A/N: It's funny and interesting how many questions you guys have. Be patient, you'll know everything eventually.

I received such nice reviews last chapter, thanks a lot! I wasn't entirely confident about this fic at first, but you guys' support has been amazing so far.

Unfated Passion

Miku woke up with a strangled gasp, her heart pounding loudly in her chest and multiple beads of sweat running down her burning skin. It happened again. Every time she was falling asleep, she was having those vivid and realistic sinful dreams -or should she call them nightmares? The weirdest thing about them all was that she was always in the same room, in the same bed, with the same… individual. She could perfectly remember every little detail; the chamber was dark; the walls were painted in a dark red, there weren't any furniture around; only a large bed with satin sheets and several pillows. She was often tied up, making it impossible to struggle and pull away from her mischievous predator… The Queen of demons. In those dreams, she was often on top of her, trapping her under her enticing body, her voluminous breasts pressing against her back. She was wearing that smug and seductive smirk all the time —as if it was sculpted on her face.

Even though the princess always thankfully woke up before things would go too far, every touch and lips caress that the demon had been giving her felt too vivid for it to be a mere… nightmare. It made her wonder if succubi and incubi had the power to mess with someone's dreams. It would explain why she was constantly in the same room and why every touch was driving her insane as if they were real. If it was the case, she pondered why the Queen was manipulating her that way. Was it to destabilize her even further? She soon concluded that she was doing it probably for her own entertainment and satisfaction since Miku was almost sure that Luka was already aware that her teasing was making her feel exceedingly frustrated.

Sexual frustration…

The teal-haired girl was not stupid. She was still unfamiliar with those ardent and inextinguishable feelings, but she understood very well that what she felt was frustration; for the simple reason that she desired a lot more than those teasing caresses and seductive words. And she found it frightening. Sometimes, she wondered if sex was truly what she wanted or if that filthy demon was only messing with her mind. As scary as it was, she still hoped that it was the second option. A part of herself refused to give in to her. Nevertheless, her body couldn't lie… The way her pulse accelerated, the way her breathing became fast and erratic, the way her skin felt hot and the way her most intimate part embarrassingly got wet…

Miku inhaled and exhaled a few times. The Queen was a succubus so of course that she was the reason for all those strange sexual feelings. After all, before her kidnapping, she had never been interested in sex in general -or love for that matter. She was positively the one who was provoking those unwelcomed emotions.

The princess pursed her lips at her own thoughts. What did romance have anything to do with her current situation? Only lust and arousal were involved in the controlled and manipulated attraction she felt towards Luka.

A timid clear of the throat immediately pulled the kidnapped princess out of her reverie. She blinked in surprise and met with uncertain green eyes. It was that girl; the half-demon! As usual, she seemed nervous, her stance showing awkwardness and uneasiness. What was she doing here? Miku thought that they would have forbidden her to come in her prison especially considering the latest events.

There was a short moment of silence as the princess waited for the other girl to speak first.

"Um… I… I wanted to thank you for having interfered the other day. Without you, Lily would have continued bullying me for hours. S-She is truly frightening; she never leaves me alone... T-Though, maybe I deserved it this time since I was really—" Gumi stopped mid-sentence, her cheeks darkening considerably.

The teal-haired girl thought the blonde succubus was the less scary and intimidating one between all of them, but she supposed that she understood the half-human's fears since that demon seemed to be treating her like a mere toy. More exactly, no one in the mansion was treating her fairly. Nevertheless, she supposed that it had been nice of Luka to have given her food the last time. Despite her mischievous and cold demeanor, she believed that the Queen could be a little bit considerate of others' feelings at times.

Miku guessed that the greenhead had truly been peeping on Lily. It was a little bit shocking that she would spy on her like that when she was obviously often the victim of her wickedness. Although she knew that she shouldn't be; despite Gumi's behavior that was like one of a shy human, she was still half-demon. She certainly couldn't be one-hundred percent pure and gentle —no one was in the first place.

"I appreciate that you took the risk to come here to thank me, but you should leave," The princess whispered softly and sat up on the bed with difficulty. "I do not want you to get rebuked because of me again."

The half-demon stared at her with confusion apparent in her eyes, her head leaning on the side ever so slightly. She didn't seem to understand why the prisoned girl would be upset at the fact that would most likely get rebuked if anyone found out that she was here. She then lowered her gaze, a small and timorous smile appearing on her lips.

"I-It's okay, you should worry about yourself more…" She murmured shyly and closed her eyes for a few seconds. She seemed to hesitate before speaking again, her voice cracking; "I… I mean, I cannot tell you everything, and you are probably already aware of it, b-but the King is planning to kill you at some point…"

The princess wasn't too shocked to learn it. She had expected it. He was probably waiting for a crucial moment to do it. It still didn't mean that she was going to let him do whatever he wanted. He was powerless against her after all; he could only use brutal force. Although, judging from all those muscles he had, he was doubtlessly stronger than she was; she would have to find a way to escape the situation without fighting.

Even though she was currently keeping her calm, she was still afraid of death. She had no idea what to expect at all. Moreover, she didn't know if it was because the Queen unmistakably had the intention of betraying Gakupo, but she had the strong presentiment that his strategy wasn't going to work as planned. It was why that she still had hope that she could get out of this horrid place alive.

Nonetheless, now was Miku's chance to learn more about Luka. She hoped that the other girl wouldn't mind answering her questions;

"Do you think the Queen's plan is different from her King's one?"

Gumi's head shot up from surprise. She obviously didn't expect that question. She then looked around nervously as if she was making sure that it was safe to talk about it now. Eventually, she nodded indecisively, refusing to meet with the inquisitive teal eyes.

"I… I eavesdropped a conversation that the King had with Lily yesterday. H-He told her that his Queen was acting strangely around him. He knows that she is hiding something from him, but he cannot figure out what it is." She explained edgily, running her fingers through her dirty green hair. "I-It's obvious that she never wanted to be our Queen. She had been chosen by our people because she is currently the most powerful demon alive. She always seems indifferent and uninterested when it comes to making rules, so she lets the King makes most of the decisions. I-In my opinion, she is planning to free you and bring you back to your home. It is not the first time that she betrays him and it would be no surprise if she goes that far."

The princess took a minute of silence to reflect on it. She highly doubted that Luka was planning to free her. If she had wanted to avoid her capture, she wouldn't have helped the King to poison the cook's food and she would have most likely warned her about his plans beforehand. However, she did notice the Queen's indifference and ennui when she was talking with either Gakupo or Lily —it was as if she didn't want to be with any of them at times.

"What makes you say that she will free me? She told me that she hated humans and that she was seeking for vengeance."

"A-Ah, really? I… I still do not think that she has any bad intentions... S-Sometimes, the King doesn't feed me for days and she is often the one who brings me food. I… I suppose that she saved my life a few times because of it."

More Miku learned about Luka, more she puzzled her. Wasn't she the one who told her that demons lacked sympathy? If it was truly the case, then why would she be compassionate towards a half-human? She even told her that she was indifferent about what happened to Gumi once. Everything didn't make sense anymore. One of them was clearly lying to her. That multifaceted situation she was currently facing was giving her a headache. She absolutely hated to not understand what was going on.

The greenhead hesitantly approached the other girl and grabbed her hands, her clumsy fingers reaching for the rope that was holding her prisoner. She then tried her best to untie the solid knots. Once she did, she pulled away, her hands shaking hysterically. The teal-haired female's eyes widened. Why did Gumi free her especially when she seemed to fear the consequences that it would bring her?

"S-Since you helped me once, it's my turn to do it." Gumi declared with unsuccessful determination. "T-The other human is held captive in the room next to this one. I… I was thinking that maybe you wanted to have a talk with him… T-Though, I'm begging you, return here after you are done. Otherwise, they will know that I am the one who freed you."

Miku vacillated. As much as she wanted to speak with Kaito, she wondered if it was worth the risk. After all, she didn't want Gumi to get in trouble because of her again. However, before she had the time to tell her to tie her again, the half-demon hastily left as if she was scared to suddenly change and regret her decision. The princess sighed. She supposed that it meant she would have to be careful to not get caught.

Without a second thought, she silently went out of the room, walking on the tip of her feet. Even though she was trying her best to not make any sounds, the old wooden floor was cracking loudly each time she was making a step. She couldn't help but wince. She usually didn't care much about getting caught since she knew that they were not going to kill her yet, but she was doing it for Gumi's sake.

When she reached the door, she opened it and peeped inside. She immediately spotted Kaito; he was sat down on the bed, both his arms and feet tied together. It seemed like he received the same distressing treatment as her. She entered the room to let her presence known, closing the door behind her as noiselessly as she could. Once she did, she turned to the blue-haired noble; he looked very shocked to see her, his eyes like saucers.

"Y-Your Highness, you are alive!" He exclaimed a bit too loudly, staring at her with pure bafflement. "I thought that you were dead! He told me that you were!"

Miku quickly gestured him to lower his tone. Did the King tell him that they killed her? It wouldn't be surprising if they did; they had probably wanted him to feel hopeless about the situation. She took a breath and stepped closer to him, examining him closely to see if he had any injuries. She was relieved to see that he looked perfectly fine. However, she noticed that he was very pale and dark circles were under his eyes. He looked sick. She came to wonder if she also looked that way especially with her lack of sleep.

"Are you alright? Did they hurt you? Did they try to—"

"I am fine," The princess cut him off abruptly. "What about you? It was not very wise to play the hero and try to rescue me all by yourself."

"A-Ah well," Kaito cleared his throat and let out a nervous chuckle. "I wouldn't have normally done that, but there is an explanation to it."

Miku crossed her arms over her chest and impatiently waited for him to explain himself. He then avoided her gaze and bit down on his lip. Judging from his aggrieved expression, she instantly knew that what he was going to tell her was anything but good news.

"When I explained the situation to your parents, they immediately gave up on you. They thought that it was useless to cross the demons' territory since they concluded that you were already dead… I just could not stand still."

Those mere words felt like a stab in the heart. The princess couldn't believe it. Her parents didn't even try to send men? Did they seriously give up on her without a second thought? She knew that they had often been uncaring about her wellness, only concerned about their duties as King and Queen, but were they seriously that indifferent about her? Not only did it hurt, but it also shattered almost all her hope. Now understanding that she was all by herself, would she even be able to make it out of here alive? She didn't know anymore.

Miku brought a trembling hand to her forehead and exhaled deeply to try to calm down. For the first time since she was here, she felt like breaking down. Her stomach churned as several undesirable emotions slowly drowned her. She then clenched the hem of her shirt, hardly restraining the tears that were threatening to fall.

"A-Are you an idiot!?" The teal-haired female unexpectedly snapped, trying to replace her grief with anger. "Even so, playing the hero was not the most brilliant idea! You should have known that going in demons' territory alone was a foolish move, one that will lead to your death! We barely met; you had absolutely no reasons to do this for my sake! Unless you are doing it because you care about your King title to the point of jumping into the lions' den!"

Kaito gave her a sheepish, apologetic look, his eyebrows furrowing in concern.

"It has nothing to do with our arranged wedding. I… I fell in love with you at first sight and I—"

"Ah yes! This is totally the time and place to declare your love for me! Go ahead, tell me more about those feeling of yours, oh Prince Charming," The princess spoke sarcastically, easily detecting his lies; he was obviously only caring about his King title. "Try to find a way to get us out of here instead of speaking nonsense. Do you even realize that we are going to die if we wait for things to happen?"

The nobleman stared down, conspicuously perplexed by all the venom words coming out from the petite female's mouth. She then bit her tongue and immediately realized that anger got the better of her. She was not mad at him; she was mad at her parents. Eventually, she sighed and glared at the wall in front of her. Even though she could not count on her father's men anymore, at least, she could reassure herself by thinking that she was not completely alone in all that mess. She supposed that two persons' minds were always better than one.

"I cannot stay here for long. It would get both of us in trouble otherwise," Miku stated as she finally calmed down. "Before I return to my prison, I would like to ask you if whether you have any ideas about what is going on or not? The only thing I learned is that the King is planning to kill me, but I do not know why, how and when it is going to happen."

Kaito's lips curled into a snarl at the bad news, his body tensing up considerably. Judging from his sudden joyless expression, he wasn't pleased in the slightest.

"You are talking about the purple-haired demon, right? I knew that bastard was planning something! He was trying to get information from me the other day, but then, he ended up complaining about his power not working on me."

The teal-haired female gave a pensive nod. It seemed like Gakupo really was powerless against him too. It was only emphasizing the idea that someone's sexuality had something to do with how effective incubi and succubi's power could be. Either Kaito was not attracted to men in the slightest or his sexual drive, in general, was enormously weak. It was only making her feel even more remorseful about the fact that she was extremely vulnerable against the Queen. It was why she decided to keep that piece of information to herself.

"Did you meet the Queen? She has long pink hair and is often seen wearing skimpy dresses," Miku described, wondering if Luka had the same penetrating impact on him.

The blue-haired man immediately shook his head.

"I believe the King is the only demon I have seen so far," He said candidly, his gaze suddenly imploring. "Can you untie me? Maybe we could try to get out of this place together."

As tempting as it sounded, the princess knew that it was a bad idea. She was near certain that they would get killed the moment that they would make a step outside. The only way to get out of this fearful situation was by waiting for an apropos and critical moment. Furthermore, she didn't want to put Gumi in trouble by taking that imprudent risk.

"It would be unwise to try escaping when we are unaware of the dangers that we may encounter outside," Miku explained simply and gave him a sympathetic look. "I am sorry, but I have to leave now. I will try to come back another time to check on you. I am only here because someone helped me. I must return in my prison now or else I will put that person in unfair trouble."

Knowing that Kaito was about to protest, she quickly left and closed the door behind her, leaning her back against the wall to ponder on the recent events. The excruciating pain in her chest refused to leave her. It would have been better if she hadn't learned about her parents having decided that she was dead. It was crushing all the determination she once had. At the same time, it made her want to return home and prove to them that she was still alive and well.

After taking a quivering breath, she headed back to the King's chamber, but stopped in her tracks the moment she spotted the Queen's room; the door was wide open and a dim light, coming out from it, was illuminating the dark corridor ever so slightly, signalizing that an individual was in there. Her throat burning from newfound curiosity, Miku silently approached the room, being extra careful not to make noises that would raise suspicions about her walking freely in the mansion.

She discreetly peeked inside the room and her breath promptly got caught in her throat, her eyes widening at the sight in front of her; Luka was completely naked. Her smooth-looking hair was cascading over her shoulders, framing her perky breasts. Her toned stomach was giving way to hips that had a sensual feminine curve. She was devoid of any perceptible flaws. Her outstanding perfection would be enough to make almost every female feel envious and self-conscious about their physical appearance. In other words, her body frame could effortlessly be described as sexy, elegant and womanly.

The kidnapped princess found herself stare at every inch of skin that she could find, her heartbeats accelerating in excitement, a tingly sensation spreading all over her body like a blazing fire. She couldn't pry her eyes away; she was completely entranced by the beauty in front of her. It was as if time stopped for her sake; for her to enjoy this moment shamelessly.

Soon enough, she noticed that the Queen's skin was getting flushed and that her breathing was becoming louder and faster by the seconds. It took Miku a few seconds to fully realize the situation that she was currently facing; Luka's hand was between her own spread legs as she was fiercely caressing her most intimate part, her eyes glistening with seemingly imperishable lust. The moans and gasps that were escaping her soft-looking lips sounded mature and very erotic. Needless to mention, she seemed to be enjoying herself; the intense pleasure, that was obviously washing over her, was making her rather well-built body look weak as it was shuddering constantly.

The teal-haired female felt her face heat up, her heart beating wilder in her chest. If she would have known beforehand that this was happening, she would have directly returned into the King's chamber. As much as she wanted to leave right now, she couldn't; her body was completely frozen in place as her curious eyes were shamefully roaming over the fevered demon's figure. She didn't know what to think of what was happening, but it was stirring burning and fervent emotions within her; her mind was slipping further into a haze of excitement and an abrupt and inextinguishable hotness was growing between her own thighs.

She was starting to grab ahold of the situation; she was currently experiencing what she was feeling when Luka was using her power on her. Arousal. Sexual arousal. However, contrary to the other times, it was not controlled; it was her own body reacting this strongly. She didn't know what was provoking such strong feelings; was it because she thought the Queen looked incredibly sexy in that fevered and submissive state or was it because it was making her even more curious about whether sex truly felt that good or not? She had never tried to give herself pleasure before; it never once crossed her mind.

Finally, Luka's body visibly tensed up as she seemed to have reached a climax, spasms of pleasure taking over her as she let out one last moan —one that successfully made Miku shudder because of how pleasantly erotic it had sounded. There was a moment of silence as the succubus was trying to regain her breathing, her face showing a little bit of exhaustion. As soon as she entirely calmed down, she heaved a long sigh, frowning at no one. She looked dissatisfied despite how much pleasure she had seemed to have given herself; it was as if what she had just experienced wasn't enough to fulfill her needs. It was almost right to say that she looked… bored and frustrated. And… lonely? The princess could swear that she had seen a sad expression on her face for very few seconds.

Eventually, a gentle growl escaped the Queen's mouth, her jaw clenched in sudden annoyance.

"Are you going to show yourself, insolent human? I can sense your aura."

Miku froze. She thought that she would have stayed unnoticed since she was nearly certain that, from the angle she was in, she couldn't be seen by her. Although, she had admittedly completely forgotten about demons being able to sense her aura; it was how Gakupo had almost found out that she had been hiding in the closet the last time, after all. How could she have let that detail slip?

Before she could even try to escape, she felt a hand grab her arm firmly. She was then pulled inside the room, the door closing behind her with a loud thud. A gasp escaped her mouth as the Queen aggressively pushed her against the wall, her nails digging into her shoulders.

"I cannot believe the half-human had the boldness of untying you. I must make sure that she will get severely punished," She spoke through clenched teeth, grabbing Miku's chin to force her to look up at her. "She freed you, did she not?"

The princess closed her eyes, refusing to meet her gaze. There was no way that she was going to tell her. She already felt guilty by the fact that she betrayed Gumi; she had looked so scared about getting caught… And she was most likely going to get hurt by her fault again. She wanted to tell Luka that she was not the one who untied her, that she had done it on her own, but she knew well enough that she was not going to believe her. She painfully stayed silent and let out a huff.

"How about you punish me instead? I am the one who forced her to untie me, so it is mostly my fault, not hers."

There was a long moment of silence in which Miku dreaded for the worse. She then opened her eyes only to see that the Queen was entertained by the situation, a smirk playing on the corner of her lips; it was obvious that she was not believing a single word that she was saying.

"Taking the blame for her sake again, I see…" She scoffed, pulling away and crossing her arms over her bare chest. "You humans are such idiotic beings. You have no bond with that half-human whatsoever; asking to be punished at her place is completely irrational. I fail to understand your train of thoughts."

The princess made the mistake of letting her eyes travel down the succubus' body. She had totally forgotten that she was naked! What happened earlier came back to her mind as fast as it left her. Even though she had been able to memorize almost every detail on Luka's perfect figure, she found herself stare with the same passion, curiosity and desire glittering in her eyes.

The Queen seemed to have noticed her bewilderment and temptation apropos her body since her smirk grew wider and smugger.

"You dared to repeat several times I am filthy when you have been enjoying to watch me take care of myself; how very hypocritical of you," The pink-haired demon swiftly returned to her seductive self. She approached her ear and breathed excessively in it, immediately making Miku tense up. "You have been watching me with such strong curiosity and interest; it was very thrilling to sense your sexual aura grow stronger by the seconds. Knowing how aroused it was making you, it was helping me reach my orgasm."

The teal-haired human's throat tightened, her pulse quickening. She couldn't believe what she was hearing; Luka had known since the very beginning that she had been watching her! More importantly, she helped her to reach her… orgasm? Flustered, she looked away and hugged herself in a protective manner, biting down on her lip strongly. The spiteful words she wanted to speak were stuck in her throat; she was unable to say anything.

"It is only fair that you let me see you take care of yourself, now." The Queen continued, her voice sounding deeper and more erotic.

Miku's eyes widened in shock. There was no way that she would do that. That demon was obviously trying to get reactions from her. She was about to get angry at her, but she soon froze as the room suddenly got hotter, piercing blue eyes staring right into hers. Her legs instantly became wobbly, her mind gradually drifting away while a welcoming and electrifying warmth enveloped her body. The princess knew what was happening; the Queen was using her power on her again! She pursed her lips and tried to focus on the situation as much as possible, refusing to let herself get manipulated now more than ever.

"Strip down."

The teal-haired female then complied without hesitation, her fingers hastily reaching the hem of her blouse. She was about to unbutton it, but stopped herself at the third button, slowly realizing the situation wasn't normal; she didn't want that. She was getting pushed to do it. She knew it, so why was she so willing to undress for that filthy demon? She had to… focus. She closed her eyes tightly and took a deep breath. The oppression she was feeling was slowly starting to disappear. Luka was trying to humiliate her!

"I-In your dreams, demon…" Miku managed to utter with great difficult. Her mind was still slightly hazy —as if someone was trying to take possession of her thoughts.

The princess then felt everything return to normal, the tingly sensation in her body and the coercion she had been feeling completely gone. It took her a few seconds to realize that the Queen had unpredictably stopped using her power on her. However, she stopped breathing the moment she met her eyes again; they were filled with hunger and privation. Miku had a bad presentiment about what she was planning to do next. She was about to try pulling away from her, but the succubus suddenly grabbed her wrists and turned her around with unbelievable ease. The next thing the princess knew was that she was completely trapped between the wall and Luka's generous body; her bare breasts pressing against her back. It was as if she could feel the incredible softness of her skin even through the thin fabric of her shirt.

"Why must you be stubborn, human? My power has so much impact on you and you still refuse to be wrapped around my finger." The Queen whispered with irritation.

Miku honestly thought that she was angry at first, but she soon realized that it wasn't the case. She could feel the other female's erratic and warm breathing on her neck. It was making her shudder and it was sending her jolts of anticipation. Luka was starving for sex; she could tell from how hot her skin was getting. She also swore that she had heard a low moan at some point. She didn't know if it was because the Queen still felt unsatisfied from her earlier playing or if something provoked that hunger.

The princess tried to remain calm. Struggling would end up being useless; the succubus was using her entire body weight to keep her in place. Moreover, she couldn't bring herself to push her away. Her own skin was starting to burn from excitement, her heartbeats going wild in her chest as she understood that there was a high chance for things to go out of control. Miku clenched her eyes shut when soft lips finally reached her neck. Luka was gently nibbling on it, easily eliciting a gasp from her. Why did her skin feel so sensitive there? Each time Luka was grazing her teeth on a certain spot, fierce shivers were automatically going down her spine. It was unbelievably pleasurable. She unconsciously found herself wanting more and she was aware that it was not because the succubus was using her power on her this time since she was sure that she wasn't.

As if she guessed what she desired, Luka pressed her body further against her petite frame, one of her thighs slipping between hers. Right at that moment, Miku was starting to realize that she was on dangerous ground; things were going too far. She couldn't say that all those mind-blowing sensations weren't pleasing, but she also refused to give herself to a demon that only wanted to show her superiority to her.

"Stop…" The teal-haired female managed to utter. Although it had sounded far from convincing; her voice was both weak and suppliant.

"Really? Do you want me to believe that you desire to stop when you are clearly enjoying what is happening?" Luka's seductive words were making her tremble almost in pleasure. "Your body reacts so much to every of my touch, your sexual aura is at its peak… I do not even need to use my power on you to arouse you to this extent. Besides…"

Miku gasped in shock as the succubus started to rub her crotch with her thigh, the new astonishing sensation instantly making her weak in the knees, sending her intense jolts of pleasure throughout her whole body.

"You are already this wet, little maiden…"

At this point, the princess couldn't think properly anymore; her mind was blank, and each quivering breath that was coming out from her mouth was being transformed by either a gasp or a moan. Luka's hand then slipped under her blouse, her fingers traveling up her stomach at an agonizingly slow pace, reaching for her bust…

Right at this instant, the door sharply opened, interrupting their risky time. Even without looking, Miku knew the intruder was mad the moment she heard an inhuman growl. She turned around dreadfully and her worst fear about who it could be was revealed to be true; the King. His lips were curled into a snarl, his eyes glaring daggers at the scene in front of him.

"When I heard all this ruckus, I thought that you were with Lily, but this is certainly the last thing I expected to see. Care to explain what you are doing with the human, my Queen?" Gakupo asked with deep suspicion, staring at his Queen defiantly —as if she was the enemy.

"She escaped from your chamber. I was only punishing her for her misbehavior." Luka spoke with a surprising calm, putting on her typical indifferent and expressionless face.

At the news of the human having tried to escape, the King frowned in anger. He then approached Miku and grabbed her wrist, harshly pulling her towards him. If her heart had been beating fast from excitement earlier, now it was doing it out of distress. This whole situation screamed danger. She wasn't certain of her safety anymore.

"And you call what you have been doing punishment? I can show her what that word truly means."

However, before Gakupo could do anything drastic, Luka stepped in front of him, annoyance spread all over her flawless features.

"Did you not say that we need her unharmed for now? Stick to your plan."

There was then a long moment of silence as if the King refused to believe that his cherished one was standing against him. As reassuring as it was, Miku still had the feeling that the Queen was doing it for her own sake, not hers. She also knew that it was better for her to stay silent or she knew that it would possibly make the situation worse.

"How about you stick to my plan, my dear?" Gakupo retorted. "You have been acting suspiciously for a while; I know that you are planning something behind my back."

Before the succubus could place another word, he pulled the human out of the room. Then, without saying anything, he returned to his chamber, his eyes fierce and unforgiving. Once they were inside, he grabbed the ropes on the bed and started to tie Miku with indelicateness. She tried not to wince at how tight it felt around her wrists. She was then pushed on the bed before her ankles received the same harsh treatment.

"If I learn that you tried to escape again, I will not hesitate to change my plans and make you suffer until you will beg for me to kill you to obtain liberation."

The princess' throat tightened at how genuine his words seemed to be; it was obvious that he would do it. Seeing that he was waiting for her to say something, she only nodded shakily and looked away, pursing her lips in a thin line. He then left, throwing at her one last warning glance.

Miku had honestly never felt this scared in her whole life. She couldn't have even found the courage to be her usual brave self. Demons were all heartless monsters who were incapable of feeling compassion. In fact, they enjoyed making others suffer. It was starting to make her realize how different Luka was from them. Even though Miku had tried to defy her many times, even though she had escaped more times that she should have… The Queen never had tried to hurt her while the King and Lily wouldn't have hesitated to do so even if it went against their plan. The only unpleasant things Luka did were seducing her, teasing her, humiliating her and controlling her —which all sounded better than getting physically hurt.

What was she going to do now? She could only hope that the Queen's upcoming betrayal was going to save her life.