CHAPTER 117: K-POP? LILIENNE?

The words hit Rin like a punch, his heart skipping a beat. He leaned forward, his voice barely above a whisper. "Tell me, what did you find?"

Sasha hesitated, gathering his words carefully, his eyes scanning the street again to ensure no one was listening. "You know my team has been with Lirien for years, even before you came. We’re the ones who dig for information, listen where others can’t. These past months, we’ve been tracing your bloodline on Lirien’s orders. We found nothing on your mother. Nothing at all. But your father..."

He paused, his voice lowering further. "Your father was the late Second Duke."

"Yes, I already know that much," Rin said, his voice tight as he grabbed his chest, his crimson eyes burning into Sasha, demanding more.

Sasha leaned closer, his voice barely audible. "According to what we found, the Second Duke’s family... has been hunting demons for generations. Everyone thinks demons are extinct, but your father’s house never stopped searching. Some say he even succeeded, once or twice. That’s why his family earned the Crown’s deepest trust."

Rin’s brows furrowed, his mind racing. "Deepest trust? Wait... The family most loyal to the Crown is..."

"The Second Duke’s family," Sasha confirmed softly, his eyes steady. "Not the Vortellions."

Rin blinked, stunned, the revelation sinking like a stone in his chest. "But the Vortellions..."

"Only hold power over the Crown," Sasha cut in gently. "The power the Vortellions have is enough to scare the royal family, enough to make them paranoid they’ll be overthrown one day. But the true loyalty? The ones plotting secretly with the royals to cut the Vortellions down? It’s your father’s house."

The words hit Rin hard, his breath catching as the pieces began to fall into place.

DING!

[System Alert: Critical Storyline Fragment Unlocked.]

[Notice: Truth about Second Duke’s Allegiance — 67% Complete.]

Rin rubbed his chin slowly, his eyes narrowing as he processed the information. "And so, to destroy the Vortellions, they needed a demon."

Sasha’s gaze flicked up sharply, a mix of admiration and concern in his eyes. "You’re smart as ever, Rin."

"You already know, don’t you?" Rin said, a faint smirk tugging at his lips, though his voice was low. "That... I’m a demon."

For a moment, Sasha said nothing, his expression unreadable. Then he nodded, solemn and unafraid. "I know. I also know Lirien is one."

Rin chuckled, shaking his head, his voice light but tinged with respect. "You’re too good at this. No wonder Lirien trusts you."

He leaned back, staring at the sky, his expression unreadable as the weight of the truth settled over him. "Now I understand everything properly. My father wasn’t just a villain in my mother’s life. He was hiding her for her protection. A succubus can’t survive without men... she needed vitality, sexual energy, to grow stronger. And he... helped her by supplying men to sleep with her. I thought he was being cruel to her. I saw everything wrong. He must have kept her away from the main mansion to protect her from spies in his own house."

Rin’s voice softened, his throat tightening. "I’ve been wrong all this time..."

For years, he’d carried a twisted image of his father... a man who’d betrayed his mother, used her, and abandoned her. Now the truth was reshaping everything. His father had been a man caught in a war between two powerful families, protecting a demon in a world that hunted them.

He exhaled heavily, shaking the thoughts off, his voice steady again. "Thanks, Sasha. That... cleared things up. A lot."

Sasha studied him, his brown eyes soft with concern, but he didn’t push further. Instead, he set his bowl down and stood, brushing crumbs from his tunic. "Come on. Enough brooding. Let’s go to that new theatre."

Sasha shyly scratched the back of his head. "I was just about to suggest that!"

Rin smirked, standing and brushing sugar dust from his clothes. "You were?"

"Of course!" Sasha said excitedly as they walked, his voice bright. "I heard there’s a new show. It’s called... K-pop dance. The leader is supposed to be really beautiful."

Rin froze mid-step, his head tilting as his crimson eyes narrowed. "Wait, what? Can you repeat that?"

Sasha blinked, confused. "...K-pop dance?"

"What in the actual fuck?" Rin whispered, turning slightly to look at Sasha, his voice low. "Does this leader perhaps have blue hair?"

"Yes. How do you know that? Everyone’s talking about them," Sasha said, his brows furrowing.

Rin’s smile twisted into something amused, almost disbelieving. "Of course. Blue fucking hair. That leader better not be Lilienne," he muttered to himself, his voice barely audible.

They left the canteen, strolling toward the theatre district, the streets growing busier as they approached the heart of the capital’s entertainment hub. The air was filled with the chatter of crowds, the clink of coins, and the faint strum of street musicians. Rin kept his head down, his black hair catching the sunlight, the fake moles blending seamlessly with his disguise.

As they passed a busy crossing, a white and elegant carriage rolled by, its golden crest gleaming under the sun. Sasha’s eyes widened, his gaze following it. "That’s the Crown Prince’s carriage."

Rin shrugged, his tone dismissive. "Well, that doesn’t concern me."

But Sasha frowned, his voice low. "And it looks like it’s heading toward the brothel."

Rin paused, his crimson eyes narrowing, his heart skipping a beat. Impossible. He wouldn’t come for me so soon. I only gave him the black card hours ago. He muttered under his breath, "Unless he’s a pervert."

He grabbed Sasha’s wrist, tugging him forward. "Forget it. Lead the way to the theatre."

Sasha obeyed, though his gaze lingered on the disappearing carriage, his expression uneasy. Rin ignored the knot forming in his stomach, focusing on the street ahead, the theatre’s colourful banners coming into view.

.

.

Meanwhile, inside the brothel, tension burned like fire in the entrance hall. The Crown Prince, Caspian Von Veyne, stood with his arms folded, annoyance etched into every sharp line of his face. His brown eyes blazed, pinning Lirien in place as she stood before him, her pipe trailing smoke.

"Repeat that again," he said, his voice low and dangerous, each word clipped.

Lirien raised a brow, puffing smoke calmly, though her hand trembled faintly around the pipe. She tilted her head, her crimson lips curving into a faint, knowing smile. "Did you just say..." The prince’s jaw clenched, his voice dropping lower. "Rin is out on a date?"