A/N: The chapter ahead has been grammar-checked but may need proofreading and editing. The author will do so if she has free time in the future.

 

***

 

"His Majesty the King has arrived—"

 

LIFE made his way to his wife's labor area by shoving the imperial announcer aside. In minutes, he sprints from the palace's main entrance to her room on the third floor.

 

He thrust the twin doors open with his powerful hands and surprised everyone in the expansive bedroom. In response to the heart-dropping surprise, they jumped and screamed. LIFE didn't pay them attention at all. Even though he was out of breath, he took giant steps toward her and kissed her forehead.

 

She murmured weakly, "You came...?"

 

Her worn-out expression screams, "exhaustion." There are dark circles under her eyes, which is unusual. Then there was the fact that she had wrinkles for the first time."

 

"Of course, I have to be here."  He kissed the back of her hand. Empress Siofra smiled as she cradled his hand on her belly.

 

When he turned to face the people in the room, the sweetness of his expression changed into roughness. "She's been in labor before I left, and she's still laboring now that I have returned? How can you tell that our baby is still alive? "

 

Voltage Xirquit, whom they believe is the only man with fearless guts, is the subject of their sneaky glances. They expect him to be the one to answer the demon lord in front of them.

 

"She's been laboring for four days now. And I can confirm that your baby is still alive—-"

 

"How am I supposed to believe you when this baby has been inside her for 21 years!?"

 

They all covered their ears simultaneously when he opened his mouth to roar.

 

The infuriated quadruplets pout angrily at their father because of the unbearable noise he makes.

 

"Why are you yelling so loudly, Dad!? How annoying!" Before he unleashed a wave of flames, Fiery screamed in frustration. Nobody was alarmed because Ocean was right there to douse the fire with his water and extinguish it.

 

"Your yelling is getting louder and louder, too! You're making a lot of noise, too! You're just like him!" To his brother, Zephyrus points his finger. Because of his accusations, Fiery's face deteriorated further.

 

Terra sighed, "Brothers, please don't fight," as he walked between his brothers.

 

Their eldest brother, while giggling, walked up behind them and sank to their level. Those who dislike him patting their heads smack his hand away, and it's only Fiery. Terra and Ocean liked his head pats. Their cheeks were in a rosy blush as they expressed a small smile. 

 

"Your hand enrages me! Only Mommy can touch my head!"

 

Izaac's laughter grew more raucous. "Oh, please forgive me; I promise not to do it again," he said while patting Fiery's head.

 

A dragon-like breath of fire spewed out of Fiery's mouth at his older brother. Izaac smiled sweetly as he drifted the fire breath's path toward the open window, avoiding it with a chuckle.

 

When Davorin, the family's third son, arrived, he sighed at the scene that welcomed him. It's not a surprise anymore, but it still gets to him every time. 

 

"It's easy to see why the baby resists the urge to be born. She probably thinks you are savages," he commented as he approached his mother. He leans in to kiss her on the cheek with a slight smile.

 

"Davorin!" They chanted his name, welcoming him.

 

Empress Siofra just nodded and gently nuzzled her son's face.

 

Until that smile turns into a wince.

 

They were alerted by the sudden change in her expression. As a result, Voltage and Xerene, the two doctors, took the lead. Davorin stepped back. LIFE knelt beside her before encasing her hand between his palms.

 

Fiery advances beside her with a frightened expression on his face. He called her shakily, "Mom," 

 

Empress Siofra smiled and gently caressed her son's face.

 

As Xerene moved in front of the Empress's separated legs, the Empress drew in heavy and sharp breaths. Voltage will keep an eye on her vital signs from the other side.

 

At the same time, anticipation and anxiousness filled the room. They can't stop themselves from biting their nails and crossing their fingers. Their anxiety and worry are gnawing them from the inside, and they know it.

 

They've been reassuring everyone that the Empress's pregnancy and baby are both healthy and sound. They are confident that the baby is still alive, but they cannot help but be concerned and uncomfortable about it. It is true when LOFE said that the baby's been in her womb for 21 years now. This is the first time something like this has ever arisen. The children of Empress Siofra were only in her womb for a short time (5 or 6 months at most), and they are perfectly healthy and normal. The only thing unusual about them is their extraordinary magical ability.

 

The Heart Palace has been home to Voltage and Xerene for two decades. In addition to the mage doctors, they become the Empress's most trusted doctors. Their heads will be separated from their necks if they are wrong. It's engulfing them. Fear is nibbling them away from the inside out, despite how calm and natural they appear on the surface.

 

Knowing LIFE, he will not hesitate to have their heads chopped off if they discover that his child is long dead, even though they are two of their most reliable confidants.

 

"M-Mommy, is it hurting you?" Fiery asks his distraught mother with teary eyes.

 

She told him she was right with a wry smile before her mouth gaped open, and she screamed as she pushed her child out.

 

"Mommy!"

 

Izaac swoops in and grabs hold of Fiery as he attempts to climb the bed.

 

"I don't want a sibling again! Never again! The baby is hurting you!" Zephyrus sobbed. Izaac laughed at his brothers' reactions. Terra and Ocean were still beside him, watching 'normally.' They knew their Mom would make it. And they are not as shallow as Fiery and Zephyrus. 

 

"Sio, you need to work even harder! The head is visible now!" Gasps were heard as Xerene waited for the baby to come out.

 

After seeing its hair color and the two protruding objects on its head resembling horns, Xerene comes to a complete halt.

 

"Xerene, the newborn!" Volt's call brought her back to reality. That's why she had to remove the baby. When she slapped its butt, it started crying.

 

Astonishingly, they cannot believe the baby's appearance. The paint on its nails and toes is pitch black. Her nails resemble claws in shape. Sharp. And its hair color is very different from that of its parents. Instead, it reflects the moons' silvery glow. And her ears...

 

They are not natural ears but pinkish buds. Like a flower bud. A familiar, pinkish flower bud. 

 

Empress Siofra's baby is a mystery to them, and they refuse to accept it.

 

Voltage's stares dropped to its genital area.

 

His eyes grew wide. As soon as he realized the third lady was born, he bent his knee and bowed his head in reverence.

 

"Congratulations on the birth of Her Imperial Highness, the third lady of Heart,"

 

They gasped in bafflement at what he had to say. After checking the newborn's private parts, Xerene nearly cried with delight. As they knelt in reverence to their little sun, they put aside any thoughts about her strange appearance.

 

Tears and sweat mix on the Empress' face. With her free hand, she reaches for her first daughter: her very first daughter.

 

"How can this be? Is this real?" LIFE was at a loss for words when expressing his feelings. His facial expressions are constantly changing. He tries to hold back the tears with trembling lips, but they leak out.

 

He exchanged passionate glances and smiles with his wife before fusing their brows. They burst into tears of joy. They finally have what they've been waiting for. They had hoped for another child. Having many sons is advantageous because Princes are associated with passing on their lineage. But a Princess, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, is in their arms.

 

"Look how lovely she is. Our daughter... My daughter..." Empress Siofra caressed the Princess's face with her cheek. She continues to cry, but nothing can be heard above the sound of their rapid heartbeats as a result of their joy.

 

The sons gathered around the bed. With their happiest smiles, they held their mother and beautiful sister tightly in their arms.

 

"Wow, I worried for nothing!" Zephyrus boisterously laughed. 

 

"Good that you know how stupid you and Fiery were earlier," Terra nonchalantly commented. The three turn to Fiery and catch him about to bite their sister's fingers.

 

As Voltage approaches, Xerene's gaze is tinged with nervousness and skepticism. Voltage is feeling the same sensations, but he can't bring himself to ruin their intimate moment because of it.

 

...when LIFE gave them a look of impending execution.

 

That was when they realized they owed him and the Empress an explanation if they still wanted to keep their head and necks intact.

 

***

 

"Now, Xirquits, I'd like a word from you."

 

By Volt's side, Xerene stood firm. She's pale; she cannot focus, for her intertwined thoughts are chaotic. No matter where she turns, there's no explanation for the Princess' bizarre appearance.

 

The Empress had been her home for 21 years. They don't know why she stayed inside her for that long. Although they offered to perform a cesarean on the Empress several times, she refused each time, claiming that her baby wasn't ready yet and its development was still ongoing.

 

Xerene muttered, "W-We don't know what to say, Van," as she refused to look him in the eye.

 

At this moment, LIFE is snuggled up next to his wife, who is breastfeeding their infant daughter. She strokes her palm on the Princess's head, squeezing her little horns with the tip of her finger.

 

"What's the deal with the horns? Mom, do you think she's a demon spawn?" Poking at his sibling, Fiery clenches his teeth and raises his lips in a mocking snort. As the Princess sways her clenched little hand, she turns her head.

 

They heard a chuckle from the Empress and saw a frown from LIFE. "Here, you are the demon's spawn. She is an angel." LIFE took a big snort.

 

"You are the demon, you know!" Before making a face, Fiery places his wrist on his forehead and raises his pointing fingers. Everyone in the room laughed as he growled.

 

"Could she develop these characteristics due to spending so much time inside Mom?" Davorin had a hunch after watching his younger sister. He's giddy on the inside. He wants to show her how much he cares for her but is afraid he will lose his composure if he does so.

 

"That's one of the possibilities we're considering, but considering the Empress's maternal development, such traits are impossible. Unless, of course, her peculiar appearance is not related to her internal development, but rather to her external."

 

Everyone was left perplexed and thinking after hearing what Voltage had to say.

 

"What exactly is wrong here?" Voltage shook his head as Izaac considered his alternatives.

 

"Cursed. So what I'm implying is that the Princess may have been cursed."

 

"OUTRAGEOUS!" Everyone was shocked by LIFE's ferocity. The Princess's brows furrow in shock.

 

The Empress gave her husband a scathing look. "I'm sorry." LIFE sighed and ran his fingers through his hair.

 

A moment of long silence reigns between them.

 

LIFE's gaze was drawn to his sleeping newborn daughter. She appears to be comfortable and hasn't shed a tear. So pleasingly behave. She's most likely in a fantasy world.

 

Until a forsaken memory spiked his mind.

 

His chest tightens as he absorbs the gravity of the situation. He couldn't say anything, so he closed his eyes and expressed shame at what had happened to his daughter's appearance.

 

He gently rocked the Princess after taking her from her mother's arms. He cradled her head in his arms and shut his eyes.

 

"He cursed her. I only just realized it. He did this to her, "

 

The revelation caused their eyes to widen. They were familiar with the person he was referring to. It's the long-lost foe they thought they'd vanquished. Although he's long gone, he still manages to leave them a memory of him.

 

A curse. The Princess is cursed.

 

~

 

Time calmed LIFE. Anyone wishing to hold his daughter in their arms will have to meet his solid refusal. Despite their frustration, they are used to his avarice towards his newborn children. He did the same thing to his sons. He's so in love with them that he built walls around them to keep strangers away. He's a nuisance, and it never failed to get on their nerves.

 

"Can we get her name now?" The Empress is soundly snoozing away. LIFE is seated beside her, holding their daughter firmly in his muscular arms.

 

In his mind, he whispered to her, "I'll protect you, my star." He then kissed her cheek.

 

"Holy Azarese Elyzena Dragunovv-Warlock. That will be her name," LIFE powerfully stated with confidence.

 

'SO LONG!' 

"I'm envious! Yes, Davorin, Astaroth, and I are! Wait, there's more: Ascel and Eddrien! Their names are identical to yours, but ours are not! We seek equality!" Izaac outburst. He believes it is entirely unjust!

 

"That's just right! You are adopted, after all!" Before sticking his tongue out, Fiery attacks. The remaining three are occupied with watching their younger sister sleep. Their eyes sparkle, and they are utterly fascinated.

 

"Stupid, I am the first son. YOU ARE THE ONE WHO'S ADOPTED!" Izaac retaliated, pointing at him.

 

"If you are truly my parents' son, how come your name is not a combination of theirs?" He challenged more with a provocative smirk.

 

Izaac bit his lower lip in an attempt to suppress his emotions. Davorin taps his shoulder to calm him down.

 

"This demon spawn is starting to grate on my nerves," Izaac murmurs stiffly.

 

Izaac Tyrant Eclipse. His 'Izaac' came from his father. LIFE gave him the name 'Tyrant,' something he finds amusing. The 'Eclipse' is added by the others following their experience of an unexpected eclipse during his birth.

 

LIFE's illegitimate daughter, Selene Azazel, is named after the Empress's previous name, 'Azazel.' Even though she was born from a mistake, they treated her like a family with no prejudice.

 

Astaroth Corbin is the third. Their inventor and scientist. Then Davorin Zeus. Eddrien and Ascel followed.

 

The twins, Eddrien and Ascel, began their youth as ladies. The Empress desired to have a daughter after birthing sons in a row. She anticipates the twins to be girls but is discouraged to discover that they are, again, males. Thus, she deceived them by changing their genders using her magic. The twins' real and true appearance and sexes were revealed as soon as the magic wore off. 

 

And finally, the quadruplets, the recently youngest ones of the family.