Freya sauntered to the training grounds, holding a parasol to shade herself from the sun. The sunlight that seeped through the leaves caressed her face. Leaving spots and splashes of light, enhancing her delicate features.
Upon seeing her, the squad paused from their training and lined up, greeting their master. Freya smiled faintly then gestured for them to lift their head.
"My princess, what is today's special occasion for you to bless us with your presence?" The man with tattoos who stood in front grinned brightly.
Usually, demons tend to preserve their looks in their twenties, though some prefer to look older. The man in front of her for example looked in his forties, but in truth, his age has surpassed her dad's.
"Captain Maxwell, you jest. You make it sound like I don't come here often." Freya sulked playfully.
He was the captain of the team, Soul Reapers that Arche gave her on her tenth birthday. All of them had sworn with a blood oath and pledged their loyalty to her. The slightest ill-intention will make their heart burst into million pieces.
She summoned her crystal butterflies and healed everyone's injuries from training. "All of you have worked hard, so I'm treating everyone to a meal."
As she said that, the maids behind her brought many dishes and served them on a long table. The buffet-style meal made the men drool.
"Thank you very much." They cheered in unison.
Freya pulled the captain to the same table as hers, she asked, "How's the angel doing?"
This was her true purpose. She glanced at Dylan from the corner of her eyes. It seems like he's getting along quite well with the rest of the group.
"Him? He is a kid with good potential. He had already surpassed some of our members. He's more well-versed with ranged weapons, especially bows and arrows."
"I see. It seems like he's useful." Freya placed her palm on her cheek, "If he made no progress, I would've thrown him out."
Maxwell nodded. This master of his was sometimes kind and sometimes cruel.
She might pity the weak, and throw some ropes at the person drowning in the sea. But whether they could climb the rope would depend on themselves. She won't pull you up and might even smile as you drown.
She only acknowledges the strong, those who put in the effort to change their surroundings. But of course, she is very partial and tender towards the few she held dear in her heart.
Others were just worthless ants in her eyes. No one despised her attitude because there was backing to her arrogance. It even made them admire her.
She can't use spells or buffs, but she could defeat them with her skills and cunning tricks. All of them here were in the top 500, it's already very impressive. That made them respect her sincerely from their hearts.
Maxwell remembered the first time they met, she hid behind Ache like a shy bunny but...that was only when Arche was present.
Once she was left alone with them, her true demeanor made them shiver. She was a predator through and through.
"Then I'll leave everything to you." Freya smiled at Maxwell. "Until I get his blood oath, don't let him learn too much."
Freya was the one who brought Dylan here but she certainly did not trust him completely. People change over the years, she may pity him but...he was nothing compared to her family's safety.
"Yes, princess."
"Captain, I've been wanting to tell you. Your nose it out." Freya pointed to her own nose with an adorable giggle.
Maxwell's eyes widened, he quickly retracted his long and straight snout. He rubbed the back of his head bashfully, "Ah, thank you princess for informing me."
All demons have more than one form, but they usually prefer their humanoid form. If they used their true forms, the whole street would be filled with humongous beasts and small critters. So everyone tacitly used the standard humanoid form.
But the humanoid form was hard to maintain, so occasional slip-outs were very common. Of course, maintaining the humanoid form is as easy as sleeping to the top 10 in each region. As for children with the demon kings' blood, this ability was innate.
"No problem, it's not a big deal. Then I'll be leaving, you guys don't need to see me out. Enjoy your meal." She stood up and waved to the others.
"So soon?"
Freya shook her head helplessly, "It can't be helped, I have other matters to attend to."
She wanted to enjoy some more but the pink box that appeared made it so that she had no choice to comply. She jogged back to the palace and headed to the fourth floor.
"Are you sure I can enter? Daddy told me many times that no one is allowed to go in." She questioned the system.
This room must've been her sister's. She had never seen Arche going in before but she could tell Arche treasured this room.
[We must go in. It's time.]
"Time for what? Whatever." Freya knew the system won't tell her. She'll just have to find out herself.
She scrutinized the handle, "The room's locked with dad's magic. I can't go in without alerting him."
Usually, there would be guards too, but somehow...there were none today. That's probably the reason why the system ushered her to come here quickly.
[Go through the window. No magic is detected there.]
Freya sighed and jumped out the window across the room. Four of her wings spread out as she glided through the air, landing gracefully on the balcony of the said room.
She glanced around and headed to the window on the left. As the system said, there was no magic.
She opened the window and headed in. Her heart was thumping wildly, if she gets caught by her father, she's going to get an earful.
The obedient child had reached the age of rebelling, she smiled to herself mockingly. When the layout of the room entered her eyes, her whole person froze.
Step by step, she walked towards the bed. Across it was a portrait of her and her dad...no this was her sister...who looked exactly like her.
In a trance, she headed to the study table. In her mind, she subconsciously imagined herself sitting there and handling many documents.
She glanced to the small living area, she could see a hazy image of her, drinking tea with Arche happily.
She clutched her heart, it hurts. It felt like needles were prickling it, it felt tight and sour.
This sense of familiarity...her tears trickled down without her knowing. It wasn't until she saw the droplets remaining on the floor that she realized she was sobbing.
She wiped them away frantically, what was this feeling of nostalgia? The feeling of missing something so greatly that she could hardly breathe.
She traced her fingers across the table, not a speck of dust could be found. It must be her father's magic. After all these years, even after a century, nothing in this room changed, she smiled bitterly.
A century? What did she mean by a century? She was fourteen!
Freya's head hurt. She felt as if a heavy rock was weighing her heart. She felt frustrated, why can't she remember anything?
Freya felt that the room was suffocating yet comfortable, this contradiction made her tears fall in big droplets. Like pearls raining down her cheeks.
She can't stay here, she won't be able to think straight. She threw herself out the window and flew back inside the palace. She ran and ran until she stopped outside the office. She had so many questions.
But before she could knock, she heard the conversation of her uncle and father. She kept quiet, everything she wanted to know poured into her ears. Her thick eyelashes quivered as she digested the information.
Freya's thundering heartbeat made her sweat, a exhausted smile appeared on her lips as she went back to her room before their conversation ended. She propped herself up with the help of the study table, her legs were wobbling as though she was a newborn fawn.
Her lips curved. The smile turned into laughter. She threw her head back, laughing like a maniac. If anyone saw her right now, they would certainly think that she went crazy.
Akin to how it suddenly came, her laughter also stopped out of the blue. She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. The excitement she felt was beyond her control, the hot blood rushing through her veins had yet calmed down.
She let out a dry chuckle and asked the pink box, "I was the one who created you, wasn't I?"
The system did not answer her. Freya's eyes widened, she let out a whimper as she lost her balance. She felt her head split into two, blood spilled from her lips, it hurts so badly. This pain could be compared to the Devil's Tears, or perhaps even greater than that.
[Key word has been said, initiating self-destruction.]
[Initiating: Recovering Data]
[ERROR 404 ERROR 404 ERROR]
[Self-correcting Backup In Progress]
[Initiating: Enter Host's Body]
[Initiating: Fusing With Host's Body]
[Initiating: The Untold Truth]