After spending some time dining with Princess Nora, watching the Crown Prince Fury genuinely enjoy every bite of human cuisine made her quietly nod to herself.
“It’s kind of a shame, you know,” Dan said. “Honestly, I wanted to travel all five kingdoms now that I’ve finally gotten out.”
He smiled.
“But now that Casca’s coming here, I guess I can’t complain, haha.”
“By the way… aren’t you in a hurry to go find her? She’s probably tearing through the whole Garden looking for you by now.”
“Let her panic a bit—it’s satisfying.”
He grinned slyly.
“Vanishing without a word like that deserves a little punishment. She’ll either be waiting at the Academy or come find you eventually. I don’t need to rush.”
“That’s kind of unfortunate... I still have so many questions I want to ask…”
“No need to feel bad. You’ve already gotten more exclusive access than anyone could dream of—think about it.”
Besides being close to the most powerful figure in the Demon Kingdom…
Nora also knew about demons who could disguise themselves as humans.
She knew about Casca and Fury’s relationship.
And she was now an insider—aware that Diablo would soon open its borders.
“Anyway, I’m sure we’ll meet again soon, right? You know Snowhaven already passed the resolution—there’s going to be a five-nation summit with Diablo.”
To discuss cooperation in wiping out the remaining Shadow clan.
“I’ll be attending too, Mr. Fury.”
Zeedee: “Why would they bring a kid like you?”
“The letter I got this morning said my mother summoned me herself… royal command.”
Basically, it was a call for Nora to begin shadowing official duties. Made sense for a 19-year-old about to enter the real arena.
“The palace is already preparing my leave.”
“Nice. Then we’ll see each other again. But not like this.”
Dan pointed up and down at his face.
“We’ll have to pretend we don’t know each other, alright?”
“Of course. No problem.”
“Hard to believe…”
“Will the Demon King be attending?”
“My father won’t, but…”
Dan squinted.
“He’s sending my younger brother instead.”
“Your brother?”
Nora tilted her head like a curious owl.
“You’re not leading the delegation?”
“I’m just there as a dog barrier.”
“You know the books only mention you and the Demon King, right?”
“And judging by that notebook you’ve pulled out, I’m guessing you’re itching to jot down more info.”
Zeedee glanced at the prince, then at Nora—and sure enough, that same notebook and pen were already sitting on the dining table.
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Zeedee: “Sh-she’s fast!”
“Your younger brother—if I’m not mistaken, the book says his name is Everton, right?”
“Correct, Your Highness.”
“But I’ve never seen a portrait of him. Does he look like you?”
“He’s smaller. Handsomer? Don’t know. Definitely uglier.”
“You seem to love him dearly.”
“Love him enough to want to kill him.”
scribbles “...doesn’t like... younger brother…”
“Hey hey hey! Aren’t you assuming a bit too much?”
“I don’t think it’s a big deal, Mr. Fury. I used to fight with my younger brother all the time… when we were kids.”
“Whoa… feels like I’m being lectured by a child…”
“What’s his role?”
“My little brother handles the kingdom’s foreign interests. That’s his one and only job.”
“And your other sibling?”
“Fiorentina. She manages internal affairs… Her job is to make sure the kingdom stays unified and that no one turns traitor.”
“Internal politics, then?”
“She’s doing a lot, honestly… the number two candidate behind me.”
<
>
The impromptu interview was interrupted as the staff wheeled in a golden cart with bowls of soup.
“What’s this?”
“It’s a specialty dish. Very famous from Zentinel.”
When they opened the lid…
Prince Fury found a bowl of orange meat.
“What’s this?”
“Shark fin, sir.”
“Shark? You mean, like, ocean sharks?”
“…Yes.”
Then Nora noticed something change in Dan’s expression.
They seemed to pause—enough to make the princess uneasy.
“…Mr. Fury? Is something wrong?”
“Is that what this is? A shark fin?”
“Yes…”
“Give it to Zeedee. I’m not eating it.”
Dan wasn’t someone to coldly reject things like that. His tone was unusually firm—clearly something was off.
“Why not? It’s incredibly rare, Mr. Fury. You should at least try—”
“I don’t eat things that resemble my subordinates.”
Nora froze.
That single line… said so much more than it seemed.
Her face went numb. Panic rose on her face, but she quickly tried to recover. Still, Dan understood it wasn’t her fault.
“If it was just the soup, I wouldn’t mind. But the fin? I’d rather have its liver, to be honest… but whatever, it’s been a while.”
Zeedee went ahead and took the shark fin instead.
Nora sat still, and Dan—watching Zeedee enjoy the delicacy—spoke gently.
“It’s my personal rule. Not your fault.”
“...I’m sorry. I really didn’t know…”
“It’s fine.”
Dan took a sip of water.
“I saw something like this about twenty years ago in Zentinel… They hunted a shark, sliced off only the fin, and threw it back into the sea… To be honest, I hate it.”
He said,
“If you kill something, eat all of it. Don’t just cut off the fin and toss it back to die. It’s an insult to nature. But then… it’s not my territory. I can’t say much.”
“I’ll be more careful next time, Mr. Fury.”
“No worries. You just didn’t know.”
Seeing that she still looked uneasy, the prince tried to ease the mood.
“But there’s one sea creature I do eat.”
“What is it?”
“Jellyfish.”
Zeedee: “WHAT?! Your Highness!!!”
“Got any grilled jellyfish skewers?”
Zeedee: “Stop right there!!”
With the atmosphere lightening again, Nora asked,
“Are many of your soldiers sea-creature types, Mr. Fury?”
“Sharks… crabs… squids… whales… jellyfish. But not all of them can walk on land like her.”
points at Zeedee
“Right, jellyfish usually need to be in water, don’t they?”
Zeedee: “I’m just awesome!”
“Or maybe the ocean kicked her out for being annoying.”
Zeedee: “Your Highness!!”
“Could you tell me about the soldiers who can’t leave the sea?”
“If it’s the shark guy—he’s quick. Strong, too. Younger than Freya. He’s been in battle, but Snowhaven never saw him. The sea there’s too cold for him.”
“Too cold, so he can’t survive?”
“For colder waters, we need thicker-skinned types. Otherwise, the cold water’s too much.”
“Who?”
“Can’t say his name, but he’s a whale. A big one. Very big.”
“…Is he the one who can’t come on land because his weight would crush himself?”
“Different guy. But that one has been sent to swim around Snowhaven two or three times.”
“Swim around Snowhaven?”
“Don’t freak out, Your Highness. Just doing laps. Seriously.”
“Hard to believe.”
“HEY! Don’t sass me, Nora.”
“Can the shark guy walk on land?”
“Yes, but only for short periods. He’s not like Freya.”
“Is he part of your elite guard?”
“Royal guard standards are higher than that, Nora.”
Nora: glances at Zeedee
“Yeah, not counting that one.”
Zeedee: “Excuse me?!”
“No matter how strong—if they can’t follow me on land, they’re disqualified.”
“So that means the other three in your guard are all land creatures?”
“Exactly. Makes sense, right? You won’t see me hanging out in the sea.”
“True… lizards can’t swim.”
“Lizard??”
“Can you swim, Mr. Fury?”
“I refuse to answer.”
scribbles “...can’t swim…”
“Refusing doesn’t mean I can’t.”
“Miss Freya, can he swim?”
“You think someone this bulky could survive the sea without me?”
scribbles “…can swim… a little…”
“Hey hey hey! What’s that supposed to mean?!”
“I’m stuffed… Thanks again, Nora, for treating us.”
Dan patted his stomach and gave a thumbs-up.
“If you ever visit Diablo, I’ll treat you in return.”
“No fresh deer, please, Mr. Fury.”
Zeedee: “Hey!”
“That image is burned into my mind… Miss Freya. I had nightmares about it, no joke.”
“You had nightmares about the most gorgeous, seductive female on the island? Your brain is broken!”
Dan: “I’d have nightmares too.”
“Your Highness!!!”
“All right, let’s go. Up.”
Dan scooped Zeedee into his arms.
“We’ve got to go prep the house before anything else.”
“It’s quite far, Mr. Fury. Want me to give you a lift?”
“Really?”
“I’ll tell the coachman to drop you off by the wall.”
“Perfect. Then give us a ride, would you?”
