Chapter 3

Just then, Snowdrop, who had been peeking at me from outside the door, quietly slipped inside.

She was my only friend in the mortal world.

I instinctively tried to hide, but she still saw me in this state.

She stood there for a long moment before bursting into tears.

As she sobbed, she came over and pulled my hands away from my face, smearing her tears and snot all over me.

"Lucian, how did you end up like this? You look terrible!" she cried. "You've always cared so much about your appearance."

I sighed to myself, but all I could do was gently stroke her face and smile as I told her I was fine.

A sudden warmth spread through my palm. I looked down and saw that Snowdrop had placed her demon core in my hand.

"Lucian, you can protect me from now on," she said.

I couldn't fight her off, and she forced the demon core into my mouth.

The depleted spiritual energy within me was instantly replenished, and my face quickly returned to normal.

As I held Snowdrop in her true form, I remembered I still had a restoration elixir I had made in a cave somewhere.

But before I could even step outside, a strong demonic power knocked me back.

I stood there stunned for a long while before remembering what Stella had said. She wouldn't let me leave the room again.

She had sealed the room with a magical barrier, leaving me confined inside.

I quietly carried Snowdrop back to the bed, then took out my sheet of parchment and crossed off my plans one by one.

Then I added one more. Take Snowdrop to the High Heavens.

Snowdrop hopped onto my lap and asked, "What's all this?"

I stared at the parchment, my thoughts drifting back to the past.

During the thousand years Stella and I spent traveling the mortal world together, we went almost everywhere.

But we were always on our way to some battle or another, so we never had time to stop and try the local food.

Back then, she told me that once she became the Demon Queen, we would get married.

She would travel with me, try all kinds of food, and see the sights in every place we visited.

But later, Louie came back.

It seemed she had forgotten everything between us overnight. All she left me was a promise that we would get married someday.

I gently stroked Snowdrop's head and smiled faintly. "These are the nine things I want to do before I leave."

However, I never expected to end up confined here, unable to complete even one of them.

It was all right. At least I could still do this one last thing. My mentor would surely like Snowdrop too.

The night breeze drifted through the curtains around my bed. Before I knew it, I had fallen asleep again.

As I drifted in and out of consciousness, I felt my arm grow lighter.

I reached out, but my hand closed around nothing but lingering warmth.

Early the next morning, the door was open, but Snowdrop was nowhere to be found.

I told myself she must have gone out to play. Snowdrop had always loved to run around.

But for some reason, I couldn't shake an uneasy feeling.

By noon, she still hadn't come back.

I could only stop a demon who happened to be hurrying past and beg him to help me find Snowdrop.

The young flower demon couldn't refuse because I was Stella's fiancé, but he rolled his eyes and clearly wanted nothing to do with me.

I was already used to being treated that way, so I took off the amulet Stella had given me when we pledged ourselves to each other and handed it to him.

It was the last valuable thing I had left.

"Please just help me find her. She's a little white rabbit with a black mark shaped like a flower on her right foot."

The flower demon's eyes lit up, and he quickly snatched the amulet from my hand. "Just so we're clear, I'm keeping this even if I don't find her."

I hurriedly nodded and thanked him over and over.

I sat by the door and waited for two days, but there was still no word about Snowdrop.

Instead, Stella came.

She waved her hand and lifted the barrier. Then she took a food box from her arms, opened it, and held it out to me.

Inside were the savory hand pies I had wanted most from my list.

"Lucian…"

I knocked the food box from her hands, sending the savory hand pies scattering across the floor.

While Stella stood there stunned, I took off running. All I wanted to do was find Snowdrop as quickly as possible.

But I was in such poor shape that Stella caught up to me almost right away.

She grabbed me by the shoulder and snapped, "What the hell are you doing now?"

Snowdrop's scent was close by, but sensing it only made me more anxious.

There was a smell of blood mixed with it.

I could only cry and beg Stella. "Stella, please help me. Help me find Snowdrop."

She hesitated and gently wiped the tears from my face, then spoke to me softly. "Lucian, be good. Let's go back to the room first."

Ignoring my struggles, she took my hand in hers and gently stroked my wrist, trying to comfort me.

When she realized my wrist was bare, Stella froze for a moment.

She raised our joined hands, her expression hardening. "Where's the amulet?"