Chapter 20: The Week After

Frey couldn't move.

He knew he wanted to. He knew he wanted to get away, to pull his hand back, to attack…but he couldn't. Why couldn't he move?

"Frey," Ryuu said, and there was something in his voice that made Frey shiver with fear. Again, he tried to break free from the other man's grip, but to his frustration, he couldn't as much as budge a finger. Ryuu tightened his hold on his hand and leaned down to whisper against his ear, "You came. Took you long enough."

"Let me go," Frey said through clenched teeth. Everything was so dark, he couldn't even see the ground beneath his feet.

Ryuu chuckled. "I might. If you promise not to attack me."

Frey tensed, his temper flaring. Ryuu was talking to him as though nothing consequential had happened between them, as if no intervening weeks had passed between now and their past meeting. It was as if they had just seen each other yesterday – as if nothing had changed between them.

"Let me go," Frey repeated, still attempting to force his body to move.

The man ignored his demand. "I'm glad you came."

"I am too," Frey spat, "I'm glad I could finally kill you."

"Indeed?" The voice was more curious than taunting.

"I know what you really are, Ryuu."

"I see," Ryuu answered after a pause, and Frey thought he heard a hint of anger in his voice. "They finally got to you, didn't they? The Crypt?"

"Yes."

"And I assume they also told you what you are?"

"Yes."

"And they told you that you need to dispose of me?"

"Yes."

"And would you?"

"Of course I—hey!" Ryuu made a sudden move, and Frey found himself swiveling around, eventually coming face to face with the man. "What are you trying to—?"

The angry remark died instantly on his lips as he caught his first glimpse of Ryuu after several weeks of separation. Even in the dark, the man looked dreadful. He looked gaunt and faded, with the general air of a man who had grown too weary of life.

Ryuu smiled grimly at his reaction. "Would you?"

Frey blinked uncomprehendingly. "Would I what?"

"Would you kill me?"

"I have to."

Ryuu considered him for a moment, his face twisting with cold fury. Frey's stomach clenched painfully. He had seen that expression on Ryuu's face before, but it was never – not even once – directed at him. "They told you I wasn't supposed to exist, didn't they?" the man demanded. "They told you I was a mistake?"

Frey nodded, confused at the man's reaction.

"And you jumped in to play the hero?" the man accused. "Frey Lombard – the chosen one. The great Soul Breaker. Destined to destroy the monster, the aberration."

Frey stared, temporarily stymied by the man's outburst. When he recovered enough to feel indignant, he cried, "I didn't choose to be part of all of these—!"

"You weren't supposed to!" Ryuu erupted, inclining his head until his face was mere centimeters away from Frey's. "But you accepted the task."

Frey snorted, returning the man's dangerous glare with one of his own. "Why shouldn't I? You deserve to die."

Ryuu flinched, and the look on his face was almost enough to make Frey regret what he'd just said. But he swallowed all his remorse and indecisions and held his ground.

"I know," the man said in a hollow tone, his shoulders slumping down with what appeared to be defeat. "But I…I couldn't…not yet." He stared at Frey sorrowfully. "I love you…"

Frey's jaw dropped, completely taken aback at the declaration. But before he could even form a reaction, Ryuu added, "…and now I must kill you."

Frey gaped at the man in absolute incredulity. That was a first – for somebody to mention love and murder in the same sentence in reference to a single person – him. Frey thought he must have looked ridiculous right then, as his face vacillated between repugnance, fury, hatred, and several other emotions.

Ryuu, on the other hand, didn't look like he intended to expound on his bizarre statement. Instead, he sighed regretfully and ran one hand through Frey's hair. The gesture was almost affectionate, nostalgic even, if it weren't nullified almost immediately by the murderous glint in the other man's eyes.

"You have to die," the man whispered.

And then – in a twisted, surreal moment – Ryuu bent down to kiss him.

Effee and the rest of the maids of Blood Pledge Castle rose from bed at about the same time, eagerly looking forward to what was in store for them for the rest of the day. Normally, they would start with a meal with the other servants, proceed to work, and eventually eavesdrop on the conversations of the nobility while they were at it, in the hopes of hearing something that they could chat about later on when the work was done.

'Gossips,' Effee thought wryly, 'The life force of every maid, cook, and – although few would admit it – guard, in all corners of Blood Pledge Castle.'

Effee once considered the idea of talking about their masters behind their backs a bit distasteful, but ever since she arrived in Blood Pledge Castle and met Sangria, Doria, and Lasagna, she was forced to reconsider her previous position, and eventually came to accept gossiping as a normal part of castle life. She had even become an avid gambler in the castle love lottery that her three newfound friends had instigated.

Gossips – Effee came to realize – were never scarce when one lived in a place like Blood Pledge Castle. They were also virtually inevitable when one interacted on a daily basis with the types of personalities who resided therein.

Lady Cecilie von Spitzberg, for instance, had been the servants' endless source of scandal for so many years. Effee hadn't actually seen any of her so-called love cruise "souvenirs," but some of the older maids still relished talking about the previous Maou's more tumultuous years. According to them, the sight of Lady Cheri gallivanting around the castle half-naked with a man on either arm was a normal occurrence during those days.

Lady Cheri had toned down since then, especially when she got married and had her three sons. Although she still kept a penchant for flirting with men out in the open and cruising for months on end on her ship in search of her "next great love adventure," she hadn't done anything outrageous lately to warrant the maids' attentions.

Not soon after, everyone's eyes shifted to her sons. Being their mother's children and being good-looking, eligible bachelors as well, Lord Gwendal and Lord Conrad were expected to surpass Lady Cheri's level of notoriety. But – to the servants' disappointment – the first two sons had turned out to be very responsible, law-abiding adults.

Aside from his rebellious stint during his days in the military academy, Lord Conrad Weller came through with a spotless record. There had been a minor issue involving his unnatural closeness to Lady Susanah Julia von Wincott who was then engaged to Lord Adalbert von Grantz, but nothing came out of it in the end. Besides, the Battle of Rutenberg came right after, and it was difficult to talk about Lord Conrad afterwards as anything other than the hero who had fought and survived that massacre.

On the other hand, Lord Gwendal von Voltaire – to the maids' knowledge – had done nothing remotely embarrassing from the moment he was born. His veneer of perfection had even led people to suspect that he wasn't a living creature at all, but a knitting machine that Lady Anissina von Karbelnikoff had invented. The rumors were quickly diffused when the servants learned that it was Lady Anissina herself who started the story. Apparently, the lady inventor was peeved because Lord Gwendal had refused to "assist" her in one of her experiments.

Just as the maids had given up hope that Lady Cheri would ever have a child who could compare to her rather remarkable reputation, the third son – Lord Wolfram von Bielefeld – was born. His capability to wield fire was taken by many as a good sign that he would grow up to do very interesting things. Which he actually did – just not in the way that the gossip-hungry servants had hoped.

Lord Wolfram was the only one who inherited Lady Cheri's green eyes and golden hair, which would have easily made him into as lethal a seducer as his mother had been. But to the maids' frustration, Lord Wolfram rose to fame in a totally different field – throwing temper tantrums. Unless one was fire-resistant, working for him was even deemed to be one of the most hazardous occupations in the entire demon kingdom.

Everything changed when Shibuya Yuuri came.

Who would have thought that the hot-tempered and explosive Wolfram von Bielefeld would consent to an engagement to a half-human? The maids weren't particularly optimistic about the relationship, especially since the Little Lord Brat – as Lord Wolfram was called – challenged the new king to a duel seconds after the latter proposed. But then, the unthinkable happened – Lord Wolfram lost the duel, was compelled to accept the engagement, and slowly but surely, started to transform into a more tolerable and more sociable person.

When Sangria, Doria, and Lasagna initiated the love lottery, Lord Wolfram hadn't been one of the favorites. In one particular survey concerning people and things closest to Yuuri-Heika's heart, Ao even placed higher than Lord Wolfram did on the chart. However, through the succeeding months of Yuuri-Heika's rule, the once-hated Bielefeld brat slowly and miraculously turned into one of the frontrunners in the love lottery. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that seeing him chasing the young Maou around the castle was inexplicably…charming. Effee certainly thought so, and she knew that she wasn't the only one who did.

Effee changed into her work clothes and joined her waiting companions on their way to the kitchens. Sangria, Doria, and Lasagna were far more animated than usual, and Effee was in no doubt why. Her three friends had been keyed up ever since the visitors from Shimaron arrived, but their level of enthusiasm had skyrocketed recently, since the drama they had been following keenly for the past weeks finally reached an unexpected climax.

After all, not one of them had anticipated – much less, imagined – that things would turn out that way. That Lord Wolfram von Bielefeld would elope with Lord Damien Schwarz.

Effee sighed, thinking of the debts she'd incurred because of this unprecedented affair. From the beginning, she had placed her bets on Lord Wolfram, not just because she genuinely liked him, but also because she could see that the boy really cared for the Maou. Of course she had heard all about the unusual manner in which the two boys got engaged, but the more that she got to observe their interaction, the more that she was convinced that the Maou belonged with Lord Wolfram von Bielefeld.

But apparently, she was wrong. Most of her companions shared her disappointment at this turn of events, but some were admittedly thrilled. Doria, for one, had never stopped grinning like a maniac ever since the night Lord Wolfram and Lord Damien disappeared without a trace. For her, what happened was merely a validation of her long-held belief that the two boys were meant to be together.

Just like adding more wood to a burning fire, this recent development also served to ignite the servants' interest in the love lottery. Now that Lord Wolfram was out of the running, the coveted role of the Maou's fiancé was open for contention. Saralegui-Heika's name was thrown around almost immediately, for who could ever dispute the attention that the Maou had once lavished on him? Lord Conrad's and Lord Gunter's names were mentioned as well, but their number of supporters couldn't even compare to Saralegui-Heika's. The Daikenja's name was also brought up once or twice, especially now that he was seen again inside the castle after such a long period of absence.

Effee wondered whether the Maou was even aware of the servants' obsession over his love life. Perhaps not. But even if he knew, he would perhaps just shrug it off. The idea of the Maou getting mad at somebody – anybody at all – was laughable. It was like visualizing a smiling Lord Gwendal or a grumpy Lord Conrad or a meek Lady Anissina. It was just improbable and totally out of character.

But – Effee thought curiously – would Yuuri-Heika get angry at Lord Wolfram for what the boy had done? He had all the right to be, considering the circumstances. How could he not feel the least bit of resentment after his fiancé had ran off with another man?

Precisely what the Maou would do when he finally wakes up was the subject of much speculation among the residents of Blood Pledge Castle. Everyone knew that this wasn't the first time that Lord Wolfram left without the Maou's knowledge or consent, and in the first occasion, Yuuri-Heika had immediately gone after him and had successfully brought him back. This time however, would he still do the same?

Four days had passed since Lord Wolfram left, almost close to a week since that mysterious fire broke out in the Royal Bedchambers, and yet the Maou still remained closeted in a spare room, still unconscious and dead to the world. Everybody was worried, but Lady Gisela had assured them that the king's life was out of danger, and that he might be waking up any moment soon. The healer also told them that the least they could do was to go about their daily lives and just patiently wait for their dearly loved king to wake up.

They had all been waiting for that day, for Yuuri-Heika to finally step out of the room with his usual cheerful smile, for him to make the problems go away as he always did, for everything to go back to normal. But Effee knew that nothing would be normal again. Notwithstanding the unfortunate devastation of the Maou's love life, there were other things to be concerned about.

Effee found it hard to believe that so many things could happen in just a week, and that so many things could change in a matter of days. It was these things that bothered her. Unlike her companions, Effee wasn't solely focused on the Maou's romantic entanglements. She was interested in politics as well, and she made it a habit to listen in on the conversations of those who were practically involved in running the kingdom. Out of these conversations, Effee came to view the state of the kingdom in an entirely different light.

Unbeknownst to the general public, Shin Makoku was presently a hair's breadth away from a major catastrophe. The Maou's absence from the political scene was bad enough, paving the way for the leaders of the Noble Houses to engage in a vicious struggle for power. As the nobles bickered from within, the conflict with the other countries continued to get worse.

Both Dai Shimaron and Shou Shimaron condemned the detainment of their countrymen, going as far as to call it a hostage situation. Lord Greyheim's death and Lord Damien's disappearance also made matters worse, as it heightened the human countries' suspicion that Shin Makoku had covertly disposed of their leaders. It was hard to claim otherwise, especially after that baffling incident in Francia where a Mazoku reportedly infiltrated the main palace and abducted King Antoine. Francia had already closed their borders in response to this situation.

With this state of affairs, Shin Makoku was placed in a precarious position. In the blink of an eye, war had become both inevitable and imminent. It was now only a matter of which country would declare it first.

And unfortunately, the troubles did not stop there.

Closer to home, there were additional indications of impending disaster. The dragons that were sighted previously inside Mazoku territories, appeared to be drawing nearer and nearer to the capital. To add to that, several mysterious deaths have occurred right in the heart of Shin Makoku, with people dying hours apart from one another, from a cause that still baffled all of the healers.

'This is going to be a huge problem,' Effee thought. In addition to a missing fiancé, the Maou would have to deal with all of these when he finally wakes up. Silently, Effee uttered a prayer to Shinou – a mute wish for the Maou to just remain in his unconscious state, at least for a little while longer, to give him time to recover, time to rest…

But her prayer must have fallen upon deaf ears. As they turned around the corner, Effee saw several guards and maids scurrying about, all exuding a general aura of excitement. Sangria stopped one of them to ask what was going on.

"The Maou is awake!" said one joyously. Her statement was echoed by the other servants, their faces mirroring each other's relief and delight. Sangria, Doria, and Lasagna joined in this small gesture of celebration at the Maou's recovery.

Effee smiled to express her joy at the news, but somewhere deep inside, she couldn't help but feel a sense of apprehension.

Yuuri-Heika had awoken – but to what precisely?

Lord Wolfram had disappeared.

The nobles were fighting against each other.

Dragons were sighted near the capital.

People were dying from an unknown cause.

War was upon them.

The Maou was finally awake, but with everything that had been happening, Effee's thoughts kept returning to one particular question:

What in Shinou's name could Yuuri-Heika do?

In more ways than one, waking up was excruciating.

Physically, Yuuri still felt weak and sore, still drained of all energy, still aching from all the burns he had suffered from the fire. Mentally, he felt sluggish, as if all capacity for thought and logic had left him entirely. Emotionally, Yuuri just felt…empty. Numb. Unable to feel the relief of surviving that fatal fall. Unable to hurt at the agony of Wolfram's disappearance. Unable to empathize with the panic and anxiety that had overtaken his advisors as they told him about the dangers that were currently looming over his kingdom.

Yuuri sighed, using his fingers to massage his temples. Instantly, the nervous chatter around him stopped and several concerned voices began to fire questions at him, left and right.

"Heika? Are you feeling okay?" asked Conrad, who was standing right behind him.

"What happened, Heika? Do you feel dizzy?" Gisela chimed in, peering at him from her spot beside Conrad.

"Heika! Please do tell us what is wrong!" cried Gunter, looking ready to fling himself at Yuuri.

"Shibuya? Are you sure you're okay?" inquired Murata, brows furrowed with concern. Even Gwendal managed to cast a worried glance in his direction.

Yuuri forced his lips into a thin smile. They'd been through this before. He would sigh, touch his head, or generally just make a simple sound or gesture. Everyone would abruptly stop talking or drop whatever it was that they were doing in order to fuss over him. Yuuri would assure them that everything was fine. No one would believe him and they would all would fuss over him some more. That had been the routine from the moment that he'd gotten out of bed, and it was already starting to get to his nerves.

He couldn't believe at first that he'd lost an entire week, just lying in bed, sound asleep, while the rest of the world fell apart. He wasn't entirely sure whether things would have turned out differently had he been conscious all that time, but the thought of what could have and what could not have happened continued to torment him.

Had he been awake, could he have done something to avert this impending war? He could have spoken to Antoine and the other rulers of the human countries. Maybe he could have convinced them that this malicious rumor – that Shin Makoku was secretly trying to dominate the entire land by imprisoning, capturing, and assassinating the leaders of the human countries – was completely false.

Had he been awake, could he have uncovered the truth about the dragons that were slowly advancing to the capital and the disease that was starting to kill his people? Conrad, Gwendal, and Gunter had repeatedly questioned Lord Maximilian and his companions, but their efforts had all been in vain. Could Yuuri have had better luck with the prisoners?

And also, had he been awake, could he have done something to stop Wolfram from leaving? Wolfram's decision led people to question his motives and ultimately, his allegiance to the demon kingdom and the Maou. Yuuri couldn't decide which was worse – the maids' dreamy conjecture that Wolfram and Damien were romantically involved or the nobles' pragmatic assumption that Wolfram had betrayed his own country for some political reason. Either way, in the eyes of many, Wolfram just wound up to be one of two things – an adulterer or a traitor.

Yuuri didn't know which one he'd prefer. The first alternative meant that Wolfram didn't betray the kingdom but lied about being in love with Yuuri. The second one implied that Wolfram might have betrayed Shin Makoku but that he might have also truly loved Yuuri. Thinking about the possibilities made his head throb.

"Heika?"

Yuuri turned to his advisors, waving his hand impatiently at all of them. He was seated at his table, supposedly working on the pile of paperwork that had accumulated in his absence. Gunter was assisting him by summarizing the content of each document so that Yuuri didn't need to go over it. The others just puttered about the room and offered their opinions where necessary.

Yuuri felt extremely uncomfortable with this set-up. The task in itself didn't require for the presence of so many people, but despite his assurances that he felt fine and was unlikely to faint any moment soon, everyone – from Gunter to Murata to Conrad and Gisela and even Gwendal – insisted on staying inside the room to watch over him.

Yuuri felt that it was completely unnecessary. And besides, their constant hovering only made him look fragile and inefficient. He didn't want to project that type of image at a time like this, especially now that the people's eyes were on him, watching his every move.

Yuuri said earnestly, trying to sound as convincing as he could, "I'm fine. Really, I am."

"You really should not be up at all, Heika," said Gunter anxiously. "You have done as much as necessary—"

"I am fine, Gunter. And I've put off doing my duties long enough."

"Yuuri," said Conrad in turn. "You don't have to push yourself—"

"I can handle myself," he answered in a low tone, getting slightly irritated at the glances he'd been receiving from the group.

Gunter tried again. "Heika, your health is our utmost priority. If you do not feel well—"

"I. Am. Fine. Now please, leave me alone." Yuuri didn't mean to say it so sharply, but he was just so fed up with everybody's coddling that he didn't care if he hurt anyone's feelings anymore. He just wanted them to back off.

Gunter seemed to get the message although he didn't look too happy about it. Nobody did. All of them continued to stare at Yuuri with varying degrees of anxiety and vigilance, as if they all expected him to fall dead in next to no time.

'This is ridiculous,' thought Yuuri wearily. He'd spent an entire day reassuring everyone – from the nobles to the servants to the soldiers – that he was physically and mentally capable of continuing his duties as the Maou. As expected, the nobles were much more difficult to convince, with some of them going as far as to suggest that Yuuri should already step down from his post. In the end, everything was put to a vote, and Yuuri scraped by with the support of von Wincott, von Christ, von Karbelnikoff, von Bielefeld, and von Voltaire.

But such reprieve came with a price. Along with retaining his position, the responsibilities that came with it became more taxing than ever, putting Yuuri in situations that challenged his principles, his beliefs, and most importantly, his feelings. With it also came a lot of issues that he was forced to confront and difficult decisions that he was obliged to make.

He turned to Gunter, waving his hand vaguely at the pile of documents on his desk. "Which should I do next?"

Gunter paused before procuring a bunch of papers from a separate pile and placing them carefully in front of him. Yuuri gave the documents a cursory glance before asking, "What are these?"

"Heika," the man began, "May I refer you back to the…er…discussion we had with the Noble House leaders yesterday. This one pertains to the…first issue…about the…er…most sensible course of action…with regard to the Shimaron delegates…"

Yuuri nodded, sparing Gunter the discomfort of having to recount the confrontations that took place at the meeting yesterday. Meeting with the leaders of the Noble Houses was one of the first things that Yuuri did as soon as he was cleared by Gisela to get back to work. Although Conrad and the others had already warned him that things were very tense among the nobles, Yuuri was still caught unprepared at the ferocity of the verbal dispute that took place.

Gunter had started matters off by explaining their decision to place all Shimaron delegates under house arrest. "I know you do not agree with this Heika," the man had concluded, "but it was necessary at that time. However, with the reactions from both Dai Shimaron and Shou Shimaron, perhaps we need to start thinking about deporting them instead…?"

Before Yuuri could give a response, von Radford had immediately argued back, "Releasing them would be madness. It is precisely because we have them that Shimaron refrains from unleashing its armies upon us. If we let them go, our lands will soon be swarming with human soldiers and Houseki-users."

von Radford's response sparked a series of rejoinders from the other nobles.

"But keeping them here would just corroborate their suspicions that we have indeed taken their leaders and their countrymen as hostages," von Karbelnikoff put in. "That's intolerable!"

"It does not matter at this point," von Rocheforte said. "Everyone believes that we have captured and imprisoned them. Whether we choose to keep them captive or release them would not change that, so why not take the course of action that would work to our advantage?"

"I could not disagree more," said von Wincott quietly. "What do the prisoners have to say for themselves in the first place? Are they not willing to cooperate with us? To go back peacefully to their lands and talk some sense into their countrymen?"

At this question, everybody turned to Gwendal and Gunter. The latter said carefully, "Saralegui-Heika promised that he would cooperate, but…"

"…prior experience tells us that he is not a man who keeps his promises," finished Gwendal.

"And this so-called Lord Maximilian?" asked Waltorana, speaking for the first time. "What does he have to say about the dragons? Did he confirm that he is a member of the Ryuzoku?"

It was Gunter who replied. "He…refused to talk to us." The man shared an uneasy glance with Gwendal before proceeding, "And aside from the fact that he is the same Lord Maximilian who apparently died ten years ago, we know absolutely nothing about him."

"And you are suggesting that we should just let him go?" asked von Gyllenhaal.

"There is no valid reason for us to continue to detain him," Gwendal answered.

"So you don't consider him suspicious?" asked von Radford, managing to inject an insulting amount of sarcasm into his voice. "This man just happened to miraculously rise from the dead. He just happened to resurface here to claim the throne of Dai Shimaron. And he just happened to have a pet dragon."

"Yes," said Gwendal testily. "And he also happened to be important enough that Dai Shimaron is more than willing to invade us just to get him back."

"So it all boils down to this, huh?" von Karbelnikoff remarked. "Detain them and we go to war. Release them and we might still go to war anyway."

"What should we do then?" asked von Wincott.

Everyone turned to Yuuri. "Heika?"

Yuuri sighed, already feeling the weight of the decision on his shoulders. "Release them."

The nobles glanced apprehensively at each other.

"You understand what this entails, Heika?" Gwendal asked.

Yuuri nodded. "I will talk to Sara. I think…I think I can persuade him to go back to Shou Shimaron and stop his generals from attacking Shin Makoku. He might listen to me."

"And Lord Maximilian?" inquired von Radford. "Could he be trusted to do the same? We don't know anything about this man, Heika."

Yuuri hesitated. Should he tell them? His gut feeling told him that it might not be the best way to go at the moment, but his innately honest nature took over. "I…know him."

von Radford's eyebrows rose to his forehead. "I beg your pardon?"

"Lord Maximilian. I've seen him before…in the other world."

Murata, who had been observing the exchange quietly in the corner, broke his silence to exclaim, "On earth? That man was on earth?"

"Yes," replied Yuuri tiredly. "I told you about it, at school. You remember the foreigner I was talking about?"

Murata lapsed into a contemplative silence, his face troubled. All around them, the nobles consulted each other about this latest revelation.

"All the more reason not to let him go, Heika," von Gyllenhaal pointed out. "That man is obviously concealing something."

Yuuri frowned, thinking things over. Finally he said, "I intend to talk to Lord Maximilian too. I will try to find out who he really is. But…like Sara, he will be released back to his country at the soonest time possible."

The nobles all stared at him – most in disapproval, some in mild disappointment – but nobody spoke up to contest his decision.

"Heika?"

Yuuri jerked into attention as his thoughts returned to the present day. Gunter was directing him to the parchments laid down on the table.

"Heika, these are letters to both Shou Shimaron and Dai Shimaron, giving the details for the release of Lord Saralegui, Lord Maximilian, and the rest of the delegates."

"Is it okay for me to sign these before talking to Sara and Lord Maximilian?"

"They were already informed, Heika. They were also told that you will be seeing them shortly after this," said Gunter. "Besides, the Shimaron armies are already on the march, Heika. These letters need to be delivered now."

"Fine," Yuuri mumbled, placing his signature and seal at the bottom of the page. "Why are they so eager to attack anyway?"

"I also do not understand their mentality Heika," Gunter muttered, whisking the signed letters away and handing them to a waiting messenger.

Yuuri watched the messenger disappear before turning to his tutor once again. "So, what's next?"

Gunter rummaged through the pile in the desk, pulling out a larger bulk of documents. He placed a parchment before Yuuri, avoiding Yuuri's curious gaze. "Heika, this one is an…order promoting Marcus as interim captain of Wolfram's troops."

"Oh."

Yuuri stared at the document. They were replacing Wolfram already. He gripped the quill in his hand, fighting hard against the anger that pulsed through his being. He signed the paper without comment and quickly pushed it out of his sight. He looked up at Gunter. "What's next?"

Gunter hesitated and said carefully, "This one is another order…for the search, capture, arrest, or rescue of Lord Damien and…Wolfram…"

"Search, capture, arrest, or rescue…" Yuuri repeated softly.

"Given that we actually do not know what happened to them, I have covered everything just to be safe, Heika."

Yuuri nodded, his thoughts going back to the other subject of discussion yesterday – Wolfram's disappearance. The things that were said regarding his fiancé were still fresh on his mind.

"Speaking of Lord Maximilian," von Radford had said with a meaningful look at Gwendal, "Lord Wolfram also knew him, am I correct?"

That drew an instant reaction from the group. The nobles all sat more straightly, eyes shifting from Waltorana to Yuuri. Waltorana's face suddenly became mask-like as he stared back at his peers. Yuuri felt a sharp, fleeting pain in his gut, but he shoved the feeling to the back of his mind and subsided once again into a quiet, unconcerned state.

"Is that true, Gwendal?" asked von Wincott.

"That is an unconfirmed report," answered Gwendal stoically.

von Radford scoffed at him. "Unconfirmed you say? My sources tell me that Lord Maximilian came to Shin Makoku to meet with Lord Wolfram. Lady Cecilie herself let slip that Lord Maximilian claims to be an old friend of Lord Wolfram's."

"So Lord Wolfram's treachery runs deeper than we originally thought! He has been dealing with Dai Shimaron behind our backs, and apparently, he has also struck another one with the Ryuzoku!" von Gyllenhaal surmised. "This is an outrage! How could you have missed this, Waltorana?"

Waltorana bristled with rage. "I'd appreciate it if you could stop besmirching my nephew's name with your loathsome, illogical conclusions—"

"Illogical?" echoed von Radford. "Your beloved nephew ran away with a Shimaron official! And now this! You seem to be taking everything so well, Waltorana. Tell us, does the Bielefeld House stand to gain something from your nephew's betrayal? Is there anything at all that you have neglected to tell us?"

"What in Shinou's name are you talking about?"

"Do not take us as fools, my Lord von Bielefeld," sneered von Radford. "I, for one, have noticed your lack of effort where searching for your nephew is concerned."

"I have sent some of my men to look for him—"

"Some?"

"Those who could be spared," said Waltorana irately. "My soldiers are already spread thin along the borders of my lands. As you well know, dragons were sighted within my territories—"

"And so were in mine," said von Radford dismissively. "That is hardly a valid reason to—"

"My men have found no traces that Wolfram passed through the Bielefeld territories, if that is what you are suggesting—"

"Or perhaps, your men – instead of searching for Lord Wolfram and Lord Schwarz – are in fact helping them to escape?"

Waltorana's eyes bulged with disbelief. "That is absurd!"

von Radford smiled grimly. "I'll have you know that I have sent my own men to track them down. They told me that they nearly caught up with them on more than one occasion, but each time, somebody seemed to be…interfering."

"And you are suggesting that I had something to do with it?" asked Waltorana. "I want Wolfram found!"

"Why do I have difficulty believing that?"

Waltorana stood up, slamming his hands on the table, fire emerging from the tips of his fingers. "I would not allow you to insult me or anybody from my House—!"

von Radford leaned back on his chair and smirked. The air around him started to swirl ominously. "The truth hurts, does it not?"

"My lords!" cried Gunter, aghast, "The use of Majutsu against another House leader is not permitted—!"

'Do they look like they care?' thought Yuuri, feeling oddly detached from the scene before him. A small voice at the back of his mind kept nudging him to react, to intervene, to care, but Yuuri didn't want to. He welcomed the numbness that engulfed his entire being with much relief and gratitude, because beyond it, Yuuri thought he might not be able to withstand the pain.

But he was the king. And like it or not, he had a duty to stop this nonsense and keep his people together throughout this trying period.

"Enough," he said firmly. "Both of you should stop—"

Waltorana turned to him, eyes burning with fury. "Heika! I would not allow this man to accuse my nephew of such nonsense! You know Wolfram. You know he would never—"

Wolfram.

Yuuri flinched at the sound of his fiancé's name but nobody seemed to notice his reaction. Everyone was too busy trying to talk some sense into the two fighting nobles.

"Heika," parried von Radford, "we know that somebody assisted Lord Wolfram and Lord Schwarz escape the castle. Your past relationship with Lord Wolfram aside—"

"Past relationship?" Waltorana cried out. "Wolfram is still engaged to the Maou—"

Wolfram.

Again, Yuuri recoiled, feeling his stomach twist painfully. The mere mention of his fiancé's name penetrated through his defenses…making him feel vulnerable…alone…

He couldn't think of Wolfram right now. There were so many things to do…people to talk to…letters to write…dangers to prevent…ordinary people to protect…

No, Yuuri told himself. He must not think of Wolfram. Thinking of him was more agonizing than any physical wound. Thinking of Wolfram was torture.

"—and Heika would do well to rescind that without delay. Lord Wolfram attacked the Maou. He obviously betrayed us—"

Wolfram.

Yuuri closed his eyes. He couldn't afford to think of Wolfram right now. He couldn't afford to break down…

"You have no proof—!"

"His actions are enough! For Heika to be engaged to a traitor—"

Traitor.

"ENOUGH!" roared Yuuri, surprising everyone including himself, into silence. He wasn't even aware that he had risen from his seat and was now towering over the nobles, maryoku bursting out sporadically from his body.

"Heika!"

"Shibuya, settle down!"

It took a while for the voices to permeate his clouded head, and when they did, Yuuri heaved a sigh of disgust before collapsing back to his chair. He forced himself to calm down, but when he spoke again, his voice still shook slightly with anger.

"This discussion is pointless. We couldn't know for sure what really happened that time when…when Wolfram left. I know you'll get tired of me saying so but,"– he put an emphasis on the word – "I trust Wolfram. I don't know why he did this, but he…he's the most loyal person I've ever known. He would never turn his back on Shin Makoku, or its people…or me."

"Heika," said von Radford after a beat. "You're not doing a very good job of convincing us, particularly when it seems like you could not even convince yourself. Face the facts, Heika. The guards heard Lord Wolfram asking a favor from Lord Schwarz. They were seen together some hours later—"

Yuuri stared back in defiance, but as much as he would like to argue with the man, he couldn't say anything. Wolfram's recent actions wounded him, and this in part had planted a seed of doubt in his mind – doubts regarding Wolfram's sincerity…his loyalty…his feelings for Yuuri…

Murata came to his rescue.

"Shibuya is well aware of the facts, my lord," said the sage quietly, drawing everyone's attention. "These are the facts: Lord von Bielefeld disappeared at about the same time that Lord Schwarz did. A guard apparently saw them together prior to that. No one has seen either one of them since." Murata paused, giving Yuuri a sideways glance. "But we can not know for sure that Lord von Bielefeld left the castle with Lord Schwarz or if he had, that he had done so willingly."

von Radford immediately protested, "I implore you not to distort the facts, Geika—"

"I am stating things as they are, Lord von Radford. Has it not occurred to anyone here that Lord von Bielefeld may be innocent of these crimes that you accuse him of? What if he merely saw Lord Schwarz escaping, and he set off in pursuit without the opportunity to raise the alarm?"

No one said anything. Slowly, Waltorana sat back down.

"Fair enough," said von Radford, but the expression on his face stated that he wasn't about to give up. "That might be a possibility, but if that were true, why hasn't he sent word to us until now? Besides, Lord Wolfram is a trained soldier, whereas Lord Damien is not. I find it hard to believe that he was somehow subdued by a human healer."

Murata replied coolly, "Perhaps Lord von Bielefeld is in a situation where he could not risk communicating with us. Or perhaps he simply couldn't. Also, you are forgetting that Lord von Bielefeld was not in the best of conditions when he disappeared. He was weak and wounded. In addition to betrayal, you might also want to consider another obvious possibility. The possibility that Lord von Bielefeld was…" – the sage paused for effect – "…kidnapped."

Again, no one said anything. Then von Radford laughed. "You have no proof that he was abducted, Geika."

"You have insufficient proof that he betrayed us, my lord," countered Murata, glasses flashing.

"Fine," the man conceded. "But there is only one way to find out, isn't there? Lord Wolfram must be found. And when he is, he has a duty to explain himself to this entire group. If it turns out that I am right and that he did betray the kingdom, I trust that Heika will impose the appropriate punishment."

For the third time, silence reigned inside the room. One by one, the nobles started to murmur to each other in agreement, except for Waltorana and Gwendal who were wearing identical expressions of extreme consternation.

"You agree then, Heika?" asked von Radford.

Yuuri mulled things over, his thoughts tainted with grief, confusion, and resentment.

Wolfram.

Yes, Wolfram must be found. Yuuri needed to talk to him, to know what the hell he was thinking about when he left – with Damien Schwarz of all people! He wanted to yell at him and rant at him for doing something so incredibly stupid, and reckless…and cruel.

Yuuri nodded, giving voice to his thoughts. "Yes, Wolfram must be found."

von Radford gave him a satisfied smirk. "Then I will say no more of this while Lord Wolfram remains missing. But once he is found, he will have to be tried for treason."

Yuuri hesitated. "He will be asked to explain."

"Whatever you call a trial, Heika," the man answered, rolling his eyes. "And if Lord Wolfram is found guilty, he must face the consequences. He must die."

Yuuri shook his head. "He won't."

"Treason carries a punishment of death, Heika. I need not remind you—"

"You don't need to remind me of anything, von Radford-san," Yuuri interrupted. "I merely meant that Wolfram will be able to explain himself satisfactorily. He wouldn't leave without a good reason." He stared obstinately into the man's skeptical eyes. "So he must have one."

"For your sake, Heika," said von Radford seriously. "Let us hope that he does."

"Heika?"

Once again, Gunter's voice startled him from his preoccupation. Yuuri glanced blankly at his tutor. "I'm sorry. I was…"

He made no effort to finish the statement. Instead, he loaded his quill, signed the order, and wordlessly handed it back to Gunter.

"I'll…I'll see that these orders are obeyed, Heika."

Yuuri nodded. "Is there anything else?"

"That's about it, Heika. You just have the meeting with Saralegui-Heika and Lord Maximilian after this."

"Okay. Thank you for your hard work."

Gunter's lips lifted into a forced smile. "There is just one thing, Heika. It's about…your daughter. Greta is extremely distraught at the…incident…she witnessed that night. And with these rumors regarding Wolfram…"

There was no need to say more. Yuuri swallowed hard and said, "I'll be with her after I've settled everything. Is there anything else?"

"I…no. None at the moment, Heika." Gunter bit his lip. "Shall we escort you to Lord Saralegui's chambers then?"

"Just…give me a minute." Yuuri looked away, wanting nothing else in the world than to be left alone. "Could you…wait for me outside? I'll join you later."

From the corner of his eyes, he saw Gunter give the others a doubtful glance. A silent consultation seemed to ensue among them. Then he saw Murata nodding and soon enough, everyone started to file out of the room. Conrad paused at the doorway to offer him an understanding smile.

"We'll just be outside the door," the man said gently. "Anytime you're ready…"

Yuuri didn't answer. After a second, he heard the door click shut.

Wolfram.

Yuuri rested his head upon the table, feeling more exhausted than ever. From the moment that he'd woken up, he'd exerted every effort to push his fiancé out of his mind. Against all counsel, he had immersed himself in work just to distract himself, and for the most part, he had been very successful.

How could he think of anything else when he had the mystery of Lord Maximilian's identity to keep him busy? When he had the troubling reports of approaching dragons and a strange plague to occupy his mind? When he had an impending war to contend with?

But against all reason, his mind kept returning to the last thing in the world that he wanted to think about.

He wanted to trust Wolfram, but something was weighing heavily on his mind and not even his taxing workload could distract him any longer from dwelling upon it.

Nothing could divert his attention from the fact that Wolfram left with Damien Schwarz.

Nothing could stop him from wallowing on the reality that it was not him that Wolfram needed.

Nothing could distract him from the glaring truth that it was not him that Wolfram chose.

Silently, Yuuri started to cry.

"We're here."

Damien turned towards the person who had spoken. Wolfram was standing atop a knoll, eyes staring out into the vast expanse of barren land that marked the edge of the Mazoku territories. Wearily, Damien trudged up to join him.

"So this is the end?" asked Damien between huge gulps of air. "Good. All this walking is really kil—" He stopped abruptly when he saw the look of guilt in his companion's face. "I'm sorry. I'm not complaining or anything."

Wolfram rolled his eyes. "You should be. I dragged you all the way here into something unknown and potentially dangerous. You have all the right to complain."

Damien made a face. "I told you I don't mind. But if it makes you feel better, I could grumble about your pigheadedness. I told you several times that you needed to rest but you wouldn't listen." His statement drew a wistful sort of smile from the boy, and Damien's heart fluttered with pleasure. Wolfram very rarely smiled these days. "What's so funny?"

"You're not the first one who called me that."

"Called you what?"

That wistful smile again. "Pigheaded."

Damien quickly deciphered the boy's vague statement and he came crashing back to reality with an agonizing thud. Of course. It was always about him. The Maou. Yuuri-Heika. He appeared to be the only one who could draw a reaction like that from his companion.

Damien should have known. He was now beginning to wonder if he could actually do this – to be in close proximity to the person he liked and watch the said person pine over somebody else. But what choice did he have? It wasn't as if he could let Wolfram leave on his own when the boy had specifically asked for his help.

"Damien? You spaced out."

"I'm sorry." Damien looked around despondently, his mood severely dampened by the other boy's remark. "So…what are we supposed to do now?"

Wolfram shrugged. "I'm not sure. That girl said that I should leave Shin Makoku. She neglected to tell me what I should do after that."

She. Wolfram never called the girl by her name and Damien had learned to recognize that in his companion's vocabulary, the words 'she' and 'that girl' referred to the person who gave Wolfram this puzzling, unreasonable task.

"But since we're here, does it mean that you have already completed the first task?" Damien mused. "So you'll be able to get what's-his-name's memories?"

"Frey Lombard," Wolfram supplied. "Just some of his memories, I guess. That girl said that she had two more tasks for me."

"But why go through all of these? Why can't she just give you the memories and be done with it?"

"I don't know." Wolfram glanced at him hesitantly. "Can't you think of something? I mean…you know him too, right?"

Him. Damien swiftly deduced that the boy was now referring to Ryuu – Damien's recently-resurrected brother. "I thought I did. But now…I don't know. If that girl was telling you the truth about Ryuu, then I guess you could say that I never really knew him."

"Strangely enough," said Wolfram, frowning at nothing in particular, "I feel the same way. Whenever I think of him…I feel as if I…I really know him…but at the same time, I feel that I don't…does that make sense?"

"No," Damien replied bluntly. "But with Ryuu, nothing ever makes sense."

"Seems like it."

They fell silent for a while, allowing each other some time to wallow in their own thoughts. Then Damien said, "It's not too late to turn back, you know."

Wolfram looked at him askance, his expression halfway between guilt and mild exasperation. "I can't."

"How could you stand this? You heard what the townspeople said about you. About us. They think that you and I—" Damien took a deep breath before saying the next words, "—eloped. They hate us."

"I know," said Wolfram lightly, "I think I even saw an effigy of you and me burning in that square we just passed by…"

"Not funny," said Damien, although a smile crept treacherously into his face.

"Seriously though," Wolfram said, turning towards him with a serious expression, "I'm truly sorry about this. I didn't mean to get you into trouble—"

Damien cut in, "I hate it when you do that."

"Do what?" asked the other boy, thoroughly confused.

"Apologize," Damien replied simply.

"I'm sorry—"

"You're doing it again, Wolf."

"I… " Wolfram hesitated, then sighed in defeat. "Fine…I won't apologize. I'll just thank you then."

"Better," said Damien approvingly. "As long as you don't make it a habit."

"I won't."

"Good." Then to steer the conversation away from their current topic, Damien asked, "So we're here. What now?"

Wolfram didn't answer him immediately. Instead, the boy took his time examining the desert-like land before them, his green eyes flickering sadly with what could only be grief and regret. Damien thought for a moment that the Mazoku might burst into tears, so he averted his gaze and pretended to be interested in an insignificant shrub just beneath his feet. To his surprise though, Wolfram held out his hand to him, and when he looked up, the boy was looking at him apologetically.

"You know what," Wolfram said in response to his earlier question, "I have no idea. But shall we go find out?"

Damien accepted the proffered hand and smiled. "Of course. I'll go anywhere with you."

Wolfram looked taken aback at his statement, but then he smiled back – a genuinely grateful smile that was directed solely at him. "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

A/N: Thanks to Jescafish, chocowilliams, yuUrAm-.a.-riwOLf, ARandomWeirdo, XEOHE, lilgurlanima, yuuram2fangirl, and kasmo for your feedback.

I am truly sorry for the very late update but a lot of things kept getting in the way. Still, I hope you enjoy reading another long chapter. (Yes, I'm compensating for the late update.)

Thank you again for the reviews. I may not have time to reply or make necessary corrections based on the feedback, but do remember that your suggestions and comments are duly noted.

Thanks for reading!