The next morning arrived wrapped in soft golden light. The first rays of the sun slipped through the closed curtains, casting faint lines along the stone walls. The distant chirping of birds broke the silence.
Ras woke up calmly. He sat on the edge of the bed, rubbed his eyes, and walked toward the windows. He drew back the curtains, letting light flood the room.
—"Good morning, rotten world," he muttered with a half-smile, stretching his arms with lazy ease.
He dressed slowly, like time wasn't pressing. Then his gaze shifted toward the corner of the room. Violeta was still asleep on the floor, wrapped in a thin blanket that barely covered her.
Her hair fell messily across her pale face, and even in that state, her vacant expression held an eerie beauty. But something about that image stirred discomfort in Ras… not guilt, but the faint echo of something buried.
He approached her, crouched down, and spoke softly.
—"Violeta… wake up. We need to talk."
The succubus slowly opened her eyes. There was no surprise, no confusion. She simply looked at him, as if she had already known this moment was coming.
—"What do you wish, Master?"
—"Sit up. This time… I'm not giving you an order. I just want you to listen. It's important."
She sat up without hesitation, facing him on the floor.
—"I will listen to whatever you want to share."
Ras sighed, staying silent for a few seconds. Then, for the first time in a long while, he let the mask fall. His smile disappeared. His voice deepened—more human, more real.
—"I want to tell you about my past… Not because I want pity. But because if things ever get ugly… I want you to know why I do what I do."
Violeta blinked, not fully understanding, but she nodded.
—"For as long as I can remember… we were poor. We lived in a house so small that if one of us stood up, the other had to sit down. The walls were so thin you could hear footsteps from the street as if they were inside."
His voice turned rough, like each word scraped its way out of his throat.
—"I had an older brother. He was everything to me. My hero. The only one who protected me, made me laugh, shielded me from the neighborhood thugs. He… always sacrificed himself for me."
Ras clenched his fists.
—"One day, when I was just a kid… a man asked me if I wanted to make money. Of course, I said yes. We had nothing. He told me I just had to deliver some packages. I felt useful… happy. I didn't know I was delivering shit. Drugs."
Violeta lowered her head slightly.
—"And your brother… did he know?"
—"Yeah. Because he worked for them too. But he was different. He had dreams. He wanted to escape, take us somewhere better. He saved money in secret, hiding bills beneath the floorboards. Until they found out."
Silence thickened in the room. Ras swallowed hard.
—"That day… I came home happy. I had made three deliveries. And when I walked in… I saw them. Three guys beating the hell out of him. Calling him a traitor. Stomping on his head. I rushed in to defend him… and another guy hit me. They threw me down like a dog."
He closed his eyes.
—"And then… I watched them drag him out of the house. My brother looked at me one last time. Bloody, broken… but he smiled. The same smile I wear now. A smile that said, 'Don't cry. You'll be okay.'"
Violeta gripped her knees tighter.
—"What did you do?"
—"I crawled to the kitchen. Grabbed a knife. And I lunged at one of them. I stabbed him. Over and over. It was the first time I killed someone. But the others didn't care. They still took my brother away."
He stared at the floor in silence.
—"I ran through the city searching for him. For hours. Days. Until I found his watch… and his shoes… lying in the street. I never saw him again."
The silence in the room was heavy. For the first time since they met, Violeta looked at him with a mix of respect, sorrow… and fear.
—"Since that day… I decided I'd live peacefully. Not bother anyone. I'd smile, be kind, make people like me. But…" —he looked her straight in the eyes— "I'm selfish, Violeta. I only want to live well. Be at peace. Even if it means doing awful things. Even if I have to destroy someone else."
Violeta said nothing.
—"That's why…" Ras continued, "when I killed Eron… I felt nothing. I just did what I had to do. If it had been you instead of him… I would've done the same."
His words hit like blades. Violeta trembled slightly, but didn't retreat. She looked at him with her hollow eyes… and spoke in a trembling voice.
—"So I'm just a tool… for your peace?"
—"Yes," Ras said, without hesitation. Then he added, "But you're also the only one who knows all this. So maybe… you're more than that. I don't know."
She lowered her gaze.
—"Sometimes, the greatest monsters wear the warmest smiles."
Ras stood up, walked to the window, and threw it wide open.
—"And sometimes… they just want to be free."
—"Do you consider yourself free, Master?"
Ras rested his forehead against the window frame.
—"No. But if I play my cards right… maybe one day I will be."
Just after uttering those words, a loud knock shook the door to the room.
—"Huh?" Ras muttered, frowning. "What a way to knock…"
He stood up calmly and walked to the door. When he opened it, Vaelis' serious face was waiting on the other side.
—"What happened? Why so aggressive?" Ras asked with his usual carefree smile.
—"The king is calling for you," said Vaelis bluntly, his voice more tense than usual.
Ras turned to Violeta, who was watching him silently from the corner.
—"Stay here. Don't open the door to anyone. No matter what happens," he said firmly.
Violeta nodded without saying a word, and Ras left with Vaelis.
As they walked through the halls, the silence between them was tense. Vaelis kept glancing at him, as if analyzing him, suspecting something. Ras, as always, walked with his hands behind his head and a smile on his face, as if there were no concerns in the world.
—"Everything okay, Vaelis?" he asked, breaking the silence in a teasing tone.
Vaelis didn't reply.
Eventually, they reached a large meeting hall. The door was already open, and raised voices could be heard from inside.
Inside were gathered the king Reinhardt, the queen Isolde, the crown princess Ariane, the Supreme Mage Alzareth, Captain Gaius, Susan, and Lili. All of them seemed deep in a heated discussion.
—"That makes no sense!" shouted the crown princess, visibly upset. "Eron said he was going out with the hero! He was the last one to see him!!"
Everyone turned to the door as Ras entered. He just waved with his usual smile, as if he didn't understand what was happening.
—"Is something wrong?" he asked kindly.
The crown princess pointed at him.
—"Maybe it was him! Maybe he killed Eron!"
The room fell silent for a few seconds.
—"Eron?" Ras repeated, feigning surprise. "Ooh yeah… we did train together, sure, but after that, I went to practice magic with the Supreme Mage. That's when I discovered my new power. Before that, I could barely swat a fly."
Everyone turned to Alzareth.
The Supreme Mage, arms crossed, clicked his tongue.
—"He's right," he said flatly. "I saw him myself. He didn't seem to have anything special before today. Only now did he show a spell worth noting."
—"He's still suspicious!" insisted the crown princess, furious. "Eron was a prodigy! He wouldn't just vanish like that!"
—"That's enough!" the king interrupted firmly, frowning at his eldest daughter. "There's no evidence, and you're accusing one of our heroes without grounds."
The crown princess clenched her fists. She knew she couldn't speak the truth—that she had ordered Eron to kill Ras. Now… she was looking like a fool in front of everyone.
The king turned to Ras.
—"Eron… was the son of the Supreme Mage. A prodigy. Although he only had level three magic, his tactical skill, intelligence, and cunning allowed him to face level four mages with ease. That's why we wanted him to be your examiner, to test your potential. But… we found his ring, with his finger still in it, on the outskirts of the castle, in the forest."
Susan and Lili flinched upon hearing that. Ras, on the other hand, kept his flawless smile.
—"How tragic…" he said, bowing his head slightly. "But I doubt it has anything to do with me. I'm willing to cooperate with any investigation."
—"We'll see," murmured Gaius, still watching him closely.
At that moment, the door opened gently and the younger princess entered. Her presence had always been shy, reserved—but this time, she walked with confident steps.
She approached Ras, stopped in front of him, and with a soft yet determined voice, said:
—"Hero Ras… would you like to take a walk with me in the garden?"
An absolute silence fell over the room.
Ras looked at her, confused.
—"Huh…? With me?"
The young princess nodded, avoiding eye contact.
Lili and Susan exchanged surprised glances… and perhaps something more. Maybe jealousy. Maybe just distrust.
—"Of course," Ras replied, never losing his smile. "I'd love to."
The two of them left the room together. The murmurs resumed the moment they disappeared down the hallway.
Susan frowned, crossing her arms.
—"That's not like her…"
—"No," Lili whispered. "Something strange is going on."
Meanwhile, Ras walked alongside the younger princess under the morning sun. Yet his mind was far from that quiet stroll.
"Now they're trying to manipulate me… using the timid princess to soften me up. But they don't know… I started this game long ago."