Liam’s POV:
As the door to the cathedral swung open, I was instantly t by the sight of hundreds of red eyes.
The eyes contained venom; I could almost taste it.
’Let them feel my presence.’
Stepping one ter inside the King’s Cathedral, I stood on the red carpet and experienced a sensation akin to a celebrity gracing a night gala.
"I am sorry, my haircut took longer than expected," I said.
The cadets seated on either side of on the wooden benches reacted with imdiate astonishnt, their jaws dropping as if I had perford a magic trick.
"Did he just... say that?" one of them said.
"A haircut? Is he insane?" another one added.
My eyes shifted from the cadets to the altar, landing on Lana. She stood stiffly in front of the podium, hands folded, eyes staring daggers right through .
’Oh, she’s going to skin alive when she finds out what I’m really about to do.’
Walking closer to the altar, I glanced left towards Queen Violet. She was seated on her throne, flanked by four military officers.
In a carefully calculated move, I flicked the collar of my inner shirt, as if dust had landed on it.
My eyes locked with Queen Violet’s, and I winked at her, simultaneously settling my entire tongue firmly against the roof of my mouth, just behind my front teeth.
Even more daggers were sent my way as the Generals picked apart with their intense glares.
I paid them no attention. Instead, I navigated my way to the podium and stood before Lana.
"You are late," she uttered.
Looking into her eyes, I could tell that’s not what she wanted to say. "I am going to kill you after this," was most likely what was on her mind.
I stood with my shoulders back, chin slightly lifted, making sure I projected every ounce of the arrogance I felt.
"I know that?" A reply left my mouth.
At that mont, I knew I was dancing on a thin line, pushing Lana’s buttons and gambling my life while I was at it. But for the sake of my grand plan, I had to be cocky, even if that made a piece of shit.
Lana clenched her fist and narrowed her eyes, her eyebrows almost closing.
"You’ve been removed from the family registry and are now declared dead. As a mber of the House of Sinners, you must leave your forr life behind, severing all ties. Revealing your true identity to anyone outside the organization is forbidden."
Lana took my hand and gave a piece of white paper. "Put one drop of your blood on it," she instructed. "Your blood will cause a na to be written on the paper, and that na will be your new na."
Taking the paper from her hand, I leaned in. "I am curious to know what my new na will be. Nevertheless, should I find it unfavorable, I simply won’t adopt it."
Lana extended her hand, pushing two fingers into my abdon. She then grabbed my suit, pinching through the fabric.
"Listen to , pretty boy, when this is over, you might as well pray you don’t cross my path again."
Her voice was low and nacing, a stark contrast to the formal tone she had used monts before.
Despite the sharp pain in my abdon, I kept the smile plastered on my face. "Oh, I think our paths are destined to cross, wouldn’t you say?"
Lana seized my thumb, her green fingernail digging into it. As my red blood dripped from it, she pressed the bloody finger onto the paper.
These quick actions of hers went unnoticed by the other cadets.
"We don’t have ti for any of your gas." She hissed.
Lana retreated a step, her gaze fixed on the paper as she anticipated the appearance of my alias na.
Beside her stood another woman, her fingers interlocked, sustaining the barrier that enclosed the three of us: Louis, Lana, and myself.
The young woman caught my eye, she had long, dark purple hair styled in twin tails and bright red eyes. She was wearing a revealing black outfit consisting of a halter-neck top and nurous straps, buckles, and belts that crisscrossed her midriff and waist. Over this, she wore a black, fur-trimd jacket.
’I will need her for my little plan.’
Lana looked up, brows furrowed. "King?" she asked.
"Why does the alias say King?"
A smirk touched my lips as I watched her, and I quickly took the paper from her hand.
’This is going to be interesting.’
Imdiately, I turned around and looked at the sea of cadets wearing green military outfits.
With my left hand in my pocket, I raised my right, the paper held between my index and middle fingers.
"This is the day you have all been waiting for." My voice hung in the air, the echo reflecting off the hard walls.
"What’s going on?" one of the cadets whispered.
"This isn’t part of the ceremony, is it?" Another asked.
"What does he an by ’the day we’ve all been waiting for’?"
The King’s Cathedral slowly erupted in a hush of confused whispers, each hushed query adding to the escalating tension.
Heads turned, eyes darted, searching for answers, for reassurance, but finding none.
"Every Demon has red eyes except for one," I spoke again.
The whispers intensified, creating more confusion than clarity.
Suddenly, a cadet in a dark green, double-breasted military jacket decorated with many gold buttons rose from the bench.
Gold braided cord hangs from his right shoulder, and a brown leather belt with a holster for a sword is visible around his waist, setting him apart from the rest of the cadets.
"I am Julian Evergreen, representing the graduating House of War. On behalf of our class, I must object to this intrusion upon the sanctity of our graduation ceremony."
From the altar, I looked down at him and pointed with the hand holding the white paper. "Every demon has red eyes," I stated, "except for one. Who is it?"
"In history class, the initial lesson centers on the unique blue eye color of the Demon King, distinguishing him from all others who possess red eyes."
He walked right into my trap. I looked at Julian, a smug expression spreading across my face.
"Tell ," I inquired, "what shade are my eyes?"
Julian answered, his body betraying a visible flinch, "Blue."
"Sothing’s wrong." Another cadet said.
"Quiet down," soone in the rear ordered, but it was too late. The entire cathedral had already descended into chaos as they finally noticed my blue eyes.
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