The hall was suffocatingly silent as Lucifer's grip tightened around Seraphine's neck lifting her just enough for her feet to barely brush the floor
Darkness gathered around him like living smoke responding to his fury and the nobles trembled lowering their gazes because no one dared witness the full wrath of the king of Hell
Seraphine clawed at his wrist struggling for air her earlier confidence completely shattered her face pale her lips trembling she had thought she was untouchable she had thought Lucifer would defend her not destroy her
"For insulting my queen death would be mercy" Lucifer's voice was low and deadly and the ground beneath them seemed to vibrate with his anger
A few nobles dropped to their knees in fear others shut their eyes unable to breathe under the pressure of his power
Nanisha watched her heart pounding hard against her ribs this was not what she expected not this level of rage not this terrifying protection
Then slowly she stepped forward
"Let her live"
Her voice was calm yet sharp enough to cut through the thick air
The entire hall gasped
Lucifer's crimson eyes shifted to her his grip still firm shadows still swirling around him
Nanisha walked closer her head held high her expression steady
"Death is too easy" she continued her gaze never leaving Seraphine's frightened face "Let her live and remember this humiliation every single day"
For a long moment nothing moved
Then Lucifer released her
Seraphine collapsed to the floor coughing violently clutching her throat her hair disheveled her pride crushed before the entire court
Nanisha had spared her yet destroyed her at the same time
Lucifer studied his queen something unreadable flickering in his eyes as if seeing her differently as if realizing she carried a cruelty that matched his own
Guards dragged Seraphine away but as she was pulled up her trembling stopped
Her fear faded
And slowly a small twisted smile formed on her lips
She had lost the battle
But she was not finished
As she disappeared beyond the doors her eyes darkened with a promise
This humiliation would be repaid
The great doors slammed shut behind Seraphine but the tension did not leave the hall
It lingered heavy and sharp like a blade hanging over every noble present
Lucifer remained standing his dark aura still pulsing faintly around him his cloak shifting as if moved by unseen winds his jaw tight his crimson eyes unreadable
Nanisha stood beside him calm on the outside but inside her pulse raced wildly
She had just challenged one of the most powerful women in the kingdom.
And won
The nobles slowly lowered themselves to their knees not out of routine but out of fear
They had witnessed something dangerous.
They walked back to their thrones slowly the weight of the moment still hanging in the air
Lucifer sat first his cloak falling around him like a pool of dark fire then Nanisha lowered herself beside him spine straight chin lifted refusing to show the storm inside her
For a while he said nothing
His crimson eyes turned toward her studying her face not with softness not with warmth but with calculation
Lucifer did not care that Seraphine had insulted Nanisha
What burned inside him was something else
Seraphine had disrespected him
By daring to belittle the woman who sat on the throne beside him she had challenged his authority in his own court
And Lucifer hated disrespect more than betrayal
His jaw tightened slightly as his fingers rested on the arm of his throne the wood beneath his grip darkening from the pressure of his power.
"No one asked you to go around slapping people," Lucifer said coldly his crimson eyes fixed on her.
And no one asked you to go around choking women," Nanisha shot back without hesitation, her voice steady though her heart raced.
Lucifer's gaze dropped for a fraction of a second. He remembered the night before, the way his hand had gripped her throat, how close he had been to breaking her. His eyes flicked down to her neck and froze. The faint red marks of his hand were still there,
Nanisha met his gaze calmly, unaware of the storm behind it.
"You do not get to dictate what I feel or what I do," she said sternly.
Nanisha met his gaze calmly, unaware of the storm behind it.
"You do not get to dictate what I feel or what I do," she said softly
"Yes," Lucifer said, his voice low and dangerous, each word slicing through the silence of the hall. "I can, because I own you."
Nanisha's eyes widened,
"You speak as if you have a choice," he continued,
Before the moment could stretch any longer, a guard stormed into the hall, kneeling quickly but urgency written all over him.
"My King!" he shouted, voice tight with panic. "Your attention is needed at Hell! Lady Seraphine… she is freeing the Prisoners in Hell!"
"She dares," he murmured under his breath, voice dark enough to make the walls themselves shiver.
Nanisha's pulse spiked. She had expected Seraphine's scheming, but not this soon.
"Prepare the armies," Lucifer's voice cut through the hall like steel, sharp and commanding. "Capture every fleeing prisoner. And find Lady Seraphine—capture her on sight."
The nobles and guards froze for a heartbeat under the weight of his words, then scrambled into motion, the clatter of armor and hurried footsteps filling the vast hall.
Lucifer's crimson eyes were fixed ahead, cold and lethal, his aura radiating a storm that made even the bravest tremble. His hand brushed briefly against Nanisha's as she followed him, a silent warning and promise intertwined.
"Stay close," he murmured, not a question but an order, his gaze flicking to hers, dark and unreadable.
Nanisha's heart raced, the thrill of danger sparking a fire inside her. She knew Seraphine would not go quietly. The first battle of their deadly game was about to begin.
Nanisha stumbled, fear making her flinch, and her hands instinctively grabbed Lucifer's arm. Her body pressed against him, soft curves brushing his side, her breasts pressing lightly against his chest.