Chapter 354: Solaris, an Overly Busty Prince

Alicia took a step forward and, with a clear voice, introduced the three emissaries one by one before the throne.

"Your Majesty, allow me to introduce Aedan, crown prince and first son of Demon King Rohan. Beside him is Solaris, the demon king's fourth son. And finally, Irnina, a fire dragoness, who attends as an escort for the emissaries of the Ignis nation."

Ryan silently observed the formation of the three individuals. He found it fascinating to analyze their behavior on foreign soil. Despite being royalty—proud princes of a powerful warrior nation—they were displaying impeccable submission and respect before him.

After introducing the guests, Alicia smiled subtly and her eyes lit up. She turned to the three emissaries and pointed toward the throne.

"You are in the presence of the SSS-rank ruler of these lands, King of humans, elves, and beastmen alike, and also Demon King of the Kowarre nation."

'I think that was an exaggeration. Even so, judging by their behavior, I can see that demons from other kingdoms already perceive me as a being they must fear and treat with caution...'

With that satisfying thought in mind, Ryan made a relaxed gesture with his hand.

"Rise, all of you," he ordered in a serene voice laden with authority. "I thank you for coming all this way in person. I understand that the journey from your territory has been quite long and exhausting. After this audience concludes, I will gladly allow you to rest in my castle's guest rooms. There aren't many luxuries to entertain yourselves with in these freezing mountains, but I assure you the food my servants prepare is delicious."

Aedan stood up elegantly, lightly brushing imaginary dust off his knees, and offered a slight bow.

"I greatly appreciate your generous offer, Your Majesty, and we are honored by your hospitality," Aedan replied in a polished, diplomatic tone. "Unfortunately, we cannot stay in your territory for long. We only came to negotiate and bring our little brother back home as soon as possible."

Ryan nodded, perfectly understanding the eldest prince's rush to leave another demon king's nest. He turned his face toward the young mage at his side.

"Chloe, notify one of the guards and tell them to bring Demon King Rohan's youngest son."

"Right away, my lord." Chloe nodded and quickly pulled a small communication relic from her robes to relay the order to the lower levels.

'Yes, I figured they'd say something like that,' Ryan thought with a slight internal smile. Naturally, he wasn't genuinely interested in hosting Rohan's offspring in his own castle either. And he was even less thrilled by the idea of having Solaris snooping around his hallways.

'Honestly, I was pretty worried that those two would beat each other to death or burn down one of the castle wings,' Ryan admitted to himself, remembering the destructive fight Helen and Solaris had in the dungeons in the past. Although he would never allow a fight to break out within his walls, the idea of having to watch them constantly to stop a potential conflict would have been a terrible nuisance. With that in mind, Ryan thought it was a true relief that Helen and Beatrice were far away on their respective missions right now.

While they waited for the guards to bring up the prisoner, Ryan fixed his sharp gaze directly on Solaris's figure.

Unlike the first time they met amid the chaos and darkness of a dungeon, the throne room's lighting allowed him to make out his features with absolute clarity this time.

His aristocratic clothes were exactly the same as his older brother's, designed for a warrior prince.

But upon closely observing his chest, Ryan noticed that the thick fabric bulged subtly and looked ill-fitting. That small visual inconsistency immediately confirmed a theory Ryan had considered at some point since that first encounter.

"Solaris," Ryan called out suddenly, breaking the silence of the hall.

The young demon with red braids flinched slightly, visibly surprised that the fearsome human king was addressing him specifically and directly.

"Huma... Y-Your Majesty?" Solaris replied. His voice came out in a naturally high pitch due to nervousness, but he immediately cleared his throat, adopted a much stiffer military posture, and forced his voice deeper. "Is something the matter?" he asked, trying to sound harsh and grave.

'And it seems he has a very hard time faking his voice when he's under so much pressure, huh,' Ryan thought, amused by the poor performance.

"Just an observation," Ryan commented, resting his chin on his hand with an expression of total disinterest. "You should wear slightly looser clothes if you plan on continuing to hide your identity. With such a tight outfit, it's very hard for you to hide the size of your breasts."

The silence that followed that statement was absolute, until Lise let out a muffled laugh from her spot next to the throne.

Alicia quickly averted her gaze toward one of the columns, twitching her ears uncomfortably, just like Chloe, who stared at the stone floor and rubbed the back of her neck. Neither of them understood how it was possible for their leader, in the middle of a tense diplomatic negotiation between nations, to drop such a direct and inappropriate mockery.

Solaris's pale cheeks turned a red so intense it almost rivaled the color of her flaming hair. Her fists clenched so hard that her knuckles cracked.

Beside her, Aedan and Irnina let out a strange nasal sound. They both had to bite their lips hard, as they narrowly held back a massive, indiscreet burst of laughter in front of the entire court upon seeing Solaris's secret exposed so casually.

Solaris turned her head and glared at Aedan and Irnina with a look full of murderous intent.

"I'm very sorry, Sir Solaris, but it seems the king has already figured out your little secret," Irnina said, raising both hands in a clear sign of feigned surrender, though the huge, mocking smile never left her lips.

"Shut up, Irnina," Solaris hissed through gritted teeth.

Surprisingly, the disguised demoness didn't respond to Ryan's blatant provocation. Instead of summoning her fire and launching an attack like she would have done anywhere else, she swallowed hard, lowered her head, and endured the humiliation.

Despite her volcanic nature, she understood perfectly well what it meant to cause military trouble in the very heart of another Demon King's nation.

But for Ryan, that little provocation had a much greater tactical purpose than a simple mockery.

Ryan was able to verify, in real time and without a doubt, that his current status had made him someone the Ignis nation could not take lightly under any circumstances.

Seeing someone as proud, violent, and impulsive as Solaris holding back her anger and behaving docilely was the irrefutable proof of his absolute dominance.

Heavy footsteps echoed at the entrance, interrupting the tension in the hall.

"Your Majesty, we have brought the demon king's son," announced one of Kowarre's soldiers, giving a deep bow.

The insufferable little prince entered the hall escorted by the guard. Upon looking up and seeing the emissaries, the boy didn't show relief; instead, he looked directly at his older brother, Aedan, with a deep, bitter anger reflected in his small eyes.

Curiously, Beatrice's little brother also trotted in behind them, playing with a small wooden dagger. It seemed that during all this time locked up in the castle, both children had forged a strange friendship from being similar in age and surrounded by dangerous adults.

"Is it really him?" Solaris asked, narrowing her eyes at the clean and well-fed child, looking genuinely surprised that he wasn't tortured or mutilated.

"Yes, it's him. They have an unmistakable familial scent," Irnina confirmed, subtly sniffing the air.

Aedan didn't respond to the comments. Unlike Irnina and Solaris, he perfectly knew the young prince's features and held the boy's wrathful gaze with a completely stoic and inscrutable expression.

Ryan straightened up in his throne, abandoning his relaxed posture. His emerald eyes darkened, and the atmosphere in the hall turned heavy and icy in an instant. The time for introductions was over.

"As you can see with your own eyes, the prince is healthy, strong, and without any kind of physical harm," Ryan declared in a cold, firm, and calculating tone.

"Now, are you ready to hear my demands?"