After searching through book after book, the only thing I can find out about Ivan is that I suspect he is a demon lord. A demon lord isn't exactly what it sounds like. It is someone that has summoned and made a contract with a demon, and in turn they can control the demon. They can make it do whatever they want and even take the shape of a demon. However, it wouldn't explain how he can control so many at a time. I am officially stumped.

Suddenly, there are two raps on my door. "Your highness?" Kiku is standing outside, and I immediately rise to let him in.

"Hello, Kiku," I greet, still holding the last book I have yet to leaf through. This one, however, is about dragons.

Instead of coming in, Kiku stands in the doorway. "Prince Alfred has requested your presence in his chambers," he says quietly, blushing slightly.

I sigh, running a hand through my messy, blonde locks. "Please tell Prince Alfred that if he wishes to speak with me, he should come and see me himself."

"Yes, Sire," he says, bowing before walking down the hall.

Sighing, I lie down on my bed, resting on my stomach with my upper body at the foot of the bed. Kicking my legs up lazily, I let my eyes scan the book in front of me, taking in the information as fast as possible. The more magic I learn, the better things will be, the more capable I will become. And I don't really feel like dealing with Alfred at the moment. He's just going to try and stop me from going after Ivan.

Noticing a picture on the page of the book I hold, the aching familiarity of it jabs at me. I've seen this before, but I can't for the life of me remember where.

"Arthur," an angry voice sounds from my doorway. Suddenly the door is quickly opened, and Alfred enters the room. "When I summon you, I expect you to come."

Raising my eyebrows at him, I scoff. "You do not command me Alfred. I know you may not be used to the idea, but I am your equal. Treat me as such." With a glare, I sit up on the bed, not even rising for his presence. It's rude, but I can't bring myself to care.

He glares at me, pursing his lips together before exhaling heavily through his nose. "Arthur," he says after a moment, sounding calmer this time. "I am sorry." His eyes slowly shut as he seems to relax, the anger fading. Now, he looks distressed.

I sigh and rise, walking over to him. I notice how tired he is, but that's not surprising. It is rather late. I rub his arm, trying to comfort him as best as I can. "You are not well." It's a statement, and there's no room for arguing. He doesn't object anyway.

"I am very tired, Arthur," he states, opening his eyes slightly. They find me and linger, tracing my features slowly. "We are supposed to be married," he says softly.

"Do you not want to?" I ask. It's a fair question. This is an arranged engagement.

He smiles softly, and I feel his hand on my jaw, thumb stroking the skin gently. "No, I do," he returns, making my cheeks flush. "But, I am concerned," he adds.

"About what?" I ask, trying my best to keep my gaze away from his soft lips.

"My future husband dying," he says, causing me to avoid his gaze in shame. His hand cups my face and turns me, forcing me to look into his eyes. "Arthur, I do not wish to lose you."

I cannot find the words to reply. He's too close. I can feel his breath against my lips, tickling me teasingly. If he stays there, I won't be able to stop myself from kissing him.

No longer fighting the urge, my eyes flicker between his eyes and his lips.

We stay like that for who knows how long, staring at each other and tantalizingly close.

"I should leave," he says slowly, but his eyes are telling me that he wishes to stay. And I agree with them.

I grab his wrist before he can move and catch his eyes watching me eagerly. "If we are going to be married, you should get used to sleeping next to me," I say, nodding to the bed a few feet away. "Stay." I can feel that my cheeks are on fire, but I can't bring myself to mind.

He nods, not saying a word. Instead, he walks over to one side of the bed, taking off his shirt as he goes. The muscles that ripple underneath have me blushing even worse than before.

Turning around and suddenly feeling shy, I remove my own shirt and pants, crawling into bed before he can see my body. I'm not ashamed of it or anything. It's just a very intimate situation, and I feel a little nervous.

He blows out all of the candles that light my room, and I feel the bed dip. The covers move as he climbs in next to me, and I can feel the warmth radiating off of him.

Slowly turning over, I find that he's facing away from me, but thanks to the moonlight filling the room, I can see well enough. I even make out a few scars on his back, and a few that I can see stretch around to his chest. One looks relatively new, but it's more of a large scrape than a cut like most of the other wants. It's still red but mostly healed.

I reach out and gently touch the spot, pulling away when he jumps at the contact.

"Sorry," I murmur, pulling my hand away.

"You don't have to stop!" he says quickly, almost desperately.

Without another word exchanged, I start to trace my fingers along the different scars that litter his body, trying to be as gentle as possible. His skin is hotter than I imagined, and it's comforting enough to make me sleepy.

As my arm gets tired, I slow my movements and eventually drop it back onto the bed, feeling my eyes drooping. I've never been so warm. It's utterly heavenly.

I don't even notice Alfred flipping around to face me, eyes studying me curiously. He rests his hand atop the one extended towards him, gaining my exhausted attention.

His thumb begins to stroke my hand, making my heart beat slightly faster. "Please be careful," he murmurs, lifting my hand to his lips for a gentle kiss.

I tug his hand towards my own face, returning his gesture slowly. "I just want to protect you," I murmur.

"I am supposed to be your hero," he returns, breathing out a laugh.

As my eyes finally fall shut, I feel the ghost of a touch on my lips, as if Alfred were kissing me gently. And I could have sworn he whispered three words that I've been dreaming about hearing ever since I first saw him.

But I fall asleep before I can return the sentiment like I want to.

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Heylo, my lovely little nuggets! I hope y'all enjoyed this chapter! Don't forget to leave any comments or suggestions you have. They always make my day :) Anyway, I'll see y'all nuggety readers in the next update! Until then, have an absolutely fantastic and fabulous day! Bai!!! >:3

-IggyScones