The queen might’ve been unpopular, and had more people against her reign than she did for it, but she had a couple of demons that could be trusted wholeheartedly. And that was why she chose them to become bodyguards for Orion. It was something that should’ve been done at the start, but with everything else going on, it had slipped her mind.

Orion was a human amongst demons, meaning that there would be plenty of them who would be against him becoming king. They already had a ruler they didn’t want, so they should have a say in who is king - or that was the general thought shared amongst them. Having bodyguards would ensure his safety, and something like what had happened with the teacher would never happen again. 

And there was also a need for him to learn to defend himself. Sure, in the human world, he had knight training and would be considered strong, but in this world, he wasn’t anything special. After all, the demons were much stronger and faster than him. And their senses were more enhanced than his own, meaning he was at a disadvantage: there was also the fact that he was in danger day in and day out.

It would also give him a chance to enhance his abilities related to becoming king. A queen can be strong on her own, but with a capable king by her side, she could be even stronger. 

Between doing her royal duties and spending time with Orion, Asteria also took the time to find a suitable mentor for him. It couldn’t be someone incompetent or against the ruling family but instead would do their best to guide Orion to reach his greatest potential. 

And, after painstaking effort, she found a master who was proficient in swordplay, languages and history, plus some other abilities that were needed. Asteria contacted them and was overjoyed when they agreed to come to the castle and teach Orion. 

Asteria instructed the servants to make up a room for the master and get everything ready for his arrival.

 A tavern sat on the outside of town and was hidden amongst the trees; no one would find it unless they went looking for it. This meant that the only visitors it had were thieves, mercenaries, and the like. Although this time the people inside one of the private rooms were prince Keir and his followers. 

In the castle, almost all of them were against the queen and some had decided to leave. Who would stay and work at a place where they didn’t have good feelings for the ‘boss’? After they left, Keir sent his closest aid to recruit them and join him in taking back the castle and the throne. 

The ruler could only be him. 

At this time they were poring over a map of the castle spread out on the table. Keir had drawn it up from memory as best he could, but there was always a possibility that there would be some inconsistencies. For now, it was enough to execute the plan. 

"Look at the map, memorise it and remember what needs to be done." Keir looked at each of them in turn and instructed in a clear manner. "We move out tomorrow."