Chapter 5: General Makai

"Fools! How could that be?! I, the Great Asmodeus, saw her with my own eyes and kill her with my own hands! She was dead! I smashed her skull! I ripped her heart! How could she be alive?! You impudent fool! Are you telling me I am such an effete?! How dare you?!!"

Such vociferous pride, King Asmodeus stood and briskly strode towards his servant.

However, from his fury laid a strong surge of uneasiness inside his heart. That alone should tell he was truly scared of the former Princess General Makai!

"B-but your majesty! Please hear me first!"

With all his thick skin, the eunuch just shut his eyes and smudged his face on the floor.

"The knights said it was indeed true. And they said General Makai was immediately taken by King Wenscelas!"

King Asmodeus face went ugly. He immediately gritted his teeth as his eyes burst crimson fluid.

He was actually telling himself not to believe such foolish lies however his anger couldn't hide the fact that he was indeed affected.

With those words came from his servant, his lips just shut together until his whole body just froze in an instant.

It was because he knew from himself that he was the traitor in disguise! Two-faced king!

Just to ascend on the throne of the country Goetia, he poisoned the former Empress and the former king leaving their daughter, Princess Makai who was still in the journey towards King Wenscelas of the country of Hestias for a Peace Treaty, be the only heir of the throne.

With avid glint of greed in the heart of Asmodeus, who was the current Prime Minister that time, he commanded his knights and cruelly ambushed the princess in the Hell Tundra Valley.

With no one knew what really happened, all the Goetians trusted Asmodeus to be the next king!

However...

With such turned of events this time, cold sweats immediately broke on his temple.

If Princess Makai truly rose from the dead and was taken by King Wenscelas, should he be rushing towards them?

It would be his doom if the whole truth would be exposed!

"Prepare a coach! We are going to Hestias!"

Without any spared seconds, the blunt look of the greedy king immediately turned anxious as he dashed on his room and changed his robe. The eunuch rubbed his face and rashly blazed out.

******

Meanwhile, in the vast country of Hestias due west of Ophir, laid a grand palace which was hugged by bountiful trees that exuded freshness! Truly a place for tranquility and solitude!

If you look at it, you would almost think this would just be a deserted forest where high level danger beasts should be found.

But on the contrary, just a little pace around the corner, you would found yourself lifting your chin and drawing your jaw down at the houses prodigiously hanging as though it festooned those mellow yet pharaonic trees.

With this terrain, almost all of the people who lived here had winged bloodlines matching with this environment.

"I am very sorry, sir. But I am really confused for now. I truly have to apologize."

A perturbed look of a regal figure from a young lass loquaciously sitting in front of a buoyant man around an age of forty, humbly said.

She was no other than Princess Makai and in front of her was King Wenscelas, wearing a yellow robe clipped with beads of pearls around the hems with his noble crown.

"Ah. No need to worry princess. I also have to say sorry for asking so many questions at the same time. I just couldn't believe my eyes that you came back to life! Last five years, I almost curse your family when you hadn't come on our treaty until I found out all of your family, including you, had been killed. That really ticked my conscience."

King Wenscelas made a rueful sigh as he put the cup of tea on the table.

The two of them were actually sitting on elegant cabana reared at a frightening height of the tree. They looked like sitting into thin air with just pieces of wood supporting them below.

Just seeing the height from they were seated, Princess Makai couldn't help but to frown, and pinched her laps. As when the breeze flapped, this hanged hut swayed gently.

And an instant, with great tremor in her heart, she immediately widened the gap of her feet as though she was rudely sitting like a guy. She also grabbed her thigh as clenched his teeth. Her face crumpled when she knitted her slender eyebrows.

******

With such sudden change on behavior of the princess, King Wenscelas frowned.

Yes, he actually knew that Princess Makai was a fierce general whom considered being the strongest woman of Ophir, however, never he knew that she moved like a guy!

Wasn't she an educated princess? How come she moved like a barbarian?

King Wenscelas face turned anxious when a funny question fell on to his mind.

Was she really the former Princess? Or she was just possessed by someone?

However...

"Ahem..."

He immediately cleared his throat.

Shaking all his thoughts and with his bubbly manner, he gazed on to the princess.

"For now probably the best thing to do is to send a letter to King Asmodeus that you had risen from the dead or maybe-"

"No."

With a low voice of Makai, she halted the king from speaking.

King Wenscelas face suddenly turned gloomy when he was slightly offended of what the princess just did. Didn't she have manners?

However, he just shook those thoughts when he calmed himself that the princess must still be in shock or there must be a deep reason behind that abhorrence from her tone.

But to his astonishment...

Princess Makai immediately cupped her hand and bowed her head like a male servant. The king was stunned of what the princess said.

She really moved like a guy!

"I am very sorry, your highness. But I would be shameful this time, please don't tell King Asmodeus that I had risen to life, and if you ever ask me why, I would say sorry now for I couldn't really tell. However, I would like to entreat, your ever graceful highness."

Without any chance to jab some air, she staidly renounced the suggestion inferred by the King.

This time, rather than frowning from immediate demands by the Princess, King Wesncelas instead was caught in a strange accent of the princess it was so masculine!

Was she like that at the first place? She really had changed!

"D-don't worry. Just tell me what your request is."

He suddenly felt awkward. Why would this princess be more charming than him?

With that accent plus her sweet flowery words, the princess may even seduce other princesses! That was what he argued on his bubbly mind.

"Actually, it was rather an 'are'. In any case, I would be very shameful this time."

With a paused, Princess Makai looked at the kings eyes with no hint of smile or any anger.

"There were three things I wanted from you."

With such abrupt and bold confession, seems like, the king frowned and couldn't help but to gulp a mouthful of hot tea.

"First, I would like to conceal my identity as a woman. In short, I wanted to disguise myself as a guy. Secondly, I would like to be an ordinary loyal knight of your country. And last..."

Makai threw a glance on her tea as though she was gazing on her reflection.

Then she continued...

"...I would like to change my name."

King Wesncelas curiously blinked several times. His mouth was quivering tremendously for the urge of his mind to ask the reason behind her requests, but it was actually one of her requests too, not to pry about the reasons.

So, there was nothing he could do but only to examine her face if there was any trace of suspicious motive against his country, yet he found nothing.

Her eyes were so calm and clear as though there was no emotion you could ever saw from her face. Such solid composure she had, the king could just let out a sigh.

However...

With such type of requests and conditions offered by the princess, the king immediately doubted that King Asmodeus maybe had a connection with princess and her family's death five years ago!

King Wenscelas immediately relaxed his tensed face.

"If that is what you want princess, how dare I refuse such request? Only I could give you help in this way and even in a slightest way could lighten my contrition. By the way, what name should you use from now on?"

He knew from himself that disguising as a guy although she was the strongest general in their continent, it would be really hard. The kings look slightly frowned enough not to notice by Makai.

At instant, the thin red lips of the princess immediately curved up.

With her clear and soft young lass voice, she crisply said.

"Homer. From now on, please call me, Homer."

******