Along with his sharp horns and messy hair, my supposed father, the King, was relatively young-looking. When I first heard King, I thought he'd have long, grey, shiny hair and a beard to match. Instead, he looked about in his early thirties. No, late twenties. Unlike the purple cape he wore in the glass mural on the floor of the grand hallway, he wore a black cloak that was draped around his broad shoulders.

Elvira began to approach him and I, once again, not knowing what else to do, followed. Upon closer inspection, I noticed that while his face might appear young, his eyes told the truth. Cold black eyes that were polished enough that I could see my red ones reflected in his. He was tall, even for a man. I couldn't really see how tall he actually was because he was sitting down but just from looking at his long legs that were resting under the table, I assumed he had to be around 6'7. His build was slender but very muscular from what I could tell. His ears weren't very human-like either. Unlike the usual round and soft-looking ears that most people have, they were sharp and pointy. And now that I think about it, Elvira and the other's ears were similar to his. I couldn't remember if my ears weren't normal either since I was too concerned about my hair and face when I awoke and looked into the mirror.

The other four maids split off and walked towards a door and into the small room that rested to the side. Elvira pulled out a seat that was direct to the side of him and ushered me onto it. Once I was seated, she pushed my chair in towards the table and stood directly to the right of the King, her hands clasped in front of her.

I stared down at the table. For some reason, my eyes couldn't meet my new father. Maybe it was because I didn't want to accept that he was supposed to be my father. Though, when I first entered the hall and saw him, the word "Father" was all I could think of, similar to when I first saw Elvira and the others. I still had no clue as to why seeing them triggered memories I don't remember having.

My father, well, my old father, was probably the one who acted the kindest to me after I became addicted to games. Yeah, he was the nicest, but that doesn't mean he was exactly nice. In fact, you could probably say that he was just as disappointed as my mother and that little brat of a brother. It's just that he didn't really show it. Even though it was only about once every few months, he was the only one who called and checked up on me. Though, I'm probably sure that it was to confirm that I was still alive and haven't overdosed on soda and convenience store hotdogs which I almost did but that's a story for another time.

He may have been disappointed in me but he still cared for my wellbeing, even if it was only a little. He didn't ghost me like my mother and my brother. He might have even wanted to help me more if it wasn't for my mother.

Now my mother was the cruelest of the three. She absolutely hated me because of the decision I made. She was furious when I dropped out of school. I don't blame her though. She had every right to be mad at me. She had invested so much time and money into me. She paid for everything that I needed. From my private school tuition to my books. She was a bit possessive, however. It was she, who forced me into endless hours of studying and studying. She wanted me to feel like I owed her something in return for spending so much of her effort on me. She was obsessed with the concept of "perfection". With that kind of pressure on me, I had to do my absolute best in everything I did. Anything less, she wouldn't accept. So when my friend handed me the game and I played it for the first time, I felt like it was my salvation, my freedom if you will. Freedom from the pressure that she threw onto me. Freedom from all her near-impossible expectations. Freedom, from her ever strong hold onto my life.

She was the head of the household, so after I told her I was dropping out of school, she couldn't believe it. She thought I was sick. Her perfect daughter had just told her that she didn't want to be perfect anymore. She took me to multiple doctors and hospitals, in an attempt to give her hope that I wasn't healthy and was going through some sort of unheard sickness. When she was told by every single doctor and specialist she went to that there was indeed nothing wrong with me, she took matters into her own hands. She literally locked me in the basement with nothing for three days, convinced that I wasn't myself, that I had some sort of virus in my system, and that starving me would get it out. It probably would've been longer if my family, more specifically my, weak-willed father convinced her to let me out. Truth be told, the main reason I left home and moved into an apartment complex was because of her. I couldn't stand her anymore. She was crazy. And since I left home and moved out, she must've forced her "perfect" views onto my brother in my place.

I was still staring at the black candles that were being held in place on a candle holder on top of the black marble table when I heard the King call out to me. Despite his evil-like appearance, he spoke in a soft, light-hearted manner, the opposite of what you'd expect from the King of Demons.

"Yukina."

Instinctively, upon hearing the name "Yukina", I looked up from the table and my eyes met his. It seemed like he knew something was off about me since his face had a puzzled look.

"Is something wrong? Your face is pale."

My eyes darted back downwards as I shook my head in response to his question. I couldn't possibly tell him that I don't remember anything or anyone. If I did, they might think I'm sick, even though I told them that I'm not. And truth be told, even I don't know what exactly had happened to me.

"The princess hasn't been feeling well ever since she woke up, King Valfar." Elvira chimed in. "She says she's fine but doesn't want to see Doctor Tera to make sure. And I think we both know why."

"Oh?"

From the corner of my eyes, I could see the King's head turn back around towards me with a slight smile on his face.

"Don't tell me you're still afraid of the doctor." He laughed a little. "I thought you would have outgrown that by now."

"Apparently, she hasn't."

He let out another laugh that this time, echoed through the entire hall. Elvira seemed to be used to his light-hearted nature since she just smiled and shook her head to herself.

Still laughing, the King put his enormous right hand on my head and ruffled through my white hair. I don't think he realized how strong his hand was since he didn't seem to notice that he was pressing down on my head hard enough for it to dip. When he stopped laughing and regained himself, he lowered his hand from the top of my head to my forehead and held it there.

His touch felt cold yet, at the same time, strangely warm. Despite his rough-looking and large hand, his palm was smooth.

About two years after I moved out, I'd usually jerk back out of reflex when anybody touched me, accident or not. That was probably due to me not interacting with anybody physically for a long time. I wasn't used to it anymore. But not for Elvira or the King. I didn't mind their touch. I was comfortable with the King's hand. He felt like something I didn't have for a long time. He felt like a real-

"Father"

As quiet as a breath, the word slipped out of my mouth. Surprised and embarrassed, my face flushed a bright red and I returned my eyes to my lap.

"Why did I say that?!?!"

He must've not heard me because he didn't respond.

"Well, your face is a little hot." He deducted as he took his hand off my forehead and returned it to the top of the table. "I know you're not particularly fond of Blair but go get looked at tomorrow. Alright?"

Without looking up, I nodded my head but I'm sure my face was only hot because of the embarrassing thing that escaped from my mouth.

The door that Iris and the other maids went into earlier, opened and they all came out, Auoura and Mellisa holding silver platters with a lid, Astrid and Iris, each holding a different colored goblet along with wine-like bottles. They placed the platters onto the table in front of us and removed the lids. Astrid and Iris then placed the two goblets in front of the King and I, the golden, ruby-encrusted one in front of him and the silver one in front of me.

On one of the silver platters, rested several small cuts of different types of meat, spanning from beef, sausage, and chicken, to pork, turkey, and ham, decorated in a circle stack-like pattern. The other platter contained a multitude of lettuce, sliced tomatoes, cheese, and carrots. After pouring the liquid front the bottle into our goblets, the five bowed and made their way to Elvira and lined up next to her.

"But for now Yukina," The King started while still looking at the gourmet before us enviously.

"It's time for dinner."

———————————————————————

When I say I've never tasted anything so good in my life, I mean it. With each cut of meat I put into my mouth, I could feel the buds of my tongue exploding and crying for more and I, obliged. Even the salad was good, no, great. I can't even remember the last time I ate salad. My diet in my apartment consisted of pizza, chicken wings, fries, and all things included. The only thing that I ate that you could say was healthy was the small pieces of lettuce and tomatoes in the burgers I ate religiously. Most of the time I only ate them because I forgot to take them out.

"Ahh," The King expressed as he reclined back into his chair, rubbing his stomach. "Great as always Elvira. Not even the food they make at official banquets could top yours."

"Oh, surely you jest your majesty." She replied though it was obvious she enjoyed his compliments since she had a smile on her face.

"That reminds me, Yukina, you're starting the academy soon right?" He asked me.

"Indeed she is," Elvira answered for me. "It's hard to believe that the little girl I once knew, is growing up and on her way to womanhood."

"I find it hard to believe too." He turned his attention towards me. "Don't grow up too fast now. Your dear father isn't ready yet." He looked back at Elvira, beckoned her to come closer, and whispered something in her ear. I couldn't really make out what he said to her but I could tell it wasn't anything bad since Elvira then whispered something to Astrid and Iris. Immediately after hearing what she said, a smile lit up on both of their faces and the two made their way out of the hall, silently laughing at each other.

The King suddenly stood up, revealing his enormous stature. "I have matters to attend to so, I'll be taking my leave. You know what they say, "There's no rest for the wicked." He began to laugh at his own joke. He then walked behind my seat and put his hand on my head. "Good night, my daughter." And with that, he left the dining hall, leaving me alone with Mellisa, Aurora, and Elvira.

As Aurora and Mellisa began to collect the empty plates on the table, Elvira approached me.

"Are you feeling any better, Princess?" She asked.

The throbbing pain in my head that I awoke to was long gone. I nodded my head.

She sighed a breath of relief.

"That's wonderful. Iris should be drawing the bath already."

"Bath?"

She turned towards Mellisa and Aurora. "I trust both of you will be able to handle cleaning up, right?"

Mellisa did a playful salute. "Leave it to us, Ms. Elvira"

Elvira then pulled out my seat, helped me out the chair, and led me out the room, back into the grand hallway.