Shien finished applying a soft layer of pink eyeshadow, then adjusted his lipstick in the mirror.
He admired his reflection, he looked stunning.
His strapless pink dress shimmered with glitter, the same as his long, glossy gloves that reached up to his elbows, highlighting his smooth skin and narrow shoulders. The neckline was provocative, and the slightly padded chest made him look even more feminine and charming.
He brushed his long, straight blonde hair and blinked his brown eyes with satisfaction.
"I'm absolutely gorgeous, hahaha!" he laughed.
Right then, his room trembled. Shien froze when he heard Hoshizuma's whisper echo inside his head.
"Another trial, huh? And you're choosing me to test that little relationship? No problem.
I've ruined plenty of marriages before. Just tell me where to go and who to seduce, haha."
*
So it was true after all.
I thought I was just imagining things… but then came the nausea, and–
No way.
Did my wish really do this? Am I… having Shion's child?
Haru smiled faintly at Shion.
"Congratulations to the happy couple," the doctor said, bowing deeply. "I'll have the invoice sent to the royal office."
"R-right," Shion stammered, still in shock.
Once the doctor left, silence filled the royal chamber. Everyone exchanged looks, not knowing what to say.
Haru lay on the canopy marriage bed; they'd just replaced the old one with it.
"But… how?" Maldie asked, confused. "Was Shion that horny that he bent the laws of nature?" she joked.
Haru and Gari burst out laughing, Shion just gave a weak smile.
But soon his expression darkened.
"That means we have to solve the curse within the next few months. Otherwise, our child…" He didn't finish. Even the thought of what his heir might go through made his stomach twist.
"I still don't get it," Gari said, tilting her head. "So boss was actually a girl all along?" She walked up to Haru, sniffing the air around him. "Nope, still smells like a guy… well, kinda mixed now, probably because of the pregnancy. That's so wild!"
"Haru, do you have any idea how this could've happened?" Maldie asked.
"I-it looks like I had some kind of wish to use. I don't even know where it came from but…" Haru sighed. "I'll be honest with you."
"Spill it straight," Gari said.
"Oh, so you weren't honest before?" Maldie teased.
"No, that's not what I meant. Lately, I've just been having some gloomy thoughts… even though this month has been so amazing. I started wondering if maybe it would've been better if Shion had married Aki. At least they could've had a child… something that would remain after him. And then, somehow, I wished that something of us could last too. Not long after, I heard a strange voice in my head telling me my wish had been granted. Then, after a while, the morning sickness started, and I felt… a new life growing inside me. I thought maybe I was imagining it, at first…"
"Haru," Shion said softly, his voice trembling with emotion. "You're such a dummy for thinking that. Even if my bloodline ended with Ayame and me, I'd never regret being with you."
Haru smiled up at him.
"How could I not love you when you say things like that? You're too sweet."
Shion walked up to him, leaned down and kissed him gently.
"Well, I have paperwork to deal with. Duty calls. And I'll be telling the people today, they deserve to know that Haru is going to give me an heir."
"D-do you really have to?" Haru asked, embarrassed.
"You have no idea how you'll be adored and praised after this," Maldie said with a grin. "People will probably call it a miracle or something."
"Maldie, Gari," Shion said seriously as he walked to the door, "you're to stay with Haru at all times. Make sure he eats well, doesn't hurt himself, and stays okay while I'm not here. You're both relieved from your other duties until the child arrives."
"Shion, that's really not necessary. I can take care of myself, but… thank you, for worrying so much."
"It's better to be careful. What if you slipped and fell on your stomach? Or if someone tried to attack you?"
"Don't worry, Shion. We'll keep everything under control," Maldie said confidently, smiling at him.
Shion didn't reply, he just nodded and left the room.
He went straight to his office. He expected it to be empty… but instead, there was–
–a person sitting on his desk in a pink dress, with a figure strikingly similar to Haru's.
The thigh-high slit of the dress revealed a glimpse of black lace underwear.
"So this is where the king who's into pretty feminine boys works?" the stranger asked with a cocky one.
"Who the hell are you?" Shion snapped, irritation rising.
"Huh?!" Shien blinked, surprised. "You're not impressed by my beauty? I'm divinely gorgeous! Even the gods couldn't resist me!"
"Get off my desk before you wrinkle my papers. What even is that ridiculous outfit? You here for a royal audience or a drag contest? What an awful taste, just all glitter. Get out before I count to four, or I'll call the guards. I don't feel like you are worth wasting my precious energy. One…"
"Oh, come on, at least take a look," Shien said, sliding his leg further out so Shion could see more. His thighs were way more thick than Haru's. "Don't you want see what else I've got under there?"
"Two, three–" Shion's voice grew sharper, he sped up the counting. "Fo–."
"Okay, okay! Geez!" Shien huffed and jumped off the desk.
As he walked past Shion, he brushed his shoulder against him — on purpose. Pretending to lose balance, he dramatically fell backward, expecting Shion to catch him.
But Shion didn't care.
Shien hit the floor hard, right on his butt.
"Ow! My poor, soft, sexy bum!" he said, sitting sideways so the king could get a good view.
"Get out," Shion said coldly. "Or I'll slice you to pieces myself. Interrupting the king during official work is a punishable offense. I don't know how you got in here, but I'll have a word with the guards about it."
"Tsk." Shien gritted his teeth, rubbing his bum before heading out of the office."
Once outside, he clenched his fists.
How the hell did he just reject me like that? No mortal's ever resisted me, not even the most faithful husbands! What's wrong with this guy?!
No, I'm not giving up that easily.
If I can't seduce him… maybe I'll go for that 'queen' of his instead.
Purple flames flared around Shien's body. In an instant, he transformed into a tall, muscular man, two meters high, with long straight red hair and golden eyes. He wore tight black pants and a vest over his bare chest
"Let's see if the queen can resist this," he said in a deep, smooth and sexy voice, then laughed loudly as he moved forward through the palace's corridors.
*
"Oh, I see the Earth has passed Saturn's first trial," Hoshizuma said, sounding slightly impressed.
His eyes, which moments ago reflected the light of distant galaxies, returned to their demonic pink glow.
"Surprising. Most Earths crumble during the first trial. Now it's Heaven's turn… and then, what lies between them."
"Enough riddles," Ayame snapped. "What are you even talking about? Who the hell is the Saturn?"
"Oh? Didn't I invite you to the show?" Hoshizuma asked, feigning regret before grinning wickedly. "My mistake."
He tilted his head to the side, just in time to dodge a blazing blast of magic from Ayame.
"My, my. You and Shion really are like fire and water," he said with a smirk. "You should take after your older brother. When did you become so reckless, Ayame? If you killed me, you'd be trapped here forever, and you wouldn't want that, would you?"
"Speak plainly," she said, glaring at him with hatred. "I've followed every cosmic clue, every riddle, only to end up back where I started. The curse's manifestation, the murdered gods, the day that wasn't supposed to exist… and yet I still don't understand a thing."
"Saturn," Hoshizuma began calmly, "is none other than the god of lust — the great Shien. My forty-ninth lover, in fact. His trials, if Heaven and Earth survive them, will bless them with something they'd never expect. So really, I'm doing you a favor… sort of."
"And what do you get out of it?"
"Entertainment," he said with a sly grin. "Millennia in this dusty hole make me crave a bit of drama now and then. Messing up human lives just keeps things interesting."
If Jupiter was the summoned god, then Shion and Haru must be Heaven and Earth.
But which one was which?
Ayame touched her chin, thinking. She thought about the star that shouldn't exist… and the stars that appear in the sky…
"Haru's pregnant!" she exclaimed suddenly. "I can't believe he actually used his wish for that…"
Hoshizuma smiled faintly. His expression was unreadable—somewhere between amusement, indifference, and disdain.
"When the womb of Heaven gives birth to another star, it fades into the ordinary. But when the first and only star shines upon the dark sky, it draws the gaze of both people and fate alike."
He looked straight at Ayame with a challenging stare.