Harem Startup : The Demon Billionaire is on Vacation

Chapter 930: Don’t Exaggerate It

Vizreel pointed at him. "And don’t sit there looking like you’re here as Hell’s CFO."Lux’s eyebrow lifted. "That is my job."

"That status should belong to your father."

Lux’s expression twitched.

A tiny twitch.

Barely there.

But Celestaria saw it.

Selena saw it.

Solara saw it.

Vizreel absolutely saw it, because apparently the Guardian of Balance had decided today was a great day to attack emotional pressure points with divine blunt-force honesty.

Vizreel continued, unmoved. "You only hold that position temporarily. Even if you gave your life to the work."

Lux cringed as he leaned back.

Not dramatically.

Just enough.

The way a man reacted when someone said something technically correct in the worst possible tone.

"Don’t exaggerate it."

Vizreel did not blink. "I don’t."

Lux looked away for half a second.

The Archon was right.

Lux hated when people were right without being useful enough to justify it.

Celestaria finally spoke, her voice calm, composed, and sharp enough to cut through the tension like silk over a blade. "So?"

Lux turned his gaze to her.

"What happened?"

There it was.

Celestaria sat at the head of the table, hands folded, posture flawless. Her expression was the same serene professionalism Lux remembered from therapy.

He glanced once at the floating screen in the center of the table, where Kaelmor’s announcement replayed in a muted loop. The King of Hell stood behind his podium, mouth moving, authority forced into every angle of his posture.

"The king is desperate."

Murmurs stirred immediately.

Not loud.

But enough.

A celestial council did not like hearing that the King of Hell was desperate.

Which was understandable.

Nobody liked a desperate king.

Desperate kings started wars.

Desperate demon kings started wars with better branding.

Solara leaned forward slightly, sunlight catching in her hair. "Desperate for what?"

Lux did not answer immediately.

His gaze moved around the room.

Celestaria.

Vizreel.

Selena.

Solara.

He trusted them.

But the others?

No.

Not yet.

Lux knew rooms.

This was a beautiful room.

A holy formal private room.

None of that meant safe.

Privacy was not trust.

Formality was not loyalty.

Holiness was not confidentiality.

And Heaven, for all its light and perfume and polished architecture, was still political.

He felt the council watching him.

Measuring.

Weighing.

Judging the son of Greed and Lust in holy robes who had been invited personally while Hell’s own king tried to reclaim control from below.

Lux smiled faintly.

Controlled.

"Do I have to say it here?"

The murmurs stopped.

Celestaria’s eyes sharpened.

"Because what I am about to say may create a controversy."

Vizreel snorted. "Everything involving your realm creates controversy."

"Yes, but this one has teeth."

Solara’s expression cooled.

Selena shifted slightly, almost imperceptibly, but Lux noticed the way moonlight gathered faintly near her fingertips.

Celestaria held his gaze. "Speak."

Lux’s smile disappeared. "Right."

He leaned forward. "The ancient lords have begun discussing the origin of the king’s power."

A few council members exchanged glances.

Vizreel’s eyes narrowed.

Lux continued, "They are suggesting that Kaelmor’s strength may not be entirely his own. There are whispers that he borrowed power. Or anchored power. From ancient creatures in the mortal realm."

He stopped there.

Deliberately.

He would not say Yue’s name.

Not here.

Not in front of council members he did not trust.

He could feel the question forming in their eyes.

Lux gave them nothing.

One council member, an older man with pale gold eyes, spoke first. "Borrowed how?"

Lux looked at him calmly. "I don’t have evidence strong enough to answer that in this room."

"That is convenient," the man said.

Lux smiled. "Very. I recommend you appreciate my restraint."

The man’s expression hardened.

Vizreel raised one finger without even looking at him.

The councilman immediately went quiet.

Vizreel had more authority in this room than his posture suggested.

Celestaria’s voice remained calm. "Continue."

Lux nodded once. "There is also another rumor spreading through hidden infernal channels."

Solara’s gaze sharpened. "What rumor?"

"A mysterious sovereign."

The words landed with quiet weight.

"A being supposedly equal to Kaelmor. Possibly stronger."

The council murmured again.

This time louder.

Lux watched them.

Fear always had flavor.

In demons, fear tended to taste like greed, rage, pride, or survival. In celestials, fear dressed itself better. Concern. Balance. Duty. Harmony. Protection of order.

Same animal.

Better clothes.

Vizreel leaned forward. "Wait."

Lux looked at him.

"So you’re saying the king of hell wants power now?"

Lux tilted his head slightly. "More precisely, he wants a new source of power."

Solara’s expression darkened. "So he sees the Upper Realm as his new source?"

The murmurs erupted immediately.

Not panic.

Not yet.

But alarm.

Several council members began speaking at once.

"Impossible—"

"Hell cannot—"

"This could be a prelude—"

"Should we increase border seals?"

"Is the Infernal Throne preparing—"

Lux lifted one hand.

The motion was calm.

Almost lazy.

But somehow the room quieted.

Not because they respected him.

Not entirely.

Because Lux had the rare talent of making stillness feel expensive.

"I can’t say that."

Solara’s eyes narrowed. "But you implied it."

"I implied possibility."

"That sounds like a diplomat’s lie."

Lux smiled faintly. "It is a negotiator’s caution."

Celestaria watched him closely.

Lux looked around the table. "I do not have proof that Kaelmor intends to take power from the Upper Realm." His gaze returned to Solara. "But yes. It could happen. That’s the main reason why he kicked me out."

A cold silence followed.

One council member stood halfway from his chair.

"So Hell wants war?"

Lux’s head turned slowly toward him.

The man froze under that gaze.

Not because Lux flared his aura.

He didn’t.

But there was something worse than aura in Lux’s expression.

Insulted patience.

"No."

The word was quiet.

Firm.

"We don’t."

The council member frowned. "The king—"

"The king also does not want war."

Lux’s tone sharpened. "If Kaelmor wanted open war, you would not be watching a diplomatic announcement. You would be watching border cities burn. Demons aren’t gentlemen."