The Monster?

**Natalie POV**



On my way up to the Princess' wing, and yes, she had a whole wing dedicated to her and her kids, I passed by an unconscious knight. Another was sitting, holding his head. He grimaced at his bloodied hand.

"You girl, where is the princess?" The disoriented knight asked.

"Her chambers?" I questioned. Rumor had it the Princess spent little time outside her chambers while visiting. Unless she went to see her Father or the courtyard Trevor had taken me to.

Trevor...for the first time since the grave yard, I visualized him without an invisible hand guiding my perception. I saw him as the charming, confident boy handing me his number...and as the hurt, lonely man, rejected by the one meant to treasure him.

"She mentioned needing Prince Trevor presence in her bed. We told her it was too dangerous, and then we were knocked out. That small Princess is stronger than she looks."

Prince? Never mind that. What really mattered was Aileen turning on her own guards. Did she find out I was with him? The jealous, **married** 'sister' was obsessed! I felt sorry for Lord Devon. After all he suffered under Shiuku's hand; he didn't deserve an unfaithful, murderous psycho.

My grip on the fruit knife tightened. The Princess was destroying too many happily ever afters with her deception. True monsters don't deserve redemption, another lesson Mother was adamant about.

Don't throw up; keep steady. I could do it, just one more monstrous life, and I would never have to kill again. ...One more time...

"You are one of the blessed, correct?" The knight rose to his feet. "I am Sir Ellice of the Lutz imperial guard."

"Natalie Bresh."

He inclined his head slightly, "well, it was nice to meet you. You've all made our lives easier, whether with the castle's duties or using those skills to scare off enemies to the crown. No Lord or King wishes to go against Lutz with the Dark King ruling and you gifted citizens. Finally, a time without war."

Suspiciously, Sir Ellice glanced away, rubbing the back of his head. "What?" I asked. Unwanting of this conversation to last much longer. Merchants, squires, or maids could cross my path.

"Can you do me a favor, young lady? I will forever be in your debt. As will my knocked-out friend here, Sir Bryant."

I simply nodded. The last thing I needed was to blab and wind up outing myself. Talking to people was never my forte. Blending in and minding my own business was.

"The elementally blessed are friends with the royal family, correct? Put in a good word to Princess Aileen for us when you see her. We weren't expecting to be attacked by the person we were protecting. A mistake we will never make again! If Princess Aileen implores King Ulrich and speaks on our behalf, he will spare us for our negligence."

A knight pleading was an uncomfortable sight. His stature clearly showed that the man had a lot of pride from his years of service. I doubted he ever bowed besides to royalty and clergy.

There was no guarantee I could stop Aileen's tyranny. Nor would I think that way. Being Cocky leads to mistakes; death. Just because she couldn't use an element like me did not mean she would go down easy. She was a member of the DSS and would be well-trained. Not only that, but she was sneaky enough to catch two veteran knights off guard and knock them out. I won't underestimate her.

Outwardly gave a soft smile to the honorable man. Sir Ellice appeared to be a kind man, prideful of his position. At least I would do everything I could to save him from King and Princess' wrath.

"I'll try," I assured him. I held up my fruit knife, "I'm to cut her fruit."

"Then you'll have time to speak with her soon! Very good! My many thanks, sweet Natalie of Bresh." He punched a hand over his plate of armor.

Sir Ellice saluted me before I left for Princess Aileen's chambers. Inside my heart thumped a regrettably familiar pattern. Mom had called it 'the Prepare for Battle Drumming.' My instincts were sharpening me up for the incoming battle.

Good, I could do this. Keep focus.

Each step I took up the stairs weighed heavy on my feet. Focus and steel my nerves with hatred like I did years ago.

Aileen had shattered so many innocent souls. Trevor's ex-girlfriends, Izzy and her dignity, Diana and her sanity, Devon and his affection, and Trevor's blind trust. Lastly, then me. Foolishly, I followed Diana's footsteps and blamed the wrong person for our hardships. I punished Trevor and threw him into the arms of another woman.

No more. I may have lost Trevor in my ignorance, but I could still wish for his happiness. All of us still had a future. Most importantly, we all had the potential to reclaim who we were.

Happy-ever-after doesn't happen by magic. Sometimes, you must find your own sparkling dress and zap your own spells from a crafted wand of your making.

As I found my way to her wing, I took note of her lack of guards. A sigh of relief left my lips.

I was already on edge, knowing I would end a life. At least there would be no witnesses. Injuring innocent guards simply doing their job wasn't something I was comfortable with. I wouldn't be able to kill them. Depending on my horrible acting skills, their presence could cause my failure. The guards would shackle me and send me to the dungeon awaiting execution before I confronted Aileen.

*They should. You don't want to end Aileen. Mistake.* The pushing force that started during my nightmare begged.

Now that I was figuring out the truth about Trevor, the two opposing auras collided about Aileen, giving me an aggressive headache.

*Kill her. Avenge Izzy's suffering. Get revenge for pushing Trevor, your soulmate, into the embraces of another woman.* The familiar invisible hooks I was accustomed to countered snidely.

Maybe this was the final hurdle into insanity?

In front of the Princess' door was something thin and black between the door and its frame. It was no thicker than a fingernail. A skinny wire stuck out from the black strip. Odd. Some kind of security? That kind of advanced technology was not seen in this dimension.

Not taking chances with the security device being active, I pressed an ear to the door. My hearing was the one skill I bested my Mom in. Exceptional hearing was a great benefit of being a demon-like whoever my Father was rather than a human-like Mom.

"Mommy, is the assassin gonna…go after us? Grandfather…worried. I heard him when we…walking away." A little voice stuttered. "Don't wanna… die. Is he…the evil demon…from my dreams? Is this my fault?" There was hiccuping in between his words. The little prince thought this was all because of him.

"Scared," a higher-pitched toddler whined near the older child.

And here I was, standing with a fruit knife, ready to kill their Mommy. How could I be so stupid? I hadn't considered Aileen's children.

A killer must tightly hold onto some morals. Never agree to assassinate a child or pet. Never murder in front of a kid. And never be the source of a child's trauma. It's the only way to keep a small light. It may sound funny, but even cold-blooded hit men can have strict principles.

Truthfully, the wisest course of action entailed becoming Sonic and sprinting away. If not for Sir Ellice's pleas, I would have.

Music sounded from the other side of the door. Not just any piece, but what resembled a kid's show melody. It had a silly tempo, and the kids hushed to hear.

How was that possible?! There was no electricity in this whole castle! At least comparable to my dimension. This entire world was in the dark ages!

"What are assassins known for?" came the princess' strong voice. She spoke with confidence, like a twisted version of the Mad Hatter. Unable to stop it, I smiled at the ancient memory from the graveyard.

The child I assumed to be Shion responded boldly despite his fear, "hiding and dressing in different clothes?"

"Exactly… like a disguise." That was a plotting tone. I could almost hear the curling of her lips. I'm sure she would be smirking.

The song changed, and suddenly there was evil laughing. Not sinister. More like an adult was wearing a Grim Reaper costume, bellowing a devilish laugh in front of kids on Halloween. There was no malice or intent behind it.

The music was legato and sneaky. A few seconds after the laugh, I heard the princess' voice dip and become deep and low, feigning masculine.

"Hahahaha, I'm the master of disguuuuiiiiiisssse; I can vanish from your eyessssss!" She was chuckling while singing as deep as her voice could go.

Next, I heard two kids, also faking baritone, "I can be in different places! With my many funny faces in disguiiiiiise."

The smaller child was trying to keep up with the lyrics. His singing could only be heard on certain words. It was cute and almost made me forget why I came here.

What the heck should I do?

"Let's sing the cake song next!" one of the high-pitched boys chirped.

Cake song? I knew I recognized those lyrics! She was listening to LazyTown songs! Robbie Rotten sang about how tricky he was.

Shutting off and forcing the inner hands of my money silent, I found myself singing along, wishing to be part of the family projected.

By the end of the song, I'd forgotten who I had turned myself into. The me who clung to each kiss of Trevor's earlier today, pushing back on the dry voice to see the truth, was almost free.

"My little demon, tell me first how that song applies to an assassin." Aileen kept a calm tone.

Silence for several minutes. Curse my curiosity! I should be running or knocking. Of all the times for my old self to surface, right now had to rank in the top three!

"Assassins are masters of disguise?"

She chuckled lightly. "No matter his disguise, he is always human. Whether a dinosaur, an elf, or a prince. And who always wins?"

The younger one answered, "Good guys!"

I heard a click of a tongue. I pressed closer to the door, anxious to listen to what the villain would say to that one.

"Sportacus wins not because he is right, but because he trains hard and exercises while Robbie is lazy. Sportacus uses his strength to protect the rights of the citizens. The strong protect the weak, as you two will when you become of age."

The hell? That was DSS' stance, not hers. At least she wasn't setting her children down her insane path. Then it occurred that Trevor is rumored to love his nephews more than anything else in his life. Of course, she would act like an angel toward them. It was the only way to hide her true face from him. Chances were, she tricked Devon the same way.

"Are you gonna tell me about the scary man in my dreams? You promised!"

Man in his dreams? Could he be talking about his blood Father? I could have sworn this dimension was sealed off by another demon lord. There shouldn't have been a way for Demon Lord Shiuku to use his mind ability.

"Yes, when your Dad arrives." Oh! This time there was a waver in between her words! Something could touch the Princess of Deception. The truth. "Let's get ready for the banquet. We do not want to keep your stubborn Grandfather waiting. He'll turn colder than Bancho, the obstinate Ice frog."

"Mommy, wait! Bad Guys! I'll protect you," the older boy declared.

The other child whimpered, "me too, Mommy…but I'm scared."

Behind the door, they behaved so wholesomely. Those two kids were cute, and Aileen acted like a dedicated Mom.

So the Princess of Lutz had a portion of humanity left. She cherished the life she brought into this world. Damn, my clenching heart.

Aileen giggled; the sound was full of warmth. Assuming she was in a decent mood, I mustered up all my courage to face the Princess.

Basic steps were where I seemed to struggle with Trevor and Aileen. Just knock a light tap. Stow the kni-

"Close, Mommy! Don't laugh! Lutz's villain is outside the door!"