CHAPTER 123: [THE GAME BEGINS]

Yue’s smile faded.

Her eyes sharpened.

Kael felt the pressure immediately—something heavy, invisible pressing against the air.

But his face remained a mask.

Emotionless.

Cold.

He leaned back slightly, lips curving into a quiet laugh.

"You jest, Princess," he said lightly.

"Me? The Devil?"

He chuckled again.

"Truly, that’s a good one."

But his mind was a storm.

She knows.

Or thinks she does.

He couldn’t tell how much was truth—and how much was bait.

Still, he played along, voice casual.

"So tell me, Your Highness... what proof do you have that I might be the Devil?"

His tone was calm.

But behind that calm... darker thoughts churned.

He could kill her.

Right now.

Fast, clean, permanent.

She was powerful—but not invincible.

Problem solved.

But what if she wasn’t bluffing?

What if she had left notes? Warned someone? Laid traps?

No.

Killing her was risky.

Capturing her? Possibly.

But even that came with complications.

As his mind spiraled deeper into contingency plans, Elara suddenly laughed.

Soft. Knowing.

A little too amused.

"You’re thinking about how to silence me," she said.

Kael didn’t reply.

She leaned forward, eyes gleaming.

"You really are fascinating, Kaelion."

And then—She dropped the blade.

"The real Kaelion died. Poisoned. Quietly. Months ago."

Silence.

The words hit like a thunderclap.

Kael’s thoughts flatlined for half a breath.

He didn’t flinch.

Didn’t blink.

But inside?

He froze.

Then... she reached into her space ring.

And placed a glowing scroll on the table between them.

Rank 4 mana contract.

Kael read it without touching it.

It was a truth-binding game.

Each would ask a question in turns.

Each would be forced to answer truthfully.

And their conversation—every word of it—would be sealed.

If either of them broke the agreement, the punishment was death.

Kael lifted an eyebrow, voice smooth.

"And what if I don’t sign it?"

Elara tilted her head, lips curling slightly.

"Then you lose the chance to gain a very useful ally."

She spoke with poise, but there was steel in her gaze.

"If I wanted you dead, Kael, I could have whispered the truth to my father during court.

Instead, I’m here."

A pause.

Her voice softened.

"Maybe... we could even be partners."

Kael didn’t react.

Didn’t acknowledge the offer.

He simply studied her for a moment longer, then let out a quiet breath.

"You’re smart," he said. "I’ll give you that."

Her smile sharpened—subtle, pleased.

Without another word, Kael pricked his finger and let a drop of blood fall onto the scroll.

It flared with golden light—then vanished into ash.

The mana pact activated.

A thin ripple of energy shimmered around them like a whisper of magic locking in the truth.

Kael leaned back slightly in his seat, exhaling once.

"So," he said.

"The game begins."

Elara didn’t hesitate.

Her first question fell like a blade.

"Are you the Devil?"

Yue stiffened, her ghostly form hovering just behind Kael, lips pressed into a rare, tense line.

Kael didn’t blink.

Of course she’d ask that.

It was the obvious first move—expected, calculated.

And yet, it still sent a flicker of heat down his spine.

He could dodge it.

The contract demanded truth, yes, but only within the limits of the question itself.

She hadn’t specified which Devil.

Not the one at Veilspire, not the one with the Godbreaker’s Mark.

He could say, "I’m a human. Not a Devil," and let her waste her first turn.

But Kael hesitated.

Just for a second.

Because the risk... was real.

If the contract deemed his answer dishonest—if the magic judged even a hint of deception—

He would die.

Painfully.

And judging by the way Elara watched him—calm, focused, unforgiving—this wasn’t a game to her.

So he exhaled softly... and told the truth.

"Yes. I’m the Devil."

A single breath of silence.

Elara inhaled sharply, her fingers tightening slightly around her teacup.

She had suspected.

Of course she had.

But confirmation? Hearing it from his lips?

It was different.

Staring at him now—this pale-skinned, clean-cut noble with sharp cheekbones and a quiet, deadly calm—she felt a strange dissonance.

This man was the one whispered about in courtrooms and taverns alike?

The one who had painted Mount Veilspire in blood?

The one they said bore the mark that defied the heavens?

Her thoughts spiraled—until Kael’s voice shattered them.

Dry. Flat.

"Something wrong? Or were you just stunned by how good I look?"

Elara blinked, snapped out of her trance.

She coughed lightly.

Composed herself.

"...Go ahead," she said. "Your turn."

Kael didn’t waste a second.

His gaze sharpened like a blade drawn from silk.

"How many people know?"

Elara arched a brow.

"That’s your first question?"

"It’s the only one that matters right now."

She smiled—just a hint.

"So cautious. Smart."

Then, she leaned forward.

"No one else knows.

I haven’t written it down.

Haven’t spoken it aloud.

Not to a single soul."

Her voice held no lies.

Only certainty.

"This conversation is between you and me, Kaelion."

Kael watched her for a moment longer, searching her eyes for any flicker of deceit.

There was none.

And then, finally... he leaned back in his chair and exhaled.

Relief? Not quite.

But something close.

Good.

He wouldn’t have to get his hands dirty.

Not yet.

And maybe... not at all.

Elara leaned back slightly.

Her second question came without pause—measured, deliberate.

"Who are you, really?"

Kael didn’t answer immediately.

He could lie again.

Say "I’m human," dodge the question, keep things vague.

But she wasn’t playing games.

She was taking this seriously—offering real information, putting herself at risk.

And maybe... just maybe, he respected that.

So for once, he chose not to act like a bastard.

He exhaled slowly.

"My name is Kael."

A pause.

"Somehow... after Kaelion died, my soul took over his body.

I don’t know how.

I just woke up in his place."

He watched her face carefully, waiting for a reaction—shock, disbelief, horror.

But Elara didn’t even blink.

No gasp.

No wide-eyed "What?"

Just calm, quiet understanding.

She had already suspected it.

Or calculated it.

And this answer simply confirmed her theory.

That unsettled him more than outrage ever could.

Kael narrowed his eyes.

His turn.

"How do you know Kaelion died from poisoning?"