Chapter 478: Family Trip

Yawwwnnnnnnn!

Damian stretched both arms above his head as a long yawn escaped his lips, the exhaustion that had weighed on him throughout the day finally beginning to fade from his body.

He blinked several times and glanced toward the tall windows, where pale silver light from the twin moons poured into the room and spread across the polished floor. The night was already deep, and the atmosphere inside his chambers was completely different from the hazy, suffocating exhaustion that had plagued him from morning.

Turning his head toward the sitting area, Damian found Rin, Ruby, Racheal and Hazel gathered around the table playing cards. Each of them held a goblet of wine, and light laughter occasionally escaped them.

Ruby appeared particularly invested in the game while Racheal casually ate from a plate beside her, seemingly more interested in the food than winning.

Hazel sat with a relaxed smile on her face, while Rin, despite having considerably smaller paws than everyone else, was somehow participating with an expression of absolute seriousness.

"Aah, you are finally awake. Just in time," Rin said with a satisfied smile, placing his cards down.

Damian raised a brow, but before he could ask what he was supposed to be just in time for, he felt the bed sink beside him. Turning his head, he found Mary sitting at the edge of the mattress with a cup of wine in her hand. She held it toward him with a warm expression, but Damian politely pushed it away with his palm.

"I just woke up. Give me at least five minutes before you people start trying to intoxicate me."

Mary laughed softly and withdrew the cup before taking a sip herself.

Damian’s gaze then drifted toward the balcony, where Rah, Kor and William stood together, speaking amongst themselves in low voices. Rah was leaning casually against the wall while Kor listened to William explain something with a serious expression.

The three of them soon noticed Damian looking at them and turned in his direction.

"If this is how you all plan to kill me in a coup, you probably should have done it while I was asleep," Damian joked with a completely straight face.

The room immediately erupted into laughter. Even William, who normally maintained a dignified expression whenever he was in the prince’s presence, briefly lowered his head as he tried to hide his amusement.

"It’s not like that," Mary said with a laugh as she shook her head. "We just plan to accompany you as your security for tonight’s meeting with the council representatives. It’s dangerous to let you travel alone beyond the capital, especially with everything that has happened over the past few days."

Damian frowned slightly at those words. His first instinct was to tell them there was no reason for so many people to accompany him, but the argument died before it could even form properly in his mind. He was honestly getting too old for unnecessary arguments, especially when these people were not trying to control him. They were simply worried about him. After everything that had happened, it was difficult to blame them for being cautious.

Damian slowly pushed himself off the bed, stretching his shoulders once more. Almost immediately, Rah approached him with a neatly folded black robe draped over her arms.

"I already picked out clothes for you," she said.

Only then did Damian notice what everyone else was wearing. His gaze slowly moved across the room. Mary was dressed in black. Ruby was dressed in black. Hazel and Racheal were dressed in black as well. Rah herself was wearing an elegant dark outfit that blended almost perfectly with the night beyond the balcony.

Damian then looked down at Rin. Even the fox was wearing a tiny customized black robe.

"You must be kidding me," Damian muttered as he covered his face with his palm.

Everyone laughed again.

"If we are doing this, we might as well have fun doing it," Ruby said with a mischievous smile.

Damian rolled his eyes but accepted the robe from Rah. "You people really had an entire meeting about this without inviting me."

"Of course, You would have ruined it." Racheal replied casually as she picked up another piece of steak.

Damian stared at her for a moment before walking toward his dressing room. "I’m surrounded by traitors."

"Stop being dramatic and change already." Rin scolded.

A few minutes later, Damian emerged from the dressing room wearing a fitted black hanfu robe with faint violet patterns running along the sleeves and collar. The outfit was simple compared to some of the ceremonial clothes he had worn since arriving in Velmora, but it fit him perfectly. When he returned to the main chamber, however, he found it empty.

The voices were coming from the balcony.

Damian walked toward the open doors and stepped outside, where everyone had gathered with glasses of wine in their hands.

A small smile tugged at Damian’s lips as he watched them speak openly and freely.

The Violet Palace had once felt like a hostile fortress filled with spies, servants loyal to other factions and people waiting for the opportunity to betray him. Now, despite the danger surrounding Velmora, his residence actually felt alive.

His attention was soon stolen by something much bigger.

Damian walked closer to the edge of the balcony and looked down at the vast palace grounds. Resting on the open field below was an enormous black carriage connected to a massive bird resembling a crow. Its feathers were so dark they almost blended into the shadows, while faint flames occasionally flickered beneath its wings. The creature was several times larger than most beasts Damian had encountered and lay peacefully on the grass with its enormous head resting against the ground.

The sight was impossible to ignore.

Swoosh!

Damian jumped off the balcony and several figure followed. He landed gracefully and casually walked up the the carriage to get a better view of the beast

Hazel approached from the side and slipped her arm through his. "You like it?"

"It’s impressive."

"It’s from the Underworld’s Evil Forest. There are many magnificent beasts there. You can catch them, tame them and keep them as pets if you want."

Damian glanced at her. "Why would I need a pet when I already have Rin?"

The temperature behind him seemed to drop instantly.

Damian froze as he felt immense killing intent. Slowly, he turned his head.

Mary was laughing as she restrained Rin with both arms while the fox struggled violently in her grip, his tails standing straight behind him.

"Bastard! Who are you calling a pet?!" Rin shouted.

"Mary, let me go!"

Mary laughed even harder while Damian calmly turned back toward the field as though nothing had happened.

Racheal approached him from the other side and took hold of his second arm. "This carriage is also covered in demonic runes connected to the Night Shade spell. Once activated, it can travel through the darkness without being noticed by ordinary eyes or most detection spells. You don’t have to worry about anyone tracking our movements."

Damian nodded slowly as a satisfied smile appeared on his face. "Perfect."

Clank!

The sudden sound of the carriage door opening drew everyone’s attention. William stood at the entrance, one hand resting against the door while Kor was already moving toward the enormous bird. The Kasok warrior climbed toward the creature’s harness, clearly intending to guide it himself.

"Alright, everyone. That’s enough fun for one night, we need to get moving or we won’t be able to return before sunrise." William said as he glanced toward the dark horizon.

The group began making their way down toward the carriage and the enormous bird lazily opened one eye and stared at Damian.

It stared at him for several seconds before slowly closing its eye again and Damian’s expression froze.

"Did that thing just ignore me?"

Ruby laughed. "I think it did."

Damian looked toward the sleeping beast with genuine disbelief. Never in his life had he encountered such a snobbish creature. Even demons who hated him at least acknowledged his existence before attempting to kill him.

"This kingdom is beginning to have too many things that don’t respect me."

Rin, who had finally escaped Mary’s grip, jumped onto Damian’s shoulder. "I wonder why."

Damian ignored him.

As everyone entered the carriage, Damian’s eyes widened slightly. The exterior had already been impressive, but the interior was something entirely different. The space inside was massive and luxurious enough to resemble a private lounge rather than a vehicle. Chandeliers hung from the ceiling, casting a soft glow over the room.

A large table occupied the center and was already filled with food, wine and various drinks. The seats were interconnected and ran along the walls, allowing everyone to sit near a window while still facing one another while heavy curtains covered the windows, adding another layer of privacy.

Damian slowly looked around the room.

"Okay, This is actually amazing." he admitted.

He walked toward the far end and took a seat, with Hazel and Racheal naturally settling beside him. The others quickly found places of their own. Hazel poured Damian some wine while Racheal immediately grabbed a sauced chicken thigh and began eating.

Once everyone had settled, William shut the door and clasped his hands together. His demonic force spread throughout the entire carriage and crimson runes immediately appeared across the walls.

The symbols pulsed faintly as they connected with one another, forming a complicated network that covered the structure from the floor to the ceiling. Outside, a thin cloud of crimson smoke escaped from the carriage before slowly spreading across its surface.

Within moments, the entire carriage disappeared.

The sleeping bird opened its eyes and Kor pulled the reins.

The Hellfire Nighthawk slowly rose from the ground, its enormous wings spreading across the field. One powerful flap sent a wave of wind across the palace grounds as it lifted the invisible carriage into the air. Another flap followed, and soon the group disappeared into the darkness above the capital.

Far away, behind one of the countless windows of the Violet Palace, Alice stood silently. Her eyes remained fixed on the empty field where the carriage had been moments earlier.

Her thoughts slowly drifted back to the events following the execution, when she had been walking away from the platform only for her father, Jugo, to grab her arm and pull her aside.

"Are you crazy antagonizing the prince like that?" Jugo had demanded. "Do you want to ruin our chance to rise?"

Alice had immediately pulled her hand away from his grip, her expression darkening.

"I refuse to become a pawn to anyone. In case you haven’t learned, these princes tend to turn on the very people who help them reach their position."

"Then why hasn’t he turned on his wives?" Jugo had immediately countered.

Alice had gone still.

"What?"

"He’s finally here. His wives’ families alone give him more than enough justification to eliminate them, yet he hasn’t done that. Neither has he attacked their clans as a whole. He only went after those who were guilty!"

Alice had stared at him silently and Jugo stepped closer, his expression filled with frustration.

"You are too focused on the past that you fail to see the future ahead of you. This man and Lin Qui are not the same!"

For a brief moment, Alice’s resolve had wavered but she had quickly forced herself to shake those thoughts away.

"Repeat these words a month after his coronation," she had replied coldly. "If nothing has changed, I’ll get on my knees and apologize then."

She had immediately turned and walked away.

"Foolish girl, It might be too late by then!" Jugo had growled behind her.

Back in the present, Alice slowly frowned as she continued staring into the night.

Damian had removed his enemies from the palace and opened the doors to those he trusted. The Violet Palace, once quiet and tense even during celebrations, had changed completely within a matter of days. Laughter could now be heard in every corridor.

Damian allowed those close to him to live freely. Yet everyone had also seen what happened when someone crossed the line.

The same man who allowed his companions to play cards and drink wine in his chambers had burned six demigods alive before an entire city. He had slaughtered spies without hesitation and turned against powerful nobles who believed themselves untouchable.

He was kind to those who belonged to him and merciless toward those who threatened them.

Alice slowly lowered her gaze.

Damian and the others had looked less like a prince surrounded by subordinates and more like one large family enjoying themselves in the middle of a crisis that could potentially cost them their lives.

It was insane.

And somehow, despite everything she had told herself, Alice was beginning to wonder if her father had been right.