ᴛʜɪʀᴅ.

"What are you doing?! Stop hurting yourself!" A man in early thirties rushed to her side and threw the knife away from her. She slit her wrists and scattered her blood on the summoning circle she drew a while ago. 

"I want a son! I want my own son! Why can't we have our own?! What is wrong with me?!" She cried while pulling the sleeves of his coat. Her white dress is now tainted with blood. 

She continued to scatter her blood on the summoning circle but he pulled her away from it, putting her under a spell to make her fall asleep. He carried her in his arms and the torches started burning on its own as they passed by the dark hallways. He watched her cuts heal on its own and he felt relieved seeing her sleeping peacefully. He knew she had gone crazy. He just can't accept that she will summon a thousand demons for them to have a child. She is desperate and deep inside, he doesn't want to admit that he is also desperate. They always wanted a child but due to her body, she can't bear one. 

She was cursed. She thought that the curse would be lifted once she got married but it just got worse. The demon who turned out to be her father, cursed her that she would perish once she got married but with the help of a sacred potion, she escaped death. The demon learned that she was still alive, so he cursed her once again but to be infertile. Her own father resented her. The moment she was born, her mother died and he couldn't accept that he lost the love of his life over their daughter who was supposed to be a son. 

"We can always adopt, my love. Why do you keep on doing this to yourself?" He whispered, trying to keep himself hanging on or else, he would break down. 

He didn't want to see her suffering. He never wanted that. It was painful for him. He did everything but it seemed like it was never enough. He called the most trusted prophet to ask what they can see from their future and they said that the queen will bear a child. They don't know the gender but they were already happy that she will finally get pregnant. Half a year had passed but it seemed like it would not even happen. Was the prophecy inaccurate? They should have not trusted the prophet too much. It was disappointing for them. 

"I want to bear our child." She was already lifeless despite being healed by her own body. He leaned his head closer and kissed her forehead. 

"I want to as well but you don't need to do this. Let's look for another way, okay?" She didn't want to accept that but she decided to nod. He smiled faintly and kissed her forehead once more. 

Later after that incident, she slipped out from his hug quietly and covered him with silk blankets to keep him warm. He was deeply asleep. She went back to the empty dungeon after taking the knife from the kitchen. The summoning circle was still there. She stabbed herself a few times and she fell at the center. She muttered the mantra and black smoke started to fill the place. She successfully summoned a thousand demons. Their eyes were dark red, menacing and bloodthirsty. 

"Give me a child.. Give me a son.." She cried and she closed her eyes, feeling herself drowning in her own pool of blood. 

「 🌙 」

"What do you think is happening with Okaa-san?" The princess asked while resting her head on his shoulder. The prince let out a deep sigh and shook his head. Until now, he is not yet receiving any updates from the servant who tried to poison the queen. 

"All we know is someone wants to poison them. The servant is suspicious. She told me that the one who asked her to do it is a woman. We know that there are men who also have long hair. What if it is a man and not a woman?" He asked and she shifted from her seat. 

"What if it is Reiki?" She asked but he shook his head once more. He knows that it is not him because he is already familiar with Reiki's dark powers. He will immediately know that it is him if he felt the same powers from the servant. 

"I don't want to interrupt Yuuki's mission here in the human world and it will be safer for Hanahime to stay here. Even though I want to go back to the underworld, if the king wants us to stay here, all we can do is to follow his orders." He added. The wedding day is fast approaching. Will they be able to celebrate it without any problems? 

On the other side, the queen just finished putting her dark red and gold gown on her body. It is a little more loose than the usual tight ones. Everyone knows that she is pregnant and with the prince's warning, they are scared to make a mistake. They served the food on the table and the king walked in to check if everything was fine. She is still feeling weak but she can already pick up the eating utensils. She was about to take the glass of water but Riku took it first and drank. When nothing happened, she chuckled softly and started eating her meal. 

"I'm just making sure that every food and water you take is safe." He sat beside her and she fed him a spoonful of rice and breaded chicken. 

"I'm sure the prince did a good job on threatening everyone here." She said, reaching for the glass of water. She took a sip and she felt relieved that she is feeling fine. 

"I'm excited for our little prince." He said while gently caressing her growing belly. She smiled and continued on eating. She is excited as well. She can't wait to know if he will look like her or Riku.