"Master Raizel."
The Prince heard a familiar voice and touch on his shoulder, which him frown and open his eyes in a complaint.
"Yes, Hilda?" He asked, not hiding his displeasure at being disturbed in his sleep.
Subconsciously, he looked to his side, and Moka was no longer lying there.
"My apologies, Master. But guests have come to the Palace to see you."
He quizzically raised his brow at her words, and at the same time, summoned a clock to check on time and date.
It had been a few months since Freya, Sona, Rias, and Erza left to train, and today was the 11th of February, 801 NA.
"You could have let me sleep for a couple of more days." He complained but then smiled at her. "Who's the guest?"
Hilda giggled at his antics and then informed him why she had woken him up.
The person who had come to see him could be considered a good acquaintance.
"It's Sairaorg Bael."
"Sairoarg?" Raizel surprisedly looked at her, and he understood that the Heir of the Bael Family was not someone who would come unannounced to his Palace unless it was something important.
"Has anything significant happened in the last few weeks?" He asked, and the Crocell nodded her head.
"Lord Bael replaced Sairaorg with Magdaran as the Heir of the Family at the start of the year."
"So, it happened." Raizel understandably nodded his head and then stood up to stretch his limbs.
Minutes later, he walked into the room where his guests were waiting, and Sairaorg and his Queen, Kuisha Abbadon, immediately shot up on their feet.
Raizel smiled at them and then sighed in his heart when he saw Misla Bael lying on the sofa.
Just one look at her and he could tell that she had fallen victim to the Sleep Disease that every Devil feared. The symptoms had only just started appearing, and her complexion was very pale.
Being afflicted with Sleep Disease would eventually force the victim into a Coma they would not be able to wake up from, and gradually, their Demonic Power and body would become weaker, leading to their demise.
"Sairoarg, Kuisha." He greeted the King and his Queen.
"Prince Raizel!" The former Heir of the Bael Family bowed to him and then straightened his back but kept his head lowered. "Forgive my Mother, she has not been feeling well lately." He painfully said.
"We can't blame the sick, right?" He smiled at the pair, especially when he saw the sadness in Kuisha's eyes.
Ever since the first time he had seen her, he knew that this girl was deeply in love with her King. His pain caused her pain, but for his sake, she always held herself strong.
"I heard you were removed as the Heir of the Bael Clan." He said as he took his seat, and both of them frowned at his words.
A maid came forward to serve Raizel some juice, and he sipped on it before he looked at his guests again.
"Are you dissatisfied?"
"Yes." Sairaorg clenched his fist. "I will take back what is rightfully mine." He declared.
"But it isn't rightfully yours." The Prince shook his head, making the boy raise his eyes and look at him in confusion. "It is selfish of you to ask for the position and jeopardise the future of your House. What if your Heir does not possess the Power of Destruction either? How long would the Bael Clan tolerate a Head who is a shame?"
Sairaorg wanted to refute his words but was stopped by his Queen, who held his arm and squeezed it.
"Sit." Raizel sighed and shook his head in disappointment. "You are not thinking clearly and have taken my words as a hit to your pride. Do you really not understand the consequences of your ambitions? Or do you just not respect the House which you want to lead?"
Kuisha forced her King to sit down, and for minutes, Sairaorg stayed silent.
"Let me be blunt. You are just as much a shame to the House of Bael as Rias is to the House of Gremory."
His words caused them to surprisedly look at him.
They never expected him to speak such words about his fiancée.
"How could Rias be a shame to the Gremory? She's a genius and has..."
"The Power of Destruction." He smiled. "She's a Bael, not a Gremory. Your hair and eyes don't decide your House, your Blood does." He said, forcing them to think over his words.
"But I am not even a Vapula..." Sairaorg whispered, feeling sad and unconvinced.
"Your case is indeed special." He nodded his head. "You were born with genetic defects, which prevent you from accessing the Demonic Power. Do you know what the reason behind it is?"
"No." He frowned.
"The Blood of Vapula and the Blood of Bael are not compatible with each other." He informed him and smiled. "On the other hand, Bael and Gremory are a perfect match. The extremely potent Demonic Power of the Gremory make them compatible with every other Devil House, but it is even more special when the Power of Destruction is involved."
He had their attention now, and they were seriously listening to him.
"Sirzechs and Rias are more Bael than even your Father." Raizel sighed. "But they are not Gremory. They have no hope of attaining the Power of Clairvoyance that the Gremory are known for. Their children won't inherit it either. Sirzechs' son, Millicas, is the proof of that."
Both Sairaorg and Kuisha could feel the disappointment in Raizel's voice.
"At best, both Rias and Millicas can attain a part of the Power of Clairvoyance, not all of it. Just like how you possess the Power of Lion Taming, but not the true Clan Trait of the Vapula Family, Lionification. Then again, no one in the Vapula Clan can use it today. Even your mother only possesses Lion Taming."
"Why does it happen?" Kuisha frowned. "Is it because the Devil Houses started marrying outside?"
"Yes." Raizel nodded his head. "Marrying outside the family once in every three generations is fine. Abuse it, and you risk losing your Clan Trait." He told her. "Do you know why the Devils started marrying outside the Family?"
"It was to create more Devil Houses." Sairaorg, who had read the history, replied. "It was how the Extra Devil Houses came into existence."
"Yes." Raizel smiled. "When two people belonging to different Clans marry each other, their child is likely to inherit the more dominant Power or a mutated and entirely new power. Your father married your mother not just for political gain, but also in hopes that you would inherit the Power of Destruction since the Vapula Clan Trait can not dominate the Bael Clan Trait. He, however, never expected that you would suffer from genetic defects. He did not know that the Bloodlines were not compatible. Once he realised it, he decided to take a second wife, and married a girl from the branch of Bael Family to ensure that his line does not lose the Power of Destruction."
Sairaorg lowered his head again, clenching his fist, still feeling dissatisfied.
Why did he have to suffer because of his father's mistake? And the cruel man simply discarded him and his mother.
He could not remember even a day where his father had shown him some affection, and neither had he seen him show affection to his mother.
"You are working on unlocking Touki?"
The sudden question pulled Sairaorg out of his thoughts, and he surprisedly looked at the Prince.
"How do you know?" He asked, and then his violet eyes widened in surprise when he saw Raizel cover his hand in Touki.
"I have it, so I can sense it." He smiled. "Are you confident that you will be able to fully unlock it?"
"Yes!" The reply came instinctively, and the competitiveness and pride is Sairaorg's heart flared up.
"I look forward to the day you would unlock it." He smiled and then turned to look at Misla, who was awake now.
Even if she was asleep, she had heard their conversation, and as she sat up, despite her weak body, she forced herself to stand and bow to him.
"Prince Raizel."
"Lady Misla." He nodded to her and then telekinetically helped her sit down again. "Please, don't push yourself."
She ruefully smiled at his words and then guiltily looked at her son.
"I have brought my son here with a request."
"You want us to help him get rid of his Genetic Defects?" He guessed, and Sairaorg shot up to his feet in dismay when his mother nodded her head.
"Mother! We came here to ask them to save you!" He fearfully said, and Misla lowered her head in shame that she had tricked her son.
"I am sorry, Sairaorg..."
Raizel sighed as he saw the pain reflecting on Misla's face.
"Raizel... please save my mother. I ask nothing more..." The former Heir of the Bael Family pleaded to him.
"Well, whatever you want, I can not help you with it." He shook his head. "I will take you to see my mother. See if you can convince her to help you."