Chapter 44:The Devil at the Crown’s Table

The night the banquet began, the five kingdoms gathered under one roof—but no one truly came for celebration.

They came for Lucifer Morningstar.

Ever since he had slain four arch dragons, his name had stopped being just a rumor. It had become a problem. A miracle. A threat. A myth that walked like a man.

And tonight, that myth stepped into the royal hall.

Silence swallowed the entire banquet the moment Lucifer entered.

Not because of authority.

Not because of fear.

But because even kings forgot how to breathe when they saw him.

Dressed simply, he didn't look like a warrior, or a noble, or even a student of the Arcane Academy.

He looked like something worse.

Something above them.

Whispers turned into silence. Silence turned into stares. Even proud princesses who once looked down on commoners found themselves unable to look away.

The king entered shortly after—but nobody reacted.

Only when his name was announced did reality return.

And even then, it felt fragile.

Soon after, Lucifer was summoned to a private chamber.

What waited inside wasn't a political meeting.

It was a confrontation wrapped in history.

The king stood at the center.

So did Lucifer's past.

His father.

His mother.

And the ex-fiancée who once belonged to his brother.

A carefully staged reunion.

Or perhaps a trial.

The king spoke first.

"You have achieved something beyond our understanding... Leon."

Lucifer didn't even blink.

"It's Lucifer now, Your Majesty."

A pause.

"I severed the old name."

The duke's expression cracked instantly.

"That name exists because of our bloodline! Without us, you are nothing!"

Lucifer's eyes lifted slowly.

"And if I achieved everything myself... why are you still claiming credit?"

The room tightened.

The duke slammed the table.

The duke's wife tried to soften the moment—but it only made it worse.

Family words meant nothing to someone who had already buried his past.

Lucifer didn't raise his voice.

He didn't need to.

"I don't have a father. I don't have a family. You made that choice."

The air shifted.

Steel left its sheath in an instant.

And just as fast—

A scream never came.

Only silence followed the duke's severed arm hitting the floor.

Lucifer's voice was calm.

"Touch me again... and I erase what's left of your house."

Even the king's aura flared in response.

But Lucifer didn't step back.

Neither did the king.

For a moment, it felt like the entire kingdom was one breath away from collapsing.

Then—

The pressure vanished.

Not defeated.

Not won.

Just paused.

The king finally spoke again.

"Then tell me, Lucifer... what do you want?"

A pause.

Then the most unexpected offer in history:

"Marry my daughter."

The room shattered into whispers.

Again.

But Lucifer didn't even hesitate.

"She's already engaged."

The king smiled faintly.

"She was engaged to your brother. I can correct that mistake."

Lucifer exhaled.

"I'm not interested."

A beat passed.

"I already have someone."

Even that shocked the room more than dragons ever had.

"You brought her?" the king asked.

Lucifer turned slightly.

"She's already here."

And then the doors opened.

The temperature changed.

Not metaphorically.

Literally.

A girl stepped inside with calm footsteps that froze attention rather than demanded it.

Raven

Black hair. Violet eyes. A presence sharper than frost.

Not royalty by birth.

But royalty by conquest.

In just four years, she had built what kingdoms spend centuries failing to maintain—territory, military strength, economic control, and influence that stretched beyond borders.

The "Ice-Cold Duchess" who never needed permission to rise.

And she walked straight to Lucifer like the entire world was background noise.

"I was late," she said casually. "Choosing a dress for meeting the king."

Lucifer didn't look surprised.

Only mildly annoyed.

"You always overthink small things."

A faint smile crossed her face.

"Yet you never think about anything important."

He didn't deny it.

Instead, he placed a hand at her waist and turned her slightly toward the room.

"Your Majesty."

A pause.

"This is my partner."

Another pause.

"And my future wife."

The entire chamber froze again—but this time, it wasn't shock.

It was realization.

Because suddenly, everything made sense.

Her rise.

His influence.

The invisible empire forming beneath kingdoms that thought they still ruled the world.

Not two individuals.

A system.

A future throne without a crown.

The king lowered his glass slowly.

"...Then my daughter loses this match."

Lucifer smiled slightly.

"I never came here to compete."

He looked at Raven once.

Only once.

"But I always win anyway."

The tension broke.

The king raised his glass.

And for the first time that night, the banquet finally became what it was meant to be.

A celebration.

But deep down, every ruler in that hall understood something quietly terrifying—

The age of kingdoms was ending.

And something far worse had already begun.