Loveon.Chat

Caelan hummed a low, absent tune as he knelt beside the flowering bush, his fingers carefully pruning away the withered leaves to make way for the new. From the corner of his eye, he caught the movement—Alya, trying and failing to be subtle as she peeked at his work.



A tiny smile tugged at his lips. The Demon King shook his head in amusement. Her curiosity was so plainly written on her face, a stark contrast to the bleakness that had choked this castle before his arrival. Before he’d woken up here, its halls had known only dust and silence.




With a deft snap, he freed a perfect rose and turned, offering it to her with an amused smirk. “Here. You can have it. It’s a rose. They’re nice, aren’t they?”



Alya accepted the bloom with hesitant fingers, a little frown creasing her brow as she studied it. She brought it to her nose, and her eyes widened at the fragrance. “What do they do?” she asked.



Caelan pushed himself to his feet, stretching the stiffness from his limbs. He plucked the rose back from her grasp, his touch gentle as he settled it snugly behind her ear. “Nothing,” he answered, a soft chuckle escaping him at her utterly confused expression. But before he could explain further, Kurok’s voice cut through the garden’s calm, summoning him from the direction of the throne room.



“Ooh, visitors!” Alya drew out the word with a smile, her curiosity instantly renewed. She grabbed Caelan’s arm, prodding him to walk faster, her excitement pulling them from the vibrant gardens back into the castle’s familiar, consuming darkness.



In the hallway outside the throne room, Kurok awaited them. With a gruff efficiency, he snagged Alya by the nape of her neck, guided her into a side chamber, and slammed the door shut. He wiped his hands clean afterward, as if dusting off a minor nuisance. Caelan merely raised a brow, intrigued by the manhandling, until the old demon fixed him with that look—the one that instantly darkened Caelan’s mood.



“It’s humans, isn’t it?” The question tasted like hypocrisy on his tongue. He, of all beings, was in no position to judge. But these particular humans had become the source of all his recent headaches.




“Not just any,” Kurok grumbled, crossing his massive arms. “It’s that hero we’ve been hearing about. Knocked the guards unconscious before I found them.” He jerked his head toward the throne room door. “They’ve been thrashing about, refusing to listen to reason. Demanding to speak only to you.” He pushed the door open and waited for Caelan to enter before following, the heavy thud of the door closing behind them sealing the room shut.




“They sound delightful,” Caelan muttered, biting the inside of his cheek in mild annoyance. His gaze drifted from Kurok to the figure standing rigidly in the room's center, and his eyes widened. Every thought, every ounce of irritation, fled his mind. He knew that silhouette.



Kurok placed a heavy, comforting hand on his shoulder, feeling the king freeze solid beneath his touch. “Kurok,” Caelan said, his voice unusually quiet. He never gave orders; here, they were family. “Could you leave us alone?”



The old demon looked ready to refuse, but a tiny, reassuring nod from Caelan had him relenting with a sigh. He withdrew, the door closing once more with a definitive thud, leaving the two of them alone.




Only then did Caelan allow himself to truly look. To see them. The one person he never thought he’d see again.



“Yarissa.” The name was a ghost on his lips. A weak attempt at a smile followed. “You look… as if you were dressing up for Halloween.” The tease fell flat, the air too thick for jokes. He took a single step forward, the movement feeling awkward, a bitter taste blooming in his mouth.



“I see your new hobby is playing hero? Quite a bold choice, if you truly came all this way to slay me over some stupid prophecy.” He let out a dry, humorless snort. “But then again, you’ve always been the protagonist, haven’t you? And I… I suppose I’ve finally landed my destined role: the background demon. The evil king who exists just to give you glory once you strike him down.”