Alana's perspective
The carriage thundered down the narrow road, the world outside the window blurring into streaks of jagged green and brown. Ancient trees rushed past faster and faster, their gnarled branches bending in the wake of our passage as if trying to flee from the gravity of our urgency. Whatever awaited us, there was no turning back this journey was a river of fate that could not be dammed.
At last, the rhythmic clatter of hooves slowed, and the carriage groaned to a halt.
Justin's house stood before me. It was nothing like the towering, opulent estates of the high nobility or the suffocating, cold grandeur of the Dragon King's castle.
Instead, it was a modest three-bedroom cottage, quiet and unassuming, cradled between the roots of ancient trees. It looked plain. Almost forgotten by time. I swallowed hard, a strange, hollow ache forming in my chest.
So this is where he lived… perhaps this simplicity is why he did it.
I stepped forward, my hand trembling slightly as I knocked. The door opened almost immediately, revealing a woman with gentle, knowing eyes and a warm smile that seemed to pull the tension from the air.
"Alana," she said softly, her voice like a soothing melody, already stepping aside to welcome me inside. This was Alicia Justin's mother.
She guided me into a living room that breathed with the scent of old parchment and fresh, dried herbs. We sat across from each other on a worn but impeccably kept couch.
Her presence was calm terrifyingly calm considering the storm of political execution and draconic rage raging inside my soul.
"Would you like something to drink?" she asked kindly, her eyes searching mine.
"Coffee or tea?"
"Coffee, please," I replied, my voice barely a whisper.
She disappeared into the kitchen, the soft clinking of porcelain echoing into the room.
She returned moments later with a tray; a kettle of steaming water sat between two delicate cups, accompanied by small containers of sugar and powdered milk.
The domestic simplicity of it felt surreal, a stark contrast to the death threats I had just escaped. She poured the water, and I added two spoons of sugar and a full measure of milk, stirring slowly.
I watched the white powder swirl and dissolve until it vanished completely.
I wish my problems could vanish just as easily.
"Well…" Alicia said gently, leaning forward. "You look troubled, young lady."
I stared into the spinning liquid, my own reflection distorted and broken in the ripples. "Yes," I finally said, the words catching.
"I need to know what happened last night. Justin caused an uproar at the castle. They... they want his head,Miss Alicia."
"Oh," she replied. Her expression didn't change. She remained far too unbothered.
"Where did he go?" I pressed, panic tightening my chest like a vice. "They want him dead! When he left last night, he… he"
"He what?" she prompted.
"He slept with the Princess!" The words fell heavy, crushing my heart. I didn't understand why the thought felt like a physical wound i had no right to be jealous, yet the pain was nearly unbearable.
"Ohhh, I see," Alicia said. And then, to my utter disbelief, she laughed.
Tears burned in my eyes as I shot to my feet. "Why are you laughing?! This is serious! His life is on the line!"
"I know my son can be stubborn," she said between soft chuckles, "but I highly doubt he would sleep with his own sister."
"His own… sister?!" Shock froze me. The fear and jealousy shattered, replaced by a cold, ringing disbelief as I stared straight into her eyes.
"Yes," she said quietly, her smile fading into something more solemn. "I was not meant to tell you… but since you are his girlfriend, you deserve the truth." She lowered her gaze, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper.
"Justin is the son of the Fourth Demon Lord the one who was declared missing after the Lord's passing. In truth, the Queen hid him in the human realm to protect him.
The Dragon Lord has no idea he exists, and if he found out… well, you know what he would do."
The room spun. My breath hitched in my throat.
"My long-lost cousin," I whispered, the realization dawning on me like a cold sunrise. "The heir who was supposed to be dead…" My voice rose, trembling with a mix of awe and horror. "So you're telling me that I used the next heir to the throne for a petty lie?"
The cup slipped from my numb fingers, shattering against the floor into a dozen jagged white shards. "Oh I'm sorry!" I gasped. "I didn't mean "
"No worries," Alicia said calmly. She snapped her fingers a sharp, crisp sound.
In an instant, the shattered porcelain vanished and reappeared on the table, perfect and untouched, filled once more with steaming coffee.
"Allow me to formally introduce myself," she said, standing and performing a graceful, deep bow. "Alicia Xandros, servant to the Fourth Demon Lord. It is a pleasure to meet you."
"Why tell me all this?" I asked, my fists clenched so hard against my thighs that my nails bit into my skin. "I only used Justin. I forced him to pretend to be my fiancé just so I wouldn't have to marry a dragon."
She sighed softly, a flicker of disappointment crossing her features. "How unfortunate. I truly believed you cared for one another. But I am guilty as well I am not his blood mother. I was only completing the Demon Lord's final wish." A single tear slipped past her smile. "I always wanted a child. I treated him as my own."
I swallowed the lump in my throat. "Please… explain everything. From the beginning."
She nodded.
"In the human realm, he was known as Kaito Saito. When the gate first opened and he crossed into this realm, he was unsure scared, even though he hid it well. He looked at me with the same eyes his father once had: eyes that were fearless, driven by a purpose I couldn't yet grasp. I knew then he would be special."
She smiled faintly at the memory. "He asked me to act as his mother. I agreed. For the week after he arrived, I taught him the family tree and the history of royal demons.
He was intrigued by the past, but the political affairs of the present bored him; he told me he didn't care for power plays. I tried to tell him of his father's glory, but he refused he said he wanted to earn his own name, and that he wouldn't visit his father's grave until he brought the Dragon Lord's head as an offering."
Alicia's voice trembled with a mix of pride and worry. "We walked through the capital market, and he said, 'These demons are much more civilized than I expected.' I laughed, but it made me wonder what kind of world he came from. On his first day of school, he was terrified he asked me if he would die if he failed his tests. I reassured him, just as a real mother would."
I looked away, my mind reeling. To think, in just a week they had built such a bond. I wondered what his life had been like in the human realm. Who had protected him there? I forced my composure back into place.
"I sensed something unusual about him on his first day," I admitted. "Yet his scores were average. Unimpressive. Mediocre."
"That was because his powers were sealed," Alicia replied with a knowing smirk. "He was using only fragments of his true strength. Now… those seals are gone."
"That's impossible!" I exclaimed. "No demon has ever manifested power while sealed!"
"My dear," she said softly, "Justin is no ordinary demon. His power is entirely his own. He simply lacks the control to wield it."
A chill ran down my spine, cold as the void.
"Does that mean… his power rivals that of the Witch of Chaos?"
"The Witch stole for power," Alicia explained, her eyes turning dark. "Justin does not. His strength is innate. It is his birthright." She took a slow sip of her coffee. "Oh and one more thing. Justin went to the Runes. To seek the Witch herself."
My breath caught. "He can't," I whispered, my heart plummeting. "No one returns from there. It's a death sentence."
"Never say never," she replied gently. "And don't forget
you have an important speech today."
It was terrifying how fast news traveled in this realm; with a click of fingers, secrets became common knowledge. I wondered if Volta had already announced our "engagement" to the public.
Alicia stood and headed for the kitchen. I stood slowly, the weight of the world's dread crushing my heart. If he truly went to the heart of the Runes, he was as good as dead
I walked toward the door, reaching for the handle, when I saw the violet rose ring on my finger. I stared at it, the memories of his irritated face and his soft magic flooding back.
"Are you alright, dear?" Alicia called out.
"Yes," I said softly. I removed the ring and placed it on the table with a trembling hand. "Please… give this back to Justin when he returns."
Tears blurred my vision as I turned and left the cottage. My fears were no longer distant shadows they were the reality closing in on me.