Vivia watched surprise greet the demon's eyes, but she found herself more captivated by his sword. She couldn't conceal her awe at its breathtaking beauty. A faint aura shimmered along its blade and an indecipherable feeling tugged at her chest, like a strange energy pulsing within her.
I feel so light…Ah, I'm so envious. I want a sword like this too!
Frost then filled her eyes without warning. "Stay where you're, or I won't hesitate to hurt you."
The demon, who had barely shifted, stiffed completely. Seeing her lost in the fascination toward his weapon, he judged he could make his move. But the grip of her fingers on the sword's hilt never once wavered, and her sharp gaze never missed even the slightest movement.
"You're a good swordswoman," he said, his eyes locked with hers.
"I'm not so foolish to give you an opening."
"I see that now," he smiled. "So am I going to die?"
"That depends on your answers."
"Sure."
Vivia caught his sarcastic tone but chose to ignore it.
"Reveal your true intentions. What does a demon want with Princess Clairette and where is this place you've brought me?"
"The Realm of Harmony."
Vivia blinked twice, followed by scanning her surroundings.
Lush meadows stretched far and wide carpeted with wildflowers. The air was crisp and serene, filled with the gentle hum of nature. Towering trees had almost blocked the rays of the golden sun, but the most striking view were the auroras.
High up above, the sky was an endless stretching canvas of beautiful swirling auroras. Mist of colors like red, purple, green, yellow cast a heavenly glow in the air. The lake below mirrored the hues, radiating an ethereal gleam on its surface. The tiny waves shimmered in the auroral light.
A gentle breeze played with her hair, bringing an unexpected peace after an arduous ordeal. She momentarily forgot all about the highs and lows she had just experienced in such a short amount of time.
"The auroras…" She breathed, mesmerized, "I've only heard about them."
Realm of Harmony.
It was a mystical place that lay in between the Human and Demon realms which shared its boundary with them. On the west was the Human realm, and the Demon realm laid on the east. It was a source of countless myths and legends and a place whose mystery still served to be fascinating and enticing for scholars in both realms no matter the generation. Yet nobody had even remotely come close to decoding it.
Vivia gazed back at the breathtaking landscape before her, awestruck to witness the abundance in nature's beauty. Returning her attention back to the demon, she asked, "What were you doing here exactly?"
"I was on a mission. I was closer to the boundary of the Human Realm where I saw an overturned carriage with Princess Clairette beneath it. She was already dead by the time I reached her."
"An overturned carriage? Did she have an accident?"
The demon paused thoughtfully. "Who knows."
Vivia's mind raced.
So Clairette died when her carriage crashed and I, instead of passing on, took her body. That's strange…
"Are you acquainted with Princess Clairette?"
"In a sense," he hummed.
"Huh. So is that what you were taking her, a royalty and not just any other human, to your realm just like that?"
"I did understand the complexity. With our history, the Emberlain King might even assume that I kidnapped his daughter instead of saving her."
"That could very well bring our realms to the brink of a war. You cannot mess with the royalty."
He lightly smiled that didn't reach his eyes. "You tell me. Should I've left her for the scavengers? They would've found her sooner or later, but I believed they didn't deserve to see her…disfigured body after a beast's meal."
Vivia searched his gaze for any hint of deception but found none. Her Master's words echoed in her mind at that moment.
The only difference between us is how we look. Our hearts are all the same.
Vivia said quietly, "Thank you for your kindness toward Princess Clairette. Now that I'm fine, I can return to my realm, right?"
The demon studied her for a long moment and smiled meaningfully. "Not that the Emberlain family's internal political matters are of my concern, but I suggest you tread very carefully if you choose to go back."
She blinked. "Why?"
"Because I don't see Princess Clairette's death as an accident. Her carriage fell, but I didn't see the coachman nor the horses anywhere. There wasn't even a trail of royal guards following the carriage."
Vivia immediately understood the implication and her eyes stretched wide.
"She was murdered?"
"The truth can be different, but that is where I'm leaning towards right now."
Vivia had heard that political matters could get ugly, but killing the royal princess was an imagination that stretched too far for her.
"This news will throw my realm into an uproar."
"It would but not anymore because Princess Clairette is alive. You can try returning to your realm, but there could still be eyes out on your way back. I didn't sense any suspicious presence when I took her. But somebody could come later to check on her dead body. Not seeing her in place, they can assume that either a beast feasted on her or that…she somehow was still alive and escaped."
Vivia's brow twitched.
"Which means that if I carelessly went out right now and the spies spotted me…"
His eyes narrowed. "They will naturally believe the latter and hurt you again. You're the royal princess after all. They won't leave this to chance. And this time…you can trust them that they won't miss their mark again."
Vivia lacked the tears to shed. She could choose to fight her assassins but not with Clairette's injured body.
As if it wasn't enough that I was killed that now even Princess Clairette was murdered! Just who have I offended so much!?
Vivia didn't have much time to lament as it was decision time. She offered him a sheepish grin and slowly lowered the blade from his neck.
"This princess deeply regrets all the times she hurt your face."
"Heh," he slightly jeered.
"I've understood my situation."
"I see."
"And I find you to be an exceptionally honorable and respectable demon."
"Not a grim reaper anymore?"
Her brow twitched. She clumsily waved a dismissive hand, forcing a laugh.
"That was just my hallucination talking. Who would confuse such a handsome demon to be a grim reaper?"
He didn't reply to that and she seized that opening.
"Since you showed so much kindness toward me-"
"Princess Clairette," he smiled.
"...Yes, Princess Clairette. Since you were so kind toward her, can you extend just a liiiiiiiiitle more kindness and let her take shelter in your realm?"
"You mean the person residing in her body."
She gritted her teeth. "Thank you so much for the correction."
"My pleasure," he smirked, satisfied. "May I move now?"
She coughed. "Sure."
Returning his beautiful sword, albeit with deep regret and hesitation, she watched him stride to his stallion without answering her.
Maybe the grim reaper comparison was too insulting…
"I'll take you to my realm," his deep voice echoed.
Vivia looked up to find his outstretched hand. She took it without hesitation, not questioning him any further.
"Thank you for the graciousness," she grinned and comfortably settled against his chest.
He arched his brow, feeling her tiny warmth. "As a reward for my graciousness, may I now know the name of the person in Princess Clairette's body?"
"Oh. It's Vivia."
"It's a beautiful name."
*Bathump!*
Her cheeks warmed, feeling slightly flushed. "Thank you."
Vivia asked back, "May I know your name? I should definitely know the identity of my savior."
The demon gazed down with his bewitching golden orbs and smiled such that it would pierce any woman's heart with a thousand sweet arrows.
"Zerath. My name is Zerath."