New Chapter for the Highest Tier (May 2021)

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Archdemon Empress Luna

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Running her hands around her long silver hair, Luna glanced around the gazebo for the remaining guests as she licked her chapped lips.

The three of them were eyeballing each other in there for almost an hour, and the Summer King and Queen hadn't arrived yet.

Releasing heavy breaths, Luna massaged her temples.

The sun's fever must have passed on to her, giving her a massive headache.

Snow would be good right now, but that would be impossible in this Realm.

She was a vampire, but her body wasn't adjusting accordingly like Apollyon, and she didn't know why.

Something was wrong with her.

"Where are they, Empress Ourania?" Frowning, Luna wiped the sweat off her forehead before lifting her aquamarine skirts to bare her inner thighs under the table.

She will not care about proper decorum for now.

At least she hadn't taken her clothes off.

"The clock ticked and ticked to mark the passing of every second." Turning his head to check if she was alright, Apollyon's blue eyes fell on her milky thighs and stayed there, mesmerized that his callused palm abruptly landed on her left leg.

He murmured absently, "We are the Royals from the Vampire Realm. If you kept us waiting like this, I will see this as a disrespect later on."

'What a naughty gentleman.' Fighting a smile, Luna exhaled as if that would provide her the cool air she desired so that her gowns could at least be tolerable.

Her smile dropped when she became more aware of the texture of her clothes.

The gown she wore was one of many gowns the dressmaker from the marketplace delivered at Vinca Inn.

Did it have to be this hot if she wore these gowns, which already have a thin fabric compared to other Realms?

Weren't these clothes tailored and adjusted to the weather in this Realm, or her body couldn't adjust?

"We have all the time in the world, Empress Luna. King Apollyon. It's not like you are in a rush. There is no sign of imminent danger around," Empress Ourania scrutinized her son, and Luna swore those Prussian Blue eyes appeared like an eagle.

Her tone was a little sharp as well.

Did she know what Apollyon was doing, flirting with her and stroking her inner thigh in broad daylight while his mother was just across the table?

Luna's hand cupped the back of Apollyon's and pushed them out of her knee while she nudged her thick skirts down.

She might be inappropriate with her skirts earlier, but exposing her clammy legs will make her husband shameless as well. "—please be patient." Princess Ourania's tone was impatient. "I told you that they will be here soon."

"They aren't moving quickly enough. I'm not a patient King, Princess Ourania. We are not here to chat forever. If this isn't important, my wife and I have to move on." Apollyon informed Empress Ourania, and Luna supported him by saying, "Please understand, Princess Ourania. We have left our Kingdom for too long without its King's supervision."

Despite being surrounded by tall vertical hedges made of shrubs and other flowers blooming in the summer as well as the cool shade of the gazebo, Luna could still the heat prickling under her skin as it permeated in their surroundings.

The fabric of her gown pressed to the sweat trickling down her back and against her legs was an irritation she didn't need this morning.

Apollyon's hand rested on her back.

He must have noticed that she sweltered from the high temperature.

With the use of Fae Magic, Apollyon called on the winds to wrap around the gazebo to cool her skin.

Luna breathed a sigh with relief when her heartbeat slowed, and her body temperature decreased.

Her husband's attentiveness of how she felt at that moment was much appreciated.

"I wonder about that…." Empress Ourania trailed off as she narrowed her eyes at her. "I only heard that you were asleep for a long time in the Vampire Realm, Empress Luna, because someone have placed a curse on you."

She must be referring to the fact that they left their Kingdom because they have business at the Spring Courts.

"Yes, Princess. That's true." Luna replied while Apollyon rested his hand on her leg, which was already covered by the blue-green skirts of her frock. "The Spring Monarchs had helped me and my husband to find a witch doctor to cure me of my affliction."

Luna was amazed that she told a lie that in a straight face.

'"Hmm." A soft hum at the back of her throat. "Who was this witch doctor, King Apollyon?"

Raising an eyebrow, Apollyon didn't think that Empress Ourania would want to get the specifics. "I don't remember. I didn't give much importance to the old woman. I only bought the potion from her."

Luna kept her face blank, yet she was glad that Apollyon's countenance didn't change when he pulled those lies out of thin air.

Hopefully, their stories would match, and his mother wouldn't be too suspicious, but the way she pinched her lips together told Luna something.

Can a Faerie Monarch know if someone was lying, or was that only limited to the fact that they couldn't lie?

Princess Ourania might be a powerful Monarch from the Summer Courts, so she can probably get away if she attempted to lie, twist her words or find a way to move around it.

But what if what she told Apollyon was the truth—that it was King Gwythyr who separated the two of them?

Was Empress Ourania untrustworthy, or was she a mere victim of her own circumstances like Luna's experiences with the Archdemons?

"I find that strange that you didn't cure her first when you are well-versed with Fae Magic, Apollyon." Princess Ourania leaned in closer to the table and lowered her voice in a whisper. "Every Fae Monarch is well-versed with Fae Magic. What can the best witch doctor heal than a Fae Monarch couldn't fix?" A fake smile. "The Spring Monarchs didn't want to help you from the start."