The Castle in the middle of nowhere.

"That would end the report about our attempts to save my kind. I wanted to thank you, my Lord, for giving a chance for my people even if they failed to seize it." Cahrona lowered her head. "While I'm sad that almost all of them failed to save themselves, I would like to plead for their lives. Those who were like me are already ready for Operation New Beginning, my Lord."

"I suspected it wouldn't be an easy task, Princess Cahrona, but I'm also not happy how that ended..." I sighed and leaned back on my throne. Even her natural charms were helpless to change my mood today. "I already prepared a prison for them. They will spend the rest of their lives in the sealed prison under the Goblin Dungeon. While there is no hope for them, I still believe that your race can be saved."

"Thank you, my Lord." She smiled brightly but I sadly lowered my head.

"Don't thank me..." I whispered and covered my face. The strike team, composed of the Legionnaires and a team of Praetorians, was teleported to Kûhldamar to surprise the guards. They captured everyone and secured everything worthy of recovery. Everything else was razed to the ground; there is no trace left of the city."

"I'm aware of that, my Lord." She nodded with a sad sigh. "Nothing could be truly built within the Shadow Realm unless you have the powers of a Dungeon at your disposal. Those shacks and tents we called homes were not even worthy of being called a city."

"I'm not concerned about that, but what I have to do with the survivors." I sighed heavily. "If Irene can't use a miracle to alter their allegiance, I will give you the green light for Operation the New Beginning. All children under the age of six will be taken away and placed under Hestia's and your care. Of course, the orphanages will help care for those children and monitor their development. Older children up to the age of twelve have to be reeducated if that's even possible."

I paused to take a deep breath. "What we... No, what I am going to do is wrong on so many levels but I simply don't know how else I could try to save your race. Most of things those kids know is a lie. But I won't just replace that with something else. I want them to learn how to discern between the truth and lies. We will teach them how to question the words of others so that they can think and decide for themselves what is right and what is not. I want to make sure they can question the actions and motivations of others so they don’t become victims again. If we can't save them all, I will try to save as many generations as possible, but there will be no salvation for some. They will spend the rest of their days living in an illusion..."

"At least they won't hurt anyone..." Cahrona nodded sadly. "Even if they never leave their prison, they will live. That's more than some of them deserve... My Lord, I'm glad for the chance you gave us."

I simply nodded because I couldn't find any proper words. The fact that Cahrona and my wives agreed so quickly for Operation the New Beginning was depressing. I wasn't feeling good about my decision, but as far as I knew, there was no Geneva Convention in Nilmerthis. On the other hand, they argued that we could do that, or I would have to exterminate an entire race. Deciding that the Angels would have something to say if I did something outrageous, I let go for now.

•••

The doors closed behind her, and Cahrona let out a relieved breath. Looking back on it, there were moments when she wanted all who tried to sacrifice her to die or at least suffer. Even after she was released from prison, she still bore a painful wound deep in her heart, and it took her a long time to realise that both she and her entire race had been betrayed. Before that, however, there was a moment when she could have condemned her entire race to oblivion. Out of spite, for revenge, it mattered little; Cahrona knew that she could simply ask King Theon and her wish could have been granted. But right now, as she ran her fingers over the heavy oak wood of the King's office doors, she started crying. But those were the tears of relief and happiness. The chains that bound her people couldn't be shattered, but her people were now safe. The adults were spared the fate prepared for them by the Ruinous Powers, and they would live in an illusion, living their lives as if they were victorious over Arcadia.

However, the hope for the Devilkins was saved with the children. The children will live under the sun's warmth and admire the tranquillity of stars over the night sky. They will play feeling the wind on their faces and droplets of rain on their skin. They will be amazed by the first snow and may fear their first storm. But they will be free from the lies that condemned their parents. Just a few dozen of the thousands who stayed in Kûhldamar were pure like she was. They all swore their allegiance to her and they dedicated their lives to restoring their race. Cahrona slowly turned around, wiping her tears and smiling warmly but her right hand stayed on the doors. The burden that she carried was heavy but she wasn't alone anymore. Not so long ago, her own brother, a man she trusted above everything, wanted to kill her. She was left with nothing only to be reborn as the most powerful Demon Queen. The once-betrayed princess had many friends now—many unimaginably powerful friends, whose single wish was enough to send entire armies to destroy or save others.

She hesitated and slowly turned her head towards the door–towards the man who had destroyed her life only to heal it and give it back.

"For all your kindness and mercy when we could only expect destruction..." she whispered with a warm, affectionate smile. "I'm in your eternal debt, King Theon Avalon."

Slowly, as if she was doing that against herself, Cahrona walked away. She was about to exit the waiting area of the King's office and enter the main corridor of the central building of Triskelion when she was stopped by Eva Alpha. The woman who ran the King's office seemingly singlehandedly was a charming brunette who was terrifying in her efficiency and never wasted her time on idle chatting. She constantly walked between the reception desk and the inner office, tirelessly managing the flow of the most critical documents in the kingdom.

"Queen Amber and Queen Luna wanted to talk with you as soon as possible, Lady Cahrona," she informed with an official tone and a charming smile.

"Oh... Where could I find them?" Cahrona asked, nervously fixing her long dress.

The King's secretary opened the doors for her. "In Queen's Amber office."

"Thank you, Miss Eva. I will be on my way immediately."

Somehow, the brief and cryptic conversation calmed her. She needed that calmness for the arduous task ahead. Navigating the vast corridors of Triskelion toward her new destination was no small feat. Though she appeared alone in the grand halls, she was never truly alone. Hundreds, if not thousands, of people worked in the spacious, comfortable offices, contributing to the safety and prosperity of the Kingdom of Arcadia.

No one disturbed her as she crossed the quiet yet bustling corridors filled with busy people. Most knew who she was and, to her surprise, treated her far better than her status might suggest. She never understood why, but there seemed to be as many reasons as there were people. Some were simply kind by nature, others were impressed by her title, while a few were more secretive about their motives. Of course, it was hard to be rude to someone constantly escorted by four Praetorians. Though their presence was discreet, it was never as menacing as it could have been.

It took her a few minutes to reach Queen Amber's office. The entire complex was different from the previous one, with many more people constantly coming and going. Yet, as soon as she entered the reception area, Maya instantly welcomed her.

"The Queens are expecting you, Lady Cahrona." She bowed in a polite welcome and swiftly turned around to open the door.

The Queen's office was quiet except for the sound of birds' pleasantly relaxing songs. However, the colourful birds that observed her from their perches among the branches of a beautiful peach tree were not just decorations. She knew they were very powerful subordinates of Twirll, the King's familiar tasked with protecting the offices from any intruder, no matter their size. The peach tree was simply stunning: it was at least three metres tall and covered in small, pink-and-white flowers. Its branches formed a vast canopy that gently swayed with the breeze flowing through one of the many large windows, carrying the wonderful scent of flowers throughout the room. The fragrance, rather than being overwhelming, was pleasant and energizing. Beneath the branches adorned with ever-blooming flowers stood the large desk that belonged to Amber va'Theon, the First Queen of Arcadia. Since the day Cahrona had changed, realising the folly of her former life, she had admired and, in some ways, envied Amber.

Queen Amber smiled softly and pointed towards the empty chair. "Hello, Princess Cahrona."

Cahrona simply smiled and sat, running through various possible responses in her mind, but none seemed appropriate. She had no idea why the Queens had summoned her. Nearby, Queen Luna sat quietly, silently sipping a strong-smelling drink called coffee. Her expression was an unreadable mask, though her eyes betrayed a hint of concern. Given how their first meeting went, Cahrona could never fully repair the relationship with Queen Luna despite her many attempts to amend the offence she caused. Even so, she politely lowered her head and decided to state the obvious.

"I was told that you were expecting to see me, my Lady, so I came as quickly as possible."

"Thank you. Please, help yourself." The Queen smiled at her while one of the Slime Maids poured Cahrona a cup of her favourite orange tea. A tiered tray of various cakes and cookies magically appeared right next to them. "There are a few things we'd like to discuss with you today. As you already know, the King is slightly uneasy with the decision that had to be made in order to save your people."

"That's rather an understatement, my Lady." Cahrona lowered her head, and while she was smiling, she wasn't happy.

"Princess Cahrona..." Queen Luna let out a quiet sigh and pouted slightly, as if she were looking for suitable words. "You proved yourself to be a valuable ally and tried your best to make amends for the things you have done. I am willing to forgive and forget what happened in the past and would rather see you as a friend. With that in mind, and fully knowing that you would rather spend your time with Theon pretending to find a new way of redeeming the Devilkins, I must ask you a simple question. Can you help us calm his emotions?"

Cahrona felt her cheeks flush, the blush spreading across her entire body. Queen Amber’s knowing smirk didn’t help at all, while Cahrona desperately tried to discern what Queen Luna had on her mind. She was relieved to hear that the Third Queen of Arcadia was willing to forgive her, but the meaning behind Luna’s question began to dawn on her. Furrowing her brows in concentration, Cahrona focused intently on the subject at hand.

"I... I don't know," she admitted honestly after a moment. After seeing the looks both Queens gave her, she felt the need to elaborate. "His emotions are complex and tangled like nothing I have ever seen. He is extremely self-conscious and puts unimaginable effort into being responsible for... For everyone and everything, Queen Luna. It's true that as a Succubus, I can manipulate people to feel in certain ways or even force them to forget about things..." she trailed off, each word like a sip of the very sour drink. Finally, she trembled, suddenly disgusted by the powers she was born with. "I beg your pardon, but I don't think I could do something like this to him... I mean, to the King!"

"Your concerns and uneasiness are understandable but are missing the point. We don't want you to make him forget about anything or manipulate his feelings." Queen Amber smiled and gave Queen Luna a triumphant look. "You must decide what you want to do from now on."

"W-what do y-you mean b-by that, Queen Amber?" Cahrona swallowed nervously, suddenly and unexplainably feeling as if she had fallen into a bottomless abyss of embarrassment.

"Don't pretend to be dumb..." Queen Luna rolled her eyes with an impatient sigh. "I'm genuinely impressed by the effort you put into suppressing your skills so you don’t actively seduce Theon. However... We know very well that you are seriously in love with Theon."

"How?" Cahrona whispered and lowered her head, feeling helpless in front of the two Queens. She felt a strange emptiness inside her.

"Oh, poor, girl..." Queen Amber laughed, but that laughter was strangely comforting. "We have not called you here to discourage you or anything like that. We have simply seen many women like you before–"

"Hestia... Lavender..." Queen Luna laughed, interrupting Queen Amber who smiled as well. "We all know very well that you are seriously in love with Theon."

"Indeed. However..." The First Queen turned serious. "No one else has a more complicated past with us than you, Cahrona. Sooo..." The Half-Elf Queen rested her back in her throne-like chair and took a deep breath, provoking another peal of laughter from the Kitsune.

"So, Amber wanted to tell you that she has run out of patience but doesn't know what to say. So I will do it. We know that you are afraid of being rejected, but you must by now realise that he likes you as well."

Cahrona took a deep breath and calmed down. The last few minutes were an unbelievable mix of emotions. "Why are you telling me this?"

"Because you have power that will help him." Queen Luna smiled warmly at her. "He is the Guardian of our world, Cahrona, but he can't do that alone. As a Succubus, you have the power to calm his emotions and help him stay calm. I don't want to force you to be his next wife but know that we won't object if you decide to be. We ask for your help, however, regardless of your decision."

"I want to help the King so much..." she admitted. "But my Queens..."

"Oh, stop it already, Cahrona. I'm Amber, and this is Luna. Our titles aren't necessary among friends."

"You consider me a friend, my Lady?"

Luna smiled at her encouragingly. "Yes, Cahrona."

Amber stood and gracefully approached the window, her long, elegant dress flowing behind her like a river. "We are people caught up by events that change the world. Yet, we were thrown into the center of those changes by the random hand of fate, only to discover that everything depends on our decisions. It wasn't a coincidence that our paths crossed with Theon's. Everyone near him plays a significant role in the protection of this world. But..."

"But he needs us..." Cahrona unwillingly uttered the words she had locked in her heart.

"Literally and figuratively," Amber smiled, nodding. "He needs us to be his support, the voice of his battered conscience, the light in the darkness, and his safe harbor among the storms. We are the only ones he can truly share his happiness and concerns with because, ultimately, he’s just a man. He has his weaknesses, and he is far from perfect. There’s a dangerous darkness inside him, sealed away in a corner of his heart, held back only by his sheer willpower. However, at the end of the day, he is the most powerful King that we are aware of, and we are his Queens."

Amber’s gaze softened, but her voice remained firm. "The world around us is filled with dangers, complicated political intrigues, and threats we avoid through the fear our armies inspire in our enemies. But... what about you, Demon Queen Cahrona Ashes?"

"What…?"

"Your people can't live in the Shadow Realm any longer. You were banished by the superstitious and people who were afraid of you. For now, you will live in Arcadia as payment for the Teleportation Spell you have provided to us. But what after that?"

Cahrona felt as if the ground had slipped from under her feet. "I hadn't thought about it..."

"This is why they say politics is ugly." Amber sighed with compassion. "The solution to your problem is simple and yet so demanding... But for now, we have another favour to ask–"

"There is another reason we summoned you here." Luna interrupted. "Queen Mia Francesca of Hilgvar and her sister, Tia Francesca, are on their way to Avalon. They are allied with Arcadia, but we are unsure if we can truly call them our friends."

"...You want me to confirm their emotions?" Cahrona asked after a moment.

Amber smiled softly but her eyes shined dangerously. "Among other things. But what we really want is much simpler. We would like you to be present with us during the meeting with them."