“Yes, I can, Lord Duke,” Aengus stated calmly. “But for that, I need you to suppress everyone’s powers here. Only then will I be able to truly check for any lingering traces of Soul Domination.”
What? Soul search on us? This is outrageous!
Murmurs rippled through the crowd, discontent growing among the nobles. The very idea of having their powers suppressed seemed unthinkable to some, especially Duchess Ruliana, whose expression turned rigid with panic.
“This is nonsense!” Duchess Ruliana protested. “Why should we comply with this baseless accusation? You think you’ve become important enough to question all of us? Remember, you’re just a lowly half-breed.”
Bella’s face darkened. “Why not? Are you scared of something, dear ‘Mother’?” Bella asked sarcastically.
Ruliana frowned but feigned sadness. “Bella… You suspect me? I love you just like your mother did. How could you say that to me?” She looked as if she might cry any second.
“Oh, please,” Bella scoffed, knowing full well her stepmother’s nature. “Nobody can replace my mother.”
Others voiced their agreement with Ruliana, nodding and grumbling among themselves.
“Alright, enough!”
The room fell silent when Belial raised a hand, his expression unyielding. His eyes glowed with deadly intent as he spoke in a low, commanding tone.
“Ruliana, I see no problem giving it a go. Or do you not trust me?”
“Husband, that’s not true. I trust you wholeheartedly. But what if he tries to harm you by turning everyone else against you?” she said, her voice filled with seemingly genuine concern.
Bella intervened. “Impossible! My hubby would never do such a thing,” she retorted loudly.
Belial turned to Aengus, his eyes narrowing into slits at hearing Bella call Aengus “husband.” He ignored the matter for now and continued.
“Don’t worry, Ruliana. I will make sure that never happens.” His eyes flickered with power as muscles cracked, aiming to intimidate Aengus.
Ruliana found no words to retort.
Belial turned to his subordinates.
“If there are traitors among us, they will be found. Anyone who refuses will be seen as guilty. I will personally deal with them.”
The room went dead silent at his words. Despite her composed exterior, Duchess Ruliana exchanged frantic glances with some of the other nobles. She knew that resisting would only draw more suspicion toward her.
Reluctantly, the demons in the room complied, allowing Belial to suppress their powers. A faint shimmer passed through the hall as a powerful wave of demonic energy swept over them, weakening their auras and stripping them of their supernatural defenses.
In pretense, Aengus’s eyes glowed with dark energy as he activated his ability to scan their souls. His gaze swept across the room, and it wasn’t long before it locked onto Duchess Ruliana. A slow, knowing smirk crept across his face.
Aengus pointed, “Duchess Ruliana… you were under soul control until a few moments ago.” his voice filled with certainty.
Gasps erupted from the crowd, and all eyes turned to Ruliana, whose face drained of color. Her composure shattered as she took a step back, her chest tightening under Belial’s gaze, which bore into her with a killing intent that could crush worlds.
“No… this can’t be… He’s lying, Lord Husband,” Ruliana stammered, but her voice was weak, betraying her guilt.
Bella smiled and looked at her father.
“Father, you should do a soul search on her yourself if you don’t believe Aengus,” she suggested.
Belial, finding the matter serious, moved closer to Ruliana, despite her reluctance.
He touched her forehead to begin the search. Unlike Aengus, who could detect the foreign soul from afar, Belial needed to do it directly. He read her soul memories and was astonished by what he found.
“Paah!”
He slapped her hard across her pretty face, without mercy.
“Speak, Ruliana,” Belial commanded, his voice dangerously low. Although he knew everything, he wanted the others to hear the truth as well.
The air grew heavy, suffocating Ruliana under the weight of his power, and her knees buckled. She could no longer resist.
“I…” She began speaking, her voice trembling, as her secrets spilled out under the pressure of Belial’s presence. She was powerless in front of him, as if she could be crushed at any moment.
“Please forgive me, Lord Husband. I was approached by a human in my mind. He was really powerful. He wanted demon cores—astronomical amounts of them. In exchange, he vowed to kill Bella.”
Her confession sent shockwaves through the room.
Bella’s eyes widened in disbelief, her hands instinctively clenching into fists.
Ruliana, seeing the fury in Bella’s gaze, spoke more desperately.
“I had no choice! I hated Bella because she’s the previous Duchess Celeste’s daughter… Celeste, a mere human, who once held my position! I feared that if Celeste returned, she would reclaim her title and remove me from power… I would lose everything! So I took the human’s offer…” She broke down between sobs.
“I can’t believe Duchess Ruliana would betray the Lord Duke for an unknown human’s promise.”
“Yeah, true. Who knows how many demon cores she had embezzled outside?”
The crowd stood stunned, processing the depth of her betrayal.
Bella’s lips trembled, her eyes locking onto Ruliana with a mixture of shock and disgust.
“You would do all this… to kill me, out of jealousy and fear? My mother treated you all like sisters, and that’s how you repay her? You’re truly disgusting!” Bella said, her voice filled with contempt and a twinge of pain for her mother.
Vienna stepped forward to comfort her, taking Bella into her embrace.
Ruliana’s head hung low in shame, but she made no further excuses. Belial’s expression grew darker with every word. He stepped forward, his aura crackling with menace.
“Ruliana, I never expected this from you. I trusted you and gave you the Duchess Title, and that’s how you repay me?”
“For conspiring with the enemy and endangering our people,” he said in a cold, unforgiving tone, “You will face the consequences.”
Ruliana trembled at the thought of punishment.
“Mercy, lord husband! I did it all because of your love,” she begged, kneeling and holding onto his leg.
Belial had no forgiveness for her betrayal.
“My decision is final, Ruliana. You will be imprisoned for ten years in the cold prison,” he said ruthlessly, breaking her last hope.
“Father, Mother, what’s going on?”
Ruby, Belzard, and Belial’s few more children entered the hall, sensing the tension inside.
After learning everything, Ruby and Belzard begged for their mother to be spared.
Their teary eyes softened Belial’s gaze slightly. They were his children, after all.
He reduced the punishment to five years, allowing her to meet with her children once a month.
Thus, the matter concluded, and everyone began to leave the hall, leaving Bella and Aengus alone with Belial.
Ruby, her red eyes swollen, took one last glance at them before leaving with her brother to accompany their mother, who seemed lifeless as if she had lost something precious.
A few guards with stern faces dragged her for imprisonment.
Belial watch them go without emotions. To him, there was no concept of love towards his wives anymore after the separation with Celeste. She was the only one who was able to move his heart for true.
