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Ada walked through the corridors of her family\'s castle, the Baal clan, with steady steps, though her heart was far from calm.

Unlike Roxanne, who had gone willingly to speak with her mother... Ada was facing something worse. She had been summoned without any explanation, and it didn\'t seem like a simple family meeting...

No, when Raphaeline Baal called someone, especially her own daughter, it was for a reason that demanded immediate explanations. And Ada knew exactly what her mother wanted to discuss.

The Master-Servant contract, her accidental marriage.

Ada didn\'t know how her mother had found out so quickly, but she wasn\'t surprised.

Raphaeline had eyes and ears throughout the underworld, perhaps even in other realms.

She was ready to face her mother\'s judgment, though her blood ran cold at the thought of what was to come.

The doors to the main hall loomed before her.

Gigantic and made of black wood, engraved with ancient runes and depictions of the Baal clan\'s glorious battles, these doors represented power and tradition.

Guards in traditional Japanese armor, complete with oni masks that made their faces even more intimidating, opened the doors for Ada without a word.

The hall was empty, except for one figure seated on the elevated throne at the center of the room.

Raphaeline Baal, the Demon Queen of the Baal clan, was there, waiting.

She wore an impeccable black kimono, dark as night, with golden details resembling winding flames. Her hair, long and jet-black, cascaded down her back, and her eyes were a deep red, a bottomless well of cruelty and power.

Swords.

There were swords everywhere.

Some sheathed and proudly displayed on the walls, others resting beside the throne.

Raphaeline was obsessed with them, and her collection of blades was legendary, comprised of weapons forged in demon wars or gifts from defeated kingdoms that had fallen.

It was simple, if you wanted a favor from a demon like Raphaeline, you had to offer two things… Blood, rare blood to be precise, or... swords.

Raphaeline didn\'t move a muscle when Ada entered.

Her eyes followed her daughter\'s steps, like a predator watching its prey, but her expression remained cold as ice.

The only sign of what was coming was the slight clenching of her fingers on the armrest of the throne, as if holding back the fury about to explode.

When Ada finally approached close enough, she stopped and bowed, as tradition demanded.

Not out of respect, but out of protocol. She knew her mother didn\'t tolerate breaches in tradition.

"You summoned me, mother." Ada\'s voice was steady, despite the whirlwind of emotions inside her.

"Yes, I did." Raphaeline replied, her voice like the scrape of steel being sharpened. "And you know very well why."

Ada kept her eyes lowered for a moment before straightening up, staring directly at her mother. "I imagine this is about the contract."

Raphaeline raised an eyebrow, a slight hint of scorn playing on her lips. "Contract?" she repeated, almost as if amused by the word. "You call it a contract. I call it a disgrace. An affront. A betrayal."

Ada felt a chill run down her spine, but she didn\'t let her expression falter. She knew any sign of weakness would be like blood in the water for her mother.

"I had nothing to do with it, it was a mistake," Ada replied cautiously. "Besides, I\'m not against this marriage even though it was accidental. He\'s a good man."

Raphaeline rose from her throne in one fluid motion, her kimono billowing behind her like a cloak of darkness.

She descended the steps leading to the throne, each step echoing through the hall. As she approached Ada, the difference between them became even more stark.

Raphaeline, tall and imposing, exuded an overwhelming aura of authority and power. Even though Ada was a powerful demon in her own right, in her mother\'s presence, she felt small and fragile.

She was a cub before Raphaeline.

"A good man," Raphaeline repeated, mocking her daughter\'s words. "Do you really think that interests me? Do you think anything this man is or could ever be matters to me?"

Ada took a deep breath. "Mother, the contract was made according to the rules of the underworld. It\'s an unbreakable pact, so don\'t make me repeat myself."

Raphaeline stopped in front of her, her red eyes burning with an intensity that made the air around them feel frozen. "Do you think I care about rules? My rules are the only ones that matter. And you violated a sacred rule of this clan. You dared to bind your soul—your lineage—to an outsider. A man I have never even heard of."

Raphaeline paused, her gaze piercing deep into Ada\'s soul. "You, Ada, of the Baal lineage, bound yourself to a man insignificant enough not to have crossed my notice."

Ada opened her mouth to speak, but her mother raised her hand, silencing her instantly.

"And not just that." Raphaeline took another step closer, now so near that Ada could feel the crushing pressure of her presence.

"A marriage contract? Marriage? You, my daughter, think you have the right to marry whoever you wish?"

Ada didn\'t back down, despite the urge to step away. She held her ground, knowing that each word she uttered only seemed to infuriate her mother more.

"You know what happened, so don\'t feed me lies about my choices. Be minimally rational. Besides, he has potential, greater than mine." Ada met her gaze, unblinking, defending Vergil even against her own conflicted feelings for him.

Raphaeline let out a cold laugh, cutting through Ada\'s words.

"Fufufufu... Potential?" she repeated, as if hearing a bad joke. "You think this man, this... nobody, has potential comparable to ours? Comparable to yours?" She stopped, the smile vanishing from her face. "Do you think I, Raphaeline Baal, Demon Queen of the Baal clan, would accept my daughter binding herself to a weakling?"

"He\'s not weak," Ada replied, her voice stronger than she had intended.

"Oh, really?" Raphaeline stepped back, crossing her arms and tilting her head, as if waiting for a brilliant explanation. "Then tell me, Ada, who is this man you deem worthy of carrying the Baal name?"

Ada hesitated for a moment, trying to gather her thoughts. But before she could say anything, Raphaeline had already lost her patience.

"It doesn\'t matter," she declared coldly. "Because whatever the answer is, it\'s irrelevant. This marriage is not happening."

The words fell like a death sentence. Ada felt the weight of what her mother had just said, but she kept her gaze fixed on her.

"Mother, the contract has already been sealed."

Raphaeline narrowed her eyes. "I couldn\'t care less about contracts. What I say is the only law you need to follow. And you will break that contract. I will break it by force, killing this man."

Ada\'s eyes widened in surprise. "But... that\'s..."

"Impossible?" Raphaeline laughed, a humorless sound that chilled the air. "Impossible is a word for the weak. You\'ll find a way. Because, contrary to what you believe, you\'re already promised to someone else."

Ada felt her heart skip a beat. "Promised? To whom?"

Raphaeline smiled, and it was a cold, calculated smile. "To the heir of House Phenex. The son of one of the Four Great Demons."

Her mother\'s words echoed throughout the hall, and Ada felt the ground tremble beneath her feet. "This... this can\'t be true."

"It is true," Raphaeline said, her tone unwavering. "And you, Ada, have no choice. You have no right to refuse. You belong to this alliance, and the marriage to House Phenex will ensure the rise of our clan."

"But... what about what I want?" Ada finally managed to say, rage and frustration building inside her.

"What you want is irrelevant," Raphaeline replied, as cold as ever. "You will marry him, and that\'s the only truth that matters."

Ada clenched her fists, feeling the fury bubbling up inside her. But she knew that against her mother, the Demon Queen, there was no argument, no escape.

Raphaeline looked at her daughter one last time before turning back to her throne. "Now go. And remember: from now on, you\'re already promised. There will be no other destiny for you. You\'re forbidden to leave the castle."

Her mother\'s final words echoed into the silence of the hall, fading into a pool of blood, as Ada stood there, alone, with the weight of the forced fate now hanging over her head.

"Kill... kill them all... yes..." Ada began to murmur, "One of the Four Great Demons... spare me... I will destroy this entire existence before falling into the hands of someone I don\'t know..."

She cursed as her demonic energy began to rise.

"Vermeil..." she muttered, and an Asian maid appeared. She wore the same maid\'s uniform as Novah, Katharina\'s servant... She was short, with almost no feminine features, no chest, nothing prominent. She was flat as a board and barely reached 5\'1".

"Yes, mistress?" Vermeil responded, curious at the tone Ada had used—she wasn\'t the type to speak so casually.

"Send a message to the Agares clan," Ada said, her eyes burning as her blood boiled. "Tell her I have been promised to someone, and that my mother intends to kill Vergil if the contract isn\'t undone." She clenched her hands as blood began to drip down.

"L-Lady Ada?" Vermeil murmured, watching the blood trickle to the floor. "Go quickly... Tell her that her darling husband is in danger," Ada commanded.

"B-but..." Vermeil stammered. She couldn\'t leave her lady—

"NOW!" Ada screamed, and the small maid nearly collapsed in fright, but she quickly turned and dashed away like a cartoon roadrunner.

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<Author\'s Note>

Hey, remember to use your Golden Tickets and Power Stones to help the work reach new heights!