Chapter 370: The Queen Written by Fate

Those had been dark and difficult years, and Jade carried the full weight of those memories alone. She had never shared a word of it with Aliana, shielding her best friend from the grim reality of her home life.

Because despite everything, she still loved her parents and her brother.

Even now, with her relationship with them strained to the breaking point, that same love was what had brought her here today.

She stared at her brother, who rose from his seat the moment he noticed her approach.

"Little sister," Owen said, stepping forward. He leaned in to brush a light kiss against her cheek before stepping back. "How are you?"

"Fine. And you?" Her eyes drifted downward, checking his left foot, the one she knew had been injured in the accident.

"Good," Owen replied, gesturing toward her seat before sitting down.

The server stepped up to the table. "May I get you something to drink?"

"Two cappuccinos," Owen answered for them both before the server nodded and walked away.

"So... how is everything going?" Owen asked, his keen eyes scanning her expression.

"Everything is going swimmingly, as you know. How about you?"

​"Splendid," Owen said, setting aside the pleasantries. "Now, to what do I owe this impromptu visit?"

Jade paused, letting her gaze rest on his impassive face.

The tension in her shoulders tightened, but she forced her voice to remain steady. "Owen... we have had our differences in the past, but you are still my only brother. For the sake of that bond, I came here today to warn you."

"Warn me?" Owen raised an eyebrow, a trace of amusement touching his lips. "About what?"

"You are smart, capable, and handsome. You can easily find any woman in the world to love you," Jade said, her voice dropping.

She paused before looking directly into his cold green eyes. "Which is why you need to drop whatever feelings... you might be catching for... Aliana."

Silence settled heavily between them.

....

Back in Aliana’s office....

"Now, that is where things get a little more complicated," Cillian replied.

"Complicated how?" Aliana asked.

"In the underworld, when a devil is born, the oracle announces his birth by reading the alignment of the stars. But when a devil’s mate is born, the oracle cannot see it. Even so, it is an absolute certainty that when a new devil enters the world, his mate is born as well.

Because only a devil’s true mate has the right to sit beside him on the throne and hold the title of Queen of the Underworld. That is how the realm maintains its natural order, because only the true Queen can produce the next generation of the royal bloodline."

"I see," Aliana said, failing to spot the issue if a mate’s existence was guaranteed. "So what makes it so complicated?"

"The complications arise when people pressure the king to find his mate and produce an heir as soon as he ascends the throne. It is considered necessary to maintain stability within the realm. However, only the Devil himself can recognise his mate, and he cannot fully identify her until she reaches eighteen. Until then, everyone is simply forced to wait."

"So you’re saying it becomes complicated when people grow tired of waiting for the Queen?" Aliana asked, still confused.

"You could say that. Or, to put it more accurately.... ambitious noble houses constantly seek ways to place their daughters in the king’s harem. While being a devil’s mistress is considered a great honour, imagine the power that comes with bearing his heir."

Aliana instantly recoiled at the thought of the Devil having a harem. The very idea left a bitter taste in her mouth.

Cillian continued, "Driven by their greed, several nobles eventually convinced the king to delve into forbidden magic. They began experimenting with a way to create an artificial bond that would allow at least one of his mistresses to carry his children."

"What?" Aliana gasped in shock. "How is that even possible? Didn’t you just say only his mate can carry his children?"

"And that remains true to this day," Cillian said solemnly.

"So they forged a temporary, unnatural bond with the king that allowed them to conceive. But defying nature always exacts a price. The two mistresses who bore him two sons died right after, unable to withstand the overwhelming power of carrying a devil’s child."

Aliana’s expression paled.

"And the princes they gave birth to..." Cillian paused, his gaze darkening. "Let’s just say they were... evil incarnate to put it lightly."

Aliana sat speechless as the dark reality sank in.

Cillian paused briefly before continuing. "Witnessing the disastrous outcome, the king banned the dark ritual immediately, ordering the death penalty for anyone attempting to perform it and destroying every last record of the spell."

"And then what happened?" Aliana asked quietly.

"Eventually, the king’s beast recognised his true mate when she turned eighteen. She became the rightful Queen, and she later gave him legitimate heirs. One of those princes was... Gavriel."

"Wow..." Aliana breathed, still struggling to process everything. "That’s... a lot."

"It is," Cillian agreed.

"So the king who allowed all of this to happen was... Gavriel’s father?" Aliana asked curiously.

"Correct," Cillian confirmed with a slow nod.

Aliana was stunned into silence once again by the sheer complexity and ruthlessness of the underworld. But this way she also got to learn something about her husband’s past.

Suddenly, a specific detail caught her attention. "Wait... you said the king’s beast recognised his mate. What did you mean by that?"

Cillian raised an eyebrow, a slight smile touching his lips. "I thought you would know. Every Devil possesses powers so vast that they develop a consciousness of their own. They have their own names, personalities and instincts, and they can take physical form when manifested."

Aliana listened intently.

"Because their nature is far more primal than the Devil himself, they are referred to as the Devil’s beasts. But despite possessing their own consciousness, they are in the end a part of the Devil’s soul."

Cillian eyed her keenly. "And that is precisely why they are capable of recognising the mate. The beast doesn’t simply recognise her appearance or her essence. It recognises the soul it is inherently connected to. After all, a mate bond is, at its core... a bond between souls."