The Devil's Court had never been this silent.
Seraphina felt it the moment she stepped inside—the weight of centuries pressing down on her shoulders, the ancient power embedded in the obsidian pillars watching her every breath. The throne loomed above, dark and merciless.
She walked forward anyway.
Kael remained at her side, his presence a living shield. His hand brushed hers once—brief, deliberate.
I'm here.
The council elders sat in a semicircle, faces carved from suspicion and fear. Lady Mirella stood among them, her lips curved in a smile that promised blood.
"Seraphina of the human realm," the High Elder began, "you stand accused of awakening forbidden power within the Devil's palace."
Murmurs rippled through the court.
Seraphina lifted her chin. "I didn't know it was forbidden."
Ignorance," Mirella said smoothly, "has never excused destruction."
Kael took one step forward.
"That 'destruction' saved three guards from being crushed by a collapsing wing," he said coldly. "You should be thanking her."
The High Elder's gaze hardened. "Prince Kael, you will not interfere."
Kael smiled.
It was not kind.
"She is my wife," he said. "Interference is my right."
The room erupted.
Gasps. Outrage. Fury.
The Devil King appeared without warning—materializing beside the throne like a shadow given form. Silence fell instantly.
"Proceed," he commanded.
The High Elder swallowed. "If the accused possesses power equal to—or greater than—a devil's, she must be bound or destroyed."
Seraphina's heart pounded.
Bound.
Destroyed.
Kael's hand curled into a fist. "You will not lay a hand on her."
The Devil King's gaze flicked to his son. "And if the law demands it?"
"Then your law is broken," Kael replied.
A dangerous hush followed.
Seraphina inhaled slowly and stepped forward—out of Kael's protection.
"Stop," she said softly.
Kael's breath caught. "Seraphina—"
"I won't hide," she said. "And I won't be judged for surviving."
She turned to the council. "You fear what you don't understand. I felt this power awaken because your realm accepted me."
The runes beneath her feet flickered.
The court stiffened.
"I didn't summon it," she continued. "It answered me."
The lights flared brighter.
Kael stared at her, awe and fear colliding in his eyes.
"She's proving your point," Mirella said sharply. "She's uncontrollable!"
Seraphina turned to her. "No. I'm unclaimed."
That did it.
Power surged through the chamber—not wild, not violent—controlled. Focused. The air bowed. The pillars hummed.
Seraphina stood calm at the center of it all.
Kael moved to her side instantly, gripping her hand.
"Enough," the Devil King said, voice cutting through the chaos.
He descended the throne steps slowly, studying Seraphina with unsettling interest.
"She will not be bound," he declared.
Shock exploded through the court.
"She will be tested."
Kael stiffened. "Tested how?"
The Devil King smiled faintly. "If she can command power without losing herself… she may remain."
"And if she can't?" Seraphina asked.
The Devil King's gaze locked on hers. "Then my son will choose between love and the realm."
Kael's grip tightened painfully.
Seraphina turned to him, heart aching. "I won't let them use you against me."
His voice was low, fierce. "You already are."
The Devil King raised his hand. "The trial will begin at the Blood Moon."
A collective shudder ran through the hall.
Seraphina's pulse raced.
The Blood Moon was a death sentence for the unprepared.
Kael leaned in, lips brushing her ear—barely touching, but enough to send heat through her veins.
"I will train you," he whispered. "Relentlessly."
She swallowed. "And if I fail?"
His voice dropped to something raw. "You won't. Because if you fall…"
He pulled back just enough to meet her eyes.
"I fall with you."
The court watched them—fearful now.
Because they could all see it.
This was no longer just a trial.
It was a love powerful enough to destroy a kingdom.