Adam watched her, his doubts not entirely vanished but eased slightly.
The story fit, as Kaelgor was pragmatic and cruel enough to do this.
Plus, it wasn't considered something cruel, as even many mortal races used forced marriages as a means to increase their strength.
Saphira was different.
The girl was powerful enough to be a valuable asset, beautiful enough to be an beautiful trophy, and seemingly 'willing' enough to be manageable.
The temptation to simply accept the gift, to pull her through the barrier and begin the process of branding her, of molding her to his will, was barely restrained.
"Has he now?" Adam mockingly questioned, his voice a low, "Do you always obey your father's commands so… easily?"
It was a test, a probe of her character and submission.
He knew that a devil wouldn't be so eager to submit, so therefore, there had to be a reason for her current state.
Even if her emotions smelt of no lies, even if her claim had a good foundation, Adam wasn't naive enough to believe that she, as a devil, couldn't be lying.
Manipulation, deception, were an engraved talent that all devils were blessed with. Believing their words at face value would be foolish.
Alas.
Although he thought so, his mind was already racing ahead, imagining the feel of that crimson skin beneath his hands, the taste of those pouting lips, and the way her curvy body would feel yielding to his.
The threat of the outside world, the need for haste, all of it momentarily blurred, fading into the background behind the beautiful, red-skinned deviless who had walked to his doorstep.
His thoughts of self-reflection momentarily forgotten in her allure.
Saphira's mind, on the other hand, was cold and sharp, her thoughts and mental stability never wavering.
A year of experience was quite short on the cosmic scale, but that was all a devil needed to reach heights that unawakened mortal worlds could only look up to. As if a god among men.
For Saphira, her direct advantage over Adam was her control over her emotional and mental state. Constant emotional fluctuations on Adam's part did not escape her scrutiny.
She met Adam's heated gaze, her act flawless, as she showed an expression of icy, resigned clarity.
The hellish winds tugged at her hair, drawing strands to the side of her beautiful face.
"Why do I obey?" She repeated the question, her voice flat, devoid of tremor, yet carrying a tone of indisputable fact.
"My father's leverage is a cage whose bars are my own potential. He controls the flow of resources, the access to knowledge, the very path to the power I require. To refuse him is to consign myself to eternal stagnation in this layer, to be forever in his shadow, never a power in my own right. My 'willingness' to cooperation is the calculated price for the keys to a larger prison."
To disobey is to be restricted from growth, or be hunted if i try to escape.
This was Saphira's initial mindset when heading here. She was merely using the same mindset she had when she had first ventured out.
Lies are often times forgotten truths.
A devil has limitless potential, but if they have no souls to devour, no one to brand, and are kept in a state of 'starvation', then they would see their growth falter.
Adam's eyes narrowed, not in pity, but in recognition.
This was a language he understood far better than fear.
Ambition!
Kaelgor wasn't just threatening his child; he was controlling her future. Her only use being a blade or shield, never to outpace his plans.
Saphira's blazing eye's held potent ambition and hope; she had left one jailer to submit to another, but she also saw greater freedom at his side.
Her lack of resistance, yet still bearing a fiery ambition was not weakness in Adam's eyes, but something captivating instead. It was the patience of a strategist forced to play a losing hand while waiting for the board to turn.
"And the sneaking?" Adam pressed, his tone not softer, but more intrigued, "Why observe from the shadows like a common imp?"
"Due diligence," Saphira countered, her brass eyes glinting with a sharp, intelligent light, not minding the subtle insult.
"I was to be bargained to a stranger, a variable. Was I to walk into a potential maniac or a competent ruler? Should I present myself without first assessing the devil who would hold my leash?" Saphira scoffed, "I would rather take my chances with Kaelgor if that were the case."
Saphira's posture straightened up slightly at this point, her demeanor cold and direct, "I wished to see the lord of the domain I am now forced to call my own."
Adam raised a brow, but understood her caution.
"But what do you mean your own?" Adam mocked with a slight smile, his gaze piercing into hers.
She held his gaze, her posture straight, like a general discussing terms of surrender, not a slave begging for mercy.
"I am a devil, a royal, and I have significant personal power. My submission may be compelled, but it is not without value. If I am to be yours, I will not be a pampered pet or a chained beast. I demand a station that reflects my capabilities. My strength, my capabilities, and my mind should be assets to your reign, no, our reign!"
She didn't plead, she laid out her terms.
She was negotiating her servitude with a cautious, yet adamant grace. She was establishing her worth, ensuring that her words and lies could allow her to execute her plan.
Her mental state was so stable that she was momentarily forgetting all about taking the nexus, of killing Adam, and truly bargaining for a stable and equal position under his lordship.
Adam listened, a slow, approving smirk gracing his lips.
From the way she spoke, she sought a partnership over submission.
Adam could already see the future: one in which she constantly tried to break free from his control or even tried to overthrown his reign…
This was far more interesting than a fully submissive doll!
She was a challenge, a puzzle of will and dominance. It appealed directly to his pride and his own cunning nature.
It was more interesting and fun this way.
"Your terms are… logical," He stated, his voice a low, yet excitement obvious in his tone, "Your strength can be utilized, and your pride could be preserved." He leaned closer, the barrier humming between them.
Saphira was able to feel a tangible heat pass the barrier and smother her body. His desire was a physical heat; unrelenting, brazen, scorching.
"But understand this, Saphira. Your body, your beauty, your untapped potential: all are part of the tribute your father paid. You will obey my commands. You will accept my favor. Only by submitting, can you be allowed to walk the path to the power you crave. Only with this, can there be a foundation for… arrangement."
Unbeknownst to Saphira, a key part of Adam's 'understanding' personality was because of a subtle, instinctual reading of her power.
While his hell's eyes confirmed her high-tier status, his own refined senses, supercharged by the potent primordial yin of Lyra and the raw demonic energy he constantly absorbed, he perceived the quality of her mana.
From what he could decent, it was only marginally denser than his own. The gap was not the insurmountable chasm she believed.
He felt confident that, if her submission was a ruse and she turned on him, he could fight back. This unspoken assurance made him bold, allowing him to play the magnanimous, forgiving master.