Lucian's POV
I was in my study when Martin and Tengshe came inside and bowed to me.
I just nodded and they got up.
"Martin," I said in my cold authoritative voice.
He knows better than anyone in this situation to speak while thinking so he just said —
"Your highness, you called us," he said with fear visible in his eyes.
I looked at them.
"Where is the return gift I asked you to prepare for him?"
Guessing and sensing my words he quickly bowed before taking his hand front and the item portrayed on his hands in air and I smirked.
Just then we heard the owl..the messenger came through the window.
I stood up and went to the window and took the message from the owl and with a sound it went away.
I opened the paper and reading that made my blood boil. The anger I had just calmed down rose ten folds higher.
The message on the paper said:
"Heard she was about to escape but in the last second you got her back. Too bad. I was an inch from celebrating victory."
In anger I burnt the paper.
How dare that bastard try to play with me and whats mine. I said, anger bubbling inside me.
Martin with trembling voice came slightly forward.
"What happened, your highness?" he asked, tense but fear laced at the edge.
"That bastard Leviathan is the one who led Lyra to the mirror. The Abyss Mirror," I completed.
Both Martin and Tengshe gasped in utter shock.
"If I was not there in time she would have burned to ashes in the eternal or gone to the deep Abyss and even death would not have let her come back. That stupid girl."
Martin took a step forward.
"It's good that you have stepped up to help her, your highness. After all, she is your chosen queen," he said looking down.
I looked at the sky which was pure red and black resembling me now in every way.
"Yes... now that chosen queen needs to be disciplined," I said smirking.
They both looked at each other, tense, probably for her.
"Okay, leave that. I will take care of it."
"But —" I dragged.
"But?" Tengshe said confused.
"But for giving me this gift on my engagement day, should I give Leviathan something he likes too?" I said, my features hardening.
They looked at me understanding and Tengshe nodded and in seconds I made something to gift him along with the special gift I prepared for him earlier.
I hope he enjoys the gift, I said and looked at Tengshe.
"Tengshe, take Martin personally to visit Leviathan and hand over the gift to him in his kingdom," I said, my facial features hardening again.
They both nodded and bowed to me and while I was watching, Tengshe changed into his true form and Martin climbed onto him and Tengshe flew with Martin.
I hope you like this gift, you bastard.
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After some time skips
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I was walking to the eastern castle to meet her.
I walked to the door and saw the guards visibly shaking.
"What happened?" I asked walking inside and I saw Catherine lying there unconscious.
The demon guards instantly went on their knees.
"Your highness... your highness..." they started stuttering.
I glared at him to speak clearly.
"Your highness, what happened was..." he started explaining.
"Your highness, Inferno Sol and Miss Catherine talked when Inferno said he cancelled his engagement with Miss Catherine," one of the guards said.
"Cancelled?" I asked, my interest picking.
"Yes, my lord," he said.
"And he also said the dragon kingdom wants to exile Miss Catherine for being a betrayer," the other one said.
"A betrayer?" I scoffed. "Such cheap tricks he is playing." I said moving to the bed where she lay unconscious.
Then the other guard continued, "Suddenly the guards were unconscious because of the dragon king," he trembled and I nodded still looking at her.
"And he was dragging Miss Catherine and she said she doesn't have her dragon bead and he left her," the guard said shivering.
"He just left her." I scoffed and smirked. "Whatever tricks he is up to, he can never get away from my hands. Never."
I looked at Catherine. I took the bead which I took from her before the night of the engagement. It did such help.
I took the bead and with my power I returned it to her, giving her some core strength. After a few minutes she woke up breathing hard and I looked at the guard and he quickly went and brought a maid.
Catherine opened her eyes and looked around.
She looked at me.
"Congratulations on getting your freedom back," I said to her and she just looked at me with her teary eyes.
I didn't say anything and looked at her.
"What's there to cry? It's good that you left that bastard Leviathan's kingdom, isn't it?"
"But brother... but there is my home. It was my home. Whatever happens I should be happy that I am in home, right?" she said crying.
I looked at her.
"What home is home if it tried to take your life away, what is home if it takes your peace away?" I said. She just looked down crying.
"The only thing connecting you to that home — the engagement — was cancelled. So don't bother going back and don't even dream of going back there. You will stay here and that's final."
"But brother, I need to go back to know exactly what happened and why Inferno betrayed me..." she said.
"You don't have to.
Your relation with that clan is over.
If you go they will only celebrate by giving you death," I said and she looked at me.
"But brother —"
"Don't bother about anything. I am only doing this because it was your mother's dying wish taken from me and that bastard. But that bastard Leviathan was never good at taking and living the promise, is he? So you will stay here and that's all."
She was about to say something but I left from there, signalling a maid to take care of her.
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Author's POV
After some time, Martin and Tengshe reached the dragon kingdom border. The message showed to allow them and the guards at the border allowed them to go in.
Unlike the demon kingdom, the dragon kingdom is the complete opposite. It shows that it is the mirror of the mortal world — more beautiful than the demon world, no comparison. And due to spring, the dragon realm was looking too much more beautiful than usual.
The demon realm becomes beautiful in winter which even beats the dragon realm in beauty. Just like Lucian's coldness spreads, in winter the demon world turns beautiful just like him.
After entering the realm, Tengshe directly went to the dragon castle.
There the dragon prince was on the throne waiting for them. Of course he would wait for the important return gift that Lucian gives.
"Greetings, your highness," said both Tengshe, now changed into human form, and Martin beside him after climbing down from Tengshe.
"Did your highness receive the message I gave to him?" he mocked Lucian.
Martin smiled knowingly.
"He did receive the gift, so he sent some gift to you for the message," said Martin and the dragon king's features hardened.
Martin with the same magic from his hand in the air brought the gift to the dragon king. The dragon king took them as Martin and Tengshe moved back bowing.
"A portrait," the dragon king said confused.
"You would not want to see it, your highness," Martin said, slightly scared of the dragon king's temper.
Legend says both dragon king and demon king have the same level of temper which clashes the world.
He looked at the portrait for a brief second.
With his hand gesture the portrait went to the air and with some magic he unveiled the portrait.
He looked at the picture and saw it.
And looked shocked.
He looked at the portrait and his eyes softened. Then again his eyes hardened and he got so much angry that due to his anger the glasses of the room broke.
The tables and everything broke.
Due to that the thing in the box along with portrait came out and fell on the ground.
Looking at that, the dragon king had tears in his eyes but the anger overtook him.
All the members in the room went out in fear, leaving only the dragon king, Inferno Sol, Tengshe, and Martin left in the room.
He took that thing into his hands.
"How the hell did that bastard have this thing?"
He roared hard.
And looked at the thing.