The Prince of Demons

Allios Dawnsfield

I really wanted Grisbane to vanish as she was insistent on Luna and Crown Prince Nil being formally engaged to each other; the fact they were kids seemed to matter little to her. She was so stuffy about tradition and rules it was amazing that Empress Senna was as well adjusted as she was. I still was not a fan of seeing Luna and Crown Prince Nil sleeping so close to each other. Crown Prince Nil held Luna so close and protectively it was peculiar. He’d even set his head between her horns when they’d sleep. I knew they were children, but there was just something off about it which was not helped by the weird air the two had when they were awake. The two of them always kept looking and blushing at each other while spending a lot of time together. Luna seemed to be enthralled by Crown Prince Nil, trying to dance and do other activities with him. It just didn’t feel like two kids being friends; they just seemed so oddly close with each other. On the one hand, her being the next Empress would be a good thing. On the other hand, it opened her up to many dangers I was not a fan of. I sighed. What would you do, Osre?

How Luna befriended Crown Prince Nil still baffled me. She just woke up one day like an entirely different person and soon after decided she wanted to make people think she was likely to be the next Empress. Out of seemingly nowhere Luna began taking her lessons much more seriously, tried spending a lot of time with me, and started behaving a lot better in general. I truly enjoyed spending more time with Luna. Even before the two were banished across the world by the trap, Luna seemed to understand some part of Crown Prince Nil better than anyone. Now, the two of them were beyond close. I sighed as I was making plans for the night defense of the castle. Crown Prince Nil surprised me earlier by offering to put me in charge of night security so I could spend more time with Luna now that they were back. Emperor Mother Poam replayed me the assault of the red-haired man that as a was able to make twenty weapons and coat them all with . I hated to admit it, but I definitely couldn’t defeat the original; it was a stroke of luck they found now Naval Admiral Nautilus.

Currently, Luna and Crown Prince Nil were preparing to sleep now. They were taking showers at the moment. I walked to Crown Prince Nil’s floor where the two of them were. I saw the two of them sitting on a couch, with Luna drying Crown Prince Nil’s hair with a towel. The two of them were smiling at each other as Luna stroked his horns a little. Lux landed between the two before using her to turn so bright that it was like I was staring at the sun for a few seconds. Crown Prince Nil and Lux began sparring immediately after. It was odd as Lux was moving suddenly around; she was teleporting in an instant to a new position that looked like where she’d be in a few seconds. Her attacks went around Crown Prince Nil as he made small tunnels in space to block them. After a few quick casts of , Crown Prince Nil pivoted into a kick that launched his across the area. They all noticed me at the point as Lux was glaring at the Crown Prince. For the briefest of moments, Crown Prince Nil formed some highly aggressive to try and protect him and Luna. Luna poked Crown Prince Nil in the cheek before running up to hug me; I hugged and picked my daughter up as she seemed delighted to see me. Lux hopped onto Crown Prince Nil’s shoulder as the two of them walked over. He always seemed to enjoy having her around, but he’s gotten oddly protective of her ever since they got back.

Being honest, I wasn’t sure how to feel about that. In moments like these I wish Osre was still around. What would she do? Maybe I should try talking to the Imperial Family about it. They seemed to relax on etiquette around the Chancellor and his family. The discomfort of their son appointing a literal pirate queen as his Naval Admiral was brutally apparent, and slightly amusing. Emperor Father Nil seemed to think she was a good choice so none of them pressed the matter. Maybe it wouldn’t hurt to try talking to Emperor Father Nil. He had a lot of experience and insight that might be helpful. He did rule for over two and a half centuries before abdicating to his son. What would the proper method be? How would I go about that conversation? That was for later, as I currently was with Luna. I set her down as the they followed me to Crown Prince Nil’s room which was currently being guarded by Prince Nox. There was a second bed in here now, which was courtesy of Empress Senna. She was about as thrilled as I was seeing how the two of them slept the night they got back. Still wasn’t a fan of seeing my daughter snuggled into Crown Prince Nil like he was a giant pillow, but they just had a trip around half the world and were likely leaning on each other for comfort. To be fair, they’re kids. I doubt either of them would realize that by some of Speranza’s archaic laws that action technically would mean they’re engaged.

Emperor Azzeck already began the motions to remove some of those old laws today so that worry wouldn’t be around for much longer; not that Grisbane would shut up about it after the law was changed. Lords above I wished she dueled Nautilus earlier; I would’ve paid gold to see Nautilus decimate her. The kids were all yawning, and each got in their own beds. Lux joined Crown Prince Nil on his bed before the two of them began fighting for bed space supremacy. Luna chuckled at them as she laid on hers. After a bit more scuffling all the kids went to sleep. I motioned goodbye to Prince Nox and began walking the floor on a patrol. The Imperial Castle was quite nice, if not a little breezy at night. As I rounded the second corner, Emperor Father Nil was standing in the hallway clearly waiting for me.

“Hello Emperor Father Nil.” I stated with a polite bow.

“You can relax Duke Dawnsfield. You can just call me Nil.” Emperor Father Nil replied with a bit of a sigh.

“I am not sure how comfortable with that I am, Emperor Father Nil. Why did you wait for me here?” I inquired as he began walking next to me on my patrol.

“You looked like you needed to talk to someone, which is why I would like you to relax on the formalities. It is fine Allios.” Nil answered as he was stretching his shoulders a bit.

“Do I look that bad?” I checked, wondering how obvious it was.

“Not overly. I just know you had to be concerned about your daughter, and her wanting to stay in the castle had to sting.” Nil explained as we kept walking.

“It did hurt, but I know they are scared. It is moments like these that I really miss Osre. She would know what to do.” I sighed. I missed her, and I didn’t want to lose Luna too.

“Do not sell yourself short, even if she was an incredible demon.” Nil comforted me.

“I just do not know how to move forward.” I confessed. I sounded defeated even to me.

“Nil and Luna are on the radar of some powerful faction for some reason. It takes a certain level of scum to target kids, but these are the times we live in. If it was the Modinar Kingdom it would be a bit easier to understand given we have a tenuous peace with them at best for now. However, to make a of that level is not something they would be capable of. That red-haired man would make them a lot more confident than they are. Until we know more, keeping the kids somewhere safe is our best bet. Keeping them together so they are easier to defend is also better. For now, we just need to take it one step at a time while we get a better idea of what we are dealing with.” Nil explained with an annoyed expression.

“I get that. It is just. I have felt so powerless.” I lamented to him as we rounded the corner.

“It was immensely frustrating they were teleported across Tenebrae, and we could have done little to help them. It was a brutal sucker punch. They are back now, and we at least have a lead on who we are dealing with. We can only move forward, so we need to focus on what we control. You are not alone, and we all are in this together.” Nil assured me. It was comforting to know he was about as frustrated as I was about it all. He was right, I didn’t have to deal with all of this alone. Just calm down, and try to take the best path forward.

“Slightly different topic. I’m not sure how to phrase this.” I began. Nil let out a deep sigh.

“The odd air between those two?” Nil probed. Glad I wasn’t the only one.

“Yes.” I confirmed for him.

“For now, they have been through a lot and clearly have been using each other for emotional support. The fact they have high makes them appear closer when it is just innocent kid things; Grisbane needs to relax with the wedding bells. I doubt my grandson shattered the record for selecting his Empress by a few decades.” Nil ranted with a tone of great irritation.

“How do you tolerate Grisbane?” I asked with a bit of a chuckle.

“With deep breaths and a lot of patience. Surdel clearly did the parenting or Senna looked at her mother as an example of what not to do. Not sure which, but we cannot change our family. Senna might want us to all be a big, happy family, but her mother makes it challenging.” Nil grumbled before taking a few deep breaths to calm down.

“Are you sure? I think her engaging children idea might have a little merit.” I joked. Nil gave me an icy stare in return.

“Do not even joke about that out loud. She might hear it and think she has some support.” Nil spat immediately.

“Understood.” I conceded, as he was emitting an intense aura at the moment. Not that I overly blamed him.

“I need it to be perfectly understood that under no circumstances do we give Grisbane even the joking illusion we agree with her.” Nil pressed, still giving me a death glare.

“I am under no circumstances letting my daughter get engaged as a child. I do not care he is the Crown Prince.” I informed Nil who was taking a few deep breaths.

“I am glad to hear that. I wish Grisbane could be reasonable but in her mind the bloodline must be secured especially given that Luna and Nil have high , so it is clearly a sign from the Lords.” Nil ranted while keeping intense eye contact.

“I promise I will not make that joke again. I am sorry.” I apologized. Nil kept intense eye contact before sighing.

“I just want my grandkids to be free of the annoyances of the past and not be shackled by the idiocy of the previous generations. Unfortunately, some of the aristocracy dislike change because things have been done a certain way for millennia.” Nil explained in a less intense tone.

“I understand; I want Luna to have a better life than I have had.” I agreed. Nil smiled while shaking his head a little.

“We Demons live a long time, so we reasonably should be able to pave great ways for the generations that follow us. I always hoped my sons would succeed me and have long, prosperous rules that exceeded mine.” Nil confessed in a bit of a pensive tone as we rounded the next corner.

“Hoped?” I probed. Nil looked at me with a bit of an odd half smile.

“Just a feeling, but I think my grandson has the largest wings to fly with.” Nil told me. His face seemed to scowl for just a moment.

“Why does something seem to be bugging you about that?” I checked. Nil pondered it for a second as we continued our patrol.

“Because I worry about him being isolated by his abilities. Thankfully your daughter, Crown Prince Ekard, and Julius at least seem to be able to keep up with him in their own ways. When I originally saw what he was capable of it concerned me, but he has managed to find people to recruit and surround himself with.” Nil explained, smiling a bit.

“I definitely see your point. On that note, can you explain Naval Admiral Nautilus to me? I am sure Luna wants to keep her lessons from Nautilus going.” I requested. Nil laughed at that.

“She is a .” Nil informed me. Oh. That explained a lot.

“I see.” I quipped. That would make telling Luna no about getting fighting lessons from her difficult.

The two of us continued patrolling the floor; it was nice getting to chat with Emperor Father Nil about several topics. After walking a few laps, we went and checked on the kids. The two were still in their respective beds. Granted, Crown Prince Nil and Lux appeared to even in their sleep battle for who got more space on the bed. I looked at Luna, who looked so peaceful as she was asleep. Lords above she looks like Osre. Luna, my precious daughter. I made sure the sheets fully covered her before gently kissing her forehead. Don’t worry Luna, I’ll make sure you’re safe. I took one final look at her before going to resume the patrol. Osre, watch over our daughter while I guard the floor.