Marked Ones: Advent of the Demon Prince

Lucius and Rena walked to the center of the ballroom after leaving the leaders of the representative nations behind. Her hand felt small and delicate within his own. As she trained with magic more than the sword, her hands were still soft and smooth, unlike the roughness of a warrior like himself.

When they reached the center, the musicians noticed and began to play a tune meant for dancing. Though he was not well-practiced, Lucius did take some lessons in dancing and other basic skills required of a noble. His father insisted that getting the basics down was a necessity as the son of House Kane.

It also helped that he had been made into Rena's partner many times over their youth as she was taught the lessons a lady should know. Many of those included dancing. It was those lessons of the past, along with the reminders of the lessons, that allowed him to gracefully glide along the marble with his new bride in hand.

Rena seemed to have a permanent blush on her cheeks as she looked at him with eyes full of love. His hand rested gently on her waist while the other firmly grasped her hand. Lucius could feel the slight tracing along his back that she was doing with her free hand.

"I never thought a day like this would come." She whispered.

"I know. It seems too real to be true, and yet…" He answered, then sighed, "I am sorry I could not give you a proper wedding."

Rena smiled like a maiden in love, "Lucius, this is more than I imagined we would have. If anything, you should apologize for making me wait. I've thought you dead for many years…"

Her enchanting green eyes began to shimmer, tears threatening to fall. "Thank you for waiting for me all this time, Rena. Also, I am sorry for making you wait for so long. However…"

The music picked up a slight pace, and Lucius swung Rena along the dance floor. Their feet picked up speed to match the pacing of the instruments. Eyes tracked them, seemingly impressed by either their performance or his wife's beauty.

As the music began to reach a crescendo, Lucius finished their dancing with a flourish, spinning her into his arms. Lucius embraced her, ran his fingers up the side of her neck, and lifted her chin with his finger. "…you will never have to wait again." He whispered before kissing her as the final note rang out.

Additional applause rang out around them, and as Lucius pulled back, Rena grabbed him by the back of his head and pulled him in for a second, longer kiss. "Tonight." She panted. "You're mine."

"Okay."

They separated from their embrace and walked to one of the tables on the side where Kalliope was standing. Standing beside her were Adellia and Lyrah. Mylene and Natali were also present but stood slightly separated from the table for the purposes of proper manners.

Lucius stepped forward and gave a polite bow. "A pleasure to meet you, Lady Adellia; you as well, Lady Lyrah."

He looked at his birth mother and the woman who must have been his sister. She looked and smelled very similar to him, which must have meant they were twins. Kalivas attempted to tell him about these two, but he never cared to pay attention.

What made Lucius realize his relation to them was their scent. Lyrah smelled similarly to both Adellia and Kalivas as well as to himself. Lyrah also looked like a female version of him, save his unique eye. Basically, it was obvious that they were all related.

"Lucius…" Adellia said with a slight crackle in her voice. "Nice to meet you… after all this time, you're right here. Truly, right in front of me."

The woman attempted to step forward and touch his cheek as if to see if he was real. However, it was an uncomfortable move, and Lucius stepped just out of her reach. "I apologize, but I do not enjoy being touched," he said coldly.

"I…I see," the woman said softly. "Maybe with time, we might get to know one another better. You seem close with your father…"

Lucius's hair bristled, and he subconsciously glanced in Richard's direction. "My father is dead. However, Kalivas did spend four years training me, so it makes sense that we have gotten to know each other well."

Having read the awkward air left by the pace of the conversation, Lyrah stepped forward and gave a polite curtsy. "It is simply wonderful to finally meet you, Lord Kane. I am Lyrah, your biological twin sister."

"Your words are formal, but your tone comes off as familiar." Lucius pointed out. He was not keen on strangers assuming to know him.

"Ah, about that, you see, though I am the Oracle, I am plagued with quite a unique issue, one opposite to my mother, actually. While my mother seems to be unable to see visions of you with any semblance of clarity. Almost all of my visions are exclusively about you. I know what you've been through, Lucius. I know the scars you carry on both your body and soul."

Something about this black-haired girl gave Lucius a sense of familiarity. Was it due to her being his twin? Or was it something else? For a moment, she seemed like a kindred spirit.

Finally, Kalliope stepped forward to talk. "Lucius, you're being so formal; I don't like it." She grumbled. "Besides, you haven't introduced me to your first wife."

"First?" Adellia asked.

"Ignore her." He advised, "Kalliope, can you hold back for at least a few days? I know you won't listen to me asking you to stop permanently but give me a few days to enjoy a moment of peace."

The wolf-girl grumbled but reluctantly nodded her head in agreement. "Fine, but after a few days, all bets are off. My father wants at least five grandchildren from you, so make it snappy."

Her brazen words made Adellia yelp in surprise, but Kalivas, who had excellent hearing, smirked in the distance. Lyrah was smirking as well, though Lucius did not know the reason. Rena simply gripped his hand tighter and clung closer to his arm, but she said nothing.

It was exhausting work, but the next few hours of the banquet and ball went by quickly. As a recognized noble from a high-ranking family, he was inundated with requests for conversation by many nobles. Though they hid their disgust at his mark through thinly veiled masks of pleasantries, they at least had the decency to ignore it in conversation. Explore stories on m,v l'e-m|p y r