4 Chapter 4: Half Brothers of Utopia

"How?" She wondered out loud. Amazement and confusion are written all over her face. They both turned to her, hurt in their eyes. The wind swept her long silver hair backward as the ruffles of her dress brushed against her soft skin. At the same time, the others got their faces covered because of the strong gust of wind.

"How can the two of you become brothers? I mean, two different species and your kingdoms are archenemies, isn't that allowed?" She asked, her voice is full of amusement. They shifted their gaze away from her, clearly offended.

"Alright, I apologize if I offended you," she said, reading the atmosphere. Sighing, she studied her savior. Brown hair that reaches down the shoulders, bright orange eyes, tanned skin, and large muscles. His body screams power, but his eyes were the kindest ones she has ever seen. After studying him, a hint of recognition flashed in her eyes as a smile crept from her lips.

"Are you done studying every detail of my face? Let me introduce myself. I am Jake Storm, an alpha." His voice was full of confidence as he studied her from her head to toe. "Oh, you're finally wearing clothes," he said mockingly, changing the subject. His words made Lareia forget the questions that swirl inside her mind; amazement and curiosity turned to irritation.

"I see that Alpha Jake is not updated with the human's latest fashion. One of the rules of this world is we creatures can have a longer life and higher magical power, but humans can advance in science and technology. This rule kept us in the "medieval age," based on human history, while they evolved to the modern age." As she explained, they listened intently.

"You know many things about every kingdom; you even know that I'm an alpha. I wonder why?" he asked, a mocking smile on his lips.

Upon hearing this, Lareia smiled bitterly. "I'm Lareia Mishika, the so-called sadistic, cold demon princess of the Nether Kingdom. It is a must for me to know every detail of each kingdom and the rules of this world." Her voice is full of sadness, yet it remained cold.

"It seems like... the rumors are true. The Nether Kingdom betrayed their beloved princess just because of stupid love. Now, the Grimm Reaper is hunting you down, so are the demons. What do you plan to do?" Jake tried to convey it gently, knowing that the topic was too sensitive.

Lareia shifted her gaze up to the sky, watching the birds flying around as the wind swept her silver hair to the side. Her eyes are full of sadness, longing, and pain. They watched her as she watches the surroundings, feeling sympathetic towards her.

"Don't give me sympathy. I somehow deserve it for making others' life miserable. It hurts to be betrayed by the ones who changed you... but I have no choice. If I were to die, I would wish that the Grimm Reaper will take my soul." Cold yet full of pain and sadness, that defines her current situation.

"Why, though? Didn't you left your kingdom to escape from your unfortunate fate?" Valor asked confusion written all over their faces as they watch Lareia smile sadly.

"I'm not scared of death. I'm in love with it. It is the most mysterious and beautiful thing ever to exist, for me, that is. I left... because of the pain. Emotionally, I could handle it, but physically, I would rather get betrayed by every single creature in this world multiple times. You must have heard from the rumors that my level of sensitivity in physical pain is triple than normal." She tried to explain it even if she doesn't know how.

"You fear pain but not death? How unique," Jake uttered, amusement in his eyes.

"Is it fear? I don't know. Now, tell me, how did the two of you become brothers?" she changed the subject as she started feeling uncomfortable. She turned towards them, only to be greeted by pained eyes. Feeling guilty, she contemplated if she should continue pressing the question or change the subject. In the end, she let silence take over, letting the brothers decide.

They both sighed at the same time. "Let's sit over there and have some tea. Don't worry. We will tell you," Valor assured her as they turned to a round, white gazebo with blue curtains hanging on each upper corner. Carvings on each pillar as a marble round table sat in the middle, with some tea and different canapes. They sat on the stone, blue chairs while Valor poured the tea.

"You don't have to tell me if you're reluctant, but I would love to hear the story." She sounded innocent yet desperate. Upon hearing this, they chuckled while Lareia flushed red. "Stop laughing!" She added that it made them laugh even louder. She hid herself using her hands as her ears turned red. Finally calming down, they apologized, and Lareia ignored them and ate some canapes.

"Alright, alright. I'll explain the things about our parents, so stop ignoring us, okay?" Jake said with a soft chuckle. Her face lightens up like a child as she nods in approval.

"Valor is a dark elf, while I'm a werewolf. We also have different surnames, different fathers. Our mother is a witch, a human." Lareia's eyes widened at his last words. They only smiled bitterly at her reaction, used to it, but still painful.

"Go on," she uttered, her eyes still wide. Jake sighed before continuing.

"Our mother was a witch who got lost in the forbidden forest, Fel Kingdom. She was forced to be a blood servant of the late prince Luciel. As time passes, they fell for each other and had a child. When the king found out about this, our mother got exiled from the Fel Kingdom while my father got a death sentence. Unable to escape his fate, he died in the hands of his father."

Seeing how tears are forming in Jake's eyes, Valor decided to continue it.

"Mother got lost again and got captured by my father, the most powerful dark elf as of now. At first, he starved and tortured her. My mother gave birth to Jake, and she took care of him inside the dungeons. After several days, he suddenly had a change of heart and took care of her. One night, he was too drunk to think straight and raped her. He hated himself and almost lost his mind, but mom comforted him.

"The truth was my father already knew our mom since childhood. He got mad that she had a child with a vampire, but gradually accepted brother and loved both of them. Until now, our father still loves the three of us," he ended it with a bitter smile.

"I'm sorry to hear what happened to Prince Luciel..." she sympathized, and Jake gave her an assuring smile.

"There is nothing you have to apologize for. It is his fate, and I already accepted it. It hurts sometimes, but I hope he is in a happier situation now," he said, longing with a mix of contentment in his eyes.

"How I wish I met my parents..." she said, trailing off. Lareia never met her parents, not a single portrait or fragment of memory was left inside her mind. It felt as if an essential piece of her life was taken away from her.

"Then how are you related to the king?" Valor asked.

"I don't know the details. He could be my adoptive father or someone related to me. All we talked about was about ruling the kingdom, winning wars, and making our power stronger. I don't really care about it, but now that you asked, I'm curious about it myself," she said blankly, playing with her teacup.

"You are unique. How did you even live during your childhood?" Jake is intrigued; his eyes sparkled with curiosity. Valor is also curious, but not as much as him.

"I lived according to how a responsible royalty should. Surrounded by power, responsibilities, and expectations, I'm not the type to have fun like other children." Her statement intrigued Jake more while Valor pitied her.

"If I were you, I wouldn't pity a demon, Valor. If you have more questions, Jake, please save it for next time. Can I go back and have a rest? I feel drained because of our talk," she said, trying to sound tired even though she is just uncomfortable because of the topic.

They nodded understandingly, Lareia gave them a grateful smile and followed a maid back to her chamber. As the door shuts behind her, she heaved out a deep sigh. Taking off her clothes, she took another dip in the hot bath to clear her thoughts.

The warmth cleared her mind from any thoughts as her stiff body relaxed. Being too relaxed, her mind drifts away as her eyes slowly closed.

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A figure formed in front of her, a man was wearing black attire with a hood that hides his face. He was holding a scythe and was grinning from ear to ear.

"Hello, my lady. You might not know me, but I know you. It is nice to finally meet you, even if it's only in your mind. I am the Grimm Reaper, don't worry. I won't be taking you yet, so have fun and make sure not to get captured by the demons. A small reminder, you can never hide from me, I have eyes and ears all around you." His voice sent hundreds of chills down her spine. She knew that her voice is already cold, but it is nothing compared to his.

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As if she was drowning, her eyes swung open as she realized that she fell asleep while taking a bath. She stood up hastily, panting, and confused about her dream. It felt so real, yet fictitious.

What the hell was going on here?

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Hello, author here! I prepared a mini-quiz in the author's thoughts. Check it out and share your answer in the comments~