A/N: Dear readers welcome to the first chapter of my son rewrite!!! regardless if you read the old version or not I hope you like the new version. leave me a review and let me know what you think.
There's an old saying: secrets do not remain in the dark forever.
During the reign of Shinou, Rufus Von Bielefeld never expected to fall in love with the king. The additional stress added to her already complicated life.
Her parents were unable to produce a male heir, which presented a serious problem since women are not allowed to lead. This forced her to take the place of a man instead, to keep the family's name intact.
The decision meant no one besides her parents and Siegbert, her oldest and dearest childhood friend, knew her real identity. Though her fate was decided a long time ago, she longed to be a regular girl again, like she used to be as a child playing with bows in her hair, when the possibilities felt wide open.
Then again, the only person she hoped would take notice is oblivious. Not only was it disconcerting that the Maoh did not know of her being a woman, but heartbreaking enough, he also didn't realize the deep burning love she harbors for him and him alone. Oh, who was she kidding? If he ever discovered the truth, she would just die.
But besides all that, the king has become increasingly distant, worrying the poor girl to no end. Together with that and the fact that the king only speaks his heart to his eminence set the girl on fire.
"Why does he insist on worrying me, Siegbert?"
Siegbert sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "You are aware his majesty is dealing with a lot. If anyone should understand the hardships of ruling, that should be you."
Frowning, she crossed her arms. "I do! But that doesn't mean keeping everything to himself or acting as if his eminence is the only reasonable one to share with!"
"As the kings retainer, you can't expect the same treatment as his eminence."
"She huffed in frustration. "I know that, Siegbert. You don't need to remind me of what I already know."
"Well, if you know then why-" Siegbert paused, an amused smirk slowly taking over his face. "Oh, I see."
Her cheeks reddened, showing Siegbert the evidence before she could even think of turning away. "Shut up!"
"If you love him, then why don't you tell him?"
"I can't do that!"
Something she swore as amusement flashed into his eyes, but before she could be sure, it was gone. "Why not?" He asked nonchalantly.
She placed her hands on her hips. "Why not, you say. Why not! She moved one of her hands around nearly poking him in the eye, causing him to take a step back. Isn't it obvious he thinks I'm a man!" Sheesh, how she wished to strangle Siegbert. He should know why without needing to ask.
"Well then, tell him. Don't you think it's about time his majesty knew the truth? Personally, I do." He stated calmly.
Her jaw clenched. "Sieg-!"
"What are you two talking about?" Lawrence asked from the library's entryway, scaring her and Siegbert, seeing as how he jumped nearly knocking into her.
She bit her lip to stop the bubble of laughter threatening to escape. It wasn't every day Siegbert jumped.
Siegbert cleared his throat. A faint blush colored his cheeks. Lawrence, what are you doing here?"
"My apologies. I did not mean to scare you." He smiled gently. The one he usually wore that creeped her out. She liked Lawrence, considered him a friend even, but honestly, no one could be that happy that often unless they were faking it, now that she could understand.
"It's fine. But like Siegbert I also wonder why you are here."
"I came to Covenant castle to see how everything is." He said smoothly before his tone took on a more serious note. "Where's his majesty?"
That piqued her interest. "Why do you ask?"
"A friend I correspond with mentioned the king was acting strangely. So I-"
"What do you mean?" Siegbert interrupted him.
"I'm not sure, except that whatever it is has worsened over the past couple of weeks."
"I see..." Siegbert mumbled. "Your source has good eyesight."
"Huh?"
"Ugh! Who's this friend of yours, anyway?"
"Rufus, calm down." Siegbert tried
"No!" She shook her head, holding up her hand. "I knew he was keeping something from us, but this time, unlike before, I'm not just going to sit around and let him treat me- I mean us this way!"
Lawrence's eyebrows shot up. "What do you suppose we should do?"
She smiled determinedly. "The only thing we can do, find out for ourselves what's going on."
Sweat dripped down Lawrence's face, forcing him to take out his handkerchief. "I don't think we should do this."
"A little late." Siegbert pointed out. "His Majesty and His Eminence just walked through the door."
"Be quiet." She whispered. Turning to glare at them from her spot behind the large plant, the three of them were hiding behind in the throne room.
"Majesty Shinou!" His eminence's normal, calm tone is filled with concern.
"The first time in my life I regret being as strong as I am." His Majesty sighed. "This powerful life force that doesn't allow me to be killed has gotten you involved in an endless fight as well. Forgive me."
"You don't need to apologize. This is the path that I've chosen."
"But..."
"Ow! My foot!" Siegbert exclaimed, moving away from her. She had accidentally stepped on his foot, trying to get closer.
"Hush." She said quietly. "They'll hear you."
"Eh? Who's there?" His Majesty asked.
"I guess the jig is up." Lawrence sighed, throwing in the towel too easily.
She rolled her eyes. How she long to strangle him as well. "No, it isn't. Be quiet."
Clearly not listening to her, she tried reaching out her hand in a failed attempt to stop him as he left the safety of their hiding place. That idiot!
"Please excuse me, your Majesty." Lawrence answered respectfully.
"Lawrence!? When did you get here?" The king asked.
"I'm here as well. Please forgive me, your majesty, for not coming out sooner." Siegbert's deep voice startled her, as she wasn't aware he had left her side.
No! Not you too, Siegbert. If she knew those two idiots were going to spoil everything, she would have gone looking for the king alone.
"Siegbert?" His Majesty sounded so confused. If it wasn't for the situation at hand, she would have found it endearing.
Unfortunately, she realized she had no other choice but to reveal herself as well.
Resigned, she approached. "Um… uh… I'm sorry." She apologized.
"Rufus?" Taking a deep breath in, his Majesty let it out slowly through his nose. Reminding her of Siegbert. "You're here too, I see."
"We did not mean to spy on you, your majesty. Please forgive us for our rudeness." Lawrence bowed, nearly touching his head to the floor.
The king glanced at all three of them, wary. "So, what are you three doing here?"
"I must confess," Siegbert said calmly. "Your Majesty has been behaving different lately. Rufus is very concerned about your welfare and-"
She spun to look at Siegbert, appalled. "Shut your mouth!"
"Rufus was worried?" His Majesty's forehead creased in bewilderment. I appreciate your concern, but it's unnecessary. I cannot have all of you being so overprotective."
"Even if His Majesty directly commands us to stay away, we'll figure out a way around it."
Siegbert! I did not say that!" She sputtered indignantly. Embarrassment coloring her cheeks.
Siegbert smirked, his eyes taking on a knowing glint. I never said you did.
His Majesty chuckled. "My, my, you two are really close."
"Your Majesty if I may." Lawrence interjected. "Rufus was extremely concerned. We did not mean to spy on you but, um... what you were saying just now, are you alright?"
"Hey!" She squawked. You did not need to add that in Lawrence. She thought as everyone seemed to ignore her.
The king's expression turned blank as he raised an eyebrow. "Didn't I make myself clear before Lawrence?"
Before Lawrence could answer, she turned her attention to his eminence, asking: "Your eminence does his majesty have any health problems?"
She ignored the strange look that passed over the king's face as she waited.
His eminence stood silently next to the king, close enough to reach out and touch. He watched her with a look in his eyes she couldn't decipher, but didn't respond.
The king pouted, pointing to himself with his finger. "Rufus, why do you ask him if I'm right here?"
"Because... your Majesty is... your Majesty is... a liar. As soon as the words left her mouth, she wished she could take them back.
"A liar!?"
"Rufus!" Siegbert yelled at her.
She didn't blame him. She felt the urge to apologize and pretend she had misspoke. Unfortunately, her heart decided now was the time to be honest. "Your Majesty is a liar. Hiding your issues from us, even when fighting the soushu, you hardly told us anything! You only reveal what's in your heart before his eminence. Are we really so untrustworthy in the eyes of your Majesty?!"
His Majesty sighed, sitting down on his throne. "It's not that I don't trust you, it's just that I don't want to get you involved in my problems."
"But you allow his eminence to get involved in them." Lawrence pointed out.
"That's because he allows me to be selfish."
"Your Majesty..." His eminence whispered softly. A hint of sadness in his eyes.
"He forgives me for getting him involved. That's why he's fine."
"I-"
"Rufus!"
Ignoring Siegbert, she continued. "I will allow it. Your Majesty's selfishness, all of it! If I do that, can you please allow me to get involved?"
The king's shocked expression broke her heart. Despite her best efforts, she could not stop the tears from building up and falling.
Concern clouded Lawrence's eyes. "Rufus, are you all right?"
Ignoring him, she buried her face behind her hands.
"Ah... Siegbert?"
She could hear the hesitation in the King's voice. This was a dumb idea. She should never have come here. Why did she think this was a good idea?
"Yes, your majesty?" Siegbert asked. She could hear his concern, even if no one else could.
"What's wrong with your partner? Did he eat something bad? Or...?"
Siegbert sighed. "No, I don't think he ate anything strange."
"Then... what's up with him? Does he have the flu? A fever maybe?" The king was clearly trying to understand. But she couldn't bring herself to care.
All she wanted was for this line of questioning to end. She was angry at herself for not keeping her mouth shut. Unfortunately, she feared she didn't have control over herself right now.
Rufus peeked through her hands and saw her childhood friend hesitate.
"Um… yeah... that must be it! He might have a fever." Heh-heh. Avoiding eye contact, Siegbert started knitting in mid-air.
His eminence sighed. "Your Majesty, you can't be making your vassals cry."
"Look, I don't know why he's crying." The king leaned forward, nearly falling off his throne with how wildly his arms were moving. "Hey! Don't cry!"
"Forgive me." She sobbed.
"What is going on with you, Rufus?" Lawrence asked.
"I'm sorry... It's nothing. I'm really sorry!"
A puff of air escapes the King's lips, moving the hair out of his eyes slightly. "It can't be nothing. There's got to be a reason."
"Please, just let it go."
The king threw his hands up in the air. "All right, I have no idea what's going on."
Your Majesty, that's enough. It's impolite to keep asking." His Eminence scolded, steepling his fingers together to rest on his chest as his eyes glanced towards her apologetically.
"What's impolite? I don't even know why he's upset!" The king took a deep breath, threading a hand through his hair before rubbing his eyes. "What did I say? I apologize if I said something wrong, Rufus. Will you please allow me to know why you are crying?"
"Your Majesty!" His eminence chastised.
"The reason?" What the heck was she doing?
The king smiled. "Yes, what is it?"
"I want your Majesty to tell me everything."
The king's eyes widened. "What? Siegbert, what's going on here?"
Siegbert glanced at her apologetically. "Even if you ask me that... well…"
She moved her hands completely, the weight of them becoming too much as paralyzing fear stopped her tears and drained her face of all color. Before she could start telling herself she was overthinking it. Siegbert wouldn't expose her secret to a room full of people, especially when one of them is the king. Siegbert said, "Rufus is in love with you, your Majesty."
She couldn't believe it. It was as if the world she lived in was no longer the world she lived in. Her body tingled and her heart ponded as sweat rolled down her face, mixing with fresh tears yet she felt cold. She would run away if she could. She was honestly surprised she was still standing and not on the floor unconscious. Why would Siegbert do this to her?!
Lawrence's jaw dropped, leaning back in shock. "W-W-What?!" He stuttered, his hands twitching.
His eminence chuckled. "Sir Lawrence, it took you a while, huh?"
His Majesty raised a hand, tilting his head to the side, confusion etched into his brows. "Uh, wait. I don't understand what's going on here. I'm not saying anything against liking someone of your same gender, but... if I'm not mistaken, doesn't Rufus belong to Siegbert?"
She covered her face with her hands again. If she couldn't run, she could at least pretend to disappear for the sake of her sanity. What did she do to deserve this?!
"What do you mean by 'belong'? I mean, yes, we've been friends since we were children and I work as her guardian but-"
She gasped. Turning into a weak woman barely able to stand under the weight of her suffering. She should have seen that this moment would be the one to break her. In her fantasies, the king finding out her secrets and them living happily ever after wasn't the same as it actually happening. She never thought she'd tell him the truth. Especially not like this! She never thought Siegbert would betray her.
"Wait, wait, wait! Hold up, what did you just say? Eh? Her?" The king exclaimed loudly.
"Your Majesty, Rufus is a woman." His eminence said calmly.
"A woman!? Since when!?"
Her condition worsen as time progressed. She loved her best friend dearly, but she long to kill him at that moment. He had ratted her out. Not just once, but twice, and both times are the biggest secrets of her life.
"The Bielefeld family didn't have any male heirs. For the sake of the family's survival, this strong-willed woman was raised as a man." She could feel Siegbert's eyes on her as he explained. She ignored him.
"My wise man, you knew about this?"
"Of course I knew. Besides, just by looking at her, you can tell right away that she's a woman."
"I had no idea!"
"Honestly, I'm not surprised. For a philanderer, you really don't pay attention, huh?" His eminence placed his hand on her shoulder, encouraging her to drop her hands and look up, before handing her his handkerchief. Blushing, she took it from him.
The king rose to his feet. "What did you say? In any case, is this flat-chested one a woman?!" He pointed at her.
"I'm sorry that I'm flat-chested!" She snapped, before her eyes widened in regret.
"Eh!? WHA..!? A woman!" Lawrence moved back into his previous position after having just straightened himself out. If she wasn't so upset, she would have laughed.
His eminence shook his head, sighing. "Sir Lawrence, it took you a while, huh?"
"Ah, I see. I get it now. That was not proper behavior for a king. Forgive me, Rufus." The king's eyes sparkled happily.
"I-It's fine…" She wasn't sure what else to say.
"I see. Heh. You know, looking at her now, she does have a cute face, doesn't she?"
Present time~ Wolfram Von Bielefeld was born on Bielefeld soil in Bielefeld castle. He moved to Covenant Castle a week after his birth to live with his mother and older brothers.
His mother became demon queen five years after his eldest brother was born. She's lived in Covenant Castle ever since until she retired. Now she only visits.
The reason she gave birth to him in Bielefeld castle instead of her home or elsewhere was because his father died two months before his birth.
That was her way of honoring him.
His father was the leader of Bielefeld and an only child. As he had not yet reached his sixteenth birthday, and chose between his parents' last names, a second cousin, who would have been the heir if he didn't exist, became leader until the day he took his father's last name and was declared leader and moved to Bielefeld castle. Leaving behind his mother and siblings.
He has never met his cousin and does not even know his name. He was gone by the time he made it to the castle.
He loves being the leader of his land. Loves his people too. There was just one problem: none of his family lived with him.
Living without family is difficult. Especially at night. He had trouble sleeping sometimes. During those sleepless nights, he would sneak down into the kitchen, take any sweets he could find, then run back to his room without getting caught.
He found the concept humorous, even though he knew he shouldn't since he was their leader. But the fact was, guards were sleeping on the job. A problem he later fixed.
The rest of the night was spent on the window seat, staring at the sky while he ate. He wasn't sure if anyone even knew about his sweet tooth. Or how big it actually was.
If he could, he would eat nothing but sweets. The next morning, like clockwork, regardless of whether he slept or not, he would start his day at seven and unlike most noble demon or half-demon men, he chose not to become a soldier, meaning he's never worn a military uniform in his life.
The majority of the time, he wears clothing appropriate for the occasion, except at night, when he wears lingerie or nothing at all.
He is a feminine man, five-foot, skinny, soft smooth porcelain skin, big emerald green eyes, long eyelashes, ruby red lips, hairless except for the hair atop his head, wavy blonde hair reaching the end of his back, who loves painting his nails and baking.
When he bakes, he reminisces about the times he and his siblings made cookies together. He hasn't seen his brothers since he was sixteen, but he writes to them daily.
He loves writing letters, especially to his brothers. They had a strong bond.
Growing up without a father, his mother acting more like an older sister or friend. He was grateful to his siblings, whom he thought of as his parents.
After their mother retired and they were no longer princes, his brothers remained at Covenant castle working for the new king instead of leaving.
Based on their letters, it seemed they both liked and respected the king, even if Gwendal wasn't his biggest fan at first.
He looked forward to meeting his majesty. He's heard so much about him and his progress with humans has been amazing.
He's never hated humans. When he learned Conrart was half-human, all he wanted to do was protect him.
He couldn't be happier that his Majesty was making peace between demons and humans. He would have met his Majesty by now if he had come to any of the meetings with the other nine aristocrats.
But he was always busy and couldn't make the trip. But this year, for the first time at ninety-two, he will be in attendance.
He honestly couldn't wait. He'd never been so happy to attend a meeting before. He's arriving two weeks early to spend time with his brothers. Since he was going to be at Covenant Castle anyway, he figured he could kill two birds with one stone.
An atrocious expression for someone who loves animals like him, but one that gets the job done.
All these years later, he is looking forward to being smothered in love by his brothers, not just through their letters and gifts, but in person.
He wasn't oblivious to the fact that they spoiled him and were overprotective.
Gwendal knitted stuffed animals along with scarves, mittens and adorable hats with animal designs. Not only for his love of real animals, but for his love of stuffed animals. He knitted a cute, cozy blanket in honor of his love of sleep, when he could actually fall asleep, that is.
When he ran out of his favorite paints, Conrart sent them to him. It's like Conrart had a sixth sense, seeing how he always knew when he needed more.
Which, to be honest, wasn't as often as he would like. Painting and sketching were hobbies of his. Both of which he enjoyed immensely and had gifted his brothers paintings and sketches throughout the years.
Gwendal and Conrart both sent him books. He loved to read his guilty pleasure being romance novels. It's embarrassing knowing his brothers know what he likes to read. In order to make it easier on himself, he tries not to think about it and accepts the books graciously.
Something that they did not send was alcohol. They hated the thought of him drinking. Even though they were aware, he did, in fact, drink and had a high tolerance.
He loves the relationship he shares with his brothers. Overprotectiveness may annoy some people, but he wouldn't change a thing.
Being wrapped up in his brother's love is by far the greatest feeling in the world. He simply couldn't wait to see them again and meet the king!
Based on their letters, he had a list of facts he knew about the king. He didn't take rumors seriously, but he believes his brothers.
Number one: The king's name is Yuuri Shibuya.
Number two: His current age is twenty-five.
Number three: He is half-demon. His father is a demon and his mother is human.
Number four: He has an older brother, thirty-one, named Shouri Shibuya. Who is the king of earth, married for two years to his long-time girlfriend, Dansui Shibuya. Together they have one son named kaito Shibuya. He is six months old. Dansui is a half-demon like her husband.
While it is unlikely for half-demons to have inherent magical powers, the king of the earth was blessed with water magic. His wife has no magical power, but their son is like his father.
Number five: Just like his own brothers, his Majesty's brother has a brother complex.
Number six: The king and his best friend, the great sage, otherwise known as ken Murata, both graduated from high school but decided not to attend college. Instead, they chose to live out their lives in the demon world with occasional visits to Earth.
Number seven: Conrart is the king's godfather and the one who named him.
Number eight: The king has improved tremendously since he arrived. Gwendal no longer has to share an office with him. He even beat Conrart sparring, which, as far as he was aware, no one had done before. In addition to having full control over his powers now, His Majesty and the original king are the only two with nine powers.
In total, ten powers are known, and they are not distributed randomly. Each family has its own power.
Spitzweg: Fire.
Voltaire: Land.
Wincott: Water.
Christ: Air.
Karbelnikoff: Lightening.
Gyllenhaal: Plant.
Rochefort: Crystal.
Radford: Sand.
Grantz: Poison.
Bielefeld: A rare form of healing magic, called dark-raven. Sea-foam is the only other type of healing magic, but compared to dark-Raven it might as well be non-existent. Dark-Raven is only gifted to members of the Bielefeld family.
Number nine: the king learned to fight by taking self defense/martial arts classes on earth.
Number ten: His Majesty has long black hair ending in the middle of his back, black eyes, tan skin and is six-two and muscular.
He gained more details over the years, but he knew his brothers did not share everything, and he knew they probably didn't know everything either.
He also knew despite being a noob in all things romance, the king fascinated him. He's never been interested in anyone before. Though he was aware, he only liked men.
The interest he has in his majesty has been going on for years. He initially asked his brothers to tell him about his majesty under the guise of curiosity and boredom. However, later it occurred to him that his aristocrat status might have been a better excuse.
He's scared to the point of hyperventilation at the thought of even being in the same room as the king. However, he knew that not meeting him would be more detrimental.
He was in love with a man he never met, getting his fix through letters his brothers sent him. His only hope in this life is that his brothers will never find out. God, he's pathetic!
A/N: What did we think???
