Ava Galliano: The Last Dark Queen

The Perfect Family

"Sire, I think this is it."

Charles shot a skeptical glance at Jace, his gaze narrowing with a hint of weariness. "Are you positive this time? I've heard you say those exact words a million times over the last ten years."

Jace’s eyes were steady as he placed the file on Charles’ desk. "I'm positive. A family from the Third Kingdom seems to have used a soul without permission. Their official request for a new soul was denied by the council, and there’s also a request for adoption lodged in the system."

Charles leaned forward, his interest piqued. "How does one use a soul if their soul transfer was denied?"

Jace shrugged, his expression unreadable. "It seems they found a way around it. The adoption request, though—" Jace let the words hang in the air as Charles scanned the details on the file.

It didn’t take long for realization to dawn on Charles. His eyes widened in sudden clarity. He knew exactly how one could acquire a soul when the council refused it. "God damn it," he muttered under his breath.

"Sire?" Jace asked, but Charles ignored him, already moving towards the door leading to the council chambers.

Without another word, Charles strode through the corridors of his study, his thoughts racing. He had a nagging feeling in his gut—Zuki was behind all of this. He’d known it for years, but this was the confirmation he’d been waiting for. Zuki had been playing him all along, weaving his web with careful precision, making sure Charles was always where he wanted him to be.

Charles reached the council door, pausing for a moment to compose himself before stepping inside. He took a deep breath, then strode into the familiar halls of the council chambers, putting on his most regal demeanor. He nodded at the occasional demon who stopped to acknowledge him, exchanging pleasantries but keeping his focus. His destination was clear—the Third Kingdom Council.

At the reception desk, a small demon named Cassandra looked up in surprise as Charles approached. She squeaked when she saw him standing in front of her desk.

"Your Majesty! What a surprise! I wasn’t aware that you had any meetings scheduled today," she said, clearly flustered.

"I do not today, Cassandra," Charles replied, his voice smooth. "But I am in need of a particular file. A family. The Telfast family."

"One moment," Cassandra said, still in shock, before quickly scurrying into the back room. Charles stood there, waiting, his mind still racing over the file Jace had presented.

When Cassandra returned five minutes later, she handed Charles the file with a respectful bow. "Here it is, Your Majesty. Is there anything else I can assist you with?"

"No, thank you," Charles said, tucking the file under his arm. "I will be taking this with me."

"Of course, Your Majesty. Have a nice day."

Charles nodded and turned, leaving the council building. The file felt warm in his hands, freshly updated within the last few months. He flipped it open briefly before heading back to his study. Jace was still at the desk, immersed in yet another file. Charles’s eyes locked on Jace, and he didn’t have to say a word for Jace to know exactly what was happening.

"We’re traveling to the Third Kingdom," Charles announced, his voice firm.

"Shall I prepare the plane or a portal, sire?" Jace asked, standing up from the desk.

"The portal," Charles replied without hesitation. "We can’t waste any more time."

"Yes, sire."

Jace quickly took the file from Charles’s outstretched hand and left the study. Charles lingered for a moment, his thoughts still occupied with the Telfast family. As Jace prepared the portal, Charles turned toward the large window overlooking the garden. He saw Ava floating again, her form suspended in the air as though gravity had no hold over her. It had become a common sight over the last few years.

Charles had made sure to keep a careful distance between Ava and the rest of the world. Jace had tracked her every move, making sure she didn’t fall into the hands of the wrong people. He knew Robert had never believed the news of Ava’s death. No one in the Roses did. But Charles couldn’t help but wonder what the larger picture looked like. Ava had a connection to the Telfasts, one that seemed to be more than coincidental.

With a resigned sigh, Charles turned away from the window and headed downstairs to join Jace. The portal room was dimly lit, the swirling energy of the portal already crackling to life. Jace gave him a nod as he stepped into the doorway, signaling that everything was ready.

Without further hesitation, the two of them stepped through the portal, landing in the Third Kingdom's council chamber. The cool, metallic scent of the room enveloped them as Jace immediately headed upstairs to make preparations. Charles took a moment to reread the file on the Telfasts, absorbing the details of the case.

Soul Ache was rare, even by demon standards, but it was a known phenomenon. Sometimes, the soul given to a newborn demon would reject the change, similar to how the human body could reject an organ transplant. However, according to the council, there hadn't been a case in over a hundred and fifty years. That made it all the more odd that this case had been tested, returned negative, and yet the child was still dying from what was labeled as the ‘demon flu.’

Charles set the file down with a sigh. He had an unpleasant suspicion that Zuki was pulling the strings again. The question was—why? What was Zuki’s endgame?

When Charles finally knocked on the Telfast family’s front door, he was greeted by a young boy, healthy and smiling, his eyes shining with curiosity.

"Is your mother or father home?" Charles asked, his voice steady but laced with an underlying tension.

The boy stared at Charles for a moment before replying, "Who are you?"

"Your parents will know who I am," Charles said, keeping his tone even. "Please, go get one of them."

"Mum, there’s someone at the door!" the boy called out, his voice echoing through the house.

Charles winced at the shout, but soon, Mrs. Telfast appeared at the door, her cheerful demeanor faltering as she saw Charles standing in her doorway.

"Brent, honey, can you head upstairs, please?" she said, her voice tight with nerves.

"Sure," Brent replied with a slight grimace before bounding up the stairs.

Mrs. Telfast opened the door wider, gesturing for Charles and Jace to come inside. The door clicked shut behind them as they followed her into the lounge room. The faint residue of Zuki’s influence lingered in the air, and Charles’s suspicions were confirmed. Zuki had definitely meddled here.

"Tea?" Mrs. Telfast offered, her voice strained but polite.

"No, thank you," Charles replied, shaking his head. "Please, sit down."

She hesitated but finally sat before him, her nervous energy palpable. Charles didn’t miss the way her eyes darted around the room, clearly unsure of what was coming next.

"Now," Charles began, his tone calm but direct. "You must know why we are here?"

Mrs. Telfast’s shoulders seemed to sag with relief at the question. She had feared they were there for the soul. Talking about the High King arriving at your door was one thing—having him actually inside your home was something else entirely.

"I'm afraid so," she admitted, the weight of the situation finally lifting off her.

Charles didn’t waste time. "It’s very unusual for a demon family of your class to submit an application for adoption. Can you tell me why you’ve made this request to the council?"

The tension in Mrs. Telfast’s posture lifted, and she sighed, a slight sense of relief flooding her. She had thought that Charles was there for the soul, but it seemed he was simply asking questions.

"Having a child is rather expensive," she explained, her voice shaky but honest. "The cost of souls these days is astronomical. We wanted a child around Brent’s age. We knew what this would do to our social status, but family is important to us."

"I must ask," Charles pressed, his gaze fixed on her, "how is your son?"

Mrs. Telfast blinked at the question. "What do you mean?"

Charles’s eyes narrowed, the answer already clear to him. "Well, for a teenage boy suffering from Soul Ache, he seems to be running just fine."

There it was—the moment she’d been dreading. Mrs. Telfast stiffened, and Charles could see the panic rising in her.

"What did Zuki promise you when he gave you the soul?" Charles asked, his voice calm but filled with a quiet, unyielding force.

"Nothing," Mrs. Telfast stammered, shaking her head. "Nothing, Lord Zuki promised a free soul, and he gave us just that."

Charles sighed in exasperation, slumping into the chair. This was unprecedented. The ledgers had never shown anything like this before. A free soul? That didn’t add up, not with Zuki involved.

"I will be sending an agent to integrate with your family," Charles said finally, his voice hard. "She’s roughly two hundred years old and a vampire. She was recently orphaned, so she will be a perfect fit."

The words hung in the air, and Mrs. Telfast’s face turned pale at the thought of what was to come. But Charles was already thinking of the next move.