The scent of sizzling meat filled the courtyard, rich and smoky, curling through the crisp morning air. Fat dripped from thick slabs of boar meat, hissing as it met the hot coals. Nine stood at the fire pit, tongs in hand, flipping the meat with practiced ease.
It should have been a peaceful morning.
But instead, he had two parasites clinging to him.
Aya, ever shameless, had wrapped herself around his back, legs locked around his waist, arms draped over his shoulders. She tugged at his hair for leverage, chin resting atop his head as she drooled openly at the sight of the food.
Seven, his son, was nestled against his chest, held securely in the crook of his arm. Every time Nine attempted to set him down, the boy would frown—no, glare—as if personally offended by the mere idea of separation.
And that bugged him.
From the sidelines, Colla leaned against a wooden pillar, arms crossed, watching the absurd scene unfold with barely concealed amusement.
"Possessiveness runs in their blood," she remarked, tilting her head.
Nearby, Shin chuckled, his fox-like smile curving with interest. "Is it hard?" he asked, tone light but curious.
Colla arched a brow. "Working under him?"
Shin nodded.
Colla exhaled. "He terrifies me. But he pays well."
Shin hummed in response, studying her. "The lord is generous. Just do as he says, and you're done."
She narrowed her eyes. "And you? I doubt you agreed to work for him just for money."
Shin's gaze flickered back to the family. Aya had just yanked Nine's hair. The man didn't even flinch—just let out a long-suffering sigh before feeding her a piece of meat.
"Let's just say…" Shin's voice dropped, his expression unreadable. "He's still the most sane."
Colla stiffened. "Most sane?"
Shin glanced at her. "Unlike the other lords, the essence hasn't changed him. Yet."
Her stomach twisted. "What do you mean?"
Shin's gaze darkened slightly. "The essence alters them. Warps them." His voice was casual, but the weight in his tone was unmistakable. "To the point they lose their humanity completely."
Colla's fingers twitched.
Shin sighed, tilting his head toward the sky. "Gluttony was the first to succumb. But each essence manifests differently. Some corrupt slowly. Others…" He exhaled. "Others become something else entirely."
Colla swallowed hard. "...Something else?"
Shin didn't meet her gaze. "They become demons. The same demons that once waged war against the gods."
The air felt heavier.
Colla turned her head, eyes drifting back to the small family at the fire pit.
Nine. Aya. Seven.
Before Nine became a lord, he had already been a skilled martial artist, a husband, a father. He had carved out a life with Aya, protected their growing family, built something worth keeping.
But the essence had chosen him.
And now, it threatened to take everything away.
The sound of Seven's delighted laughter broke through her thoughts. Aya's soft, affectionate giggle followed.
Colla looked up.
Aya was waving her over, smiling brightly. "Colla, come here! Let's eat!"
Rolling off Nine's back with practiced ease, Aya grabbed a plate, piled it with meat, and placed it in Colla's hands with a beaming expression.
"Here!"
Colla hesitated before muttering, "Thank you…"
She took a tentative bite, and her stomach betrayed her immediately with a deep, rumbling growl. It was delicious.
Aya, still chewing, looked around. "Where's Shin? I just saw him."
Colla scoffed. "Forget him."
She barely had time to settle before she was dragged into their usual playful bickering.
And yet…
It felt like home.
Nine was terrifying, unpredictable, and impossible to understand.
But she was still here. Still breathing. And somehow, she had become part of this strange, chaotic family.
Was it too presumptuous to think she belonged?
—
CRASH
The ground trembled.
Colla reacted instinctively. She stepped in front of Aya, shielding her, while Nine had already secured Seven in his arms.
The dust settled, revealing a disheveled figure sprawled on the courtyard floor.
Colla's sharp gaze immediately flickered to his hair—long, ridiculously so, spilling over the ground like silk.
Nine, however, looked unimpressed.
"Dumbass," he muttered.
Then, he kicked him hard.
Once.
Twice.
Repeatedly.
Aya blinked, stunned. "Wait—Nine, do you know him?"
"No," Nine said flatly, stomping on the man one last time before Aya finally intervened.
The stranger groaned, lifting himself up with surprising ease. Despite his tattered clothes and dirt-smudged face, he exuded an air of effortless grace—like a noble who had somehow found himself in a ditch but refused to acknowledge it.
His sharp eyes flickered toward Aya. "I am Honu," he introduced himself with a polite bow. "His friend. You must be his wife."
Aya blinked.
Then, without hesitation, she held out a piece of meat.
Honu accepted it with quiet dignity.
Nine's eye twitched.
'So this bastard does know how to act civilized.'
But something felt off.
Aya, still chewing, suddenly processed what he had just said. "Wait—friend?"
She gasped, clutching Nine's face between her hands, eyes sparkling with disbelief.
"You have a friend?!"
Nine frowned, his face still trapped between her palms. "No."
Aya ignored him entirely. She plucked Seven from his arms and turned, proudly presenting their son to Honu.
"Seven, look! Daddy's friend! Uncle Honu!"
Honu stilled.
Something flickered in his expression—too brief to catch. His gaze locked onto Seven, and for a moment, it was as if something unseen pulled him forward.
Slowly, almost hesitantly, he raised a hand—
Only for Nine to catch his wrist.
The air between them tensed.
Honu paused, then withdrew his hand without resistance. He didn't argue. Didn't push. Instead, he leaned in slightly, lowering himself to Seven's eye level.
"...Hi, Seven," he murmured.
His voice was soft. Careful.
Seven tilted his head. Studying.
Then, he smiled.
The moment shattered when Nine unceremoniously shoved Honu's face away.
"How dare you enter my territory?" Nine smacked him on the head with a fork.
Honu exhaled slowly. Then, with all the grace of a man who had fully given up, he flopped back onto the ground.
And promptly fell asleep.
Colla nudged him with her foot. "...Is he actually asleep?"
Nine grabbed a fistful of Honu's hair, preparing to throw him—
But Aya caught his wrist. "Let's have him as a guest. He could've hurt us earlier if he wanted to, but he didn't."
Nine raised a brow. "That's not a reason."
Aya crossed her arms.
After a long, suffering sigh, Nine relented—only to drag Honu away by the hair.
Aya groaned. "Nine! That's not how you treat a guest!"
Nine dropped him.
Colla sighed. This was her life now.
And strangely…
She didn't mind.