Chapter • 11

•⋅ 1750 B.C. ⋅•

After that day, Callisto did not return to my room and did not even set foot in my palace, but unlike what the ancient Asra would do, I entertained myself with other things. After all, it wasn't just romance that the novel was based on, and I knew well that as much as it was a pretext for the main couple to get closer, there were problems to be solved throughout the kingdom.

Fights in territories.

Abuses of citizens by lesser demons.

Tributes are being demanded in small villages in the name of the demon king.

There was much that Callisto could not control, even more so when angels were trying to invade his castle and murder his son and Loren... well, little Loren was doomed.

He needed time.

In the original story, it was up to Elaine to discover these facts together with Azrael and little by little solve them. It was one of the things that made Callisto see her with new eyes.

Like the sweet and gentle person, she was the person who cared about mortals even when they agreed to give her as a sacrifice to the king. Even when they treated her as a bargaining chip.

She was good, genuinely good.

I sighed.

"Call Lucifer" I spoke to one of the maids, "tell her the duchess wishes to speak with her."

The maid stared at me with distinct confusion.

"What... did you say?"

If it was Asra, she would receive a cup being broken in her face for at least questioning her, but I had no time for that.

"I said to call Princess Lucifer. I have business with her" I repeated.

"Madam..." the girl tried to speak, "I am sorry to say that... it might be impossible."

I raised one of my eyebrows.

"Why?"

She looked down as if afraid to speak, but still murmured.

"Because the princess has not been seen since the last visit to the black tower."

My body flinched. She was talking about the last visit, so she could only be referring to the day Callisto forced her to heal me.

"How could you not have seen her? She's the princess of the 3rd territory!" I spoke, feeling something heavy in my chest.

Lucifer needed help, whether she was there or not, her territory would be the first to suffer from these pinks.

"I'm sorry..." the maid whispered, "but the only prince currently available and present in the castle is..."

I interrupted her with a hand gesture.

"Amodeus" I spoke bluntly, "call him, I know he is here, and it has been a long time since I last saw him."

Asmodeus was no one Elaine got along with and a part of me wished to avoid him at all costs, after all...he was Asra's friend. He supported and even encouraged her throughout the story.

Asmodeus was the only one who was against Callisto's relationship with Elaine and referred to the character, who was loved by all the princes, as a false saint of the false God. The truth was that if the prince of the 9th territory was not so strong, he would certainly die speaking something like that in front of the king, but it was Asmodeus.

Not even Callisto could kill him easily.

"Are you... are you... sure?" The girl asked, and for a moment I understood why Asra was so angry with those beings.

What did they think of her? Of me? That we were stupid?

"Just do as I say, creature, before I lose what little patience I have left," I growled, massaging my temple with one hand.

Asmodeus was my only hope.

If he simply decided not to intervene - as he had done in the novel - I had nothing I could do alone in Lucifer's territory and again... Elaine would win. She would have Callisto at her side, and Azrael too.

But of the fallen, I had given up a while ago.

"No!" I thought, "Asmodeus NEEDS to be on my side."

⋅• •⋅

The black sun made the sky of hell darker and darker, it was a true work of art, and not even the 7 chapters devoted to its description was enough to define how truly stunning it was. The crimson sky, the dark and cold sun, the gray clouds, and in the background, well hidden among the black mountains, there were small glows.

Imprisoned souls.

It was under this sky, with this vision in my garden of emerald leaves and tall trees, that the prince of the 9th territory appeared.

Asmodeus.

The much-feared prince of lust. The worst of the worst and the one who was hated even among his own.

There wasn't that much about him in the novel, after all - he hated Elaine and would do anything to torment and humiliate her in public. Asmodeus liked to exalt that Elaine was not part of hell and even if he tried, he never would: because she was good.

"Asra!" his pink lips arched into a big smile and his arms opened wide as he walked towards me, "do you know how abandoned I felt? I thought that fucking Calisto had stolen all of his sanity and had finally cruelly forgotten me! I felt outraged!"

I couldn't help the huffy laugh when I heard him talk like that. The much-feared prince now sounded like nothing more than a spoiled little boy who needed attention.

"Asmodeus" I spoke, getting up and walking towards him, "I would never be able to forget you."

The demon who was now wrapping his arms around my body huffed, looking disbelieving of my words.

"You lying bastard, do you think I don't know that when you are with that king project you just forget about me?" He grumbled, "I still don't know what he has that I don't."

Nothing, was the only valid answer for anyone looking directly at him, because Asmodeus was the most beautiful being that ever existed in the entire universe. Perfect skin, crimson eyes, long hair in a shade that looked blond hourly, platinum hourly. His curves were incredibly surreal, and of a delicacy that seemed to have been simply sculpted by a careful craftsman. His soft androgynous face would bring anyone to the brink of collapse if he smiled, and the smile... well, I had never seen such a beautiful smile in all my life, but I couldn't tell him that. Because Asra would never say.

"Hunf, I'd say he has a heart" is what I spoke with one of my eyes closed and Asmodeus' face lit up as he kissed my forehead.

"I really missed you, my little devil."