“My Queen. Are you sure it’s wise to trust her?”

Does Alistor think I can’t hear them just because I’m across the room? I’m not going to lie, I do enjoy this enhanced body. Better fighting potential. Less risk. Easier to get control and take command of armies. Better stamina in bed.

“You don’t understand. You didn’t hear her oath because it was in the Divine language, I didn’t understand every word, as our deity didn’t give me the gift of speech, I just learned a few words, but I felt it. She cannot harm me, have malicious intent towards me, betray me. She can never turn against me willingly, and I’m not quite sure, but I think since she spoke in the Divine language, and with a magical blood oath, that the contract will even prevent mind control.”

Oh, that’s interesting. I didn’t think about the last one. Anyways, I hope they turn their attention back towards me soon. While I’d love to keep flirting and making my future wife flustered, I do have a metaphorical hand grasping my heart that can crush me if I don’t actually take care of the problem.

“Ari, if the thing about my oath is out of the way, I have a few questions I’d love if you could answer.”

I can see Alistor getting frustrated at my little nickname, while Ari just raises an eyebrow at me.

“Very well. I assume you had another purpose besides….whatever you just did?”

I involuntarily let out a chuckle. I can’t tell if she’s flustered, annoyed or just baffled. Doesn’t matter. 

She leads me and Alistor into a room behind her throne, and this one is, different. It’s completely pink. Pastel pink wallpaper. White wooden tea table with pink intricate highlights.

Last but not least, the absolutely heavenly, or is it demonly, fluffy sofa. I think I could spend the rest of my life in bliss on this sofa, it’s so soft, fluffy and absolutely soothing.

Oh, they’re looking at me like I’m a weirdo. What do you mean you won’t rub your cheek on a comfy sofa? You’re the weird one.

I can barely hear Alistor mutter under his breath. “I’ve lost all respect and fear for summoned heroes.”

“Well, would you rather me be serious all the time and go around with a stoic face threatening everyone who doesn’t give me what I want? Oh, wait, I kinda already did that with the humans. Oh well.”

Ari is back to her usual playful authorative demeanour. Chuckling lightly at my antics. I take that as a win.

“Alienor, you said something about questions?”

Oh right! Questions. The entire reason I came here. Well, I have even more questions now, so let’s get to it.

“Right, so first of all I’ll start with the really important ones. Have you previously been in love with a woman, just men or neither? It doesn’t matter because I won’t give up. Second, while this is a question I shouldn’t ask such a beautiful being, how old are you? I’d like to know how to treat you. Thirdly, do you prefer sex after marriage or can I already take you to bed on the third date?”

Swatting away the dagger thrown at my head I focus my eyes on Ari. She looks at me intensely, seriously, before slowly bringing a hand to her face. And she’s facepalming.

“I can not believe I took you seriously for even a second. Is this why you came here?”

Hm? No. Ugh, fine.

“No, I didn’t, I had other questions that I’ll get to. Can I take your answer as a ‘we’ll have an in-depth conversation in private at a later date’?”

She just looks blankly at me.

“Very well. The reason I came here is to get the demon's side of the story, as well as figure out what your realistic end-game is.”

She places a hand under her chin and it looks like she’s thinking deeply. Ah, she’s so beautiful, and I’m not just saying that because it’s been, years...maybe a little bit. 

“We simply want to live like any other. I assume you know the other races’ version of the history of demons?” I give her a nod. “Us demons came to this world around a thousand years ago. Not by choice. We were driven off our home world, and our god was injured. As a last resort he opened a portal and sent all demons through. We arrived at this world, in this land we are standing upon now. At first there wasn’t that many issues, the other inhabitants of this world hadn’t reached this far, but when they realised a few hundred years ago that there’s a lot of ambient mana as well as magical stones buried underneath the ground, they wanted it.”

She takes a deep breath and looks out the window. I’m not sure what memory she’s thinking about, but I’m starting to get the picture.

“We didn’t really deny them. We were the latecomers to this world, and so we wanted to trade. This was after all unclaimed land, so it became our country. They didn’t want any of that. The elves and dryads arrived first, and if it’s one race that’s more arrogant than humans, it’s the elves. They wanted the land for themselves, as the forest is enlarged with spatial magic, and there’s an abundance of nature attuned mana in the area. They wanted to turn us into slaves. Of course, they didn’t straight out say the words, but they wanted to give us a necklace as a sign of good will.”

I can see where this is going.

“I’m assuming the necklace was some sort of slave collar. The purpose would be to enslave the mind of the person wearing it, probably without making them truly mindless, just suppressing their ego without altering the outwards personality. Turn that around and saying something like blah blah follow the elves for the best future?”

She gives me a nod. Figures. I’ve already met a lot of people like this. I didn’t always live out in the middle of nowhere after all. I was born and raised in a metropolitan city, in a certain family. Brought up with expectations and responsibility. Ah, not the time for a trip down memory lane.

“I know how this question may seem, but I have to ask nonetheless. How certain are you that this is the truth of the matter? That the generations haven’t altered the story to make it seem more drastic?”

Ari turns her gaze away from the window, and lock her beautiful golden eyes on my own blue.

“Because this is my story. I was the Queen of the demon monarchy in our own world, and I was the one the elves tried to enslave.”

I don’t know why, but my emotions are running rampant and I can feel my Aura fluctuating. I have known this woman for a few hours, and even saying I know her is a stretch of the word, but somehow, there’s something that makes me feel like I’ve known her for my entire life. I know she hasn’t lied to me, I know the sadness and the raw anger she’s momentarily displayed isn’t unwarranted. She has done the best for her entire race. 

The voice from before is back in my head. Whispering sweet words. I know this voice, I’ve lived with it all my life. What do I want to do from here. I guess it depends on her answer.

“Back to my previous question. What do you want?”

She looks at me before displaying a weak and sad smile.

“I don’t know anymore. We can’t go back to our old world, that one is lost, forever. We are unwelcome by both the gods and the inhabitants of this world, your very presence is proof of that. We never wanted anything more than to live.”

I stand up, slowly walk around the pristine white table with our half-empty teacups. I give Alistor a harsh glare, he will not interrupt the next moments if he does not want to be harshly punished. He gets my message, and backs out of the room.

Walking over to the now incredibly small looking Demon Queen, I kneel in front of her face and take one of her hands in mine.

“I may not have lived for a thousand years. I may not have the responsibility of an entire race on my shoulders. I may not understand the love you feel for your subordinates, your people, your country.”

Her head is raised, and I think she feels differently about me than anyone else, if not, why would she be crying.

“I can promise you that if anyone lays a hand on you. I will exterminate their entire race. Due to the circumstances, I will live a very, very, very long time, so make no mistake. I am not a hero of the original inhabitants of this world, or their gods. I’m quite the opposite. If you need me to be the villain that annihilates every living being on this world, I will do it.”

She looks at me, and I can tell there’s an inner conflict inside her. She wants to believe my words, and that I’ll truly do whatever she wants, but she’s also afraid of that kind of power. She does not know yet how much power I truly hold, or if I can deliver on my words, but she believes the possibility that it is true. After all, who else would walk up to the Demon Queen, unafraid?

She shakes her head and squeezes on my hand.

“No. I do not want the masses to suffer from the actions of the few. People are greedy, they will always be. Even within my own country there is greed running rampant, no matter how much we try to keep a lid on it. No. We just want to live, unopressed, preferably in harmony with the inhabitants of this world.”

“Very well. I will make it so.”