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Arhcdemon Empress Luna

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"Young lady." Luna couldn't help her lips from curving upwards at the fear in the summer faerie's countenance in this dire situation.

The summer faerie's muscles turned rigid, frozen in place. "You don't have to give me that face."

Smiling, Luna extended out a hand so that the young girl would trust her.

She added with a sense of urgency. "I thought you said we are running out of time."

Her ears refused to listen.

Stepping backward, her wide brown eyes watched Luna in trepidation while glancing around the walls as if she expected the ghosts Luna conjured to come back and possess her.

The young summer faerie must be horrified at what she witnessed from the summoning, even if Luna already explained that these wandering spirits wouldn't harm her or anyone.

Words on the streets regarding the Massacre of Krinoniapolis must have crippled the summer faerie into believing that Luna was the bad one despite coming here to alert them of the Spring Court's plans of capturing them.

"I'm afraid." Her voice was strong yet shaky. "I'm afraid of you and your power."

She had to put them at ease, or else there would be no progress.

"I wouldn't harm you because you are here to help." Lacing her voice with compulsion magic, Luna reassured the young girl and beckoned a finger at her. "You are making this difficult for us to escape."

"Do this for your King Oberon." Luna reasoned out gently as she intensified the control of her resonance.

"Yes, I am doing this for my grandfather." The summer faerie muttered to herself as if it was a reminder—a mantra that would give her courage as she strode towards her. "He wanted to see the Vampire King—his grandson."

Apollyon's eyes narrowed at her. "Your grandfather is King Oberon? You are part of the Summer Monarchs?"

She nodded as she advanced to Luna in careful steps. "I'm your sister, King Apollyon."

Luna let out a gasp, her eyes widening in surprise and Apollyon appeared taken aback.

Sister?

The girl remained firm, calling the Vampire King her brother even if Apollyon already expressed his intense dislike.

Prince Aspen had called him 'cousin' many times, and Apollyon let him be because the Prince was determined to call him that.

Luna also found it interesting how her husband interacted with other people aside from her.

The Faerie Prince was the only exception to Apollyon's hatred of lineage and family relations, but she guessed their budding friendship would be broken because of the war.

Luna's heartbeat raced.

What if she was his sister from the Summer Courts?

Apollyon shook his head in disbelief. "You look too young to be my sister, young lady."

"I think you meant that I was your cousin, similar to how Prince Aspen always insist that I was." Her husband's brows drew closer as his handsome face tightened in ire. "You must be a daughter of King Oberon's son or daughter."

"No. My mother is Empress Ourania." The girl insisted.

Empress Ourania?

Did that mean that the Vampire King's mother, who Apollyon thought was dead a long time ago, was finally alive?

She recalled the vague details Apollyon had told her about her mother's disappearance. Still, his secretive husband didn't elaborate, saying that they should both of their pasts behind them because only the present and the future mattered.

Now, he was going to swallow his words back because of this revelation.

"What?!" Apollyon got up from the bed and paced around the room as he ran his fingers through his dark hair. "What is this—"

The girl explained further. "My mother, Empress Ourania, escaped from the chaos at the Vampire Realm. She told King Oberon that her son had turned into a monster and killed her husband—the past Vampire King."

"My mother is alive?" Apollyon paused a mid-step and looked at the summer faerie—really examined her facial features, trying to see if there was a resemblance between them. "I don't believe you, kid."

"She left the husband her grandparents have chosen for her to gain a political alliance with the Vampire Realm. Their schemes backfired on them when they received the news that you—her son—had gone mad and ruled the Vampire Realm, claiming that you wouldn't recognize her as your mother—that you would kill her on sight if you saw her roaming around the Realm. She witnessed how you devoured your own father, King Gwythyr, after turning into a dragon, and she believed that you would also do the same to her, so she had no choice but to flee." She replied.

"But I—" Luna watched her husband's Prussian blue eyes grew cold and averted his gaze, looking past the spot on the wall behind his sister rather than her. "I resented my mother's disappearance for centuries. I hope she could tell the truth that she didn't want anything to do with me—that she abhorred my existence."

Sighing in frustration, Luna knew Apollyon felt like punching someone in the face when his hands locked into fists and from the rage bleeding from his aura.

Once again, she saw a glimpse of that vulnerable child who craved his parents' love. "I wouldn't buy her excuses."

"Apollyon." She told him in a soothing tone as she raised a hand to stop him from stalking towards them like a predator. What would he do? Kill his sister for telling the truth? "Calm down. Don't hurt the summer faerie."

Apollyon endured a lot of problems these past few weeks, and Luna swore last night that she wouldn't add herself as one of those issues on Apollyon's plate.

She was determined to keep the promise, but she didn't expect that Apollyon's half-sister would be her.

"No, you are wrong, brother. You were precarious at that time." The girl said as she stood in front of her, and they were now facing each other. "Mother said that you seemed possessed by another entity, and you were not yourself. You weren't cognizant of her actions when she tried to stop you from killing your own father."