Parallel Memory

Chapter 727: A Banquet Beneath the Crimson Sky

The celebrations in the capital did not end with the coronation.

If anything, they had only just begun.

As night descended upon the Devil Kingdom, thousands of crimson lanterns illuminated the palace grounds, painting the black stone walls in warm shades of red and gold. The sound of laughter drifted from every corner of the capital, while music echoed from the royal palace for the first time in years.

Tonight was meant to be a night of victory.

The return of the royal bloodline.

The end of Aamon’s reign.

The beginning of a new era.

And so, after rewarding the soldiers and supporters who had fought for her father’s ideals, Lilith found herself standing before the enormous doors of the royal banquet hall.

The old minister beside her smiled warmly.

"Your Majesty, everyone is waiting."

Lilith looked at the golden doors in silence.

Even now, she still found it difficult to accept those words.

Your Majesty.

Only a few weeks ago, she had been hiding from Aamon’s forces, uncertain whether she would survive the war. Now, an entire kingdom expected her to lead them into the future.

The minister cleared his throat.

"Is something wrong?"

Lilith forced a smile and shook her head.

"No. It’s nothing."

The elderly devil nodded before signaling the guards.

The enormous doors slowly opened.

Instantly, a wave of noise flooded outward.

More than two hundred people filled the grand hall. Nobles, generals, ministers, merchants, scholars, and commanders sat around long tables that stretched across the chamber.

The moment Lilith entered, every conversation came to an abrupt halt.

Everyone stood.

The musicians stopped playing.

The hall became completely silent.

Lilith could feel hundreds of eyes staring at her.

The old minister announced loudly,

"Her Majesty, Queen Lilith of the Devil Kingdom!"

The silence lasted only a moment before thunderous applause erupted throughout the room.

"Long live the Queen!"

"Long live the royal bloodline!"

"Long live the kingdom!"

Lilith awkwardly waved at the crowd, unsure how to react.

She had faced armies without trembling, but somehow, standing before a room full of smiling nobles made her far more nervous.

The minister leaned closer and whispered,

"You can smile a little more."

"I am smiling."

"You look like you’re about to execute someone."

Lilith immediately tried to smile wider.

Unfortunately, that only made the nearby guards struggle to suppress their laughter.

Slowly, she made her way toward the royal table at the end of the hall.

On either side sat men and women who had once fought on opposite sides of the war.

Former rebels sat beside generals who had once served Aamon.

Nobles who had secretly supported Lilith’s father shared drinks with commanders who had spent years hunting them down.

It was an uncomfortable peace.

But peace nonetheless.

As Lilith sat down, the musicians resumed their performance.

Soft melodies filled the room.

For a brief moment, the atmosphere relaxed.

A large horned general seated beside her nervously cleared his throat.

"Your Majesty."

Lilith turned toward him.

"Yes?"

The giant warrior immediately straightened his back.

"Congratulations on... becoming queen."

Lilith blinked.

"Thank you."

An awkward silence followed.

The general stared at his drink.

Lilith stared at the musicians.

Neither knew what to say next.

Finally, the general blurted out,

"The weather is nice tonight."

Lilith glanced outside the window.

It was raining.

"...Yes."

The general immediately buried his face in his hands while the nobles around him burst into laughter.

"You’re hopeless."

"You fought entire armies and this is what scares you?"

"Someone save our great general from social interaction."

The general coughed awkwardly.

"I’ve spent thirty years on battlefields. I don’t know how to talk to royalty."

Lilith couldn’t help but laugh.

"It’s fine. I don’t know how to be royalty either."

The tension around the table gradually disappeared.

One by one, people began speaking again.

Across from her sat a commander who had once fought against the rebels.

For several minutes, he simply stared at the man beside him—a former rebel captain whom he had nearly killed during the war.

The rebel captain eventually sighed.

"If you’re going to stare at me all night, at least have the decency to insult me."

The commander snorted.

"I was considering it."

"Then what’s stopping you?"

The commander lifted his cup.

"Apparently, we’re allies now."

The rebel captain laughed and raised his own cup.

"Strange world."

"Very strange."

The two men clinked their glasses together.

Nearby nobles stared in disbelief.

Just months ago, those two had been trying to kill each other.

Now, they were drinking together.

The world truly had changed.

As the banquet continued, servants carried countless dishes into the hall.

Roasted meat.

Fresh fruits.

Sweet desserts.

Food that had become rare during the years of war.

For many present, it was the first proper meal they had eaten in months.

An elderly noble suddenly stood.

"Musicians!"

The music came to a halt.

"Play something worthy of the royal family!"

The old musicians exchanged glances before one of them smiled knowingly.

A few moments later, a gentle melody echoed through the hall.

The moment the first notes filled the room, the atmosphere changed.

Conversations stopped.

Several older devils slowly lowered their cups.

Even the generals straightened in their seats.

Lilith frowned.

"What song is this?"

The minister beside her smiled sadly.

"It was your father’s favorite."

Lilith froze.

The melody was soft and peaceful, completely different from the war songs she had heard throughout Aamon’s reign.

It spoke of ancient mountains, endless skies, and a kingdom that dreamed of peace.

Around the hall, older nobles quietly hummed along.

One elderly commander wiped tears from his eyes.

"I haven’t heard this song in decades."

Another smiled bitterly.

"The old king used to force us to listen to it after every military meeting."

The hall burst into laughter.

"He said war should never be our first choice."

"And yet, he was stronger than all of us."

"He was."

Lilith lowered her gaze.

She could barely remember her father’s face anymore.

Only fragments remained.

A hand resting on her head.

A warm smile.

A distant voice telling her stories before bed.

The old minister noticed her expression.

"He would be proud of you."

Lilith quietly shook her head.

"Would he?"

The minister looked surprised.

"Of course."

Lilith stared at the musicians.

"I couldn’t save him."

The minister remained silent.

"I couldn’t stop Aamon."

She tightened her grip on the edge of the table.

"And even now, I’m asking humans to trust us after everything that happened."

For the first time that night, the old minister had no answer.

The song continued.

Around her, people laughed, drank, and celebrated.

But Lilith suddenly felt as though she didn’t belong there.

Because while everyone else celebrated victory—

She could only remember the cost.

The soldiers who had died.

The families that had been destroyed.

The city that still lay in ruins.

And above all else—

She remembered the unconscious boy she had carried from the palace.

Everyone around her laughed and raised their glasses.

Yet in her mind, she could still see Zero’s motionless body lying beneath the rubble.

She remembered the terror she had felt when she couldn’t sense his mana.

The fear that he had died.

Without realizing it, she quietly whispered,

"Are you awake now?"

No one heard her.

The banquet hall erupted into applause as another performance ended.

But Lilith’s thoughts remained elsewhere.

What is he doing right now?

Did he wake up?

Did he return home safely?

The questions lingered in her mind.

For weeks, she had buried herself in politics, rebuilding the kingdom and maintaining peace between the factions, but tonight, surrounded by celebration, she finally had time to think.

And the person she thought about was not herself.

It was him.

Suddenly, the laughter around her felt distant.

The music became noise.

The warm banquet hall felt strangely suffocating.

Slowly, Lilith stood from her seat.

The minister looked up in surprise.

"Your Majesty?"

Lilith forced a smile.

"I need some air."

The minister glanced around the hall.

"Should I accompany you?"

"No."

Without waiting for another response, Lilith quietly slipped out of the banquet hall.

No one noticed her leave.

Everyone was too busy celebrating.

The moment the doors closed behind her, silence enveloped the corridor.

The distant sounds of laughter echoed faintly from inside.

Lilith walked alone through the empty palace halls until she reached the balcony overlooking the capital.

Cold night air brushed against her face.

Below, the city was alive.

Children ran through the streets carrying lanterns.

Families gathered around fires.

Musicians performed in the plazas.

The kingdom was celebrating.

Yet countless homes remained dark.

Countless families had empty seats at their tables.

Lilith rested her hands on the balcony railing.

"How can everyone celebrate so easily?"

She wasn’t angry.

She genuinely didn’t understand.

The city had lost so much.

The kingdom had lost so much.

And yet—

People still smiled.

People still laughed.

People still hoped.

For several minutes, she simply stood there in silence.

Then she remembered something her father had once told her.

"A kingdom that forgets how to smile after suffering is a kingdom that has truly lost."

Lilith slowly looked up at the stars.

For the first time that night, she smiled.

A small smile.

A lonely smile.

Perhaps people weren’t celebrating because they had forgotten the pain.

Perhaps they celebrated precisely because they remembered it.

Because after years of darkness, even a single night of happiness was precious.

Behind her, the music continued.

Ahead of her, an uncertain future awaited.

And somewhere far away, in the Human Domain, a silver-haired boy who had changed the fate of two worlds remained unconscious, completely unaware that the young queen of the Devil Kingdom was thinking about him beneath the crimson night sky.

"I hope you’re safe, Zero."

The wind carried her words away into the darkness.

And for a brief moment, standing alone above the kingdom she now ruled, Lilith wished that peace was as simple as the songs her father once loved.

But deep in her heart, she already knew—

The real battle had only just begun.