From that moment, the Empress starts to treat Asmodeus a lot differently, though she has accepted him before. Now her eyes looked at him like a mythical treasure that would give her endless value and money, like mealtime...

    "Is it alright for us to eat this well when the soldiers only have porridge and soup right now?"

    Asmodeus gazed at the various women around the stone table: the princesses and duchess from Grigor, Lord Qwass, and, of course, himself and Princess Ciela.

    ''This is because of Avandar and his peace treaty... I am sure of it!'' He thought to himself while putting some vegetables on Ciela''s plate and handing Asmodea more meat, causing the two women to smile happily.

    "Don''t worry, Asmodeus. If the Empress couldn''t feed her son-in-law with such a meal, what kind of marriage would you have in the future?"

    ''This boy is the bridge between the elves and humans—I cannot lose him; Ciela must bear his child and become a new hope for all our races!''

    Though she seemed to scheme, Empress Salina dearly adored her daughter and her people. She knew humans could be fickle, but they were worth trusting.

    "Mother... why are you being so strange?" Ciela''s eyes focused on the Empress while she scooped up her soup elegantly. She fluttered her eyes as she gazed upon Asmodeus, who seemed a little uncomfortable.

    ''Mother is acting strange... ever since that old bastard arrived. I should have killed him back then! The man who wanted to kill my beloved Asmodeus.''

    Ciela didn''t believe that lord Qwass could change that much. She pressed her lips together, and with such pressure, they turned white as she saw the old man eating his soup with the Empress.

    ''He is an intruder!'' She concluded.

    Empress Salina looked at her daughter and smiled at her lovingly.

    "I am just happy to have such a wonderful future son-in-law," Salina said with a smile, her eyes darting between the two; the meal continued with this awkward atmosphere.

    "Princess Vinea, is it now...? I heard you once led a powerful brigade of female knights. Where are they now?"

    The Empress approached Vinea. At first, the confusion of demon names confused them, but soon, the elves became used to the sudden changes happily.

    "They are on an important task for now, and they will appear in the future."

    Asmodeus''s voice cut through tension like a knife. He then tapped the table and looked at the Empress for the first time. He didn''t feel any sort of pressure, and the powerful knight from earlier became a kind mother.

    ''Though I don''t doubt if I said something out of turn, she would lunge at me with a single breath.''

    The Empress noticed Asmodeus gazing at her while flicking her hand and signalling for the maid to bring some wine and dessert, giving the young Demon King a wink.

    ''This young man, why does he gaze so intently? You mustn''t—I am a taken woman~ silly boy, focus on Ciela.'' Salina smiled to herself and leaned on her idle hands, watching the girls gazing secretly at Asmodeus while trying to keep it hidden like jealous young maidens guarding their husbands.

    While waiting for the maids, Asmodeus became curious. He reached out and touched Ciela''s soft thigh, squeezing it tight.

    "Ah~!" She let out a cute sound before her face went red, and she immediately covered her mouth with her hand. The Empress and Lord Qwass raised their heads at the noise, only to see the young princess''s face turn bright red.

    ''Why did he touch my thigh... his fingers are so hot and rough.''

    Asmodeus''s eyes narrowed as she began to speak again.

    "You are right... Lord Qwass, would you please excuse yourself? This is a talk for family." The Empress waved her hand, and the old man stood up and bowed, walking out without a word.

    ''It makes no sense to fight against that brat again here, I promised the King...''

    The moment the door shut, the room changed as if the atmosphere was liberated. The females from the Grigor Kingdom all relaxed, breathing out and starting to eat their dessert without caring and pouring wine into their cups.

    A strange yet amusing sight to see.

    "The truth is that the concubine uses a special and ancient method of spiritualism to cast her magic, something that uses the four elements, yet she seems to have fused it with something sinister."

    Empress Sarina then lowered the shoulder of her dress, hesitating at first, causing the girls to become shocked.

    "Mother?!"

    "Your Majesty?!"

    "Sarina... why are you seducing my husband?!" Velvet slammed the table.

    ''These girls are so silly...''

    However, the next moment, their eyes widened as they saw a strange rune mark in the centre of the Empress''s chest. It was like a snake wrapped into a figure of eight around itself. A snake eating its tail...

    "What is this?" Vinea asked while almost dropping her wine.

    "Mother... that''s..."

    ''Ah, Ciela, I knew you would understand the severity of this mark. Please don''t look so upset... Mother won''t give up!'' The Empress held back the urge to cry as her daughter stared at her with such upset eyes.

    "It is a binding rune that stops me from attacking her. It was put in place when the Emperor became infatuated with the concubine.

    At first, I believed he truly got sick of me... but suddenly my body began to degrade... the food, she managed to charm one of the palace chefs to gradually poison me... to a level that almost took my life."

    Her voice was filled with anger and regret.

    ''The Emperor was so angry, but he couldn''t do anything. What kind of husband is he?! He is only the emperor because of my support, yet by the time we realised... he couldn''t do anything either and begged me to forgive him. A foolish man...''

    "Well... I survived the poison, so this time, she cursed me with a rune. If the Emperor dies, so will I."

    "So let me guess, if you don''t do as she says, she threatens his life?" Asmodeus cut in once again, listening to everyone speaking. However, this was something that he couldn''t stand for.

    ''What the hell? Is she cursing her husband and the Empress for power? Would the people follow her if they both mysteriously die... or is that her goal? She doesn''t want power but to ruin the elven forest, to destroy the kingdom?''

    "So what''s our plan... if you cannot kill him, and she can threaten you so easily?" Vinea asked while downing a cup of wine and slamming it onto the table.

    "Out with it, Elven Empress. What do you want our husband to do?"