Chapter 476 - Just Another Pawn
New Chapter for Highest Tier (May 2021)
**************************
Archdemon Empress Luna
**************************
Luna was lost in her own thoughts for a while now after leaving Queen Titania's tea party.
It was only the Summer Monarchs who were enjoying the food and the tea they have prepared for their beloved 'vampire guests.'
Her husband wouldn't allow her to drink the tea Queen Titania gave her, threatening to snatch the teacup out of her hand and pour it to the hedges if she gave the hibiscus tea just a single sip.
She argued with him for a minute since Queen Titania told them that she had mixed another concoction that a Vampiric Fae would like.
In the blink of an eye, Apollyon barked at a disapproving 'NO.'
Sulking, Luna pouted her lips.
Apollyon became more strict when it came to any liquid she drank, paying attention to things that would harm her and their baby, Leo.
Queen Titania smiled at their exchange as she informed them that there was no poison in there.
They can clearly check themselves since the crockery was made of silver.
Now, Apollyon had announced her pregnancy to her grandparents, wearing a dour countenance.
They never pushed after that, respecting their decision not to touch anything while they continue their discussion.
It was a bit awkward, but Luna was getting used to it as a Vampire—watching people eat in front of them, not knowing whether to openly stare at the person eating or avert their gaze to the arrays of fruitcakes at the table they couldn't eat.
King and Queen Oberon claimed that this Tree of Four Seasons could bear a special fruit to purge out demons inside a physical vessel.
Queen Titania told her about Princess Ourania's only painting of her, holding this special fruit in her hands.
They think it was a premonition that Luna was the only one who can find this mythical tree.
And here was the moment Apollyon and Luna have been waiting for…
The Summer Monarch finally shared their secret agenda on why the two of them were specifically in the Summer Courts, and it wasn't about meeting Apollyon's big, happy family.
Queen Titania requested that Luna find the Tree of the Four Seasons in the Faerie Realm and bring the special fruits to them so that every Summer Fae can have their slice and protect themselves from demonic attacks, including them.
The Fate of the Summer Courts was literally in her hands, after all.
Princess Ourania's painting said so.
Luna sighed. 'How would she even find it if it wouldn't show itself for the second time when the Angelic War have already ended?'
The moment they gave her this mission, she didn't have the heart to tell her grandparents that she couldn't get the hidden Tree of Four Seasons to show itself to her when she was an Archdemon.
What an irony!
She was an Archdemon who will be searching for an item that exorcises demons out of their body if a possessed creature eats this fruit, making them immune to demonic attacks.
What were the possible effects if she finally got her hands on it?
The Summer Monarchs made the 'safety of their loyal subjects' their excuses when Queen Titania and King Oberon needed to ingest this fruit so that no demons could use them and take them over through demonic possession.
This will serve as a safety precaution from what happened at Ostara.
Apollyon was right.
This wasn't about family.
The Summer Monarchs were using them as a pawn, and she had no idea what to think.
+++
Hand-in-hand, Apollyon and Luna roamed the courtyard by themselves to familiarize the Palace grounds.
They weren't strolling out of leisure like what the Summer Monarchs would think when they excused themselves from the simple gathering at the gazebo. But they were doing this out of necessity, just in case Apollyon and Luna decided to stay at the Castle instead of the Vinca Inn.
Her husband was quick to notice secret spots to teleport if one of them got in trouble.
The presence of Princess Ourania living in the same vicinity as them was a looming threat considering that she had an unhealthy obsession with Apollyon.
In addition to Princess Ourania's mental state, she was able to predict the future--that Luna would soon become Apollyon's wife, as seen from one of her paintings she created centuries ago.
Apollyon's mother must have waited for this exact scenario to happen.
What else could she predict aside from Luna finding the Tree of the Four Seasons?
Luna never saw the painting Princess Ourania kept hidden in her private floors in the Summer Castle.
Hmmm.
She might suggest to her husband that both of them should sneak in there with his grandparents' permission.
The Summer Castle was a remarkable sight.
The sun shone brightly as it rose above the horizon.
Its brilliant rays outlined the high Palace, shaped like a gilded cage with fortified walls made of bluestone surrounding it.
The Summer Castle had five stories of decoration filled with exquisite details.
The towers pierced the skyline with their eye-catching golden yet skinny spires.
Apollyon and Luna hadn't entered the grand halls yet, but Luna expected the rooms to be more spacious, elegant, and full of glamour than the popular Vinca Inn.
There was no sign of a burning fire at the castle turrets like King Oberon, and Queen Titania stated at the gazebo.
Luna thought that the mysterious flame was probably an evil god's prank.
Who in their right mind finds pleasure in taking the life of a Fae Sentinel by burning it alive?
But they also couldn't erase the possibility of this strange occurrence being a work of a demon.
Who would like killing other creatures to satisfy their strong urge for senseless torture except for making themselves feel better and more powerful? than the rest
Only a bored Archdemon is the right answer.
But the question was, who was controlling them?
Was there a possible Archdemon conjurer in the Summer Courts?
Luna was sure her husband's consciousness had already reached out to hers, but he didn't bother with interrupting her, content on their companionable silence.