"Congratulations to the King of the Demons, let us welcome him with joy!" said the poet of the demon clan.

After being inaugurated as the 100th Demon King, Vincent had to choose a wife from among the noblewomen in the demon realm to be his consort, but he wasn't interested at all because Vincent lacked what they had—a pure heart.

Vincent struggled alone until he saw a family that seemed warm and full of love, making his heart race. From that moment, Vincent began to isolate himself because most around him were families, and he was the only one alone.

Vincent decided to search for his pure heart after spending a long time in solitude. He began his quest within the demon realm, but none were able to move his heart.

Desperate, Vincent entered the library where the mirror of destiny was kept. Vincent gazed into the mirror and asked it a question.

"Am I destined to be without a pure heart forever?" Vincent asked.

Then, the mirror glowed, revealing an image of a man whose face couldn't be seen as he chased a woman.

When the woman turned to look at the man, her face became clear, and Vincent's eyes were immediately drawn to her as he furrowed his brow.

In the vision, the man managed to catch the beautiful woman, and when his face was shown, Vincent's eyes widened as the man looked very much like him.

"I-Is that me? Is that my fate?" Vincent asked again.

But the following scene showed a raging fire with the beautiful woman trapped in a room filled with thick smoke. The woman cried, struggling to breathe, and eventually passed out.

The man, who resembled Vincent, ran through the flames to save the beautiful woman, but he was too late, as she had already stopped breathing.

At that moment, Vincent shouted, "NO! DON'T DIE!" The candles surrounding the mirror of destiny suddenly extinguished due to Vincent's sudden surge of emotion.

Vincent backed away and ran out in fear; for the first time, Vincent felt this way after witnessing the vision.

"No! That can't be me, but …," Vincent murmured softly, leaving his words unfinished.

He held his chest, which was now racing. Vincent sat down, looking up at the sky, which was always dark and sunless.

"I only want a warm destiny where everything goes smoothly, not one that ends in tragedy. I need what's called a warm touch, after only feeling the cold for so long," Vincent wished.

Meanwhile, in the human world, a girl named Aily lived a very modest life and was often bullied by girls her age because she had no special abilities, and her family's financial situation was dire due to her mother's poor health.

Aily's father had died trying to save her mother from drowning when they were casting fishing nets in the river. Her mother accidentally fell in, experiencing leg cramps and unable to swim. Her father managed to save her mother, but he was devoured by a wild crocodile, leaving no trace.

The incident led people to believe that Aily's father had brought bad luck, and since then, her mother suffered from heart issues.

"You should have accepted the proposal from that fat man yesterday, Aily, so you wouldn't have to live this hard life. And don't forget to blame your father for bringing misfortune to your family," sneered one of the village girls.

"I can't imagine Aily becoming the consort of that perverted fat man," mocked another girl.

Aily ignored their words and continued her work as a helper at the village's bookstore. She had grown tired of people's words, as her mother's health was all that mattered to her.

Even though she was often mocked, Aily always greeted people around her with a warm smile, making others feel pity for her.

After work, Aily encountered a group of rich girls from her village. They blocked her path and began throwing spoiled food at her.

Aily did nothing in response; she simply accepted the treatment. She knew that her presence made the other girls her age uncomfortable.

"Hey, you all! Get out of here! Don't cause trouble here," shouted an older man.

"Bleh, old man, you should just die!" jeered one of the girls before they ran away.

"Tch, arrogant rich kids!" the old man sneered, "Hey, poor girl, are you hurt?" he asked.

Aily just smiled as she cleaned herself from the food scraps. Then she picked up her belongings.

"Mr. Liu, I'm going home now. Sorry for the mess," said Aily.

"Hmm," murmured the older man named Liu.

Aily continued on her way home, which was still far from the village area. While descending a hill, she suddenly slipped and fell to the base of the hill.

"Ouch, it hurts," Aily winced.

As Aily focused on her aching body and what seemed like a sprained ankle, a deep, authoritative voice suddenly spoke.

"Weak!"

Aily quickly turned toward the voice. For the first time, she looked into eyes as dark as the night sky and saw a pale, perfectly sculpted face, like an ancient statue.

Not only was Aily struck with admiration, but the man also seemed surprised when he looked at Aily's face. His heart raced.

"Who are you?" the man asked suddenly.

Aily snapped out of her daze and cleared her throat, putting on a confused expression.

"I should be the one asking that. Who are you?" Aily replied with a question.

"Vincent," replied the man, who was indeed Vincent.

"Oh, so why are you here in the area of my home? There's nothing valuable here. It's pointless for you to come. I can't give you anything," Aily explained preemptively.

It was common for villagers to come around her home area, not to do anything useful but to bully and vandalize.

"Who said I wanted anything?" Vincent asked.

"So, if you don't want anything, are you here to mess up my area too?" Aily asked again, "Feel free to do it now before it gets dark," she continued.

Vincent was even more perplexed by her words and began to sigh in frustration.

"Answer my question. What is your name?" Vincent asked, sounding irritated.

"Didn't you already know? Or is there another way you plan to torment me?"

Instead of answering, Aily responded with another question, her expression neutral. It seemed she had grown used to this kind of treatment.

To be continue…