As the Demon Demands ✔️

Epilogue

"Your Highness! Your Highness, please come out!"

"Prince Dharmir, where are you?!"

The maids and nanny ran around in the garden, frantically searching for the young prince. They looked everywhere they could think of, but couldn't find him. Eventually, the three women split up, one running towards the hedge maze, another heading back to the main palace, and the other running towards the conservatory.

None of them had thought to check behind the bushes of the small gazebo. If they had, they would have seen the little boy crouched down and holding his hands over his mouth to suppress his giggles. He should have been with his tutor by now, but he wasn't interested in reading boring books or going over letters and numbers. He had done that for weeks straight; he wanted a break. And he knew just the place to have one.

Once he was certain the women were gone, Dharmir crawled out from under the bushes. He dusted himself off, leaves and dirt scattered around him. Taking one last look around, he grinned when he saw he was alone. As quickly as he could, he ran down the long pathway that led to his favorite spot to play.

He would have flown, but he still wasn't very good at flying yet. His father was still trying to teach him; being half human didn't help much either, his wings not being as strong as a regular demon's. But his father said he was getting better. Honestly, if his teachers would teach him how to fly properly, he would have been more interested in his lessons.

The stone path soon led into a grassy path surrounded by a large meadow. Around the path were beautiful flower shrubs, and beyond them were so many vibrant and pretty flowers that stretched towards the tree lines. He smiled at the sight of it all, eager to start playing. As pretty as the main palace garden was, this garden was special. He couldn't really explain it. Everything just felt so much more serene here. Almost like someone had casted a spell on this place.

As he came to the center, there were three different gravel paths. One led towards a small gazebo that was next to a well. The other led to a large tree that had a swing attached to a branch. The third led to where his grandmother was, where she was "resting," as his parents had put it. And when he looked down that path, he saw a figure in the distance near the grave.

Curious, he quietly walked down the path. As the young boy drew closer, he could see the person – a demon – kneeling down next to the grave. The demon's head was casted down as they rested a hand on the gravestone. There was a small bouquet of sunflowers placed on it, right next to where his hand lay.

Dharmir hesitated to get closer. He wasn't sure why, but something told him it was best to leave the other alone. Yet, before he could turn around, his foot stepped on a stray twig and cracked underneath his feet. His eyes widened just as the figure's wings twitched. Then the demon turned around, Dharmir still standing there like a startled deer. But seeing a frown cross his father's face made the boy sheepish and avoid his gaze.

"What're you doing here, Dharmir?"

The young prince bit his bottom lip "I... got bored."

Marak huffed and rubbed his eyes. Slowly, he rose to his feet and approached the boy with a stern look. "The Crown Prince doesn't get to just goof off whenever he wants to, Dharmir. These lessons are important."

"But..." Dharmir casted his head down. "I wanted to practice flying."

His father didn't say anything for a moment before he let out another sigh. Then he kneeled down in front of the boy, gently lifting up his chin. Dharmir still had a guilty look on his face; at least he knew that what he was doing was wrong. He didn't run away often, but it was enough that his nanny had complained and begged for help watching him.