Unrest and uneasiness had settled over the castle the last few days, and nobody was willing to speak out about it. The wrath of their Queen was terrifying, and none of them wanted to experience it, lest they lost their lives. It wasn’t easy to kill a demon, but the Queen always found a way to make it look effortless.
Asteria also felt the tension in the air and wasn’t sure what to make of it. Although her brother still tried to persuade her that Sada wasn’t what he appeared to be, she still was determined to find out who the potential betrayer could be. She didn’t want to believe that Sada, who had always been there since the beginning of her reign, could be capable of such a thing.
Along with finding out the truth, Asteria also had to watch over Orion as he learned more about what it meant to be king, and how to effectively rule over the demon world. It wasn’t an easy job, which was quite obvious, and the queen didn’t need a king who was prone to mistakes; she had too much to lose.
At present, she was sitting on the sofa opposite the desk in the main hall overseeing Orion’s studies. Everything seemed to be going fine, and it didn’t look like she needed to be in the room while the lesson was going on, but there was something about Orion’s serious face that made her feel content. Seeing him in general was always a way to make her at ease, and forget all the bad things for a while.
Over the course of his stay they hadn’t spent much time together leisurely, or otherwise, so being here with him was enough for now. Even if she wished she could spend some private time with him, so they could get to know one another on a more personal level. Unlike the previous King who believed that his Queen was just another pawn on the chessboard, and not good for anything else except giving him an heir, Asteria believed that a king was so much more than that.
He should be a good ruler, but he should also be her equal, a partner, someone who could live happily together with her until the end of times. Not someone who was beneath her, or a person who wasn’t fit to rule a world.
As long as Orion was by her side as king, she felt that the dull demon world could become something great.
Her musings ended when she heard loud cursing coming from the direction of the desk and a crash made her look up. Moments ago, everything had been harmonious, and the lesson was going smoothly, so an issue cropping up suddenly wasn’t something expected.
The teacher was now standing over the toppled-over chair and Orion sprawled out on the floor. Clutching his wrist, red marks could be seen littering his skin. Anger rose up in Asteria and she rushed over to help Orion to his feet.
She placed one hand on his back, and supported his arm in the other, then she shouted at the teacher, “what are you doing? I asked you to teach him the history of our world. Who said you could act in this way?”
“I...” The teacher almost buckled under her glare and lowered his head in anguish. Shivers wracked his body, and he didn’t dare to look at the Queen directly.
Everyone knew the Queen had been in a bad mood the last few days, and that they shouldn’t do anything to anger her, however for a moment he had forgotten and acted superior to the human commoner. And he had thought that the Queen didn’t care for her future spouse, just like the ruler who had come before her. It was heartless, cruel and demeaning, but that was how it had always been, so who was to know that the Queen felt differently about her King?
Now he had to find out the hard way how wrong he and everyone else had been. The Queen cared about the human, and anyone who hurt him would bear the consequences.
“Guards!” Asteria could’ve handled this herself, just like she had done with all the demons in the throne room, but she considered it a waste of her time. These people, these demons, weren’t worth her time, and she should focus her mind on other more important things; like Orion.
“Take him away and make sure he’s never able to teach again!” She issued her orders and removed her focus from the guards and teacher altogether.
His screams and shouts for mercy were left unheard as he was dragged from the room.
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