Chapter 717 - Pure Intentions

Newest Chapter for Highest Tier (September 2021)

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Archdemon Empress Luna

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Luna was so afraid that the Queen of the Fall Courts would find out about her, Ravin and Sloth's true identity as Archdemons as all of them jumped towards the 'truth elixir' filled bathtub in quick successions.

She couldn't help but think that the Queen might command her protectors to have them beheaded as punishment for their insolence— that their intention to enter the Fall Courts was to wreak havoc and destroy its inhabitants—if the truth elixir will strip them their concealment off. 

Luna swore that Princess Sapphire had mentioned once that a few of the Vampiric Fae from the Fall Courts could siphon psychic energy to fuel their powers, but she hadn't witnessed that from the Queen and her Fae protectors yet. But then she had to keep in mind that the Fall Courts didn't have a ruthless reputation in the Faerie Realm for nothing! 

Luna, Apollyon, and the others would probably escape before one of the Queen's guardians captured them and placed their necks under their guillotine for execution.

Nevertheless, Luna was determined to ally with the Fall Courts despite the Spring and the Summer Court's betrayal.

She needed to encourage Ravin and Sloth—well, her husband shouldn't be excluded from this—to get through the truth elixir..

After that, 'ordering them to be on the best behavior in their territory' will be simple.

Aside from the big splashes they created and hitting some of the maidservant's clothes who should have known better than to stand close to their bathtubs, nothing monumental happened at all.

Luna rose to the surface and rubbed the hot liquid off green liquid off her face.

She glanced at the rest of her companions to see who else rose from their bath and whose expanse of skin had been scorched by this Hell—inducing liquid, according to the Queen. 

The bottom of the bath was cold and smooth to her legs which set off the warmth of the concoction her alchemists had made.

Its texture felt familiar, and she realized that the bathtub was made of ceramic painted in gold.

It was quite unexpected that the truth elixir didn't burn Luna's skin like the Autumn Queen expected her evil visitors to suffer from--the instant they soaked their bodies in it. 

'The Queen of the Autumn Courts hadn't given them time to remove a piece of clothing,' Luna complained in her thoughts, and Apollyon glanced at her as if he heard that through their mind link. 

His eyebrows knitted in concern, and he didn't hesitate to induce the Queen's wrath by asking, "Are you alright, wife?" He blinked at her in alarm, and she met his deep blue gaze, "Is the baby alright?" 

"I'm alright, husband." Luna replied breathlessly, "The baby is too."

Thank the goddess! No one from their group screamed in pain like a banshee because it might wake up all the wild animals in that beautiful scarlet and gold forest! 

Luna exhaled a huge sigh of relief after seeing Princess Sapphire's and Xerxes' confused and a bit disoriented countenance.

At the same time, Ravin and Sloth cracked a wide satisfied smile as if they were cats who got their canaries. 

The Familiars' 'old-men-glamour' were pretty much intact over their appearance, which also became a testament to her strong Archdemon Magic as their Master.

Glamours were used to lure potential prey, making the enemies think that they were harmless.

Nevertheless, Luna couldn't see why the Queen had to wear a fox mask to hide her identity when she could follow Ravin and Sloth's lead and use a disguise.

The fox mask wouldn't repel them.

It would only scare children and not grown creatures.

Ravin and Sloth waded their arms happily as if the bathtub was their hot Spring in the comfort of their own home.

She was glad that these old men enjoyed the overall experience and no other creature got hurt.

It was just too bad that Rere, who was sleeping peacefully in Ravin's straw basket in his back, had a rude awakening when the Archdemon of Gluttony hopped into the bathtub at the start of the Fall Queen's countdown.

The whelp was drenched in the truth elixir, as well, but since it kept its childlike innocence, its intentions to enter the Kingdom will never be put to question.

In the past, the whelp had eaten souls for his nutrition and the Archdemons…Well, the Demon Kind was rotten to the very core. But why did the truth elixir not affect them despite their evil nature?

Of course, she would be eternally grateful for this reprieve, but maybe,  the Fae alchemists had made a mistake.

Tilting her head as her fingers clutched the rim of the tub, Luna observed the Queen's response in hopes of solving this puzzle.

The Queen of the Fall Courts stood, unable to speak at first in shock, as her foot tapped up and down the dried leaves on the ground.

She sank her teeth on her bottom lip.

The way she responded to the situation made Luna think that there was something urgent about the result.

There was no pleasant birdsong despite the early morning, and the forests had gone quiet.

Still, Luna waited for the Queen to consider them.

"I see that everyone weren't scalded from the truth elixir that it surprised me quite a bit.The magic concoction had passed its judgment on the visitors and deemed them worthy to enter my Kingdom. Here." Luna's gaze fell on the basket she showed her and wondered how the Queen of the Fall Courts hadn't dropped anything from it yet despite the skirmish from earlier. 

"I brought a basket of apples to eat for those who weren't Vampires." The queen's sweet smile offering them anything tempting might be a curse waiting to be unleashed, similar to this boiling and sickly green acid. "From the Vampire Realm, you traveled through the Summer Courts and consequently traveled from the West to the East. Some of you must be dead tired from the journey. Let my servants get you some dry clothes before I usher you inside. "