With their hands still interlocked, Vivian and Lily continued to skip happily with excitement and anticipation written all over their faces.

"Gifts, gifts, gifts, gifts!"

"Presents, presents, presents, presents!"

Their voices were in perfect harmony as they bounced along the hallway then Vivian stopped in front of a pair of crimson colored doors.

She flicked her wrist gently and the doors silently swung open to reveal a massive chamber that was wide enough to fit five banquet halls.

Several wooden shelves were lined up on the wall and soft, comfortable cushions were arranged neatly in rows.

A cool, soothing breeze drifted through the room as Vivian stepped in with Aster and Lily trailing behind her.

"This will be our gift storage hall for tonight," Vivian said calmly.

"Woooaaah… It's so big!" Lily gasped in awe, and Vivian smiled as she spread her fingers, and seven miniaturized portals appeared on the ceiling.

The three carriages of offerings began to empty themselves magically through the portal as all the gifts, from gold to jewelry and magical artifacts, fell into organized piles.

But just as all the items had been piled up, a soft creaking sound suddenly emerged from behind, causing Aster and Lily to turn around.

Hallie stepped into the room and the female jack-o'-lantern bowed politely.

She was still wearing her usual butler's outfit but she was also holding the Thunderbird egg.

"Your Majesty, Princess, Young Master," Hallie greeted in a soft and elegant voice before alternating her gaze between Vivian and the piles of gifts in the room.

"Your Majesty, it will take some time, but the knights and I will see to it that everything is arranged properly."

Hallie continued. "We shall categorize all the gifts into different sections. The gold coins and jewels will be delivered to the royal treasury. The magical artifacts will also be inspected and stored in a separate vault while the clothing, silks, and miscellaneous items will be arranged on the shelves." Hallie explained before realising that she was still holding the Thunderbird egg in her hands.

"Oh, and as for this. I will personally find a safe, warm, and highly conducive environment for the egg to incubate."

"Thank you, Hallie."

"It's nothing, Your Majesty." Hallie bowed once more before receiving the crystal globe from Aster and left to immediately begin carrying out her task.

Meanwhile, Lily now had a sad look on her face.

Noticing this, Vivian couldn't help but find it utterly cute and adorable. "Sorry, dear. Mama understands that you would rather check out your new presents now, but we'll do that first thing in the morning, instead, okay?"

"O-okay." Lily puffed her cheeks in sadness before nodding her head in understanding.

Since Hallie would be categorizing and rearranging all the items, it would take a while before she would be done.

So rather than wait for when she and the knights would be done, Vivian knew that it would be better for them to just wait until tomorrow.

"Alright, dear. It's bath time and once we're done, we'll head straight to bed. So, come now." Vivian said happily as she pulled her children to the bathroom.

After some time, steam gently drifted through the open doors of Vivian's bedroom as the smell of flowers permeated the air.

Within her room, Vivian stood in front of her mirror as she slipped her arms into a silk nightgown.

Next to her, Lily sat on a cushion with her legs kicking gently as Cara wrapped her in a fluffy towel before helping her into her tiny pajamas.

Across the room, Sara helped Aster into his night robes but he barely noticed what she was doing because his mind was elsewhere as he recalled everything that had happened today, especially with the announcement Vulcan had made.

However, there was something that had really been bothering him and he couldn't help but call out to his mother.

"Mother?"

"Yes, dear?"

"I never knew demon lords cared so much for their people."

"In a way, yes, we do."

"Is that why Lord Vulcan was willing to go as far as building an entire arena, just to make the younger generation of demons stronger? It must have taken him years of effort to accomplish this, but it seemed like he really wanted young demons to do well in the academy."

Hearing this, Vivian giggled as she tied the sash of her nightgown. "Oh sweetie, do you really believe Vulcan built the arena out of the kindness of his heart?"

"He… didn't?"

"Of course not, and if baby thinks Vulcan did it out of kindness, then my little dragon still has a lot to learn as a demon prince."

Aster furrowed his brows as he thought about what his mother said.

Of course, he knew Vulcan couldn't have done what he did out of utter kindness and worry for the future generation of demons, but a part of him had thought that was the case.

"…Then why did he do it?" Aster asked and Vivian smiled as she glided toward him.

Her nightgown brushed against the floor as she walked closer to him before gently cupping his cheeks as though he was the most innocent little demon she had ever met.

Well, he really was the second most innocent demon she had ever met, after Lily of course, so she could never blame him for knowing little to nothing about demons and their true nature.

"My little prince… in the demon world, power and kindness do not walk hand in hand. They walk in opposite directions entirely."

Aster swallowed. "So… Vulcan had another reason for building the arena?"

"Oh, my dear. He had many reasons."

"Many?"

"Yep, many." Vivian giggled lightly as she tapped Aster's nose before pulling him down to sit at the edge of the bed.

She also sat down beside him before crossing one leg over the other. "Let me teach you something, my little dragon. Demon Lords do nothing, absolutely nothing, unless it benefits their Kingdom or themselves."

Aster's brows furrowed thoughtfully as Vivian continued. "Vulcan did not spend decades planning a grand tournament because he cared about the youths."

Vivian explained as she lifted one finger. "He did it because he wanted influence."

Then another finger.

"He did it because he wanted authority."

And a third.

"And he did it because he knew that by controlling the arena, he controlled the future generation of demons."

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