The king did not need to turn around to know who had spoken. "Go home, Makita," he said uninterestedly, his gaze still fixed on the departing palanquin.
Makita pushed herself against the tree, her catlike crimson eyes narrowed at him, she twisted her mouth in disgust, two sharp fangs coming into view.
When she walked, her skirt, which had been split on both legs, creating two tail-like silks on both sides of her leg, swayed.
Her thick red hair almost reached her legs, her skin a dark, plump chocolate hue. This woman was like him, the demons - the ones the devil had let loose from the gates of hell, minions of Lucifer.
"Why do you keep a human, Ditun?" she spoke, the tone of her voice laced with disgust. Despite the king's demeanor, she was in no way intimidated.
King Ditun turned his head, his brown eyes darkening to a deeper shade of brown as he glared at her, almost piercing right through her. "Do not," he said grittily, clearly irritated, "Do not call me by that name again."
Makita shrugged, coming to a stop as she reached him. Her hand was crossed over her chest, adorned with a blue silk top that revealed a hint of cleavage.
The rest of her body was adorned with numerous beads, some resting on her neck and others on her bare waist. "What name suits you better than Ditun?"
King Ditun growled, his eyes filled with menace fixed on the red-haired girl. "I am not one of your kind. Now leave."
"Unfortunately, you cannot deny that fact, no matter how hard you resist," she said, placing her hand on his shoulder.
"Do not be so weak, so attached to a human," she warned. "It will not lead to a good outcome. You have a mission on Earth; Lucifer will soon summon you to see if you have fulfilled it."
"Makita," he roared, his voice becoming thunderous.
"Easy, Ditun. Do not get so enraged because I am warning you to be cautious around a human. Remember who they are? Remember what they did to you. They are never to be trusted anyway," she said as she stepped back, her long tongue suddenly appearing to lick her sharp fang. "I would go hunt," her eyes darted back to the forest. "It is no fun being near you," she added, eyeing him. "Loosen up, Ditun, and accept who you are." With that, she turned around and vanished, red smoke circling where she had just stood before disappearing into thin air.
King Ditun gazed at the spot where she had been standing. Hell, that's where Lucifer resided, the one claimed to be his master. But he wasn't like them. He didn't want to be like them; these demons should stop trailing him. But deep down, despite his disbelief and denial, he knew exactly who he was: one of the demons.
He was a demon, he possessed demonic powers, but the reality of being like them. He took a deep breath; a lot was already on his plate.
Lucifer would stop at nothing until he made him bow to his feet. He would do anything to make him turn to his minions, and he was already taking the first step by trying to attack his kingdom.
Most of the people here were humans. Not that he cared about their lives, but the fact that Lucifer was doing this just to get him on his side angered him. He wouldn't let that happen.
His eyes traveled toward the empty road where the princess and the guards had just left. Now that most of the demons knew he was married to a human, it would definitely reach Lucifer's ear and soon that beast would try to take what was his.
☄️☄️☄️
Adum panicked, racing towards the queen who had just been placed on her bed. When she touched her, the young girl was burning hot with fever.
This was all her fault. If only she had known the young queen had a plan to escape, she would never have let her out of the palace. But who was she to hold a royal hostage? She was only serving them.
The warm water and clean cloth arrived. Adum hurried to her bedside, dipping the clean cloth into the water and touching it over her burning temple.
"Quick," Adum instructed a maiden who leaned against the door, "Make soup for her, one that will help with the fever."
"Very well, head maiden," the maiden bowed and left.
"I am so sorry, my queen. You have to go through so much pain alone in the forest," Adum said, concerned.
Why had she let the queen go? This was all her fault. She should have at least sent one maiden to be with her. This was all her fault.
"This is all my fault," Adum whispered, her eyes narrowing towards her lap. The king would definitely punish her for letting this happen.
"No, it is not your fault," a tired Dalia spoke, her eyes fluttering open.
Adum gasped, holding the queen's weak hands. "You are awake, my queen."
Dalia nodded, watching her. She was already exhausted.
"Why did you escape? The palace is a good place," Adum asked, wondering why the queen had decided to take such a risk when she had just arrived here.
At this moment, Dikun had reached the palace and was heading towards Dalia's room, hoping the young princess had woken up and would no longer trouble him. He had made a promise and he would keep it, no matter what.
"Did you not know about the rumors?"
He halted just outside her door when she spoke to the head maiden.
"What rumors?" the head maiden inquired.
Dalia tried to get up but flinched and lay back down. "About who the king is?"
"The king?" The head maiden raised a brow, confusion clouding her expression.
"Yes, that he killed people, took innocent lives. He is a monster, you know he is, and I cannot accept this marriage. I cannot remain here."
Dikun's eyes narrowed at her, his hands turning into fists at his side.