"Okay, I've decided to call her Karin Nevada," As she gently patted the baby's forehead, Laksita glanced up at the face of the man sitting beside her. The man beamed at Laksita and the baby, and proceeded to alternately kiss their foreheads.
"That's a beautiful name," he said.
Laksita smiled knowingly. The baby, who was given the name Karin Nevada, was finally born after nearly 20 hours of labor. Seeing Karin's bright, curious face—her black eyes gleaming with anticipation of new experiences—was worth it all.
"Albert," said the man in the black coat who appeared at the door of the patient's room where Laksita was staying. When Albert, Laksita's husband, saw the man, he jumped to his feet. His head bowed in submission, almost out of fear.
A tall, powerful man materialized behind the man in the black suit, who took a few steps forward. The man was probably no older than 20, but his presence was so powerful that he intimidated everyone around him.
"Mr. Katon! It's an honor for you to be here," Albert knelt down right away after saying this.
Katon Bagaskara is the most powerful person in all of Alfansa, and he is also the sole heir to the Bagaskara noble family. Everyone in Alfansa knows it's a bad sign if one of the noble families pays a regular person a visit. Even though Albert couldn't say no, his gut feeling confirmed this. Many people told Albert that Katon had been following Laksita around ever since she found out she was pregnant nine months ago. Therefore, nobody was shocked when Katon showed up out of the blue.
"What do you need, Mr. Katon?" asked Albert, who was probably trying to cheer himself up and desperately wished Katon would come just to visit.
Katon inherited his mother's green eyes, which gave him a chilly appearance. Katon looked at Laksita and, in particular, at the baby who was being held so tightly by Laksita. The man in the black suit, who was Katon's assistant, recoiled and looked down as the color of Katon's eyes changed to a deep, eerie black. On multiple occasions, he secretly glanced at Albert to tell him to relax.
"You can be with her for up to 18 years," Katon said in a heavy voice. "She's mine after that."
Katon's words weakened Albert's knees to the point where he was kneeling beside his wife's bed without even realizing it.
Also, Laksita's screams were so loud that they woke up and upset little Karin. The only part of Katon that Albert could see now was his cold back after he turned around. The fact that Albert and Laksita's child would end up being Katon Bagaskara's bride was a given, but nobody saw it coming.
* * *
In the land of Alfansa, humans and demons have peacefully coexisted and even mutually benefited from one another's ancestry. Everyday people don't have to worry about war or lack of basic necessities because the government ensures those things, but in exchange, demons with powers beyond human comprehension desire to breed with humans so they can keep their population stable. If a demon has already decided on a bride, no one can stop them from marrying her. As the only heir to the demon aristocratic Bagaskara family, which rules the entire country, Katon is under pressure to select a spouse. And Katon picked Laksita's baby, whom he had been keeping an eye on since she was an infant.
Karin Nevada was destined to become the bride of the demon aristocracy, therefore her aura would entice numerous men of many social classes. Even Albert, who gave his life to shield Karin from the mashers, couldn't bring peace to her life. When Karin's father Albert died, she was just 16 years old, and her mother was left to care for her. Even though Karin has to face the violence of the outside world, which seems to be eager for her body, Laksita has been generally silent since Albert's death and doesn't care about her.
"I'm popular with all the girls here, Rin. And you don't?" Erik, who is the most popular guy at school and plays basketball, is also drawn to Karin's aura. He pushed Karin against the back parking wall and used both hands to stop her. Karin was in a bind.
"Didn't I tell you? I'm different, Erik, "Karin replied. Karin was used to being forced in this way, so it didn't bother her.
Erik laughed in a mocking way, "Your father only ran a small store, and he is now dead. I have everything I need. My dad would do anything for you."
"Sorry, Erik," Karin said as she pushed Erik's body away from her.
Suddenly, Erik's eyes became inflamed. He pressed closer and closer to Karin's body, his lips nearing Karin's at any second. Karin couldn't avoid Erik's attack because he had her by the face, grabbing her tiny hands. Karin made an earnest but futile effort to pull Erik's fingers away from her face.
"Karin!" The tension between Erik and Karin was broken by Elsa's shout. Karin ran over to Elsa right away, making Erik smirk and look at Elsa angrily.
"Rik, you can't make someone like you if they don't want to!" Elsa cursed, grabbed Karin's body, and ran away from Erik before he could catch up with them.
Elsa giggled and had to pause a few times to gather her breath. Even though numerous women had previously given Erik their lips willingly, this was the first time she had witnessed Erik force a kiss. No matter how many boys lusted after her, she knew Karin wasn't attracted to any of them.
"Why don't you simply accept it? It's cool that you can taste Erik,"
"Shh!" Karin put her finger over Elsa's lips. "What if Farah finds out?"
"Are you sure that Farah is Erik's only option? I'm not sure. He almost kissed you before, which is proof," Elsa laughed, and Karin told her over and over to be quiet.
Erik was looking furiously at Karin while they were laughing at him. As Erik looked back at Karin, he noticed that her smile had begun to fade. That's how much Karin despised herself. She preferred the idea of being a boring, unpopular girl if given the option. Now that things have settled down for her, at least no one else will have to worry about getting wounded.
"El..." Karin's voice got softer, and Elsa, who had known Karin since they were kids, could understand why her tone had changed.
"You're right, Rin. You are allowed to say no to him," She put her hand on Karin's shoulder to try to make her feel better.
"What if Erik murders me?"
Elsa violently shook her head, "Why? He find a girl who is more beautiful than you. Maybe he gets so angry because he's never been turned down."
As Farah walks up to Erik, the two lock lips in a passionate kiss. At several points during their passionate kiss, Erik glanced over at Karin to gauge her reaction. Elsa, her blood boiling at the sight, got to her feet and ordered Karin to leave the cafeteria.
Elsa said to Karin as she walked in front of her, "By the way, Rin, your birthmark is special. But... why did I just find out now? When did these marks start to show up?" Elsa touched the back of Karin's neck.
"Which birthmark?" Elsa asked Karin a question, but she didn't know what it meant. "This is not a birthmark."
"This is Rin, though. Look!" Elsa decided to take a picture of the back of Karin's neck and then show it. There is a faint birthmark in the shape of a K. It is black and looks like a tattoo.
"What is it?" Elsa just shrugged her shoulders when Karin asked herself.
Karin didn't respond to Elsa's query, suggesting that she was preoccupied with her own thoughts. When her father passed away, he told her that someone will come to get her. Albert, Karin's father, never said it directly, but he did warn her to be vigilant in protecting herself. Is it possible that this tattoo plays a role?
"Rin! Karin!" Elsa gave Karin a hard shake on the shoulder because she knew that her friend wasn't with her at the moment.
Karin stuttered and looked around in shock. "El, what's the matter?"
Elsa pointed at a girl who was following two men in black suits while looking down at her feet casually. No one dared approach them, much less stare at them directly; instead, they all looked down in terror. Elsa leaned closer toward Karin and whispered in her ear.
"Her name is Erna. She was brought to the demon's land,"
"Why?" asked Karin in a simple way.
Elsa opened her eyes wide and said, "Seriously, Karin?!"
"Why? Shouldn't we be able to move closer to the demon's territory?"
"Have you never heard of the marriage of our people and the demon?" Elsa shook Karin's shoulder even harder.
"Rin, the demons are always looking for people from our clan to marry. Because they can't have children if they marry someone from their own clan," explained Elsa.