I was totally embarrassed and immediately ran into the bathroom.
"Have you located Gina?" Dylan asked.
"Yes, my lord," Bruno replied.
Almost immediately, Gina appeared behind him.
"My lord," she greeted with a bow.
"Earlier yesterday, while I was going through the village in search of Elias, I was spotted by some demons, and it turned out Gina was one of them," Bruno reported.
"She ended up cornering them, and that was how I was saved," he added.
"Good." Dylan turned to Gina. "What information have you gathered so far?"
"As I was carrying out the mission you assigned to me, I noticed Elias was following me," Gina began. "I planned to confront him that same night, but when I reached their hideout, I saw him being taken away by the demons into an underground tunnel."
"That was how I killed one of the demons, took his identity, and followed them to the prison. But I dared not act on my own," she finished.
"I found out that the demon in charge here is General Kimdo, Lylithrix's right-hand man," Bruno added. "He has gone to report to Lylithrix and will return on the day of the offering, before sunset."
"He temporarily left Zadek in charge here," Gina said. "And Zadek seems far more careless. We have to act before Kimdo returns."
"Then this is the perfect time to attack," Dylan said firmly.
"Did you brief her on our escape plan?" Dylan asked Bruno.
"Yes, my lord," Bruno replied.
"By morning, I will be going to the palace to have breakfast with the king. I will distract them while you rescue Elias and Vuno. The moment you are done, notify me immediately."
Bruno and Gina bowed.
Gina disappeared at once.
Bruno turned to leave too, but then he paused.
"My lord," Bruno called, drawing Dylan's attention.
Dylan looked at him.
"About the human girl…"
Bruno hesitated before finally asking, "Are you really taking a liking to her?"
"You…" Bruno started again, but Dylan cut him off sharply.
"You should know better than anyone, Bruno."
Bruno lowered his head and disappeared without another word.
Dylan ran his fingers through his hair.
Then he dipped his hand into his pocket and brought out a pendant.
He stared at it for a long moment, anger and regret written all over his face.
I stepped out of the bathroom just then.
"What are you looking at?" I asked.
He quickly hid the item back in his pocket.
"Nothing," he said flatly. "We should go to bed. Tomorrow will be a long day."
With that, he claimed one side of the bed.
I walked to the other side and lay down in silence.
The night passed slowly, and before long, morning came.
When I opened my eyes, Dylan was no longer on the bed.
"You're awake," he said, tossing a pair of jeans at me. "Wear this under your robe."
I picked up the jeans and headed into the bathroom.
A few minutes later, I stepped out, now fully dressed.
He walked toward me and gently touched a strand of my red hair.
"You should stay very close to me today," he said.
"We don't have to keep pretending when we're inside too," I replied, taking a step away from him and leaving his hand hanging awkwardly in the air.
He paused for a moment before slowly withdrawing it.
"Let's go," he said.
With that, I casually wrapped my arm around his.
"It's only for today," I muttered. "This whole acting thing will be over soon."
We stepped outside and were immediately welcomed by the guards.
Soon, we were ushered into a carriage and taken to the palace.
The moment we arrived inside the palace, my heart nearly dropped.
Zadek had a sword pressed against Dylan's throat.
The move was so sudden—he had clearly intended to catch us off guard.
But Dylan only smirked inwardly.
He had already sensed Zadek's presence long before we stepped into the palace.
How could a cheap little trick like this affect him?
"Is this how my uncle the king has asked you to welcome me and my dear wife?" Dylan asked calmly.
I clung to Dylan, pretending to be frightened.
"My apologies, my prince," Zadek said, withdrawing his sword.
We were led to the dining area.
The king was already seated, having breakfast, and Zadek joined him as we approached.
Dylan and I bowed before taking our seats.
"So, how was your night, Jeffrey?" the king asked.
"We slept well. Your kingdom is truly remarkable," Dylan replied with a smile. "Everyone seems so obedient and well-behaved. You are doing a fine job."
"Yes," the king said with a faint smile. "Zadek here made sure everything is in order. I can't even remember the last time I stepped out of the palace."
"Why are you not eating?" Zadek asked suspiciously.
"Oh…" Dylan said smoothly. "We already had breakfast this morning. We came specifically to pay our respects to the king by performing the family ritual."
Zadek turned to look at the king.
"Am I right, Uncle Derrick?" Dylan asked, still wearing his fake smile.
"Yes," King Derrick replied under Zadek's watchful gaze.
I deliberately let the glass cup slip from my hand just as I was about to take a sip.
It shattered on the floor.
Dylan immediately turned to me, his face full of concern.
"Are you okay, honey?" he asked softly.
"I'm feeling a little dizzy," I said weakly. "I'll go find Queen Emily."
"Should I escort you, honey?" Dylan asked.
"No… I'm fine. You can continue the ritual without me. I'll join you soon."
I stood, bowed politely, and walked away.
As I left, I noticed Zadek subtly signaling his guards to keep a close eye on me.
*****
Underground Prison
The underground prison was heavily guarded.
Demon soldiers moved back and forth through the dark corridors, their footsteps echoing against the damp stone walls.
Elias was dragged back into his rusted cell after another round of brutal torture.
He barely looked human anymore.
He looked old, dried out, and broken.
Fresh blood stained his body, and his hair hung damply over his face.
They threw him into the cell without the slightest hint of pity.
He was going to die tomorrow anyway.
Why bother being gentle?
Elias groaned in pain as he curled into himself, a painful gasp escaping his torn, dry lips.
His eyes looked hollow… then vengeful.
They would pay for this.
He swore it to himself.
After forcing himself together, he rested his head weakly against the cold iron bars.
I need to find a way out, he thought.
He wasn't going to sit here and wait to be killed tomorrow.
Just as that thought settled in, he heard movement at the front entrance.
The prison door creaked open.
Someone hurried inside.
The figure moved quickly to his cell, unlocked it, and stepped in.
"What do you want?" Elias asked weakly.
The figure pulled off the mask.
"I came to rescue you, you idiot," Gina said, pulling a key from her pocket.