1 Prologue

"Your Majesty!"

A loud commotion spreads inside the kingdom as a guard runs inside with a letter in his hand, his composure totally disturbed while his body shaking with sweat beads falling off, his eyes and lips trembling in fear with the sight he had witnessed.

The Throne Room gets in pin-drop silence, everyone had their attention fixed towards the seated king, and his attendants at the other end were perplexed with the calmness the king had in such a crucial time.

"Your Majesty, why are you so calm?"

"This is not the time to stay still... you need-"

"Silence." Just one word from the king and the whole throne hall went back into silence, the attendants who were cut off in between their words of protest had stayed quiet with their head hung low not wanting to offend the king.

"You...bring the letter to me." The king speaks, his voice bringing shiver down the guard's spine, he hangs his head low and takes a few more steps ahead passing the letter to a Eunuch standing beside the king's throne serving the king.

Then the Eunuch passes the letter to the king, bowing his head and extending his hand, "Here, Your Majesty."

The king grabs the scroll, opening it wide he reads what was written. Soon, his palm clenching as the edge where he was holding onto crumbles into his fist, he snorts with rage and throws the scroll across the hall startling the attendants.

"How dare that monster?!" The king roars, his voice thundering in rage, his eyes turning red.

"Y-Your Majesty..." The Eunuch mumbles, trying to let the king know the others were present before him and not to lose his temper.

"How long was the treaty supposed to last?!" The king shouts as everyone trembles under his fierce gaze.

The head of the attendants step ahead and he speaks, "Your Majesty, it should last for the coming 10 years."

The king stands up in a swift motion, causing every attendant to take a step back startled by his sudden motion while the head attendant who was well known with the king's temper remained unfazed.

"Your Majesty, the rumors say that the kingdom got a new king." The head attendant speaks, observes the king's suppressed composure, and continues, "He is young, yet strong and fierce. No one can defy him and he declared the treaty to be of no use because it wasn't him who sealed it."

"But once implemented it should be followed! Who does that demon think he is?!" The king roars, his anger reaching its peak.

"Your Majesty...it's said he is stronger than the previous demon king. If we cannot impress him with our offering and treaty then he will start a war. And...you know, war with demons means the end of humans." The head attendant completes his sentence and the rest attendants nod their heads with their eyes still looking at the floor.

Right, there existed two worlds, A human world and the other? The demon world where the demons ruled!

"Then prepare for the treaty, bring golds, silver, gems, and jewelry all you can!" The king orders and the head attendant nods his head but with slight hesitation, he looks up, "Your ...Majesty..." He stutters as he starts sweating all of a sudden.

"What is it?" The king speaks firm yet stern.

"We would also need a royal... sacrifice." With that being said, the whole room gets into silence, the king staring at his head attendant who was avoiding looking in the king's direction, the king was startled, a royal sacrifice means either he has to offer one of his sons to the demon or one of his daughters.

And the only affordable one that came to his mind would be his daughter, Princess Yi Hua.

-----

"Your Highness, we shouldn't be out of the palace. Please let's go back. If the queen finds out…" The girl dressed as a maid speaks, her hands inside her clothes while her head hangs low in respect to the lady before her.

"No, Lin Yi... he said he will come here. And about that…I busied the other maids at work and I know you won't be nosy, right?" Yi Hua mumbles, her eyes fixed on her maid who actually was a friend she considered, just that a matron by her work being the one who has been serving her since a young age and with lots of experience.

A smile formed on her lips recalling the person she was here to meet, the person she had been dreaming of all night.

"But...I am called back into the palace for work...I can't leave you alone here. Please understand, Your Highness." Lin Yi says, desperation and worry clearly visible in her words and tone. Yi Hua chuckles seeing Lin Yi acting stubborn and cute.

"No, I will be safe here...with him. You go and I will join you later." Yi Hua says, being a stubborn girl herself. Despite all this, a smile and impatient eyes never left her condiment, she was desperate for that one person she is seeing after so long.

Anyway, it's not always that she gets to meet her love. And she didn't want to miss this chance, her love was an heir of a nobleman and he had no position just yet. Nothing mattered, all she could see was a noble and humble persona in him that had her wrapped around his palm.

"But ...Your Highness...no, I-"

"It's fine, Lin Yi. Please go. I am just around the palace...I won't be in danger." Yi Hua mumbles, nodding her head and urging her to go but Lin Yi shakes her head no. "Then I will wait..." She says, standing by Yi Hua's side, Lin Yi stands silently.

"Princess." A voice calls out from behind, Yi Hua's smile widens stretching over her ears, she swiftly turns around taking in the sight of her love. "Gu Chen..." She mumbles under her breath.

"I missed you." She says, her voice sweet and warm, her feet carrying her towards him as Lin Yi subtly follows making a distance.

"Hmm, for you, My Princess." Gu Chen speaks, he extends his hand, hands her a white dandelion flower, and grabs Yi Hua's right palm, intertwining his palm with hers, Gu Chen drags her a little farther from the sight of the guard.

Lin Yi silently follows them with a two-step distance between them, looking away Lin Yi lets them have their privacy.

"Princess, I think we cannot meet each other from now on." Gu Chen mumbles, he hangs his head down as a sad smile forms on his lips.

"W-What? What do you mean...?" Yi Hua says, she takes a step back and detaches her hands from his, he heaves out a sigh and he suddenly looks up at Yi Hua with a smirk and fierce gaze. Yi Hua stumbles a step back seeing this unusual side of him that terrified her.

"Yi Hua, we can no longer be together, this is it- your end."

"What? What...are you saying? Are you even in your mind-"

"Ahh!" She yelps in pain, the hormones inside her erupt, and pain kicks in, she panics and senses a burning, searing pain, cold sweat from adrenaline rushes as well as the dagger inside her, she gets stabbed.

She feels nothing but a cold sensation at first but soon it starts burning with the blood dripping down her sides giving her stickiness. The person grabs her by her chin as he pulls the dagger out of her skin with blood gushing out in the process. A very horrifying sight!

"Ah...a-ah... w-what...why..." Yi Hua speaks out her words, stuttering in pain.

Lin Yi gasps seeing Yi Hua being stabbed, she runs to Gu Chen but he just snaps his head towards Lin Yi and pushes her away, Lin Yi lands on the ground with a loud thud, she groans in pain and tears emerge from her eyes.

When the dagger was withdrawn, her painful skin senses something hot and cold at the same time and as if it is pulling the skin with it as it is being removed. She whimpers in pain as she struggles to set herself free but no words escape as she can't think straight in that situation.

She looks at her maid standing up to lunge toward the man, "S-Stop..." Yi Hua mumbles, Lin Yi throws the stone she had picked in the process, it hits him straight at his head and blood gushes out.

Lin Yi grabs Yi Hua and cries as Lin Yi puts her hand on Yi Hua's stabbed wound trying to stop the bleeding.

Gu Chen curses under his breath looking around to make sure no one was around, he then runs towards Yi Hua and raises his hand for the next attack.

The woman is scared of the next attack which is coming soon and indeed it didn't take long as she feels another scorching pain of the dagger inside her. And as soon as she meets his eyes, her own eyes wave and widen in shock as tears start building up.

"I-I...ah, "Why… why?! Why do this to me?!" She mumbles, she holds onto Lin Yi as the maid was crying and hitting the man with all her might.

And with another piercing cold sensation she felt on her stomach, she lets out a shriek as her hands go to hold against the dagger drilled inside, though she can sense every pain and burning sensation on her wounds, her eyes don't leave his face.

"W-Why?" She finally musters up her courage and questions him.

The helpless Hua shuts her eyes close as she feels like vomiting out blood, later the blood comes out of her mouth staining her lips and chin in the process.

"Your Highness! You-ah!" Lin Yi was again thrown onto the ground as Gu Chen took hold of Yi Hua, Lin Yi stood up with another stone raising her hand to attack him but her eyes widened seeing Yi Hua against his chest and him putting the knife by her neck.

She opens her eyes watching the person staring at her with cold eyes- which once used to have love and softness.

"W-Why d-did... y-you...ugh... ah!" She screams out loud, falling down on her knees and sliding down his body as he couldn't hold onto her, Lin Yi throws the stone and it hits him in his eye making him shout out in pain.

She throws out more blood, her eyes red and teary as she breathes hard to keep herself alive.

She looked up at the person's figure looking down at her, her vision turning blurry but still, she fought to remain conscious. She groans in pain as her body gives up lying flat on the grassy ground, she extends her hand towards Lin Yi as she was running to her but she couldn't grab anything but grasses.

"Your Highness! I am sorry...I couldn't protect you!" Lin Yi shouts, crying her heart out.

"Y-You... w-will... p-pay- uh... I-I... will...come... b-back..." Yi Hua says, ignoring Lin Yi and looking at Gu Chen crying against the ground. Suddenly a few guards approach them witnessing the sight with terror, "Princess Yi!" A guard yelps running to her.

She whimpers looking at him but sees another familiar figure approaching, she tries to fight hard against her consciousness but she finds her eyes slowly closing themselves with the sight of the two blurry figures, watching her from afar.

"That maid! She killed Princess Yi and attacked me!" Gu Chen shouts, yelping in pain while Lin Yi shakes her head no, denying the accusation.

With that being heard, she slowly felt nothing, and everything blacked out.