite decisive," he murmured with an amused grin. "I’ll give him that."