Iori Draven was in quite the good mood.
For the first time in quite a while, Helios had called him to the castle unexpectedly.
For as long as Iori could remember, he had looked up to and idolized his father.
How could he not when he was the sole being who was feared by any and everyone alive or dead?
As such, Iori treated every interaction with his father as a chance to learn and follow in his footsteps.
His dream was to one day ascend to the throne, and only once he had done so would he feel worthy of carrying the Draven last name.
Pushing open the doors to his father’s throne room, Iori was surprised to see that there were a few faces already there waiting for him.
His father was there of course, standing next to the man who was considered to be his uncle, Hajun.
Surprisingly, his sister was waiting there as well with a man that Iori had never seen before.
‘A demon? Don’t tell me…’
“I’m glad you’re here, son. I called you here because I have a favor to ask of you.”
Iori immediately forgot about the unexpected guest and was simply elated by the fact that his father had actually called him ‘son’.
“What is it that you need, father?” Iori said through a massive grin.
Even if his father wanted him to go to war with every continent on the face of this earth, he would take his army and do so gladly!
Helios simply pointed to the black skinned demon who was standing dangerously close to Yara.
“Kill your sister’s pleasure slave.”
“He’s not my pleasure slave!” Yara argued.
“He has yet to earn any other title.” Helios reminded.
The dragon princess huffed and folded her arms in annoyance while Asmodeus simply chuckled.
If he was honest, he had certainly been called worse things in his life.
Iori looked back and forth between everyone present and was able to gain a general idea of what was going on. “So you want me to test him, is that it?”
Helios: “I said kill.”
Yara: “Father!”
“Fine!” Helios grumbled. “Yes, your battle will be a test to determine whether or not he is worthy of your sister, but do not dare to think of this as a mere test! You must fight to kill him with everything that you have!”
Iori stared hard at Asmodeus as if he was trying to size him up.
At a glance, Asmodeus did not seem like anything too fearsome.
While his body was beautiful, it did not illicit that same sense of danger that he felt whenever he stood in front of a strong opponent that posed a considerable challenge.
And that was why Iori was concerned.
No one lives to see the fifth stage of evolution without spilling enough blood to fill an ocean.
The fact that Asmodeus felt like the least dangerous individual imaginable was a testament to his true nature as a crafty and lethal enemy.
“You’re Asmodeus, correct? I am Iori.”
The former demon lord never lost his smile as he returned the dragon prince’s greeting with a polite nod.
“When do we begin?” Asmodeus asked.
This bold question put a smile on the faces of both Helios and his son.
Just as Helios was about to answer, the doors to the throne room suddenly swung open and a woman strode inside.
She was 6’3 inches tall with a muscular figure and an extremely pale complexion.
Her eyes an horns were both a beautiful ruby red color, making her look equally alluring and dangerous.
Her clothing was scandalous, yet it was obviously well made with some sort of strange material.
It was a simple black outfit consisting of a bra and panties, paired with disconnected sleeves and stockings that went up to her thighs.
On her right hand she wore a single red glove that had a rather pronounced bulge on the ring finger.
The woman was obviously, Seras Bloodfla-
“POOKIE SNOOKEMS!!!”
As soon as Hajun saw his daughter, the man shot forward like a bullet with his arms held out for a massive bearhug.
Even if his daughter looked quite different now, he would never forget her for as long as he lived!
Bang!
Seras delivered her father a solid kick to the jaw that sent him sprawling out across the floor.
The hybrid woman’s face became as red as her horns from the horror of hearing that horrible nickname.
“W-What have I told you about calling me that you old bastard?!”
Unfortunately, Hajun could not answer as his jaw was still broken so he simply lie on the floor as he waited for it to heal.
However, he did not seem to mind the pain he was in as he was much too preoccupied with another fact.
‘My baby girl has become so much stronger… This day is truly an auspicious one!’
Seras quickly composed herself before refocussing her attention.
She quickly took a knee and lowered her head in front of Helios and his two children
“My king, I have returned to pay my respects to the royal family.”
“You were gone quite a while Seras. Did you enjoy your honeymoon?”
Again, Seras’ calm facade cracked as a small smile showed on the corners of her lips. “I do not believe that I have ever enjoyed anything more, my king.”
“Ha! What a sap you’ve become.” Helios said but he was not displeased.
He more than anyone knew the joys of being in love so he was not going to look down on Seras for such a thing.
Provided that it did not interfere with her loyalty of course.
“You… smell like my son.” Yara suddenly said as she inched closer to the kneeling hybrid.
Seras’ heart began to speed up even faster than it did when she was on the battlefield. “Y-Yes… Abaddon is my husband, princess.”
She didn’t want to face her new mother in law like this!
She still was not even certain whether or not Yara would approve of their relationship!
Seras was quite a bit older and the entire kingdom already knew about her… explosive personality.
She simply prayed silently that Yara would be welcoming and understanding.
Her heart nearly shattered when Yara let out a frustrated sigh instead.
𝚘𝐯𝑳xt.𝗰𝒪𝓜
“As I thought, this won’t do.”
Surprisingly, Seras suddenly felt two soft and delicate hands on her face that were tilting her head upwards.
“You have to call me mother from now on, okay? There is no need for you to sound so distant when we are family, understand?”
“Y-Yes… mother.” Seras said happily.
From behind Yara, Asmodeus also walked forward to administer his greetings and the scene really became quite sweet.
Until Hajun’s jaw finally healed and he appeared right at Seras’ side in a gust of wind.
“How could you get married without telling me? I won’t accept this marriage until you bring that bastard before me on his knees!”
Seras suddenly gave her father a lifeless and exhausted look. “It is a good thing that neither of us require your acceptance. Mother’s was good enough.”
Hajun suddenly flinched at the memory of his ex wife and was incredibly surprised that Seras had seen her.
“…So the two of you have mended fences then?”
“It is.. a work in progress.” Seras replied honestly.
“Ha! Such a thing is already a miracle.” If there is hope for the two of you then maybe there is hope for us as well…”
Off to the side, Helios and Iori were engaged in a telepathic conversation.
Once Iori nodded, Helios nodded in agreement before a smile formed on his face. “Seras, I hope you haven’t gotten rusty after spending so much time as a newlywed.”
Seras’ stoic and loyal demeanor immediately returned. “Of course not, my king. I am always ready for any conflict that should arise.”
“Good!”
Helios suddenly made his way back in front of Asmodeus and loomed over him mockingly. “What was that you said earlier about sending my best and most vile?”
It didn’t take a genius to recognize where Helios was going with this, and Asmodeus smiled maniacally from the sudden difficulty of this challenge.
“I hope you aren’t expecting me to take back my words. If so, I would be delighted to disappoint you.”
“Your death will be an agonizing one, overconfident fool.”
Yara sighed as she rubbed her temples in a mix of annoyance and frustration.
All of this trouble just for one measly wedding ceremony!
Seras on the other hand was still completely in the dark, her head shifting back and forth between her king and her father in law.
She could tell that the two were obviously hostile towards each other, yet she did not understand why that was the case.
All she knew was she was going to be involved somehow and she was already regretting returning here so soon.
‘I want to go back home, I miss my family already.’
———
Huge thank you to Tyler_Hotker for sending me a massage chair and sponsoring this bonus chapter!