Chapter 61: The Name Called Calista

Queen Morwenna’s expression remained calm as she looked at Daemon and Victoria.

"If you wish to enter the Bloodline Trial," she said, "you will have to go to the Vampire Kingdom."

Victoria’s eyes sharpened slightly. Daemon also grew more focused.

Morwenna continued,

"And Calista will guide you there."

For a moment, the hall fell quiet.

Sana frowned.

"Calista?"

Roxanna looked around in confusion as well. Even Victoria turned her head slightly, searching for the person Morwenna was referring to.

Then a soft flapping sound cut through the silence.

The small black bat left Victoria’s shoulder, fluttered once in the air, and landed neatly in front of them. It tilted its tiny head as if announcing itself.

Sana stared.

"...Don’t tell me."

Morwenna’s lips curved faintly.

"Yes. That is Calista."

Victoria looked down at the bat with a complicated expression. The same creature that had followed them through the forest, transformed into a masked girl, and then returned to this small form... was their guide to the Vampire Kingdom.

Before anyone else could speak, Victoria shook her head.

"I don’t want to go right now."

Daemon turned toward her.

Victoria’s voice was steady.

"I want to help you find Kassia first."

The hall grew quieter again.

Daemon studied her face for a moment. There was no hesitation in her eyes.

She had already made her decision, and it was clear she would not be moved easily.

He nodded.

"Alright. After that, we can go to the Vampire Kingdom. First, we find Kassia. Roxanna and I also need to complete a few dungeon gates for the WHA Guild."

Morwenna listened to everything without interruption. When Daemon finished, she gave a small nod.

"That is your choice," she said. "Calista will remain here. Whenever you are ready, she can guide you.

But before that time comes, you must prepare yourself properly. When you decide to enter the trial, I will help you."

Victoria lowered her head slightly in acknowledgment.

Morwenna then looked at Daemon.

"Now... may I speak with you privately?"

Daemon nodded.

"Yes, Your Majesty. We can talk while walking. Please guide me through the palace."

The two of them turned and left the main hall together, their footsteps fading down the long corridor lined with living wood and soft crystal light.

Once they were gone, Princess Zephyra stepped forward toward Sana.

Sana quickly composed herself and gestured toward Victoria.

"This is Victoria. Daemon’s first wife."

Zephyra studied Victoria for a moment before offering a polite nod.

"I have heard a little about you."

Victoria returned the gesture with calm dignity.

"I’ve heard about you as well. Thank you for training Sana."

The two women exchanged a few calm words. Though their personalities were different one sharp and direct, the other refined and measured there was no hostility between them.

After a short conversation, Sana and Zephyra excused themselves and left the hall together, speaking about training matters as they walked away.

That left only Victoria and Roxanna.

Roxanna hesitated for a second, then spoke softly.

"I need to gather my things. I’m returning to Earth with Daemon."

Victoria nodded.

"I’ll come with you."

Roxanna’s room inside Silverheart Palace was quiet and neatly arranged. Soft light filtered through the open window, and a few elven-style belongings rested near the bed.

The faint scent of herbs lingered in the air, a reminder of the months she had spent training under Queen Morwenna.

As Roxanna began packing, Victoria stood nearby, watching her in silence for a while.

Eventually, Roxanna’s hands slowed.

"...Victoria."

Victoria looked at her.

Roxanna’s fingers tightened slightly around the fabric she was holding.

"There’s something I need to say."

Victoria waited without interrupting.

Roxanna took a quiet breath.

"I like Daemon."

The words were simple, but the weight behind them was clear.

She continued before she could lose courage.

"I know he is your husband. I know I have no right to feel this way so easily.

But during the time we spent together... and during the months of training here... those feelings didn’t disappear. If anything, they grew stronger."

Her voice lowered.

"I feel guilty. Every time I think about it, I feel like I’m standing in a place that doesn’t belong to me."

Victoria remained silent for a few seconds.

Then she walked closer and sat down near the edge of the bed.

"Look at me," she said.

Roxanna lifted her eyes.

Victoria’s expression was calm, but not cold.

"I already knew."

Roxanna’s eyes widened slightly.

Victoria continued,

"I’m not blind. The way you look at him... the way you worry about him... it’s obvious.

And after everything that happened, it would be strange if you felt nothing."

Roxanna’s lips pressed together.

"Are you angry?"

Victoria shook her head slowly.

"If this were the old me, maybe I would have been. But things are different now." She paused. "Daemon is walking a path that keeps pulling more people into his life.

I’ve already accepted that. What matters to me is whether the people around him are sincere."

She looked directly at Roxanna.

"And you are."

Roxanna’s eyes trembled slightly.

Victoria’s voice softened.

"I won’t pretend it’s easy. I’m still his first wife, and I won’t give up that place. But I also won’t treat you as an enemy for having a sincere heart."

Roxanna lowered her head, her voice quiet.

"...Thank you."

Victoria reached out and lightly patted her shoulder.

"If you’re going to stand beside him, then grow stronger. Don’t carry only guilt. Carry resolve as well."

Roxanna nodded firmly, her chest feeling lighter than before.

In that quiet room, the distance between the two women grew smaller not through grand promises, but through honest words and mutual understanding.

Meanwhile, deeper inside the palace, Daemon walked beside Queen Morwenna through a long open corridor lined with living vines and soft crystal light.

Outside the arched openings, parts of the great silver tree could be seen stretching endlessly upward.

Morwenna spoke first.

"The girl you are searching for... who is she?"

Daemon was silent for a moment before answering.

"Her name is Kassia. She was my girlfriend before everything changed. Later, she joined Apex Guild. After that, she disappeared under strange circumstances.

We later found signs that she may have been caught in something involving corruption and restricted experiments."

He continued explaining everything they had discovered so far the secret file recovered by the WHA, the rare regeneration bloodline, the Corruption Core found in the mountains,

Morwenna listened carefully without interrupting, her expression growing more focused with every detail.

When Daemon finished, he took out his phone, unlocked it, and turned the screen toward her.

"This is her."

Morwenna’s eyes lowered to the image.

For a brief moment, her steps stopped completely.

The calm composure on her face broke into clear shock.

"...This girl."

Daemon’s brows furrowed.

"Your Majesty?"

Morwenna continued staring at the picture, her silver eyes filled with an emotion far heavier than simple surprise.

Something about Kassia’s face had shaken her deeply.

The corridor around them remained quiet. Soft crystal light reflected against the living vines along the walls, but neither of them moved. Daemon waited, watching the change in her expression carefully.

After a long silence, Morwenna finally spoke.

"Daemon... you have been given a second chance to correct the mistakes of your past. Not everyone is granted that."

Daemon’s expression tightened slightly.

He had heard strange words from her before, but this time the weight behind them felt even heavier.

Morwenna’s gaze remained fixed on him, filled with meaning he could not yet understand.

"This time, protect what you must."

Daemon remained silent.

Once again, he could not fully grasp what she was trying to tell him.

But the weight in her words settled deep in his chest

as if she were speaking about a life he no longer remembered.