Case 128: Upon a reunion with Quasar, the genius inventor.

When Lyra dropped those words, it was as though she had just declared war on everyone present. The clear hostility, the sheer contempt, the stubborn desire to be on top—everything was screaming 'let's fight!'

The heroine, once an obedient little sister, was now a woman whose words dripped with venom. I, the pitiful succubus she was bullying these past few weeks, naturally realized this change, and now, my lovers seemed to have noticed it, too.

Bit by bit, the tension in the room rose.

A myriad of doubts and utter astonishment flashed on Rachael's face as she questioned Lyra, ''You... have you lost your mind? How could you hold such twisted feelings for your own sister?!''

Lyra leaned back casually, posing a leisurely grin, ''Think what you want. The result won't change—she is mine.''

''...This isn't right.'' The imperial princess frowned, instinctively moving to shield me from Lyra. ''I'll have Cecilia moved to my residence.''

''No can do.'' The heroine flatly refused. ''All captured demons are under my jurisdiction. She will stay here.''

A pang of hostility descended in Rachael's eyes, manifesting as drops of red. Her sharp fangs threatened to sprout, and her expression turned sour, ''You do realize I can just report your behavior to the Emperor, right?''

A clever move, yet painfully, it was a flimsy bluff. Almost chuckling, Lyra shot back, ''Tell her, and then what? Let the world know that the pillar of hope, the heroine, is madly in love with a demon royal? Go ahead if you want to make a mess out of this.''

It was the phrase 'madly in love' that shook all four of us. My lovers, more of a pure dumbfounded reaction. Me? I felt conflicted. Whether these desires of hers were morally right or not, or whether I was fine with them or not... I was too tired to think.

For a while, the fight was stuck at a stalemate. It wasn't until Lyra sighed and retracted her attitude that the tension lessened, "Whatever it is, now is not the time to do this." She said, ''For now, do as she instructs. We'll settle everything later.''

Rachael, Penelope, and Kiara glanced at one another, somewhat reluctant. Yet, in the end, they agreed on a truce and soon left to fulfill their missions.

I let out a troubled sigh, my mind drifting.

That night, Lyra summoned the attendants to arrange the Marquise's matters in her absence. At midnight, when I had barely fallen asleep, the heroine returned to my room and tucked herself into my quilt as if it were the most natural thing.

''Be good and don't cause trouble at home, alright?'' I heard her whisper. ''I love you.''

''Mhm...''

The next morning, she was already gone. Turning to the side, I saw a tray of food neatly placed on the nightstand, heated by a lingering spell. Although this time... there was no one force-feeding me anymore.

What was I thinking?

Smiling bitterly, I tried to sit up—

''...Huh?''

Only to find an unusual weight around my neck. My trembling hand slowly reached for the alien sensation, and... it was there—a collar. Clearly, it was made of high-quality material, seeming somewhat stylish, even.

Still... a collar.

The moment I felt the brand-new chain connected to it, I nearly burst into tears. I was laughing at my own misery, of course.

Well, the thankful part was that even with this new addition to my shackle collection, the real force that bound my power didn't receive a boost. I didn't know where Lyra had found these, but no matter how strong the restraints were, they couldn't contain an ancient demon forever.

Lucy... I had been sensing her power, albeit faintly, for a while now.

That was why I dared to act in the first place. At the right time, I should be able to borrow her strength and escape. For now, I needed to patiently wait. Not that I would foolishly spend time idling, of course.

Sliding off my bed, I freshened myself up in the bathroom before heading to my table, dragging along the chains. A click at an inconspicuous spot underneath, and a hidden compartment flung open. I retrieved the non-ID-ed phone inside and dialed the only saved number—Quasar's.

At this moment, she was the only one I could count on.

After a few rings, the call picked up.

[H-Hello, Miss Rael?]

''Long time no see, Miss Quasar.''

I was relieved to hear that she was doing well. I mean, with the kind of money she had, I wouldn't be surprised. A brief exchange of pleasantries later, and I got into the main topic.

''I have a few favors to ask, Miss Quasar. Of course, I will compensate you accordingly.'' I spoke solemnly.

[Um... why so distant between us? We're f-friends, right? I'll help with what I can.]

''...Thank you.'' I smiled bitterly. ''I need you to organize some things for me.''

[Sure! Tell me what it is.]

First of all, I asked her to somehow lure the fourth imperial princess, Valerie, into attending several underground auctions. Quasar, having worked with many prominent figures in high society for her business, could easily tweak some people to slip information into the young girl's ears.

Select some shady relics to disclose to Valerie, saying they could fall into the hands of some vile people, and that girl would take the bait. She was justice reincarnated, after all.

Then, Quasar would have to prepare someone to impersonate me to attend those same auctions, bidding on those relics. When the princess's attention eventually fell onto 'Miss Rael,' the impersonator would 'accidentally' slip up and show Valerie who she really was.

Well, I suppose she already knew 'Miss Rael' was Cecilia de Orleans, but despite her growing suspicions, the little detective wouldn't expect that same Cecilia to be a royal demon, would she? That many clues should be enough to trigger an outburst from her, for her to expose my identity in front of everyone, and I could use that as a prelude to the finale.

I could just hire a random person to do it, but... the play better be authentic. What if the actor froze? What if their acting was shaky? Having the real thing was much safer.

[M-Miss Rael, you...]

Yet, the success of this plan heavily hinged on Quasar. After I blurted out so much, there was no doubt she had realized who I was. If she refused the favor, or worse, reported me to the authorities... I would be in trouble.

It was another gamble. Still, believing in Quasar's character, believing in the five years of friendship we shared, I told her my plan.

''...It's fine if you don't want to do it. Truthfully, I don't want to hurt anyone. If I wanted to, I would have done so a long time ago.'' I instinctively explained my cause. ''This is a contingency plan... so that I can make a spectacular show to the world—a show to end the demons' tyranny.''

A long silence hung in the air. In the end, Quasar only asked back,

[...Is it related to what Lilith did? Her abandoning the throne, I mean.]

''Lilith had another reason.'' I sighed. ''She was in love with the former heroine—helplessly so. She couldn't bear to oppose her, so she abandoned everything.''

[I-I see...]

''...''

[W-W-Wait, what did you just say?!]

I couldn't speak a thing, facing Quasar's relentless curiosity. This was a secret not even Lilith's closest servants knew. It took a long time for Quasar to accept the fact.

''So, Miss Quasar...'' I anxiously poked, fearing rejection.

I could hear my heart thumping.

[Oh, o-of course! I'll help you, Miss Rael! I believe in you!]

''...Really?'' I couldn't believe my ears. ''I owe you a lot.''

Ah... I really, really didn't want to forsake this friendship. If it were another world, would we have become best friends for life?