It had already been a full month since Myrcella's coronation.

Time had passed quietly, almost too quietly, to the point where it felt strange if you actually stopped to think about it. Her reign had been going smoothly so far, at least on the surface. Nothing major had happened. And when I said nothing, I mean no sudden unrest or no loud complaints echoing through the streets. Just a steady, almost uneventful flow of days blending into each other.

From the perspective of the citizens, there wasn't anything particularly noticeable either. Nothing big enough that people could point at and say, "Yeah, that's proof the King is doing her job." Everything felt… normal. Stable. Maybe even a little too stable, like the kind of calm that made you wonder if something was just waiting to happen.

Still, I had no doubts about her capabilities. Myrcella wasn't the type to slack off or leave things to chance. If anything, she was probably handling everything behind the scenes, making sure problems never even had the chance to surface. That kind of work didn't get applause, but it mattered more than anything flashy.

"Leon, kiss~"

Titania's voice snapped me out of my thoughts.

She was right there with me, close enough that I could feel the warmth of her body without even trying. We were just spending time together. She tilted her head slightly, waiting, and clearly expecting me to give in.

So I did.

I leaned in and kissed her, like it was the most normal thing in the world.

Lately, she had been sticking close to me almost all the time. It felt like she was trying to make up for all the moments we hadn't spent together before.

Complaining about that would've been ridiculous.

Having her cling to me like this, wrapping her arms around me and pressing close like some stubborn little cicada that refused to let go, was honestly kind of adorable. It wasn't annoying. If anything, it made things feel lighter.

"You know, Leon," she said, her voice shifting slightly, "don't you feel like… the world is moving faster somehow?"

The question came out of nowhere.

One moment she was focused on me, asking for a kiss like it was the only thing on her mind, and the next she was bringing up something like that. The shift was so sudden it almost threw me off.

"I don't really know," I answered, glancing at her. "Does it?"

"Well, for me, it feels like it's only been a short while since we were first-years. And now we're heading into our fourth year. It's like I just blinked, and suddenly we're already here," she said.

There was something genuine in her voice, something that made it hard to brush off as just a random thought.

I got what she meant.

Sometimes time felt like it was rushing forward without giving you a chance to keep up. Days slipping by before you even realized they had started. Other times, it dragged on painfully, stretching every moment until it almost became exhausting. It never stayed consistent. It just did whatever it wanted.

"For some reason, Leon, I feel like something is going to happen," she continued, her gaze drifting slightly, like she was trying to grasp something she couldn't fully see. "Something that will change me completely. Like a turning point in my life. I don't even know why I feel this way."

Her words carried a weight that didn't match the casual setting.

That feeling she had… it wasn't baseless.

Her intuition was sharper than she probably realized.

It wasn't like the King had told her anything. He hadn't said a word to her yet. And still, somehow, she could feel it. That something was wrong.

Something was definitely wrong.

The King was sick.

He had told me himself, in a moment that didn't leave much room for misunderstanding. His condition wasn't something minor that would pass with time. It was serious. The kind of serious that came with a deadline you didn't want to think about.

He had asked me to take care of his kingdom.

And more importantly, to take care of his daughter.

Both mattered to him, that much was clear. His duty as a king, and his role as a father. But the way he spoke about Titania made it obvious where his priorities truly lay.

Even now, a month had already passed since that conversation.

Nothing had happened yet.

Everything still looked calm.

But the way he spoke back then, the weight behind his words, the condition he was in… it all pointed to one thing.

It was only a matter of time.

Something would happen.

Something that couldn't be avoided.

Titania didn't know any of that.

He hadn't told her yet. He wanted to do it himself, on his own terms.

And because of that, I couldn't say anything either.

Even if I wanted to.

"Well, that was kind of a weird tangent, right?" Titania said, letting out a small, slightly embarrassed laugh. "Sorry."

"It's fine," I said, shaking my head a little. "I get what you mean. Time does feel like it's speeding up lately. Maybe it's because we've been having fun together."

"I guess you could say that," she replied, smiling faintly.

That smile made it harder.

The urge to tell her everything, to just be honest and let her know what was coming, kept pushing at the back of my mind.

But I couldn't.

I had to respect his decision.

Even if it meant keeping something this important from her.

I felt bad for Titania.

Still, there wasn't anything I could do about it.

***

After I parted ways with her, I noticed someone trailing behind me.

"You're free?" Veronica asked as she caught up. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

"Well, yeah," I answered, glancing at her. "Why?"

"Come with me for a bit."

She didn't explain any further.

Confusion lingered, but I followed her anyway.

We walked until we reached an alley where no one else was around.

She turned to face me.

For a moment, she just looked at me, like she was thinking about something.

Then, without warning, she stepped forward and kissed me.

Straight on the lips.

"Did you seriously call me out here just to kiss me?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, I was thinking about something," she said.

"What is it?"

"I was wondering if I could feel Lilith in you," she replied.

That answer didn't exactly clear things up.

"So to check that, you decided to kiss me?" I asked.

She didn't respond immediately.

Instead, she moved closer again. Closer than before. Her nose brushed lightly against my skin as she sniffed. Then her lips followed, trailing along my neck, pressing small kisses, even a light lick here and there.

Things were starting to head in a weird direction.

If she wanted to fuck, she really didn't need to make it this complicated.

"As I thought…" she murmured quietly. "I can feel her. But… for some reason… it's not just on you."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"I can feel her somewhere else too," she said.

"Somewhere else?" I repeated, now actually curious.

She lifted her hand and pointed off into the distance.

"Weirdly enough… it's coming from that direction."

I followed where she was pointing.

She was pointing at the demon continent.