Lucien chuckled inside my head, the sound laced with barely concealed malice.

"Care to explain why you are poking around my lands, little star?" he asked pleasantly. "One might think you were looking for something you lost."

I stopped.

Not my pacing, my temper.

Barely.

I hated him.

I hated both of them.

If hatred were mana, I could have drowned continents with what I felt toward the Demon King and the Elven King alike. They were parasites on the world, dressed in crowns and eternity, playing at order while grinding civilizations beneath their boots.

Lucien, at least, was honest about it.

Lunarith pretended he was better.

I didn't bother acknowledging the elf's presence at first, even though his domain pressed against my perception like a blade resting on my throat. His voice had been calm earlier, but I could feel the edge behind it, the way one feels a drawn bow even before the string is released.

Lucien, on the other hand, savored this.

I exhaled slowly and answered him, letting warmth soften my tone like honey poured over poison.

"You flatter me, Your Majesty," I said lightly. "But I assure you, I wasn't searching your lands specifically. My perception simply… wandered. You know how these things happen."

Lucien hummed. "Do they? I find most people are quite deliberate when they trespass."

Before I could reply, Lunarith cut in, sharp, clean, utterly devoid of pleasantries.

"State your purpose, Belle Ardent," the Elven King said. "You have no leave to survey my domain. Withdraw your perception."

I ignored him.

Completely.

I didn't even spare him a mental glance.

Instead, I focused on Lucien, because if I was going to waste breath on one immortal tyrant, it would be the one who at least appreciated the performance.

"I'm concerned," I continued sweetly. "For my students. They vanished. You know how attached teachers can be. I feared they may have… crossed borders without realizing it."

Lucien laughed softly. "Concerned. Of course you are."

His amusement brushed against my mind like claws tracing glass.

"You always did have a soft spot for strays," he went on. "Though I must admit, spreading your perception halfway across the world is a bit excessive, don't you think?"

"Oh?" I replied. "And here I thought you admired initiative."

"I admire audacity," Lucien corrected. "There's a difference."

The elven bastard spoke again, irritation bleeding through his restraint.

"You will answer me, Ardent," Lunarith said coldly. "Or I will take measures to ensure you leave my lands permanently."

That did it.

I smiled.

It was not a nice smile.

"How charming," I said aloud, though my voice carried only into the connection. "Still threatening murder as a conversation starter. You elves truly are creatures of habit."

Lucien chuckled again, clearly enjoying this far too much.

"Careful, little star," he said. "He does have a temper. Beneath all that moonlight and foliage."

"Oh, I'm shaking," I replied blandly. "Truly."

Then, more gently, I added, "Mind your business, Lucien."

There it was.

The polite version of fuck off.

The Demon King went quiet for a heartbeat.

Then two.

Then...

He laughed.

Not loudly.

Not openly.

But the sound that slid into my mind was wrong, too soft, too contained, like a man laughing into his sleeve while watching a city burn.

"Oh, Belle," Lucien said fondly. "You've always had such spirit. Even when you know you're outmatched."

"I don't recall asking for your opinion."

"No," he agreed. "You never do."

Lunarith's presence sharpened.

"You will cease this intrusion," the Elven King said, each word clipped. "This is your final warning."

Lucien sighed theatrically.

"Oh, do stop posturing," he said, turning his attention to Lunarith without any effort at all. "She's hardly an invasion force. Not yet, anyway."

"That is not your decision," Lunarith snapped.

Lucien paused.

Mid-thought.

Mid-word.

Something shifted.

I felt it immediately, the way one feels pressure drop before a storm, the way animals go silent when a predator lifts its head.

Then Lucien began to laugh again.

This time, it wasn't quiet.

This time, it was… delighted.

"My apologies," he said, voice smooth once more. "I've just realized something."

I didn't like the way his attention slid back to me.

"Belle," Lucien continued, "I believe I'll allow it."

I blinked under my blindfold.

"Allow what?" I asked warily.

"Your search," he said simply. "You may pass through my domain. Freely. Extend your perception as far as you wish."

The elven bastard went still.

"What?" Lunarith said.

Lucien ignored him.

"You heard me," Lucien went on lightly. "Consider it a courtesy. A favor, even."

I narrowed my eyes.

Lucien did not do favors.

Not without a price.

"And why," I asked carefully, "would you do that?"

He chuckled. "Curiosity. Sympathy. Boredom. Take your pick."

I did not believe him for a second; while he may not have been lying, he was definitely not telling the truth.

Lunarith's voice cut in, cold and sharp as frostbitten steel.

"I do not consent," he said. "She will not trespass through my domain."

Lucien's amusement vanished.

Just like that.

The pressure spiked.

"You will," Lucien said calmly.

Silence.

"I remind you," Lunarith replied slowly, "that there is a treaty. Two years remain before hostilities may resume."

Lucien laughed.

This time, it was not soft.

"I don't care," he said pleasantly. "I will break it."

The words fell like a guillotine.

"I will walk into your forests myself," Lucien continued, voice gentle, almost conversational, "and I will burn your domain until even the roots beg for mercy. And when I am finished, there will be no Verdant Court left to rebuild."

The connection went quiet.

Dead quiet.

I waited.

So did Lucien.

There were two well-known facts about the Demon King.

Lucien Draegor did not lie.

And Lucien Draegor was, undeniably, the strongest being under the heavens.

Closest to ascendance.

Closest to godhood.

Lunarith's silence stretched.

Then, finally.

"I accept," the Elven fucker said.

No emotion.

No inflection.

But I could hear it anyway.

The reluctance.

Lucien smiled.

I felt it.

"Wonderful," he said cheerfully. "I'll inform the others as well."

"The High Chancellor of Ironhold," he listed casually.

"The Beastlord of the Lycane Tribes."

"And Valeria Nocturne."

I stiffened slightly at the last name.

The Matriarch of the Crimson Dominion.

Lucien continued, "They'll cooperate. One way or another."

I did not thank him.

I did not trust him.

But I would use what he offered.

"Very well," I said. "I accept."

Lucien hummed approvingly.

"Do be careful, Belle," he added lightly. "The world is… restless lately."

The connection began to fade.

One by one, the pressures withdrew.

Lucien lingered just a moment longer.

"Oh," he said, almost as an afterthought. "If you find what you're looking for…"

"Yes?"

His smile sharpened.

"Do let me know."

Then he was gone.

I stood alone again in the ruined forest, blood still drying at the corner of my eye, the air cold and quiet around me.

I did not relax.

Lucien's kindness was never free.

Perhaps the Goddess of Darkness had whispered something in his ear.

Or the Goddess of Curses.

Either way, it didn't matter.

I lifted my head.

And once more, I spread my perception.

This time, without restraint.

It surged outward, covering the entire known world of Kizarvoss, every empire, every domain, every landmass stitched together beneath a single, relentless gaze.

I searched.

For Sebastian.

And I would not stop.

A/N: How can we not love Belle, searching the entire world for her beloved.

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