1
Demonia POV
"RELEASE"
BANG!
"Another perfect hit for the Prince." The caller announces and the crowd applauded as I lower my weapon and wink to my opponent who has a scowl on his face, not paying attention to the crowds of ladies giving me lustful looks of seduction, I turn to Lord Brion.
"Maybe next time." I say with a smile as I walk past him, my gun over my shoulder as I hear Lord Brion grunt out annoyed.
I see guards waiting by the edge of the field with my father the King as I make my way towards them, each step making me more annoyed from his presence.
What does he want of me now?
"Father, to what do I owe the pleasure?" I say as I stare at the guards beside him, fully geared in armor.
I see him move his hand towards my face but I don't move as he smacks me against my cheek. "Stupid ungrateful swine! Did you think I would not find out?" He yells at me, causing me to smirk.
"Why would you turn down Lady Damascus? And to make her cry! I should throw you in the dungeon with those mutts!" He threatens and I sigh out, pissed off by how he is speaking to me.
Clicking my jaw I stare down at my father as he squints his eyes at me for a challenge. "The Lady was loose, surely you don't expect me to bed a scarlet and taint the Black name?" I challenge him and he takes a step back, fury on his face as he turns slightly crimson in the cheeks.
The air tenses as his hand twitches, I let him as my father get the first strike but a second? Just fucking try, he knows I will not allow it, as the next King, he would not dare of striking me again, afraid of his fate once I'm King.
He doesn't and relaxes his breathing as he stares at me annoyed. "We ride for The Vale in an hour, no more games Demonia, we need this treaty to go well for the sake of our Realm." He says stiffly as I raise a brow.
Ah yes, the treaty.
The wolves are finally ready for a talk, only when they're not chasing their own tails around in circles.
I begin to walk back to the castle grounds leaving my father with his guards behind me, uninterested in hearing any more about this as I've had to listen to this topic for a few god awful painful months and it's putting a damper on my mood.
Up ahead is Castle Black.
The castle was first built when my family named claim to this realm, thousands of years ago. It has stood through wars and raids and it is still standing, the walls are mountains high and the stone is impregnatable.
No one can say once glancing upon the Castle that it is no wonder why my family is feared and adored, we have protected this realm for centuries against all odds. Famous for our large armies and practice of dark magic, Shadow Lands is home to one of the greatest weapons, Lycans.
Slaves, under the right spell they are quite magnificent as Lycans can heal at an alarming rate, we have used this to our advantage, constant assault on their memory wiping has made them submit, a once-powerful legion of wild beasts, submitting to no one now submit to the Royal Family house Black.
The practice of dark magic is forbidden in all Realms but this, the magic corrupts your mind as payment, twisting it into something unrecognizable, unforgivable, and insane until you do not even know your own name anymore, if handled by a mere amateur, you can only wish this doesn't happen to you and you die quickly rather then slowly, losing your mind to the darkness.
The Vale for the past hundreds of years have tried and failed to stop the usage of magic in this realm, but now my father has seen something I have not and has decided to have a change of heart with the use of magic to control the Lycans.
Which will result in war with the Lycans, again.
Lord Du Mont of The Vale and my father the King are old stubborn fools if they think they can control the Lycans out of hypnosis, even the council who see this as an opportunity to free them, in hope we could join alliances, after hundreds of years been kept in captivity and had their free will abused.
War will surely come, not today nor tomorrow, but soon.
*****
Lilian POV
"You cheated!" Khal huffs out frustrated as I chuckle.
I take a sip of my mint tea. "You're easy to read, I simply used it to my advantage and captured your queen." I say with a smile as he frowns.
Chess, a wonderful game I grew to love from my dear departed mother Bialanda Du Mont, I loved my mother dearly, chess is the only thing I was allowed to hang onto, my father refuses to have anything other than this game in my possession.
Khal grimaces when Lady Catherine enters the room, in her large flower hat and her overpowering scent of lavender. "Oh Khal, there you are, oh.. hello Lady Lilian, my you look beautiful as always." She says sidely as she checks me up and down with a look of displacement.
I bite my tongue and smile politely. "Hello Catherine, as do you." I say and she just huffs out.
Khal gives me a look of apology as he stands up. "Apologies Cath, I had promised Lady Lilian a game." He says to his sister who just frowns.
Poor Khal, now the man of the house since his parents passing, his sister Catherine has been quite bothersome, always wanting something, coin, or his attendance. Which I know he is not missing much out on, since she is a rude awful self-absorbed socialite.
"Oh, that reminds me." She claps her hands together making me wince. "I hear the Royal Prince and the King are visiting today, I heard he has the body of sin to turn any creature flushed, be careful Lilian." She says with a snicker and she links her arm with Khals.
I force back my eyes from rolling and Khal coughs out, clearing the tension that is building between us. "Let's go, shall we? Thank you for the game Lilian, same again next week?" He says with a boyish smile and I nod.
"Of course, take care." I say sweetly as Catherine turns her head and Khal gives me a look of apology.
Once the siblings are gone I stand up and begin to pack the game away, I need to get dressed for the arrival of our distinguished guests. Father would be displeased with me again if he were to find out I had spent time playing games.
My father has been insufferable since I turned 20, not yet found my mate he makes it almost impossible to live under the same roof as him. Ever since my mother's death, it had turned him cold and distant, surviving the 7 due to a potion, it took every shred of kindness he had left, just to live and torment me and others for a little longer.
