Chapter 2

"Well, well, Princess looks like Reza has done her work quite rhapsodically." He said as he glared the person behind his back. The aforementioned person, Reza, stepped into lights for me to see her sneer. Even with her muddy green eyes and greasy golden brown hair, she was a sight to behold. The sheer arrogance and viciousness dripping from every single pore of her body, she carried herself as if she was a queen. There's nobody I hate more than her, not even Demon.

To tell you who she is, let's go back to the night when my parents were killed. (Yes, I got all my enemies the very same day. I can't help it, guys.) Remember the girl who told demon that killing me was the best option? Yes, that's the very same bitch. Her name is Nerezza. Demon calls her Reza, but I call her trouble. Every time she's near me, she tries to make my life even more insufferable.

" She's quite loyal to her cohort." Her jaltarian accent was so scratchy, it made me rip out her throat just for that. " She wouldn't even tell me where her little bitch of a lover is hiding."

Demon takes a step forward, looking down at my still broken form. I muster all my defiance and glare right back at him. " Nothing? Well, that's not useful for me, Princess. It appears that you have built up quite a tolerance for all sorts of interrogation techniques. It truly is impressive. However, I need your cooperation. So, how about we give General Liliana some push, she needs to surrender quietly. Or do you have a better plan, my darling wife?"

I grinned at that. " You can try all you want, but she won't surrender. Not until she has killed you. Your pet can continue her torture, and it still won't stop Liliana. And the only way to stop her would be to kill me, but you can't kill me. Because if you do, Azurijel will turn against you. But I assume you already know that, since you're trying to sway me to your cause." I huffed out a laugh. "Here's the—"

I shut up my mouth as one of the demon's loyal guard comes in. Demon gives him a pointed look to start what he's got to speak, but the guard just glance at me once. Of course something's happened, and they wouldn't want me to know it.

Demon just waved lazily. Dismissed. Nerezza and the guard, being smart, took the meaning of it and left just the two of us in the chamber.

"Here's the thing, my darling," The Demon crooned. " I had all the time to study you and your so-called legendary cohort, twenty-one. I studied your tricks and techniques beforehand, so it is in your best interest that we become allies."

" I will never-"

" Good choice, Princess. Because Turulami has been stirring up for about a month now. We haven't got anything on them yet, but I would want you to think about this alliance. Because if we have a civil war again, Turulami will destroy Azurijel. Think hard on in Princess."

I stay stunned in the silence. Turulami was stirring. That's quite some news. I opened my mouth to speak something, but I shut it. Demon, who monitored this, didn't let me think of it as he called in Reza.

" Call the healer and take her back to her room." He gave a final order and left me there dumbfounded. Reza shuffles me out of my chair and lead me back to my room.

***

I sit on my bed after an hour of cleaning and healing, thinking about everything that's happened so far. The midnight sky was glowing with the full moon and starlight.

Yesterday afternoon, Liliana killed one of Arius's loyal commander. And an hour after that, I was brought in that torture room, to make me speak out about all of Liliana's hiding spots. It's quite wonderful to know that Liliana was able to kill this commander. I've been trying to kill at least one of Arius's pets for two months now. But no success. There is something that's the most inhuman touch to their abilities. They move with such a speed even I haven't been able to understand how.

My head pounded with all the lack of sleep. I know I should be sleeping now, especially after all the medicinal herbs that healer made me eat. But I decided I'd rather focus on my surroundings.

A light breeze drifted in through the open window, along with a silver column of moonlight. My room looked eerie nonetheless. The familiarity of my room gave me no solace any more.

I sat up straight and lit up the bedside lamp. A journal laid next to it. The journal I usually read before falling asleep to calm my nerves, was the only company I had besides Arius or Nerezza for two months now. I was a prisoner in my palace. Everything I could use as a weapon was already out of my room. All that's left was a bed with pillows and blanket, a rug on the floor, my clothes, a lamp and that journal. I tried using these things too, but the guards outside my room are Demon's favoured guards who can move with that insane speed no normal human should be able to. But still, they can, and they are no normal humans.

As I was getting out of my bed to help myself with a glass of water, I heard footsteps outside my room. I stilled. A faint light came in from the slits of the door. The door opened, and the Demon ceased his stride and stopped there in the doorway.

He stood there with his blue eyes fixed on me as if he was studying me for a hundredth time and still can't seem to figure me out. His brown hair looked even darker than usual with so little light. He was still dressed in his midnight blue military jacket heavily embroidered with gold. The flames of two lamps and the moonlight serenaded him, making him hauntingly handsome that would terrify any creature on the land.

I shuddered. His burning gaze made me self-conscious. I realized I'm in a grey silk nightgown, which has certainly been hitched above my knee. I made the slightest effort of making it right (which was not awkward at all. Why would you think it was awkward? Okay, it was awkward. Super awkward.) But all the while his gaze never left my face. He walked up to me as if he was spellbound. But then kept an arm's length distance between us.

My nerves always frayed in his presence, and I was impatient to get him out of my room. So, the faster he told me his business, the faster he can leave.

"Why are you here, demon?"