"Are you afraid of him? The Demon Emperor?" Shin whispered against her ear as he wrapped his arms around her.
Who wouldn't be afraid of the one who killed you?
He had been her husband in that life, so why would he want her dead?
Yeri felt as though she had returned to that very moment. The overwhelming pain, the torment, yet strangely, there had also been exhilaration... and solace.
She remembered moments when they had lived together in bliss, moments when he had looked at her with unbearable fury, the arguments, the punishments...
Then there were fragmented scenes of her standing beside someone else.
Another Demon Emperor?
As a succubus, it wasn't exactly surprising if she had become entangled with different demons, but why did it seem they were all Demon Emperors?
"It's alright. You don't have to think about the past anymore," Shin said softly, using his ability to calm her mind.
Yeri's brows drew together. Her thoughts felt like a stranger lost in the middle of a crowded street, or a book with its pages hopelessly shuffled out of order.
"I... I died by his hands," she finally whispered.
Shin's eyes narrowed, though Yeri failed to notice, his arms tightened around her.
"Are you sure?" he asked quietly. "Do you remember what made him do it?"
Yeri swallowed hard, her head feeling as though it were about to split apart as the scattered memories gradually became clearer.
A sword piercing through her body.
The little prince.
Another high-ranking demon, Paris Helle.
Empress Jewel laughing in exhilaration.
"Hexi~ You truly love me!"
Why? Why would she say that to the one who had just stabbed her?
The Forbidden Forest wailed, as though mourning her death.
The Demon Emperor's disbelief, his terror, his madness.
Words were spoken, yet no sound reached her ears.
"Yeri? Yeri?" Shin called, gently shaking her as her complexion turned deathly pale.
Tears welled in Yeri's eyes as black veins slowly crept across her face.
"I want to try it... love."
Those had been the last words Empress Jewel spoke before everything faded into darkness.
Why would she say that?
"Enough. Don't force yourself to make sense of it," Shin interrupted, his voice gentle yet firm, like a white cloak draped over a sight too painful to witness. "It will only hurt you."
He rose from the bed, poured a glass of water, and carefully helped her drink.
Yeri fell in a daze once more, staring at the hand holding the glass, her gaze froze on the black veins spreading beneath her skin.
Hadn't there been a time when she had these too?
Suddenly, her head snapped toward Shin.
Right.
That time when he had sneaked into her room, he had already admitted his true origin. Yet, strangely enough, days later she had awakened with no memory of that conversation, except for the black veins that had appeared on her body.
"So... it wasn't some side effect of my medication?" she asked.
Shin understood what she meant. He gently took the glass from her hands before sitting beside her.
"It was for your own good. Your body couldn't handle Empress Jewel's memories."
"You said we were already in a relationship when your memories awakened." Yeri looked at him intently. "Does that mean... your approaching me had nothing to do with the past?"
Shin held her gaze before quietly revealing fragments of the truth.
He had been the one who brought her into the human realm because it was the only place where she could reincarnate.
He explained the conditions that had allowed him to remain in the human realm and also why she had been born with such a frail constitution.
Yeri felt increasingly dizzy as each revelation sank in.
But above all else...
Why?
Why had he done all of that? Why had he gone so far as to remain in the human realm with her?
From those memories, she knew demons looked down upon other realms, especially the human realm. To them, humans were no different from pebbles scattered along the roadside, too insignificant to deserve even a passing glance.
"You still haven't told me who you are in the demon realm," Yeri said softly.
Shin averted his gaze.
"It's a long story." After a brief pause, he added, "For now, focus on your health. Your parents have been worried sick. Do you want to contact them?"
At the mention of her parents, Yeri remembered the cause of everything that had happened. She still had countless questions unanswered, but reassuring her parents was far more urgent.
And then there was Calin Ricci...
"Right," she said, "what happened to Calin Ricci?"
Shin let out a faint snort.
"Today is the sixth day of your vacation. That woman was transported back to Sin City yesterday, the moment the blizzard stopped. I reckon she'll be staying in the hospital for the time being and will face her charges as soon as she recovers."
"The sixth day?" Yeri blinked.
So she had been unconscious for far longer than she thought.
Then her eyes widened.
"That child! The demon prince! Where is he?" she blurted out, equal parts worried and excited.
The little demon had saved her. More importantly...
Wasn't he her son?
"Tristan took him," Shin answered shortly.
"He knew, didn't he?" Yeri asked, her voice rising. "He knew who I was... my past identity. That's why he came here. I remember- "
"Yeri."
Shin interrupted her before she could continue.
"Call your parents first. I told them you only had a fever, but that was two days ago."
Yeri fell silent.
Her parents had probably been worried out of their minds. Yet the questions crowding her heart refused to settle, fluttering restlessly like birds trapped inside a cage.
"Besides," Shin leaned closer until only inches separated their faces. "None of this changes anything. You and me... forget about the demon realm. It's all in the past now, nothing more than remnants."
His thumb gently brushed against her cheek. "There's no point looking back. Instead, we should look toward the present and the future we're going to build together. Hmm?"
Yeri was taken aback, she found herself unable to look away from those deep, dark eyes.
There was something he wasn't telling her, or was she simply overthinking?
"Now that you know I'm a demon..." Shin murmured. "Do you think I'll ever hurt you?"
Yeri immediately shook her head then her expression turned uncertain.
How could she not dwell on the past when it lingered like a shadow that refused to leave her side?
"I love you," Shin whispered.
She parted her lips to respond, instead, he stole her words with a kiss and her thoughts dissolved into a hazy blur.
---
Sin Mille Estate
"Why did you bring me here? Where's Empress Mother?" Prince Xati shrieked. "You lied to me! Liar! Liar! How dare you betray this prince!"
Tristan rubbed his temples, feeling as though his ears were about to fall off.
"Welcome to my home." He smiled as he slumped onto the sofa in exhaustion. "You'll be living here from now on."
"Who wants to live with you?" the little prince huffed as he looked around in disdain. "What's with this dump? Don't think I can't summon a demon! You'll soon see what this prince is capable of!"
Dump?
It was a villa inside an estate worth billions.
Granted, it wasn't nearly as magnificent as the Sovereign's Palace, but calling it a dump was a little excessive.
"Little Prince," Tristan said patiently, "this general apologizes for making you uncomfortable, but I follow the Demon Emperor's orders, not yours."
Prince Xati sprang to his feet and pointed accusingly at him.
"He agreed to my request and then took it back! Is someone with such an attitude even worthy of the throne?"
Tristan raised an eyebrow.
"He agreed to let you stay in the human realm," he corrected. "Not as the Empress's little brother."
What a ridiculous proposal.
If they suddenly introduced this wild child to the Zhi family as Yeri's younger brother, wouldn't the poor couple go haywire, convinced Master Zhi had secretly cheated years ago?
Two days earlier, after Shin and the little prince had failed to reach an agreement, the Demon Emperor had simply knocked him unconscious and changed his appearance.
The miniature version of Yeri had vanished, replaced by a child who looked remarkably like Tristan himself, which explained why the little demon had been throwing tantrums ever since.
"What's wrong with this prince's idea?" Xati argued. "He's the Demon Emperor! Manipulating humans into believing I'm Empress Mother's little brother should be easy."
Tristan raised both hands in surrender. "Every realm has its own laws. Harming innocent humans would violate the agreement between Emperor Hexion and the Light Realm."
"Lies!" Prince Xati sneered. "Why should we obey those vile creatures? If they refuse our will, then war is inevitable. It's only the Light Realm. Just erase them from existence."
Tristan fell silent.
Well...
Demons naturally despised the Light Realm. It was practically instinct, and this little troublemaker had clearly inherited his father's temperament.
If not for Yeri, there was no chance Shin, as the Demon Emperor, would have calmly negotiated an agreement with the Light Realm.
"Since you know how powerful His Majesty is," Tristan continued, "then you should also know he could've taken the key from you by force, thrown you back into the demon realm, or simply erased you from existence."
He looked directly into the little prince's eyes.
"So why do you think he hasn't?"
Prince Xati said nothing, only glared back stubbornly.
Tristan smiled faintly.
Even back in the demon realm, despite all the chaos this little prince caused, despite constantly competing for the Empress's attention, it had never reached the point where the emperor wanted him dead.
In truth, Shin had countless ways to deal with his troublesome son.
Yet, time and again, he had chosen patience instead.
"It's not just your mother," Tristan said gently. "Your father loves you too."
The little prince froze, then his face twisted as though he had just swallowed something revolting.
He rolled his eyes dramatically, stuck out his tongue, and made the most exaggerated disgusted face he could muster.
Tristan chuckled.
He was just about to tell the little troublemaker that he'd buy him new clothes and anything else he wanted, even let him choose for himself, when Prince Xati suddenly rushed over with a devilish grin.
"If I can't be Empress Mother's little brother, then how about her stepson?"
Tristan: ???
"This isn't the demon realm, so if you marry her, I'll be her stepson."
Tristan was so frightened he nearly leaped to his feet.