Chapter 371: A Hell Of Its Own

’A Devil’s beast, huh?’ Aliana thought quietly to herself.

The thought pulled her back into the hazy, intoxicating memory of that full moon night. She could almost hear Gavriel’s low voice whispering against her skin once more.

’Carelessly, you gave my beast the one thing he has been craving all along during the full moon.’

’Now... he and I both want it. We want you, Aliana.’

A faint shiver ran down her spine.

Back then, she had been far too swept up in the moment to understand what he truly meant.

’Does his beast truly want me? Someone who... might not even be his mate?’

She quickly shook her head, refusing to let those uncertain thoughts plague her any further.

Opposite her, Cillian watched the subtle play of emotions across her face.

"I sense you still have more questions."

"No..." Aliana cleared her throat before correcting herself. "I mean... yes, I do."

Cillian raised an inquisitive brow, silently inviting her to continue.

"What happened to those two princes?" Aliana asked.

Cillian let out a low sigh. "Well, one of them developed a grand ambition to rule the land of the living. Naturally, it ended with him getting put six feet under."

Aliana gasped softly. "He was killed?"

"He was," Cillian confirmed with a nod. "Not only that, I recently learned something rather interesting. Take a wild guess as to who had the honour of sending him back to oblivion."

Aliana’s brow furrowed as she pondered the question. Since she hardly knew many supernatural beings, her thoughts immediately landed on the most obvious choice.

"Gavriel?"

Cillian chuckled softly. "Not him. Let me give you a hint... they possess divine powers, the exact opposite of demonkind. And you have already met them."

Aliana stared blankly at him, her lips pursed in thought.

Suddenly, two ethereal faces flashed across her mind.

Her eyes widened in disbelief. "No way..."

Cillian’s lips curved into a satisfied grin, as though he had read her thoughts. "Yes. It was Ivan and Evelyn who put an end to him back in their world."

"Wow..." Aliana breathed in utter awe.

Cillian continued, "His name was Azrath. As the bastard son of the king, he was given a territory to rule and was meant to live out his days in peace. But apparently, peace was never on his mind, and he eventually got himself killed after attempting something forbidden."

"I see..." Aliana murmured, processing the information before asking softly, "And what of the second prince? Is he also...?"

"No, he is very much alive and kicking," Cillian replied.

"Didn’t you say he is evil as well?" Aliana asked.

"He is, but he didn’t attempt something quite as brazen as Azrath did. So he was simply... let us just say sent to a rather unpleasant corner of the underworld to keep him from causing trouble."

"You mean he was banished too?" Aliana asked, her heart beginning to thud anxiously in her chest for reasons she could not explain.

"You could say that... though he remains in the underworld. It would be more accurate to say he is in prison," Cillian answered.

Intrigue washed over her, and the questions kept coming. "What did he do?"

Cillian’s brows furrowed with mild displeasure. "The specifics were never made public, and people simply do not speak of that prince. Likely out of fear of the king."

"The king?" Aliana immediately caught on to the implication. "You mean Gavriel’s father?"

"Yes, he is still reigning," Cillian replied.

"But..." Confusion flickered across her face. "How is he... how is he still alive?"

Cillian chuckled softly, a playful glint appearing in his eyes. "Now, that is an unusual question."

Aliana shook her head. "No, I mean... I remember Gavriel telling me recently that his mother is no longer alive. And since she was his father’s true mate, if she is gone, how is his father still living?"

Cillian’s brows rose at her question, and Aliana continued, "Didn’t you say that if one mate dies, the other follows them?"

"That is a very good observation, Aliana. You’re sharp to have caught that," Cillian commented, clearly impressed.

"Hmm... I sense a but coming," Aliana said, narrowing her eyes slightly.

Cillian let out a soft chuckle. "I’m afraid so."

"The thing is, nobody knows how the king survived after the Queen passed away. Some speculate that it may have been an aftereffect of the forbidden dark magic he once involved himself in. More like... a punishment from the universe."

"How is staying alive considered a punishment?" Aliana asked in surprise.

Cillian gave her a faint smile. "Let’s just say... he hasn’t really been himself since the late Queen passed away."

Aliana remained silent, staring at him.

Cillian’s expression softened as he added quietly, "When your twin flame dies, it is as though half of your soul has already been destroyed."

Cillian offered no further explanation, but he didn’t need to because Aliana understood completely.

To have the love of your life, your eternal life partner, the person whose very soul was bound to yours, suddenly ripped away from you... and to be the one left behind, forced to wake up every morning and live through each passing day without them...

That would be a hell of its own.

Had Aliana been in the king’s position... she knew she would rather leave a world devoid of the love of her life than be forced to survive every waking moment beneath the painful shadow of his memory forever.

A sense of gloom settled over the office as they both fell silent, each lost in their own thoughts.

Eventually, Cillian seemed to snap out of it and shifted in his seat.

"Alright, I think that is quite enough for today. I hope I managed to clear up most of your doubts." Cillian moved to rise from the sofa.

Aliana blinked. "Are you leaving?"

"Your sentiment for me to stay is touching, my dear sister-in-law, but I am afraid I am not eager to get skinned alive by that fiercely jealous husband of yours," Cillian teased.

Aliana simply rolled her eyes as she stood up. "Wait, I still have more questions."

"And I’m shocked," Cillian replied sarcastically.

When Aliana fixed him with a blank stare, Cillian laughed softly, slipping his hands into his pockets. "Alright, last one. Let us hear it."

Aliana nodded slowly, though the words caught in her throat. She looked away, staring down at her clasped hands, suddenly acting like a child about to be reprimanded.

"Did he ever... did he ever find..." she mumbled, trailing off before shaking her head as if reconsidering the question entirely.

Lifting her gaze to meet Cillian’s eyes once again, she asked, "Why are Reve’s hands like that, while yours and Gav’s look more... human?"