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She understood Tia’s meaning; after all, a princess with neither rank nor power is like a bird in a cage of artistic nature, whose only likely attraction to men might be her beauty.
"But a demon like McCarthy, who has seen all sorts of female demons, wouldn’t possibly make a special trip just to gaze upon the princess’s face. Surely the princess isn’t so beautiful as to warrant that."
As Lisandra remained silent, a demon beside her quickly countered.
Only the Great Demon Clan could take the princess away.
And clearly, McCarthy was not one of the Great Demon Clan.
The other demons were merely witnesses, participating in the rare spectacle, at most just to glance at the current state of the princess.
"Indeed..."
Lisandra pondered for a moment and could only nod in agreement.
If McCarthy were indeed coveting the princess’s beauty, it would actually disillusion all the demons who were curious about him.
After standing and interacting for over ten minutes on the second floor of the dining room, the first dinner was nearing its end.
Of course, there would be a second one after midnight.
Tia invited Lisandra to join her at a table in the second-floor outdoor garden, with the same few young demons at their table.
The moon had climbed higher, and the endless night sky over the bay was strewn with a string of silver sands as the sound of a harp tinkled pleasantly, as if it could let the breeze of midsummer flow along with it.
The place was more spacious, providing a clear view of just how large McCarthy’s estate was. The sofas on both sides of the dining table were more comfortable to sit in, and the smell of alcohol was not as intense as inside, making Lisandra feel like her breathing became smoother at once.
Even outdoors, the sound of the music opera being performed in the dining room could still be heard as though it were a program, and champagne frothed in slender glasses brought by attendants to each guest’s hand with a crisp clinking sound.
The neighboring table was not so lively, with only one demon whose horns and patterns were pure white.
Farther away, there was a continuous laughter.
"Tomorrow happens to be the day when the royal family receives the Count of the Blood Clan, Sergio. You all better not go to bed too late tonight and miss it."
The sound of conversation echoed across the spacious second-floor open-air plaza.
The demons who had come to this restaurant were generally aware of what the distant tables were discussing.
The Blood Clan’s embassy that had arrived early in the Demon World was apparently due to the disappearance of a member of the Blood Clan near the Demon World a few days ago.
The Blood Clan highly suspected that a demon violated the North-South Agreement and attacked the Earl.
And the demons with the ability to subdue a Count of the Blood Clan were now almost all gathered in Demon King Castle Necaris.
The Count Sergio of the Blood Clan’s investigative mission is to cast spells in the Royal City Necaris tomorrow to thoroughly search for clues about the culprit.
No matter where the missing Earl was hidden, or how many layers of seals had been applied, any demon who had recently come into contact with Blood Clan blood would be sensed by the Blood Clan’s detective, Count Sergio.
"If the one who harmed the Count of the Blood Clan is a high-ranking and influential member of the Great Demon Clan, being accused could trigger a severe diplomatic crisis," said a demon at the same table as Lisandra with a sigh.
Tia nodded silently, like a transparent bystander.
This level of affair, the Blood Clan’s emissary Count Sergio, is officially visiting the King of the Demon World, which is the princess. The Fallen Queen, as a minister, is merely to ensure the princess’s safety.
The Fallen Queen cleverly pushed this trouble to the princess, letting her be the shield.
Because if the true ruler, the Fallen Queen, were to deal with it, the problem would become even more troublesome.
The nobles at the same table maintained their dignified postures, earnestly discussing major affairs of the Demon World, and they were relatively friendly toward Lisandra, who also had the status to be there.
At this moment, Lisandra too began to feel lightheaded.
She had already downed two large cups of alcohol, and the scene before her gradually became hazy.
But she worried that if she overslept tomorrow and was late, it would be bad. 𝑛𝘰𝑣𝑝𝑢𝑏.𝘤𝑜𝘮
Perhaps it was because of tonight’s event keeping the restaurant open later than usual that McCarthy, her neighbor, had invited her over to attend as compensation.
"If the princess handles the Blood Clan’s aggression well tomorrow, her prestige might become quite formidable, but if she fails, she’ll have successfully proven herself to be nothing more than a useless vase," the blonde noble young lady Tia once again brought up the princess.
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"In truth, those who understand, understand. Most of the Demon Race harbor no expectations for her by tomorrow. If she were worthy of that position, the Fallen Queen wouldn’t have pushed her to the forefront, forcing her to fend off the envoy from the Blood Clan like this."
Other demons also expressed agreement.
Lisandra clenched her half-full wine glass tightly.
This was the third time.
Though the truth was being spoken.
But Lisandra always felt that Miss Tia harbored a great deal of animosity toward the princess.
When it really came down to noble blood, Tia was no match for the princess.
"I think the princess is a very excellent member of the Demon Race."
Lisandra hung her head, muttering each word deliberately,
"Your cousin, Lord Raeming, even needs the princess to choose him before he can win. You say she’s not worthy, but she indeed has the option to choose. The princess just happens to have the qualification to pick, while you don’t have the qualification to choose your cousin."
Maybe empowered by the alcohol, she just told it like it was. This time, she didn’t want to go along with Tia’s laughter anymore.
The atmosphere became a bit awkward for a moment.
The silence fell suddenly on the sofa at the tableside.
They all looked at Lisandra and Tia in surprise.
But Miss Tia didn’t say much more.
She strove to maintain that noble dignity and calm that belonged to the aristocracy.
Yet, with the subtle influence of alcohol, emotions she’d deep buried surfaced like they couldn’t be concealed; her eyes began to mist over with a layer of water.
Gradually, she clutched the corner of her dress with one hand, tears starting to fall.
This reaction confounded Lisandra.
The other demons around knew all too well.
Because Tia was hoping that Lord Raeming would lose, not wishing for her cousin to be taken away by a woman she had never met.
And that comment from Lisandra was too aggressive for Tia.
"What can I do?"
Tia’s tears dropped gently down her perfect face, her hand trembling slightly, causing the wine in her glass to sway as well.
At that moment, she remained beautiful, but her vulnerability and grievances on this silent night seemed exceptionally fragile.
She knew her family needed the princess, and although she desperately didn’t want her cousin to win, she couldn’t speak of this to her cousin, or else she would just appear childish and a hindrance to both her family and her cousin.
"I, I, I didn’t mean it that way, I didn’t know you actually…"
Lisandra suddenly felt at a loss.
She hadn’t seen her old classmate Tia in many years and was unaware that Tia’s envy of the princess stemmed from her fondness for her cousin Lord Raeming.
She knew how to deal with the likes of the princess—demons who appeared frail but were inwardly strong—yet when faced with someone like Tia, who on the surface seemed tough but was inwardly fragile, found herself feeling everything she said was out of place.
In Lisandra’s confusion,
"Miss, do you need help?"
A composed and gentle voice sounded from behind them.
At the neighboring table was still that male demon, with horns that seemed to be carved from white jade, exuding a faint glow.
In the Demon World, it was rare to find light attribute demons, or to say, demons as beautiful as him, especially his emerald-green eyes.
Upon closer inspection, it was apparent he had a petite girl seated next to him, sleeping against his arm.
Therefore, he had remained motionless.
Now that the little girl was sound asleep, he finally placed her gently on the sofa, letting her lie down on it to sleep peacefully.
