Chapter 83

Chapter 83: Chapter 83

Dulce glanced down in his strange position to find Caedos looking up at him, the faintest bit of red bleeding into his hazel eyes.

"I apologize, I was worried they would hurt." He said self-consciously, sitting back down. He didn’t know Caedos could simply put away his ears, but considering that the other Demons weren’t walking around with their horns constantly visible, he should have predicted it.

The carriage journey was a brief one, they were simply riding from the harbor to a nearby inn. There were inns even in the harbor but they were frequented by ship crews who had only a little time to spend in Boussiney before they had to leave.

After a quarter of an hour, they were in a quieter part of the city, a short distance from the bustling harbor. The carriage stopped by an inn, despite it being late in the morning, there were a handful of other carriages also depositing their passengers by the inn.

Asael was the first out, pausing on the steps of the carriage, preventing the other from stepping out.

Ruoxi already had a foot lifted, ready to kick the Shadow Demon out of the way. "Don’t stand in front of the door." He complained.

"There’s a Chaos Faction Demon here." He said quietly, stepping forward, efficiently silencing the Incubus.

Everyone’s gazes collectively turned to Kath’tan when the Fiend stepped out. "I’m not going to attack every Chaos Faction Demon I see." He snapped.

The hired carriage rode off as they stood at the entrance to the inn, revealing them more to the crowd around.

"I was more worried they would attack first," Dulce said, quickly heading for the inn to avoid an altercation.

The Chaos Demon in question was a few buildings away, it was impressive that Asael had seen him as soon as he stepped out of the carriage. As soon as they started for the inn, the Chaos Demon unerringly turned in their direction, warping over before anyone could react.

Kath’tan stared down the Chaos Demon who warped right in front of him, his purple skin was on the paler side, his purple eyes narrowed underneath straight brows. His fists clenched and unclenched, wishing he had his maul with him.

"Are you by any chance Lord Kath’tan?" The Demon asked after intently staring at him, an incredulous expression on his face.

Dulce’s first reaction to the sudden appearance of the Demon was to step in between him and Kath’tan but his attempts at self-sacrifice were stopped by Asael pulling him behind him.

Kath’tan was genuinely surprised to be known, even in the city of Threnval, most only knew he was the bastard of the Grand Duke, only a handful could recognize him on sight.

"And if I am?" He asked coolly.

"Lady Valrena of Ashford sends a message." The Demon started, his demeanor calm, he did not intend to fight.

Kath’tan knew well of Ashford, it was the closest Chaos city to Threnval. Wars were often fought between the two cities, their feud running deeper than most. But he had never heard of the noble mentioned, it sparked his interest.

"What message?" He asked impatiently when all the Chaos Demon did was go back to studying him intently.

"Are you truly the son of Grand Duke Zazrel?" The Chaos Demon kept prodding.

"If you have nothing of substance to say, step out of my way." The Fiend bit out, his eyes blazing.

The Chaos Demon remained unbothered in the face of his anger, lifting a brow and rubbing his jaw in deep thought. "Although I suppose only a bastard would be so colorful," He muttered, staring openly at Kath’tan’s purple eyes.

"Excuse me, sir," Dulce spoke up, unable to remain silent any longer. "But we’re in a bit of a hurry..."

The Chaos Demon didn’t even turn in the direction of the voice, snapping his fingers like he was just remembering something important. "Right, the High Lady Valrena, she stormed the castle of the Grand Duke of Threnval searching for her son. She heard you were dead."

The Chaos Demon’s delivery was dry and casual, completely at odds with the contents of his message. "She sent out soldiers looking for you, and when we find you, are directed to ask that you return to Threnval. She’s waiting there."

With that, the Demon sauntered off, paying attention to no one else, not even the strange collection of Demons standing only a short distance from him.

Kath’tan forgot to breathe, watching the Chaos Faction Demon walk off until he vanished in an empty corner of the street, no doubt creating a portal to return to the Hells.

His mother... searching for him, worried that he had died.

It was such a ridiculous thought that it made him frown physically, a lost look in his eyes. He truly had a mother...

Dulce was able to step out from behind Asael when the Demon left, his words cautious. "Do you want to return?"

Kath’tan turned in the direction of the familiar voice, his eyes regaining some clarity. He would have written it off as a ploy of his father’s if a Chaos Demon hadn’t been the one to deliver the message.

Did he want to return? Yes. With a desperation that threatened to burst out of his chest, but as quickly as the sprouts of hope grew, so did the weeds of doubt which tangled and threatened to choke out hope.

"Let’s get to our destination first," He said quietly. It was only right that he was a part of the journey to pay off his death.

Not to mention, his mother had only resurfaced when she heard of his death, wholly trusting her intentions without question was dangerous.

Dulce requested a single room at the inn, they wouldn’t be spending the night in Boussiney, and even if they would, it would be in a different inn, hopefully on the outskirts of the city.

"It would be preferable if we hired a carriage that would travel the length of the journey." Dulce plunged right into the topic of discussion. "I don’t remember how long the journey to the palace will take," He mumbled, bothered by it.