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Author's Note:

Hey my dear readers♡ Hope you all are doing good? Please take care of yourselves and stay healthy. I am sorry for the delay but yeah I have my entrance examinations in a few weeks so I have to study for that. The updates from now on will be slow but whenever I do update, you wont be disappointed.

This is a long chapter again and I would request you to read the following points for more clarity on a certain topic of this chapter:

※Apart from Taehyung, Jung Hoseok, Min Yoongi and Sir Seokjin are the other three to have an aura strong enough to make an impact. However, they aren't as impactful as the demon king himself.

Hoseok has a bright yellow aura which sometimes appears as orange, making him an approachable demon who has a good control over the magic world.

Sir Seokjin has a dull brown one, which  otherwise appears dark but turns into a lighter shade when he relaxes or gives of happy vibes, which is rare sight.

Yoongi has a purple aura, which clearly defines his mysterious and closed off being. Apart from Taehyung, Yoongi is the only one who can chanelise his aura into a weapon or use it for his advantage, however the intensity of the same is lower than Taehyung.

Viri is another one who can do the same but she has never unleashed her powers to her full potential and only the people of Augosuga know about it. Viri's powers have not been exclusively revealed to anyone else but they will be revealed soon enough※

Do keep the above points in mind and you can now proceed towards the chapter. Don't forget to vote and comment so I stay motivated to write more.

Happy Reading♡

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"It's not like I am saying that I can feel you being nervous even from here, but that's exactly what I am saying, your highness" Jimin comments from across the royal study, while keeping his eyes on the documents in his hands.

His teasing comment earns him a dramatic eyeroll followed by a deep sigh, thus proving his point. The emperor is nervous. His mind is working so hard that one can almost hear him thinking in the utter silence which surrounds them.

"Thanks for stating the obvious, Jimin" He replies before getting up to organise his table, waiting for his friend to do the same. The royal advisor does just that, afterwhich he gracefully walks over to the nervous demon and swings an arm across his shoulder.

"Waah! We are not even denying anything today? That means it's serious, isnt it? Cmmon Tae, dont think too hard! Everything will work out just fine hmm?"

"Its not like I doubt it wont Chim. I know what is going to happen, I have been preparing myself for it and now I have to face it. I can only wait and let things unfold on their own, but still, there is this inner fear which I can not explain" The emperor mutters with a stressed sigh.

"Shush! Nothing bad will happen alright? If things do go the wrong way we will find a way out. All the hyungs are here Tae, you think they will let something bad happen? You have got us and so you will be fine. Our kingdom will be fine. Now lets go, Namjoon hyung is waiting and no overthinking on the way there okay?" Jimin speaks softly, pats Taehyung's back and drags him out of the study towards the crown room.

Jimin understands. He understands the reason of this stress, he out of all people knows it clearly and yet, he can't do anything about it. They can't interfere in the play of fate and so they have no option but to embrace the turn of events hopelessly.

It doesn't matter if the crown will finally be free from the boundaries of that gloomy room, it doesn't matter that it will be the first time after the late queen's shocking demise that they will be seeing the crown again, it doesn't matter if it was years ago and it definitely doesn't matter that now it will be taken out for the very same reason. To find the chosen queen.

He can feel and see Taehyung being restless. He can see it in the way his body is unnecessarily stiff, his expression mirroring the same while he keeps looking at nowhere in particular, lost in his thoughts but still walking as if he is perfectly aware of his surroundings.

Jimin hates how the other has to hide his unease and how he is not allowed to break his character, has to keep a straight face instead, even during his biggest inner turmoils, even during the most disheartening tragedies, because that's what is expected of him. That's what is expected of the emperor of Hell and this is enough to make Jimin sick.

Gone were the days where he would accompany his father to the palace after sincerely promising him that he would learn from his surroundings, only to end up running to his bestfriend's room sneakily. He misses those days when he would knock on the door in a rhythimic pattern to let the elder prince know it was him and he most certainly misses the bright brown eyes, smiling face and open arms that would be waiting for him as soon as he would step his foot inside the warmth of the then prince's room.

The soulmates would play all day, some days lazing around in Taehyung's huge room and some days sneaking around in the corridors to annoy the royal guards. On some special occasions they would sneak into the kitchen and steal food as if they were just a pair of starved boys who were nothing without food.

Jimin remembers how naturally he and Taehyung had bonded. It was just a moment or two before they both were passing each other's vibe checks and from then on they always stuck together. At some point Taehyung and Jimin were taken as one.

Jimin was a few months older than the elder prince and  he took it upon himself to take care of him to the best of his abilities. He would make sure the other eats on time by eating along with him, he would help him out in lessons and pick him out the books of his choice from the royal library just because a young Taehyung had whined to him saying,

"Oh Jiminie, Eomma told me to develop a reading habbit. I like reading but the library is a scaryy place!! Its so huge have you seen it? I cant go there!"
His adorable pout and whiny self had earned him a fond smile from his whipped bestfriend, who in turn agreed to bring him the books of his choice from the library on a weekly basis.

Jimin was his protector too. He would not stand a single world against the goofy, yet kind hearted prince and that feeling alone made him a lovable boy in the eyes of their queen mother. She loved Jimin like her own and would treat him as an important treasure making Jimin fall in love with her kind aura, effortlessly.

After loosing his own mother at a young age, she had been nothing but an angel in his life. She would read them bed time stories of herroic Kings of Hell, some brave soldiers among many more. She would sometimes feed them with her own hand and reward them with kisses when they finished their food without complaining. Jimin was convinced that he can not live without the two anymore.

If Taehyung was his beautiful escape from the harsh reality, then his queen mother was the very place he escaped to, hand in hand with his soulmate.

He was positive that this is where he was meant to be and when one day, his father asked him if he would like to take after his prestigious post as the King's advisor, Jimin was elated. He had accepted the offer and worked hard to earn the respect he has now. It was his sheer determination, his devotion for Taehyung and his kind soul, that he was gifted with his father's post at the exact same time when Taehyung took oath as the new king of Hell.

Jimin had been delighted to see his childhood bestfriend step up as the king and even more happy to serve him as his royal advisor only to be slapped in the face by a hollow smile thrown his way by that very friend after the coronation ceremony.

He had been a fool to take that hollow smile as for the sadness of loosing his father just a few days prior because Jimin never saw the smile leave. Even when Hell was over the mourning period, even when all was well, even when the sadness was gone, the smile stayed and just like that Jimin lost his soulmate Tae to emperor Kim Taehyung.

Now that they were walking towards the crown room, Jimin thinks just how precious Taehyung is to him. He can not bear the thought of a life without the demon king's presence. He saw the younger grow mature over the years, turn icy cold and almost shutting everyone out, had it not been for a suddent outburst of a very emotionally disturbed Jimin who had smacked some sense into the stubborn demon.

Taehyung, after a lot of coaxing along with some emotional drama, had then poured his heart out to a devastated Jimin, telling him all about his worries and insecurities, while crying in the older's arms until dawn. They had grown even closer after that and made a silent agreement to not hide anything from each other and stand together through all difficulties.

As their bond grew along with them, their compatibilty started showing in the royal court. Jimin always knew what the king wanted and Taehyung sometimes didn't even bother to voice his thoughts out, well aware of how his message had already been conveyed.

Hence, Jimin knew Taehyung inside out and this sometimes allowed him to feel what the other was feeling just the way it was happening right now. The advisor eyes his king whose body is as stiff as it had been a while ago but it is now accompanied by a deep frown, indicating that he has further dived into his stressful thoughts. The site potrayed a message which was loud and clear. Taehyung needed his soulmate and he was going to get just that.

Jimin wastes no time to reach out for the taller and pull him into a heartwarming hug, which he concluded, was undoubtedly needed by the both of them. Taehyung, who is surely taken by suprise, wiggles restlessly in his hold for the first few minutes, forcing the other to tighten his arms around the confused demon.

"Jimi-" he tries to speak but is cut off with a soft hand reaching upto caress his scalp and the other soothing his back, the affectionate action being one of Taehyung's favourites.

It takes him a couple of minutes to finally give in and hug his soulmate back, sighing into the crook of his neck and finally letting go of all his worries. They pull back after a while of just standing there without any exchange of words, silently nodding at each other and resuming their journey to their destination, this time with determined steps.

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"So like you are going somewhere without me?? Hyung. I expected better from you" Viri whines to her elder brother, who listened without even bothering to bat an eye.

"Stop being dramatic Viraina, you and I both know that you are just bored and decided to hijack my room due to the very same reason" Yoongi replies with a annoyed tone, rolling his eyes and turning to face his sulking sister.

"You are being mean Yoonie!! Sometimes I just want some love cant you see that?"

"Uh huh? Then come along, I am going to the crown room to keep Taehyung some company. We are taking out the queen's crown today and he might need-"

"On a serious note, I guess I could use a nap, haha" the girl chuckles nervously, throwing herself on the bed and pulling the covers over her as quickly as she can.

"As expected. I will see you later you annoying little brat, bye" he scoffs before turning on his heels and hurrying out of the room.

Viri peaks from under the covers, sighing deeply once she is sure her brother is gone. She squirms around for a while as her thoughts go back to that fateful night where she almost made a fool out of herself in front of the emperor.

She remembers the night at the garden and the incidents that followed very clearly, how shocked she had been when the emperor had fixated his gaze on her from afar and how funny she had felt when he had started walking in her direction.

She didn't know if it was the fear of a situation which was so embarassing or something else which had caused her heartbeat to increase out of nowhere. The princess had thanked her reflex systems as she had fleed the area in time, before the king could even recognize her, but now that she thinks of it, she has absolutely no clue as to what the king must have thought after her sudden departure.

Did he feel mad because a part of his personal time was wasted due to her or was he annoyed because his special garden was randomly invaded by an uninvited presence or did he just had a hearty laugh after she all but ran out of there, taking her for a stalker who was desperate to be seen by the great emperor himself. She grimaced at the last thought and ended up sympathizing with the king for he surely must be having that kind of stalkers to deal with.

After a few minutes of thinking and getting embarrassed at that one incident, the princess decides to go out for fresh air. She leaves the room and wanders into the hallways, deep in her train of thoughts before she jumps back after colliding with a firm chest.
She bows and mutters quick apologies as her ears are blessed with an addicting laughter originating from the demon she bumped into.

Viri recognises the laughter in a split second for she straightens her posture and greets the demon with a bright smile.

"Hobi hyung! Good to see you, it's always good to see you and ahh I am so sorry, I was not watching where I was going" she says, not forgetting to bow again.

"Its alright Viri-ah, I must apologize too, I am in a hurry and decided it was okay to walk fast and carelessly" Hobi replies with a gentle smile as he eyes the princess.

"Oh- then I can guess where you are headed to, Yoonie left for the same destination a while back"

"Is it? He left already? Hmm understandable, we all want to be there for Taehyung" he mutters with a soft sigh.

"Indeed. In that case I shouldn't waste your time, I will see you later hyung" she replies as she steps out of Hoseok's way and smiles assuringly.

She gets a gentle pat on her head along with a small nod, as she eyes the demon who walks away gracefully.

It was a day after the garden incident when Viri first saw Hoseok. He, with his magnetic personality, was walking down a hallway with too many books in his hands. The princess had rushed to help, receiving a sweet thank you as both of them made their way towards Hoseok's study.

She had learned that Hoseok was one of the most powerful magicians of Hell and stayed at the palace as a special member of the King's royal court. The astonished girl had bowed several times to show her respect to the great demon beside her who had simply laughed at her face of realization. The duo had then made some small talk as they reached the study.

Viri had felt an instant connection with the older and was quick to voice the same out to him. This had led the magician to chuckle and go out of his way to invite her into his workplace. The princess had marvelled at all the books, potions and basically every single thing she saw in there.

To her, stepping into a place submerged in the majestic aura of Jung Hoseok, was a far fetched dream. Experiencing the great demon's aura up close had pushed her thoughts back to all those years ago when she had realised that she is special. That the magic her demon possessed was supremely uncommon.

But she had quickly distracted herself before she could further dwell on her past. Hoseok, however, wasn't the greatest magician of Hell just like that. He knew who the girl was. He knew how special she was, he could feel her aura being one of the most powerful ones he had ever experienced and maybe that was the reason he had invited her in in the first place.

Weirdly enough, she reminded him of Taehyung. He couldn't pinpoint why, because there was no way anyone could match the demon king and his vigour. Eventually, he had pushed that thought to the back of his mind and focused on showing the princess around his workplace. Viri had showed genuine interest and showered him with great compliments which made the elder laugh and loosen up more in her presence.

They hung out a few more times after that and now they are very comfortable with each other.
The princess took in a deep breathe and smiled softly feeling a bit charged with the short revisit of the recent memories she made with the elder before continuing her mindless walk in the hallways. She decides to just kill sometime until something interesting catches her eye.

Not long after, she does find something which catches her interest or more like a scene worthy of a big laugh.

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It is difficult to remember as to how many minutes have passed with Taehyung standing still as a statue,  his dark brown eyes fixed on one of the two most legendary crowns of Hell, the crown of the future queen, the key to his fate and the solution to all the raging questions in his mind.

His own is seated on his head weighing him down with its vast responsibilities as it glows a beautiful ruby red which it acquires from Taehyung's aura.

Every demon has a different aura attached to their soul from their very birth, mainly differentiated by colors, though all of them are mostly non existent. Only a few gifted demons have their auras strong enough to emerge out of their bodies and become readable.

It is said that a demon's aura is very much in sync with his or her personality and if an aura is actively felt and is visible to others, it is undoubtedly considered to be a rare sight. This is the reason as to why only a handful of demons have appeared with an aura so bewitching that those around them were either forced or they willingly submitted to their unquestionable ascendancy.

These handful of demons include some ancient kings of Hell, who appeared in different time zones, always atleast a century apart from one another. The last king who was worthy enough for an aura so strong was around 700 centuries ago from Taehyung's coronation day, which is a period long enough to make the inhabitants of Hell believe that a worthy king will never show up again.

Emperor Chin hae, Taehyung's father, himself didn't have a presence of such an aura. But that didn't make him any less worthy, instead he was one of the most loved kings to ever reign over the kingdom and it is safe to say that his existence was too good to be true.

The day Taehyung was revealed as the next worthy king, the masses had rejoiced. They had celebrated for an entire week after their new emperor appeared to address them, his glorious crown pleasingly settled on his head with his aura seeping through it to make it glow like a star drowning in red flames.

The assembled demons had known right then that they had finally been blessed with a worthy king after so long, who's aura was such that the entire crowd bowed to acknowledge his great presence. The site was something to remember for it was unlikely to be caused again by anyone else.

Hence, knowing that he is gifted and that his powers are rarely found in anyone else, observing the abandoned crown in front of him was a tough task. Hoseok, as soon as he arrives, removes all the magic spells which were carefully placed around the crown before it was locked away in this very room.

Jimin and Yoongi stay close to Taehyung, silently observing him from a reasonable distance as Namjoon slowly approaches the silent king. But even an assuring pat on his shoulder from the elder did nothing to calm his nerves. Taehyung continues his dazed stare on the now dull looking crown which once used to look all vibrant and lively on his own mother's head.

Several minutes of silence later, he finally makes eye contact with his hyungs and gives them a small smile. The others get the hint and decide to let the ruler have his moment. They shuffle out of the room, as Taehyung steps forward, getting closer to the object which has his attention.

The ruler bends down to directly stare at the lifeless looking crown, devoid of any color, showing as to how it needs an owner to have a value and how its value solely depends on it's bearer.

Taehyung continues his one-sided staring game before he brings one hand up to touch the faded corners of the crown but halts as soon as a light flicker catches his eyes. The demon straightens almost immediately, eyes wide as he watches the crown slowly starting to glow with a pale blue color before it vanishes completely. It's shine vanishes, but the newly found layer of pale blue stays. 

The brown eyed demon feels his heartbeat increasing as he turns around in a flash and sees the door to the room wide open. He figures that the hyungs must have left it open to let some fresh air in. Although, realization hits him like a thunderstrike, soon after.

If the door was left open, practically removing the main obstacle between the weak crown and the rest of the palace, if it glowed and unlike it's previous dull grey color is now painted in a mysteriously attractive pale blue, it could only mean one thing and that is,

The chosen queen has already arrived in the palace.

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