Remember about the blackmail trick? I decided to use that against Lucian just so that he could blabber more information about his mate. This way, at least I would save everyone from his constant death glares.
Anyways, enough of my rambling, I decided to wander in these palace halls, hoping NOT to catch a whiff of any guards. You know, the monstrous looking creatures who are even obnoxious and deformed than You-Know-Who which I thought was impossible as frankly, he doesn't even have a nose. (AN: Any Potterheads here?)
What I didn't expect to see was a young girl who was shivering despite the warm weather. Her hands were trembling non-stop and her eyes kept darting across the hallways, as if a monster was lurking in the shadows, devouring her every move. Stalkerish right? She was the perfect example of a timid mouse, the kind that would probably faint at the sight of reddish, gooey liquid - blood. She seemed humanly which indicated she and I can become BFFs.
"Hi?" I greeted her, startling her accidentally.
She swivelled her head around, probably mistaking me for a vicious monster. I felt thoroughly offended - I am not as horrendous and revolting looking as You-Know-Who.
"Ummm," she murmured, probably afraid that I would devour her soul.
"Don't worry," I reassured her with the most comforting voice, "On the contrary, I am the most humble person.
She giggled. I took that as a progressive sign, an indication that I was succeeding in my role in making some ordinary friends.
Hey! You can't blame me! I have the obligation to initiate a new friendship! All the guards despise me as if I was a pathetic creature and Lucian's intentions with me aren't crystal clear.
"So... Are you a servant? What's your deal?" I asked her, unable to refrain myself from smiling.
"Well, I am a mortal servant. I barely get recognition for all my efforts as USUAL. It is extremely tedious watching all the guards boast about their achievements whilst I all receive is ten more whips," she whispered, meekly as if a guard was spying on us one metre away.
"So... do you know where the dining room is? I am forced to enter there as the chicken ordered me to eat dinner with him. Hmph!" I complained, folding my arms and wrinkling my nose.
"You're eating dinner with a chicken?" the girl asked me, very surprised.
"Umm..... Not exactly," I answered. If I told her that I was 'invited' to eat dinner with the Demon Prince, she would instantly freak out and scattered away. I could not afford to lose my only friend so far.
"Let me show you the way!"
With that, both of us delightedly skipped across an innumerable amount of halls and almost bumped into the head guard You-Know-Who.
"Where do you think you are going?" he snarled, grumbling and growling.
Luckily, Lucian had already taught me the #1 trick to get rid of a lousy guard who couldn't recognise their queen (His words, Not mine). But my new friend who's name I just discovered a second ago - Flora decided to actually scatter away this time. Hmph! Talk about being loyal.
"I am going to meet with the Demon Prince," I huffed, flicking away my hair as if I was a stuck up brat. In Lucian's words, all I need to declare is the fact that the Demon Prince has given me permission to do this.
"Oh really? Show me your ID card," the guard declared, looking extremely triumphant, thinking that I was bluffling my way through.
Luckily, Lucian had already prepared me to encounter this situation and had already provided me a VIP GOLDEN TICKET to display to the guards that I am a VIP person. At first, I was pondering whether I was deceived because VIP also stands for VERY IMPORTANT PRISONER and Lucian is known for his cunning nature. However, he reassured me hundreds of times that it actually stands for VERY IMPORTANT PERSON.
The guard, shocked, immediately bowed his head and muttered an unintelligible 'Sorry' before hastening to dart away.
Astonished, Flora quickly bowed to me as well. I was honestly dumbfounded as well. Who knew that Lucian was capable of forcing guards to respect me (unwillingly).
I hastened to give explanations to Flora, explaining how he bid for me at an auction and how I was now his 'pet'.
Flora chuckled before asking me if the chicken was the Demon Prince. This made me laugh so hard that I was clinging onto Flora to prevent me from falling. It was the first time I ever laughed since arriving to the castle.
***
"Good Luck and break a leg!" Flora wished as we arrived at the door that led us to the kitchen.
Sighing for the best, I knocked gently on the door.
"Come in!" pronounced a husky voice, its sound capable of annihilating everything into ashes. (No Joke)
Tiptoeing in, I mustered my demurest manner and slid gracefully into a lavish chair. I couldn't afford any mistakes - not here, not now.
"Lila. I miss you," Lucian confessed, each syllable a melodic string of notes, rendering me speechless and amazed.
Kidding! Instead he glared at me as if I had arrived thirty minutes later and began to scrutinise me as if he was checking me out! Not that I was complaining!
However, I couldn't shout pervert because his status and abilities are far more powerful than mine. Instead, I tried glaring at him. My eyes were narrowed into a straight line and my brows sunk deeper than the ocean.
And guess what?
He laughed. Straightforward laugh. My temper rose even further - I had completely forgotten my prim, ladylike pose and instead opted for the You-Are-Dead-To-Me pose.
Lucian, stifling his laugh, blurted out: "You look so funny when you are opting for the Constipitated-Whale pose."
I had no comment as I knew I had to work on - my very unladylike pose that was not worthy to be seen in the area.
Lucian decided to make some small talk which was relatively tedious, especially how it's related to food.
"What's your favourite food?"
"Hmmm. I don't know."
"Oh C'mon. There must be one."
"Umm. Let me think!"
Ladies and gentlemen, that was how I wasted an hour of The Demon Prince's time. He was just sitting there, his eyes unnerving as he blinked at me with an inscrutable look. It was as if he didn't mind me dawdling his precious time and was eager for me to reply to that question.
Luckily, the stoic, emotionless Prince did not mind me yapping about life.
"Hey! Are you even listening to me?" I furiously lectured him about the importance of eye contact, forgetting about who I was even speaking to at the moment.
*****TIME SKIP******DEDICATED TO JACE HERONDALE (AN: ANY M.I. FANS HERE?)*********
Panting in disbelief, I wobbled myself out of the dining hall before collapsing on the floor. My vision gradually escaped as my head began to whirl with dizziness. My hands were trembling with fear and my lips were wobbling in shock.
There was an assassination attempt on Lucian during our "date". It was horrendous - all began when the sound was drained from the halls, laughter turned into a deafening silence whilst the chatter died down.
And me, being a mortal that could die any moment, I was freaking out so badly. (Spoiler alert: I peed my pants)
Luckily, Lucian wasn't there to witness my humiliating moment but instead, was eating his dinner peacefully. Like, who does that in the middle of being assassinated? Apparently the chicken.
"Duck!" I screamed as an arrow came swerving by with unnerving accuracy.
Lucian instead just glared at the arrow with disdain as the arrow dropped down into ashes.
"Ahh!" I shouted, "What the hell just happened?"
Obviously, my question was aimed to him.
Instead, he teleported me back to my room with a list of chores. - again!
Like attempted murder was occurring where I was eating and that devil decided to teleport me to my cage without my permission. Like excuse me?
But I couldn't speak my mind - otherwise instant disintegration would undoubtedly occur.
So therefore, I was stuck in my chamber (prison) until I noticed a little string of light bouncing towards my way.
"Hmmm, I wonder what could that be?" I pondered. Nine times out of ten, it would be a deception crafted by the guards to lure me into doing either A. dirty stuff or B. their bidding. It would have been a tremendous shock to discover that they possessed genuine intentions yet then - I may have been raising my hopes up.
Another side of me chastised my optimism, arguing that this is likely to be a trick from Lucian to test my (non-existent) unwavering loyalty towards him e.g. not trying to escape from my room (which was what I was contemplating about). However, the spark inside me drifted me closer to the string without me realising it. It was as if my figure had been possessed by another entity and was enraptured by the miraculous movement. My feet began to tread quietly in anticipation as I caressed the string with my fingers.
Boom! A slip of gravity sent me flying across the sky, skidding to an abrupt halt in front of a double door glistened with ornaments and decorations far too luxurious of someone of my state.
"Oh no!" I muttered in fear and despair but with a tint of excitement coursing through my veins, "I wonder who is waiting for me at the opposite side."
The door creaked as it unbolted, unveiling a sumptuous, deluxe private quarters - in it which contains ornaments dripping with wealth and power. I hesitated, then craned my neck to investigate whose room was this? Celeste? Or Lucian? Or maybe even another incomprehensible figure who I have not yet encountered.
Suddenly, fear overwhelmed me, engulfing me in its abundant layers, shrieking at me to understand the reality of the situation. Me, a mere mortal, wandered through a demon-infested castle - without any agitation about the dire consequences - including death. Throughout my observations, I had realised how demons are obligated to be docile and obedient towards their superiors (defined as the amount of powers they possess) and it is crystal clear that the one whose word is law is the Demon Prince.
Would I get punished? What is more punishment? Endless agony and torture?
I immediately darted towards the exit, banging on the doors, desperate leaking through each and every of my actions. As soon as I felt a flicker of hope, I realised that someone was opening the door.
With that knowledge in mind, I bolted under the bed, not daring to utter a single word in fear of it reaching the demon's ears. I clutched onto my arms with trepidation as the sound of footsteps echoes throughout the room.
Eek! I squirmed and with that, my doom was about to emerge.
Now readers, you must understand that the sound I produced was not even considered as a mere whisper. It was simply an invisible sound that barely travelled.
However, demon-kind, the most menacing creature to ever roam the land, possess heightened senses and the more powerful one is, the more acute their senses are.
Muffling my mouth, I crossed my fingers, desperately hoping that this demon was a low ranked one. One that could not sense my presence nor could read my thoughts. However, based on the opulence this room is leaking, I could deduce that this belongs to a high ranking demon - and my inevitable end.
"Lila?" a voice interrupted my tornado of thoughts, its voice dripping in fake tranquility and comfort.
Instantly, I knew that I had been discovered. I grasped onto my shoulders with both hands, intertwining my fingers with my eyes crossed.
"Lila?" the voice thundered, this time not bothering to imitate humanity's emotions but rather showcase its demonic-like sound, implementing fear that shook my bones.
"Come Out!" Without my permission, my body obeyed the command as if the words of the owner possessed more control over my body rather than my will. It was this action that made me realise how high-ranked the demon was. After all, it could reign my body as if it was a puppet dangled by strings to provide entertainment for everyone.
That is what I am... entertainment.
My eyes raked over the figure that controlled me and the face that I encountered was horrifying but also expected. After all, only a person of that much stature would bathe in this room and possess power of my body.
It was....
Word Count: 2079
Thank you so much for waiting. I have been hiatus for over a year (not my proudest moment).
My English has decreased so much from before and I feel so tired already.
Anyways! Thank you so much!