******************************

Archdemon Empress Luna

******************************

"We don't know what will happen."

"You are my weakness, wife. If you get captured by the enemy, I will not hesitate to retreat and admit defeat." Apollyon's tone was acerbic as his glacial Prussian blue eyes scrutinized her, sending chills down her spine. "You don't want that to happen, right?"

"I am powerful, husband." Luna matched Apollyon's ice. "You forget I am an Archdemon."

"No. You forget that you have a baby." Apollyon held her wrists and clutched her fingers tight in his grasp."I would have told you to go ahead and do that for fun—destroy them to test the strength of your Archdmemon Magic."

Nostrils flaring, anger overrode everything else as he pulled her close. Luna caught the subtle scent of Apollyon's skin—a natural masculine musk with a hint of lavender. "I would love to see that in real life, but sadly, that would only happen in s fantasy. You are pregnant; Luna and pregnant wives aren't allowed into the battlefield. No matter how powerful they are."

"I can't change your mind."

"No. You can't." It came out as a growl. "Over my cold. Undead. Body."

Luna pressed her lips together—not knowing whether to laugh or cry at that statement.

Apollyon had no business being this funny in such a grim conversation.

"I can escape." Luna settled her palms on his chest and gently pushed him off her. "You can't stop me."

"You have to learn how to prioritize the baby instead of me. You are going to be a mother now." Apollyon insisted as he cupped her cheeks while scowling, "I will drug you. I have to."

"Apollyon!"

"Luna, I want you to focus on offering resources from your womb to build the child while I deal with the peace negotiations for now. Hopefully, I could carefully handle it and avoid the war itself." Apollyon explained. "We are only talking about possible scenarios. It isn't the real deal yet. We wouldn't have to go to war with them as long as the Spring Monarchs wouldn't push me to the breaking point."

"But if they start making unreasonable demands for the Vampire Realm and push through with the war if we don't comply with their nonsense rules…" Apollyon trailed off and frowned, "Well, I'm sure they would probably attempt playing dirty to test if they could get away with it."

"You can't give your complete trust to a Faerie's words unless it is a sworn agreement."

"If the Spring Monarchs would attempt to manipulate or deceive me during the peace negotiation like how King Zephyr had pulled one over the entire Faerie Realm, the Vampire Realm would fight them head-on." Apollyon's response was so sharp as if her mere presence was sandpaper rubbing against his rising anger. "They gave me no choice but to accept the challenge. This would get even more complicated if they decided to seek military help from other Realms to increase the numbers of their soldiers."

"We will not have any idea who would aid them while we are searching for more allies to join us," Apollyon explained further. "Some of the allies of the Spring Courts are our allies too. I wouldn't even be surprised if they wouldn't interfere because it's too divided. I would prefer if no other Realm interfered at all because I am confident that we would win."

"Apollyon, sacrifices need to be made," Luna insisted, and Apollyon looked like he was prepared to lock horns with her stubbornness. "I will need to devote more time than I wish to focus on Archdemon Magic just in case you would change your mind and allow me to help our troops."

As Apollyon steeled his gaze, his lips parted as if he wanted to argue, but Luna covered his mouth with her palm. "Trust me that we will find a way out of this and keep baby Leo safe in the process,"

Luna spoke and released the mouth she held hostage.

"Don't push yourself to the limit, wife, or you might suffer from dire consequences," Apollyon sighed in his frustration. "Catastrophe awaits the irrational and the ambitious. If you think everything is all about going up and reaching the peak as an Archdemon to gain power, you're following the fool's path and missing the real magic."

"Speak for yourself." Luna crossed her arms and cocked her head at him with confidence, "Who told me earlier that he wanted to be an Archdemon to gain more power to defeat our powerful enemies?"

"What I'm saying is, no matter how high you ascend from the magic you have learned, what is within your heart is the most important. Don't forget who you are, where you came from, and who you belonged to."

"I think the power I have is not enough."

Don't think and be like the other Archdemons even if you become one. Those monsters were like hungry ghosts—always feeding—wanting more and never satiated. Those Archdemons were never contented with their power and control--striving for addiction and insatiability because they are always searching more for more's sake." Apollyon replied, and Luna gasped after she witnessed something rare.

"I just want you to be careful and keep your identity as the wife I loved, and I know." The slightest change in her husband's expression showed vulnerability before it vanished, replaced by a stoic mask. "I don't want to lose yourself if you became greedy."

She sighed, realizing Apollyon didn't want her to change to the point of being unrecognizable.

"Emptiness can haunt you—a feeling of lack, of wanting, of the craving to fill with something, anything. Be patient and don't do anything rash trying to acquire more power if it will put you in danger," Apollyon ordered. "Do you understand?"

Luna witnessed how Apollyon's love can be so strong in that split-second exposure of how fragile his emotions were on his handsome face when it came to her.

She had to remember that her husband only cared about her above all else.

That was why he was strict, which he perceived as being unreasonable at first.

Bowing her head, Luna replied—soft and yielding. "Yes, husband."

As his rigid posture loosened, Apollyon rewarded her with light pats on the head. "We have hit an obstacle and failed, now is the time to reflect on how to do things differently next time."

"We are where we should be." Watching him in a brand new set of eyes, Luna glanced up at him and murmured. "Everything will be alright."

"Now tell me your secret."

Luna flinched, taken aback at the sudden switch of the subject.

This was the moment of truth.

She swore to herself that there would be no running.

Luna cleared her throat. "I have two secrets, Apollyon."

"Let's hear it."

"I would only let you pick one from the two." Luna said, sweating bullets, "Pick a number."

Apollyon frowned, "I am confused."

"What secret do you want me to reveal? It's a game." Giving him an awkward smile, Luna averted her gaze as she shifted from foot to foot. "It's a game." She repeated as if reassuring herself, her hands shaking as she clutched at her skirts. "Pick either one or two. Do you want to listen to secret number one or two?"

Blue eyes narrowed at her with suspicion. "I choose secret number two then."

"Alright. You should prepare yourself." Luna's chin quivered as she tucked silver strands behind her ear. "I had sexual congress with the Archdemon of Lust in Hell."