Chapter 476: Traumatized

As soon as Damian’s figure completely vanished from the strange mental space, the smile on Sol’s face disappeared as though it had never existed. The warmth in his expression faded, leaving behind the cold and calculating gaze of a man who had survived countless schemes and betrayals. He stared at the empty space where Damian had been before slowly turning his head toward Leo.

"What do you think?" Sol asked, his voice calm but noticeably colder than before. "Is he playing tricks?"

Leo frowned deeply as uncertainty filled the golden lion’s expression. For a creature that had spent centuries judging the intentions of powerful beings, Damian was proving unusually difficult to understand.

"If he came in here acting meek and humble from the beginning, it would have been contrary to every report we have received about him," Leo finally said. "We would have immediately concluded that he was trying to deceive us. But he dared to argue with me without fear, even after knowing exactly who I am and who I serve. It’s difficult to doubt a man who is willing to display his pride so openly in front of those stronger than him."

Leo paused as his eyes narrowed thoughtfully. "He’s difficult to read."

Sol slowly nodded in agreement. Damian had not behaved like someone desperately trying to win his favor. If anything, the younger prince had seemed irritated by the constant attention Sol and Leo paid to his affairs. He had even openly accused them of becoming an obstacle to his ambitions. Such behavior could be an incredibly elaborate performance, but Sol found it difficult to believe that a newly awakened prince would have the confidence to deceive him so naturally.

"I suppose we can only know the truth after we see whether he actually goes through with the execution," Sol said as he slowly turned away.

Leo nodded with a thoughtful expression. Killing a Duke was no small matter in the underworld. Damian had already killed Duke Haborym, and now he had openly declared that he intended to execute both Duke Darbin and Amon. If he truly carried it out, it would become much harder to dismiss his hostility toward the powerful demon clans as a temporary political act.

Sol returned to his throne and slowly lowered himself onto it. The moment his body settled against the golden seat, a cold smile spread across his lips. He crossed one leg over the other and rested his elbow against the armrest as the smile gradually widened into something far more sinister.

"Things are about to get exciting," he declared.

___ Velmora, Violet Palace ___

Damian’s eyes snapped open and he immediately sat upright on the bed. His breathing was heavier than usual, and a deep frown covered his face as his instincts moved before his thoughts could catch up. He reached for his face and wiped away the moisture clinging to his forehead. When he lowered his hand, his eyes narrowed at the sight of sweat covering his palm.

For several seconds, he simply stared at it.

"You successfully bought us some more time," Rin said from a corner of the room.

Damian did not even bother looking at him. His thoughts were still trapped in that strange courtyard, replaying the image of Sol standing before him. Until now, Damian had understood intellectually that Sol was dangerous.

But seeing him face to face was something entirely different. The desire for power burning inside Damian had never been this intense before.

Sol was truly a terrifying figure.

Damian suddenly swung his legs off the bed and rose to his feet. The movement was so abrupt that Rin straightened slightly, his expression turning curious. Damian walked directly toward the door without saying another word and pulled it open.

The guards stationed outside immediately turned toward him.

Two royal guards stood on either side of the door while Kor remained positioned directly opposite the entrance. Damian’s sudden appearance startled all of them, but what truly shook them was the sight of sweat on his pale face. None of them had ever seen the prince appear remotely shaken, not even after the assassination attempts that had nearly brought chaos to the Violet Palace.

"Sire!"

The guards instinctively rushed forward, but Damian immediately raised his hand, stopping them before they could come any closer. His expression remained tense as he walked past them without explaining himself.

Rin emerged from the room moments later, stretching lazily as though nothing unusual had happened. He glanced at the confused guards and then at Kor before speaking in a calm voice.

"Don’t bother yourselves with this. He’ll be fine."

With that, Rin followed Damian down the corridor.

Damian moved quickly through the palace, turning left before descending the broad staircase leading toward the lower levels. His footsteps echoed against the polished stone, and he had barely reached the middle of the staircase when he encountered William walking upward.

The Grand Chamberlain immediately stopped.

His eyes widened slightly as he stared at Damian. William had seen the prince angry, exhausted, injured and even standing calmly in the middle of assassination attempts, but he had never seen him like this. Damian looked as though he had spent the entire night fighting a war no one else could see.

"Sire!" William immediately stepped forward.

Damian raised his hand, stopping him.

"Secure a replacement for Amon," Damian said without wasting a single second. "A woman, to be precise. Tell Amon to remain inside his residence until after the execution. I will personally meet him before he makes his next move."

William’s expression stiffened. He did not understand what had happened during the night, but he immediately recognized the urgency in Damian’s voice. This was not a request or an idea that could wait until morning.

"Understood, sire."

Only after giving the command did Damian turn around and begin walking back upstairs.

William remained where he was for several seconds, staring at the prince’s retreating back with a deep frown. He could not help wondering what had happened to push the man who had faced Kaizer without fear into such a restless state. More importantly, whatever it was had apparently forced Damian to begin moving pieces across the board in the middle of the night.

Still, William knew better than to question an order simply because he did not understand its origin. His responsibility was not to understand Damian’s every thought. His responsibility was to carry them out.

William slowly bowed toward Damian’s retreating figure before turning around and walking in the opposite direction. He had no intention of wasting time on a task his master had personally described through his actions as urgent.

Meanwhile, Damian returned to his room and collapsed onto the bed. The moment his back touched the mattress, he released a long breath and stared blankly at the ceiling.

This time, however, sleep refused to come.

Rin jumped onto the edge of the bed and studied him quietly for several moments before finally speaking.

"What are you thinking?"

Damian’s eyes remained fixed on the ceiling.

"This encounter made me realize that I cannot afford to wait ten years," he finally said. "I need to start striking down my siblings faster, or I might end up losing this race entirely. That man looks like he could have the entire underworld under his control in less than a decade."

Rin chuckled softly.

"I highly doubt it. Sol will never be able to move that freely while the other princes exist. They may fear him, but fear is not the same as obedience. Every one of them has ambitions, armies and their own inheritance."

Damian slowly turned his head toward Rin.

"That doesn’t mean I should be comfortable."

"Of course not," Rin replied. "But worrying about a war that hasn’t begun yet will not make you stronger tonight. You have a long day ahead of you tomorrow, and we both know it will probably be even more exhausting than today."

Damian stared at him for several seconds before slowly nodding.

Rin was right. There was no reason to allow Sol and his ambitions to occupy his thoughts when Damian had an entire realm to stabilize. He had armies to reorganize, ministers to control, prisoners to deal with and an Order of Demons preparing to use every mistake he made against him.

Unfortunately, understanding this did nothing to bring back his sleep.

Damian remained awake until morning.

By the time the first faint light began creeping across the Violet Palace, his body felt heavier than usual. He had spent the entire night shifting between restless thoughts, barely closing his eyes for more than a few minutes at a time. Yet when it was finally time to appear before his ministers, there was no room for weakness.

The doors of the royal court suddenly swung open with a loud crash.

Bam!

Damian walked inside with Kor and William following closely behind him. The conversations inside the hall immediately stopped as ministers and officials turned toward the entrance.

For a brief moment, the entire court simply stared.

There was no mistaking the exhaustion on Damian’s face. His complexion appeared paler than usual, dark circles rested beneath his eyes.

A few ministers instinctively exchanged glances.

They had expected to see the same confident prince who had publicly turned the mood of the entire capital in a single afternoon. Instead, Damian looked as though his soul had been dragged through the depths of the Abyss and thrown back into his body just in time for court.

Yet despite his appearance, no one dared question him.

Damian walked toward his throne and lowered himself into it without ceremony. He leaned back briefly, closed his eyes for a second and then opened them again before turning his attention toward the ministers gathered throughout the hall.

"Let’s get this over with," he said.

William immediately stepped forward with a scroll already prepared in his hands.