Shiro sat by the water fountain, his eyes empty as he stared at the sky above. It was so blue, clouds floating up high, showing the castle below. It was so peaceful. But his mind wasn't.

He felt conflicted. He felt as if there was nothing more now. He found more clues but it led to nothing more but confusion. He wanted answers but he found more puzzles to solve.

"Hey... how do we get to older brother?" Kohana asked as she and Koharu peeked from behind the pillar, wanting to go and ask their brother about their mother. "Go ask him, Koharu."

"Ah, why me!?" Koharu silently exclaimed, restraining his sister's push. But it was a failure when the two of them tumbled right in front of their older brother. "A-ah, hello..?"

There was an awkward silence between the three of them. The twins awkwardly smiled while Shiro just sat there, wondering if they were okay or if there was something they needed from him.

"Uh... yes..?" Shiro asked, staring at the boy in confusion as he hid behind his sister. "Is there something you need?"

"U-uh... I w-wanted to ask!" Kohana stuttered as she stepped closer to her older brother that she met just a few hours ago. Shiro nodded, signaling her to continue. "W-what was our mother like? What did she look like? Is she nice? What kind of powers does she have?"

Shiro saw the excitement in their eyes as she asked those questions about his mother. No... it wasn't just his mother anymore... it was also theirs. But it was almost impossible to think of that. He never saw them born.

"Can I ask something first?" Shiro asked, patting the place next to him and the twins sitting on both his side. "If you're my full sibling... how were you... well... born?"

The two of them seemed to flinch for a second before they composed themselves.

"We weren't born." Koharu began with a sad smile. "We were... made. From father's own life and mother's. So... we're more like a fusion of their own powers other than their children..."

"But father treated us as his own children." Kohana added with a smile. "We weren't babies or anything. We woke up able to walk and able to talk. We could use magic at the bat and we were aware of how we were made. But he still made sure that we grew up like normal children."

"Yeah, so please don't be mad at father anymore." Koharu said with a smile, placing a hand on his brother. "You know... he kept telling us that we'll meet you and mother in three more years, but here you are. We were excited when we saw you at the bed. But..."

The twins paused, looking at the ground, their eyes filled with sadness. And Shiro can see what kind of sadness it was. He wasn't just the only one they were waiting for. He smiled softly, placing his hand on their heads, giving them a pat.

"Mother was very nice." He began. "She's a very good cook and she's a hard working woman. She has (E/C) eyes like you and uncle Ko, but her hair is (H/C). And as for magic... I never really saw her use any type of magic... but it's holy magic."

Shiro told more and more stories of their mother to his younger siblings, enjoying the afternoon in the sun and telling fun stories of his time in the human kingdom. All the while not uttering the name of his two uncles and the king.

His trust in them had faded. But that doesn't mean he trusts the demon king either, he'll need to prove that he is worthy of his trust.

And from a window stood three figures, watching the scene below with soft eyes. They too wanted to talk to him, but they wanted to make sure that their nephew reunites with his father and siblings first.

"Reminds me of the good old days..." Muichiro sighed, placing his hand on the window.

"Yeah... but it's not like we can go back to that..." Yuichiro added, placing a hand on his twin. "(Y/N) is dead... and there's nothing we can do about it... we need to protect Shiro from Muzan..."

"...if only we can go to the human kingdom..." Koichi said, the two giving him a look that told him everything. "I know we can't go. But... I just want to see her again, even if it means that I have to storm back in the Holy Garden... at least she's being taken care of, even if her title was evoked from her... she still has the blood of the goddess, her body is precious."

═══*.·:·.☽✧ ✦ ✧☾.·:·.*═══

And just outside the castle, a carriage with the Iguro family crest stopped right in front. And soon one of the members of the Èxi, Tétartos to be precise stepped out. He extended a hand and someone stepped out of the carriage.

Iguro Aiko, the only heir, and child of Iguro Obanai, head of the Iguro family and one of the king's personal forces.

"Are you gonna be away for a long time, father?" She asked as they made their way inside the castle, the guards bowing to him as they entered. Her long black hair flowed in the wind and her green, emerald eyes glimmered in the sun like precious jewels. She wore a pastel red colored dress, a complete contrast to her father's black formal suit.

"Don't worry, it won't take a long time." Iguro said, leading her daughter through the halls, looking for the king. "The king said you can stay here until I return, be sure to thank him."

"Suspicious." She said, squinting her eyes at him. "Very suspicious." She repeated, crossing her arms and circling around him, making him back off a bit. "There's more to it than that, doesn't it?"

"What do you mean? You said you wanted to spend time with the princess... and here you are..." Iguro had a soft spot for his daughter. Aiko kept staring at his eyes, making it even more unbearable to spill the tea. "FINE!" He exclaimed, letting his daughter have her victory. "The king wants you to meet someone."

"Oh, who is that?" She asked, happy at her victory. She's the next heir to take the Iguro family, so she's very smart and cunning, much like her father. But she's also a sweetheart that cares a lot for her friends and family.

"Just a friend." The two of them stopped and bowed at the figure in front of them. "Get up, it's not like there's anyone to see anyway." He said with a shrug and Iguro immediately stood up straight, whacking the king on his head. "Hey, what the hell was that for!?"

"This is payback for making me go back to my territory and then only to leave again." He said, crossing his arms in annoyance. "Plus, I brought Aiko here. Where's your kid at?"

"They're in the garden..." He paused in his tracks, not wanting to continue. "You two go on ahead... I... have... something to do."

Within a second, the king's figure disappeared, leaving the father and daughter alone in the halls once again.

"Well, shall we go." Iguro said as they continued walking.

And not long after, the two of them finally arrived at the vast garden. Aiko looked around, looking for Kohana and Koharu, thinking that she was here to spend time with them or maybe a guest came. She could hear the familiar voices and she ran off, ignoring her father's calls.

"-learned from miss Tamayo. She taught me a lot, along with Kanao, one of the èxi's sisters." Koharu finished his story to his older brother, but he soon sensed a new presence in the garden. "Ah, they're here."

"Ah, Aiko!!" Kohana cheered as she saw the figure from the distance, waving hello to her friend. Shiro tilted his head in confusion, wondering who this person was. "Welcome back, I haven't seen you in a while."

"A pleasure to be within your presence, princess, prince." The black haired girl said, giving a curtsey to the twins. She lifted her head, her eyes locking with Shiro's. "O-oh, um... I'm Iguro Aiko, heir to the Iguro family. Pleased to meet you... uh... sir..?"

"..." Shiro was stunned in his place. He felt like his feet and ass were glued to the stone. He couldn't move his eyes either, they were trained on the pretty girl in front of him. 'Woah... so pretty... but so... familiar?'

"Brother. You gotta introduce yourself." The twins whispered, forcing their older brother to stand. Kahana smirked, holding her brother up. "Aiko, meet someone."

"U-uh... hi... I'm... Shiro... (L-..." He paused, not sure which last name to take. His current last name came from the priestess, from the human kingdom, a place he can't trust right now. "I'm Shiro, nice to meet you..."

There was an awkward silence between the two of them, making the twins wonder what got them to be like that in the first place. But then, Koharu realized what it was. Cause he too was at that stage.

'He likes her.' Koharu thought with a smirk. 'I wonder how her father would react. She might be the next queen.'

═══*.·:·.☽✧ ✦ ✧☾.·:·.*═══

The next few days passed by smoothly, Shiro spending time with Aiko, still not telling her his background and telling his siblings not to tell either. And all these days, Shiro didn't meet his father. Even if it's for food or when he would look for him.

He found it strange that he wasn't here.

But his siblings told him something.

"He must be at that place again." Koharu said as he watched Shiro practice sword fighting. Shiro asked what that place was. "Where the land and the sea meet. A sacred space for the royal family. He must be giving you space to adjust."

═══*.·:·.☽✧ ✦ ✧☾.·:·.*═══

Back at the human kingdom, the kind had just finished a meeting with the high priest, convincing him on a... project...

"Are you sure that it was a good idea?" Nakime, one of the king's advisers, asked him as she walked behind him. "You know that they are very religious and believe in the goddess's words more than yours, your majesty."

"I know that." He said with a click of his tongue. "Plus... I believe that this kingdom needs..." He chuckled as he entered the throne room, ready to hear out those pesky nobles that's been bugging him a lot. "Bring those trash that wants to marry off their daughters." 'Yet another day of turning down proposals. What a pain.'

》A.N《
START THE COUNTDOWN