Rhonex's eyes snapped open.
He looked around, it was his room. His body ached, especially near the black hole-like wound on his chest, but otherwise, he felt... strangely whole.
He got up, grabbed a clean outfit, and dressed in a dark green robe. It wasn't to impress anyone, just something that felt right.
Yet, as he buttoned up, a sudden pain pierced through him.
It wasn't his own.
He paused.
Where was it coming from? It didn't belong to his body... but it echoed inside him. He shook it off and decided not to dwell on it.
Strangely, he felt stronger, as if his energy had been replenished. He even looked more alive, like someone who had just returned from a war and survived...."Looks like Molan did his work well"
"Molan is really doing his work well."
A voice echoed in his mind.
Rhonex froze. Was that ?
No... the voice was different. Darker. Familiar.
"Ah yes," he muttered. "I activated the devil in me."
He walked downstairs.
There, sitting calmly, was a bald woman, sipping something from a black cup. Beside her stood Molan.
He recognized the woman, the one from the Forbidden wing.
Only she and Molan were in the room, and as soon as they sensed him, they turned and bowed deeply.
"Greetings, my lord," they said in unison.
"Greetings", Rhonex replied, voice calm but detached.
He remembered, the bald woman had promised him something. He'd collect that later.
For now, he needed answers.
"What's your name?" he asked, looking at the bald woman.
"It's Bernice"
He turned to Molan.
"Is the carriage ready for Duskhelm castle"
"Yes, my lord."
"Okay. Let's go."
Molan and Bernice followed him outside.
But as Rhonex stepped outside, he paused.
He looked at his tree, he felt something different about it. Molan spoke,
"A demon servant brought gifts for you and Asmodeus gifted your tree with poison, but thankfully Bernice was able to cure it."
Rhonex raised an eyebrow.
"Have you checked the gifts?"
"No, my lord. They were specifically sent for you, from Lords and Ladies in Hell for your upcoming wedding. Only you can open them."
Rhonex's hand slipped into his pocket.
"I know there'd be dangerous gifts. Instruct the servant to feed the tree with energy.
"Yes, my lord."
Molan telepathically instructed the servants. Then, they all boarded the carriage, heading towards Duskhelm castle.
***********
Meanwhile, Aralyn was still in bed, pain rippling through her body, and sleep evading her.
Have I been poisoned? Fed with something to kill me slowly and painfully? she wondered.
Suddenly, two handmaidens' voices broke the silence.
"Princess, good morning!"
Aralyn groaned, still half-asleep.
"Just ten more minutes..."
"We don't have ten minutes! Your governess could arrive any moment now!"
Reluctantly, Aralyn sat up and took a bite of her meal.
Pearl brought out a delicate pink dress.
"That dress is for important occasions, Pearl."
"Princess, your fiancé is coming to the palace today. There's a chance you'll meet. You have to look presentable."
Aralyn sighed, knowing she had no choice but to prepare.
The last thing Aralyn wanted to do, was to look presentable in front of that good-looking demon. Wait—why did she just call him good-looking? A tiny part of her, just a teeny-weeny part, was actually excited to see him again, and that made her furious.
After Pearl and Paulina finished their work. Aralyn told them they could leave but to come get her if the governess arrived. She also asked Paulina to prepare a pain reliever for her.
"Are you okay, Princess?" Paulina asked.
"There's just a little pain in my body," Aralyn replied.
"Okay, Princess, I'll prepare the medicine."
*********
Meanwhile, Rhonex finally arrived at Duskhelm castle. He stepped down from the carriage with Molan and Bernice. Standing at the castle door was a woman. Since he had sharp hearing, he heard the woman say... "I'm the new governess assigned to teach Princess Aralyn."
"Oh, they actually got a governess for my bride," Rhonex thought.
The servants opened the door for Rhonex without him needing to say a word and informed him that the king was waiting for him in the guest room.
Bernice leaned in and whispered, " I'm going to walk around the castle, Milord" to which Rhonex didn't object to.
Inside the guest room, Rhonex found King Draelos waiting. Molan stood guard as Rhonex entered and took a seat.
King Draelos eyed the demon who was so arrogant but had no choice but to accept him.
"Thank you for coming," King Draelos said.
"My pleasure," Rhonex replied. "So, what shall we discuss?"
"Well, it's about your impending wedding with my daughter, and also what you promised in exchange."
"GREED", Rhonex thought in his mind.
"I haven't forgotten. It will be given to you at the right time."
"When will that right time be, Demon Lord?"
Rhonex didn't mind that the king called him "demon", that's exactly what he was. He decided to reveal his name.
"You can call me Lord Rhonex, if you prefer. The right time will be after I marry the princess and the bond is formed. That's when I'll fulfill my end of the bargain."
King Draelos asked, "How would you like your wedding to be?"
"Exactly the way Aralyn wants it," Rhonex replied.
King Draelos was surprised the demon called his daughter by name, but soon, Rhonex would be her husband.
*******
Meanwhile, Bernice wandered the castle grounds, noting how much the world had changed. She never imagined she'd be serving the Devil himself, but life rarely goes as planned.
As she walked, she noticed two girls trailing her. Despite their suspicious behavior, she sensed no danger.
"What do you two want?" Bernice asked, turning around.
The girls looked nervous until one said, "I'm Pearl, and this is Paulina."
"We're both maids of Princess Aralyn," the other added.
Bernice's interest peaked.
"Are you working for that Demon Lord?, We have a message for you."
"Yes, I am."
"Are you sure you are?" Paulina asked assessing her well.
"As I said, I am his servant. You both wouldn't come to me if you didn't trust me enough to pass a message to my master."
Paulina explained, "I had a vision, Princess Aralyn will try to escape the wedding. Please ask the Demon Lord to stop her."
Bernice scoffed, "Isn't that betrayal? You know Princess Aralyn doesn't want to marry anyone. Why not just let her be?"
Paulina insisted bitterly, "This is the best we can do for her. My vision showed that if she escapes, she'll face even greater danger. I don't want that to happen."
Bernice frowned, "Why didn't you tell the princess about your vision?"
"She is very stubborn and will do anything once she sets her mind to it. There's a huge chance she won't listen, so I didn't tell her.
"How sure are you that your vision is correct"
"She gets visions rarely and they are always correct", Pearl spoke this time. Her power came directly from the sight goddess, so there is no way it isn't true.
"And even if it's not true, we can't afford to take chances." Paulina said.
Bernice asked, "Why do you think she'll be save with the Devil?"
"Can you please stop with the interrogative questions?" Pearl snapped. Princess Aralyn is very strong. The Devil we know is better than the Devil we don't know."
"If you don't mind, please excuse us. We have important duties to do. And please, Bernice, don't forget to relay the message to the Demon Lord."
Then they left.
Bernice was surprised they knew her name but was glad they told her. This little plan of Princess Aralyn…
*********
Aralyn was already waiting in class for the governess to arrive. The door opened, and a woman stepped in.
"Greetings, princess. I'm your new governess."
"What will you train me on?" Aralyn asked.
"Marriage.You can't talk to your husband any way you want. Your husband is like a commander. Anything he commands you to do, you will. And you will not object."
Aralyn just stared at the governess, who was feeding her nonsense.
"Is having a husband like this? Or will my husband be a god? Someone I have to respect like as if he is the Almighty?"
She knew Irene didn't treat her father that way and suspected this governess was here to teach her nonsense.
After five minutes, Princess Aralyn said, "You're fired."
The governess didn't hear what the princess said. Or maybe she did, but wanted to confirm if she heard right.
"I don't repeat myself. Guards, please escort this woman to the gate."
"Princess, with all due respect, it was the Queen who hired me, and I believe she has more power than you."
Before the woman could finish, Aralyn disappeared to the balcony of the castle. She was planning to avoid meeting anyone, especially that Demon Lord.
She felt someone behind her and asked, "Who are you?" Without looking back.
"Your Highness, I'm Bernice. I've been hoping to meet you, and I've finally gotten the chance. I feel honored."
Aralyn could sense unpure energy from her and guessed she came with the Demon Lord. "You might be his mistress," she thought.
"My pleasure. So, why do you want to meet me, Bernice?"
"I was touring the castle, it's a very big one, I must say, and I was wondering if you wouldn't mind taking me around."
Aralyn didn't feel like going anywhere, but this was a chance to know more about the Demon Lord from another person's perspective, or even his mistress. She disliked the idea of the Demon Lord having mistresses but dismissed those thoughts.
Aralyn smiled, "I know just the place you would love to see."
They teleported to a magical place.
"This is the Illusionary Room in the palace. Very pretty, right?" It was a room filled with all kind of beautiful things, a place to go if someone wanted to escape reality for a while....
Bernice's eyes widened. "Yes, I love it."
"So, what are you to the Demon Lord?" Aralyn asked.
Bernice, then said, "Oh, Lord Rhonex"
"She even calls his name like that"
Rhonex? Why does that name sound so familiar to me
"I'm just his... let's say, slave. He saved me from bondage."
"Oh, so you're not like…" Aralyn quickly stopped herself from finishing the question. She wasn't sure why she was so curious.
"I'm not his mistress, nor I'm I his lover, Princess."
Aralyn let out a laugh.
"Lord Rhonex does not have a heart, so he can't feel."
"Really, I wonder why he wants to marry me."
"You are special, Princess Aralyn. Really special. But here's one thing you should know about Lord Rhonex , he's not just a demon. He is the devil."
Suddenly, Aralyn found herself back on the balcony.
"Thank you for showing me that magical room. See you later."
And then Bernice disappeared.
Aralyn felt she wasn't alone anymore. The pain she had been feeling grew intense.
Then she heard a very deep voice,
"Feeling any pain, Little Fox."