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She dared not cross him. Her life, the lives of her parents and the entire nation hung in the balance. So she swallowed the insult silently and replied quietly:

– You are right, King. I am not worthy of the little finger of any girl of your great kingdom.

These words made Derek chuckle.

– I'm glad you agree with me," he said coldly and pulled his sword away from her throat. – Do you want peace, Lamar? Well, I'll give it to you! But you will pay a dear price for it.

– I'll give you anything you ask," the demon king told him quietly. – Just tell me what. Any jewelry, any land… Anything you want.

– Fine. – Derek grinned crookedly. – Then I'll take your main jewel from you. – He touched the sword to Sylvia's neck again. – Her.

– No, ask anything you want, but not my daughter! – Lamar exclaimed in horror.

– You don't seem to want peace as much as you claim," Derek grinned coldly.

The cold sword blade, covered with demon blood, was still touching the white neck of Princess Sylvia Rossi, but she was calm and only slightly frowned her beautiful forehead: why did this man want her? What does he desire of her?

The girl was lost in speculation, but carefully glanced at the face of the conqueror: he was handsome, nothing to say, but in his features felt the coldness that penetrated her to the bone. As far as Sylvia could tell, seeing this man, fully clad in heavy light armor, splattered with the scarlet blood of the enemies he had brutally killed, Derek Merkswerd had a tall, masculine figure, an aristocratic face, dark, slightly wavy hair down to his shoulders, and a small, well-groomed dark beard that distinguished humans from demons, who had not a hint of vegetation on their faces. But what struck the young princess were the man's eyes: gray, they glittered with steel and hatred. Hatred for her and her people. And she knew that he had a right to that hatred, and yet she despised him and hated him as much as he hated her.

And what does this cruel king of men wish to do to her? Burn her in the main square of his capital like a witch? Give her to the hungry dogs, to the delight of the mob? Put her in an iron box and submerge it in water until she confesses to sleeping with the Devil, only to be burned for having intercourse with the ruler of darkness? Isn't that what King Juris, Derek Merkswerd's predecessor, did?

– What will you do to our daughter, you vile man? – Varma squinted her eyes. – You are not worthy to even look at her!

– What will I do to her, my dear, over-long-tongued Queen of Flammehav? – Derek's eyes glittered with mockery: without realizing it, Varma was depriving this all-powerful conqueror of the desire to make peace with her husband with every word she said, the demoness was too proud. – I will do whatever I want to her: I will torture her, hang her by her feet in front of the palace, undress her and make her walk through the crowd of onlookers. That is exactly what I will do if you don't shut your mouth right now.

'How easily he said it! Ah, mother, listen to him and remain silent! Otherwise, this tyrant and usurper will definitely do to me what he just threatened to do!" – flashed through Sylvia's mind, and she slowly reached out and squeezed her mother's palm.

Fortunately, the enemy's promise sobered the demon queen's mind full of unnecessary pride at this moment of Flammehav's downfall, and she frantically squeezed her daughter's hand in return. But her gaze on Derek burned with the same hatred: her soul was embraced by the desire to pelt this pathetic man who thought himself superior to her, Sylvia and especially Lamar, but fear for her daughter's fate made her clench her teeth so tightly that her face turned jaundiced.

– That's better," Derek said in a satisfied tone, and then turned to the kneeling Princess Flammehav. – Your mother seems to have a glimmer of intelligence after all. – And the sword that had touched the girl's neck was hidden in its scabbard.

– I beg you, King Derek… Sylvia is my only child and the hereditary princess of my kingdom. If disaster befalls me and my consort, she will sit on the throne and…" Lamar began.

– Wonderful! – Derek interrupted him. – That's even better! She'll come with me to Kaldwind in case you gather the remnants of your wretched army and attack again like a rat in the night.

– You have my word as king that I would not dream of revenge," Lamar said quietly. – Take back all the lands and cities you have conquered, but I beg you, as a father, to leave me my daughter!

– Your lands and cities are nothing but ashes," the king of men answered him quietly. – You have lost this war, Lamar, and do not dare to press my pity now, for I have none. Your princess will come with me… But no, wait: perhaps you think I will rape her and make her my concubine? – Derek laughed softly and looked into Sylvia's eyes and said: "Don't worry, that will never happen: Satan's spawn will never be in the bed of a good Christian.

"Good Christian! You said it! As if he didn't fall asleep at Sunday service, have a bunch of girls, and sometimes get drunk as a pig!" – Bergil almost burst out laughing, but he covered his mouth with his fist and coughed loudly.

But in this tense moment no one paid attention to the long-haired, burly man: the eyes of both humans and demons were fixed on Derek Merkswerd and the three demons, representatives of a great dynasty, who now stood humiliated, defeated, on their knees before the man who had destroyed their kingdom and threatened to take their daughter with him.

"What a splendid picture! Andrada, it was you who brought us victory!" – Derek smiled to himself, but his face remained still as cruel and stern.

He liked to see Rossi humiliated, powerless. He reveled in his power over them, knowing that their lives were now in his hands. But he wasn't going to take Princess Sylvia, that red-eyed demoness whom he found beautiful, but who disgusted him: his words were a bluff. Derek had no reason to take this girl as a hostage, because if the demons attacked again, he would easily repel them again, and then he would certainly leave no stone unturned in Flammehav and slaughter all the demons from small to large. The Lord himself must have given him this mission: the Talisman of Andrada now forever protects Kaldwind from black magic and makes him invincible.

"Well, time to drink wine from the rich cellars of Lamar," Derek thought with satisfaction. – These Rossi's have already been humiliated to the limit, there's no point in humiliating them further. But let Lamar think I'm going to snatch his girl: the less he knows, the better for Kaldwind."

– All right, Lamar. Let's stop this circus already," he said to the demon king in a calm tone. – Get up, but be quiet. – At these words, he glanced mockingly at Varma, who was flaming with silent indignation. – You will be confined to your chambers until I decide what to do with you and what fate will befall the rest of your lands, King Lamar. And I hear there are thousands of bottles of old wine stored in your palace? My men and I will drink to your health! Bind their hands and escort them to their chambers!