NOVPUBIn the magic energy vehicle parked by the roadside, Lisandra, who was just about to set off for the royal palace, sat down again to chat with Lanci for a long while.
Since she had ample time today, she wasn’t worried about being late.
Gradually, she learned a lot about McCarthy and the princess.
Once, McCarthy had accidentally frightened the princess, and since then, he always remembered to appear before her in a natural way.
Initially, McCarthy simply wanted to wait for the princess to casually notice him, or perhaps one afternoon she would visit Lisandra’s home, and he, McCarthy, would also come to sit and slowly start reminiscing with the princess.
He wanted Hyperion to see his dwelling, and as it happened, Lisandra’s home was right next door and Hyperion was her friend; everything could make Hyperion feel at ease.
It was a sixteen-year wait, enduring the unknown drift and effort, the purchase of that mansion, and the generous aid to many of the Demon Race— all these efforts just to "encounter" the princess one afternoon in the home of some unknown demon.
"It’s just a pity that I have no way to invite the princess over to my home..."
Lisandra lowered her head and muttered.
McCarthy’s wish was so simple, yet she was unable to fulfill it.
"It’s okay, you’ve taken good care of Hyperion, accompanying her diligently every day, I really appreciate it,"
Lanci said, thanking Lisandra.
After a brief farewell.
Lisandra, carrying the black and gold-colored McCarthy Restaurant cake box, walked briskly in the direction of the royal palace.
Stepping into the plaza before the royal palace, various exotic flowers of the Demon World bloomed in the morning dew, wafting bursts of fragrance.
She couldn’t help but slow her pace, savoring the pleasant scent of the flowers, thinking about how to break the good news to the princess.
The flowers by her side were colorful like flames burning, like stars twinkling, and the morning mist condensed crystal clear dewdrops on the petals that shimmered with the gentle swaying of the flowers.
Just then, a few exceptionally dignified demons appeared in her line of sight.
Each one looked majestic and noble, their voices low and powerful, clearly discussing some important matters.
Upon seeing them, Lisandra immediately stopped in her tracks, paid her respects to the Great Demon Clan, and waited for them to pass.
She bowed her head, holding the cake box in both hands with a submissive and humble expression.
The leading Fallen Lord initially gave Lisandra a mere glance.
But when her gaze fell on the cake box in Lisandra’s hands, she lingered a moment longer.
"It’s a dessert I brought for the princess."
Feeling the scrutinizing magixc power of the Fallen Lord, Lisandra hurriedly explained.
This seemingly harmless and gentle female of the Great Demon Clan had a calm and profound gaze that made Lisandra feel extraordinarily small in her presence.
Every time she saw the Fallen Lord, the lord’s countenance seemed to change slightly in her eyes, now becoming more and more like the princess.
"Who gave it to you?"
Fallen Lord Calila was not satisfied with this answer.
Although she hadn’t stepped out of the boundaries of the royal palace for a long time, she could guess that with Lisandra’s current salary, she couldn’t afford such pastries.
"...Rocky McCarthy."
Lisandra knew there was no point in lying to the Fallen Lord.
"..."
The Fallen Queen’s gaze shifted from the cake box to the far end of the square, and along the magic power on the Magic Device’s thermal insulation box, she quickly sensed a vehicle starting to leave the streets below the square.
The Radiant Demon preparing to leave seemed to have noticed her gaze, or perhaps it was just to take a look at Lisandra. The verdant eyes glancing over the rim of the sunglasses met with those of Fallen Lord Calila.
But it was only for a moment; the Radiant Demon’s car had already driven past, and her eye contact with Calila was broken.
Before Fallen Lord Calila could say anything further,
"I’m not too fond of someone showing inexplicable kindness to my future fiancée before the grand ceremony,"
Mist Sir Orion Greenwald said displeased.
With jet-black hair and cold, silvery eyes, his slender figure exuded an unignorable sense of threat.
"..."
The terrifying magic power emanating from the Mist Sir immediately instilled fear in Lisandra, rendering her speechless.
A member of the Great Demon Clan with General Level status, he possessed an absolute power unmatched by an ordinary eighth-order demon.
"Ah, you’re too confident, Orion."
True Night Lord Esmod Belfago patted Mist Sir’s shoulder and signaled with his eyes that Lisandra was free to leave.
Lisandra looked timidly toward the source of the voice, seeing a civil official with an air of enigmatic mystery, a voice so soft that it was difficult to tell the gender, still cloaked in black and shadows, revealing only his deep blue eyes.
She cast a grateful glance and quickly left with the cake box in tow.
The most likely to win among the Great Demon Clan was Mist Sir Orion Greenwald, who was said to have recruited the strongest craftsman in the Demon World for his cause.
And True Night Lord Esmod Belfago, with the highest sense of artistry, perhaps stood the best chance of impressing the princess.
Unlike the assertive Mist Sir, the civil official True Night Lord was very tactful, and it seemed that winning or losing the ceremony didn’t really matter to him.
He only cared about the stability of the Demon World.
His participation in the ceremony was merely to comply with the request of the Fallen Lord, not wanting the Blood Clan to win.
"Esmod, if you don’t want to win, don’t get in my way. Why not help me?"
Mist Sir Orion said to True Night Lord Esmod, his tone carrying a hint of resentment.
"Ah."
True Night Lord Esmod laughed helplessly, full of unspeakable bitterness.
He had intended to say something but swallowed the words back down.
The princess, after all, had chosen paintings.
In truth, True Night Lord was aware that it was hard for him to win against the Tenth Ancestor.
Lord Raeming and Mist Sir were generals with perhaps a bit more arrogance, not having grasped how formidable the Tenth Ancestor truly was.
If the Tenth Ancestor could create an epic-level painting in just these short seven days, that could only be described as fate.
Mist Sir and True Night Sir followed Fallen Lord Calila again.
However, they failed to notice that Calila’s brows were still slightly furrowed as if her thoughts lingered on that brief moment of eye contact.
She had indeed heard the name of this member of the Demon Race recently.
This mysterious member of the Demon Race called McCarthy not only brought Lisandra desserts but also personally escorted her to the royal palace, and now she had seen his true form.
"Strange..."
Fallen Queen Calila murmured.
Usually, when males saw her, they would become entranced by her because she took on the appearance of whoever they liked most, and even be charmed by her, but she felt that McCarthy showed no curiosity towards her at all.
What, exactly, did his eyes see?
Calila quickly shook her head.
No matter how high the spirit attribute of the other party was, it was impossible for them to be immune to her Illusion Technique; the royal palace was her absolute domain. Any enemy who attempted to break the rules would be caught in her Phantasmagoria, unable to break free or extricate themselves.
...
Lisandra passed through the palace’s long corridors and glamorous staircases, finally arriving in front of the princess’s bedroom door on the second floor.
She gently knocked on the door and, after hearing the "come in" from inside, she carefully pushed the door open and entered. 𝑛𝑜𝑣𝑝𝑢𝘣.𝘤𝑜𝘮
The bedroom was still cloaked in a tranquil atmosphere; the princess had returned to her greenhouse-like cage.
Hyperion sat by the window, her silver hair cascading over the windowsill. Her slightly dejected gaze traveled across the scene outside the window, focusing on the distant horizon.
"Your Highness, this is for you,"
Lisandra greeted the princess softly, interrupting her thoughts.
She held out a hard cardstock-made black and gold food box.
Hyperion turned around, looking at Lisandra standing before her and the cake box in her hands, a long-absent smile appearing on her face.
"Thank you, Lisandra."
Hyperion opened it to inspect.
Inside was an especially finely crafted ice cream cake in the shape of a cute cat’s head.
The upper layer was crispy pastry, and the lower layer was a smooth crème brûlée, garnished with fragrant rose petals and sweet and sour raspberry sauce, all enveloped in a frosty mist.
"As I thought."
Hyperion murmured to herself with a slight, unsurprised smile.
"You, aren’t you surprised by who gave me this dessert?"
Lisandra had thought the princess’s reaction would be more intense.
"I guess his name is Rocky McCarthy, isn’t it?"
Hyperion asked, raising her eyes.
"...Yes."
Lisandra couldn’t understand how the princess suddenly knew McCarthy had come, especially since she didn’t know about it yesterday.
Was there a secret code between just the two of them?
Without speaking further, they shared the ice cream cake, slicing off small pieces with a spoon and leisurely savoring it.
In the quiet bedroom, Lisandra and Hyperion conversed, discussing the trivial matters of the previous day and some light-hearted topics.
Just as Lisandra had thought.
As long as they talked about McCarthy, it seemed that the princess became much happier.
"It’s a pity you can’t escape from the royal palace now, Princess; otherwise, you might be able to meet him."
Lisandra scooped up the dessert, tasting its sweetness and smoothness with the tip of her tongue, while she sighed.
"He will come to rescue me."
Hyperion answered.
"Princess, are you prepared, then?"
Seeing how certain Hyperion sounded, in her prompt and resolute reply, Lisandra couldn’t help but feel it was a sense of "It has to be you."
It didn’t seem like a joke at all.
Lisandra could only pray that McCarthy would truly be able to create a miracle, defying all expectations of the Demon Race.
"What preparations?"
Hyperion hesitated for a moment, then asked in a puzzled tone.
"You’re to marry him."
Lisandra said, not entirely certain.
Even if McCarthy did create a nearly impossible miracle, in the end, someone would have to marry the princess; otherwise, the Fallen Queen would not grant her freedom.
"..."
Hyperion’s face instantly turned red.
She bowed her head, sipping silently on her wooden spoon as the sour and cool ice cream melted in her mouth.
Lisandra realized that the princess really hadn’t thought that far ahead.
She simply hoped that McCarthy would win, but hadn’t considered what would happen after the victory.
It was during this silence, and under Lisandra’s gaze, that Hyperion finally felt the need to say something.
"Princess..."
"If I really have to put on a play with him, no matter what the play is, I will perform well!"
Hyperion said breathlessly, looking up and interrupting Lisandra’s words.
It was no big deal; she could just pretend to be betrothed to Lanci for a while. They were both familiar with each other already.
"Alright then."
Lisandra patted the princess’s shoulder, a smile of no longer teasing her on her face as she sighed.
How much she wished for McCarthy and the princess to get their wish.
But the more she thought about it, the sadder Lisandra felt.
McCarthy’s time was too short; he only had two weeks to prepare. In the blink of an eye, the day of the royal ceremony would arrive.
The Fallen Queen was not the kind of Demon who would easily grant happiness to this couple.
This doomed love story was likely to end with McCarthy being a moth to a flame.
