ᴇɪɢʜᴛʜ.

Her eyes are still adjusting from the blinding lights of the room. She closed it again and when she realized that she got captured, she jolted from her sleep and sat on the bed. She looked around and her eyes widened when she saw the king in front of her. Fear enveloped her whole being and she screamed when she felt his hand on her shoulder. She pushed him away but she realized another thing. Instead of a dark aura, she can feel a light aura around him. 

"W-who are you?" She asked while trembling. Even though she can't remember her past life with the king, his presence near her is giving her painful feelings. 

"I'm Reiki, the identical twin of the king." He introduced himself to the queen. It is his first time to see the queen ever since. He didn't give too much attention to the king's family before. 

"Identical twin? The king has an identical twin?" She asked as she can't believe that the kingdom will hide someone like him. 

"Yes. I'm the eldest twin. I'm not like Riku who reigns the whole underworld. Our father favored him instead of his eldest son. Itsuki is our youngest sibling. He is a nephalem, a half-demon and half-angel." Reiki explained and she closed her eyes as a headache was slowly coming. 

The whole family tree is now a mess because of these revelations. Does this mean Itsuki doesn't know that he has another brother? She got up from the bed but Reiki held her arms gently to stop her. She felt a spark flowing through her nerves and she quickly pushed him away. It is her first time to feel something like that. 

"I need to see Itsuki." She said while brushing her arms. The spark is still there and it is making her heart beat fast. 

"You can't. If you will see him, Riku will kill him. He will bring you back to the underworld. Your friend, Hokuto and your daughter, Fuyu were captured. The crowned prince, Sho returned her back since she is the princess. Hokuto became one of the soldiers of the underworld. It's been a decade since we brought you here." Her eyes widened when she heard those. 

"What? A decade? I've been asleep for a decade already?" She asked and he nodded. Her system can't absorb all the things she learned from him. Perhaps, he is just lying about those? 

"They can't find you here. They will never be able to locate us unless you decide to get out of this realm and reveal yourself to them. The war temporarily ceased. The human world recovered from the damages it received from the war. What else do you want to know?" He asked and sat on the bed with his arms folded on his chest. 

"Fuyu is my daughter?" She asked again and he nodded. Now, she knows why the demons wanted them back to the underworld. 

"Ryu. Is Ryu my son with Itsuki?" Reiki's jaw stiffened but he nodded. Her son with Itsuki is the one who killed the woman he loved the most. 

She held on her head, hissing softly while feeling her temples throbbing because of the headache. She can't believe everything. She looked at her gown and she noticed that they changed it into emerald green. She felt something around her neck and it was a vintage collar necklace studded with emeralds. She shifted her gaze on Reiki and saw him staring at her. 

"Until when can I stay here?" She asked as she walked towards the windows. She pushed the curtains to the side and she saw some flying creatures outside. 

Most of them got black and white wings. She remembered that the one who captured her got that pair of wings as well. She turned around and she bit her lower lip when he was too close to her. She swallowed a lump of saliva and felt his arms around her body. He held her chin up and she stared deep in his eyes. 

"You can stay here as long as you want but there's one thing you should know. The payment of staying here is giving me a child. I know you're a pure human but my brother gave you demonic powers. I can control it for you if you want to but also remember that once you bear my child, it means you're breaking up with Itsuki and marrying me." She gripped on his arm tightly when his lips touched the crook of her neck. 

He started kissing her neck as he tilted her head to the side to give him more access to her skin. She shut her eyes while thinking that maybe, her role in their lives is just to be the carrier of their children. But with that, she can't just give up easily. Her mother gave birth to her to be strong enough to fight them. She gripped on his arm tighter but gently pushed him off. 

"I don't want to carry your child. I had enough with all of you. I love Itsuki but why do they keep on fighting against each other? I just wanted to be a normal human being. Is that hard to give it to me? Why do I need to stay here? Why do I need to meet all of you? I didn't wish for this. I didn't wish to be the queen of the underworld." He stared at her while letting her speak her frustrations out. 

"Because of you, the woman I loved the most is killed. Your son killed her. Ryu killed Akari." Every single word contains hatred and anger. 

"Are you blaming me? I didn't wish for this. Is it my fault that the king fell in love with me? Is it my fault that Itsuki fell in love with me? Is it my fault that everything is a mess?" She started crying softly and he took a deep breath before giving her a gentle hug. 

"No wonder they are in love with you. I know now why." He mumbled and placed a kiss on her crown.