The Demon King.

Chapter 32

He walked her to her room and waited for her to get on her bed before going to his own.

"Are you going?" She looked at him with another unreadable expression.

"You wanted me to stay from now?" He tilted his head and cocked a brow.

"You don't have to." She shrink and looked away. He laughed and pinched the bridge of his nose. Nel shot her head up. He just laughed. And it was beautiful.

"I'm coming back." He said raising his head to smile at her before going to the opposite room, his room.

He came back a while later with his tab, wearing shorts and a shirt. Nel on her own changed into something similar knowing he was coming back. She had her bath a while ago so she didn't see the need to a third time.

"May I sit?" He pursed his lips and pointed at the spot beside her. She nodded while involuntarily glancing at her side and looked back at her phone screen. She had her eyes glued to a webtoon when another device's lit up screen caught her attention.

"Cinderella 3?" She was very, very amused. Who knew that the almighty demon king was into such girly, Disney cartoons?

"I just watch them to relive childhood... And also to criticize." He answered her obvious question with a sheepish smile while scratching the back of his head. Nel tried so hard to suppress the smile creeping on her face. He was also part of the criticism club just like her!

She dropped her phone beside herself and scooted closer to him making him widen his eyes with a light blush.

Friends, Xavier Royale.

Friends...

He tapped play and inwardly rolled his eyes. Time for another cheesy cartoon.
He started to criticize from introductory credits, then to how it started with a song that would be eventually turn the lives of the characters upside down with the flick of a wand. Nel couldn't hold her laughter anymore. He was like criticism club president now.

"What? How? How the hell did a wooden wand get stuck in a rock? No, elaborate. Tell me how. The fuck... Argh! This is just the beginning and all this shit is happening. Science doesn't apply to Disney now right?" Xavier paused the vedio and started to punch the bed when the fairy godmother flung her wand and it landed in a rock, in font of Cinderella's step sister's face. The hell!

Then he faced Nel who was laughing like crazy with his own shocked expression.
"So if her head was there instead then... Ma gawd." He groaned and Nel started to wipe tears. His dramatic outburst was not to ignore. Xavier is crazy.

And his criticism went on and on till he went silent at a part trying to understand what he's watched so far. That's when he heard her breathing slow down and someone resting on his shoulder. He widened his eyes and paused the movie to put the tab down. Then he looked at her sleeping face on his shoulders. Sha was so beautiful.

He carefully lay her on the bed to rest better. She needed much rest from the scent dew and the gradual loss of energies her family was going through since he knew she wasn't going to drink blood. It would be a devastating punishment.

He looked at her face again. Why was she so adorable? He reach to tuck some strands of her hair behind her ear. Then he kissed her forehead and slowly widened his eyes at what he just did. But then he smiled, a really big smile.

"I love you. And I'll never let you get hurt." He said dreamily as he picked strands of her hair. His treasure. His to keep. He was never going to love someone like he does for her...

Love? His beautiful face creased with worry and realization.

How am I so sure it's love?

Xavi had read tons of romance books and comics but he never focused on how the couple felt about each other. All he cared about was a good story ending. He didn't think he'd ever 'fall in love'.
And again, how was he supposed to act? Was he meant to be obvious when she didn't know?

Jewels!

"I'll see Jewels..." He was climbing off the bed and speaking to himself when he felt something, someone. Someone was here. Another demon.

He walked to the door and went down the steps in haste, wondering why another demon was in his house and disturbing the peace of the demon king.

The person was standing at the center of the parlour with a folded old paper in his hand. When the person caught sight of him, he stiffened. The person felt intimidated but he thought it best not to show it. King Royale would dislike him for that one thing.

"What do you want Harry?" Xavi asked, assuming his name was Harry cuz he had dark curly hair and a nice jawline.

"How do you know my name your highness?" He asked in shock but Xavier shrugged and looked at him with piercing eyes while approaching to take the letter. Harry careful placed the letter in his hand and stepped back a little. Safe distancing.

Xavier opened the letter and creased his brows . It only said one thing, 'Come.' and it was sent by...

"Prince Jerome?" Xavier creased his brows even more. Since he set foot.in the demon realm, he had been avoiding him cuz of his lunatic tendencies. And now he wants to see him? For what?

"You have his daughter with you?" Harry chirped in.

'Don't you dare read me again.'

He said in the guy's mind and gave a warning glare before looking to the stair way. He had to go now to avoid disappointing her when she wakes up in the morning.

The messenger boy had long gone when Xavier went up the stairs to get his pocket knife take a look at Nel's face for encouragement before jumping out the window.

He felt it safer to travel by roof that night.  He just had to feel Jerome's sickly presence from afar to know his house.

"As expected, you'd travel by roof tops." A voice said in his head and he paused.

How didn't I feel his presence before?

He whipped his head around and Jerome was sitting atop a black roof, looking ahead.

Xavi clenched his jaw and leaped two roofs back before majestically landing in front of him.

"You called me, Your Highness." Xavier said, still regarding him with his title, not of mockery but cuz he was used to it. And besides, he wasn't sure if he knew most of what happened these past weeks.

"Your highness? Hey would you call me 'Your Highness'?" Jerome stood from his sitting position with a blank gaze. He almost looked like the uneasy calm before the raging storm. But there wasn't any sign of a storm just yet.
Xavi looked hard at him. He didn't like the fact that this man's silent meditation had to do with him now.

"I don't understand." Xavi answered and kept his lips sealed, waiting for him to give a straight answer.
Immediately, Jerome's eyes became visibly darker and he stared back at him squarely.

"During the mini war... Xavier Royale. Didn't you kill King Charles?"