Chapter 3:
Five years later
Greta sighed, her dark skin glistening in the heat of the day as they rode throughout the province, her brown eyes staring into nothing as Yuuri spoke with Gwendal, both of their voices crisp and to the point as though they didn't enjoy each other. Looking at the door dark haired men, she sighed again, placing her hand on Yuuri's broad shoulders, a signal for her father to gentle his approach to the leader of their military. The double black looked at her daughter, gently frisking her hand away from his shoulder, ignoring her quiet plea against upsetting Gwendal.
This had been happening more and more recently; Yuuri refusing the help and guidance of others in order to pursue his own line of inquiry, ending up in a large, more complicated predicament. The maou refused to listen, his head becoming thicker and thicker with his carelessness, all because of some human woman he was trying to impress.
Greta pinched the bridge of her nose, trying to ward off a headache in Gwendal fashion. The woman, or Lady Ebba as she was named, was an awful woman, shallow with dark hair that reached her waist which she kept despicably thin even in court standards, her skin an horrid discoloration due to the make up she wore, which she believe was her tone, not matching the rest of her skin, making her face an terrible pasty white, while the rest of her was a uniformly olive tone. She laughed with the most obnoxious sound, her head thrown back at every one of Yuuri's lame jokes.
Needless to say, most of the royal family despised her, hating the way she fawned over Yuuri, the way she treated Greta with contempt and causing Yuuri to neglect the girl.
The woman was sitting on Yuuri's right, snuggled close to the maou's side, her eyes shining with glee was Yuuri tried to gain the upper hand on Gwendal.
"There's no way that the treaty between the humans and Bielfield should not be agreed upon with the family."
"Heika, it is their ancestral land, and no matter how much better the relationship with the humans has gotten, Bielfield is still against getting too friendly with humans. If you had bothered to listen to Gunter, you would have known that." snapped the aggravated head of state, feeling a headache peaking as they entered the border of Bielfield.
Yuuri nearly snarled, his black eyes narrowing all the more. "Wolfram adopted Greta, I don't see why they don't have a better relationship!"
"We're here." said Gwendal, allowing the groom to open the carriage door, motioning Yuuri to step out first.
The maou huffed, climbing out of the carriage and taking Lady Ebba's hand, smiling as he helped her down, tucking her wrist into the crook of his arm. Greta reached out for him, her eyes saddening as she retracted it, sighing dejectedly. Gwendal stepped down, offering his hand to his niece, a small smile just for her on his serious face, helping the princess from the carriage, holding her close in brief affection, whispering in her ear.
"We'll see how they stand up next to Wolfram."
Greta laughed, leaning her head against her uncle's shoulder, her own whisper ready and waiting. "Papa will tear her to shreds. Just imagine at the ball tonight, he'll outshine her."
Gwendal smiled, giving her shoulders a quick squeeze before tucking her hand into the crook of his arm, taking long steps to catch up with Yuuri and Lady Ebba.
__
Waltorana sighed, shifting Tiede on is hip, the exuberant five year old (this is one year in Mazoku) babbling happily to his grand uncle, his dark hair falling into his beautiful emerald eyes as Wolfram dressed. Wolfram smiled, as he looked at the reflection of his baby and uncle, tucking his hair behind his ears as he stood, reaching for the child, chuckling as the baby nuzzled close to him.
"Will you be bringing him with you to greet them?" asked Waltorana, ruffling the child's hair affectionately.
Wolfram sighed, trying to get the boy's hair into some semblance of order only to have Tiede and Waltorana mess it up again. "No, not today, maybe after the initial peace treaty is talked over. Besides, I don't want to expose my son to the riff-raff that Yuuri keeps around."
"Riff-raff, Nephew?"
"That's what Greta tells me. Said that she and Yuuri had met at some human ball to discuss a treaty and apparently they 'hit it off' I believe was her phrasing."
"That sounds....delightful. Meeting human whores at diplomatic conventions."
Wolfram laughed, settling his son on his hip, placing a lingering kiss on his forehead, before handing the boy over to his uncle, his heart breaking a little as he saw his baby reach for him, his matching green eyes pleading. He gently ruffled Tiede's hair, placing one last kiss on the baby's cheek before stepping out of the room to greet the royal family.
_________-
Wolfram stationed himself by the door of the large castle like edifice, his eyes the heat of summer rising off the cobblestone ground, as he watched the carriage coming through the gates. Guards lined the straight road, saluting the king's carriage as it rode through their ranks. Wolfram silently watched as it came to as it came to a stop before the large house, Yuuri exiting the carriage first, his new whore at his side, his black eyes adoring, completely neglecting Greta. He saw her hand reach out for the double black before being retracted, her face crumpling with her, her eyes shining with unshed tears, before Gwendal smoothed her rumpled feathers, taking her under his arms, seemingly protecting her from Yuuri's carelessness.
The blonde waited for them to enter the house, a small smile on his face as he saw them up close for the first time in a few years, all with the exception of Gwendal and Lady Ebba. Greta looked up from her chat with Gwendal, her dark eyes lighting up as she saw her papa.
"Papa Wolf!" she cried, running into his arms, tears collecting in her eyes as she ran towards him.
Wolfram opened his arms for her, a laugh like pure sunshine springing from his rose colored lips, as he held his little girl close gently smoothing her wayward hair, shushing her as he rocked her, drying her tears with a handkerchief.
"Hello Greta, how is my favorite girl?" he asked, taking both her hands in his, his green looking over her now developed form a sad smile tinging his face with a brief glimpse of sorrow.
"I'm all grown up now Papa Wolf." she said, smiling widely before diving back into the comfort of his arms.
"Yes," Wolfram said, holding her close,"yes, you are. You grew up without me, my little Greta."
Gwendal cleared his throat, his blue eyes softening as Wolfram gave Greta a quick kiss, brushing her hair from her face. The blonde nodded briefly to his brother, before bowing formally to Yuuri.
"Welcome to my home, Yuuri Heika, it is an honor."
Yuuri looked at Wolfram, his heart beating wildly in his chest as he took in the change that had occured in the last five years. The blonde, thin but not sickly had become more curvy, his hips jutting out, giving him a more womanly shape, his blonde hair having grown longer, brushing his shoulders. He wore a fitted grey uniform, his ascot and chain gone, replaced by bars over his heart, showing his rank.
Yuuri nodded to his former fiancee, mustering a small smile as he reached out to touch what was once his. Wolfram took his hand, placing a kiss on a knuckle, an old sign of remembrance, before allowing Yuuri's hand to fall away, his sad green eyes looking briefly into the double black's.
"It is nice to see you again, Lord von Bielfield." said Yuuri, the formality tugging harshly at his heart strings."Allow me to introduce my fiance, Lady Ebba." He said motioning toward the human.
Wolfram did not bow this time, his eyes stayed steady as he took in the sight of this human that had seemed to capture Yuuri's heart. Disgust wormed its way into his eyes, staining them, as he looked at her, as she coyly looked him over, her fan hiding her ugly feature from his view, but her soul permeating the air, polluting it. He would have to burn incense before letting Tiede into the room, he thought, forcing a polite smile on to his face.
"A pleasure to meet you, Lady Ebba."
"Aren't you the maou's ex-fiance?" she questioned shyly, her hand entwined around Yuuri's arm, a show of possession. "My, my, you are......pretty." she said almost as though an insult.
Wolfram looked at his brother, rising an eyebrow, before turning his attention back to his guest. "Why yes, I am. Please follow me this way, into the drawing room."
"Don't you find it so funny that Yu-chan choose a human as his next fiance after getting rid of you, a Mazoku? I hear you hate humans."
Wolfram seated himself, nodding toward the free seating throughout the room, smiling as Greta seated herself next to him.
"I have no opinion on the matter. What Heika wants, he can have, no matter how bad it is for him." said Wolfram, smiling as a servant served them tea.
Lady Ebba, started, her ugly eyes narrowing as Wolfram sipped at his tea, a small smile on his face, as he looked at her over his tea cup. "Have you been treating my Greta well? She is Heika's and my child, and I do hope she hasn't fallen by the wayside because of your wedding plans." said Wolfram, patting Greta's hand.
"I would never let Greta be neglected." said Yuuri, as he took a sip of his tea.
Wolfram gently squeezed Greta's hand, his green eyes blazing. "Heika, I request to speak freely with you."
"It's granted, you never have to ask Wolfram." Yuuri smiled, his eyes softening as he looked at the blonde bombshell.
"Greta and I have kept up correspondence ever since I had left Shin Makoku, and she has informed me that you and Lady Ebba have been planning to have a child before you are married."
"I don't see how she could have known that." said Yuuri, looking over at Greta.
"You never had to really say it out loud Papa Yuuri, Lady Ebba was rubbing my face in the fact that you two engage in 'it'." she whispered.
Lady Ebba colored, her face becoming an ugly shade of red as tried to sputter out a response. Yuuri looked at her, his eyes narrowing as he listened to Greta's statement.
"How long have you known?" asked Yuuri.
"She's been talking about it for months -- "
"Don't listen the child, Yu-chan, she's just making things up." said Ebba, fanning herself.
"Don't address my daughter in such a way, Lady Ebba, or I will be forced to propel you from my house." said Wolfram, his words dripping with honeyed malice.
"Don't speak to me that way! I'm not the person who left a human child in a house of Mazoku." said Lady Ebba, feeling herself gaining the upper hand.
"Lady Ebba, you are on dangerous ground. Tread softly." said Wolfram, a small smile on his face, his eyes hard.
"You can't even have children, how could you be a good choice for Yu-chan, who needs and heir!"
"Where did you hear that I couldn't have children?" asked Wolfram, cocking his head to the side.
"You are a male, it's kind of obvious that men can't have children." she said.
Wolfram looked at Greta, his face breaking into a smile as a laugh sprouting from his lips. Greta giggled along, tears gathering in her eyes as she looked at the stunned faces of her father and lady Ebba, laughing all the harder.
"Excuse me, Lady Ebba, you have been ill informed. It is possible for certain Mazoku males to become pregnant by natural means. They are identified by a special mark on their foot." said Wolfram, taking off his slipper, and showing the slightly lighter fluer de lis mark on his dainty foot.
Lady Ebba colred. Yuuri just stared, his heart jumping in his chest as he saw the faint outline, a million possiblities going through his head as he looked from the blonde mazoku's foot to his face.
Wolfram pulled his slipper back on, wiping his eyes of the mirth, a smile on his face. A servant entered the room, quickly bowing to the company before kneeling next to the Bielfield heir, whispering frantically in his ear. Wolfram nodded, his smile falling ever so slightly as he looked at his guest.
"Excuse me, I have some urgent business to attend to that cannot wait. My staff will guide you around the house if need be, but I don't believe I will see you again today." said Wolfram, standing to his feet, bowing. "Greta, maybe tomorrow I will show you around the harbor, it is very lovely this time of year."
Greta nodded, smiling as Wolfram bent to kiss her cheek, kissing his in return, before he left them to their tea.