In the grand bedchamber, the thin rays of the moonlight threaded through the dark velvety curtains, casting a shadow over two naked forms. A man and a woman laid in the imposing King bed, only the woman's breathing echoed in the room as she kept herself safe into the man's muscular arms. The male, unlike the woman, had neither pulse and breath, and if not for the fact that he unmistakenly was the King of the Founders, an esteemed First Blood and not human, people would have thought him dead.

The peacefulness of the room got interrupted by the powerful King's low groan, slowly he sat up, his hand carelessly going through his messy strawberry blond locks before resting by his side as his golden eyes blinked a few times, chasing the sleepiness out of his system— if tired was ever an adjective to use on the man, bored perhaps was most appropriate when it came to Giesbach.

Letting his gaze roam his room for a few seconds, he allowed his sight to settle on the pale woman on his right. A peaceful expression adorned her sickly white face. Silky curls of pinkish-white framed her petite face, further enhancing the fragile beauty of her face. She seemed so pure, so frail, so breakable.

Softly, Giesbach's hand neared her face, giving a careful caress to the woman's cold cheek, the First Blood let his golden irises travel down her curves, his hand following the course of his gaze. Silently, it hovered over her body before going up and letting his fingers dangle over the girl's thin throat.

Oh, how he loved the contrast purple brought to the pale woman. Similar to a dark purple choker, it highlighted the slimness of her neck, enhancing the already sickly pallor of her body and making her all the more ravishing. Truly, he adored the bruised marks that encircled the woman's delicate throat, perfectly fitting his palm and fingers.

A satisfied smirk dancing on his lips, Giesbach's fingers slowly traced each one of the markings left on the woman's body. They ghosted over each one of her visible wounds before hovering a few more seconds over those around her neck. Giesbach shivered, his throat felt dry and his pupils constricted as his calloused fingers neared her delicate nape. Carefully, as if afraid to disrupt the beauty of the scene, the Founder covered the marks with his hand.

Oh, how he loved the way it fitted so perfectly.

His grip around her throat slowly tightened, the pressure applied to her neck progressively grew as if to make the moment last longer before he decided to tighten his grip at once. It took less than a second before a sickly crack echoed in the vast bedchamber, the woman's breathing abruptly coming to a halt. Hearing such a melodious sound, a flash of pleased bloodlust coursed through the King's golden irises. A grin settled on the monarch's face, the feeling of bones crumbling under his hand like stone crumbling to sand, combined with such a sweet sound—

Oh, how the feeling of power delighted him.

Quietly unwrapping his fingers from the now broken neck, Giesbach let them travel up to the woman's pale face slowly and in a somehow gently manner caressing the woman's smooth cheeks and jaw, an affectionate smile on his face.

"You shouldn't have defied me, Krone," he muttered his voice unusually gentle, though the sadistic edge to it wasn't one bit concealed. "Now look at what I did to you. You are broken My Dear, how to fix you," he muttered cradling the woman's lifeless body as a crazed light flashed through his golden eyes. The affectionate look disappeared as quickly as it came to be replaced by one of utter disgust.

"Take this disgusting whore away!" He roared, abruptly throwing the corpse away and letting it fall to the ground with a loud thump.

On cue, a raven-haired butler entered the room. Swiftly making his to his master's bed the demon carried the woman's lifeless body bridal style and without question teleported away.

No less than a second later, in practiced synchronization, a knock sounded into the bedroom. "My Liege," a polite voice called out through the grand door, "may I enter?"

"Mistress," a gentle voice greeted, smoothly making its way to the woman's ears. "It is time to wake up," the Shadow Demon stated as he made his way closer to the room's curtains. In one swift movement, he pulled them open, allowing the dimness of the day— if one could call it this way, to enter the room before the male made his way closer to his mistress' bed.

Humming, the white-haired lady slowly stretched, her long locks of pinkish-white fell onto her shoulders as she sat up. "Good morning, Kagamine," she recognized as she rubbed her eyes, a small yawn escaped her parted lips and in this split second her sharp fangs came to light.

At the sloppy greeting, Kagamine merely nodded in acknowledgment, in a used practice he made his way to the imposing beech closet, following the usual morning routine of His Lady.

"Would My Mistress mind wearing red," he asked as his gloved fingers threaded through the closet, "or would it perhaps be better to go with purple today?" He ended as he skilfully pulled out two long dresses from the wardrobe, each one fitting his previous words.

Krone mutely observed the two dresses before her eyes. She liked the way the purple one's transparent sleeves looked combined with the corset's intricate embroidery, but with her night activities, this one was sure to be a bit too revealing for her children. Her golden eyes flickered to the red one, unlike the loose-fitting violet gown this one stayed close to her body, further highlighting her curves but showing much less skin than the previous one. With this one, neither her bruises nor her hickeys would see the light of day. It wasn't that her body didn't heal quickly, only, Giesbach's wounds weren't the type to heal quickly no matter the race.

She nodded, pleased by herself, and Kagamine executed her silent command. Not asking anymore question, the Shadow Demon attendant neatly put the violet dress away and presented the dark red evening gown to His Mistress.

In the sumptuous dining room of the famous Banmaden castle, the sound of polished silverware hitting and scratching plates echoed against the tall walls of the dining room.

The four Royals ate somewhat peacefully, each one of the members tactfully evading eye contact with each one of their family members. Any action that could induce contact with another person was restrained, making the interaction as minimal as possible.

The two adults never spoke about their late evening Rendez-vous the previous day. It was only a vague dream, an illusion they knew was real in their minds, only Krone's prudish clothing served as a silent reminder to their intercourse.

The two children stealthily stole glances at their parents, silently eating their breakfast they didn't dare comment on the sounds of the previous night.

Unsurprisingly, and much like every other time, the one who broke the silence was Giesbach, his deep voice echoed within the room, imposing both fright and respect to those who heard him. And, predictably the one he addressed was his favorite son— in his words, his only son: Shin.

"How are your studies going, Son?"

Without any possible confusion within the group as to who he addressed, Shin answered. Carla the oldest didn't attempt to, it was evident to all who knew of the royal family that Shin in Giesbach's eyes was the only son he ever had. Carla was only a nuisance, a mistake, something he wanted to get rid of but couldn't.

"Everything is going well, Father," Shin answered politely, "the teacher said I should be able to begin to learn about the other territories' history soon!" He beamed proudly, letting some of his childish nature slip in.

Giesbach affectionately smiled as he gently ruffled his son's curly locks of similarly colored strawberry-blond hair. It wasn't a hard feat for the King as his son sat right by his side. "As expected of my Son!" He praised his deep voice boasting with pride.

A harmonious atmosphere surrounded the two First Bloods as the father and son duo bonded over a delicious breakfast. Their chatter smoothly filling the room and broke the previously pregnant silence for good.

Next, to them, the ignored wife and forgotten child ate, silently listening to the peaceful duo.

From the sidelines, butlers, maids, and personal servants observed the usual scene. None of them moved or allowed any emotion to cross their faces as they assisted to such a display of affection.

After all, within the Tsukinami household, this was a daily occurrence.

Nothing to be surprised over.

Four months later.

Sitting next to her oldest son, Carla, Krone calmly sipped her tea. A floral fragrance emanated from the warm drink as the Queen peacefully took a sip of the orange liquid. Her eyes softly gazed at her son who sat on the couch reading a book about demon sociology and the evolution of demon politics throughout the centuries.

In the vast library, only the sound of pages turning sounded as the two demons enjoyed their evening in peaceful silence.

Standing two feet behind his mistress, Kagamine silently overlooked the harmonious picture. His eyes never left his mistress' back as he waited patiently for her to say the word and him to succinctly execute her order.

Shin, her youngest son, was currently sparing with his teachers under the watchful eyes of his father.

It was what one would call a peaceful evening within the Banmaden castle.

It was during this peaceful time that Krone abruptly scrunched her nose. The floral scent of bergamot which she usually appreciated made the white-haired lady uncomfortable, almost sick in the stomach.

Silently setting her ceramic cup down, the Queen rubbed her temples in an attempt to soothe her incoming headache.

At the sight of his distressed Mistress, Kagamine allowed himself to move and come closer to Krone. "Mistress, is everything alright?" He asked concern lacing his voice, the question gained the oldest son's attention who lifted his head to look at his mother, his golden eyes filled with unhidden concern. "Is the tea perhaps not to your liking?" Kagamine tried to understand.

Shaking her head in silent dismissal, Krone extended her arm for Kagamine to grab as she slowly stood up. "I'm alright," she soothed "just a bit nauseous," she added a small smile painted on her thin lips.

Nodding in understanding Kagamine led his mistress out of the library "Excuse us, Young Master Carla, it seems like My Lady is a bit unwell we will, therefore, take our leave now. Have a nice evening Young Master," Kagamine politely said as he gave a small bow before exiting the reading room with his mistress.

In the vast library, Carla remained alone surrounded by books and knowledge as his mother went back to her room her footing a bit unstable.

Now sitting on her queen-sized bed, Krone pensively rubbed her stomach as she tried to understand how she became nauseous all of a sudden when she was only sipping her usual bergamot tea. It didn't make sense.

Perhaps was it something she ate? Or maybe the weather? It was true this winter had been excessively cold compared to the previous ones, and the Queen despite having a robust immune system as one of the proud First Bloods wouldn't be surprised if she had caught a cold or any other type of disease mortals usually contracted in such times.

But a cold, from what she learned of her books, didn't cause nausea. Then what? Krone wasn't very proficient in the medical field and therefore with her limited knowledge as a being who almost never fell ill was faced with an unanswered question. Why was she nauseous? 

Maybe if she asked Karl, he would know? After all, the male was proficient when it came to sciences and the likes, and although she wasn't keen on asking for his help, she would if faced with no choice. Racking her mind in a search for hints about what her problem was, Krone began to remember everything she had done the past few days, weeks, and months.

Her rubbing came to a halt for a moment as her eyes widened in what seemed to be a strange mix of surprise, delight, sadness, confusion, and mild denial.

From where he stood, Kagamine saw her stiffen. Sensing his mistress' agitation, the Shadow Demon worriedly walked up to her. "Mistress, would you like some help in some matters?" he inquired, unsure of what the subject of his mistress' unrest was.

"Call a doctor," the white-haired Founder muttered, her voice low, similar to a whisper. "Bring one, quickly!" she ordered, her voice holding more power and authority than usual, truly displaying the might of a feared and respected First Blood.

Not asking any question as to what seemed to disturb his mistress so much— as it wasn't his place to ask, Kagamine bowed before disappearing in his own shadow. A simple "As you wish Mistress" being his only parting words as the Shadow Demon went to fetch the royal physician.

Now alone in her room, Krone laid on her crimson duvet, her yellow eyes staring into nothingness as she tried to recompose herself. Her right-hand absentmindedly rubbed her stomach in a circling motion as she thought of the probability of her being pregnant with a third if not fourth or fifth child if she were to have twins or triplets.

The realization of her gaining a new baby made a sweet motherly smile appear on her thin red lips as her features clearly relaxed. How lovely would that be to have another child to dote on? She mused before frowning.

The memory of Carla being driven to perfection to one day succeed his father came to her mind, the image of her oldest son soon overlapped with the one of her youngest who permanently strived for more power. None of them had had the childhood she had wished to give them, their royal obligations dragging the poor boys into the world of adulthood before they even reach the age of ten human years.

She didn't want her next child to suffer the same fate, although she did gain Giesbach's promise not to involve their next child in politics, nothing and no one was there to guarantee he wouldn't betray his words. Even if he didn't do a thing, the baby would be of blue blood no matter what he did.

No, it doesn't matter what Giesbach wants to do, she thought. I will protect my child and raise them the way I want without him intervening she swore successfully calming her beating heart.

Now that her mind was clearer Krone allowed herself to relax, a small smile danced on her lips as she patiently waited for the royal physician and her loyal butler to come to her room.

On cue, as if waiting for the Queen to end her internal conflict, a sharp knock reached her ears. Kagamine's slightly muffled voice came through the wooden door, announcing his and the royal physician's arrival and them coming into the Queen's bedchamber.

"Congratulation My Queen, it seems like our Kingdom will soon be blessed with a Third Heir," the royal physician, Asclepius, announced as he gently rubbed his white beard. With a kind smile on his face, the old First Blood gently told the resting Queen what to do and not to do during her pregnancy.

"Although this child isn't your first one, My Queen, please still be careful. We wouldn't want you to hurt yourself or the baby while exercising," the old demon explained as he extended his hand holding a small block note in Kagamine's direction.

As Kagamine silently and graciously accepted the small notepad, Asclepius continued. "In this notebook is the diet I suggest you follow during your pregnancy, My Queen. Of course, it is only a suggestion, but I would prefer it if you could check with me if you want to eat or crave for anything specific," the doctor concluded as he pushed his thin-rimmed glasses up the bridge of his nose.

"Now for the birth of the young Heir, My Queen, they should be born within the year. As to when within the year, it will depend on how quickly your child gathers energy within your womb," the royal physician concluded. On these words, the old First Blood stood up, bidding his farewells to His Queen, he excused himself before exiting the royal chamber.

"Congratulation Mistress."

Krone absentmindedly nodded, a small peaceful smile dancing on her lips as she lovingly stared at her flat stomach, her hand moving in a circular motion as she tenderly stroke it. "Come quickly," she muttered as her eyes crinkled happily.

Truthfully, this first Arc is world-building for the most part. 

Next chapter, the Tsukinami siblings make their comeback! They are still smol and innocent lol. Also, MC enters the stage!

Thank you for reading, until next time^^