Chapter 234: Chapter 234: The Second Human 1

GRAYSON’S GRIP was tight, but his hand was shaking. He looked at Mailah as if she were a puzzle he couldn’t solve. The wind blew his dark hair across his eyes, making him look wild and young.

“You look at me with so much hope,” Grayson said. His voice was a low growl. “It makes me uneasy, Mailah. In my head, I am still that man who wants to rule everything. I don’t know why I saved you. Was it because I care, or because I didn’t want to lose the game?”

Mailah felt a chill that had nothing to do with the night air. She stepped closer, her heart beating fast. “You’re worried,” she whispered. “You’re worried that your heart is still caught by someone else. You’re thinking of her, aren’t you?”

Grayson’s eyes narrowed. “Who?”

“The demon princess,” Mailah said. The name felt heavy on her tongue. “Seryn. You and your brothers… you were obsessed with her. You told me stories about it once, even if you don’t remember it now.”

Grayson went still. He turned his face away, looking out at the dark trees. “Lucson told me about her. He said we were fools. He said Seryn used us like toys to get what she wanted. He told me she is the reason I ended up cursed now. He said we proved a long time ago that she never loved us.”

He looked back at Mailah, his eyes searching her face. “But when I look at you, I feel a different kind of pull. It’s not like the stories of the princess. With her, it was like a fever. With you… it’s like I’m waking up. But I don’t trust myself. I don’t know if I’m just curious because you’re a human in a world of monsters, or if I’m actually falling for you.”

Mailah reached out and touched his arm. The leather of his jacket was cool, but she could feel the heat of his skin underneath. “Grayson, look at what you did today. You walked through soul-burning fire for me. You gave the stone your own life force. You almost died to keep me safe. That isn’t just ’curiosity.’ You have deep feelings for me, even if you’re too scared to admit it.”

Grayson laughed, but it wasn’t a happy sound. It was sharp and cold. He stepped back, breaking the touch.

“How can you be so sure?” he asked. His voice was getting louder, more intense. “Think about who I am right now. In this time, I am a man who does anything to win. I want power. I want prestige. If I let you die, I would have lost the game. The Ashfords would have been shamed. Maybe I didn’t save you. Maybe I just saved my own reputation.”

The words hit Mailah hard. She felt a sharp pain in her chest. She wanted to believe he was lying, that he was just trying to push her away because he was confused, but the doubt was there. He sounded so much like the cold prince she read about in their stories.

“That’s a cruel thing to say,” Mailah whispered. Her eyes felt hot with tears she refused to let fall.

“It’s the truth,” Grayson snapped, though his eyes looked pained. “I am a monster. Don’t try to make me a hero in your head. I might realize tomorrow that I don’t need you anymore, and then what? You’re a human. You’re fragile. I shouldn’t be the one holding your life in my hands.”

He was getting more confused as the minutes passed. Mailah could see the war inside him. One part of him wanted to pull her close and never let go, and the other part wanted to run back to his old life of cold ambition.

The sounds of laughter and music floated up from the manor. Below the balcony, the hall was filled with demons from every House. They were drinking and eating food that shimmered with enchantments.

Carson was in the middle of a group, telling a joke that had them all howling with laughter. He looked up and saw Grayson and Mailah on the balcony. He gave them a cheeky wink and raised his glass.

Lucson was standing by the King, his expression serious. He was watching the doors. Even though they had won, the eldest Ashford brother never let his guard down. He knew that in this world, a victory just meant you had a bigger target on your back.

“They’re a mess, aren’t they?” a voice said behind Mailah.

She turned to see Mason leaning against the stone doorway. He was holding a small glass of blue liquid. He looked tired but amused.

“Grayson is just being a prat,” Mason said, taking a sip of his drink. “He’s fighting himself. He’s always been the most stubborn of us. He wants to be the cold, powerful leader, but his soul is already tied to yours. It’s funny to watch, really.”

“It’s not funny to me,” Mailah said, wiping her eyes.

“Give him time,” Mason said, his voice softening. “He’s literally a version of himself from centuries ago. He’s lost his memories of the man he became. But the heart… the heart remembers things the brain forgets. He’ll get there. Just don’t let him bully you with his ’dark prince’ act.”

Grayson glared at Mason. “Go away, Mason. Don’t you have some things to go mess up?”

“I’m going, I’m going,” Mason chuckled. “Try not to break the human, Gray. She’s the only one we’ve got.”

The celebration reached its peak. The music was loud, a mix of drums and haunting flutes. The King stood at the head of the long table, ready to give a toast to the Ashfords. The air was thick with the scent of jasmine and woodsmoke.

Suddenly, the heavy oak doors at the end of the hall creaked open.

The music didn’t stop at first, but a wave of cold air rolled into the room. It was a strange, heavy feeling that made the hair on everyone’s neck stand up. One by one, the guests turned around. The laughter died down.

A figure walked into the light.

The visitor was wearing a heavy, oversized black hoodie. The hood was pulled low, hiding their face in deep shadow. They walked with a slow, confident grace that didn’t match the casual clothes.

“Who is that?” someone whispered. “Is it a messenger from House Vane?” another asked.

Grayson and Mailah walked to the edge of the balcony, looking down at the floor. Grayson’s hand went instinctively to the hilt of his sword. Lucson stepped forward, his hand on his own blade.

“The party is for invited guests only,” Lucson said, his voice echoing through the silent hall. “Identify yourself.”

The visitor stopped in the center of the room. The flickering candlelight cast long shadows behind them. For a long moment, no one moved. The silence was so heavy you could hear the fire crackling in the hearth.

Slowly, the visitor reached up with pale, delicate fingers. They grabbed the edge of the hood and pulled it back.

The room gasped. Several guests actually backed away, knocking over chairs and spilling wine.

It was a woman. She had long, flowing hair the color of midnight and eyes that didn’t glow this time. Her skin was not as flawless as before she had the same small, cruel smile on her lips.

“Seryn,” Grayson whispered from the balcony. His face went completely white.

Mailah felt her heart stop.

This was her. This was the woman who had ruined the Ashford brothers. The demon princess was standing right there in the middle of their victory.

But she thought they have already banished her. She thought Ysoria banished her.

She noticed something strange.

She looked somehow…different. Almost ordinary.

The visitor looked up, her eyes locking onto Grayson. Her smile widened.

“Miss me, boys?” she asked. Her voice was still like silk sliding over glass.

Lucson took a step back, his nose wrinkling in confusion. He looked at his brothers, and then back at the woman.

“You…” Lucson stammered, his usual calm completely gone. “You don’t smell like the Abyss.”

Mason leaned over the railing, sniffing the air.

The scent was unmistakable. It wasn’t magic, and it wasn’t death.

The demon princess, the most feared woman in the history of their realm, smelled like vanilla, rain, and….sweat.

“She smells… human,” Carson said out loud.

The entire room went into an uproar. The King stood up, his eyes flashing with power. Grayson looked like he was about to faint or scream.

Seryn—or whatever she was now—just laughed. It was a bright, bubbly sound that seemed way too normal for a demon princess.

“Surprise,” she said, giving a little wave. “I heard there was a party. Can I get a drink, or are you all just going to stare at me like I’ve grown a second head?”

She didn’t look at the King or the powerful brothers. Instead, her eyes locked onto Mailah, and she whispered something.

“I’ve come to take back the life you stole from me.”

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