Reuniting with her grandfather truly made Sizhi happy. Now it felt as if she had rediscovered the will to live that had been lost over the past few years.
For Sizhi, Alber was a grandfather who always spoiled and protected her. That was why his death a few years ago made her lose her way. Especially when her parents were killed, it pushed her deeper into depression, even to the point of wanting to end her own life.
"Is it possible that father and mother are here too?"
In the end, Sizhi decided to leave her room, ignoring her grandfather's warning to stay inside. Sizhi was quite reckless, immediately exploring every corner of the demon palace.
In truth, this palace resembled a royal palace in the human world. However, its design was rather ancient and mysterious, with everything decorated in black or gray tones.
Sizhi continued to wander around the area near her room. Beside her chamber were other rooms. Boldly, she opened them one by one, peeking inside to see if her parents were there. She passed one room, but found nothing. The same went for the others—her parents were nowhere to be found.
But the girl did not give up. She kept searching for her parents in every corner of the palace. Whenever a guard passed by, Sizhi immediately hid, sometimes even daring to slip into mysterious rooms.
When the situation was safe, she resumed her stealthy movements. Eventually, Sizhi reached the main area where the king's throne stood. The demonic aura in this room was overwhelming, sending chills down her spine. The throne itself was made of human skulls and mystical creatures.
A second later, Sizhi ran behind the throne, hiding from the guards who passed by. But she was startled when she saw the back of the throne, which had an abstract relief that, upon closer inspection, resembled the face of a ferocious beast with sharp fangs.
"What kind of relief is this? It's so terrifying!"
Frightened, Sizhi quickly ran away from the throne once it was safe. The result was nothing—her parents could not be found anywhere in the demon palace.
Sizhi could only stare blankly while standing on a balcony. "Is there a chance that father and mother are still alive, like grandfather?"
"I miss you both!"
Sizhi was the daughter of Ethan Walter and the granddaughter of Alber Walter. They were a noble family who lived in luxury. However, noble families, including the Walter clan, were deeply hated by the lower classes. This was because the nobles' wealth was built on the oppression of the lower classes.
This was the reason why Sizhi was so hated at the DV Army academy. Almost no students wanted to be close to her, except for Jyu. Even then, Jyu only stayed close to her because she was the only one who never bullied him.
A few years ago, the Walter clan was completely wiped out by their enemies, leaving only Sizhi behind. No one knew who did it, but rumours said it was the lower class. They seek revenge for the Walter family's acts of revenge against them.
Alber Walter was killed with his head severed, Ethan Walter was burned alive, while other family members were stabbed with sharp swords. Sizhi witnessed the massacre with her own eyes, and she was deliberately left alive so she could suffer until her death.
Sizhi could only cry as she remembered the tragedy. On the balcony of the demon palace, she stood still, gazing at the calm atmosphere of the Darkent realm.
Suddenly, a loud explosion echoed—there was a battle taking place. "That sound is coming from where Taffie and Jyu are. What happened to them?"
Not long after, two Arabai were dragging someone—it was Jyu. He was taken to a prison located not far from the demon palace.
"Why is Jyu injured? Why is he being taken to prison?"
Sizhi panicked and immediately ran toward the prison where Jyu was. But her panic led to carelessness—a palace guard spotted her. As she tried to leave the palace, the guard stopped her.
"Where are you going, Princess? Lord Alber forbids you to leave your room. Please return!"
"I don't want to! I want to see my friend who was taken to prison!"
"That's not possible! Please return!"
Sizhi was furious, but there was little she could do. Standing before her was an Arabai—fighting it would surely end in defeat. She was not yet as strong as Taffie or Jyu.
But there was something else that shocked her. Suddenly, another arabai appeared, dragging a woman—it was Taffie. Sizhi was horrified when she saw her senior's condition—one leg and one arm were severed.
"Taffie! What happened to you?!" she screamed.
Sizhi struggled, then ran quickly toward Taffie. But once again, the guard in front of her blocked her path, even grabbing her forcefully to stop her reckless action.
"Return to your room, Princess!"
The commotion drew the attention of other guards, who quickly approached Sizhi. Some of them showed expressions of displeasure, clearly hoping she would go back to her room.
This disturbance also caught the attention of Alber, who had just returned to the demon palace. He smiled warmly as he approached his granddaughter.
"What's wrong, dear?"
"Why are my friends imprisoned? Why are they badly injured?"
The question immediately changed Alber's expression. He glanced at his subordinates and ordered them to leave.
"Oh, so you saw it? It's alright. They were fighting my men earlier. They rebelled—Jenna has influenced their minds, so they got angry when I told them the truth."
"As for their injuries, your grandfather can heal them easily. Don't worry!"
Even so, Sizhi remained anxious, her eyes fixed on the prison.
"Calm down! They will recover. Now return to your room."
But Sizhi ignored her grandfather's command, continuing to stand there while staring toward the prison.
Suddenly, Alber drew his sword and slashed his own left arm off. Blood gushed out, and he grimaced in pain.
Sizhi screamed in shock, terrified by the wound her grandfather inflicted on himself. "Why did you do that?!"
"Calm down! Your grandfather here is a medical expert. A wound like this can be healed easily."
A second later, Alber's left arm began to regenerate. Slowly, muscle tissue, blood vessels, bones, fat, and flesh grew back on their own. It didn't take long for his arm to be completely restored and to move freely.
"Well? See?"
"How is that possible? How can you heal like that?"
Alber gently stroked his granddaughter's head. "I told you before, your grandfather is a medical expert, so healing wounds like this is easy."
"Now, come back to your room. I want Sizhi to do something for me."
This time, Sizhi obeyed her grandfather's command. She walked beside him, tightly holding his hand—like a granddaughter who longed to be spoiled by her beloved grandfather.