"Sister!" The Prince couldn't hold back anymore, but when he tried to rush forward, a barrier blocked him. "Don't believe him! Fight back! Do everything in your power—!"

The Duchess looked up and met her brother's eyes. There was a bit of a sad smile in them, one that carried the weight of a lifetime. She loved her brother, but there was something about Sylas' pull that made her believe his words.

She didn't know what it was or what was causing it, and maybe it really was just because his Charisma was too great. But what she did know was that right now, this wasn't a decision that could be made by anyone other than her.

Even in her distraction, Sylas made no attempt to sneak attack her. He simply stood there.

The Prince hadn't been there. He hadn't seen how easily Sylas defeated her even after her True Blood was awakened. He hadn't seen Sylas train her even though there was simply no need for any of that. He couldn't feel the strong pull of Sylas' influence, the fathomless weight that came with being the wife to this man.

The Duchess had only known Sylas for what could have been just a handful of days or so, however long it had taken them to walk that hallway. And yet it felt like she had known him for a lifetime, across lifetimes.

The Demons didn't decide who they loved based on years and tides of emotion. They were more open and true with their thoughts, and domination was simply the first step. Beyond that, whatever resistance The Duchess did have were far weaker than they otherwise should have been.

She had a hard time even controlling herself in Sylas' presence at this point.

But what had truly sealed it for her was that moment of slippage in Sylas' mask. She could feel the excitement radiating from him, not an excitement that came from claiming something that wasn't his own, or the greed for treasure, but instead the lust for battle and challenge.

Even her own brother had never shown such fervor for a challenge.

The Duchess respected her brother maybe more than anyone but their father himself. But she wasn't naive enough to believe that her brother didn't have limits.

Even when The Prince lusted after a challenge, it was only for challenges he knew would be difficult, but he still had a good amount of confidence that he could clear.

For Sylas… it was almost the opposite.

What had made him so excited was something even he felt might very well be impossible.

And sealing it all the more was the fact that Sylas' threshold for what very well might be impossible was so high that The Duchess was sure that anyone else she had ever met would fall to their knees in despair.

This man…

The Duchess looked away from her brother, shifting her eyes from looking over Sylas' shoulder to Sylas' gaze itself. She walked forward until she stood beneath his shadow, her small frame enveloped by his own.

She looked up, her gaze a bit misted as she reached up a trembling hand, touching Sylas' cheek with a motion that felt so very foreign, and yet so very natural nonetheless.

She stood to the tips of her toes and touched his lips with her own.

Her face went beet red. It was the first time she had ever done such a thing and it felt like her heart would run out of her chest.

"I trust you. Wholeheartedly." She said.

She took a small step back, still beneath Sylas' shadow, and yet far back enough that she could truly see his eyes now, those orbs of flaming green surrounded by a ring of gold that seemed to want to suppress the world itself.

Sylas' expression hadn't changed at all from start to finish, and yet the Duchess found herself smiling on the inside.

This was how a man should be. This was how her man should be.

Sylas suddenly moved and the Death Seal flashed around him.

The chatter of Kairos was cut off. He was just about to tease The Prince about his little sister flying from the nest, only for his pupils to constrict into pinholes. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

That seal. That wasn't Sylas relying on the system, he drew that himself.

The Duchess felt her Genes shutting down one after another, wrapped up in a seal, packaged, and then suppressed. One after another, she felt herself getting weaker and weaker, and then weaker beyond that until she could hardly stand on her feet without swaying. Her body's ability to even make energy was being swept from her.

And then it was like all the lights were flickered off in the same instant.

'Oh… this is what death feels like…'

Her body swayed and Sylas caught her before she could fall to the ground. She felt that last bit of warmth for a small moment before she smiled and the world around her faded to nothing.

"SISTER!" The Prince slammed his fists against the blockage continuously, but no matter how hard he tried or how much raging plumes of crimson bloomed from his pores, he couldn't break through.

Sylas kneeled down, cradling the Duchess for a moment.

He didn't say anything, but there was a small flicker in his eyes.

Honestly, he didn't understand the Duchess. He had said those words, but he had very much expected her to reject him. Even if she chose to fight him, he wouldn't blame her. If anything, fighting him was almost the logical thing to do.

Ultimately, she was the mother of his child, her spot in his heart was already different. There was a lot that he would forgive her for that he wouldn't forgive had anyone else done it.

But they didn't even have to go down that route. This version of the Duchess might be young and naive, but her conviction was just the same.

Her heart was strong.

Sylas looked at her deeply while her body turned to wisps of black and disappeared.

He couldn't lose. He wouldn't let her down.

Sylas stood to his full height, lightning crackling in his eyes.