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Back at Violet's palace, Zonda sat alone on one of the luxurious couches, elbows resting on his knees as he stared blankly at the floor. His thoughts were heavy, tangled with dread, and every second that passed only made the pit in his stomach grow deeper.
Then, without warning, the air shimmered.
Violet and Veyron materialized in the room.
Violet stretched her arms lazily above her head. "That was boring," she said, her tone flat with disinterest.
Veyron adjusted his posture and replied respectfully, "It may have been boring, Violet-sama, but it was necessary. And you performed exceptionally well."
Violet waved her hand dismissively. "Yeah, yeah. I don't care."
Zonda quickly stood up. "Violet-sama, you're back."
"Oh, Chef," Violet replied casually as she walked past him. She dropped onto the couch, propping her feet up on the table before closing her eyes. "Yes, I'm back. Bring me some of that amazing wine I had last time."
Zonda froze.
Sweat immediately began to bead down his face. "…Huh, Violet-sama. About that."
Violet opened one eye, fixing him with a sharp stare. "Huh? What is it."
Zonda swallowed. "About the wine… it's kind of gone."
The atmosphere changed instantly.
A dangerous aura spilled out from Violet, thick and suffocating, causing both Zonda and Veyron to stiffen where they stood.
"…What do you mean," Violet said quietly.
Zonda braced himself. "Well, Violet-sama… Bordeaux showed up. And he kind of took it."
For a split second, Violet blinked.
Then—
"BORDEAUX, YOU BASTARD!"
Her scream echoed throughout the palace.
Demons of the Purple Lineage scattered across the domain shivered as the furious cry rang out, instinctively ducking or freezing in place.
Violet stood up and began walking toward Zonda.
Zonda staggered back, his legs trembling. She stopped directly in front of him, planted her fists on her hips, and looked up at him. Despite being shorter, her presence was completely overwhelming.
"And you let him take my treasured wine?"
Zonda wiped sweat from his brow. "He said you wouldn't mind since you're siblings. And besides, Violet-sama… it's kind of unfair to expect me to take on Bordeaux, even if I tried."
Violet turned away with a sharp scoff. "Useless," she said coldly. "Completely useless, Chef."
Her fist clenched tightly, trembling with rage.
"The next time I meet that brat," she growled, "I'm going to plummet him into the ground."
Zonda hesitated, then spoke up carefully. "About that, Violet-sama…"
Violet snapped her head back toward him. "What."
"He did tell me where he was headed."
Violet jolted. "Tell me."
"…He went to see the White Primordial," Zonda said. "Blanc."
"Blanc, huh," Violet muttered.
She straightened, eyes burning with resolve.
"Chef. Butler," she said sharply. "We're going to Blanc."
Zonda and Veyron answered in unison.
"Yes, Violet-sama."
Elsewhere, a round table sat at the center of a quiet room.
Bordeaux was already seated, one arm lazily draped over the back of his chair. Blanc sat beside him with her teacup in hand, Moss across the table with his arms crossed and an irritated expression carved into his face, while Cien sat upright, calmly observing everything.
Bordeaux raised his hand.
Light flickered around his fingers, gathering and compressing. With a soft thud, an object appeared on the table, neatly sealed, colorful, and unmistakably artificial.
A board game.
Blanc's eyes widened slightly as she leaned forward. "Is this… the result of your Unique Skill?"
Bordeaux nodded. "Yeah."
Bordeaux then thinks okay, okay. Don't judge me. I might or might have not told Testarossa about my Unique Skill Prototype. To be fair it was a slip up during a very calm period when their bond was at it's peak. Besides, Testarossa had told me about her unique skill, so it's all fine.
The box rested there, perfectly formed.
Testarossa's gaze lingered on it longer than the others'. She reached out, turning it just enough to read the writing printed across the surface.
"M-O-N-O-P-O-L-Y," she read aloud. "Monopoly… what is that?"
"Monopoly," Bordeaux repeated. "A board game about buying land, selling property, charging rent. The goal is simple, outlast everyone else until you're the only one who isn't bankrupt."
"I see," Testarossa said slowly. Her eyes shifted back to him. "But you still haven't explained what board games are. Nor why you know of something that doesn't exist in either the Underworld or the Cardinal World."
She always did this, quietly digging, peeling at the edges of his past.
Bordeaux knew exactly how dangerous that curiosity was. So far the only people who knew about his reincarnation were Noir, Shizue and the Silver Wings.
To be fair, if the fucken Silver Wings knew, then why shouldn't Testarossa know. She's much closer to Bordeaux then all four of the mentioned people, but Bordeaux had no intention on telling her today.
So he leaned back in his chair, resting a finger against his chin as if genuinely pondering. "Board games, huh… How do you even explain them?" He hummed. "Games played on a board, I guess. Though then card games like decks or Uno should count too."
Moss clicked his tongue. "Enough already. Why are we being dragged into this?"
"Because Monopoly with just two people is painfully boring," Bordeaux replied casually. "And we need a banker. Besides, I gave you the option of a duel to earn your freedom."
A vein pulsed on Moss's forehead.
Beat him in a duel, he thought bitterly. As if that's even remotely possible.
He turned sharply toward Blanc. "Blanc-sama, why do you keep entertaining him? He's getting far too comfortable."
Blanc smiled serenely. "Because he's my little brother," she said simply. "And you'll do whatever he wants."
Moss froze.
She's really leaning into this big sister role…
A chill ran down his spine. This isn't good.
Cien, meanwhile, nodded slightly. "I don't mind. It sounds fun."
Moss stared at him, deadpan. "Do demons even have a sense of fun?"
Bordeaux, however, was already elsewhere mentally. His gaze drifted back to the table. "Still… three players feels a bit lacking. We need more."
Almost on cue, the air distorted.
Three figures materialized in the room.
Violet.
Zonda.
Veyron.
Violet didn't even take a second to process the scene. She thrust a finger straight at Bordeaux, her aura flaring violently.
"BORDEAUX! Give me back my wine!"
Bordeaux smiled. "Big sister," he said lightly, "how kind of you to volunteer as our next player."
Violet's eye twitched. "Huh? What are you—actually, never mind." She rolled her shoulders. "Talking to you is always pointless. I'll just beat it out of you."
Pink spheres of energy formed in her palms, crackling as they expanded.
"I've been training, you know."
She hurled them forward.
Bordeaux didn't move.
He simply smiled as the attacks closed in.