Chapter 27: The Devil

"What's the matter, my darling?" Inara heard a voice from behind her and turned back to see Gwen standing behind her, "You don't seem happy; is there anything I can do to help?" Gwen questioned, smiling brightly at her.

"Why does he keep hurting me? He claimed I wasn't good enough for him, but I kept trying to be a better wife to him; he's always doing things that hurt me, Mother," Inara cried bitterly, Gwen sat next to her and grabbed her hands, "I apologized on his behalf, but you should try not to think too hard about it. He cares for you, and you are always valuable in his eyes," Gwen reassured, but Inara shook her head negatively.

"No, I am not; he doesn't consider me a good wife, and I'm not valuable enough to be his. Why is he acting like this? Am I…., "Don't say that; of course he cares about you; there are some things he would do that could hurt you, but that doesn't mean you're indispensable to him," Gwen answered calmly, pulling her into a tight hug.

—

Two maids entered Alexander's room, trying to dress him up, but Inara stepped in briefly. The maids bowed in respect and attempted to continue, but they heard an angry voice, "You're all dismissed," Inara declared authoritatively, and the maids refused to budge an inch because they had not been asked to do so.

"Your Highness, Young Master will punish us if we obey you; please let us do our work," they implored, apologizing, as Inara made her way out of the room, "You may all leave," Alexander eventually concluded, they bowed and exited the room. After a few minutes with him, she made no move to continue dressing him up.

"Precisely, I believe you sent the maids away to continue their work, why are you still standing there for?" Alexander scoffed, making Inara slightly irritated, "I cannot do it, I'm sorry, "If you've considered sending them away, you should know that you should go ahead with it. Don't keep me waiting, wifey," Alexander smirked, and Inara walked closer to him, grabbing the comb on the table, "Are you always this quiet in the morning? Or should I say you came here deliberately to send them away?" Alexander smirked, but Inara did not respond; she looked angry, and he could see it in her face, which was mirrored in the glass.

"I only did what was necessary; however, if you want me to leave, I will. As you'd say, your mistresses are far better than me," Inara said sadly, her eyes welling up with tears, which she struggled to keep from streaming down her cheeks.

After combing his hair, Inara moved away from him and attempted to walk away, but he grabbed her wrist, "Seems you're mad at me, wifey. Furthermore, you have been so silent since you came here. Is this the result of what happened last night?" Alexander asked calmly, "Why should you care? You've made it clear to me that you'll continue to hurt me, therefore the reasons for my misery should never matter to you," she said in whispers, but to her surprise, he pushed her to a chair and crounched before her.

"I did not try to make you weep; you forced me to do so, and I did not mean everything I said. All I could say to apologize is; 'I'm sorry.' I promise to never cheat on you again, wifey," Alexander whispered, allowing the banked tears to flow weakly down her cheeks in torrents.

"That's what you're always saying, but you never think twice about hurting me. To me, I feel I'm not worthy to be your wife, and you're useless as my husband; my heart aches so deeply anytime you hurt me," Inara sobbed furiously, and Alexander reached forward to wipe away her ruined tears.

"Before I married you, I believed I was only helping you attain your independence, but as I got to know you better, I discovered some hidden mysteries about you. I recall those days when you were always locked up in a room, humiliated, disgraced, and viewed as a tool for gaining power by your parents. You need to know this because these are the reasons why I married you, and I'll never regret accepting you as my wife," Alexander responded simultaneously, which caused Inara to lift her eyebrows in surprise!

"And I won't regret it, I'll never turn down my helper's…," Alexander placed a finger on her lips, making her stop half way, "Should I offer myself as a tool for you to continue playing with? Whether or not your parents love you, you will always be considered my wife, and I will make you experience many of the beautiful things you have always desired," he said, and Inara nodded positively, but then her stomach made a farnished sound.

She looked aside nervously from him, and he smiled innocently at her infantile behavior.

—

Forest handed Alexander a note and left nearly immediately. He unwrapped the letter, and upon first glimpse, he became outraged and almost destroyed the note, but he kept his rage contained.

"Was this letter sent by your father? He's severely ill; you should at least know the cause for his summons before taking action," Inara advised after reading the letter, but Alexander only exchanged a glance and turned to leave, but stopped when he heard her voice, "You don't want to go? Please, my husband, "Alright, I'll be back very soon," he eventually responded, and Inara smiled happily at him.

In the palace, King Gael is being attended to by the royal medics; his face is pale, and his appearance clearly reflects his illness. Many people were surprised to see Alexander because they had not expected him to come to see his Father.

"Greetings, Father, I'm here," Alexander said with a bow, and Basil stepped in majestically, but was admonished by his Mother, who punished him with a resounding slap, "Why didn't you arrive sooner? What were you doing? Flocking with women?" Queen Magret exclaimed angrily, and Basil was taken aback; she had never struck him before.

"I'm sorry, Mother," Basil apologized, caressing his affected cheek, but Queen Magret didn't believe him, "May I please have some words with them?" when King Gael spoke in a feeble voice, they all excused themselves to give them solitude.

:

"How is your father's health? I hope he's getting better?" Inara inquired once Alexander came, "He's dying very soon, "Your Father's dying? Had he been ill?"

"Apparently, he had been ill for a long period without anyone knowing. Which is why you need to be in a safe place for a while," Alexander responded, and Inara raised her eyebrows, "What's going on?" Inara's heart raced with despair, anxiety, and unhappiness as he announced, "Wifey, our rival are already aware of his illness, and an attack could take hold at any moment, "So, you mean you're going for a war very soon?"

"Yes, "But it doesn't mean I should leave; I could stay here for…, "It's unsafe for you to stay here. You are my wife, and if they know about it, you will undoubtedly become a key for their success. Furthermore, you are innocent of all of them, and I do not want to endanger or risk your life. Try to comprehend my worries, wife. Just for a while, okay?"

"At least, I ain't leaving anytime soon," Inara smiled sheepishly at him, but when he didn't answer, she was perplexed, "Why are you frowning? Have I done something wrong again?" 

"That's because it isn't what you expected; you're leaving in a few minutes," Alexander responded calmly, "Zephyr would be good company for you," and Inara grimaced in annoyance, "Can't I just stay with you? You…, "I understand, but this is for your safety, and I can't think of a better choice than this," Alexander replied, interrupting her short.

—

After setting a cup of tea on the table, Zephyr approached Inara and instructed the maids to leave them alone, "Inara, why aren't you saying anything and neither willing to let us know why you keep starving yourself?" he said, but Inara didn't react.

"Can I speak with her?" Gwen's voice sounded from behind, and Zephyr nodded affirmatively before walking out of the room, "My darling, I'm here, Inara. Do you mind sharing your worries?" Gwen inquired softly, and Inara raised her head upon hearing her voice.

"Can I ask for a favor?" Inara enquired quietly, and Gwen agreed, "His father is dying, and his life may also be at jeopardy; could you do anything from here to prevent the war from occurring?" Gwen felt completely dumbfounded, not because of her inquiry, but because someone loves her son so much that she is terrified to see him die. She sat next to her in the next minute, bringing her to her chest.

"Are you scared of seeing him die, my darling?"

"Yes. Please don't allow anything horrible happen to him, Mother; I'd repay you," Inara begged, sobbing.

—

An intense anguish entered Alexander's heart; he attempted to withstand it, but the pain worsened, and his fangs appeared in torrents, despite his efforts to remain calm.

"Are you losing control?" he heard a voice and turned to look at the person, it was none other than his Father, Lustre, "Who are you?" Alexander inquired, and Lustre approached him, bending to his level, "She has indeed made you completely more stronger than I expected, Demon," he chuckled, infuriating Alexander, and turning his eyes bleeding red upon hearing his remark, "Who are you?"

"The Devil King and I have come to tell you something you did not know. Simply looking at yourself may lead you to believe you are a Demon, but this is not true. You're just like me; your abilities are above anything you could have dreamed. That's because from the day you were born, I converted you into a Devil rather than a Demon," Lustre said, "What are you saying? Do you know me?"

"Of course, I do. All I'm telling you is that you're just like me; I'm the Devil King, and you're the Devil. Most importantly, you're already establishing a weakness, and she could be used against you in the future,"