I was sixteen when I first met princess Liliana, and I was sixteen when I first had a crush on someone. It was a completely different feeling from what I usually had with anyone my age. But when the Royal Knights took me to visit the queen and I knelt at her throne and looked up at her, I saw the most beautiful girl I had ever seen in my life. For my sixteen year old self she was the only girl who managed to rip my heart out. All her features stood out, mesmerizing my eyes over her.

She was probably my age, or perhaps a year younger. She had beautiful flowing blond hair, along with big blue eyes that stared at me intently. When the herald announced my name, she stood from her throne, walked near me and extended her hands.

I held it almost in a trance, then kissed it. She withdrew it slowly, and then gave me a sweet smile.

“Hero of the Empire,” her voice was so smooth, and her accent was a bit Southern. “My mother is sadly not present with us at the moment. But in her position, I welcome you to the Province of Aterra. We humbly wish your protection upon our land.”

I stood up, still keeping my head low. I’ve head Atteran royal customs were very strict. Even the slightest change of posture could make you get to the bad side of the royal council.

“The demon king and his army will stand no chance against our forces your highness. I am destined to bring peace to this world, and until there is blood in my veins, I’ll serve both the Union and this kingdom. I’ll kill the demon king myself, and free this world of all evil.”

The Royal Knights raised their swords and placed them upright on their chest. It was a sign of the pledge - the pledge to cleanse the world of evil. The council gathered around the throne room gave a hurried clap, albeit with some giving nervous looks at me.

Princess Lilliana smiled. “My mother would be proud to hear of this if she was alive. Our council has assigned a celebration for you and your great Knights. I hope it is for your satisfaction.”

I bowed. “We humbly thank you, your highness.”

Before I could turn, I stole another look at her. For a long time I had been afraid of being the hero. Afraid of carrying the burden that was thrown on top of me. Princess Lilliana shared the same burden, but she always had her chin held up high.

Perhaps I fell in love with her confidence more than her appearance. And when I heard about marriage proposals between me and the princess after the war was over, I couldn’t help but hide my excitement.

That was the first time I felt I was fighting for something.

But then years later, when the final battle took place, the princess didn’t send a single soldier to help our armies.

****

I spent the rest of the day restlessly. I kept going back to the letter of the Queen, reading it over and over again to see if there was a hidden meaning. During the afternoon Ekta summoned me for a council meeting. The wizard Malek kept boasting about his victory at Talobell and permission to try a few of his new spells on the abandoned grounds behind the castle. I barely listened to him, still trying to fix the missing pieces of the puzzle. When the others kept looking and me for an answer, and a nervous jab from Ekta, I finally gave a nod and ended the council.

“How do we attend to this ball?” I asked Ekta as we walked back.

Her expression got sour again. “Have you been thinking about that all day?”

“Just answer the damn question demoness!”

She stopped in her tracks, and I almost bit back my words.

Did I blow my cover?

I looked back, thinking of a lie. But Ekta’s eyes seemed hurt. But then her expression turned to an apathy mixed rage.

“The messenger who brought the letter told me it’s a masquerade ball. Wear a mask.”

I noticed she didn’t add the words Dalos, but I was glad to finish the conversation.

“You don’t have to attend this. You can ignore her letter,” Ekta said.

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I walked away without speaking to her.

I didn’t sleep well that night. Not the next day, and not the day after. On the evening of the second day of Morrow month, a group of maids came to dress me for the ball. Ekta came behind them with a dress that had a low cut top and a silver lined frock that trailed the floor. For a demoness she looked exquisite.

“I asked Malek to teleport us to Bail Tower. From there onwards we’ll have a carriage ready.”

I nodded. The maids dressed me quickly, which I appreciated. I couldn’t wait to see the queen’s face again. It was tragic that I was now wearing the mask of the demon king. She’d probably be afraid of me. And I’ll use the chance to speak about her previous conversations with Dalos.

After a long hour of dressing in front of a mirror while my body was being fondled by maids, I finally managed to escape out of the hellhole to a carriage with Ekta and Malek. The carriage took us to a tower, which was our method of transport since physically traveling across two provinces would take at least two days.

It was also something I hated with passion. I never understood the magic behind it, but with proper magic from a mage like Malek you could transport across two towers located in two different areas. The sad part about is how the teleportation will give you nausea.

The feeling hit me as soon as I stepped onto the magical circle on the tower and my body began to fade away. My stomach lurched, and I closed my eyes. When I opened them back, I gripped Ekta’s body for support and threw up to the floor.

“Has your memory loss affected your body too?” Ekta asked, frowning, but her eyes showing concern.

“Must be the spell,” I lied.

There was a carriage prepared for us, sent by the queen herself. I caught the familiar provincial banner hanging from the windows, and the driver bowed to us as we arrived.

“Does the queen’s ministers know about her deals with mine?” I asked, as we travelled across the clean streets of the town to the castle uphill.

“As far as I know, no,” Ekta said, still seeming disinterested. Her expression was similar to pig about to be butchered. “You’ve rarely spoken about the queen with us after you saved her. I wish you would have trusted us more. If you had opened up to me I could have helped you better.”

Her expression was solemn. She waited a few moments before she spoke again. “Do you plan to tell the queen about your…current condition?”

“I can tell her the truth,” I said. “Or I could craft a lie to understand whatever our deal is.”

Ekta was sitting opposite to me, crosslegged. She looked disinterested again.

“It is your choice Dalos.”

I gritted my teeth in silence and decided not to speak to her. The only reason I brought Ekta was in case of an emergency. She knew about my spells more than I did. Despite my hatred for her, I’ve come to survive on the demoness’s wisdom. The thought itself made me shiver.

****

Pentburgh Castle was considered to be a majestic invention by the architects. It had towers rising to touch the sky, sections pouting outwards and curving inwards. Even its garden was designed in an aesthetic that could make you get lost in the place for hours. But I had seen them all before, and I only focused on what lay inside.

By the time we arrived there were already a few guests inside. I could hear the soft chatter, and the loud noise of the violins that conquered it all.

Our door was opened by a maid, who gave a short bow to us. Once both of us were out, she bowed again. “I hope you had a pleasant ride Lord Dalos and Lady Ekta.”

I was surprised how she causally refered to our names.

Ekta jabbed me. “She is the maid who knows of your dealings with the queen.”

“Oh…”

The maid looked at the two of us, surprised. “Yes, I am Astra, the personal maid of the queen. Is there some problem?”

“Nothing you should be worried about.” Ekta snapped.

“Where is the queen?” I asked.

“She is waiting for you in her private chambers. She has asked me to send you in there via the garden.”

I nodded. When Ekta started to walk behind me, the maid stopped in her tracks and glared at her.

“The lord should visit alone.”

Ekta’s face twisted. “How can I know if he is safe?”

“I can look after myself,” I said, wagging my hand. Perhaps it was an ambush, but even then I had a few tricks on my sleeve to get out. “Stay out of the ball. Don’t make yourself visible to armies. The last thing we need is an army on our back.”

I walked with the maid before Ekta could complain. The garden was lit with candles and soldiers carrying lamps, but most of the time the maid stuck into dark corners.

“Why are we hiding?” I asked.

The girl looked back, mystified. “You already know the reason my lord. We can’t let them see us.”

So it was true the queen never revealed about the blackmail to the council. I darted through a set of shrubs through an open door at the back of the castle. I climbed through a spiraling set of stairs until I reached the very top floor that overlooked the entire castle. There was an entire row of guards by the door, but when the maid clapped her hands, they gave us a short bow and scattered.

What’s going on?

Two knocks to the door opened it up, and the maid held the door as I walked inside. The door closed behind me.

I have never walked to the queen’s bedroom, but it was much more majestic than the ones I’ve usually seen in the royal palace. Each piece of furniture from the giant bed to the wardrobes and mirrors all had a golden or silver trim, and a well decorated lamp hung on the top, illuminating the entire room.

She was pacing beside the bed, and she stopped once she saw me.

She was beautiful in her white and blue dress. Her blond hair tied to a bun, and her cheeks more pink with the makeup.

I forgot the words that I was about to speak. There were so many things I wanted to tell her, but I didn’t know where to start.

“M-my lady-”

She walked towards me. Fast. In two steps she was in front of me.

“You’re safe,” she gripped my arms. “I’ve missed you.”

Before I could react, she stood on her toes and kissed me on the lips.

It was a kiss I’ve been longing for ages. But at that moment it felt like poison. It was then I realized why the queen never aided the Sperlan armies in the final battle.

She was in love with the demon king.