Although it was fortunate that classes were still in session when the incident occurred, news nonetheless spread quickly among the high school faculty teachers: Yeri Zhi was connected to Shin Keir.
No one could explain why Shin Keir had suddenly appeared at the infirmary.
Why would a young CEO, the country's richest man, act as Yeri Zhi's guardian?
Speculation ran rampant.
Was the Zhi family distantly related to the Keirs? Or was there some deeper, hidden alliance?
In such a situation, Shin Keir was less a person and more a calamity, something no one could afford to be on the wrong side of.
Faced with that reality, the teachers who had been present earlier, even those who had openly mocked Shin Keir, swiftly redirected their resentment.
Their new targets were the language teacher and the infirmary doctor.
At first, both women believed the school would not completely abandon them. After all, the infirmary was equipped with CCTV. Surely the footage would prove that the students and guardians had behaved aggressively.
But when the recordings were reviewed, the truth was undeniable.
Not once had Shin Keir, Jj Zhi, or the three students uttered a single inappropriate or inflammatory remark.
From beginning to end, it was the infirmary doctor who had reacted emotionally, escalated the situation, and crossed professional boundaries.
Panicking, she thought of another defense.
She requested Yeri's medical records, convinced there must be exaggerated diagnoses or suspicious health conditions that could justify her concerns.
However, the moment she obtained the file, her vision blurred.
The attending physician's name was clearly listed: Zahn Neri.
That Zahn Neri?!
Between her word and that of a world-renowned physician whose reputation was unassailable, who would believe her?
Her composure shattered. The infirmary doctor broke down in tears, turning on her friend, the language teacher, accusing her of being a poisonous influence, of constantly whispering rumors and badmouthing the special class until prejudice took root, especially toward Yeri Zhi.
By the end of the school day, the students witnessed a spectacle they had never seen before.
Two faculty members, one a teacher, the other a doctor, were engaged in a full-blown fight in the hallway.
They screamed obscenities, clawed at each other's hair, and drew gasps from every passing student.
Only hours earlier, the two had stood united, defending one another. Nina stared, stunned.
Loki, on the other hand, was having the time of his life.
He bobbed his head enthusiastically, offering loud, completely unhelpful commentary on fighting techniques and who was "losing momentum."
He had always wondered what school life was like.
Life in Hexion had been dreadfully dull lately, and when Junho suggested he disguise himself as a student to keep an eye on the boss woman, Loki had agreed without much thought.
This was far more entertaining than he had expected.
---
That night, Yeri found herself standing in a strange crimson forest, familiar, yet unsettlingly foreign.
Instead of panic, she felt safe and protected.
As though she had returned to somewhere that belonged to her.
Before she could dwell on it, the world twisted. She was standing inside a palace shaped like a colossal black diamond, its sharp edges reflecting endless darkness.
Then the scene shifted again.
Before her stood a demon, majestic, regal, a crown resting upon his head. His gaze bore into her, filled with an obsession so intense it bordered on madness.
"My beloved empress…" he murmured, his voice thick with devotion.
Fragments surfaced in her mind.
She remembered being a succubus. An empress. Was this demon… her husband?
Before she could form the thought fully, his form changed, then another, and another.
Different faces. Same crown.
Each of them knew her. Each of them called her their empress.
Confusion overwhelmed her. The dream refused to follow logic or will, scenes shifted violently before her mind could settle.
Then dread struck. An instinctive, bone-deep terror seized her.
Two demons gripped her arms, dragging her forward. Ahead lay an endless abyss of black hellfire.
Her eyes widened in horror. She tried to scream, but no sound came out. Her body no longer belonged to her.
Then she was thrown. Plunging helplessly, falling into hellfire that devoured flesh, soul, and memory alike.
Is this how she died in her first life?
Wasn't she an empress? Why, why was she tortured like this?
The pain that consumed her wasn't just physical, it was etched into her bones, her memory, her very existence. She cried and howled, her agony echoing endlessly.
When the vision shattered, she found herself standing in a vast court.
Demons stared at her, some with contempt, others with hatred, fear… and reverence.
The scene shifted again.
She stood at the edge of a cliff. Below her stretched nothing but infinite darkness, as if alive and watching, a void capable of devouring even the strongest soul.
Standing there alone was enough to break anyone.
---
Shin pressed his hand to Yeri's forehead.
Still burning.
The nanny anxiously changed the pillowcase, soaked through with sweat.
"Young Master Keir," she finally asked, her voice trembling, "should we take Yeri to the hospital? Or inform the master and madam?"
Shin's eyes darkened. For a brief moment, his eyes flashed red.
"No," he said quietly. "Look after her. And don't tell anyone."
The command was soft. Absolute.
The nanny turned rigid as if possessed. Her eyes dulled for a split second before clarity returned.
She nodded mechanically and resumed tending to Yeri. The urge to call the hospital or her parents had vanished completely.
Shin had brought Yeri straight to the penthouse after school. He knew better than anyone that her illness was not something modern medicine could touch. There was no point admitting her to a hospital.
---
Two days later, Tristan arrived at the penthouse.
He had originally been in a neighboring city handling business when Shin called him back without delay.
"What happened to Yeri?"
Shin walked ahead as he explained, his voice restrained. "I told her I was a demon. It seemed to stimulate her badly. She hasn't woken up for the past two days and is still burning with a high fever. Check her mental state for me."
Shin could have done it himself, but with Yeri's frail condition, he might lose control of his abilities. It was safer to entrust the task to a demon who specialized in mental domains.
Tristan frowned subtly. "Did you tell her exactly who you are as a demon?"
"No." Shin replied, briefly recounting what had happened.
Tristan could almost picture Yeri's thoughts.
She must have place too much trust on her ability and pride as a demon once, only to discover that the man she was engaged to was not only someone she could never surpass in status, but also a demon powerful enough to kill her at any moment. That revelation alone was enough to push anyone to the edge.
After all, it hadn't even been a year, and they were already engaged.
It wasn't strange that Yeri hadn't fully trusted Shin Keir yet.
"You don't mind if I hold her arm or hand, right?" Tristan asked, turning toward him.
Shin said nothing, his silence was consent.
Tristan sat beside the bed. Yeri lay there in a pitiful state, her hair damp with sweat, strands clinging to her temples, her complexion deathly pale. Her body radiated unbearable heat, yet she shivered as though trapped in ice.
Finding a comfortable position, Tristan gently grasped her left wrist.
When he opened his eyes again, the world had changed.
Before him stood a shattered mirror as tall as a high-rise building.
Its fragments floated in the air, scattered in chaotic disarray. Each shard reflected a different scene, playing like broken reels of Yeri's life, human memories interwoven with those of a succubus, overlapping and colliding without order.
Tristan's brows knitted together. This was bad.
No wonder she couldn't wake up. Upon learning Shin Keir was a demon, she must have subconsciously forced her mind to recall her past life.
But the present Yeri couldn't possibly retrieve the long and complex existence of Jewel in such a short time, nor could she fully recover it at all.
By attempting to do so anyway, her mind had shattered into fragments, like puzzle pieces that could no longer fit together.
It was like forcing a rectangle into a circle. The memories tangled, distorted, and if left unattended, they would only deteriorate further, eventually driving her mad, unable to distinguish reality from illusion, past from present.
Tristan floated among the broken mirror shards, scanning the scenes in haste.
He lightly bit his index finger. A drop of blood welled up as he muttered something to himself. The crimson droplet turned gold, stretching into a luminous thread that followed his movements.
Time seemed to lose meaning as he drifted through the fragments.
The golden thread connected to his finger now resembled tangled strands of hair, spiraling wildly in every direction.
Then, suddenly, his eyes lit up. Without hesitation, he entered one fragment.
The sky was a vivid azure; bright, sunny, and picturesque. Laughter rang through the air, mingled with cheerful music and the mechanical hum of rides.
Tristan glanced around the amusement park and muttered, "Hmm… she should be near the ice cream shop, if I remember correctly."
Sure enough, he soon spotted a small figure in a pink dress, a panda-shaped hairband perched atop her head.
Tristan smiled and waved. "Princess Eri!"
The little girl turned, tilting her head in thought.
Recognition slowly dawned, followed by pure excitement.
"Over here!" Tristan beckoned.
Her short legs carried her forward in eager little steps, her watery eyes sparkling as she shouted, "Big bother!"
Chuckling, Tristan hurried to catch her before she tripped and rolled onto the ground in tears.
"You- you're so big now!" she exclaimed, staring up at him.
"And you're still the same," Tristan replied with a wink. "Anyway, come with me, alright?"
She blinked at him. "What about ice kem?"
"There's plenty waiting at home," Tristan said gently. "All kinds of flavors."
Hand in hand, they walked forward, the little girl humming happily. Then she suddenly stopped.
Her innocent gaze drifted backward.
Though they stood in an amusement park, what lay behind them looked like an entirely different world, twin blood moons hanging in a crimson sky, a towering black palace looming in the distance, ominous, eerie, and irresistibly bewitching.
It stood in stark contrast to the park's joy and vibrant colors.