The seasons turned in the Ryuzaki Domain. The cherry blossoms of spring withered into the humid heat of summer, which gave way to the red maples of autumn, and finally, the biting frost of winter.
Through it all, a solitary figure remained kneeling outside the vermilion gates of the Ten-no-Kura (Heavenly Emperor Palace).
Princess Suzaku had not moved for a full year.
Her once-radiant phoenix-feather robe was tattered and gray with dust. Her skin, formerly the color of polished jade, was now pale and translucent, her cheeks gaunt from starvation. Though the Vermilion Bird Divine Fire in her blood kept her alive, her spirit was flickering like a dying candle in a storm.
For 365 days, Ryuzaki Haruto had walked past her countless times. Sometimes he was going to the Martial Pavilion; sometimes he was simply strolling. But not once did his obsidian eyes land on her. He treated her like part of the scenery—less significant than the stone lions guarding the gate.
'He will never forgive me,' Suzaku thought, her vision blurring as snow began to fall on her eyelashes.
Despair, heavy and suffocating, crushed her heart. If Haruto didn't forgive her, she couldn't get the medicine. If she didn't get the medicine, her father would die. She was a failure of a daughter and a princess.
Step. Step. Step.
The soft crunch of boots on snow broke the silence.
Suzaku's body trembled. She knew those footsteps. She had listened to them retreat from her hundreds of times. But this time... they were coming closer.
She slowly raised her head, her neck stiff and painful.
Standing before her was a youth of nine years. He had grown taller, his white robes fluttering in the winter wind. His face was a masterpiece of cold, divine beauty, his skin glowing with an inner light that repelled the snowflakes.
It was Haruto. Behind him stood Ryuzaki Reika, holding a parasol to shield him from the snow.
"Greetings... Divine Son," Suzaku rasped, her voice dry and cracked.
Haruto looked down at her. He took in her emaciated frame, the blood-crusted knees, and the utter lack of arrogance in her eyes. The fire of the proud princess had been extinguished, leaving only ashes.
'Good,' Haruto thought dispassionately. 'The tempering is complete.'
He didn't speak immediately. He let the silence stretch, watching her tremble in fear.
"Get up," Haruto finally said, his voice calm. "You know your mistake. That is enough."
He offered a faint, almost gentle smile. "After all, I am not a demon."
Reika, standing behind him, nearly choked. 'You made her kneel in the snow for a year while you ate grapes in a hot spring... if that's not a demon, what is?'
"Thank... thank you..." Suzaku tried to stand, but her legs had long since lost all feeling. She swayed, about to collapse.
Flick.
Haruto snapped his fingers. A golden pill shot out, hovering in front of her lips.
"Supreme Yang Healing Pill," Haruto said. "Take it."
Suzaku gasped. In the outside world, this pill alone was worth a city. He gave it to her as if it were a candy. Tears welled in her eyes—not of sadness, but of gratitude. She swallowed the pill. Warmth exploded in her core, rushing through her meridians and repairing the damage of the past year.
"Thank you, Divine Son!" Suzaku bowed deeply.
But then, reality crashed back down on her. She had been forgiven, yes. But she hadn't obtained the Immortal Elixir. How could she ask him for it now, after he had just shown her mercy?
"I... I will take my leave," Suzaku whispered, her heart breaking. She turned to go, ready to return to her kingdom and watch her father die.
"Wait," Reika spoke up, a strange glint in her eyes. "Princess, aren't you going to check your messages?"
"Messages?" Suzaku blinked. She took out her jade communication slip. She had ignored it for months, too ashamed to talk to anyone.
She activated it. A flood of urgent messages from the Vermilion Bird Kingdom poured into her mind.
"Princess! A miracle! The Ryuzaki Clan sent an Immortal Elixir months ago!" "His Majesty is cured! The venom is gone!" "The King has entered seclusion to break through to the Saint Realm!" "It is all thanks to the grace of the Divine Son! Long live Ryuzaki Haruto!"
Suzaku stood frozen in the snow. Her mind went blank.
She slowly turned around to face Haruto. He was watching her with that same faint, unreadable smile.
"Divine Son... it was you?" she choked out. "You saved him... months ago?"
"I told you," Haruto shrugged. "I'm not a demon."
Boom.
Suzaku's emotional defenses shattered.
To her traumatized mind, this was the ultimate kindness. He had punished her arrogance, yes, but he had silently saved her father while she was at her lowest. He hadn't held her father hostage for her behavior. He was... benevolent. He was a god.
The resentment vanished. The pride vanished. All that was left was fanaticism.
"Divine Son!"
Suzaku threw herself to the ground, performing a dogeza so forceful her forehead cracked the stone pavement.
"Suzaku... is willing to serve the Divine Son for the rest of her life!" she screamed, tears streaming down her face. "I will be your slave, your sword, your shadow! If I ever betray this vow, may the Heavens strike me down!"
Haruto looked at the broken, remade woman at his feet.
'Stockholm Syndrome is a powerful thing,' he mused. 'She is mine now.'
The Protagonist Arrives
Just as the atmosphere reached its peak, a roar shattered the peace of the Ryuzaki Domain.
"RYUZAKI HARUTO!"
The voice was amplified by Mana, rolling over the mountains like thunder.
"Where is the so-called Divine Son?! What kind of man bullies a weak woman?! If you have guts, come out and fight me!"
The disciples of the clan stopped their training. Reika frowned, her killing intent spiking.
"Reporting!" A guard rushed over. "Your Highness, a young man is acting presumptuously at the Main Gate. He claims to be the Prince of the Azure Dragon Kingdom."
"Heh..." Haruto chuckled, his eyes narrowing. "It seems the fiancé finally arrived. He really lacks self-awareness."
Haruto waved his hand. "Let him in. I want to see this 'hero'."
Suzaku, still kneeling, turned pale. 'Prince Seiryu? No! He will ruin everything!'
A few moments later, a figure stormed into the courtyard.
It was Prince Seiryu (Xiao Chen). He wore blue dragon robes, and his handsome face was twisted in righteous fury. He looked like the classic hero of a legend—passionate, brave, and utterly foolish.
When Seiryu saw Suzaku kneeling in the snow, looking thin and tattered, his eyes turned bloodshot.
"Suzaku!" Seiryu roared, rushing forward. "Get up! How dare he force you to do this!"
He reached out to pull her up, glaring at Haruto with pure hatred. "You bastard! Is this how the Great Ryuzaki Clan acts? Humiliating a princess?!"
"Seiryu, shut up!"
The scream didn't come from Haruto. It came from Suzaku.
Seiryu froze, his hand hanging in mid-air. He looked at his fiancée in disbelief.
"Suzaku?" Seiryu stammered. "I... I'm here to save you. Why are you yelling at me?"
"Save me?" Suzaku slapped his hand away. She stood up, placing herself between Seiryu and Haruto, shielding the Divine Son like a guard dog.
"How dare you disrespect the Divine Son!" Suzaku hissed, her eyes wild. "I knelt voluntarily! It is my honor that the Divine Son forgave me! Why are you interfering?"
"Voluntarily?" Seiryu stepped back, stunned. "But... he humiliated you! The whole world is laughing at us!"
"You know nothing!" Suzaku cried. "While you and your father refused to give me the medicine, the Divine Son saved my father! He cured the King months ago! He is the benefactor of my kingdom!"
"What?" Seiryu's world spun.
He looked at Haruto. The boy was standing there, hands clasped behind his back, watching the scene with the detached interest of someone watching a play.
"Suzaku... you've been brainwashed," Seiryu gritted his teeth, clutching the Dragon Ring on his finger. "He forced you. I know he did."
He turned his burning gaze to Haruto.
"Ryuzaki Haruto," Seiryu growled, his aura flaring. "You used despicable means to twist her mind. Today, I challenge you! I will defeat you and wake her up!"
Haruto sighed. He stepped forward, the snow crunching beneath his boots.
"You want to challenge me?" Haruto asked softly.
He looked at the Prince, then at the ring on the Prince's finger. A golden light flashed in Haruto's eyes.
'Oh? A ring with a remnant soul inside? A classic cheat item,' Haruto thought, his smile widening. 'The leek has delivered itself to my door.'