Chapter 20

Light knocks on the bedroom door woke Seiran.

"Your Highness, you must prepare for your day, you have a busy schedule," came the voice of Seiran's page.

The demon rubbed his eyes and turned onto his back. Beside him, Nirs was sleeping peacefully. He decided to let him sleep for a while.

"Leave the breakfast on the table and come back in an hour or so," the prince ordered him.

"Yes, Your Highness."

The sound of the main door closing told Seiran that the young page had retired. He rubbed his eyes and took a few seconds to emerge fully. The demon liked to get up early in the morning to handle his administrative business. Few people were awake in the palace at that hour, and he took advantage of the hour's head start he had to get on with whatever business he was keeping secret, knowing that he would not be interfered with unexpectedly.

He turned his head and looked at the little angel sleeping beside him. With a wave of his hand, he brushed aside the strands of hair that had stuck to his forehead with a tender smile. The angel did not move. He seemed deeply asleep and not about to wake up.

The demon sat up on his side and leaned gently over the angel.

"Niris," he said softly. "It's time to wake up."

No reaction. Seiran could not suppress a laugh. This did not surprise him! The angel was not a morning person and he didn't like waking up at all. That was one of the things he had learned about the angel since they had been dating. Behind his airs of a seasoned diplomat was a delicate and temperamental prince, who liked his comfort and could be cranky if he didn't get his way or was forced to do things he didn't like. He made a second attempt, stroking the angel's cheek with his left hand.

"Niris, my love," he called to her with a teasing smile. "Wake up, I must take you back to your chambers."

He placed a kiss on the little prince's cheek, which eventually caused a reaction from the latter. With a grunt, the angel turned away from the demon and pulled the blanket over his naked body to curl up warm and continue his night.

Seiran could not suppress a smile. He found the angel's attitude absolutely adorable. He leaned over Niris' shoulder and brought his mouth to the angel's ear.

"If you don't wake up, I'm going to have to do it the hard way," he nibbled on her ear.

In a playful mood, he put a hand around the angel's waist, under the covers, and pressed himself against him, burying his face in his neck. Niris grunted and pushed his head away with one hand, which made the demon smile. He didn't resist and let himself go. The angel turned to face him, and with half-opened eyes, pouted disapprovingly at the demon who smiled slyly at him.

"Let me sleep a little longer," Niris growled and pushed Seiran away again, his hands on his chest.

Seiran kissed the bridge of the angel's nose before sitting up.

"I'll give you time to prepare me to wake you up. You have to get ready for your meeting with my mother at ten," he said, rising from the bed.

Quickly he put on a shirt and trousers, then headed for the living room to eat the breakfast that was waiting for him on the small round table. He opened his dematerialised newspaper and began to consult it while drinking his tea, which was steaming in the white porcelain cup he had just filled.

Seiran was always accompanied by at least one of his pages to get ready in the morning, but since he was with Niris this morning, he preferred not to have his page around. He would get ready on his own and Niris would be helped by Inja anyway.

He took a sip of his tea and looked absently at his diary when a thought came slowly from his mind. Inja was in prison. She wasn't going to be able to help Niris wake up. The demon put his cup back down as he straightened up. He had completely forgotten about this detail. But it was not a minor one. As competent as he was, Niris was still the son of the Emperor of Egea, and he was not used to preparing himself alone. Especially since he was particularly difficult to wake up and move when he woke up. There was a good chance that the angel would not manage to be on time for his "tea" with the regent if he sent him back to his suite.

Dismissing his diary with a wave of his hand, he stood up and called one of his pages via his dematerialised chip.

"I need you in my suite as soon as possible," he said before cutting the call.

He quickly grabbed some clothes from his dressing room and went to take a shower. Fifteen minutes later he emerged from the bathroom dressed, his hair still damp, closing the cuffs of his ceremonial robe. He had a day full of diplomatic meetings today, so he had to follow dress etiquette to the letter.

When he entered his room, Niris was still lying under the covers, in the same position as half an hour ago. He had fallen back asleep and was dozing peacefully on his Anvian duck feather ear. Seiran went over to him and shook him on the shoulder.

"Niris wake up," he said in a firmer voice.

He continued to shake him until the angel stirred. No matter how many times he called to it, the angel refused to open its eyes. Seiran sighed and finally removed the blankets that the angel was holding tightly. Quickly, he pulled on a pair of trousers and lifted him into his arms.

The angel protested but did not react any further. He let himself be torn from the precious cloth in which he had wrapped himself to keep the soft warmth of the morning against his skin, muttering incomprehensible words. With difficulty, he opened his eyes and saw Seiran's blond hair fall just in front of his pupils. He blinked several times, trying to find his place in time, but his brain was not yet in working order.

Seiran set him down on a chair that surrounded the table in his living room and put on one of his tunics that was lying on a couch. Too large for him, the garment fell over his shoulders and wrists. Seiran couldn't help but smile at the sight. The angel, still completely asleep, was staring at the breakfast in front of him in a daze, his hair a mess and his upper body eaten by the tunic that refused to stay on his shoulders. He looked like an idle child after his favourite toy had been taken away.

"Eat, I'll help you get ready later," Seiran said softly as he served him eggs and vegetables on a plate and placed it before him.

The angel looked at the plate without saying anything. Amused by his amorphousness, the demon put a fork in his right hand before ruffling his hair.

"I'll finish getting ready and be right back," he said before walking away to his bathroom.

While he polished his appearance, Niris zoned in on his meal. Trying to connect his neurons together, he tried to analyze what was in front of him. Looking a little lost, he tapped his eggs with the tines of his fork before taking a piece and bringing it to his mouth. He chewed it slowly and swallowed it before taking another and eating it just as slowly.

When Seiran returned, he had eaten barely a quarter of his plate and not even drunk half his tea. The demon smiled at this. He rubbed his eyes and sighed. He loved the angel with all his heart, so he found this attitude more endearing than anything else, but he realized how problematic it could be.

"What am I going to do with you?" he said, wiping the corner of the angel's mouth with a napkin. "You can eat later, it's okay. I'll help you get ready in the meantime."

Putting one of the angel's arms around his neck, he lifted him up again to take him into the bedroom. There, he placed him in front of the dressing table. Niris let him do without saying anything. He seemed to be used to being looked after in this way, although he looked particularly tired from the previous day. Seiran stroked his cheek with his hand, sympathising with all the stress of the situation the little prince had been dealing with for a few days now.

"I'll lend you one of my outfits that don't fit anymore, it'll save us time," he said, rummaging through a dusty trunk. "It'll give me a chance to send a message to my mother at the same time, so it's not bad."

He took out several outfits before finding a blue and silver outfit with dragon embroidery. He looked at it for a moment and then straightened up.

"This is the smallest one I have, I think it should fit you."

The demon placed the garment in front of his angel and observed his figure for a moment before nodding, satisfied with his choice. He placed it on a chair before turning back to the angel who was looking at him with his still-sleepy eyes. Seiran grabbed him by the arm to make him stand up.

"Go wash up, I've called a page to help you get ready afterwards. I have a meeting to go to, so I have no choice but to leave you in Eviris' care..." he apologized. "You can trust the page, he won't say anything. And even if he does talk, I don't think it's a problem. And if it is, we'll deal with it later."

He led him to the bathroom as he spoke.

"Don't worry too much about your interview with my mother, it's just a formality," he assured him. "She's just trying to figure out why I'm suddenly interested in an angel when I've never been interested in any slaves until now... Play the ignorant card, I'll take care of the rest."

Niris did not answer. He took the clothes Seiran handed him and the clean towel. Seiran turned, ready to leave the room when the angel suddenly embraced him from behind. Surprised by his companion's unexpected show of affection, the demon stood still for a moment. Slowly he turned and looked in amazement at the angel who had rested his chin on his chest and was looking at him with kittenish eyes.

"I'm sorry," he said in a small voice that he knew was endearing.

The demon smiled and put a hand on his cheek, rubbing it affectionately. The angel closed his right eye and let his hair be stroked without saying anything, which was rare.

"Sorry for what, falling in love with me?" the demon replied with a laugh. "I'm the one who's sorry to see you in such a situation..." he said with a hint of remorse in his voice.

Niris stared at him with his intense green eyes.

"Sorry I'm hard to wake up in the morning, and not effective without someone to help me get ready," he continued, fighting against the haze that invaded his brain against his will.

Seiran felt his heart racing. How could he resist this adorable little face? His unexpected attention made him lose his mind, and he felt himself sinking deeper and deeper into this addiction called love.

He leaned in and kissed the angel's lips gently, keeping his lower lip between his lips for a moment before releasing it. He rested his forehead against Niris's, who had not moved, and ran his hand through his hair as he pulled him closer with one hand around his waist. He stayed like that for a moment, recharging his energy.

"Aren't you going to be late?" asked Niris.

Seiran sighed, then kissed him one last time before reluctantly parting with the angel.

"Eviris will accompany you to my mother's flat. Be professional as usual and everything will be fine."

The angel nodded and watched the demon leave the room without saying anything. On his way out, Seiran ran into the page he had called.

"Help Lord Jangta prepare. His clothes are ready in the room, so make sure he is perfectly presentable," he ordered.

The page looked up at him in shock.

"I beg your pardon?" he couldn't help saying.

"Was I not clear in what I said?" replied Seiran threateningly.

The page swallowed but immediately came back to his senses.

"No, Your Highness, I will do as you say!" he replied.

The demon walked to the main door and opened it. His guard was waiting outside the door to accompany him.

"Eviris, fetch Niris' make-up from her suite. Take my pass, and bring it back to her quickly."

"Well, Your Highness," the chief guard called for another guard to accompany the prince.

With that, Seiran left the suite and walked resignedly to the reception room where the meeting he was to attend was being held. If it were up to him, he would have stayed in bed all day cuddling Niris...

----

Niris left Seiran's room carefully. With a determined step, followed by Eviris, he headed for the regent's suite. He was now fully awake. As he walked, he observed the decoration along the corridor. The walls were covered with paintings of the Seiran family. His father's portrait stood at the end of the corridor, in a corner that led directly to the imperial couple's flats.

Niris had thought of using the secret passages of the palace to return to the corridor where his suite was located to avoid being spotted by anyone wandering between Seiran's room and the regent's, but he had changed his mind. It was riskier for him to travel so far, even via the underground, than to be caught in the corridors of the imperial flat wing. And then Seiran's words had stuck in his head. He didn't know exactly what the demon was planning but he trusted him.

He finally arrived at the large wooden and gold door, guarded by two immobile guards, all in armour. With a quick knock, he knocked on the door. The door opened to reveal a page who bowed to him and invited him to follow. Eviris stood in front of the door and remained there. Now he was alone.

The angel followed the page into a huge ceremonial hall, obviously designed for receptions, before arriving at a smaller door that must have led to a cabinet. Seiran's mother emerged from the doorway and went to meet him.

"Lord Jangta, you are here!" she said cheerfully.

"Your Majesty, I thank you for your invitation and you're welcome, I am greatly honoured," he said, bowing in the customary manner.

The regent dismissed the page and indicated to Niris to follow her into the small room. As Niris had guessed, this was a private chamber, a room reserved for intimate conversations. They were often soundproofed and sealed off from natural energy to avoid any incidents. This was a good sign and a bad sign. The regent was showing both that she trusted the angel and did not see him as a threat, and on the other hand, she was signaling the importance of the exchange by inviting him into such an intimate place.

Niris followed the fifty-year-old without saying anything and sat down on the couch that she indicated with a wave of her hand. She then looked at him for a moment before sitting down after ringing a small silver bell.

"I see you're wearing a Seiran outfit," she remarked. "It suits you, it's a very good choice."

Seiran looked at her outfit for a moment before straightening his head.

"Oh, yes your son was generous enough to lend it to me for today..." he said without elaborating.

He cleared his throat as he felt he was going into dangerous territory. He had to stop first. But it was probably already too late, and then the regent had probably invited her to talk about this too. On the one hand, he knew that he would not be able to avoid it.

"I see that my son has become attached to you," the demoness said, leaning back in her chair. "You two seem very close."

"Prince Seiran is kind enough to treat me as a friend, for which I am very grateful," Niris replied with an affable smile.

He was going to take Seiran's advice and feign ignorance. It was probably the safest thing to do.

"Ah, yes, my son is very friendly, even with angels," the demoness acknowledged with a smile that Niris didn't know if he should consider benevolent or distrustful.

He laughed at her remark to fit his role. But he was on edge inside.

"So he considers you a friend...I see. Seiran has always been considerate of those around him anyway, which is why so many people idolize him and want more than a friendly relationship with him. But I suppose that is not the case with you, Lord Jangta?"

Niris hid his sharp gaze behind eyes astonished by the question. Here was the crux of the matter just five minutes into the conversation. So that was what the regent was worried about. He would have to be a very good actor not to arouse her suspicions.

"Oh, I would never dare! Knowing that Prince Seiran cares enough about me to just want to talk to me is enough for me," he smiled innocently.

The regent did not answer. She looked at the angel for a moment, a sharp eye behind her benevolent gaze. Niris could feel it. She was scanning him. This meeting might well be more important than he and Seiran imagined...

He was about to continue the conversation on another subject when someone knocked on the door.

"Come in," said the regent. Then a little girl of about ten years old pushed open the door, a tray in her hand.

Niris froze in place, almost letting her astonishment show behind her smiling, good-natured mask. The girl was an angel. Her brushed hair was left free, and she wore a simple dark tunic with canvas trousers, typical attire for slaves in a palace.

He froze in his seat as he saw the little girl place the tray holding the cups and the teapot full of boiling water on the small table between them.

"Thank you, Tiara. You may serve our guest," the regent ordered.

Niris bit his cheek. On the outside, he still wore the same silly grin. He was the son of an angel who helped the demons with their slave trade. Seeing an angel slave in the palace should not shock him. He should not let anything show.

He let the little girl serve him tea and took the cup without thanking her. One never thanked a slave, it was very badly seen. They did not exist. They were sub-beings that high society did not even consider. Containing himself as much as possible, he played his role to perfection and turned away from the young slave as soon as she withdrew to crouch against the wall in silence, waiting for orders as if she were part of the scenery.

"Your father sent her to me as a birthday present, she's perfect!" she said, watching the angel's reaction. "Very docile and intelligent, she understands her place and knows exactly what to do. You will thank my father for this precious gift, she has been very well trained."

Niris gritted his teeth. With a glance, he looked at the child who was staring at her without moving. No doubt she had been trained from a very young age. She must have been one of those angels from the nurseries where the slave angels' babies were kept from birth until they were sold.

These angels only knew slavery so they almost never rebelled. They were very docile and had integrated submission to the demons into their functioning of the world and did not question it. They were the ones Niris was most determined to fight for. With an almost unconscious gesture, he clutched the armrest of the couch with his hand before pulling himself together. Stay calm. He had to stay calm.

"I'll pass it on," he replied with his polite smile. "He'll be pleased to know that you like the gift."

The regent did not answer. She watched him for a moment with her piercing eyes as she sipped her tea. She seemed to be scrutinizing him. It was then that Niris understood. This was not a courtesy call, or a simple interview to calm Seiran's mother's concerns. Far from it. This meeting was in fact a trap. She seemed to want to make him commit a faux pas. Embarrassing the angel would make things better for everyone. He was certain now. Why else would Seiran's mother risk keeping a slave child around in the middle of an enthronement ceremony? When all eyes were on Yerpena? There was only one answer to that, and Niris knew it. Push him to the edge to comment on a mistake.

He could be accused of something and he would be discredited in his case against Yusmail. He could be blamed for everything, including seducing Prince Seiran into falling into his trap. It was a vicious trap that hid behind the nonchalant airs of the regent who seemed to do everything to make the angel who had come to visit her feel at ease. A silent battle where the one who would give in first would lose the war. Niris was not to lose at all. He took a deep inner breath and immersed himself in the role he had given himself. He had to control himself to perfection and carry out this interview.

"If you want more, we can select some for you and keep them, especially for you," he offered, making the demoness raise an eyebrow.

"You would do that for me?" she questioned, clearly intrigued.

"With an arrangement, anything is possible," Niris replied, still smiling amiably.

He put his cup back in the bowl that had been left on the table. He was an idiot, he didn't understand anything and stupidly followed his father's orders. He was an idiot. He didn't think. He was a fool.

"Is there anything you can think of?" questioned the regent.

Deferentially, Niris leaned forward, one hand on his chest.

"Her Majesty welcomes me so well, I cannot ask for anything more than good trade relations between our two planets," he said in a perfectly polite tone. "My father's ultimate aim is your complete satisfaction and he puts all his efforts into achieving this. I know how grateful you are to him for this, and I am here only expressing my gratitude to you for it."

A beautiful, coated package that hid an almost undetectable threat. So undetectable that it was doubtful. And that's what his words seemed to provoke in the demoness. Doubt. She thought for a moment about what the little prince had just told her. It was so minute that she doubted she had even detected it, causing her to be confused for a few seconds. Maintaining the trade in vital goods for Meripaea in exchange for good relations with Egea. Was this really what this dim-witted prince was negotiating?

The regent wasn't sure of her analysis, but she took the hint.

"Of course, our relationship is far too essential and beneficial to do without," she said. "Don't worry Lord Jangta, we know of your father's efforts and are extremely grateful for his hard work.

She in turn placed her cup on the waiting bowl on the table. In her corner, the slave girl did not move a muscle.

"Ah, it's unfortunate that your guard was arrested, but I hope you understand," she continued, airily. "It was the best way to calm things down while we wait for the Peacekeeper's report. As for the rest, I want you to know that we do not condone the actions of the Amadean representative at all, and that we wish to see a peaceful resolution to this conflict as soon as possible."

Niris looked at her, impassive. His smiling mask did not move an inch. He was Lord Jangta, he was not Niris. This conversation meant something to Jangta of Meripia. This conversation meant something to him.

"I completely understand, after all, long-time allies should help each other," he replied in the same jovial tone.

"It is a pleasure to talk with you Lord Jangta, you are very pleasant! Your father has taught you very well!" the demoness smiled happily.

Niris gritted his teeth again. A well-placed dig at him for being as docile as their slaves. He hadn't missed it, and it hurt. But he had to hold. For the slaves, he had to hold on.

"I can see that someone like you knows his place and would never do anything inappropriate with my son," she continued, still smiling. "He's about to get engaged and is the center of attention, so it would be a shame if unpleasant rumours about him were to circulate just because you weren't careful enough with your actions."

This time it was abundantly clear. She was telling him not to be intimate with Seiran. He had to play it fine to reassure her or it would end badly for both of them.

"Your Majesty, you have nothing to worry about," he replied, shaking his hands in front of him, a silly look on his face. "Seiran has no interest in me other than pure curiosity. It is unthinkable to me that he would consider anything more with me!"

The demoness watched him for a moment. Her gaze was much more threatening this time than before. The subject seemed to preoccupy her too much to maintain her apparent joviality with the angel. She was about to add something when the First Chamberlain came knocking at the door of the cabinet.

"Your Majesty, I beg your pardon but there is an urgent matter that you must attend to very quickly..." he said after being allowed to enter.

The demoness remained silent for a moment, then stood up.

"All right, I'll follow you," she said as she headed for the door. "Lord Jangta, please wait for me here, I won't be long.

With that, she left the room, following the chamberlain as he explained something in a low voice.

Once the regent had left, Niris sighed, letting all the tension in his body leave with his breath. Exhausted by the exchange, he leaned back against the backrest, his eyes fixed on the ceiling. He let his mind wander for a moment in the dark red curtain that now invaded his field of vision. A clink of dishes pulled him out of his spiritual void and made him return to the table in front of him. The little angel had come to pour tea into his empty cup. She put the teapot back down with an expert gesture and returned to her place, unseen between a wooden pedestal table decorated with ivory and an imposing chest of drawers.

Niris watched her without saying anything. There was no point in talking to her anyway, she wouldn't answer him. Worse still, she would report their conversation to the regent. These angels were graves. They would die with their submission and mistreatment. They were so used to it that they let it happen without ever fighting back. Survival instinct had taught them to make the best of their situation by keeping quiet and obeying.

The prince knew this and did not even engage in conversation. He was in the regent's flats, the situation could quickly become risky. At the same time... an idea struck him. It was risky but it was a unique opportunity! He was in the demoness' flats without surveillance. A perfect opportunity to look for the slaves' identity documents! She had to have them somewhere, at least the one for this child!

Blood pounding at his temples, Niris looked at the slave girl. She was the only danger he could fear. He stood there, hesitating for a moment. He was running out of time, the empress could return at any moment. He had to make a decision.

He leaned forward and locked his eyes with the young angel.

"If I tell you I'm going to get you out of here, can you promise not to say anything?"

But he got no answer. He was not surprised. He swore inwardly, then stood up and opened the door. No one was there. The room was empty. He glanced back one last time, but the slave had not moved. She was probably under orders to wait in the room and would not follow him. Never mind. He would play for all he had. If he was caught wandering the corridors, he would only have to pretend that he was looking for the toilets.

With velvet steps, he left the room and closed the door behind him. Then he walked towards what seemed to be a corridor. He glanced around before entering. A maid was pushing a cart and entered one of the rooms. He waited for her to close the door behind her before moving along the walls. He passed the room the maid had entered and reached a second door. He pressed his ear against the door and turned the handle when he was sure he heard no sound.

A glance inside told him it was a music room. He closed the door quickly without making a sound, then trotted back along the wall. He opened a second door in the same way but found a games room. He closed the door and continued his search on the alert.

After checking three more rooms, he was beginning to lose patience. The stress was making his stomach knot, and adrenaline was making his heart pound in his chest. He reached a bend in the corridor as he was desperate to find an office. He was about to enter when he heard voices approaching. Panicking, he looked behind him to see if he could get back to the living room, but the corridor was far too long. The two maids would have time to turn before he could hide behind a sofa.

He backed up quickly to the nearest room when he discovered a small door in the wall that he had completely missed. Without waiting, he opened it and rushed in. He closed the door as the voices reached the corridor. He had been hot. He huffed as the two women's voices faded into the distance. Then he looked around. The room was a sort of storeroom with shelves running along the walls and a desk awash with documents and shelves of all kinds facing a window.

The room looked like some kind of storeroom. He thought for a moment. Perhaps he would find something here? Without wasting any more time, he began to search the shelves. He lifted each sheet, each bundle of documents with a controlled frenzy. He had to be quick! Scanning the room, he thought of the most strategic place to hide slave identity papers but found nothing that seemed obvious. He resumed his methodical search, moving from shelf to shelf. But he found nothing. All this paperwork was nothing more than administrative documents. Not even a suspicious sheet.

He was about to move on to another pile of papers when he heard voices approaching. He quickly hid behind the desk. But the voices passed, and no one entered the office. Once the voices had faded, he resumed his search of the documents scattered around the desk. Bills, maps, accounts... nothing. Nothing that had anything to do with slaves.

Desperate to find anything, the angel decided to return to the cabinet and headed for the door. Just then he dropped a document on the floor with his hand. He bent down to pick it up and was about to put it back down to leave when he saw a stamp at the bottom of the sheet. A stamp he knew well, for it was that of his "father", the Lord of Meripee.

He unrolled the paper and looked more closely. It was a property deed. He quickly read the lines concerning the slave in question. TTiara, An eight-year-old angel with black hair. How lucky! It was the one he had seen in the cabinet! Caught up in the excitement, he held the paper in place and began to scan it with his computer chip. The slave documents were all on paper as this was an illegal trade. It was important that it not be hackable.

He let a victorious smile blossom on his lips when he realised his luck. He had a document! He finally had proof! He had completed his mission. But as he gloated inwardly, the door opened with a bang and he turned to face the regent who was watching him, obviously surprised to see him in the room. An icy coldness came over the angel. He was finished. He had been caught in the act, his cover was blown.

"Lord Jangta? What are you doing here?" the demoness questioned with a frown.

Niris was sweating profusely. He had to find something, fast! He had to hide the fact that he had found the document from the demoness. But the paper was still in his hand, which he had quickly hidden behind his back. Flashing his silly grin, he watched the regent approach him, his brain racing to find something. Anything! Quickly!

"Ah...it's that..." he began, still looking for something but unable to formulate anything concrete. The demoness was a few steps away from him when a voice intervened, stopping her in her approach.

"Your Majesty, it was I who offered Lord Jangta a tour of your chambers until you returned."

It was a child's voice. The little slave girl had come to his rescue, catching Niris completely off guard.

"And you thought it was a good idea to show her around the Great Steward's office?" the demoness chided her, still suspicious.

"Well, Lord Jangta told me he had to go to the bathroom, so I gave him directions," the little slave girl said with remarkable composure. "It seems he got lost on the way, so I apologize for my negligence."

The demoness looked at the young angel sternly, then with a gesture that surprised the slave as much as Niris, she slapped her with such force that the girl fell to the ground. Niris, who had taken advantage of their exchange to discreetly replace the document in a pile on the desk without turning around, clenched his hands to contain himself. In the face of this gratuitous violence, he had to hold out until the end. Now that he had finally got his hands on a piece of evidence, he absolutely had to keep his cover in place. For nothing in the world would he render the sacrifice of the slave girl useless by his clumsiness.

"And you, why did you stay here if you saw that there was no toilet?" threatened the demoness who had dropped any form of benevolent appearance. She was now just an angry, suspicious demoness.

"I was on my way out when you came in," Niris smiled apologetically. "I confess I was piqued by curiosity and wanted to see the view from the window, so I approached it."

He said these words while raising his hands in front of him to indicate that he had not touched anything. The regent watched him for a moment, doubtful. The seconds seemed like hours, and Niris had to restrain his whole body from trembling under the sharp gaze of Seiran's mother. She seemed to want to delve into the depths of her soul to find the answer to her suspicions.

But apparently, Niris's game was good enough to convince her of her lack of intelligence to think of a more thoughtful action than simply wanting to look out the window. She turned and headed for the door without saying anything.

"Next time ask to be led to the bathroom door to avoid this kind of incident," she said dryly.

She walked past the little angel who was still on the floor. Niris followed her, pretending not to see the slave. Inwardly he yearned to react, to help her up, to protect her, but he held back. He was so close to his goal!

"I apologize for my clumsiness, Your Majesty. I'll be more careful next time," he replied, scratching his head with his silly grin.

He followed the empress, who led him back to the entrance. With that, she dismissed him, making it clear that she had no more time for him. Niris thanked her as affably as ever for her time and kindness, then watched the door close in front of him. Once alone at the door, he turned and took a few steps with that silly grin on his face. Once he was out of reach of the guards, he lost his smile and replaced it with a cold and haughty expression. Finally, since the beginning of his stay, he was making progress in his research. He would finally be able to bring down the angel slave trade. The serious business could begin.