Opinions

Inside the council hall, Lucia was buried in a mountain of administrative documents.

Ever since the hall was completed, not only had Vivian moved her office here, Lucia had been given her own room as well—and a brand-new title: 【Chief Administrator】.

As the de facto head of Evernight Territory’s civil government, the sheer volume of work she handled every day was enough to give anyone a headache—population registries, resource distribution, trade coordination, dispute mediation… All of it fell to her to assist the Demon Lord with.

“What did I even come here for again? Wasn’t I just temporary support? How did I end up as senior management?”

The Frost Banshee muttered under her breath, yet she couldn’t deny she enjoyed it. She could see with her own eyes how every document she processed, every decision she made, was making the Evernight Territory better.

“Lord Lucia, here’s a trade request from the Winter Territory.”

“Lord Mikhail wishes to increase purchases of Evernight crystals and is willing to offer more cold iron and magical materials in exchange.”

Lucia accepted the letter and read it carefully.

The Winter Territory—Catherine, the Frost Queen’s domain. One of the few nearby demon powers that maintained normal trade with Evernight, and Lucia’s homeland.

“We do need cold iron and magical materials,” Lucia mused. “But Evernight crystal production is limited, and the quality has improved dramatically. Everyone’s fighting over them.”

She thought for a moment, then penned her reply.

“Approve the increased supply, but on two conditions. First, the price must rise twenty percent above the current standard—demand far outstrips supply now. Second, we want a long-term, stable trade relationship and a formal trade agreement.”

“There. Take this to the Demon Lord for final approval.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

The aide accepted the document and withdrew respectfully.

Lucia returned to the rest of her paperwork.

Before she knew it, she had gone from a freshly arrived Winter Messenger to an indispensable core member of Evernight’s leadership.

Even she found the transformation unbelievable.

Thinking back to her early days as a captive, Lucia—along with most others—had regarded Vivian with suspicion. They thought the young Demon Lord had simply been lucky to escape human territory.

But as time passed, she witnessed Vivian’s reforms one after another: abolishing slavery, spreading education, developing industry, restructuring the military…

Every policy brimmed with boldness and wisdom.

What shocked her most was Vivian’s ideals—equality, a vision for the future—so utterly unlike traditional demon values. Yet somehow, miraculously, those systems were taking root and flourishing in Evernight City.

They hadn’t achieved Vivian’s full vision yet, but the city was undeniably alive with energy.

“Maybe…” Lucia murmured to herself, “Lady Vivian really can change the entire Demon Clan?”

Once the thought appeared, it refused to leave.

She began to seriously imagine: what if the whole Demon Clan developed like Evernight City?

No slaves, no oppression. Everyone educated, everyone able to change their fate through effort… It would be an entirely different demon society.

She had even sent some of Vivian’s measures back to Catherine for reference and partial implementation.

“Lord Lucia, the new agreement with the Winter Territory has been approved. Also, Lady Catherine requests a magic-net call.”

Half a day later, the aide returned.

“I’ll head to the comms tower now.”

Soon, Lucia stood inside the magic-net communication tower. As the connection formed, Catherine’s image appeared before the Frost Banshee.

“Lucia. It’s been a while.” Catherine still wore her usual icy demeanor, silver-white hair pure as snow. “I received your reply. Terms accepted. The caravan leaves tomorrow.”

“Thank you, Your Highness,” Lucia said respectfully.

“No need for thanks.” Catherine paused, seeming to hesitate. “Lucia, I have a question.”

“Please ask.”

“What do you think of Vivian now?” Catherine’s gaze sharpened. “You believe she’s right, don’t you? You’ve completely accepted her. Every report you send back is full of praise.”

Lucia was silent for a moment, then answered honestly.

“Yes. I believe in her—because I’ve seen what she’s done, the changes she’s brought.”

“Do you know, Your Highness? Evernight’s population has surpassed eighty thousand, and not one of them is a s*ave. Everyone has work, dignity, and hope.”

“In the academy, noble and commoner children study side by side. In the workshops, former slaves labor alongside free citizens. In the markets, all races trade peacefully.”

“In the past, this would have been unimaginable. Yet everything runs smoothly and efficiently.”

Catherine listened in silence, her expression unreadable.

“If what you say is true… then Vivian truly is extraordinary. From what I knew of her before, she never displayed such capability.”

She spoke slowly.

“But setting that aside—Lucia, how far do you think Vivian can go?”

Lucia answered without hesitation.

“If all goes well… she can change the entire Demon Clan.”

“Oh?” Catherine raised a brow. “Bold words. You know how deeply entrenched the conservative factions are. Even if her ideals are sound, spreading them across the Demon Clan will face unimaginable resistance.”

“I know.”

Lucia replied earnestly.

“But I believe that as long as Lady Vivian perseveres, one day the Demon Clan will change because of her. Hasn’t the Winter Territory spent the past six months imitating Evernight’s measures? The results speak for themselves.”

“And…” She paused. “Your Highness, don’t you think the Demon Clan truly needs to change?”

“The systems we’ve clung to for a thousand years are rotting. Slavery, noble privilege, the oppression of the weak—they’re all eating away at our vitality.”

“If we don’t change, one day the Demon Clan will collapse from internal decay.”

Catherine’s expression grew grave.

She knew Lucia spoke the truth. She had seen the problems herself.

But she had always believed them unsolvable—the vested interests were too many, the cost of reform too high.

Yet now Evernight stood as living proof.

Vivian had shown with facts that reform was possible, and the results were remarkable.

Evernight City had been built from absolute ruins, after all.

“Lucia,” Catherine said after a deep breath, “deliver a message to Vivian for me.”

“Of course.”

“Tell her: let me see how far she can go.”

A flicker of anticipation passed through Catherine’s eyes.

“If she truly can reshape the Demon Clan, the Winter Territory will stand with her.”

Lucia’s eyes widened.

Those words meant Catherine was willing to side with Vivian.

“I will convey the message, Your Highness,” Lucia said excitedly.

The call ended. Lucia sat in her chair, thoughts swirling.

After a long while, she rose and walked to the window, gazing out at Evernight City.

The city was still rough around the edges, yet to Lucia it shone with limitless promise.

“Maybe accepting this aid mission and coming to Evernight was the right choice after all,” she whispered to herself. “Following Lady Vivian… I might truly witness the birth of a new history.”

“Hmph. First I’ve got to finish these documents.”

She exhaled, turned back, and resumed her work.

As night fell, Vivian finally ended her day and returned to her tent.

Lucia and Luna were already asleep, curled up together in bed.

Vivian tiptoed over and sat on the edge.

She gazed at her daughter’s peaceful sleeping face, then leaned down and gently kissed her forehead.

“No matter what, I will protect you.”

She murmured, then lay down beside them and slowly drifted off.