Morning had barely settled over the Sorcerous Dynasty of Sarion.
Sunlight poured through the tall windows of the royal chamber, turning the polished floor gold and silver. Outside, the city still looked as magnificent as ever. Elegant towers. Clean white streets. Calm skies.
Inside the chamber, however, the mood was far less peaceful.
Elmesia sat in her usual chair by the window, one leg crossed over the other, a teacup resting lightly in her hand. Her expression was calm. Too calm.
Across from her stood one of her senior advisors, posture straight, hands folded behind his back, waiting for her judgment.
For a while, Elmesia said nothing.
She simply stared out at the city below.
Then she spoke.
"A hostile takeover."
Her voice was quiet.
Almost amused.
The advisor inclined his head slightly.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Elmesia took another sip of tea.
"Straight to the throne."
She set the cup down.
"No prolonged war. No drawn-out scheming. No attempt to hide it."
Her golden eyes shifted toward the messenger report still lying on the small table beside her.
"He simply walked in…"
A pause.
"…and took a kingdom."
The advisor remained silent.
Because there was very little to add to that.
Elmesia rested her cheek lightly against one hand.
"That would almost be refreshing…"
Her smile thinned slightly.
"…if it weren't so troublesome."
The advisor finally spoke.
"Do you believe he intends to expand further?"
Elmesia looked at him.
"That," she said, "is the problem."
She uncrossed her legs and leaned back.
"I have no idea what this Demon Lord wants."
Her fingers tapped once against the armrest.
"If he wanted only slaughter, this would already be simpler."
She tapped again.
"If he wanted only territory, we could anticipate his next move."
A third tap.
"If he wanted politics, then at least politics follows patterns."
Her eyes narrowed.
"But Loki…"
A faint sigh escaped her.
"…is impossible to read."
The advisor frowned.
"You think he may act irrationally?"
Elmesia smiled faintly.
"Oh, I think he may act very rationally."
She looked back out the window.
"The issue is that his logic may have nothing in common with anyone else's."
That, more than the hostile takeover itself, was what bothered her.
A predictable tyrant could be managed.
An ambitious conqueror could be negotiated with.
A calculating monster could at least be understood.
But something whimsical, powerful, and unreadable?
That was a nightmare.
Elmesia reached for another biscuit.
Then said, with the same calm voice she might have used to discuss weather,
"We will cut all relations with Coleus."
The advisor's eyes sharpened slightly.
"At once?"
"Yes."
"No trade."
"No diplomatic correspondence."
"No military cooperation."
"No noble ties."
Her gaze remained distant.
"If Loki wants that kingdom, then he can keep it to himself."
The advisor bowed his head.
"It will be done."
Elmesia picked up her teacup again.
Then paused.
"And summon Demon Lord Leon."
That drew a brief hesitation.
The advisor looked up.
"Leon Cromwell, Your Majesty?"
Elmesia nodded.
"Yes."
Her eyes finally returned to him fully.
"If anyone in the west knows something useful about this Demon Lord, it might be Leon."
A small smile touched her lips.
"They are both troublesome enough that I refuse to believe their paths haven't crossed."
The advisor allowed himself the faintest expression of understanding.
"I see."
Elmesia's smile remained.
Though it did not reach her eyes.
"Besides…"
She took another sip of tea.
"If the world insists on becoming irritating this early in the morning…"
"…then I might as well spread the burden."
The advisor bowed deeply this time.
"I shall make arrangements immediately."
Elmesia nodded once.
Then, as the advisor turned to leave, she added one final thing.
"And tell them to be polite."
He stopped.
"Polite, Your Majesty?"
Elmesia smiled over the rim of her cup.
"Yes."
"I don't want Leon inventing an excuse to ignore me."
The advisor inclined his head once more.
"Understood."
Then he left.
The chamber grew quiet again.
Elmesia looked down at the report from Coleus and let out a soft breath.
"So…"
Her fingers lightly touched the paper.
"A Demon Lord with no clear goal."
That was the part she hated most.
Not the strength.
Not the kingdom.
Not even the speed with which the west had changed.
Uncertainty.
That was what made monsters truly exhausting.
---
Elsewhere, in a room far colder than any room had a right to be—
Loki woke up.
Slowly.
He did not move at first.
Mostly because the moment awareness returned, he became instantly aware of two things.
One—
He was warm.
Which was already suspicious, because he distinctly remembered sleeping in a room that normally felt like winter had given up on mercy.
Two—
There were people on him.
Loki blinked once.
Then again.
Very carefully, he looked down.
On one side, half-curled against him with a blissful expression on her sleeping face, was Testarossa.
On the other side, with one arm draped possessively across his chest and looking far too peaceful for someone who could freeze the world by accident, was Velzard.
Loki went perfectly still.
'...No sudden movements.'
He stared at the ceiling.
Then at the women.
Then back at the ceiling.
'Okay.'
'This is manageable.'
It was not manageable.
Not even a little.
He tried lifting one arm.
Velzard shifted slightly and tightened her hold.
Loki froze again.
He tried moving his leg.
Testarossa murmured something softly in her sleep and moved closer.
Loki closed his eyes briefly.
'Why is this my life.'
For a few more seconds, he remained trapped in silence, wondering whether escaping through a teleport would be worth the consequences.
Then Velzard's eyes opened.
She blinked once.
Then smiled.
"You're awake."
That was enough to wake Testarossa too.
Her eyes opened at once, and the moment she saw him conscious, her expression lit up.
"Little brother."
Loki gave them both a small, defeated smile.
"Morning."
By the time he actually got out of the bed, the day had already become unbearable.
Because both women had decided, without ever saying so directly that the entire day would be a contest.
A hostile, smiling, exquisitely polite competition.
Over him.
At breakfast, Velzard placed a cup of tea before him before he even sat down.
A second later, Testarossa smoothly removed it and replaced it with a better one.
"This blend is more suitable for my little brother."
Velzard smiled.
"Is that so?"
Then she placed a plate of food before him.
"Eat this."
Testarossa laughed softly.
"Oh, Velzard-sama."
She leaned in slightly.
"That much would only slow him down."
Then she produced a smaller, more refined meal.
Loki sat in the middle of it all, staring at the table like a man watching diplomats negotiate the terms of his destruction.
Later, when he stood to leave the room, Velzard adjusted his collar.
Testarossa immediately fixed his mantle afterward and gave him a softer, more intimate correction.
When he walked through the halls, Velzard moved at his right.
Testarossa moved at his left.
When he sat, one offered him a cushion.
The other adjusted the chair itself.
When he looked vaguely in one direction, both asked at once if he needed anything.
By the second hour, even the servants had learned to disappear on sight.
By afternoon, Loki had stopped pretending the day would improve.
He had entered a state of resigned endurance.
Every attempt to slip away had failed.
Every effort to create distance had been politely ignored.
And every single time one of the women did something for him, the other immediately escalated.
It was no longer kindness.
It was warfare.
Elegant.
Terrifying.
Soft-spoken warfare.
At some point, Testarossa had even begun calling Velzard "senior" with such perfect sweetness that it somehow felt more insulting than open hostility.
Velzard answered by smiling and being twice as cold.
By evening, the tension had become so absurd that even the walls seemed tired.
Then the door opened.
Moss entered.
He stepped into the room, took one look at the atmosphere, and wisely chose not to comment on any of it.
Instead he bowed.
"Lord Loki."
At once, the room's attention shifted.
Loki, who had been sitting in a chair with the expression of a man surviving a siege, looked up.
"Yes?"
Moss straightened.
"There is an army outside."
The room went still.
Even Velzard and Testarossa paused their silent battle.
Moss continued.
"They have gathered before the kingdom."
His gaze remained steady.
"They are declaring war."
---
Find early chapters and daily updates on my patreon
[Patreon.com/tenten100?]
Follow me on Instagram [www.instagram.com/tenten100_?]