Two Sides of Royalty

"Chestarrow?" Kalliope raised an eyebrow. "That's our family's name?"

"Yes. And apparently, our guest is the second prince's personal attendant. Red-haired and smart looking attire. I predict early to middle twenties. Quite young to be given such responsibility which means he must be a very capable individual," Argan described the appearance of Leonard rather concisely since he didn't think that boy would be an obstacle for them.

Meanwhile, his hand kept stroking Kalliope's head gently as he relished on its smoothness. It felt like touching a furry thing and he couldn't help but get addicted to this feeling. He would also help comb her rowdy strands of hair every now and then, gradually turning her hair into a more beautiful state.

On the other hand, Kalliope was immersed in her thoughts and didn't really pay attention to his action.

"So, to what do we owe such a royal presence?" Kalliope asked as her glistening rose-quartz eyes turned to look at Argan. The corner of his lips lifted when he met those precious gem. His hand stopped combing and gently held the back of her head instead as his face inched closer to hers.

At first, Kalliope wasn't bothered by his teasing but when the demon got closer and closer, and the depth of his mystifying violet eyes appeared more perceptible, it slowly made the lady uncomfortable. She wanted to look away but Argan's hand held her in place.

"Argan!" She exclaimed but soon, a gasp escaped from her mouth. Her eyes were shut tight when she felt something touching her forehead and rubbing it slightly.

She was confused. The only hint she got was the sound of his breathing. Thus, when she opened her eyes again, she wasn't surprised to see the mischievous devil leaning his forehead against hers.

"What in the world are you doing, you stupid Blackie?" Kalliope asked with a calm and straight face.

Upon her remark, Argan moved back a little as his brows crinkled in disgust. Thereafter, he ruffled her hair into a mess while reprimanding her, "Now, now, I told you not to call this great one by that pet name!"

"Oh my! I thought it suits you more than Argan since you act like a Blackie!" Kalliope exclaimed amid the chaos that Argan brought upon her long hair. She tried to slap his hands away but he kept blocking her vision.

"Okay, stop! Seriously, what were you doing in the middle of a serious conversation?"

Argan finally stopped messing around and helped tidy up her hair again. "Precisely, because you were too serious with that cute young looking face. It was unbefitting. Besides, there's still time."

He used his index finger to massage Kalliope's temple then. "So, stop frowning."

However, Kalliope let out a long-exasperated sigh. "You do remember my condition doesn't allow me much time, right?"

Of course, he remembered and it would be a lie if it didn't keep him on his feet. Alice's body was not a suitable vessel to host his lady's soul. The end result of this detrimental situation was too predictable.

It wasn't like Kalliope would die but her soul would be lost since she wouldn't have control over it after it had slipped out of Alice's body. She would be left wandering about until she somehow found a way to possess another body and it wasn't exactly an easy task.

On the other hand, Argan wouldn't be of help since his power had yet to reach that level where he could have control over life and death. Adding to all of this, they also had to worry about covering their identity because one slip in the mana flow could possibly expose their existence. This was indeed quite a headache situation.

Still, Argan didn't want Kalliope to feel distress with all of this and ended up making the wrong move. "I do remember, but it's not like this family's problem is ours to care for, right?"

"Argan, right now, I'm borrowing Alice's body. Thus, it's necessary for me to understand the whole picture. I need to know every element and parties that are involved with this body's identity. So, I can make my move easily without them knowing. Additionally,"

Kalliope paused and stressed her next words as she held the devil's cheek to make him look straight at her. "I do not want any surprises."

"Now, out with it. What's the purpose of this... man's visit?"

Argan sighed and let down of Kalliope's hands from his face. "Leonard. Leonard Angwin, that's his name and he's come for his master's fiancé. Actually, he was the one who suggested calling for a priest."

As soon as she heard that, Kalliope stood up and walked towards the floor-to-ceiling window. The corner of her lips slowly curved as her eyes enlightened with a realization.

"Fiancé, huh?" She chuckled. "Not the first prince but the second prince."

"Is there anything wrong with that?"

Kalliope turned to look at Argan. She laughed. "Hey Blackie, use your head, okay? Ophelia does not only have the most powerful magic among the young generation but she is also the most expected debutante."

Argan went sour when he heard that bloody pet name once again. But, he let it go this time because it's not the time to mess around anymore.

"So?"

"So, it only makes sense if she is engaged with the first prince who is the first in line to the throne. But, it's the second prince instead, meaning the duke is more inclined to make him the king. Now, unless the first prince is not the crown prince then, the duke's choice of groom is not questionable. But, if the truth is the opposite...."

Kalliope stared excitedly at Argan as she waited for the demon to connect the dots. And he did not disappoint her.

"Then, there's something wrong with the first prince because the duke is not a foolish man."

"Yes," Kalliope closed the distance between them and she held Argan's hands as she continued, "The duke is holding on to Ophelia because she can be regarded as one of the key element in their party against the first prince. So, how will the first prince take care of this?"

"He needs an equal supporter who is on par with the duke," Argan replied as he analyzed the situation.

"And unless there's any other duke in this empire which is unlikely, then the only party that has enough power to contend against a grand duke's might is the church."

"Wait," The expression on Argan's face turned solemn. "But, they invited a priest to check on Ophelia. That means...."

"If our hypotheses turns out to be true, then I have a feeling the duke knows about the church's secret just as we are."

Once Argan heard Kalliope's last sentence, he couldn't help breaking into a fit of laughter. Then, a terribly cunning smile appears on his face and Kalliope smiled along.

"I hope this is true because then, we will have a pawn in our hands to take care of our little church problem from discovering our identity. And we can focus on other things like how to get me back to my body."

The devil's hand reached out and pinch the lady's chin. "You're more of a demon than I am. You would make a child uses her own father?"

Kalliope let out a condescending scoff as she slapped his hand away. Her eyes darkened in both hatred and burning anger. "Why? Didn't you say we don't need to care so much about this family? Besides, Alice is dead and now, I'm her. Don't forget Argan, I seal a contract with you to lay waste to this very earth we're standing."

Argan chuckled in delight as he stroked her cheek. "How can I forget such an exciting goal?"

"Good." Thereafter, Kalliope suddenly felt a foreign aura approaching from the distance. "Do you smell that?"

The devil let out another chuckle. Raising one eyebrow, he stared at the direction of Ophelia's bedroom. "Yeah, the smell of religious trash."

"Then, go find our answers, Blackie," Kalliope cheerfully chirped before waltzing towards the bed. Meanwhile, Argan crinkled his nose once again and immediately dissolved into the ground, turning into a shadow before slipping under the door.