Chapter 6 #2
“That is not the point.”
The younger brother collapsed farther into the couch laughing while my demon was moments away from throwing himself into another dimension voluntarily.
Nina gasped dramatically. “OH MY GOD. The scary demon prince has rituals.”
“I do not have rituals.”
“You absolutely have rituals.”
The older ruler near the doorway nodded thoughtfully. “He once threatened a servant for moving flowers his mom gifted him.”
My eyes widened. “Flowers?”
My demon stared at all of them in utter betrayal. “Why are all of you speaking?”
The second ruler glanced at him sideways, “Because this is the most interesting thing to happen in centuries.”
For the first time since arriving here, I actually felt relaxed.
Before my demon could recover, palace servants entered carrying enormous silver trays covered with food.
The second they properly noticed me and Nina, every single servant froze in place before the entire room dissolved into panic.
One servant nearly dropped an entire tray while another bowed so fast he almost slammed directly into the floor.
I blinked in confusion. “Why are they acting like we bite people?”
The younger brother answered. “You’re the humans who perfectly compromised the royal family.”
“That sentence should not exist.”
One terrified servant placed a tray onto the table before whispering quietly toward another, “She’s holding his attention without magic.”
“I HEARD THAT TOO,” my demon snapped.
The servant looked seconds away from death. Meanwhile Nina had already wandered directly toward the food trays with zero survival instincts. “Okay but Hell apparently cooks.”
“That is your takeaway from this.”
“There are pastries.”
I moved toward the windows while the room buzzed with chaotic palace energy behind me. Far below the palace, the city glowed beneath silver fire and crimson light stretching endlessly into darkness. It was both beautiful and strange. But not home.
For the first time since arriving in Hell, the realization hit quietly instead of dramatically. I didn’t belong here. My demon appeared beside me carefully a second later. Not touching. Just standing close enough that warmth settled beside me naturally.
“You’re thinking too loudly again,” he murmured softly.
I stared out over the city below. “Your world is weird.”
“That is the kinder version of what Nina called it.”
Tiny silence. Then quieter this time, before I could stop myself, I admitted: “I still don’t know where I fit into any of this.” The words came out quieter than I intended.
For a second neither of us moved while silver fire reflected across the enormous palace windows around us. Somewhere behind us Nina was still aggressively interrogating palace servants about dessert options while the younger brother followed her around looking utterly doomed.
But here by the windows, everything felt strangely still. My demon eyed at me carefully for a long moment before answering.
“You are the first human who has ever walked into this palace without fear.”
“That feels statistically concerning.”
“It impressed them.”
I glanced toward the hallway where the older council members were very obviously still pretending not to spy on us.
“They literally threatened me two hours ago.”
“Yes,” he admitted calmly. “Which means they like you now.”
I stared at him in disbelief. “Your species are absolutely confusing.”
“We’ve discussed this.”
Before I could answer, one of the palace servants approached us carrying folded dark fabric carefully in both hands. The poor demon seemed terrified of my demon.
“Your Highness,” the servant said cautiously while refusing to look directly upward, “the council requested appropriate palace attire for the humans.”
Nina appeared beside us at supernatural speed. “I’m sorry WHAT.”
The servant flinched visibly.
“The council felt,” he continued nervously, “that mortal clothing may attract unnecessary attention tomorrow.”
Nina glanced down at her jeans and hoodie. “These are historically important sweatpants.”
The younger brother beamed. “Please wear them to breakfast.”
“You’re enjoying my suffering too much.”
“Yes.”
The servant carefully offered the folded clothing toward us while trying very hard not to make eye contact with anyone royal. I reached out automatically to take mine. At the exact same moment, my demon’s hand brushed mine accidentally.
The contact lasted maybe half a second. Still, both of us froze. The servant visibly horrified for reasons I didn’t understand. Unfortunately the younger brother noticed too.
“Oh,” he said wickedly, with a lopsided smile on his face. “Oh that’s progressing fast.”
Nina frowned. “Why did everyone react like they watched something illegal happen?”
Nobody answered. Which meant I was about to hate the explanation. My demon took the folded clothing from the servant instead before his expression tightened slightly. “Leave.” The servant disappeared instantly.
I crossed my arms. “No explain this .”
The younger brother looked deeply entertained already. “Physical contact between bonded royals in front of witnesses carries significance.”
I blinked once.
“…I’m going to need you to say that in less haunted wording.”
Nina gasped dramatically. “WAIT. Did we accidentally witness demonic flirting.”
“It was not flirting,” my demon answered flatly.
The younger brother faced him innocently. “You stared at her hand for three full seconds afterward.”
“That proves nothing.”
“That proves yearning.”
My demon was moments away from murdering his own family. He frowned down at the folded palace clothes in his hands. “What exactly counts as significant here?”
The younger brother answered. “Touching. Gifts. Public protection. Sharing food. Staying in private domestic spaces together.” Silence spread across the room . Then Nina faced me.
“…Eva.”
I already knew.
“Oh no.”
The younger brother lit up. “You accidentally completed about half of the ancient royal courting traditions before arriving in Hell.”
I covered my face. “I need everyone in this palace to stop talking forever.”
My demon quietly muttered, “I tried warning you humans were terrifying.”
Chapter 23
Eva POV
“I bought candles during a breakdown,” I informed him pointedly. “That should not legally count as supernatural marriage behavior.”
The younger brother remained deeply unconvinced. “You also fed him strawberries.”
“I was being NICE.”
“You offered him domestic fruit in a private residence.”
“That sentence sounds fake.”
Nina had doubled over against one of the velvet couches, laughing again, while the nearby palace servants seemed more alarmed with every passing sentence.
I couldn’t even blame them for reacting like that. I grabbed the folded palace clothes directly out of my demon’s hands before the conversation became more humiliating. “Okay. Great. Wonderful. I’m done learning things today.”
The younger brother pointed towards me. “That is not confidence. That is panic.”
“That observation was unnecessary.”
One older council member still lingering outside the doorway spoke calmly. “The human handles embarrassment surprisingly well.”
I turned instantly. “WHY ARE YOU STILL HERE.”
“We are observing.”
“That is just creepy with political authority.”
The ruler ignored me completely while studying my demon thoughtfully. “He looks happier.”
My demon bristled immediately. “I have always looked the same.”
The entire hallway went silent. Then Anderson said flatly, “That is objectively untrue.”
Nina gasped dramatically. “OH MY GOD. Even Hell knows he’s soft now.”
“I am not soft.”
“You bought strawberries twice.”
“That is enough from everyone.”
Unfortunately for him, several palace servants seemed quite invested after hearing that. One servant quietly whispered toward another, “The prince repeated a courtship offering.”
The second servant was horrified. “Voluntarily?”
My demon closed his eyes briefly like existing in this conversation had become a personal punishment. I couldn’t even argue with that reaction.
Eventually Anderson physically forced the remaining council members and servants out of the room before the palace apparently turned into a live gossip broadcast. The giant doors finally shut behind them with a heavy echo through the chambers.
Peace at last. And that lasted for approximately four seconds.
Then Nina turned toward me with terrifying energy. “So. You accidentally speedran demonic dating culture.”
“I hate this place.”
The younger brother leaned lazily across the couch beside her. “Actually most demons would consider your courtship deeply romantic.”
“I SUMMONED HIM DRUNK.”
“Yes,” he said thoughtfully. “Which adds personal intensity.”
I shot my demon a desperate look. “Can you control your family?”
“No.”
“That was too fast.”
For the first time all evening, a tiny actual smile pulled briefly at the corner of his mouth before disappearing again.
And God help me, seeing him smile still did horrible things to my mental stability.
Nina eyed between both of us and groaned dramatically.
“You two keep staring at each other like divorced people at a wedding.”
“We are not divorced,” my demon answered automatically.
His expression changed slightly after realizing what he’d just said. The younger brother fell sideways laughing into the couch cushions while Nina screamed loud enough to echo through the palace chambers.
“Oh my GOD,” she choked out. “That was WORSE.”
“I meant….”
“No,” I interrupted while pointing at him. “Absolutely not. You do not get to recover from that sentence.”
For maybe the first time since entering Hell, my demon actually looked embarrassed. Not with royal irritation frowning on his face, but with actual embarrassment. That improved my mood.
Before the room could become awkward again, Nina wandered toward one of the enormous black windows overlooking the city below. Then froze in shock.
“…Why are there people outside?” All of us turned. A crowd of demons had gathered far below the palace balcony. Not angry, just curious and excited to meet humans.