How does one make a queen from one who is anything but regal? From a vessel devoid of that charm, that pride within their buxom chest, or the tone and comportment pre-eminent of a royal birth? How does one become a queen when one has never been guided by a sense of duty where each word carries immense weight and every flit and gesture can topple men and monuments? How does one…

"Through embellishment, deceit, and lies," whispering into Glyea's ears, Toma brushed her hair back with its claw-like nails, combing them thoroughly. "You must drink from the goblet of a great many matriarchs before you, and although your taste is different and so is your demeanor, you will puppet their actions as if they were your own."

Staring into the vanity mirror, the knight's eyes had grown hollow. In the back, she could see Cill and her brother sitting on chairs with their eyes boring in on her reflection. Staring back at them with her vision quite blurred, Glyea could barely see their expression but felt their frustrations as if they were her own.

'Puppet… we've all been puppets in this marionette's twisted game.' She concluded from the twist in Cill's expression as her eyes bore into Toma's back. The sage wasn't happy with how things had turned out. How could she be? What should've been revenge was now but a play at politics. 'What good is an ashen kingdom? We should've killed them all when we had the chance!'

Her anger had crossed its limits, and perhaps she would've acted on them had it not been for Soma sitting in her lap, providing her the comfort she needed with his body heat. A miracle, really, how much a person can help hold one's temper. Once, a savage king can turn meek to a gentle touch.

At least Cill had Soma, but Glyea had no one–not at that moment. The one man in whom she had confided has been revealed to be a devil. And a devil she could've accepted and slept with, but the archfiend… made her wonder. As her eyes blinked, she saw him standing by her shoulder. Toma continued to embellish her with a touch of powder here and there, and the jewelry that would hang by her ears and neck.

"I thought you left," she whispered, averting her eyes from him.

Placing a hand on her shoulder, Zephyr tried to give it a comforting squeeze, but as his fingers were about to tighten, Glyea shrugged him off.

"My mother used to tell a story about a lying king." Lifting her gaze, she looked at him through his reflection in the mirror. "He was selfish and promiscuous, but on his deathbed, his wife whispered a secret in his ears, and that secret was like a mirror with him standing in front of himself. Asking himself the question, 'You really thought you had gotten away with it?'"

The story was well known, and its ending up to interpretation. But most scholars agreed that the king wasn't betrayed by anyone, but had rather betrayed himself through his deeds.

"No one gets away with anything. I guess some morals never change?" Zephyr muttered to himself.

"I don't suppose this conversation can wait?" Lifting its head, Toma narrowed its eyes at its new master. Its inability to be afraid whenever it wasn't surrounded by other sages was almost admirable, but not at the moment. "Okay… I will take a step back, and you two can talk."

Noticing a twitch in Zephyr's face, it took a step back to allow the two to settle things however they wished. On its way out of the room, Toma signalled the other two to follow it outside. Having no desire to lag behind and be tangled in a lover's quarrel, the two walked away from it without making a fuss.

Finally left alone, Zephyr knelt beside Glyea's chair to get himself on level with her ear. Looking at her as she looked at him through the mirror, he spoke in a whisper and told her the truth behind why he could've never told her his true identity ever.

"If a sage can look through memory and cleanse it, why would I curse you with the knowledge of who I am?"

"It's not about the danger! It's about lying to me!" Snapping back at him, she turned her head and glared into his eyes. "I accepted you as a devil. What made you think I couldn't handle the whole truth? On one hand, you want me to trust you, but on the other, you won't trust me at all? How is that fair?"

"It is not," placing his hand on top of hers, Zephyr closed his eyes. "And that is why I'm here to make it up to you."

As his eyes opened again, Glyea's head tilted to the side. She wasn't expecting any help, much less at this time.

"I can take away your burden to become queen and give it to someone else, just say the word, and I'll take you back home with me. After that, you will live as my companion and as my wife, but only if you agree to come with me."

For a moment, Glyea held her breath. The prospect of regaining her freedom was great, but to trust a devil to keep his promise. She felt stuck between a rock and a hard place. There were no right answers, just the answer she chose. And in that moment before she makes her decision, she said.

"Another lie and I will die trying to kill, I promise." Giving her a nod, he offered her his hand.

"I promise I will die before that day comes." Hesitant though she was, Glyea gave him her hand and allowed him to help her get up. "Now then, Glyea, what kind of name will you choose for your twin sister?"

"What twin sister?" She asked, not realizing how the devil planned to fulfill his promise to take her home, with no burden as the queen. weighing heavily on her shoulders.

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