Chapter 10

Seiran walked briskly down the corridor, making himself as inconspicuous as possible. Regularly, he glanced behind him to make sure he wasn't being followed. But the long, dimly lit corridor was silent. All the guests were tired from the long day of various diplomatic meetings and ceremonies surrounding the coronation. There was only a week and a half to go before the event, and the atmosphere was gradually becoming more and more agitated, depending on the various agreements reached or not reached between the representatives.

But for the demon, all these concerns seemed completely abject. He had only one thing on his mind: Niris. He finally reached the front door of the angel's suite. Quickly unlocking it with his imperial pass, he quickly rushed into the small boudoir that served as an entrance. He closed behind him without a sound.

For a moment he waited in the darkness, trying to force himself to regain his composure. His heart was pounding in his chest. After a while, he knocked twice on the door of the angel's room and waited. But there was no answer.

Slowly he opened the door and peered into the room, which was lit only by the angel's bedside lamp. The latter was lying in bed and seemed to be asleep. As quietly as possible, Seiran entered the room and closed the door behind him. With velvet steps, he approached the bed. When he reached the little prince, he stopped and looked at him for a moment. His hair disheveled on his pillow and his cheeks rosy from the warmth of the heated blankets provided by the palace steward on his orders made him even more adorable than usual.

The demon couldn't suppress an affectionate smile. Slowly, he leaned forward to inspect the angel's condition and then sat down on the edge of the bed once he saw that he was simply sleeping. With a careful wave of his hand, he pulled down the angel's shirt collar to inspect his neck. The red trace of the vampire's strangulation was still there, marking Niris' porcelain skin like a red-hot iron. Seiran pressed his lips together. How he longed to repay the harm the princess had done to the angel!

While he was mentally lost in his murderous desires, he didn't notice that the angel had opened his eyes and was startled by his sleeping voice calling to him, bringing him out of his dark thoughts.

"A-ran..."

Instantly forgetting about the vampire, he turned his head and smiled fondly at the convalescent. The angel grabbed his hand, which had remained on his neck, and sat up with difficulty. He had recovered well, but he was still a little dazed from the painkillers he had taken a few hours earlier.

With all the delicacy in the world, Seiran helped the angel to sit up on the bed, supporting him with his free hand. Giving him time to emerge, he cleared his forehead of the hair that had stuck to it while he slept.

"Sorry, I woke you up," the demon apologized. "How are you feeling?"

"Fine... Better," the still half-asleep angel replied.

"Do you hurt anywhere?"

Niris shook his head. Then, giving in to his lethargy caused by his long hours of sleep, he laid his head against the demon's chest and grumbled. Seiran let him and stroked his hair, unable to resist the tenderness that drove him to cuddle the angel any longer. They stayed like that for a while, savouring each other's presence which the tragic episode had made precious. They had come so close to losing each other that they were now both determined to convey their emotions to each other.

After recharging his energy, the angel lifted his head, finding himself a breath away from the face of the demon who had taken him in his arms to improve his comfort.

"Are you the one who saved me, A-ran?"

He met the demon's incandescent yellow gaze, which the dim light tinged dark orange. The intensity of their exchange was indescribable. They seemed to convey an infinite number of emotions that they could not express in words.

"Was it you who sent the captain of your guard to save me from Yousmaïl Namar?"

Again, the demon did not answer. His throat knotted with the emotions raging inside him, he did not know how to say things so that the angel would forgive him. He was both terrified of losing his trust and filled with love for this little being he held in his arms who meant the world to him.

"The more I think about it, the more I realise that this is the information I was missing from the start," Niris continued with a weak smile. "Why the Amadean princess had me summoned, why you are always surrounded by a flock of guests when you walk around the castle, why your imprint gives me access to the imperial library..."

Niris paused. Seeing the emotion in the demon's eyes, he placed a gentle hand on the demon's cheek. He could see the anxiety in the prince's eyes as he spoke and couldn't help but smile to see him in this state. Of course, he understood perfectly why he was so panicked, but if only the demon knew that he had already forgiven him! If only he knew that the angel didn't even feel anger towards him because he knew all too well the reason why he had behaved like that.

He gently stroked the demon's cheek with his thumb.

"You're Prince Seiran, right?"

His words made the beautiful golden-haired demon flinch. He placed his hand on the angel's and squeezed it in a desperate attempt to regain control of his emotions. Niris looked at him with tenderness, his sweet smile still on his lips. If only the demon knew how much he loved him!

"You didn't recognize me, and I didn't know how to tell you... I thought you would never come back to this garden and lose interest in me," the demon began to reply in utter confusion. "The more time passed and the more I became attached to you, the more I became entangled in my lie. When I saw you in the slave cave, I thought I was going crazy! You, who are the perfect target for the traffickers, had thrown yourself into the lion's den! And then Yousmaïl..."

He stopped, his voice choking in his throat not allowing him to continue. He looked into the angel's eyes.

"I put you in danger out of pure selfishness, I beg your forgiveness," he said in a small, imploring voice. "I will do anything you ask, but please, forgive me... I was so afraid of losing you, I was so wrapped up in my own feelings that I forgot to consider your situation... I am so sorry... "

The angel himself became emotional at the demon's pleading and swallowed. He did not like to see him like this. He knew he was sincere. He knew that he had laid himself bare before him. He didn't need more to know that the demon's feelings for him were real. And above all, he couldn't bear to see him suffer like this.

Perhaps he was unconscious, but love had made him weak. And he accepted this weakness with an open heart. Maybe he was putting himself in danger, and maybe he would pay for it later, but it didn't matter. He wanted to believe that it was possible and that it was true. And if one day he had to face reality, then he would do so without regretting that he had left behind the chance to live the love story of his life.

The calming effect of the meds allowed him to see his feelings clearly and not have any hesitation. All the confusion he'd felt earlier when he'd woken up in the palace hospital room had vanished when he'd noticed the demon's angry look as he inspected the still visible mark on his neck.

Slowly, he wiped away a tear that had begun to run down the prince's cheek. Then, eager to reassure him and put an end to his pain, he straightened up and approached him gently. Following his movement, the demon allowed himself to do so by closing his eyes, and their lips met with infinite softness. After a long moment, they separated and then met again, a little more urgently.

Once the hesitation of the first time in a relationship had passed, their kisses became more intense and longer. Living fully with the intensity of their emotions, they allowed themselves time to explore each other in this intimate exchange. Wrapping his arms around the demon's neck, Niris rested his forehead against Seiran's, who had placed his hands around his waist and was gently stroking his back, still unsure of the angel's response to his confession. His guilty look urged the angel to reassure him.

"I was never angry with you, Seiran. I've been confused, lost, and hesitant, but never angry. And I don't blame you either, after all, I have my share of responsibility. What kind of idiot goes to an enthronement ceremony without knowing what the person who will be crowned looks like!" he tried to wryly soothe the demon's anguish. "I would have done the same thing in your place, your fears are quite justified. To be honest, I'd be full of myself to blame you!"

The demon rubbed his forehead against the angel's and let out a deep sigh that emptied all the air from his lungs. The relief that overcame him brought a smile to his face.

"You have a right to be angry with me, you know," he said with a smile of surrender.

"I know, but I don't want to," Niris replied, a reproachful look on his face.

The demon couldn't help but laugh at the angel's pout and pressed his nose against his cheek.

"Ah... I love you so much Niris..." he then said in a breath before pulling himself together, frozen with fright.

His alarmed gaze met that of the angel, who was looking at him with a victorious air.

"I knew it!" he said. "You know my true identity!"

The demon swallowed. He couldn't have made a worse mistake. His eyes darted back and forth in a desperate attempt to find an escape.

"It's just that... you see... I... I wanted you to tell me yourself...and then...well,"

Amused by the demon's embarrassment, the angel watched him try to justify himself without saying anything. Then, unable to hold back any longer, he put his lips to the demon's again to make him stop talking. The latter froze, awaiting his sentence.

"As one liar to another, I don't think we have anything to be ashamed of," said Niris. "You hid your identity from me, but I hid mine from you too. Can we call it even?"

It was Seiran's turn to pout.

"You trust me?" he asked with a slightly guilty look on his face.

"I have confidential information about you, such as the fact that you're anti-slavery and that you're trying to dismantle the smuggling ring that's been operating in the palace. That's important enough to risk my cover," he replied with a smile. "And then I have your fingerprint too, for now. I think you're risking enough on your end for me to trust you."

He stroked the demon's cheek and gave him a reassuring smile. Seiran relented and pressed his cheek against the angel's small, warm hand, rubbing his cheekbones against it and caressing the tender skin of his lips. Niris shivered at the moist touch of his lips against his palm. The demon finally turned a determined gaze to the angel, who watched him ecstatically, remembering his exchange with Inja.

"By the way, about my imprint," he bounced. "Inja ordered me to leave it with you until the end of your stay.

"Inja?" the little prince wondered.

"Yes," confirmed the demon with a sigh. "We had a...conversation...about you. I believe she discovered my identity at the same time as you. We agreed, of sorts, and she agreed to let you stay here without repatriating you on the condition that I leave my imprint to you."

The angel looked at him doubtfully.

"It's too risky..." he began.

"She's right," the demon interrupted. "Put yourself in her shoes. She's in charge of your safety. You can trust me if you want, but she has no obligation to trust me as your guard. I think it's perfectly normal for her to ask me to leave my imprint as a guarantee of my good faith. And it also reassures me to know that you have it, I feel more at ease with her. I trust you too, Niris."

He placed a gentle kiss on the back of the angel's hand as he finished his tirade. Niris looked at him warily. He pondered the question for a moment as he felt it was too risky to keep the crown prince's handprint. If it ever got out, it would create more than just diplomatic complications...

But he gave up. He was far too tired to think about it. And all he cared about at the moment was his emotions bubbling up inside him. With a resigned sigh, he let himself go backward and fell back on his pillow, dragging the demon with him.

They found themselves lying next to each other, looking at each other without saying a word. Niris finally broke the silence.

"Since when?" he asked.

"Uh?"

The demon did not understand his question.

"Since when do you know that I am Niris of Egea and not Jangta of Meripea," he completed.

"Ah..."

The demon sat back and rested his head on the pillow next to the angel's who was watching him.

"From the beginning," he admitted. "I knew who you were even before you came to Yerpena."

The angel looked at him quizzically.

"But how can you know? I was never officially introduced..."

The demon smiled at him.

"You remember I told you about my father who became very close to an angel he fought with during the War of the Great Schism?"

The angel nodded.

"The one he was close too, it was your father," he continued.

The angel's eyes widened in amazement and he raised himself on one elbow.

"Did our fathers know each other? But I never knew anything of the sort..."

"That doesn't surprise me, you were so wild when you were little, it was impossible to get close to you! You clung to your father and refused to talk to anyone. I tried to coax you when I came to see you in Egea with my father, but nothing happened! You never spoke to me!"

Niris, frankly dismayed, straightened up completely and sat down on his knees.

"What do you mean when you were coming to Egea? You mean we already saw each other when we were kids?"

The demon smiled. The angel's surprise was complete. It didn't surprise him. Niris had been extremely protected as a child, due to his gift and many other things the emperor had explained to him when he'd asked. The fact that his existence had been kept secret from all other populations in the intergalaxy meant that Niris had grown up completely cut off from intergalactic high society.

It was the best way his father had found to protect him from abduction attempts, which Seiran understood perfectly well since many of them had been thwarted despite his secrecy and one had even come close to succeeding. And this almost successful attempt had been the cause of the little prince's wild attitude during his childhood. He had developed a natural mistrust of strangers who tried to approach him.

"How many times have you come? And when?" asked Niris.

"Not many times, only five in total," the demon replied, playing with his lover's fingers thoughtfully, trying to bring back distant memories.

"But the one I remember most is the time of the ascending dragon ceremony. It was so beautiful! I will remember it for the rest of my life!

"You were present at the ascending dragon ceremony?" cried Niris who could not hold back his voice. "How could you attend such a confidential ceremony of the imperial family of Egea?"

Amused by the angel's reaction, the demon let a slightly sly smile float across his lips.

"I told you that my father was close to yours... They had a secret correspondence, and my father was going to Egea undercover. You know how good angels are at keeping things secret. It was not difficult for them to keep my father's visits to Egea secret from the rest of the world. The intergalactic community saw nothing but fire! Only my mother noticed something... and killed my father because she couldn't bear the betrayal it represented to her."

"Seiran..." the angel said in a desolate voice, placing his hand on the demon's cheek.

He had no memory of these encounters. Niris had forgotten many things due to the trauma of being kidnapped at the age of six. All the strangers he had met, he had forgotten. He felt sorry for the demon who was the only one with those memories inside him.

Seiran placed his hand on the angel's and with his other hand around the angel's waist, he pulled him back into his embrace.

"Imagine my surprise when I saw you in the garden! And even worse, when you introduced yourself as Jangta of Meripea!"

"You're mean, you could have told me earlier that you already knew me!" the angel grumbled, feeling a little offended at being played like that.

The demon smiled up to his ears and placed a kiss of reconciliation on the angel's cheek, who pretended to reject it with a shake of the head. The demon then pressed his forehead against the angel's cheek and closed his eyes. After a moment he opened them again, looking very serious.

"Our fathers were friends and had a dream that demons and angels would become friendly people. They dreamed that their children would become the bearers of this will, of their dream of peace. That's why your father invited us to the ascending dragon ceremony. He thought that by having us participate in a fundamental stage of your life, it would create an inseparable bond between us."

With a tender gesture, he grasped the angel's hand and drew it to his lips. Delicately, he placed them on his slender fingers and looked at him adoringly.

"My father is no longer here to see it, and your father can't do the work of bringing our two peoples together on his own. But after the Emperor of Egea and the Emperor of Ornikarn have forged a strong friendship in the greatest secrecy, seeing their two children love each other in the light of public life could be their most significant victory. If you agree with this idea, I would like to see the two of us build the future of angels and demons through our relationship. We could be the annihilation of the hatred that fragments our peoples, and hold up the banner of peace and reconciliation by putting an end to the angel trade once and for all."

Leaning against the demon's chest, Niris had his eyes plunged into its flaming gaze. Everything seemed clear to him. No doubt marred his vision, for he had grown up in the love of his father, who had passed on strong values about relationships. If he was ready to love, he was ready to trust, and no project scared him.

And then he shared the will that Seiran had. This will unite their peoples who have been enemies since the dawn of time, which his father had also passed on to him through his education. He also found the symbol of bringing together the two crown princes of angels and demons through a solid relationship, a vector of peace and forgiveness, very beautiful. He accepted all this. He wanted it. But the road to it would be perilous, and there was a good chance that they would fail along the way. And if he was willing to commit himself to a fight that was beyond them, he was not willing to lose the one he loved.

Gently, he kissed the demon's lips, trying to convey all the tenderness he felt for him.

"The love I feel for you is beyond anything I've ever known or imagined," he replied in a voice full of the emotions he wanted to convey. "I will do anything to be with you, and I am ready to carry on the torch of both our fathers with conviction, but I am not ready to lose you, Seiran. You will always be my weakness, and I will never sacrifice anything that doesn't reach our love, no matter what is at stake. For that is how my father taught me to live. If you are willing to fail with me and lose everything for us, then yes I am willing to take this path of reconciliation with you."

Lost in the green ocean of the angel's eyes, Seiran stroked his cheek. The softness of the angel's skin against his cold fingers reminded him of the intensity of his feelings for him. He, too, was not ready to lose him. This guilty certainty had made him grow a fierce desire to justify everything in the name of his love. He was not afraid.

"Let's fail together then, Niris of Egea," he replied in a breath before pulling the little angel pressed against him.

In a passionate embrace, they finally let their deepest desires express themselves, and the desire of love possess them in their caresses which became more pressing and their kisses more languid. The pact was sealed.