The Demon family had existed since the kingdom's founding, and it belonged to that rare breed of great houses that had stayed constantly in the public eye.
The family itself had gone through several cycles of prosperity and decline, but it had always managed to survive.
Before Alvit became Duke, the head of the Demon family had been her father—an Earl.
After Alvit became Duke, she naturally inherited her father's position as head of the household.
Having finally set down his burden, the Earl found the world wide open before him, and off he went with his wife to wander the far corners of the land.
Though the Earl and his wife would send a letter back from every place they visited, at most it was just to report that they were safe and well—they couldn't even manage to come home once a year for Christmas.
As for the other elders of the Demon family... at least they hadn't run off.
This generation of the Demon family was not exactly thriving in numbers.
Above Alvit there were only two uncles and one aunt.
Those two uncles and the aunt each had a few children of their own, and further down the line, those children each had a few children as well.
Adding up the entire family, the total population came to only around thirty.
And of those thirty or so, about half were still minors or had only just come of age.
For a great house currently at the height of its influence, that was genuinely a very small number.
Still, under Alvit's shadow, the family as a whole had risen in rank.
Alvit's two uncles had both been elevated from Viscount to Earl.
And her peers had each received formal titles of their own, along with the corresponding real power that came with them.
Since everyone had benefited, the family had naturally coalesced around her as its center, without any of the messy internal power struggles that might otherwise arise.
And the relationships among the parents' generation naturally influenced the generation below.
Among his peers, Dark Demon was, without question, the absolute center.
No matter what these peers might say about him behind his back, none of them dared to openly defy him.
A few who had been on the receiving end of his foul temper were even outright afraid of him.
Tonight, for Dark's birthday party, this whole group had arrived before the event even began.
They were all family sharing the same surname, so no one stood too much on ceremony.
Dark invited them up to the second floor of the residential wing.
Walking down the corridor done up entirely in the style of [[Paradise]], the group—cousins on both sides, paternal and maternal, though none of them could quite keep straight which was which—all wore expressions of stunned amazement.
Dark led them into a fully furnished parlor and ordered the maids to serve tea and pastries.
A dozen or so boys and girls gathered around a tea table, settling onto the plush sofas.
Perhaps because Dark felt so different from how he used to be, the atmosphere in the room was, for a moment, rather stiff.
Trying to ease the tension, Dark turned to one of the older cousins and asked, "Brother Thomas, I heard you successfully joined the Griffin Knight Order this year?"
Thomas, the one addressed, was a lanky young man with pale golden curls. His face had a few blemishes, but his overall features still carried a good deal of the Demon family's handsomeness.
At the mention of the Griffin Knight Order—one of the Five Great Knight Orders—Thomas couldn't help but let the corners of his mouth turn up, and he said proudly, "So you heard about that. I would have thought you'd be too busy at St. Marian to notice something so small."
"Of course I'd notice—aren't I always looking out for my dear brother?" Dark said lazily, sinking as deep into the sofa cushions as he could manage.
The fat cat named Galileo had broken free of Claire's relentless grooming regime the moment Dark returned home, and had fled straight into his arms.
Dark deployed his increasingly practiced Eagle Claw technique, and Galileo let out contented meows of pleasure.
The atmosphere gradually relaxed.
Those relatives who had long since heard that Dark Demon had been thoroughly transformed by his education at St. Marian finally had their suspicions confirmed—Dark Demon had gotten worse!
If before his wickedness had only been surface-deep, now it ran clear down to the bone, no longer a mere trait but something woven into the very core of him.
Jon and Joy, the twin siblings who had long suffered under his tyranny, felt that the Duke's son they hadn't seen in nearly a year had become even more terrifying. Surely he had buried his old, obvious mischief deep beneath a far more deceptive mask!
Their hearts were clear as mirrors—Dark Demon might be able to fool the doting elders, but he would never fool them!
Dark glanced sideways at the twins cowering nervously in the corner, thinking to himself that all he had done in the past was take them swimming in the waterfall pool behind the manor, letting them get up close and personal with some adorable rare water beasts for a while.
Those water beasts had such wonderfully smooth, slick skin—especially in summer, cool and refreshing against the skin, absolutely delightful.
But instead of appreciating it, they'd run off crying to tattle on him.
And sure enough, after they tattled, their parents had spanked them.
That really wasn't Dark's fault!
"Oh, right, Joy," Dark said suddenly.
Joy, whose hair had been styled into elaborate spiral curls on both sides, shivered violently and clamped down hard on her twin brother's hand.
Jon gripped his sister's hand in return, mustering his courage to face the demon.
Dark asked, half-amused, "You two turn twelve this year, don't you?"
The two of them, only a year younger than Dark, went momentarily rigid, an ominous feeling creeping over them.
"If you're lucky," Dark continued, "you should be getting your admission invitations to St. Marian's Academy pretty soon."
Lucky?
That kind of rotten luck, no thank you!
Joy pressed her lips tightly together, while Jon, caught for a moment under Dark's mild gaze, felt an involuntary physical reaction—his palms suddenly turned damp and hot.
The two siblings were the children of a child of Dark's mother's uncle's son—cousins who had shown magical talent well above average since they were young.
Under normal circumstances, their receiving admission invitations was practically a foregone conclusion.
Add in Anna and Angie, those two little devils, and this year's first-year class at Noble House promised to be quite the spectacle.
It remained to be seen which house the Vampire Young Lady and that Phoenix Maiden would be assigned to, should they manage to enroll.
Dark thought for a moment, then turned to look at another cousin of his own age, asking with curiosity, "Brother Kyle, I heard that around the time I was admitted to St. Marian, you were specially recruited into the Holy Church's Mystery Academy?"
Kyle, round-faced and somewhat plump, was the child of a child of an aunt of Dark's mother.
Because his magical affinity leaned toward light, and his father came from a priesthood background, he had been specially recruited into the Holy Church's Mystery Academy last year.
Dark had caught a glimpse of him in profile in a group photo the Mystery Academy had publicly released.
Once singled out by name, Kyle's rather small eyes couldn't help but well up with moisture—he nearly burst into tears from fright!
Back when Dark had just finished building his little cabin in the mountains behind the manor, he had dragged Kyle, who happened to be visiting the Duke's estate at the time, off to sneak into that secret base with him—and that night, he'd left Kyle there alone in the cabin, scaring him half to death!
Ever since, Kyle had never been able to shake that psychological scar.
But Dark swore to the heavens, he truly hadn't known back then just how many fierce beasts lurked in those mountains!
He'd always thought the mountain behind the manor was just a lovely spot full of wildflowers, perfect for picnics.
The occasional beast he ran into, he'd assumed, was just a pink bunny the old butler had specially bought from outside to keep his little adventures from getting too dull...
Looking back on it now, the old butler's methods really had reached the level of the divine.
He had somehow managed to dress up a treacherous, monster-infested wilderness as a cozy backyard garden.
But how could Kyle possibly believe Dark hadn't known what the mountain behind his own house was really like?
Though in truth, he had been under the secret protection of the maids the whole time back then—he'd simply been terrified by the ghostly howls and wolf cries in the night.
In any case, Kyle had never come back to the Duke's estate since.
Today was truly a long-overdue reunion.
...
Speaking of the Holy Church's Mystery Academy, Dark couldn't help but ask, "Come to think of it, Brother Kyle, in your year there, have you ever seen an angel? I'd really love to keep one as a pet."
He was, in fact, remembering the Angewomon that the Moon God's lingering soul had transformed into, and he couldn't help but feel a pang of envy.
"I have seen some..." Kyle said carefully, "but they were all Magic Guide Spirits belonging to the candidate Holy Sons and Holy Maidens. The real angels... went extinct long ago, didn't they?"
Dark teased, "Brother Kyle, isn't it disrespectful to the Holy Church to say something like that? How could angels have gone extinct?"
"Ah!" Kyle immediately realized his mistake, his face draining of color in terror, eyes wide with fear as he stared at Dark.
Dark asked, curious, "Are you really that scared?"
Kyle shook his head quickly. "Our school rules are very strict. Breaking a fundamental rule brings very severe punishment."
"How severe?" Dark asked.
"Sc—scrubbing toilets!" Kyle said.
"That's it?" Dark said.
Kyle's eyes flinched. "Is there something worse than that?"
Dark laughed. "Like being stripped and tied to a cross for public display? I'm joking, I'm joking. Come on, everyone, don't just sit there frozen—eat something, talk a little. If nobody says anything, doesn't it make it look like I'm a terrible host?"
"Oh, not at all! Your family's pastries are as delicious as ever."
"This lemon tea is fantastic!"
"What lovely weather today, so clear and bright outside."
And with that, the mood gradually warmed up.
...
In the evening, layer upon layer of clouds glowed gold and red, weaving together into a rare and striking beauty.
Eldest Princess Eliza, bringing along Anna and Angie, each dressed in formal ball gowns, their carefully done-up faces were stunning to behold.
Eliza wasn't particularly excited about tonight's banquet.
If she hadn't learned that Viscount Greatbear's family was also on the guest list, she would have approached it more casually.
But with the Greatbear family's added presence, the banquet itself took on implications that could easily be over-interpreted, which meant she needed to prepare accordingly on her end.
As for Anna and Angie, of course, none of that concerned them.
All they wanted was to see Dark as soon as possible, and then dance all over him.
As the saying goes, there's always a taller mountain beyond the mountain.
Given their status as princesses, naturally neither of them was afraid of Dark.
And in fact, the two of them had had a complete falling-out with him back when he was seven, only easing up somewhat since last year's Halloween eve.
So they hadn't actually had much deep contact with Dark since he turned seven and grew ever more reckless.
As for the reason behind their falling-out, it was because the Second Princess Anna had been born with excessively abundant magic power. During one time when they were all playing together, her magic had suddenly spiraled out of control, sending the toys around them floating into the air, one of which had struck Dark right on the head, raising a nasty bump.
After that, Dark had given her the nickname "Old Witch," and would shout it out at the slightest provocation.
This eventually led to their complete break.
After that, Dark just kept getting worse, and the little princesses grew ever naughtier in turn.
Somehow the two sides had ended up on strangely parallel paths.
...
"Tonight, tonight... I will absolutely..." In the carriage, Second Princess Anna gritted her teeth, muttering to herself.
Third Princess Angie laughed. "What's wrong, Anna? Thinking about revenge?"
"None of your business!" Anna shot her a glare and went back to plotting.
That kick at the Halloween ball was still fresh in her memory.
This debt, she absolutely had to repay!
As for Anna's humiliation, Angie remembered it just as vividly, and she asked with false sweetness, "I'm just being kind here—how about I lend you a hand?"
Anna eyed her suspiciously. "How would you help?"
"Like this," Angie leaned in to whisper in her ear. "During the dancing portion, I'll ask him to dance, and lead him over to where you're standing—giving you your chance."
Anna, though sensing something was off, still frowned and asked, "And what if you can't get him to dance with you?"
Angie said confidently, "That's simply not possible!"
There—one major obstacle removed!
Angie couldn't help but smirk to herself.
...
Meanwhile, elsewhere...
The four members of the Flotly family and the three members of the Greatbear family were already on their way in their carriages.
This had originally been an invitation that was impossible to refuse.
Given the Flotly family's current standing, there was really no choice but to accept.
As for the Greatbear family, who did have the option to decline, they had chosen to indulge their beloved daughter's wishes.
...
As the glow of dusk faded, lights came on all across the Duke's estate, inside and out. In the pool, the rare and exotic water beasts leapt high into the air, moonlight glinting off their smooth, glossy skin.
The relatives and friends of the Demon family arrived one after another by carriage. As each group descended, the guards led their carriages off to the stables at the side, feeding the horses the finest, richest fodder.
Not all thirty-odd family members had come—everyone had their own life to lead, and there were always a few who couldn't spare the time, or who happened to be under the weather.
But most of the family's staunchest, most loyal friends had come.
Among all the arrivals, the royal carriage naturally drew the most attention, with the Greatbear family's carriage close behind, equally eye-catching.
Almost the moment these two carriages entered the Duke's estate grounds, word of it had already spread.
As for the Flotly family's carriage, though it was mentioned, hardly anyone paid it much mind for the time being.
The family of four, arriving somewhat later, climbed cautiously down from their carriage one by one.
Lady Flotly had repeated her warnings to her son over and over on the way there—don't talk too much, don't wander off—and even now she still couldn't help fretting, repeating the same instructions again.
Rose's cousin, however, just kept his eyes wandering curiously around, seemingly letting her words go in one ear and out the other.
The family's attire wasn't especially lavish—in truth, they were quite wealthy, but had deliberately chosen a more understated, restrained style.
Tonight's banquet, for their family alone, was a turning point that could bring about enormous change.
That change might well be more than they could bear.
Which was exactly why they needed to tread so very carefully!
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