Time! Blasted there is no time! Late! I'm late!

 I stared at my pocket watch and felt the sweat pouring down from my head. I glanced outside the carriage to see the bustling of the Royal Capital. These damn fools don't know what kind of tyrant they are living under! Everyone in the Royal Capital seemed to be enjoying themselves after the Kingdoms of Bareth and Solace unified.

"Rider! Hurry it up you fool! We are late with our meeting to the Queen!" I shouted out through an open window of my carriage.

                "Yes, Administer!" I heard a reply after the cracking sound of a whip.

The carriage went faster as I wiped the sweat off my brow.

My name is Arthur Blain and I was once a young delegate from a noble family with a bright future ahead of myself. Then Princess Helen took a fancy to me and my future had disappeared. I did rise up in her court but I was nothing more than a lackey. My official title is "Administer of Affairs" but I was nothing more than the aide to the Queen. My stress had increased  immensely after working for the Queen and I even gained a little more weight.

My family was proud of me and even my wife was jealous that I worked so closely with the "beautiful" Queen but I knew better. Under that beautiful mask lays a snake from the pits of hell itself. I felt shivers all over my body when I think about that cold devil in human skin. Queen Helen is ruthless, cold, and calculating. Only those close to her know this to be true while others only admired her from afar.

How would people react when they found out she was evil incarnate pretending to be a beautiful girl?

I shuddered briefly and felt my pulse rising up. The horse carriage had finally pulled into the castle gates and we were halted for inspection. The guards had come around to stop us and I had no time for this. I was taking care of urgent matters and had to make use of a local carriage. My duties had led me around the country to take care of vile business.

Quickly I peered out the window and glared at the guards.

                "You fools! It's me! Now let me through quickly!" I yelled.

                "Administer! Our apologies!" The guard said. "Let them through!"

The entrance to the castle opened and the carriage hastily pulled through.

I hurried out of the carriage and went straight into the castle. The castle of the Royal Capital was enormous but I knew where the Queen would reside. She always had an afternoon tea break in the inner courtyard. I was late but in actuality, I had made it in time. The Queen just preferred everyone to arrive earlier than the time she proclaimed.

As I rushed to the inner courtyard, I saw a beautiful maiden dressed in pure white. She looked to be enjoying a cup of tea. The furniture around her seemed to match her as they were white as snow. My brows knitted tightly as I approached carrying some important documents. Before I could make my way to her a group of knights stopped me.

                "You're late Arthur," Queen Helen said while she gently placed down her cup of tea.

The Queen gestured her hands and the knights had let me approach.

                "My apologies your Majesty," I said. "I had some inconveniences with some details you wanted me to find."

The Queen gave me a cold smile.

                "And?"

                "He's disappeared," I said almost ashamed.

The Queen tilted her head while looking at me. If it were any other man he would have fallen madly in love with her. But I knew the meaning of that gesture, it meant that the Queen was peeved. I just prayed that I wouldn't incur her wrath because of it.

Queen Helen stood up and looked around the little flower garden of the inner courtyard.

                "Oh Demitri," Queen Helen said. "Where have you gone?"

The Queen plucked a rose from her garden and gently crushed it in her hands.

                "My kingdom looked to be bustling with activity as I watched from high above my Castle," Queen Helen said. "How I want to give them the elation to know that I had captured the one who killed their hero."

Queen Helen looked to be smiling in bliss.

                "Ah yes! Your Majesty!" I replied.

Queen Helen wasted no effort in mobilizing a unit in search of the former companion of the Hero, the Hero killer, Demitri. The incident with Lady Cassandra and the news of his appearance in the surrounding border towns had vexed Queen Helen. When the Queen found out about Martin's death at the hands of Demitri, her smile got a little colder. After unifying the Kingdoms, the Queen told the Blackbirds to waste no effort in their search of Demitri.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

                "I'm puzzled as to why Demitri cannot be found," Queen Helen said. "If he's dead then bring me his body, if he's alive then bring him to me so I can have him hanged."

A chill ran through my body at the words that came out from the beautiful Queen's mouth.

                "There's been no word of anyone matching his description," I said. "It's like he's disappeared from the country."

                "What is the Church doing about him?" Queen Helen said.

                "No word your Majesty," I said. "Even when we found out that Master Edwin was last seen at that border town with a man who matched Demitri's description. The Church refuses to recognize that Master Edwin was there."

I took out an official letter from the Church and placed it on the table.

                "Oh?," Queen Helen said. "They tortured that poor Master Edwin until he was utterly blind and they refuse to say it was him?"

Many people had seen what has become of Master Edwin after he talked with the inquisitor from the Church of the Veil. Rumors were that he was in a near death state and had become blind. For Master Edwin to have been in such a wretched state I felt pity for him. The Church of the Veil, of course, refused all suggestions and stated that it was just a poor beggar. Though many of our sources have said that it was truly Master Edwin.

                "Where is Helem anyway?"

                "No one knows your Majesty," I said.

Queen Helen took up the letter with grace and read through the contents before having tossed it aside.

                "What about that border town?" Queen Helen said.

                "Yes, your Majesty!" I said. "Reports say that they have indeed found a huge Mithril mine near Balenos!"

A look of indifference came across the Queen's face.

                "Triple their taxes," Queen Helen said. "If they can't pay, allow them to ship some Mithril ores to us."

I bowed and quickly wrote down what the Queen wanted.

                "How goes the funeral arrangements for my father and my cousin?"

                "Smoothly your Majesty," I said. "We've kept the bodies preserved for these past months for the national day of mourning that you wanted."

The Queen smiled another one of her cold wicked smiles.

Everyone in upper echelons of the Kingdom of Bareth had known that the Queen was already running the Kingdom. An untimely death had befallen her father the King of Bareth and her cousin the crowned Prince to the Kingdom of Solace. Queen Helen had used that to jump up and unify the Kingdoms while crowning herself Queen. Anyone who voiced their opinion on the matter quickly met with their demise.

Crowned Princess Abigail from the Kingdom of Solace was sent to a convent so she could mourn but it was more like a prison. All evidence would never suggest that Queen Helen had anything to do with it. Yet there were people who knew better and better yet, kept their mouths shut. It even goes further back to the former crowned Prince of Bareth, her brother. He died under mysterious circumstances but all witnesses have passed away.

I sighed heavily knowing that I'm a lap dog to a devil Queen.

                "You look to have gotten a little rounder, Arthur," Queen Helen said. "I don't like the people around me to look unsightly."

A feeling of terror welled up inside me.

                "I-I-I apologize your Majesty!" I said. "My wife likes extravagant meals! I'll make sure to cut down on portions!"

                "Ah Grace, how is she doing?" Queen Helen said. "I remember in school she used to flaunt that she could have any man she wanted with her beauty."

I was shocked at hearing that my wife and the Queen used to be school mates.

                "Power, not beauty can grab or hinder anyone," Queen Helen said.

The Queen flashed me a cold smile and I felt that my predicament was because of my wife's doing in her youth.

                "Now, what about those little birds and that demon?" Queen Helen said.

Queen Helen took a seat and a maid poured her another cup of tea.

                "Yes your Majesty," I said.  "The Blackbirds were sent out to meet with that Demon General."

                "Really now…I wonder who that new Demon Lord is for this General to try and betray his own people."

                "The Demon General says that he wishes for the Unified Kingdoms to recognize Demon rule," I said.

It wasn't rare for Demons to contact us as I heard that the previous Demon Lord had contacted her highness before. This time, it was from a Demon who didn't speak for all the Demons only his own set of people. It seems that the new Demon Lord hadn't united the entirety of the Demon Race. This Demon General had offered to kill the new Demon Lord for us as long as we were to recognize Demon Rule.

My heart almost gave out at what happened after the Queen heard this, she laughed.

                "Once he helps us rid the blight that has plagued humanity," Queen Helen said. "Be sure to let him be the last one left alive…"

I bowed and wrote this down as well.

                "You may leave," Queen Helen said as she picked up her cup of tea. "Oh, and be sure to get those Heroes ready…"

I left the presence of the Queen in a hurry. I almost had a heart attack while looking and listening to the Queen. It seems that the Queen holds longstanding grudges. I just prayed that I never do anything to make myself a target. I'll be sure to talk to my wife and find out in detail what happened in her days at the academy.

I was off now to the Church of the Veil and to see the coronation of the new set of Heroes. Only the Church is able to declare new heroes much to the dismay of the Queen. Although the Queen will use them for her political agenda and she dares not strike against the Church yet. With these new Heroes they have been found out and about in the continent. There are many of them with fantastical new abilities such as that promising youth.

Besides that automaton in the guise of the former Hero, I don't know how these new Heroes can even match to the old ones. The youth was with them but they lack the wisdom and power of the previous Hero and his companions. If they were to face Demitri the Hero Killer I can only see their demise. Luckily, they were only going to wage war against the Demons to the North.

I hoped that they didn't end up like the last Heroes.