CHAPTER 166: CHAPTER 166: MEETING WITH THE THIRD DEMON KING

Cassian was halfway through his mental escape route. He was ready to turn, walk fast, and pretend to be fascinated by that ornamental pillar over there—when a deep, velvet-slick voice rolled over the hall.

"My friend... you are finally here."

He froze. His back stayed stubbornly turned. Surely that wasn’t directed at him. The Third Demon King probably had a hundred "friends" in here—half the room would kill to be addressed that way. No reason to assume it was aimed at him.

Except... the words carried a strange weight, like a hand pressing against his spine.

Cassian’s fingers tightened around his goblet. Nope. He was not looking back. If he didn’t look, it wasn’t him. Perfect plan.

The silence that followed was brief... and then, from behind, came the faintest, almost amused huff.

The Third Demon King’s lips curved into something far too interested for Cassian’s liking. Without another word, he pushed the two exquisite demons from his lap. They clung to him with startled little gasps, but he only patted one cheek and murmured, "Wait, my dear... sugar tastes sweeter after a little delay."

The crowd rippled with gasps and delighted whispers. Almost half of them were drooling at the sight of him like lovesick fools.

The King basked in the attention and turned toward Cassian, who was ready to bolt at any moment—but not before giving a playful wink to another demon in the crowd.

Cassian could hear the squeal even though he wasn’t facing him. He knew the lusty demon must have done something indecent to get that kind of reaction.

Whatever. He just needed to get out of this crowd of hopeless people.

But doing the task is always harder than thinking about it. In one blink, the Demon King was no longer across the hall but right behind him. A warm, unyielding hand landed on Cassian’s shoulder. He froze. He tried to move, but it felt like his entire body was paralyzed from the weight—he couldn’t even lift a foot.

Cassian stared straight ahead, jaw tight. "...Can I help you?"

"Oh, you help more than you know," the King purred, leaning forward just enough for Cassian to feel his breath at his ear. Cassian shuddered instantly. Fuck—what did this lusty demon want now? Did he remember everything from that day and come back to settle the score?

Across from them, Veyce’s eyes were as wide as saucers, his goblet halfway to his mouth and forgotten. He looked from Cassian to the King, back to Cassian again, as if trying to solve the puzzle of when his apparently low-key friend had become important enough to be close to an immortal monarch.

The jealousy from the rest of the hall was practically a physical thing. Cassian could feel their sharp stares drilling holes into his face.

A woman in emerald silk actually mouthed, Who is he? to her companion, who shrugged with the helplessness of someone equally desperate for the answer.

Cassian resisted the urge to roll his eyes so hard they’d detach. "I think you’ve mistaken me for someone else," he said flatly.

"Mistaken?" The King’s amusement only deepened. His fingers tightened fractionally on Cassian’s shoulder—the faintest sign of a predator toying with prey. "Oh no, little morsel. I never mistake dessert."

Veyce choked on air.

Cassian closed his eyes. He was never coming to Concubine Hall again.

But the King’s voice carried again, richer, warmer, and loud enough for the entire hall.

"After centuries asleep, the first thing I wanted was to meet my friend."

The word friend landed like a stone in Cassian’s stomach. Fucking hell. They were not friends.

...Except.

He suddenly remembered the time when he’d been in the temple. He’d dreamt of those memories again, but that time, instead of the Supreme Lord, it was this demon who appeared—and in the dream, they had truly been friends.

But fuck, that was all in the past. Back then, he must have been a naïve boy who had accidentally fallen into the clutches of this lustful demon.

Hell no. He wasn’t making the same mistake again. Especially not with someone whose character was so questionable and who couldn’t seem to keep his claws to himself.

The hall was already buzzing with gossip, and Cassian could feel every piercing gaze drilling into him.

Why had he suddenly become the center of attention? He had nothing—absolutely nothing—to do with this demon. Someone, anyone, please get him out of here.

Then the Demon King straightened and said in a voice dripping with the smug certainty of someone who had just declared the sky his personal property, "Let it be known, my friend and I are eternal companions. Bound beyond time... Making him angry means directly offending me."

Cassian inhaled wrong and nearly choked. Fuck—what did this demon want? Why was he making him the target of everyone’s hate?

Veyce turned to him slowly, eyes narrowing with the look of someone realizing they’d been betrayed by their own brother.

The room erupted into chaos.

"Isn’t he... human?" someone whispered near the back.

"How could a human gain the Demon King’s grace?"

"Just who is he?"

"I heard humans don’t survive this long—then how are they friends for eternity?"

Cassian muttered under his breath, "Bad luck and stubbornness."

"Oh no, little morsel," the King purred, his lips close enough for Cassian to feel the heat of his words, "you can pretend all you want... but you’ll never ignore me."

Cassian stared straight ahead, jaw tight. Oh yes I can.

Across from him, Veyce still looked like he’d just discovered Cassian was some hidden big shot who had been lying to him. The crowd? Staring at him like he’d just become the juiciest scandal in all the realms.

Cassian, meanwhile, was mentally planning exactly how far away from the demon realm he could run after choking the life out of this lusty demon who was deliberately creating trouble for him.

If the Lusty Demon wanted a companion for eternity, he’d better get used to spending it six feet under.