Keir reached out with his clawed hand and was about to bring it down on his sleeping sister when the door burst open behind him and a paler-than-normal Xander rushed in. And without hesitation, he jumped in front of Keir to block his view of their sleeping sister.
“What are you doing?” Xander growled and bared his fangs. “Why are you trying to harm the queen?”
Keir lowered his hand and retracted his claws. His figure relaxed as soon as he saw his brother’s face, and he snickered. “I’m just doing what has to be done, and taking back what was supposed to be mine.”
“What was supposed to be yours?” Xander tilted his head to the side. “Asteria was always destined to be the ruler of the demons, and you... You were and will always be nothing but something insignificant. You weren’t fit to be king back then, and you still aren’t.” His tone was mocking, and he sneered at the male before him. “Leave now, and I’ll forget this ever happened, or I’ll have no choice but to execute you right here. The choice is up to you.”
Now it was Xander to reveal his claws, and he took a step towards his brother. “So what will it be?”
Keir hesitated for a moment and thought it over. It was obvious that the plans he had made for tonight had come to nought, and he wouldn’t be able to kill Asteria. For now, it would be best to retreat and wait for another opportunity. Before leaving, he shot one last glare at Xander and said, “don’t think that she’ll be safe for long. One day she will die, and I’ll be your king. Think about where your loyalties lie before that happens.”
Xander stared at where he had vanished for a moment, then spun around when he heard shuffling behind him. “You’re awake?”
“What’s going on?” Asteria rubbed her eyes and appeared to still be groggy from her sleep. “Was there someone here?”
“...” Xander knelt down beside her and tucked her back in. He gently stroked her hair and said, “go back to sleep and we’ll talk about it in the morning, ok?”
She nodded her head and closed her eyes once more, while Xander stayed to watch over her.
In the throne room the next day, Asteria sat upright on the throne, a regal and deadly air seeping out of every pore. Many demons choked on her chilling aura, and they lowered their heads so they didn’t meet her cold gaze. They were shaking where they stood, and none of them wanted to anger her more.
A while later, when the silence was becoming too much, the queen opened her mouth and ordered, “bring in the guards that were on duty last night!”
Sada bowed and strode over to the doors, before dragging in the guards that were bound by chains. The chains were made of a material that was harmful to demons - it would burn their flesh with even the slightest of contact, and would cut off their powers, making them extremely weak and vulnerable. The guards were forced to their knees, and their haggard appearance was a treat to the eyes of the angered queen. Eyes that were now dark and a menacing smile flashed through them.
She got to her feet and made her way down the steps, stopping in front of the frightened guards.
Looking up at her, they shivered as soon as they saw her elegant features, and tears flowed down their battered faces. Laughter left her lips at the sight, and joy surged through her as she looked down at them.
“These are the ones who were supposed to be on duty last night?” Disdain coated her words, and they were like swords stabbing the guards’ hearts. “Tell me, what were you doing instead of your work? How could you let someone into the castle and allow them to almost assassinate your queen?”
“We...” one of them started. “We were play...”
His sentence was caught in his throat, as his body erupted in flames, and his screams filled the entire chamber. The onlookers stepped back and tried to blend into the background more, lest they were the next ones to be set alight.
“Unacceptable.” She dusted off her hands and swept her gaze over the rest of the guards. Her contempt for them deepened at their weak appearances, and her patience quickly ran out. Waving her hand, fire shot out once again and engulfed the bodies of the others, turning them to ash in an instant. “I don’t want any excuses. What happened was unjustifiable, and should not happen again.”
She looked at the other demons around the room and roared, “do you all understand? If you’re incompetent and your duties aren’t fulfilled, you will not be permitted to stay alive.” They all resolutely nodded their heads, and finally satisfied, Asteria returned to her seat, now appearing like she didn’t care about what was happening. Then lazily said, “someone come here and clean up this filth, and the rest of you can leave.”
It seemed that she had been complacent for too long, and let these people believe that she was a pushover. However, that was going to change. If they wanted to act against her and slack off just because she was the queen, she would show them exactly what she was capable of.
It was time for this queen to show her true powers.
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