LYRA POV:
Once we stepped out of the dining hall, Cathy let out a long breath. Like she'd been holding it since we sat down.
Martin looked at her and gently patted her back.
"It's okay, Cathy," he said with a small smile. "Along with Leviathan… Inferno Sol is also coming."
Her eyes went wide. I saw it happen — the way her face shifted from fear to something else. Something softer.
Her eyes were literally glowing with tears.
"R-really…?" Her voice cracked.
"Yes," Martin said softly.
And then she smiled.
A real smile. The first one I'd seen reach her eyes since I met her.
I didn't say anything. I just let her have that moment. Whatever it meant to her, she deserved it.
After a while, we started walking. I had no idea where we were going. The castle was a maze and I'd stopped trying to map it in my head. I just followed Martin, Cathy quiet beside me.
We walked for what felt like forever until we reached a room so big it could have swallowed my old apartment whole.
Clothes. Accessories. Shoes. Even small personal items lined up on shelves like a store that had been waiting just for us.
Everything was arranged neatly. Too neatly. Like someone had planned it.
"These are all prepared by our Demon Lord… especially for you, your highness," Martin said, smiling politely.
I looked at him.
Then I grinned.
"Umm… Mr. Martin… I have many things to talk about with you… Mr. Martin."
His smile froze.
I turned to Cathy. "Cathy, you go inside first. We'll come in a bit."
She nodded and walked inside without a word. The moment she disappeared from sight, I turned back to Martin and gave him a look that said: *If you even think about running, you will see a side of me I haven't shown anyone yet.*
He gulped.
Without a word, he gestured for me to follow him to a quieter corner.
---
"Now spill it. What's happening?"
Martin smiled nervously. "Your engagement with our Demon Lord—"
"Stop pulling jokes with me. I'm dead serious."
His smile stayed glued on his face. Uncomfortable. Wobbly.
"First of all," I said, crossing my arms. "Why did you make me come here?"
"I-I-I didn't do that." He raised his hands like I was pointing a weapon at him. "I just cast a spell to summon a woman from the Demon Lord's castle to the main room… and you appeared. I didn't expect that. I really didn't. I didn't do it intentionally."
He kept talking in circles. Avoiding. Dodging.
I narrowed my eyes.
"It's true," he said quickly. "I really don't know. Believe me."
*Believe me.* As if that ever worked.
"Okay. We'll talk about that later." I let it go for now. "Right now, I want to know why your Demon Lord is insisting on marrying me."
He hesitated. "That question… I genuinely don't know." He looked at the ground, then back at me. "If you want the answer, you have to ask the great lord himself."
I took a deep breath. Fine. One thing at a time.
"Okay. One last question."
He waited.
"Who is the Dragon King? Who is Inferno Sol? And who is that man who came with you to the dining hall? What's the relationship between the Demon Lord and Cathy? Do they know each other from before? If they knew each other, why did they—"
"Ah… Tengshe is calling me."
I stared at him.
"My lord is calling me," he said, already stepping back. "I will be there in half a minute."
He opened a portal.
Before I could grab him, he stepped through.
And disappeared.
I stood there, staring at the empty space where he'd been.
My eye twitched.
"*Maaartinnnnn…*"
---
I went back inside. Cathy was already looking through dresses, holding one up, then another, her earlier fear forgotten for a moment.
When she saw me, she smiled and grabbed my arm. "Here, try this long gown."
She handed me something heavy and dark. Before I could say anything, she was already pushing me toward the dressing room.
I went inside and tried it on.
It was… not good.
Too much. Too revealing. Too everything.
I changed back quickly.
We spent the next hour picking out jewelry, small items, things I didn't even know I'd need. Cathy moved through the aisles quietly, occasionally holding something up and smiling to herself.
Then we went back to the dresses.
Four hours.
Four hours of pulling fabrics, shaking my head, trying things on, handing them back.
And then I saw it.
Blood red. Dark like wine. The borders along the neck, waist, and down the length of the dress were stitched with crystals that caught the light like tiny flames. The fabric had a faint smoky effect woven into it — like something burning just beneath the surface.
Elegant. Dangerous. Powerful.
The moment I saw it, I knew.
I grabbed it and went to try it on.
Inside the dressing room, I managed to get it mostly on, but the zipper at the back got stuck halfway. I twisted, reached, couldn't get it.
"Cathy!" I called.
She came in, her footsteps soft against the floor. Her fingers found the zipper, working it slowly, carefully.
I stood still, staring at the wall in front of me.
"Cathy… can I ask you something?"
She nodded behind me.
"Who is Inferno Sol?"
Her hands stopped for just a second. Then she kept working the zipper, but I saw her reflection in the small mirror in front of me. Her face had turned pink.
She smiled shyly.
"Inferno Sol is a male phoenix," she said softly. "He is the spirit companion and the most trusted person of the Dragon King… just like Tengshe is for the Demon Lord."
I blinked. "Wait. Who is Tengshe?"
"The man you just saw in the dining hall with Martin."
"Ohhh." I nodded slowly. "So…"
I let the question hang.
She smiled again, and this time it was softer. Gentler. Like she was holding something precious.
"Inferno… is my fiancé."
I whipped around. The zipper nearly ripped out of her hand.
"Your WHAT?!"
---