Chapter Twelve - A Beast Howls For Its Lover (Part 1)

He was growing restless. Never been one to socialize, the effort grated on his patience and with an empty-headed princess who tittered incessantly and clung onto him like an impervious vine, his irritation soared to new heights. Across the ballroom, a flurry of excited whispers distracted his attention from Amora's prattling.

"Who is that lovely couple?"

"Isn't that the youngest princess of Cronoa?"

"Former princess." A woman corrected disdainfully. "She's now the demon king's concubine. What a shame. The poor thing must be frightened out of her wits to have to deal with HIM."

"Shush! You mustn't let him hear your words. It'll be your death."

Too late, Zagan thought bitterly. He could hear everyone's thoughts without them voicing the fear and perverse curiosity that prompted the guests to attend at all. Their faces were like canvasses of emotions, each one blending into the other, sometimes both. His brows slammed together at the sight of Akila waltzing with a strange male. Fists clenched, his beast emitted a flat growl, loud enough to make Amora startle mid-sentence.

"Are you alright, Your Majesty? You just made an odd sound." She tilted her head warily, nose scrunched in confusion.

"It's nothing," he uttered distractedly, his gaze tracking the little lamb, making a mental note to acquaint himself with her mysterious dance partner.

Amora easily accepted his dismissal and continued with her story about a wardrobe mishap during her visit to Cerith until Mara boldly interrupted.

"There you are, Zagan!" The demoness forcefully pushed her way between them, earning the princess's glare. "I've been looking everywhere for you. There's someone I'd like you to meet." She gestured to a rotund, elderly gentleman with hair the colour of salt and pepper, complete with a pair of bushy brows and an extravagant imperial moustache, curling upwards over his cheeks. "May I present to you, Chief Kaerius, ruler of Aerule Island and his daughter, Lady Narissa." Hanging on his arm was a demure young woman dressed in gauze of shimmering blue, complementing her fair hair and pixie features.

Mara's smile was full of charm. "Chief Kaerius, this is my lord and master, Zagan – the new Emperor of Cronoa."

Zagan inclined his head. For once, Mara's inapt timing was a blessing in disguise. "A pleasure to make your acquaintance."

Lady Narissa curtsied gracefully; her head lowered in deference. "The pleasure is ours as well, Emperor Zagan."

Unlike his daughter, Chief Kaerius released an incongruous snort. "I may not have been friends with Orsova, but he had my respect where it counts. You may have killed the man and usurped his throne but in my eyes, you're only fit to be the emperor once you've proven your worth. Not any street dog can become a pedigreed canine overnight."

"Father!" Narissa admonished, her face turning red with embarrassment. She immediately faced Zagan. "I apologize for his impertinence, Your Majesty. We didn't mean to insult you in any way."

"I certainly did." Chief Kaerius challenged, his twinkling eyes holding the demon king's without a hint of fear or apology. "You may be a demon but that's weightless if you can't rule an empire appropriately. Do you understand my meaning, son?"

Oddly, he did. If there was one thing he understood well from his time in the slums, it was hostility. And there were only few reasons why it existed – to invoke fear and garner submission, and to assess an opponent's caliber. Zagan regarded the Chief with newfound respect. Aerule's ruler was testing his mettle and temperament, judging what kind of 'man' he was and whether the rumours of his brutality were true. In other words, he challenged the beast, though what the old man wanted to achieve was beyond Zagan's imagination. Amusement made his lips twitched at the corners. "I'm afraid to disappoint you, Chief Kaerius, but I am not easily provoked by simple words. I assure you that I have been called worse and experienced greater hell than a nobleman's goading."

They engaged in a silent stare down, causing everyone around them to fidget anxiously, wondering if they should brace to charge out the doors. The women nearly jumped out of their skin when Chief Kaerius boomed with hearty laughter, his head thrown back in exuberance. "You're definitely an interesting character, Zagan. I can't sense your malignance even though I know you're anything but pure. I look forward to what you have planned for Cronoa, although you'll have a tough time maintaining its prestige with your precarious standing. It's preposterous to trust a demon, and even more so in your case who killed Orsova." A meaningful grunt. "You're basically dead on your feet."

"Your concern is touching but misplaced," Zagan responded sharply. "Rest assured, only death awaits any fool who dares to stand in my way."

Princess Amora couldn't help but gasp at his audacity, thoroughly scandalized.

"Hah! Then I look forward to seeing you try, demon king!" Chief Kaerius chuckled receptively. "Your presence will bring a change that will shake the Great Five Nations to its core."

What a strange, old man, Zagan thought warily. When he had plotted to kill the royal family and usurp the throne, he was prepared to be hated, defied and resented and yet this Aerulian was the first human who accepted him in his own bizarre way. Chief Kaerius was an anomaly that he needed to be watched out for.

Lady Narissa released her strangled breath, relieved that her nonconformist father didn't make an enemy of the emperor, although their not-so-subtle plotting of the Great Five Nations' downfall didn't make the situation any lighter. Glancing up at the demon king, she admitted that he was an attractive man. Not handsome in the classical sense, no. It was his radiating confidence and aura of intimidation that wrapped around him like a second skin. He was a beacon of attraction wherever he went, all eyes would naturally fall upon him. It was difficult not to regard him in awe.

"Chief Kaerius, it's an honour to meet you again!" Princess Amora filled the pregnant silence, no longer content to be ignored. "It's been awhile since you've deigned to attend any ball."

"Princess Amora." Wariness replaced Chief Kaerius's fervour. "Always the belle of the ball. I gather your father is in attendance this evening?"

Amora nodded eagerly. "Oh yes, and he'll be delighted to see you."

"No doubt," the Chief muttered unkindly.

"And Lady Narissa, how have you been? Have you recovered from the incident? After your last ball, I admire your fortitude to give society another chance."

Twin spots darkened Narissa's cheeks, but she refused to let this vicious woman scorn her. "I have never been better, Princess Amora. Thank you for your concern."

The final strings of the waltz came to an end and Zagan took pity on the Chief's daughter, somehow seeing a resemblance between his little lamb and her. Unconsciously, he extended a hand. "Lady Narissa, will you honour me with the next dance?"

Narissa glanced up with apparent surprise, the Chief's own brows rising in marvel before succumbing to a faint smile. Gratefully, she accepted his hand, blushing harder. "Yes, I will."

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"You appear to be distracted, Akila. I must admit this is a first for me, to have a beautiful woman in my arms but, her mind's preoccupied with someone else." Castelis's mouth tilted with a crooked grin, his eyes shifting to where her attention constantly flitted to. "Are you by any chance thinking about the man in the scarlet uniform standing by the pillars?"

Her cheeks heated. "D-don't be silly, I wasn't thinking of Zagan."

"Ah, but I never mentioned his name." His smile widened when she flinched. "So, it was the demon you were thinking about." He chuckled. "I was wrong about the both of you."

His admission stirred her curiosity. Who was this stranger who seemed to know her? "What do you mean?" She stared up at him.

"That demon forced you to become his concubine and he killed your beloved family," he said in stark confusion. "I'm surprised that you seem to...care for him – a reputable monster. How is that possible? You're a descendent of the sentient lineage and he's your natural foe." Disapproval warred with the concern in his voice. "He's not someone you should fall in love with."

Akila's ears matched her cheeks and she sputtered indignantly. "Don't be ridiculous! You're spouting nonsense, my Lord. I am not in love with Zagan! That would make me a traitor of my own country, not to mention my deceased family!"

"If I had spoken falsely, then I wouldn't have succeeded in getting a rise out of you. You can lie to me but, you cannot lie to a dryad's sixth sense, Akila. I'm afraid I haven't been honest with you." He paused, releasing a heavy sigh. "I knew your mother."

Her eyes widened like twin saucers, her steps faltering at his confession. "Y-you did?"

"Yes, we were childhood friends who grew up at the borders of our nation. Somehow, fate allowed us to meet and bound us together in the strangest way." For a split second, sorrow replaced his liveliness. "I don't know how much your mother has taught you about the women of your lineage but, there was a reason why your father married her."

A foreboding feeling crept up her spine. She swallowed hard. "W-what do you mean?"

"You're not wholly human, Akila. You're a descendant of God, you're a Sentient."

She frowned, mixed feelings of anger and confusion beginning to gnaw on her composure. "I've never heard that word before. And I am human."

"You may look like one, but you hold an unimaginable power within. Your sisters may have been like you too." Castelis shook his head sadly. "I don't know why your mother never told you the truth about your heritage. Lilja wasn't common, she was the last pureblood of her kind."

"I-I'm not sure I quite understand..."

Castelis smiled thinly. "We have plenty of time to get acquainted. I wasn't in my right mind when I lost your mother, and it took me years to find the balance again. In time, you will learn the truth about who you really are and what you're meant to become."