Zeus did not raise his voice.
He raised his hand.
That was enough.
The air did not explode outward. It compressed inward, as if the hall itself recognized hierarchy. The chandeliers dimmed without flickering. Servants along the walls straightened unconsciously. Even breathing became measured.
Lucifer felt it before he saw it.
A pressure that did not crush the body.
It organized it.
Mana gathered above Zeus's palm and began arranging itself with frightening precision. Lines intersected at impossible angles, dark geometry folding into layered symmetry. Silver threads ran through it like veins beneath glass.
The construct condensed.
Opaque. Heavy. Silent.
The Truth Card.
It did not glow.
It absorbed.
"This," Zeus said calmly, "is not a device for humiliation."
His gaze never left Lucifer.
"It is an A-Rank forbidden construct developed specifically for extracting the truth from criminals when certainty was required. It was later banned, not because it kills."
A faint pause followed.
"It was banned because it does not allow ambiguity."
The sigil rotated once in the air.
"It does not detect lies. It aligns spoken declaration with the Soul Palace. If the truth diverges from speech, the divergence is corrected."
Hera's voice followed, composed and clinical.
"The correction is neurological. The mind resists intrusion. It strains against alignment. Those with unstable will have been known to lose memory, clarity, or even coherence. Some never recover completely."
She looked directly at Lucifer.
"If your thoughts fracture, that will not be the card's fault."
The construct descended slowly until it hovered inches from Lucifer's face.
He could feel it now.
Not heat. Not cold.
Presence.
"Answer only what I ask," Zeus said.
His voice lowered slightly.
"And understand something, Lucifer."
The pressure shifted.
Not from the card.
From Zeus.
A subtle tightening of gravity itself.
"When I ask about my daughter… I am not asking as Monarch."
The air hardened.
"I am asking as her father."
Lucifer swallowed.
The pressure deepened.
"State your name."
A ringing entered his ears.
"Lucifer Obsidian Valcrest."
The construct vibrated once.
Accepted.
Zeus did not blink.
"Were you the one who assaulted my daughter?"
He asked directly without circling the matter.
The question anchored inside Lucifer's mind instantly. Not pain. Constraint.
"No."
The word emerged clean.
The pressure loosened.
Selena's fingers tightened around her sleeve.
"Then explain why she was injured."
Lucifer inhaled slowly.
"I attacked her."
A faint murmur moved through the hall and died.
"Why?"
"Because I was drugged."
The card remained steady.
"How are you certain?"
Lucifer almost softened his phrasing.
The construct reacted immediately.
A tightening sensation formed behind his skull, forcing precision.
"My balance failed immediately after drinking a glass of orange juice served to me by a maid," he said carefully. "My vision blurred. My limbs felt detached. I could barely walk. The same maid supported me to an empty room where everything unfolded."
"And when Selena entered?"
Lucifer hesitated.
The geometry rotated.
The ringing intensified.
"I thought she was the same maid who drugged me."
The pressure eased.
"I lunged. I grabbed her shoulders."
His vision wavered.
"She defended herself. She was justified."
"And after that?"
"I lost consciousness."
"For how long?"
"Two days. I woke only a few hours ago."
Zeus glanced at Rowan.
"We confined him until this hearing," Rowan stated evenly. "House Valcrest will not interfere."
Michael stiffened. Sebastian's fingers curled. Evelyn's gaze hardened.
Zeus regarded Rowan.
Then he turned back.
"Do you know who orchestrated this?"
Lucifer felt the shift immediately.
The card waited.
"Yes."
"Who?"
His thoughts resisted.
The ringing sharpened. He truly didn't want to name the person but he had no other choice at this moment.
"Adam von Paradox."
Silence. Absolute silence. No one expected this name to appear from Lucifer's mouth.
Even Zeus was a little surprised but seeing that the truth card not reacting,he know that these are likely the true thoughts of Lucifer.
Hera spoke first.
"That is a severe accusation. Adam is the son of a Sovereign. I chose him personally as our future son-in-law. His temperament, loyalty, lineage, and upbringing were evaluated for years. He has never demonstrated recklessness or political foolishness."
Lucifer exhaled slowly.
"And what does that have to do with me if your evaluation failed?"
The construct tightened slightly at his tone.
Zeus spoke calmly.
"Be precise."
Lucifer corrected himself.
"He was the one most likely to have ordered the maid to drug me."
Hera's gaze sharpened.
"You are not certain. You were drugged. Your perception may have been distorted. It is possible you are drawing conclusions under emotional stress."
Lucifer forced himself upright.
"When I was accused, no one questioned my memory."
The construct remained steady.
"But when I accuse him, uncertainty suddenly matters?"
Hera did not flinch.
"You are not neutral in this."
"And he is?" Lucifer countered. "I have stated my truth whether you believe it or not. That has nothing to do with me anymore."
He exhaled, then added with restrained bitterness,
"My only fault is that I attended your daughter's birthday."
The hall tightened.
Lucifer continued.
"Think about it clearly. Unless I am an absolute idiot, why would I attack an awakened heir who happens to be the daughter of humanity's strongest Monarch? In a manor filled with witnesses nearby?"
The card remained silent.
Because it was logical.
"You believed it because it fit my reputation. Not because it made sense."
Selena spoke.
"I did not accuse you."
Her voice was steady.
Lucifer met her gaze.
"If you did not accuse me, then why are you all here demanding an explanation?" he asked quietly but sharply. "Do not act like a saint now. You believe it in your heart."
The hall stiffened.
He held her gaze for a moment longer.
Then his tone softened.
"I genuinely apologize to you for attacking you. And for any misunderstanding between us."
Selena's composure wavered slightly.
Zeus's aura sharpened.
"Mind your tone, Lucifer."
Lucifer exhaled slowly.
"I am injured. My head is splitting from her strike. Instead of recovering in my room, I was dragged here as an accused criminal."
He paused.
"My house has abandoned me because of you all."
The words settled heavily.
"If my grandfather Robert were alive, I would have been heard before being judged."
Rowan did not move.
But something in the room shifted around him.
Lucifer steadied himself.
"Uncle Zeus."
The word carried no mockery.
"May I ask something? Monarchs are granted two seats at Astral Crowncrest Academy, are they not?"
"They are."
"I understand you never use them," Lucifer continued carefully. "If it does not disrupt your principles… could one be granted to me?"
Zeus's expression hardened.
"That cannot be done. Celestial heirs compete openly. Even my subordinates are refused when they ask. We do not rely on privilege."
His gaze sharpened.
"You insult this family and still request benefit from it."
Lucifer almost smiled faintly.
"You came to my house demanding explanation and blaming me publicly. I had to endure a forbidden construct tearing through my thoughts to prove my innocence. Now I ask for a small favor that no one even uses, and you still refuse."
The construct hummed faintly.
Zeus's jaw tightened.
"Be careful."
Lucifer swayed slightly.
Hera spoke calmly.
"We do not use the seats. Grant him one."
Zeus remained silent for several seconds.
"One seat," he said finally. "You will remain under observation."
Lucifer blinked heavily.
"If it is not too much to ask… may I request one more?"
"For what?"
"For Amelia."
Evelyn's eyes widened slightly.
"She remained because of me," Lucifer said steadily. "She possesses SSS-tier affinity. Discipline. Character. She could become a pillar of humanity."
Zeus shook his head.
"No."
Lucifer tried to continue.
The ringing surged violently.
His thoughts fractured mid-sentence.
Hera stepped forward, her voice calm but persuasive.
"They are bound by a soul contract. Their lives are intertwined at a fundamental level. They have been inseparable since childhood. She remained here because of him. Separating them now would damage not only their bond but their future development."
She continued more firmly.
"Amelia's talent is rare. Wasting an SSS-tier talent in isolation benefits no one. If we are to speak of efficiency for humanity, both should go."
Zeus studied Rowan's face carefully.
Then he exhaled.
"Very well."
He paused.
"As a gesture of respect toward Duke Valcrest… both seats shall be granted."
The weight of the decision settled over the hall.
Lucifer attempted to bow.
His body failed.
The ringing swallowed everything.
The marble tilted.
Darkness followed.
He collapsed forward.
Unconscious.
The Truth Card hovered above him, stable and complete.
Zeus regarded the fallen heir.
"Even under the card's influence, he still found room to negotiate with a Sovereign."
A faint curve touched his mouth.
"Shameless. Calculating. Bold."
He looked at Rowan.
"Among all the Duke heirs that I have seen,Your son is the troublesome and promising to an certain extent."
A pause.
His aura shifted.
No longer father.
No longer judge.
But a true Monarch.
"Children," Zeus said calmly.
Brandon, Nathan, and Selena straightened.
"You may leave for now."
They hesitated briefly, then obeyed.
Amelia and others also left soon along with the unconscious Lucifer.
The atmosphere changed entirely once the younger generation exited.
Zeus's expression hardened.
"We did not come here solely for this matter."
The Truth Card dissolved slowly.
"This concerns something far more dangerous."
The hall remained silent.
After all whatever Zeus had truly come to discuss had nothing to do with scandal.