With a sweep of his cloak, the Fourth King leaped onto his majestic throne, draping himself over its seat and dangling one leg over the armrest in an all too familiar way.
The King turned his head.
And Rui saw his face.
Her breath caught. Her heart sang.
Zizi.
Then he rose from his throne.
Her eyes widened.
No. Itwasn’thim.
The Zizi she knew was happiest moving in the shadows. This new creature commanded attention like the sun, the brightest star in the sky. Their eyes met, and something inside her burned.
Her knees buckled.
She tried to catch her balance, but it was too late. Plates of sushi crashed noisily onto the floor, breaking into small pieces that scattered everywhere.
All eyes in the room turned on her.
Rui gulped, unable to move. Unable to look away from the Fourth King.
“I haven’t seen you before,” he said in a voice that chilled her skin. “Are you new to my Court?”
It was Zizi’s voice, but it was the Fourth King speaking. His gaze was cold and curious, clinical like a surgeon examining an unconscious patient before scalpel met flesh. There was no recognition in his eyes. They wereZizi’seyes. That startling blue like a winter’s lake. But there was a black spot, more unnatural than the blue, as if the lake had been poisoned. He was wearing Zizi’s face, but he wasn’therZizi. He was a stranger.
A King of Hell.
“Kneel and apologize, you silly girl,” a Reaper hissed from the side.
Rui wanted to scream, she wanted to rage, she wanted to rip the Fourth King from his throne, to curse him and beg him to give her love back. But she knelt and lowered her head.
His footsteps came close.
“I’m sorry, Your Majesty,” she said, trembling, not with fear but fury. “I’ll clean up the mess and get you a new tray of food from the kitchen.”
“Oh, I think not,” the Fourth King said. “I’m afraid you have the misfortune of encountering me in an exceptionally foul mood today, which means a little punishment is in store.”
Rui lifted her head, glaring up at him.
His dark hair grazed the bridge of that blade-sharp nose, but it was streaked with silvery-white strands. His lips curled in that same off-kilter smile, but it was frosty like his expression. It was too painful to look at him, but she looked anyway, hoping he would feel her wrath.
All Kings aredangerous, Nikai had warned her once. The Fourth King was walking around her like a python tightening around its prey.
“You look so defiant despite your mistake. That tray of food you just dropped? It isn’t something the kitchen can whip up. It came from the mortal realm, and I’ve been looking forward to it the whole morning.”
As the Fourth King spoke, Rui felt his spiritual presence enveloping her. She braced herself, thinking it would crush her the way Ten’s did, only to realize that it didn’t feel oppressive. She could breathe—much easier than before. Strangely, the Fourth King’s spiritual presence felt almost...protective.
“We’ll replace the food from the mortal realm right away, Your Majesty,” a Reaper said hastily, eager to appease.
But the Fourth King only had eyes for Rui.
She stared back boldly, matching his ice with her fire. The sinister black dot in his eye seemed to grow, and she thought she saw something else in his expression. Something almost like—no. It couldn’t be. He didn’t know who she was.
He looked away first. “Forget it. I have lost my appetite. Get her out of my sight. Nikai—deal with it.”
