Back in the present, Serna returned to her bedroom, exhausted from the occurrences of the day.
Arkan's voice suddenly resounded in the hall.
> "Serna, could you come here
"I'll go in," she said finally,
> "Hey, Serna," he started, his tone calm but strong, "today, I want to tell you. I'm sorry for what I did. It had to be done. To make it up. you can ask me for anything. I'll give it to you."
Arkan's mind ran a hundred miles a minute as he talked. She'll probably ask for some jewelry. perhaps even a piece of land. Aww, I'll just give her some of the Demon Lord's territories. That'll hook her. End the quest. Seduce her. Finis.
But Serna didn't even hesitate as she shook her head. Serna's eyes were fiery with anger.
> "No," she snapped. "I don't want anything from you. And I don't need it."
Before he could utter a word, she spun on a heel and stormed off, slamming the door shut so forcefully that it seemed as though the whole house would tremble.
Arkan watched her in amazement. He turned to Luthan, who stood silently nearby.
> "What did I say wrong?"
Their eyes met. Luthan's piercing gaze
> "After you destroyed the reputation of her family. and placed them under house arrest for three months, would you seriously think that you could repair things with money and gifts?"
Arkan's stomach turned. But I didn't do any of those things. That's the Demon Lord's doing! Why am I being made to pay for it?
-
The following day, Arkan surprised everyone in the kingdom, making a public announcement that spread whispers throughout.
> "I hereby order a reinvestigation of the tax evasion case in Serna's family," he declared, his voice ringing from one end of the hall to the other.
It was the same case that had brought him public support. If the members of his family were found innocent, it could ruin the reputation of the Demon Lord. If they were found guilty, it would strengthen his idea of Arkan being fair.
The majority thought it was a political act to improve his image, but only Luthan knew the real story, which is that Arkan has been attempting, in his own peculiar way, to mend his relationship with Serna.
Serna, on the other hand, had a different idea of the situation. Her jaw set, and fists formed at her sides. He's doing this to punish me. To remind me of who the Demon Lord is.
The girl stormed into Arkan's quarters, her voice sharp and trembling.
> "Why are you doing this? Do you really want to destroy everything my family has left?"
Arkan's brow furrowed. Wait. aren't I assisting her in proving her innocence? Why does she look as though she could kill me?
He opened his mouth, but the words seemed pointless. The tension between them was palpable, almost stifling.
Meanwhile, outside of the assembly, murmurs about the reinvestigation circulated within the kingdom. All were awaiting the results. No one knows what will happen.
And so, on both sides of this investigation, Arkan and Serna were poised on the edge of misunderstanding and revelation, wondering whose turn it would be to be the winner. The response…. would change everything.