Queen Of Adis

"Woah! You look like Adis' clone. This is so crazy!" Haru squealed as she walked around the handsome white-haired man to assess his features.

Camus just stood nonchalantly as though he's used to be the subject of someone's admiration. He glanced sideways at his grandson. "Adis, your mate is too noisy like that Zen brat. Six months of education in etiquette is a must for her."

"I like her just fine. Besides, I'm sure Fang will take care of those trivial things even if I refuse." Adis replied while his eyes were enjoying Haru's different expressions. "It seems someone snitched on me."

Camus pretended to not hear Adis' last remark. Once Haru returned in front of him, he held her still and stopped her from wiggling as he evaluated her looks. "Hmm, your beauty is average compared to the Delacroix's exceptional features, but an intriguing addition to our bloodline, if I may say so. More importantly, I heard you have the brain and heart of a true queen. That is more than enough to please this old man." He gently tapped her cheek as he continued, "Little girl, would you like to play a game with grandfather?"

Adis instantly scowled at Camus' statement. His muscles tense and involuntarily snarled like a mad dog protecting its pup. "Grandfather, stop. Don't test Adis, else it will be very ugly."

Camus ignored Adis' threat and continued his conversation with the oblivious girl. "Look at that disrespectful brat bullying an old man like me. How unsightly, is it not?"

Haru blinked her eyes to break the trance from the newly discovered eye candy. "But, you look so young and healthy. You seem to be like Adis' twin brother rather than a grandfather."

"Ah, little girl, don't be easily deceived by a demon's beautiful look, or else, you'll be tricked and get eaten alive. Poor child, I bet that's what that arrogant Demon King did to you."

When she repeatedly nodded her head, Adis grimaced as he snatched her from his grandfather's grip. He hugged her from behind and slanted her head to meet his heated gaze. "Hey, you brat, how could you sell me off just like that? Aren't you the one who bewitched this poor demon's heart the first sight, huh?" He complained and showered her face with punishing kisses.

Haru chuckled as she c.a.r.e.s.sed the back of his head. When she heard more footsteps approaching them, she tried to break free from his embrace but Adis refused to let her go. When she saw the owners of the footsteps, she understood why.

"Ah, grandfather, so you're just here! We thought you already left after knowing that big brother is busy making out with his mate." Zen shouted as he ran towards Camus. When he saw that Adis and Haru were already out of the maze, he was shocked. "Whoa! Damn, that was fast, big brother!"

"You stupid and filthy tattletale," Adis grunted as he narrowed his eyes at Zen. "It appears that you still did not learn your lesson and wish to clean the entire dungeons of Gehenna again."

"Eh? What did I do this time, big brother?" Zen whimpered and ruffled his own silly head.

Aquarius casually unfolded his fan as he gave away his transgression. "You told about them to grandfather, did you not?"

Zen's eyes expanded then nibbled his nails. "B-but... grandfather is family. W-we can trust him."

Camus raised an eyebrow as he faced Adis with a questioning look? "Are you planning to hide her from me?"

"No, grandfather, it's not like that." Adis immediately answered. "I planned to personally tell you about her, however..." He trailed off and glared at Zen which made the latter hid behind Camus. "...a rat with golden hair and blabbermouth stole my thunder."

Camus helplessly sighed and shook his head at their childishness. She looked at Haru and smiled tenderly. "Dear child, please don't mind these ridiculous grandchildren of mine." He held her hands and took her away from the rowdy boys. "It's unfortunate that the eldest is such a sadistic maniac, the second is a two-faced bastard and the youngest is... just utterly stupid. It is best to stay away from them every now and then."

"Woah! Big brother, did you hear that? Grandfather just called you a sadistic maniac." Zen looked at Adis then he shifted to Aquarius, "And he called you two-faced bastard, hahaha. But, who's the stupid one?" He creased his forehead as he pondered. "I wonder if grandfather was talking about himself? Tsk, tsk, he has really gone senile."

Adis and Aquarius just shook their heads as they moved forward, leaving their hopeless case of a brother.

"Zen told me that your name is Haru." Camus let out a nostalgic smile as if he remembered something. "My old friend, *Seiryu, once taught me the ancient language and his favorite word is 'Haru' which means Spring. He would definitely love to meet you someday." Then, he continued where he left off. "Oh, as I was saying, would mind playing a game? If you win, I shall give you a very valuable gift."

Haru's curious mind was tickled by the way Camus' eyes glinted in both mischief and danger. She opened her mouth but instantly closed it again, unwilling to make an impulsive decision without Adis' consent.

When she turned around to look at Adis, he had a complicated expression, rendering his face undecipherable.

Aquarius elegantly covered his mouth with his fan as he whispered beside Adis. "Big brother, it is unwise to protect her from what is preordained, just like how you failed to resist from falling for her. She must undertake the Queen's rite of passage, else you will incite the wrath of our ancestors."

The Queen's rite of passage was a ritual done by the powerful demon clans since time immemorial. It was a ceremony to test anyone who wished to hold the title of the second most powerful being in every realm, the King's consort. There were three rules for the ritual:

The queen-to-be ought to have unassailable trust to her King, therefore, she must accept the ritual with great abandon.

She who d.e.s.i.r.ed power, must aid the King with his burdens, endure hardship and achieve victory without the help of her King and his people.

A lady who longs for the King's affection must love her King unconditionally and be prepared to offer her life for him.

To initiate the ceremony, the initiator must ask a devious question and once the game was accepted, there's no turning back. It's a battle of life and death.

Many foolish women who d.e.s.i.r.ed power more than anything else accepted the game. However, none of them came back alive.

"Must we really do this? Had our ancestors not took enough from me? Had they not cause me enough grief?" Adis gritted.

Zen sighed heavily, feeling sorry for his big brother but too powerless to help.

"Big brother, our clan and the rest of the powerful demons will not accept her as Queen if she will not accept the ceremony. Or are you saying that the woman you chose is as weak as your faith in her?" Aquarius softly chided for him to see reason.

Adis unwillingly nodded while his knuckles cracked as he clenched his fists under his cloak. His lips let out a stiff smile when he approached her and intertwined their fingers. He tried to jest to lift up his gloomy mood. "If you wish to play with grandfather, then I won't stop you. However, I must warn you. All our terrible demeanor, we got it from him. So it is only natural that his words are full of lies and deceit."

Camus whacked the back of Adis' head harshly, intending to inflict pain to his ill-mannered skull. "You boorish grandchild! How dare you talk to your old man like that in front of your future wife?" He reprimanded him and knocked his head again. "Is that the way you will teach your adopted son, you uncouth child? Hmph! Tell me, when did grandfather acted without thinking of your best interest, huh? Tell me!"

The cold-blooded Demon King was hit on the head twice and got scolded while he was just scratching his head like a naughty kid on the street. It was an incredible sight that would make the weak-hearted being faint from shock or madness.

Zen and Aquarius rambunctiously laughed as their eldest brother blatantly criticized their grandfather without batting an eyelash.

Haru mediated between the grandfather and grandchild and, just like a good wife, apologized to Camus on behalf of her misbehaved man.

"Hmph! Very well, since I really like you, little girl, I will let it slide." Camus harrumphed and cleared his throat to reveal her task. "Haru, deliver to me the bud of *Chloris that can be found inside the Atlantis woods."

The three Kings' smiles instantly stiffened and their eyes bulged out upon hearing their grandfather's request. Was he planning to kill Haru?