[Ren POV]
'I'm sure she went this way,' I thought as I turned the corner.
Then I spotted her—Artemis—just on the other side of the wall of bushes.
"What is she doing out there?" I muttered, pushing through the foliage.
"Hey, where are you going? The dance floor will open any minute now!" someone called behind her.
"I already told you from the start, Blaze—I'm not dancing with you. My father even forbade it," Artemis snapped.
"So what? He's not here now," Blaze replied smugly.
"Blaze, the moment I dance with you, everyone will think we're a thing," she said with a bite.
"But aren't we?" Blaze pressed.
"No!" she snapped again.
"Babe—"
"Blaze, I will kill you," Artemis growled.
"Hey now, no need to be so aggressive. It's just a charming nickname for a beautiful lady. Blaze said with a smug grin, "It's not like you're strong enough to kill me anyway."
She warned darkly, "Blaze, one day your disgusting mouth will get you into serious trouble—and neither your ugly brothers nor your father will be able to help you."
"Babe," he repeated.
"Woah, is it appropriate to call someone 'babe' when they clearly don't like it?" I asked, stepping out of the bushes.
"Ren?! What are you doing there?" Artemis blinked at me, surprised.
"I was looking for you," I said with a small nod.
"In a bush?" she asked, confused.
"Shortcut," I replied, vaguely gesturing toward the ballroom.
As I reached for Artemis's hand, Blaze stepped forward, irritation flickering in his eyes.
"Who the hell are you to take my date from me?" he growled.
"Princess Ren. I just said that." I stared flatly. "You might want to get your ears checked—or maybe your brain."
Blaze's smirk twisted. "Oh, you've got jokes now? I'm not impressed, pretty boy."
"That's fine. I'm not here to impress you. I'm here to dance with someone who actually wants me around," I said, glancing at Artemis, who hadn't pulled her hand away.
"You simply enter without invitation, displaying your scales and arrogance, believing you can take whatever you desire?" Blaze retorted. Blaze shot back.
"That's amusing," I remarked with a slight smile, "as I was just about to express the same sentiment regarding you." I examined Blaze closely.
I scrutinized Blaze thoroughly. "Except you're not charming. You're just persistent, and frankly, annoying."
"You've got a lot of nerve, talking to me like that," Blaze growled.
"Blaze," Artemis said warningly, stepping between us.
However, Blaze persisted, taking a step forward as if he wanted to show off his strength. "You know who I am, right?"
"A desperate red dragon with a fragile ego?" I replied dryly.
"I'm the third son of the Crimson House. Our bloodline commands fire and fury. You don't get to disrespect me," he declared.
"Third son?" I echoed. "That's almost impressive. You have two more setbacks ahead of you, don't you think?"
"You really want to test me, half-breed?" he hissed.
I stepped up. "Are you sure you want to see if your temper can match mine?"
The tension was electric. His aura flared, heat building.
Artemis stepped between us, her hand raised. "Enough," she said sharply. "This is a diplomatic event. If you start a fight here, my father will bury you—politically and literally."
Blaze glared at her, then at me. "Fine. Dance with your little pet. See where it gets you."
He stormed off.
I leaned in, grinning. "That went well."
"You're just as much trouble as he is," Artemis sighed.
I chuckled softly. "Maybe. But at least I ask before I touch."
Artemis blushed slightly. "You're impossible…"
I grinned. "But you look absolutely stunning tonight. And I'm glad you're not wearing heels."
She raised an eyebrow. "Why's that?"
"Because you're already taller than me," I muttered, half-smiling.
"Ah, I see," she said with a quiet laugh.
"Here we go," I said, holding the door open for her.
Blaze started to follow us, but I gave him a look that made it obvious he wasn't welcome. He paused and lingered back. I grinned.
'Let's see if he really tries something. I'm not even the main attraction tonight—the humans and the Saintess stole that spotlight. Thank God.' I thought as I shut the door behind us.
Once inside, I gently guided Artemis toward the dance floor.
Uwe and Leah were already dancing. The music had just begun, graceful and poised. The room shifted around them, quieting with reverence.
"They get the first twenty seconds alone before the rest of the royals join in," Artemis explained beside me. "Lina usually dances with Karl at first, then switches with Leah."
"I see... It would've been nice if someone had explained that to me earlier," I muttered.
"Are you sure you want to dance with me?" she asked suddenly.
I turned to her. "Shouldn't I be asking you that?" I said gently. "Artemis, you're gorgeous. However, if you decide not to proceed with this, that's perfectly okay. We can still be friends."
She hesitated. "Even after I told my father everything about you?"
I shrugged. "Why are you worried about that? Yeah, I was mad—but he would've found out eventually. Better it came from his daughter than one of his spies."
"They're not spies," she said. "Uwe knows about them."
"All the more reason not to be mad," I said lightly. "Come on—let's join the others."
As we stepped onto the floor, the rest of the family joined: Lukas with Selena, Hendrian with Julia, and the twins with each other. Strangely enough, no one else had brought a date.
I let out a small laugh.
"What's funny?" Artemis asked, cheeks tinged pink.
"I'm the only one dancing with an actual date tonight—even though I've only been part of this family for a short while."
"Most of them have partners," she said. "But their partners aren't ready to be introduced to noble society yet."
I tilted my head. "That makes sense."
Then I added quietly, "And Julia's fiancé is dead."
"Hey," Lina said from behind us, glaring.
"Sorry," I said quickly.
Artemis laughed softly. "You do look very dashing tonight, by the way."
"Thanks. But I'm pretty sure I'm being outshone by you and Nyx."
She squinted at me. "Is there a more profound meaning to that?"
I chuckled. "Maybe. Have you noticed the glares we've been getting since we started dancing?"
"Is Blaze being a creep?" she guessed.
"No… it's your sister."
Artemis looked at me. "You want both."
I gave a sheepish smile. 'I thought she picked up on that earlier today.'
"I'm not someone who believes in having multiple partners," I said honestly. "But... I wouldn't and can't say no to either of you. I particularly appreciate the way both of you have been treating me."
She looked conflicted. "Ugh. I don't know who's worse—you or Blaze."
"Now that's just mean," I said, laughing.
The music shifted. Couples began to spread out as the official royal segment ended.
"What's next?" I asked.
"It is an open dance floor now," Artemis replied, gently pulling me off to the side.
As Artemis guided me away, I realized she intended to ask a serious question as soon as we were out of earshot.
Artemis asked the moment we got to the side of the banquet hall, "Do you genuinely intend to pursue a relationship with my sister?"
I met her eyes. "Yes. We've been sharing a bed for a week now. I wouldn't do that if I wasn't genuinely interested."
She blinked. "Have you two…?"
I shook my head. "No. Nothing's happened, if that's what you're worried about. But I don't share a bed with someone unless I'm invested."
"I thought you wanted Selena to be her match?" she asked, her voice a little shaky.
"She's too emotionally dull for Nyx," I said gently, not wanting to sound cruel. "And Nyx... she's something else entirely."
Artemis frowned. "So what, you think she needs someone to fix her?"
"No. I think she needs someone who can stand beside her and understand her," I replied carefully. "It doesn't have to be me. But right now, it is me. And she's not exactly hiding how she feels."
'She did try to cuddle me a few times,' I thought, remembering her awkward, almost shy attempts to get close.
"I need to think," Artemis said suddenly, her expression guarded.
She turned and began walking away before I could respond.
"Wait, Artemis—" I called out, taking one step after her before stopping myself.
'No… "I would only make the situation worse if I pressed the issue now."
I watched her disappear into the crowd.
'Sigh. Can't just talk the talk,' I thought as I turned my eyes toward Nyx.
She stood near the edge of the room, arms crossed, expression unreadable. Her glare locked onto me the moment I looked her way. Beside her stood a red dragon, trying—and failing—to flirt. Nyx barely acknowledged his existence.
"Poor guy," I muttered with a smirk and began walking over.
When I reached them, she didn't even bother to glance at the dragon still buzzing around her like an annoying fly.
"What do you want?" Nyx asked in a flat tone.
"Haha, don't be mad—I'm here to steal a dance," I said as I offered my hand.
"What?" Nyx looked at me, genuinely caught off guard.
"She's my date!" the red dragon protested, finally speaking up.
Without turning, Nyx raised her fist and slammed it into his head. He crumpled like a sack of flour.
"…You didn't even use strength behind that," I said, stunned by how casually she knocked him out.
"Let's go," Nyx said simply, grabbing my wrist and pulling me toward the dance floor.
And just like that, I was spinning from one sister to the next—with no clue how I'd make it through the rest of the night without starting a war or two.