It was not the coronation I had always imagined. In fact, the whole affair was quite humble compared to what it would have been in my rightful kingdom. There the celebrations would have included at least a week of festivals leading up to the main event including jousting, jesters, games, and feasts every night. It would have rivaled any royal wedding or funeral and no expense would have been spared. Even the most lowly of commoners would have experienced delights beyond their station, making it truly a once in a lifetime experience.

  Today, the throne room, halls, and grand dining room were decked in opulence with the finest velvets, silk, and jewels, but there would be no festival and there was a distinct lack of merrymaking. Perhaps it should not have been an ounce of surprise to me, it was simply not in the nature of demons to find any joy in much beyond good food and drink. That, there would be plenty of and they were sparing absolutely no expense in that regard. Demons took no pleasure in large social occasions and I could not imagine one of them participating in any sort of game without either blatantly cheating or immediately taking offense if they were not the winner.

  Perhaps the more demure atmosphere was appropriate, after all, we had just had the funeral for my grandmother just a few days ago. Still, I couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed in how demure and short the actual coronation celebrations would be. I took a bit of solace in the idea that I was determined for this to not be the only coronation in my life. When I took back the throne of my rightful kingdom, I would ensure that the celebrations would be worthy of the history books and talked about wistfully for decades.

  “This crown represents the continued friendship between the Kingdom of Drak and the House of Yser. May its presentation further our entwined destinies,” Rafe's voice boomed, almost loud enough to make me want to cover my ears.

  It seemed as though he had trouble adjusting to the differences of the human world. All of his motions and emotions were double any normal human's, it made him stick out like a sore thumb. His voice was the most obvious, either he truly couldn’t tell that he spoke at least triple the volume of everyone else or he just didn’t care.

  “I now present to you the standing Queen for the Human Kingdom of Drak by way of the House Yser, the Royal Majesty, Toria Yser.”

  He placed the heavy crown on my head, it was done. The large rubies and onyx that made up the intricate piece felt unnecessarily heavy and unwieldy. The dark magenta velvet that lined the crown made it possible to wear for short periods, though I would not have trusted inclining my head even slightly. As breathtaking as the piece was, I was certainly glad that it was largely ceremonial and that unlike monarchs of the past, unworn outside of extremely niche occasions.

  The audience, including the servants of my own castle and those of the demonic as well as the entirety of the Drak family, rose to their feet in polite gesture before dropping to one knee in a show of fealty. A river of power opened up within me as pure magic flowed from the audience and entwined their currents of power with mine. They not only pledged their physical devotion, but the skills and magic they possessed. It was a drunkenly feeling, not unlike how I had first felt when I opened the portal to the kingdom so many years ago.

  There was silence as the currents of power mingled and the conduits within me swelled, bolstered by the gesture of fealty. I felt a new connection forming, the castle itself felt like it had awakened and I could sense a faint, demonic magic deep in the stones all around me. The swift ease of which Evonia used magic made sense, she had been privy to the secret that the castle was not as mundane as it appeared. Now that demonic magic had revealed itself to me and within these walls I could draw on currents that were hidden from others.

  When the magic began to recede and flow back into the audience and the stones around me, I opened my closed eyes and met Rafe’s gaze. A smug smirk tugged at his lips and he inclined his head slightly in an acknowledgement of our shared secret. I returned his expression with a careful, barely perceptible nod of my head.

  “Now, in a gesture of welcoming to the head of the Human Kingdom of Drak, I would like to offer any of my children up as a choice for a place among your court,” Rafe continued, the only one not on a bent knee. “If you are anything like your grandmother, I'm sure a marriage is out of the question, but a consort may prove to suit you. I believe I have many fine choices for you to have your pick of the most pleasing.”

  A deeply confident and smug look came over Laric's face from his position in the front row of the great hall. He was certain that I would choose him for a consort, he had been trying very hard to win my advances and cement his position. As the second son he was not in line for the throne and a position as a queen's consort would be a very comfortable, potentially powerful position.

  I could not deny that the thought had passed my mind several times. Laric was devilishly handsome with a sharp wit and imposing presence. Where his father was rather brash and abrasive, Laric had learned that it was beneficial to be smooth and calm when the situation suited, and was willing to lower his volume and blend in a bit better outside of the demonic realm.

  It was certain that even the most pious, virginal girl would seriously consider throwing themselves upon Laric. At first glance, he seemed like an obvious choice. However, his own ambitions could be a dangerous impediment to mine. Besides, I didn't like that he seemed to like himself and the title more than he would ever come to like me.

  “That is a very kind and generous gesture, one that I would like to take,” I replied.

  I turned in my throne towards the line of eligible House Drak members. Laric's eyes meet my own and their intensity deepened. I could see the confusion and panic in his eyes as my own continued down the row of options. I completed the whole row and then swung back to the choice I had made before the offer had even been presented.

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  “I would like to offer a position of Queen's Consort to the Lady Mistra Drak, if she is willing.”

  The gathered audience gasped, along with Mistra, her face quickly reddening as she looked around like she must have misheard. Laric’s mouth dropped open in a look of shock, a rare sight to see from a demon.

  “My daughter?” Rafe asked in a laughing tone. “Maybe I have misheard you.”

  “Yes, your daughter,” I asserted, “she and I will make an unstoppable team.”

  The gasps and whispers were cut short by Rafe's thunderous laugh. He stepped towards me to clap me on the shoulder, his face looking like it was curled up into a smile to a painful degree.

  “I am so very sorry for many more reasons now that Evonia is not here for this, she would have found so much delight in this scene” he boomed. “Let it be so as long as Mistra consents.”

  Mistra, still looking very red from the middle of the front row nodded in shock before rising to her feet and taking a seat on the lesser throne next to me. In an act of what felt like defiance and assertion of power, I took her hand and held it within my own as the crowd, save for Laric, clapped despite their confusion.

  I was certain that my choice was likely to be unheard of and would be the talk of everyone for quite a while, but it was the only choice that I felt made sense. Not only politically, but personally. I simply could not see myself with any of his conniving sons who would always feel and act superior to me. The Lady Mistra had always been kind and courteous to me as well as we were on a more even power level. Plus, it did not hurt that I found her breathtakingly beautiful.

  During the coronation feast, I could feel her questioning gaze upon me whenever I was not looking in her direction. I could tell that she wondered if she was a serious choice or just a part of an elaborate scheme I had worked up. I did not blame her suspicions, in fact, I would second-guess my choice in consort if she was not pragmatic enough to question it. In time, I hoped that she would come to understand that my choice was genuine and be content in her position.

  Finally after many well-wishes, rich food, and likely too much drink, we were free to do as we wished. Many of the servants and other coronation attendees had simply opted to slump over in their chairs rather than to return home or to their waiting rooms. I could not blame them, my eyes were already feeling heavy from the demands of the day and overconsumption the feast demanded.

  “So...” Mistra whispered into my ear, “can we retire and talk for a moment?”

  I nodded and bid my goodbyes to those around us that were still mostly conscious. Luckily that did not include Rafe who would certainly make a big deal about us leaving together. Laric was barely conscious enough to cast me one more hurt look before returning to drowning his disappointment in the goblet before him.

  We made our way to what used to be Evonia's room. Thankfully I had thought to have the room quickly repainted and decorated to suit my tastes. I couldn't imagine what it would have felt like to walk into the room as she had left it. Also, I had demanded that the mattress be changed for as much as I loved my grandmother, I could not imagine sleeping where she had taken her last breath.

  “What is my part in this plan of yours?” Mistra demanded as soon as the door closed behind us, cutting right to the chase.

  “To be by my side when I inevitably conquer my father's kingdom,” I answered truthfully. “That is the only plan I have.”

  Her eyebrow raised in a questioning expression.

  “Truly,” I laughed, “do you find it difficult to believe?”

  “Is that even really a question?” She looked at me as if I may, in fact, be stupid. “You just declared a woman to be a queen's consort and you're telling me that there is no ulterior motive? That is not what anyone expected. It is certainly not what I expected.”

  “Are you saying that women don't often appreciate the feminine form and demeanor?” I countered. I knew for a fact that she did by the way she would sneak glances at me and chew the inside of her bottom lip when I was around.

  “N-no,” she stammered, trying to backtrack, “I'm not saying that at all, I'm just saying that what you've done is breaking every tradition ever established. We all know that my father intended to hand Laric over to you, that is what tradition dictates.”

  “Is it such a bad thing to break traditions and expectations? Why must traditions be continued?” I pressed. “Are you not content with the arrangement?”

  “Again, this isn't about how I feel about it.” Her face was getting redder by the moment, I had to try very hard not to crack a smile. “This is about how you must have some strategic plan set up to have done something like this. That is the only way it makes sense.”

  “Is it?” I questioned with my own raise of an eyebrow. “Your brother is as conniving and scheming as they come, though also handsome I admit. However, you are far more beautiful than he is handsome. It is almost strange how you seem to have your mind set that there's no way I could be attracted to you.”

  “I-” She cut off and cleared her throat nervously. “That would still be a very bold move for a brand new ruler. Breaking the rules from the very start could be very dangerous.”

  I shrugged and gave a mischievous grin. “Perhaps I just care about getting what I want and don't really care to entertain what other people will think about me for it.”

  Her brow furrowed. “So you didn't do this for some political reason?”

  “None,” I answered, “other than it was otherwise advantageous to have someone from your bloodline and you were by far the most logical choice.”

  “But Laric-”

  “- is pompous, thinks he's better than me in every way, has ambitions that would probably eventually manifest as a desire to take power from me somehow, and I frankly don't find him half as attractive as he seems to think he is.”

  Her mouth snapped shut and her eyes widened. She was finally beginning to see that I had gone against thousands of years of tradition because I actually wanted to.

  What I was doing people tended to think needed to be kept quiet and hidden. I had never seen the logic behind the hushed whispers and feigned shock, but regardless it was still a taboo thing to discuss or be open about. I was not particularly good at keeping taboo things a secret.

  “This is really because you want me as your consort?” she asked once again. “Nothing else?”

  “Is that so hard to believe? Have you seen yourself in a mirror lately? You are quite stunning.”

  Her face flashed a hot red and she averted her eyes to the wall behind me. She really was adorable when flustered.

  “I think you'll adjust to this idea fairly quickly.” I laughed lightly and playfully pulled her into an embrace. “We will be like any other royal couple, except twice as beautiful.”

  Initially she tensed, then relaxed against me. I had to admit, it felt both wonderful and invigorating to be even this intimate with her. Knowing that others would want to look away or pretend that it didn't happen only fueled my desire to be a part of it.

  Not one to mince words or waste opportunities, I gently pulled back from our embrace and pressed my lips to hers. Her first reaction was to gasp softly, then melt into the kiss, giving up any pretense or resistance to the situation she may have had. I had been correct that she had wanted the arrangement just as much, if not more, than I had.