It was reassuring to see Syn spring to action, scribbling symbols on the walls to conceal her room and protect it from intrusion. As Sasha said, there was no way to guarantee that they wouldn’t get their hands on something of hers, but it was a comfort to know that there were something that were simply out of reach now as a result of his efforts. Mina allowed him to transport them back to his realm. Unlike the times before when she was miraculously whisked away into the magical realm, they seemed to stay right where they were. She could tell they were somewhere else, able to sense how the air was different around her, but her surroundings were still familiar. “Thank you.” She said as he moved past her and sat on the bed, tugging her into his lap.<br/><br/>“You don’t have to apologize,” she told him genuinely. “I should have said something earlier. Much earlier.” Mina should have let him know just how sick and twisted her parents were upon summoning him. Of course a Demon Lord would attract their curiosity. Perhaps she just got comfortable and complacent when they hadn’t appeared in weeks. A weak smile stretched across her lips at his mention of them threatening her. Mina heard no such thing, but she understood what he meant. Her parents wanted a strong, calculated leader to carry the torch of their legacy, clenched in an iron fist while she stepped on the backs of innocents to greatness. They wanted a cruel, merciless heir, not a smart-mouth slacker who took nothing seriously. Mina was far too<i>good</i>, kind in heart and—despite her foul language—pure of soul.<br/><br/>Their only failure in life.<br/><br/>What he heard was nothing more than their disappointment and how little they thought of her. No Demon Lord would change that. Still, she appreciated him coming to her defense. It hastened the inevitable for certain, but she was coming understand just how hypervigilant he was when it came to even the slightest perception of danger. “I promise, I’ll tell you everything when I’m ready.” She assured him, her hand gently brushing against his cheek.<br/><br/>“You didn’t scare me either. I didn’t know you could . . . turn into that, but I knew it was still you. Different on the outside, but the same.” Mina gave him a smile, a glimmer of her playfulness returning after all the drama. “I’ve always wanted to date a black guy, so this is working out perfectly.”<br/><br/>“I think I’m going to take another day off from school tomorrow. After everything, I could use some rest. Plus, I have some serious unpacking to do.” She had gotten quite a few things into her bags before Syn decided to move the entire room along with them. In them was everything she could possibly get her hands on in such a hurry, which was a lot surprisingly. It was messy and haphazard, an eyesore that the maids would have fussed over at home.<br/><br/>She placed a kiss against his cheek. “You should get some rest too. You look exhausted.”