Chapter 221: Chapter : 221 : Cruelty!

The iron doors groaned open.

Warm light spilled out.

Music followed.

Low strings. Soft percussion. Something slow and indulgent that crept under the skin instead of lifting the spirit.

They walked through a dark corridor, before they reached a door.

Aiden stepped through first.

The room beyond was enormous—an open circular hall with layered balconies rising upward like a coliseum. Velvet drapes hung between marble pillars, dyed in deep reds, purples, and blacks. Lanterns of tinted glass cast the space in amber and wine-colored glow.

Everyone wore masks.

Every face hidden. Every intention bare.

Men in tailored suits leaned casually against railings, drinks in hand, laughing too loudly. Women in revealing gowns reclined on cushioned seats like queens who’d never known consequence. Jewelry glittered everywhere—gold, gems, collars.

Yes.

Collars.

Aiden’s jaw tightened almost imperceptibly.

Along the edges of the hall stood demons.

Not guards.

Pets.

Some knelt silently at their owners’ feet, eyes downcast. Others stood behind chairs, hands clasped, expressions carefully blank. Leather bands circled throats, wrists, horns. Runes glowed faintly—binding sigils.

One woman—masked in peacock feathers—dragged her demon by a chain as if bored, laughing while her companion fed it grapes from his fingers like a novelty.

Luna froze for half a second.

Her fingers dug into Aiden’s arm.

“…Master,” she whispered. “They’re treating them like toys.”

Venya’s eyes were huge. Not excited this time. “Venya doesn’t like this place.”

Selvara’s jaw was clenched so hard the muscle jumped. “Give the word,” she muttered. “I’ll kill them.”

Xylendra’s burned with restrained fury. “This is legalized cruelty.”

Valeforia exhaled slowly, forcing calm. “W Patience.”

Aiden didn’t stop walking.

His posture remained relaxed. Confident. The kind of confidence that belonged here.

“Eyes forward,” he said quietly. “Remember why we’re here.”

Nyxion leaned closer, voice smooth but dangerous. “If someone crosses a line—”

“I’ll handle it,” Aiden replied softly.

They moved deeper into the hall.

Heads turned.

Not because of the women—though they drew plenty of attention—but because of him.

Aiden didn’t look like the usual clientele.

He wasn’t loud. Wasn’t posturing. Wasn’t flaunting wealth.

He looked like someone who didn’t need to.

A man in a silver mask approached first, wine glass in hand, smile sharp. “New face,” he said pleasantly. “First time in the east?”

Aiden inclined his head slightly. “That obvious?”

The man chuckled. “You’re standing too straight. You’ll learn.”

Thristle leaned in with a grin. “He always stands like that.”

The man’s gaze flicked to her. “You selling, or—”

Aiden stepped half a pace forward.

Subtle.

Blocking.

“She’s with me.”

The man raised his hands in mock surrender. “Didn’t mean offense. Plenty of shared arrangements here.”

“Not ours,” Aiden replied calmly.

The smile faded just a bit.

“Pity,” the man said, already backing away.

Luna beamed under her mask.

Moments later, it was Aiden’s turn.

A woman in a crimson gown—older, confident, predatory—circled him slowly, eyes raking over his suit.

“You don’t wear a collar,” she purred. “Interesting.”

“I don’t belong to anyone,” Aiden replied.

She smiled wider. “That can be fixed.”

Before Aiden could answer—

Luna slipped between them.

Her arm wrapped around his, tailless body leaning in possessively.

“He’s taken,” she said sweetly. “Very taken.”

The woman laughed. “Ah. How quaint.”

Nyxion leaned in from the other side. “Say another word,” she murmured, “and you won’t enjoy your evening.”

The woman blinked.

Then laughed again—nervous this time. “New money,” she muttered, retreating.

Aethoniel hadn’t said a word.

Her gaze was locked on a demon girl nearby—kneeling, eyes empty, hands bound with silk rope. A noble absentmindedly rested his foot on her shoulder like furniture.

Aethoniel’s hands trembled.

Aiden noticed instantly.

He shifted closer, placing a hand lightly at her back.

“Breathe,” he murmured.

She nodded.

Selvara looked ready to kill someone.

Valeforia whispered, “This place exists because people like this believe no one will stop them.”

Aiden scanned the room—really scanned it this time.

The power brokers. The buyers. The monsters in silk.

And the demons who endured in silence.

Aiden guided them toward one of the circular lounge sections set slightly back from the main floor.

The seating curved inward, plush and deliberately intimate, arranged so every guest could watch the stage without feeling watched themselves. Low tables of dark glass held crystal decanters and small plates of finger food, untouched for now.

Aiden sat first.

Luna immediately slid in on his left, Seraphina on his right, both close enough that his arms naturally settled around them. It looked effortless. It felt grounding.

Seraphina’s excitement from earlier had dulled.

She watched the room quietly now, silver mask tilted just slightly as her eyes followed the demons stationed around the hall. Her gaze lingered on one in particular—standing rigidly behind a pair of laughing nobles, collar glowing faintly.

“…I didn’t know,” she said softly.

Aiden glanced down at her.

“I knew humans could be cruel,” Seraphina continued, voice low, careful. “But this… this isn’t just cruelty. They don’t even see them as people.”

Her eyes flicked toward Nivara, who stood just behind their seats, posture controlled, unreadable.

“I grew up in a palace,” Seraphina said. “Protected. Sheltered. I thought… I thought laws stopped this.”

Nivara stepped forward without hesitation.

She rested a hand gently on Seraphina’s head, fingers threading lightly through her hair in a comforting, familiar gesture.

“This is not your fault, Princess,” Nivara said calmly. “You did not create this place. Nor did you choose its customs.”

Seraphina leaned into the touch instinctively.

“But you see it now,” Nivara added. “That matters.”

Seraphina swallowed, nodding. “…I don’t like it.”

“Good,” Nyxion muttered from across the seating circle. “That means you’re still sane.”

Luna had been scanning the room with sharp eyes—ears gone, instincts not. Her gaze drifted past the balconies, the masked nobles, the demons standing silent.

Then—

Her nose twitched.

She turned her head slowly.

Her eyes locked onto a long table near the wall, layered with silver trays and crystal bowls. Warm steam curled up from covered dishes. Fresh bread. Roasted meats. Glazed fruit.

Her expression transformed.

“…Master,” she said brightly, already standing. “There’s food.”

Aiden chuckled. “Of course there is. We have it on our table too.”

“I’m bringing some,” Luna declared, already stepping away. “I’ll be right back.”

Nayla rose smoothly beside her, eyes glittering with amusement. “Oh, I wouldn’t miss that. Lead the way.”

Luna grinned beneath her mask, and the two of them moved off together—crimson and shadow weaving through silk and velvet.

Aiden watched them go, posture relaxed but eyes alert.

“They’ll be fine,” Thristle said, stretching her legs. “Probably.”

Across the hall, Luna and Nayla reached the table.

Luna wasted no time, piling her plate with enthusiasm—bread, meat, something dripping with sauce she didn’t recognize but trusted completely.

Nayla selected more slowly, amused, sampling with her eyes before choosing delicately.

“This place has excess,” Nayla mused. “Even in cruelty, humans are indulgent.”

Luna snorted. “Food’s food.”

They were halfway done filling their plates when shadows fell across the table.

Two men had approached—both masked, both dressed in expensive suits, posture loose with entitlement.

“Well now,” one said smoothly. “Didn’t expect such lovely company at the buffet.”

Luna didn’t even look up.

She shifted slightly to reach another tray, completely ignoring them.

The second man laughed softly. “Playing hard to get?”

Nayla turned.

Her smile was slow. Dangerous. Deliberate.

“Not at all,” she said pleasantly. “We’re simply occupied.”

The first man’s eyes lingered on her massive boobs. “You could be occupied elsewhere.”

Nayla tilted her head, pretending to consider it. “Mm. Tempting.”

Luna frowned faintly, mouth full, but still didn’t engage.

Nayla leaned closer to the men, voice lowering conspiratorially. “The problem is… I already belong to someone.”

The second man scoffed. “That’s never stopped anyone here.”

Nayla smiled wider.

“Oh,” she said lightly, lifting her chin and pointing across the hall. “But mine tends to stop people.”

They followed her gesture.

Their eyes landed on Aiden.

He wasn’t moving.

He wasn’t scowling.

He was simply watching.

Calm. Still. Masked.

And utterly unimpressed.

A pressure hit them—not magical, not overt—but something instinctive. The kind of look that made predators reassess which side of the food chain they were on.

Aiden’s head tilted just slightly.

Both men stiffened.

“…Right,” one muttered. “Didn’t realize.”

“Apologies,” the other added quickly.

They backed away. Fast.

Luna finally glanced up, chewing. “Huh. They left.”

Nayla laughed softly. “Yes. They did.”

They returned moments later, plates full.

Luna slid back into her seat immediately, tucking in like nothing had happened.

“Food acquired,” she announced happily.

Aiden smiled and pulled her close again. “Good work.”

Seraphina glanced at Nayla. “Did they bother you?”

“Briefly,” Nayla replied lightly. “They corrected themselves.”

Nyxion smirked. “Smart men.”

He rested back into the seat, arms around Luna and Seraphina, eyes scanning the room one last time before the spectacle began.

From above, a balcony door opened.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” a masked host announced smoothly, “please take your seats. The viewing will begin shortly.”

The crowd began to move.

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END OF Chapter : 221 : CRUELTY!

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