The world around them changed radically. The familiar landscapes of nighttime Kuoh were left behind, giving way to a completely different reality. They stood on a wide driveway paved with light stone. The warm air of the Underworld, saturated with the scents of exotic flowers, hit his face. But this wasn't the wild, untamed wasteland he had been thrown into the first time. Around him stretched a realm of perfect, almost frightening order.
The vast territory was immersed in greenery. Neatly planted trees with foliage of unusual, deep shades lined up in perfectly straight alleys. Flawlessly trimmed bushes, geometrically perfect lawns, and the soft light of magical lanterns picking out elegant statues from the twilight. And right ahead loomed a mansion of impressive proportions, its architecture combining classical European luxury with demonic monumentality.
Jin looked up. The familiar purple sky of the Underworld was crossed by the light, translucent ripples of a giant energy barrier. It pulsed softly, covering the entire territory like an invisible glass dome. There was no doubt—they were on the lands of the Gremory clan.
His observations were interrupted by a quiet, clearly forced cough.
"Ahem."
Jin shifted his gaze. Ravel stood a few steps away from him. Her cheeks were still burning with a faint blush after the incident at his house, but she was desperately trying to regain her usual mask of a haughty aristocrat. She adjusted her perfect golden twin-drill curls and tilted her chin up.
"Welcome, Izayoi-san," she said, trying to give her voice the most official tone possible, though it betrayed her by trembling on the vowels. "Please, come in. Although this is merely a guest residence, graciously allocated to our family during the preparations for the upcoming Summit, we have tried to furnish it in accordance with the standards of the Phenex clan."
Jin just gave a barely noticeable smirk. "Merely a guest residence." In size, this building surpassed most elite hotels in the human world. Aristocrats and their eternal need to feign modesty while flaunting their luxury.
He unhurriedly followed the girl up the marble steps to the massive doors, which swung open silently before them, obeying magic. Inside, the mansion was no less striking: high vaulted ceilings, crystal chandeliers, and floors in which you could see your own reflection.
"Are your parents here too?" Jin asked, looking around the spacious hall filled with antique furniture. "Lord and Lady Phenex?"
Ravel shook her head, a slight nervousness slipping into her movements.
"No. Father and Mother remained at our ancestral estate. Since my brother and I are officially representing the younger generation of the clan at the upcoming events, their personal presence here is not required at this stage. We are quite capable of managing on our own."
She led him down a wide corridor and opened the double doors leading into a bright, spacious living room. The room was furnished with impeccable taste: heavy velvet curtains, a carved dark wood table in the center, and several deep, incredibly soft-looking sofas.
"Make yourself comfortable," Ravel pointed to one of the sofas, avoiding direct eye contact. "I... I will go arrange for the tea now. I'll be right back."
Not waiting for his answer, she hastily turned around and practically ran out of the living room, quietly closing the door behind her.
Jin watched her go, shaking his head. This girl was an open book. All her tsundere bravado burst at the seams the moment they were alone. He walked over to the nearest sofa and, not bothering with aristocratic manners, flopped down onto it with a swing. The furniture turned out to be even more comfortable than it looked—like sinking into a warm cloud.
He threw his head back against the backrest and closed his eyes, enjoying the rare seconds of silence.
However, the peace didn't last long. Jin's heightened hearing caught the approaching footsteps even before they stopped at the living room doors. There were more footsteps than expected. Ravel's light, almost weightless tread was mixed with a heavy, tense step that was impossible to mistake for anyone else's.
Jin took a deep breath, filling his lungs with air, and slowly exhaled.
"Well, here we go," he muttered quietly, cracking one eye open.
The door swung open.
Ten minutes later, the air in the living room had become so heated that it was hard to breathe.
The three of them sat together. On one side of the table, sprawling in an armchair, sat Jin. A porcelain teacup rested elegantly in his hand. He unhurriedly took a sip, closing his eyes in pleasure. The tea really was excellent—tart, with subtle floral notes. Yet another reminder of how awful that instant surrogate he choked down in his apartment was.
Across from him, looking as though she were sitting on pins and needles, sat Ravel. She held her cup with both hands, staring into its dark surface, and only occasionally shot quick, anxious glances up at their guest from under her brow. The atmosphere was clearly weighing on her, causing her cheeks to burn with a light flush.
And the source of this pressure was the third participant in the tea party. Riser Phenex sat next to his sister. His posture was rigid, his back straightened to the point of cracking, and his arms crossed over his chest so tightly his knuckles were white. He hadn't touched his tea. His burning gaze, filled with pure, undiluted hatred, drilled into Jin as if trying to burn a hole through him.
The silence rang. Jin was in no hurry to break it; he was enjoying the moment, methodically savoring his tea and driving Riser to a boiling point with his absolute, ostentatious calmness.
Finally, when Jin lowered his cup onto the saucer with a soft clink, the Phenex's nerves gave out.
"What the hell are you doing here?" Riser hissed through tightly gritted teeth. Every word dripped with venom.
Jin slowly shifted his violet eyes to him. Not a drop of surprise, not an ounce of hostility. Only bored indifference.
"Your sister invited me," he replied in an even, almost lazy tone. "Do you have a problem with that, little bird?"
Riser flinched as if from a slap. He snapped his head toward Ravel. The girl jumped and pressed herself against the back of the sofa. Her face, previously just flushed, now turned crimson. She tried to say something in her defense, but only lowered her eyes in embarrassment, nervously fiddling with the lace on her dress.
Seeing this reaction, Riser froze. His eyes widened. The puzzle in the older brother's head instantly snapped together into a horrifying picture. His younger, proud, unapproachable sister... had her eyes on this bastard.
"Speaking of her," Jin leaned back in his chair, folding his hands over his stomach. "Ravel was telling me about your progress."
Riser tensed even further, expecting another insult or a trick.
"And what of it?" he snapped, his aura flaring with a faint golden light. "Do you have a problem with that too, upstart?"
"Not really," Jin shrugged, his face remaining completely serious. "I just wanted to ask. Isn't it nicer this way?"
"What are you talking about?" Riser frowned, a bit confused.
"About seeing pride in the eyes of your loved ones," Jin tilted his head slightly, his gaze becoming piercing, as if scanning the demon's soul. "Isn't that better than what you were before?"
The words hit their mark perfectly. His lips parted, ready to spit out a curse, but the words caught in his throat.
He slowly, almost against his will, turned his head and looked at his sister. Ravel looked up as well. There was no pity in her eyes, the kind that had infuriated him so much before. There really was pride to be read there. She had seen his training, his pain, his attempts to change and not just be a vessel for Phenex blood.
Their eyes met. For a split second, the harsh, embittered Riser and the caring, proud Ravel turned into an ordinary brother and sister. Embarrassment washed over both of them. Riser quickly looked away, coughing into his fist and pretending to adjust his shirt collar, his ears noticeably red. Ravel hid her face behind her teacup entirely, afraid to look up.
This silent, awkward scene of family idyll made Jin mentally roll his eyes. Touching, of course, but time was pressing.
Abruptly changing his posture, Jin leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. The air in the room instantly changed, losing all sentimentality.
"And now, on a serious note," his voice became harsh, businesslike, shattering the fragile atmosphere.
The brother and sister flinched, instantly returning to reality.
"I have some business with you," Jin continued, not giving them time to recover. "I want to get into your upcoming party."
Riser was taken aback, his eyes narrowing.
"To the Summit? Why do you need that?"
"No particular reason," Jin replied. "But a lot of figures will be gathering there that I'd like to meet." Jin squinted slightly, "...And I hope that you, as welcoming hosts and influential representatives of the Phenex clan, will help me get in."