After her conversation with Alan and Nikki, Laurel's smile vanished. Rage clouded her thoughts. She called for her butler and ordered red wine to be brought into the hall.
Moments later, she was gulping down glass after glass, the bitterness burning her throat. Bottle after bottle disappeared into her hands. It didn't take long before she grew slightly drunk—but that was more than enough to make her lose her sense of reason.
An Hour Later
The music had slowed, and many guests were beginning to leave. Laughter and chatter faded, leaving only a dozen people still inside the massive hall.
Nikki stood near a corner with Amber, complaining about how annoying Alan was. Across the room, Alan leaned against a pillar, a can of beer in hand, observing the thinning crowd with quiet detachment.
Laurel swayed toward them, her steps unsteady. A half-full glass of red wine trembled in her grip.
"Nikki, come drink with me," she slurred, her words laced with mock sweetness.
"Laurel?" Nikki turned, startled. After the earlier scene, she hadn't expected to see her again. Her eyes darted around the hall instinctively—searching for Alan. She needed him close, just in case.
"How much longer do you think you can conceal your identity?" Laurel sneered, and before Nikki could react, she poured the entire glass of wine over her.
Amber's fists clenched. "What are you trying to achieve, Laurel?"
"Know your place, you lowly servant," Laurel said coldly, her blue eyes gleaming with cruelty.
"Amber, stay back," Nikki said gently. "I don't want you getting hurt because of me."
"But—"
"Please. Stay back for my sake." Nikki smiled faintly.
Amber stepped away, her fists still trembling with restrained anger.
"Remove your concealment," Laurel demanded.
"What do you want, Laurel?" Nikki asked, her tone calm but cold.
"Don't make me repeat myself."
A bright light flared briefly from Laurel's hand, then faded.
All at once, the remaining guests—aside from Alan, Laurel, Nikki, and Amber—turned toward Nikki, their expressions shifting.
"Princess Nikki?" one of them whispered.
"What's this bitch doing here?" another spat.
"Isn't she the princess who hasn't activated her powers yet?"
"Nikki, I can't believe it's you," one said mockingly. "I've missed you."
Amber leaned in close. "What are you going to do, Nikki?" she whispered anxiously.
Laurel laughed wickedly. "You guys won't believe what I found out. Our dear princess here got ditched by her fiancé. He left her to go on a date with her younger sister. And as pathetic as she is, she came with a human instead."
The room fell silent. The color drained from everyone's faces as anger and disgust replaced shock.
A girl stepped forward, fury flashing in her eyes.
Smack!
The sound echoed sharply as she slapped Nikki across the face.
"Just who do you think you are, you useless rubbish?" she snapped, delivering another harsh slap.
"Lyra, control yourself," a boy with dark blue hair and black eyes warned.
"Stay out of this, brother," she hissed.
"Lyra, stay back!" Amber shouted, about to strike, but Nikki caught her wrist gently.
"Don't get yourself into unnecessary trouble," Nikki said softly, forcing a smile.
"Nikki, don't do this," Amber pleaded, tears welling in her eyes.
"I'll be okay."
Nikki straightened her posture and faced the others. "I'm sorry I brought a human here," she said calmly. "I had no choice. I didn't want to break the rules."
"How pathetic," Lyra scoffed. "You've fallen so low that you'd let a human accompany you?"
"I'll gladly accept any punishment," Nikki said. "But please—spare Amber."
Lyra smirked. "We'll see if you'll still have that title you're so proud of. Once the demon world hears about this, your family won't survive the shame."
"Don't joke about my family," Nikki said suddenly, her voice sharp, her expression darkening.
"How dare you threaten me?" Lyra yelled, raising her hand to strike again—
—but a hand caught her wrist midair.
"Alan?" Nikki gasped.
Alan's fist shot forward, landing cleanly against Lyra's jaw. She stumbled backward, eyes wide.
"What right do you have to hit her?" he demanded coldly.
"Alan, please—step back," Nikki pleaded, grabbing his arm, but he slipped out of her grip easily.
"How dare you?" Lyra screamed, lunging toward him, but her brother held her back.
"Behave yourself, Lyra."
"Hey, boy," said another demon with light blue hair. "It's best if you stay out of this. We don't want things to get messy."
Alan glared at him. "I can't just stand by while you all gang up on her."
Instantly, his knees buckled, and he dropped to the floor.
"If you won't leave," the boy said, "then we'll deal with you too."
Alan tried to move, but an overwhelming force pinned him down. The platinum-blonde boy stepped forward and kicked him hard across the face. Alan's head snapped sideways, blood dripping from his lip. He coughed, red staining his shirt.
"All you humans ever do is act high and mighty," Lyra sneered, pulling a dagger from her belt. "But you're nothing but weaklings."
The blade sank into Alan's chest. Blood poured out as he gasped.
"Please—stop! Don't hurt him!" Nikki cried, dropping to her knees beside him.
"Nikki?" Amber whispered, stunned. Why was she protecting a human? Nikki hadn't fought back for herself, yet here she was shielding him without hesitation.
"Aww, how touching," Lyra said mockingly. "You care about the human? Then that's all the more reason for me to hurt him." She drew another dagger, twirling it playfully between her fingers.
"Lyra, you're taking things too far," Laurel said.
"Try and stop me, then," Lyra grinned, her eyes glowing with malice as she approached.
"Please, stay back," Nikki warned.
Lyra laughed. "How are you going to stop me? You haven't even activated your powers! You can't even beat Alison."
"I said… stay back," Nikki whispered.
Suddenly, the air shifted. Lyra froze midstep. Her body refused to move.
"What's going on?" Lyra gasped.
"Take one more step toward us," Nikki said, her voice low and deadly, "and I won't hesitate to kill you."
Her eyes glowed crimson. A dark, terrifying aura enveloped her.
"What's this… this overwhelming presence?" someone stammered.
The ground trembled violently. Tables rattled. Plates, glasses, balloons, even the air conditioner—all rose slowly into the air. Everything floated, suspended in place by invisible energy.
Nikki's carefully styled hair came loose, whipping around her face as the darkness grew. The aura shimmered around her like a storm.
"Nikki?" Amber called weakly.
"How… how is she doing this?"
"If she keeps going, we'll all die!"
"Then let's attack back!"
"We could kill her!"
"Then we'll say it was self-defense!"
"Don't hurt her!" Amber shouted, running forward—but she was instantly immobilized and fell to the floor, paralyzed.
"Lyra, Laurel—attack her!" someone ordered.
"With pleasure," Lyra hissed, breaking free of the force holding her as she dashed toward Nikki, Laurel beside her.
Nikki raised her hand. "Kneel."
She bent her wrist slightly, and both girls collapsed, forced onto their knees.
"What's going on?!"
The demons looked at each other in panic—they couldn't move. Somehow, Nikki had immobilized them all.
The floating liquids around them began to morph, reshaping into sharp, gleaming icicles laced with her dark aura.
Nikki rose slowly to her feet, her crimson eyes burning with fury.
"See you all in hell," she said, and the icicles shot forward.
They all gasped—but then, just before impact, the icicles froze in midair.
"What's happening?"
"Why didn't she kill us?"
Their eyes darted around—and that's when they saw it. Everything in the hall, from the tables to the decorations to Nikki herself, had stopped moving. Time itself had frozen.
Then they felt it—a terrifying, suffocating presence filling the room.
They dropped to one knee instantly as a boy about their age stepped through the frozen scene. His jet-black hair gleamed faintly under the dim lights, and his red eyes glowed with raw power.
"Good day, Your Highness," they all chorused in fear.
The Crown Prince of Hell had arrived.
"Why is there so much commotion?" he asked, his voice cold and sharp.
"We were just having fun, and things got out of hand," Laurel said quickly.
The prince's gaze darkened. "Do you take me for a fool, Princess Laurel?"
"N-no, Your Highness."
"Explain yourself."
"Laurel swallowed hard. "The Crowned Princess of the Middle Chamber brought a human as her date to my party. I told the others, and… things got out of hand."
"Correct me if I'm wrong," the prince said, stepping closer, "but didn't you personally invite that boy? Even went as far as convincing his mother to let him attend?"
The demons' faces drained of color. If they got in trouble with the prince, Laurel's scheme would not save her.
Laurel's head hung low. He already knew everything. Her jealousy had exposed her.
"Am I wrong?" he pressed.
"No, Your Highness," she whispered.
"You're a high-ranked princess, jealous of a middle-ranked one," he said with disdain. "Pathetic."
Then his crimson gaze softened slightly as he turned toward Nikki, who was still frozen midair in her dark aura. "Such beautiful eyes," he murmured, touching her face gently.
"I'll accept whatever punishment you decide, Your Highness," Laurel said, trembling.
"Who hurt the human?"
"It was Lyra and Andrew," the boy with dark blue hair answered nervously.
"It seems," the prince said coldly, "I've been too lenient with you all."
Screams filled the air as an invisible force crushed down upon them.
"Please—have mercy, Your Highness!" the boy with light blue hair begged.
The prince's hand lingered on Nikki's cheek, his expression unreadable. "She's already breaking through my time freeze," he murmured with interest. "Remarkable."
"My lord," the light-haired boy said shakily, "any more pressure and it will destroy their bodies!"
"I don't remember asking for your opinion," the prince said calmly.
The red aura around Nikki pulsed brighter, intertwining with his.
Finally, he released them. They all collapsed, gasping for breath.
"The next time any of you hurt her—or any human—I won't be so merciful," he said with a faint, dangerous smile.
"Understood, Your Highness," they all chorused.
"I'll see you at the palace," he said—and vanished into thin air, leaving them shaken and terrified.
For the first time, they realized something chilling:
The Crown Prince—who never cared for anyone—had intervened personally.
And for reasons no one could explain… it had been for her.