Yusuke

I raised my hands and concentrated all my magic on them while picturing the dining room in the palace in the Kingdom of Demons, causing a red portal to appear in front of me, which I stepped into without a second thought. Although I was technically unable to use magic in the human realm, I could open portals to and from the demon one.

The next thing I knew, I was in my demon form, standing before my parents and, unfortunately, my cousin Orochi, whom I despised greatly.

“Good evening,” I said, smiling fondly at Dad and Mom. 

“You’re finally here,” commented Dad, smiling back at me. “Thank you for coming on such short notice.”

“You are so tall.” Mom hugged me tightly. “And you look so handsome.”

“Hi, Mom.” I kissed her on the cheek. 

“Now that we’re all here, let’s have dinner, shall we?” Dad motioned for us to sit at the massive table made from dark marble, where steaks were waiting for us.

“Why is Orochi here?” I asked, annoyed by the presence of the unpleasant demon.

“Uncle Hibiki invited me for dinner. How about you, Yusuke? Why are you here?” my cousin smirked.

“I am the Crown Prince,” I remarked, arching an eyebrow. 

“I invited both of you to dinner because I need to talk to you afterward about an important matter,” Dad said nonchalantly.

“Yuu-kun, how was your first day as a third-grade student?” Mom changed the subject, looking super proud as she spoke with me.

The new girl’s face lingered in my mind as I responded, “It was interesting.” My lips curved into a smile.

Mom squeezed her eyes suspiciously. “Does that mean you have met my future daughter-in-law?” 

I choked on the piece of steak I had just shoved into my mouth. “What? Daughter-in-law? Why would you assume that?” I took a sip of water.

“Your eyes are shining in a way that they have never shone before.” She chuckled. “So, who is she? When will I get to meet her?”

Dad cleared his throat. “I’m glad you are enjoying your youth with the humans, but you mustn’t forget that when the time comes, you will marry a nice demon lady who will bring prosperity and respect to the kingdom alongside you, Yusuke.”

Well, the girl in question is neither a human nor a demon, so… 

Mom frowned at Dad. “Sweetie, I don’t agree that Yuu-kun’s queen must be a demon.”

Dad cleared his throat again. “Let’s continue the discussion when the time comes.” He ended the conversation regarding my future queen, much to my relief.

My cousin sneered, “So, Yusuke, who is the girl?”

I rolled my eyes. “It’s none of your business.”

Mom sighed, “When will you two get along? You were raised as brothers, after all.”

“But he isn’t and will never be my brother for real,” I grumbled, regretting having come to the palace, as whatever my father had to say to me wasn’t worth my inner peace.

“At least we agree on this.” Orochi laughed.

“That’s enough. Let’s finish dinner.” Once again, Dad shut us all up, bringing absolute silence to the room.

Orochi and I were cousins, but he had been raised by my parents—mainly by my dad—at the palace because his own died in an accident, and his mother was a courtesan who didn’t want anything to do with the baby. Everyone assumed we grew up together, but in reality, we didn’t. I was sent to the human realm with Mom when I was five, whereas my cousin stayed at the palace with Dad. 

To say that we had a complicated relationship was an understatement. Due to our different upbringings and clashing personalities, it was safe to remark that we only tolerated each other’s presence when absolutely necessary out of respect for the king and the queen. One of the many reasons why we didn’t get along was that he constantly implied that I was not fit to be the next Demon King because I had been living in Tokyo for so long, therefore making it clear that he should take my place and rule the kingdom. Although I did agree with his argument, I was too arrogant to show my true feelings and let him have his way. 

I loved the Kingdom of Demons and being a demon. But I also loved living in Tokyo and pretending to be a real human. How could I not? The human realm had been my home for more than a decade, and while I wish I could have spent more time with my dad and attended the Royal Academy with the other demon nobles, I wouldn’t have changed a thing if I had the opportunity to.

I once asked my parents why they decided that I should be in Tokyo, and they explained that they expected me to be an open-minded king who respected everyone equally, whether they were demons, humans, or angels. They also pointed out that as an intelligent and brilliant prince, an education in the human realm would do wonders for my personality and help me acquire more great qualities. 

The rest of the dinner ran smoothly, with occasional exchanges of glares between Orochi and me. After dessert was served—I turned down mine because I hated sweet stuff—the four of us headed to the council chamber, where most meetings were held. 

“Sit,” ordered Dad, pointing at the large table in the middle of the space.

Mom, Orochi, and I immediately did as we were told while Dad’s serious expression started to concern me.

“As you’re aware, multiple attacks have been occurring lately in the Kingdom of Angels,” the king began, his body tense and his voice grave.

“Attacks? I wasn’t aware of those,” I interjected, astounded. 

Orochi snorted, “And yet, you have the guts to refer to yourself as the Crown Prince.”

I ignored his snarky comment, my eyes fixed on my father. “Dad, do you know who is behind the attacks? Are the angels safe?”

Dad pursed his lips. “Two commanders and I went to the Kingdom of Angels yesterday and had a meeting with the Angel King and his right hands to discuss the situation and what steps we shall take from now on to prevent more fatalities. We all reached the same conclusion at the end of the day.”

“How did you manage to open a portal to the Kingdom of Angels? I thought it wasn’t possible, the same way the angels can’t open portals to the Kingdom of Demons,” I asked, confused.

He explained, “We initially met in Tokyo, and there, one of the angel commanders opened a portal to the Kingdom of Angels so that we could enter the angel realm.”

“I see. So, what conclusion did you reach?”

He took a long, deep breath, stared at the table for a few seconds, and said, “We believe that a group of rebellious demons with the assistance of an angel is behind the attacks, and they do not intend to stop any time soon.”

My eyes grew wide, and my jaw dropped to the floor. 

Would an angel be capable of betraying their own kingdom? Would an angel be capable of murdering one of their own?

“You look horrified,” observed Mom, peering at me. “Are you okay, Yuu-kun?”

“Dad, why would an angel betray their own kingdom? What motives would they have?” I questioned, my brain unable to process and come to terms with the pieces of information. 

Orochi was the one who responded, “It’s hard to speculate the real reason behind their atrocious actions. They could either be being manipulated by the rebellious demons or simply having some kind of distorted fun.” He sounded serious and truthful, which was a rare thing when talking to me. 

“By the way, Yusuke, the Angel King also revealed that his sister, the Angel Princess, has been sent to Tokyo to study and lay low for a while. I want you to be on the lookout and to inform me immediately if you find her by chance.” Dad’s voice softened as he added, “Although I have never met the princess, I don’t wish to see her harmed.”

I nodded, accepting the request. “I understand, but how am I supposed to know who the princess is when I’ve never seen her before?”

The new girl’s smile popped into the back of my head out of nowhere, nagging me slightly.

“Only members of the Royal Family have light blue wings,” Dad replied, a hint of a smile playing on his lips.

I jumped on my seat, the blood draining from my face as I recalled the majestic light blue wings coming out of the new girl’s back when we first met. 

“Yusuke, what is it? You are pale.” Dad frowned. “Did you happen to see the Angel Princess in Tokyo?” he asked, suspicious. 

I opened my mouth to say that I suspected that, yes, that coincidentally, the princess was one of my schoolmates that year. However, as I was formulating the most appropriate answer, something inside me begged me not to tell him about the new girl and the shadow of the angel I saw on her.

Before I knew it, I found myself lying, “No, I didn’t. Well, at least not that I’m aware of. But wouldn’t the princess be unrecognizable in a human form? And why do only the Royal Family have light blue wings? What about the other angels?”

Orochi snapped, “You don’t know anything, do you? Demons can see the angels’ true forms whenever and wherever; the same goes for the other way around. How stupid are you?”

I shot him a murderous glare, doing everything I could not to curse him. 

What an unpleasant being.

Mom chuckled. “Yuu-kun, weren’t you paying attention when you had private lessons about the angels with your demon teacher?”

Private lessons about the angels? When did that happen?

Noticing my confusion, Mom continued, “Angel Commoners have white wings. Angel Nobles from the High Nobility have light green wings, and Angel Nobles from the Low Nobility have light red ones. The members of the Royal Family have light blue wings, white or light blue hair, and dark blue or light blue eyes.” 

I pictured the new girl’s figure again, her long silky white hair, beautiful light blue eyes, and sublime light blue wings convincing me that she was, in fact, the Angel Princess. No wonder I had gotten infatuated with her from the get-go.

“Speaking of the princess, I went to the human realm yesterday in an attempt to see her, but I was unlucky in my quest. I know my chances of actually finding her in the middle of Tokyo were slim to none, but, regardless, Uncle Hibiki, are you sure she is there? Perhaps she was sent to another place?” asked Orochi.

Dad shook his head. “King Sora wouldn’t lie to me.”

“How can you be so certain of that?” insisted Orochi, narrowing his eyes. “The angels aren’t trustful, and I hate them all.”

I couldn’t help but smirk, “Orochi, are you, by any chance, one of the rebellious demons behind the attacks?” I arched an eyebrow, suspicious. To be honest, I wouldn’t be surprised if he said yes.

He smiled, looking like an evil monster. “I wish I were, but unfortunately, I am not.” 

The way he spoke the words and the darkness in his eyes failed to convince me. “Are you sure you’re not?”

He stayed silent.

Dad scolded, “Yusuke, you shouldn’t throw such an accusation on the table. Your cousin would never do something like that.”

“So, to sum up, you were all in the human realm yesterday, and no one bothered to inform me about it,” I huffed, feeling left out. 

Mom raised a hand, grinning. “I wasn’t there.”

Orochi snorted, “Why would I tell you about my whereabouts?”

I glanced at my dad, waiting for his excuse. However, instead, he returned to the main matter at hand. “We need to find out who the rebellious demons are and stop the attacks as quickly as possible. Our mission is to support the Kingdom of Angels however we can and show regard for the Peace Pact.”.

I observed his imposing figure—he had red hair, green eyes, and green horns. I then glanced at my mom, who had long purple hair, purple eyes, and red horns. Orochi, on the other hand, had green hair, red eyes, and black horns—he resembled my parents more than I did, which was upsetting. 

“I still don’t understand why we must get out of our way to assist those losers,” my cousin grumbled, clenching his hands into fists. “They’ve never done anything to deserve our help and sympathy. We should let them die and rot.”

Dad rose to his feet and started walking toward the door. “And that’s why you will never be the king of the Kingdom of Demons, Orochi,” he asserted without looking at us. 

Orochi scowled and left the council chamber as well. 

Mom, on the other hand, approached me from behind the chair and wrapped her arms around my neck. “I’m so happy to see that you are thriving, Yuu-kun.”

“Why did you decide to return here last year and abandon me in Tokyo? I miss you, Mom,” I pouted, puffing out my cheeks. 

She chuckled. “Because you have grown into a fine young prince, and I thought it was time for you to get out from under my wing.” She chuckled again. “But really, who did you meet at school today that has captured your heart?”

I grimaced. “This topic again?”

“Come on; tell me. I promise you I won’t say a word to your father or Orochi,” she pestered.

I conceded, unable to say no to my mom. “She is the most gorgeous being I have ever seen in my entire life, Mom. She is… She takes my breath away whenever I see her,” I confessed, a stupid smile splashed across my face.

“Being?” She read between the lines. “Does she happen to be the Angel Princess your father was talking about?”

I pursed my lips, neither confirming nor denying her assumption. 

Mom stroked my hair. “I am proud of you, Yusuke. You will be a great king no matter whom you choose to be your queen. Come see me again soon, will you?” She dropped a kiss on the top of my head, gave me a smile, and disappeared through the door. 

One of the palace’s servants stopped in the doorway and bowed. “Your Highness, Your Majesty would like to speak with you in the study room,” he informed me.

I stood up and raised my hands, channeling my magic. “Tell him that I am going back to Tokyo because it’s school night.”

“But—”

 I stepped into the green portal as soon as it appeared, shamelessly ignoring the king’s request and running away.

Ah, what will I do with you, Angel Princess?

* * *