From within the crowd came a deep, familiar voice. Belphegor stood with his hands behind his back, his squinting eyes fixed on Vivia.
Another demon from the crowd turned to him, confused. "What is the matter, Belphegor?"
The old demon studied Vivia silently for a long moment. His gaze, though sharp, wasn't hostile as before. Then finally, he said, "The child can come to my house. My wife will bathe and feed him."
Shocked gasps echoed with confusion everywhere. Murmurs and suspicion surged like a rising tide. Zerath stood patiently, quietly observing how the situation would unfold.
"Belphegor, how can you heed this human's words…! She is a human. We cannot expect her to understand what we went through. You're wasting your kindness on her!"
"I'm not wasting my kindness. I'm giving the least respect she deserves for plunging our town out of the eternal winter. Princess Clairette…performed the Harbinger's dance at the lake forest. I saw it with my own eyes."
The news hit everyone like a bolt of lightning.
"The Harbinger's Dance?"
"But how is that possible? She is royalty, not from one of the Great Three Families. A royal princess cannot be the blessed!"
Vivia held a dumbfounded look herself.
He's talking about the same Harbinger's Dance which Zerath mentioned…But that wasn't the Harbinger's Dance I performed!
Belphegor said, "I don't care about the technicalities. I saw what I saw. After my lord's visit to my home, I went for a walk through the mountain path that leads to the lake forest. While I was returning, I saw them from far away near the frozen lake's shore. My lord, the princess and a child I didn't recognize were at the other side of the lake."
He paused, a silent breath catching in his throat and his glassy gaze staring off at a distance.
"Then I saw Princess Clairette step onto the center of the lake. At first, I didn't understand what she was doing, but as I kept watching, I realized. She was dancing. It was, without a doubt, the most beautiful dance I've ever seen in my life…"
A stillness fell over the crowd as Belphegor, who was usually grumpy and snarky, now spoke with an almost sacred reverence.
"I…don't have the right words to explain myself. Every praise would fall short for what I witnessed. Her dance was unearthly, as if she didn't even belong in this mortal world. It was…divine. I had heard about the blessed human's Harbinger of Seasons' dance, but I saw it today with my own eyes. And…"
His breaths trembled a little which urged the others to hold their breaths too.
"I saw it. When she ended her dance, the sun broke through the clouds at that exact moment. That moment had aligned so perfectly! I refuse to believe that it was just a coincidence. It was like nature itself was in tune with the princess's dance. What she performed was indeed the Harbinger's Dance that has the power to influence seasons. I feel it in my bones."
Vivia stood confused and helpless. Her heart felt overwhelmed with Belphegor's praise for her dance. But she also knew that it wasn't the Harbinger's Dance. She wasn't the blessed human to be able to perform that Godly dance - neither her, nor Clairette. A heavy weight pressed on her chest.
This is a big misunderstanding. What should I do? I don't want to fool Sir Belphegor or anyone else here!
Belphegor said quietly, staring at the child in Zerath's arms.
"That's why I'll take the child in. If somebody is to be punished, it's his parents. Once we find them, we can then decide an appropriate course of action. Also, his situation needs a full investigation. We cannot just blatantly accuse him, no matter how it looks like. For now, the least we can do is help the princess who lifted this damning winter."
The crowd murmured again, this time not with outrage but with uncertainty. Some were genuinely considering his words, but some still found it hard to abandon their wintery bitterness. They still held the princess before them with suspicion.
Vivia couldn't stay quiet anymore. She stepped forward, her voice hesitant but sincere.
"Sir Belphegor, there is something you must-"
Before she could finish, a warm hand gently held her shoulder and pulled her back. She turned in surprise, meeting Zerath's calm, steady gaze. He addressed the Nethermoor's citizens.
"Sir Belphegor is right. I was there. I witnessed it too. Princess Clairette selflessly performed the tiring and complicated dance. It was her who stirred this child's heart and brought the sun back into Nethermoor's sky."
His gaze expressed gratitude towards Belphegor. If he hadn't intervened, then Zerath would surely have. There was no way he would have let Vivia's contribution go unknown.
But it meant more coming from a normal demon citizen to speak in favor of her instead of the Crown Prince. It was a rare, nevertheless, an important step forward.
The other demons now curiously wondered.
"What kind of dance must it have been…? Even Belphegor praised it. He hasn't even praised his own son that much!"
"Did she really end the eternal winter?"
"If Sir Belphegor and my lord both saw it…"
They felt conflicted. On one side stood the human princess who resolved a two decade old crisis for them, but on the other side, the bitterness left behind by the long, harsh winter was difficult to shed away.
The old demons grumbled and harrumphed a bit, eventually dispersing to their own homes. They neither vocally agreed nor disagreed, yet their silence meant they were ready to take a step back for now.
Vivia blinked. "They are…leaving?"
Zephyra said, "It means they have accepted it. For now at least. It's a good start. So now…"
She then squinted at the child, hands on her hips. "Right then. Come to me now. And no more freezing me this time, young lad!"
The child jolted.
Zerath smiled gently. "She'll take good care of you. Rest assured, Princess and I are also here. You'll not be alone."
Vivia chirped. "Should I come with you too, hehe?"
His ice-silver eyes lit up with a clear wave of agreement, but Zerath firmly pulled her back.
His eyes narrowed with a hint of mild resentment, yet there was also a flicker of something more. "No. Princess is coming with me. No ifs and buts."
"..."
What did I do?