The darkness of the Cynophelia Forest swallowed the moonlight.
The twisted branches barely let the wind pass through, and a thick mist covered the ground like a silent sea.
Only two figures walked at the front.
Bragoz.
And Dimitri followed several meters behind him.
He did not even dare walk beside him.
Suddenly...
Bragoz stopped.
Without even turning around, he spoke.
—How much mana have you gathered?
Dimitri swallowed hard.
—Very little, my lord.
The villagers are barely suitable as sacrifices. Their mana is far too scarce.
The silence that followed was worse than any shout.
Bragoz slowly turned around.
His crimson eyes seemed to pierce straight through him.
—Twenty-five days.
His voice was low.
Cold.
—Twenty-five days... and you're still offering me garbage.
Dimitri lowered his head.
—The Douglases destroyed one of our bases.
The entire kingdom is on high alert.
Every movement made by the cult is being watched.
Bragoz took a step forward.
Demonic pressure crashed down upon the vampire.
His knees struck the ground.
—And you expect me to care?
Dimitri clenched his teeth.
—No, my lord.
—Humans always find excuses.
The incompetent...
do as well.
The demon leaned down until he was face-to-face with him.
—Speak.
Convince me you're still useful.
Dimitri took a deep breath before answering.
—The villagers were never the objective.
They were only a temporary solution.
Bragoz remained silent.
—We'll attack the Royal Academy. As soon as they activate their security protocol, they'll evacuate the students from the academy to the capital. We'll ambush them during the transfer.
Hundreds of students will be gathered there.
Every one of them possesses far more mana than an ordinary civilian.
A single life from the academy is worth dozens...
even hundreds of villagers.
A faint spark of interest appeared in the demon's eyes.
Dimitri continued.
—I've gathered every cult member still operating within the kingdom. We'll make all the necessary preparations. When the time comes, the sacrifice will begin.
He paused briefly.
—I only need one thing from you.
Bragoz smiled.
—Speak.
—Draw the strongest creatures in the forest to us.
The greater the chaos...
the more mana we'll be able to harvest.
Dimitri lowered his head once again.
Hidden beneath the shadow of his bangs...
his eyes remained completely cold.
"Come."
"Awaken the king of the forest."
"And when the two monsters finally meet..."
"Only one of them will walk away alive."
Bragoz remained motionless.
Then...
he laughed.
A low,
cruel laugh.
—So you're still useful after all.
Dimitri slowly raised his head.
—I won't disappoint you, my lord.
—You'd better not.
Because if you fail again...
He never finished the sentence.
He didn't have to.
Dimitri understood perfectly well what it meant.
The two resumed walking.
Behind them, fifty cult members advanced in complete silence.
No one spoke.
No one dared to.
The green-flamed torches barely pierced the mist.
The deeper the group ventured into Cynophelia...
the closer the roars became.
Older.
More dangerous.
Bragoz smiled.
—Yes...
Monsters worthy of the name sleep here.
Dimitri followed his gaze.
Somewhere, hidden among that endless sea of trees...
rested the absolute sovereign of the forest.
An Ω-Rank Magical Beast.
The King of the Forest.
Not even the cult intended to control it.
They only needed...
to awaken it.
Dimitri slowly closed his eyes.
If everything went according to plan...
the academy would become a slaughterhouse.
And amid the chaos...
the true ritual would begin.
Meanwhile, Lusian was traveling toward the city of Acropolis, accompanied by his escort.
The end of the month had arrived.
And with it...
the promise he had made to Elizabeth.
A date.
The sound of the horses' hooves echoed in a steady rhythm along the stone road.
Lusian gazed through the carriage window, trying to prepare himself mentally.
—This is ridiculous...
he muttered to himself.
In another life, Elizabeth had been the Demon Queen.
A being so distant that he had only ever been able to see her through a screen.
He had never imagined that one day he would go on a date with her.
Much less that she herself would be the one to invite him.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
Even so...
a slight chill ran down his spine.
Because he knew the princess far too well.
Whenever Elizabeth smiled like that...
it never meant anything simple.
By nightfall, the carriage stopped before the Imperial Theater of Acropolis.
It was one of the city's most elegant buildings.
Towering white marble columns supported its façade, while enormous windows allowed the warm glow of hundreds of chandeliers to spill outside.
The scent of polished wood and velvet filled the air.
According to Elizabeth's letter...
he was supposed to go to Theater Room Four.
He walked through several quiet corridors before stopping in front of a dark wooden door.
He slowly opened it.
And froze.
The enormous theater was completely empty.
There were no musicians.
No audience.
Not a single employee.
Only one figure stood at the center of the stage.
Elizabeth.
She wore a simple dark blue dress that contrasted beautifully with the theater's crimson curtains.
A single beam of light descended from the ceiling, surrounding her in a golden glow.
When she heard the door open, she slowly lifted her gaze.
She smiled.
—You're three minutes late.
Lusian checked his pocket watch.
—Technically, it's two minutes and forty-seven seconds.
—It's still late.
He chuckled softly.
Looking around, he asked,
—Where's the rest of the audience?
—There won't be one.
—You reserved the entire theater?
—Of course.
She answered as though it were the most natural decision in the world.
Lusian shook his head.
—Only you would do something like this.
Elizabeth gracefully stepped down from the stage.
Her footsteps were almost silent.
When she stood before him, she extended a hand.
Not to greet him.
But to hand him a book.
Lusian accepted it.
He frowned slightly.
—A novel?
—My favorite one.
He read the title.
It didn't ring any bells.
—And what exactly do you want me to do with this?
Elizabeth smiled with a dangerously innocent expression.
—Perform it with me.
Lusian slowly looked up.
—...Excuse me?
—I'll play Lilith.
The maid.
You'll be the duke.
Lusian opened the script.
He read the first few pages.
Then several more.
His expression gradually changed.
Finally, he closed the book.
—This duke is a complete psychopath.
Elizabeth nodded in satisfaction.
—I thought the role would suit you perfectly.
—Princess...
—Yes?
—I'm beginning to suspect this date was a trap from the very beginning.
She placed a hand over her chest.
—How cruel.
I prepared all of this with such excitement.
Lusian sighed.
—You're not giving me many options.
—Correct.
Elizabeth pointed toward a side door.
—The dressing rooms are over there.
I'll change first.
Don't improvise too much.
And please...
Try not to turn the villain into a good person.
She disappeared through the door.
Lusian opened the script once more.
The story was much darker than he had expected.
The duke ruled with cruelty.
He manipulated the entire court.
And he developed a dangerous obsession with a young maid named Lilith, convinced that he could corrupt even the purest person in the kingdom.
—You certainly have unusual tastes...
he muttered.
The door opened again.
Lusian looked up.
And forgot to turn the page.
Elizabeth had changed completely.
The princess's dress was gone.
Now she wore a black-and-white maid uniform.
Simple.
Elegant.
A spotless apron.
Her hair was tied back with a white ribbon.
There were no jewels.
No crown.
And yet...
He had never seen her look so beautiful.
Elizabeth gave a graceful little twirl.
—What do you think?
Lusian took several seconds to answer.
—I'm beginning to understand why the duke lost his mind.
She laughed softly.
—I'll be satisfied as long as you don't forget your lines.
She stepped closer until only a few paces separated them.
Tilting her head slightly, she asked,
—Do you like my appearance...
...my dear duke?
Lusian felt his heart skip a beat.
(That was far too natural.)
For a moment, he stopped seeing Elizabeth.
Standing before him was only Lilith.
Her voice.
Her posture.
Her smile.
She no longer looked like a princess playing a role.
She looked as though she had truly become the character.
How ironic.
The woman destined to one day become the feared Demon Queen...
played the role of innocence to perfection.
Elizabeth studied his expression.
—Is it really that bad?
Lusian regained his composure.
—No.
That's precisely the problem.
She smiled, satisfied.
—Then...
She extended her hand.
—Shall we begin?
Lusian took a deep breath.
Then accepted her hand.
The stage lights brightened.
The curtains slowly began to rise.
Princess Elizabeth and Lusian Douglas ceased to exist.
Only the duke...
And the maid remained.
The performance continued.
Their voices echoed throughout the empty theater, blending with the hollow resonance of the wooden stage.
Elizabeth portrayed the maid flawlessly.
Every glance, every smile, every word seemed capable of shaking even the strongest-willed man.
Lusian was no less convincing.
The ambitious, calculating duke suited him perfectly.
Little by little...
the boundary between the play and reality began to blur.
Until they reached the final scene.
The kiss.
Elizabeth slowly lowered her script.
A mischievous smile curved her lips.
She already knew how it would end.
Lusian would grow nervous.
He would make an excuse.
He would look away.
And she would tease him again.
Just as always.
—My lord... —she recited sweetly, following the script.
Lusian remained motionless.
He stared directly at her.
"No."
"I can't."
His breathing grew heavy.
"It's Elizabeth."
"The future Demon Queen."
"I know her fate."
"I shouldn't get any closer."
His hand trembled slightly.
"Besides..."
"Emily..."
He closed his eyes for a brief moment.
"No."
"I mustn't."
Then Elizabeth smiled again.
That smile...
It was exactly the same.
The very same smile he had watched countless nights on his computer screen.
The same smile that had accompanied him through years of playing the game.
"Damn it..."
"I've dreamed about it too many times."
"Just..."
"Just this once."
Before he realized it...
he was already walking toward her.
Elizabeth still expected him to stop.
He always did.
But this time...
he didn't.
Lusian gently wrapped an arm around her waist.
The princess's eyes widened ever so slightly.
Her heart skipped a beat.
"What...?"
He slowly leaned closer.
"Stop."
"You can still stop."
His conscience screamed at him.
But his body no longer obeyed.
Their lips met.
It was a firm kiss.
Long.
Sincere.
As though, for a single moment, he had forgotten the future.
The world.
And every consequence.
When they finally parted...
Lusian stood frozen for several seconds.
"What have you just done...?"
Elizabeth remained completely still.
Her cheeks were flushed crimson.
She had prepared that scene convinced that she would be the one to make him lose his composure.
She had never imagined...
that she would be the first to forget the script.
Lusian tried to regain his calm and forced a smile.
—What's wrong, Princess? It seems you've forgotten your lines.
Elizabeth took several seconds to react.
—Y... you idiot...
Her voice was barely above a whisper.
Lusian lowered his gaze for a moment.
He could still feel the warmth of that kiss.
"It was only an act."
He tried to convince himself.
"It was only a scene."
But he knew it was a lie.
He had crossed a line he had sworn he would never cross.
Even so, he chose to hide that inner conflict behind a smile.
—That wasn't the next line.
I think we'll have to do the scene again.
Elizabeth took a deep breath.
Her heart was still completely out of control.
Yet her pride would not allow her to retreat.
She lifted her chin and recovered part of her defiant smile.
—Do you really think I'd lose my nerve over a simple kiss?
—I would never dare think such a thing of the Princess.
She took a step forward.
—Then...
Let's do the scene again.
They performed it again.
And then a third time.
But by the time the play came to an end, Elizabeth no longer knew where the performance had ended...
And Lusian...
discovered that no matter how much he knew about the future...
there were emotions that not even he could overcome.