Chapter Forty-Seven: Second Time to Stay:

My second son, Judas, was born in 1941. Two years had passed with World War II. It took so much work to have this one. Madonna didn’t want another child. I managed to win her over. In 1940, she became pregnant. I was overjoyed to hear the news.

“That’s great!” I said. Madonna on the other hand didn’t look so convinced. I noticed that she was painfully smiling.

“Is something wrong?” I asked.

“Nothing,” she lied. “I’m so happy for this.” She looked like she was about to scream.

“Aw, come here,” I said. I pulled her into my arms for a hug. She didn’t resist. At the time, I didn’t see it. Maybe it was because my obsession with her. Maybe it was my kingdom being overcrowded. At the time, I didn’t pay any attention to her.

Speaking of my kingdom, things weren’t getting any better. The humans were still in their war. Some of my subjects are starting to get used to it. Others… Not so much. I was just in the middle. To be honest, things were getting boring. It’s just an endless cycle. I dropped my head on my desk.

“You okay, my lord?” I heard over my head.

“No!” I said aloud.

“What’s wrong?” I heard them ask. I turned my head on the desk. Another subject, Kenny, stood over me.

“Oh, it’s you,” I said. “What is it now?”

“There’s more paperwork,” he said. I buried my head back on the desk and groaned.

“Uh… I’ll just leave these here,” he said. I waved him off.

“It’s fine,” I said. I heard footsteps approach my desk. The papers landed on the surface and he was gone. Should I be surprised by this? No and I wasn’t. How long was this war going to last? I sat up and looked up at the ceiling.

I hate this job.

I reached over to my phone and dialed up my castle. At least I could have a little bit of pick-me-up from home.

“Hello?” an unfamiliar voice answered. I looked confused.

“Lilith?” I asked. “Where’s my wife?”

“In the garden,” she said. “She just wanted to be alone for a while.”

“Is she okay?” I asked. There was a pause on the phone.

“Is she okay?” I asked again.

“To be honest with you, no,” Lilith said.

“What’s wrong?” I asked. Another pause came over the phone.

“Where do you want me to start, sir?” she asked. A knock came on my door.

“Hang on,” I said. I looked up at the door.

“Go away, I’m busy right now!” I shouted. No sooner had I tried to resume the call, another knock came on the door.

“I’m busy right now! Go away!” I shouted. The pounding grew louder. I gritted my teeth.

“What?!” I shouted.

“Uh… sir,” I heard Kenny from the hall. “We’ve got a little bit of a problem.” I threw back my head and groaned. If it wasn’t one thing, it had to be another one, didn’t it? Why couldn’t it just stop?

“What is it now?” I asked. I wished I hadn’t asked that.

“My lord, there is a fight in the break room,” Kenny said. “It’s really bad.” I froze.

“What?!” I shouted.

“You need to get out there and stop!” he yelled.

“Where’s Beelzebub?” I asked.

“He’s trying but it’s enough,” Kenny said. “But it’s pretty bad!” I sighed.

“I’ll be right there,” I said. I turned back to my phone in my hand.

“Listen, I will call you back,” I said to Lilith. “Please check on Madonna.” I hung up before she could say a word. I opened the door to see Kenny staring up at me. He had big black eyes. I sighed and shook my head.

“Lead the way,” I said. Kenny turned and walked down the hall. It looked like it I was going to be stuck here all night again. When was I going to have time for my wife and see what’s wrong with her? I had a sinking feeling about my wife’s well-being. However, that would take a backseat to the war backdrop and babies coming.

For now, I had a kingdom to run. And that wasn’t going so well. Wish me luck on this.