Days passed, and the general's son proved to be cunning, principled, and smart.
He managed to catch up with all of the master's teachings, whether it was swordsmanship, economic strategy, arts, and sciences, or even healing and topography.
Soon enough, the gossipmongers had nothing but praise on their lips.
He has proven himself worthy to be in the same class.
He had proven himself on par with the prince's excellent scholarly record.
Hence, the students naturally talked amongst themselves, silently comparing the raven-haired prince with their newfound golden-haired idol.
"You know, I think Yuki will naturally fall for the general's son, eh? Look at how gorgeous he is, especially when he smiles," one red-haired student said to her friend.
"The prince is gorgeous as well, but there is something about the general's son that simply makes you feel at ease at once. Well, could it be because the prince never even smiles, or how stuck up he is at times," her friend agreed.
The prince, who could overhear the conversation, would not have minded the discussion if not for the fact that they were talking about Yuki choosing another.
The prince walked out from the shadows, revealing himself, his fists clenched in contempt.
The two students froze, they lowered their heads in shame.
The prince walked away from them as the two sighed in relief.
____________
Meanwhile, in the palace gardens facing the river, the subjects of the gossip were busy in their quiet world.
Yuki fell asleep with her back against a tree.
Kaede was studying her gentle face as warm hands touched his heart.
What he wouldn't do just to pause this moment.
A smile he didn't even notice formed on his lips.
He gently tucked the loose strands of hair behind her ears as he inched his face closer to hers, finding comfort in her scent.
Then a ripple formed on the river's surface, churning and bubbling.
Just then, a gorgeous woman with bright blue hair appeared and bowed before the general's son.
"Your majesty, the king is becoming impatient. You have been in this world for so long without any result," the woman said in an amorous voice, as she gently licked her lips, revealing a hidden set of fangs.
"Do you question my resolve?" Kaede's voice was authoritative and serious, laced with a hidden threat.
The woman bowed down before him and said, "Not me, your highness, but the king himself."
"Then let him replace me if he doubts my loyalty. Surely he could not, for he knows I am the only one capable enough to do the job." Kaede's anger was shown when bloodlust seeped through him and his blue eyes turned almost ice cold.
The woman trembled in fear. "I am sorry your highness. General Kaede, please let me leave now."
"You may leave, but the next time you slander me with your words, be prepared to pay with your life."
The woman vanished instantly after hearing Kaede's permission.
Kaede's face instantly became gentle when he turned to face the woman beside him.
He gently laid her head on his lap and stroked her hair like a kitten.
His face was stoic except for his eyes. In his eyes was the unspoken dilemma he had to face with each passing day.
He had fallen in love with a human.
And with every minute he spent with her, his determination to push through with his plans faltered, until they became nothing more than a whisper when he slept.
And yet, the whisper could not be ignored.
With the king of hell closely monitoring his every move, he needed to act soon or to face the burgeoning wrath of the demon he calls 'father'.
••••••••••••
"Your date is here," Yao Sora announced as he knocked softly on his daughter's bedroom door.
Yuki's cheeks burned, "Dad, Kaede is not my date! I already told you that," she sighed exasperatedly.
The house was a decent middle-class home made of wood, with just two bedrooms, a kitchen, a bath, and a receiving area.
It would be a miracle if her friend had not heard what her old man said.
"Then stop changing your clothes for the hundredth time and get out of your room." Her dad's footsteps slowly faded away from the background.
She looked at herself in the mirror for the last time.
She was wearing a pink kimono with embroidered cherry blossoms.
Her hair was tied back in a simple ponytail, with a small jade clip as an accent.
She didn't know how to put on makeup so she had given up trying to put color on her cheeks.
She sighed and blamed the genes that made her look as plain as an ordinary stone among hundreds of gems.
With that thought, she left her room and slowly walked towards the receiving area where Kaede was seated.
Kaede was wearing a grey kimono with the embroidered insignia of his family's flag on the left side of his chest, a proud eagle that spread its wings above the clouds.
He wears the kimono perfectly, she noted.
With his blonde, golden hair that framed his handsome face perfectly and the tall, lean figure that took every woman's breath away, he seemed to her like the personification of the eagle.
"I'm sorry, did you wait for long?" Yuki smiled at him, her brown eyes shone like flawless brown agate beneath the light.
"Darling, I will gladly wait forever if it means being your date tonight," he stood up and chuckled, clearly having heard her father's words.
"Stop teasing me or you will have to go your way alone!", Yuki said, embarrassed.
Kaede smiled at her and offered her his hand, "I'm sorry sweetheart, you just look like a goddess tonight."
"Won't you ever stop teasing me?" Yuki frowned, about to turn away from him.
Kaede's hands went around her hips and embraced her from behind, "Who said anything about teasing you? I am bloody serious right now."
Yao Sora stepped out from the balcony to find her daughter in the young man's arms.
"Not your date, huh?" Yao narrowed his eyes on the visitor but the blonde man met his eyes without flinching.
"You are of age, and I allow you to date, Yuki. I trust you know your limitations," Yao smiled at the young man and his daughter, giving them his permission to see each other if they want to.
Yuki, knowing that her father won't listen to her denials, stopped herself from trying to explain what he saw.
They turned to bid her father farewell, who just shooed them away outside the house and told them to enjoy the night.
__________
"This is my first time attending the moon festival," Yuki disclosed as the young man pulled her closer.
"Then stick close to me, princess," he whispered, as a gentle smile formed on his lips.
Yuki returned his smile, the smile she had always wanted to see on his face, instead of the fake ones he wore daily.
They silently walked beside each other, finding comfort in each other's warmth beneath the silent moonlight.
The town was bustling with life as different colored lanterns, bearing various moon paintings, greeted the pedestrians.
Kaede felt his chest tighten as he saw her underneath the thousands of lights, shining brighter than all of them combined.
Somehow, she had become the light of his life, his one guiding star.
"Kaede, what's wrong?" Yuki asked when she felt his grip tighten around her wrist, almost painfully so.
"Nothing," Kaede forced a smile, dismissing his previous action.
Nonetheless, he loosened up his hold on her, realizing that he has acted a bit out of character and that the woman beside him was frightened.
Truth be told, he has not been used to a surge of emotions, especially feelings of this magnitude.
He quickened his steps and led her to a buffet of street restaurants, each selling something that smelled heavenly.
Kaede bought some big fried squid with vinegar from one of the street stalls.
She laughed since he was trying to hold everything in one hand while his other hand never let go of hers, insisting on holding her close to him.
"Here, let me help you," Yuki took some of the giant squids away from Kaede, who realized the situation and laughed with her.
Together, they found a vacant table and laid out their food, ready to feast; but as Yuki reached for her share, she was taken aback by the hand in front of her lips urging her to take a bite of the squid in a stick.
Without thinking, Yuki took a bite at his prompt and her lips curved into a smile.
"Best squid I ever tasted," she happily acknowledged.
"And the best smile I have ever seen," Kaede said as he sat there motionless, staring into her eyes, making her feel his sincerity in every word.
Yuki blushed as they continued eating, not knowing what to say to each other.
After their meal, they bought some goldfish in a plastic bowl and gave them to some kids that had been staring at it with envy.
After the kids went away with the goldfish, Kaede asked her, "Do you always give away all of your things, even if you end up left with nothing?"
"Oh, you mean the goldfish just now?" Yuki asked hesitantly.
"No, I mean with everything. You give away your lunch when someone forgets to bring theirs, and you let them copy your work when someone lazily forgot to do his homework."
"Am I so pathetic that you noticed?" Yuki asked, unable to meet the cool blue orbs that inquired into her motives.
"No, you are so beautiful that I can't take my eyes off you," he said, so casually, as he tugged on her wrist and pulled her close to him.
She was now staring into his face, silently studying the thick brows, the beautiful cold blue eyes, the aristocratic nose, and the arrogant lips of the difficult and frustrating man she had learned to care for.
She stopped herself, and slowly turned her face away. She couldn't be in this same scenario twice.
She reminded herself of her promise to never lose herself again in another preposterous fantasy.
She placed her hand on her chest, trying to still her fast-beating heart and realizing she may have failed.
The young general's son had somehow captivated her soul, and her whole being along with it.
Just then, the lanterns all exploded simultaneously.
Shards of glass were thrown everywhere at once, and the merriment turned into shrieks and cries of agony.
___________
Everything was enveloped in complete darkness, and when the lights returned, Kaede's thunderous roar could be heard.
The street that had once been filled with colors for the holiday was now pigmented with nothing but red.
The corpses of the attendees all laid cold, their hearts extracted from their ribcage. The whole street flooded with blood.
The demon general at the center of the massacre lost all sense of self-control when he realized the woman who had been beside him was nowhere to be found.