An uncertain and unknown amount of time later.
"...as you probably know, Your Majesty, the Soriatas family has begun supplying these modern machines for demons of every social stratum in Hell, which is why I wanted to clarify with you, as someone in direct contact with..."
A strange, long-forgotten sensation.
"...Anyway, Ramiala said that Surella is actually sleeping with Urieliel, who is now in disgrace with his family, can you imagine the scale of the scandal we're on the verge of...?"
Something was now buzzing in her head, scattering fire in her chest, her nails were turning into claws, and her eyes were growing redder.
"...and then he barely managed a third time, and even that was after half an hour, Your Majesty...! I hope your consort is much better in bed than my husband..."
Something her mother taught her to suppress. Something her father taught her to control and channel. Charlie hadn't felt anything like it in a long time, not this acutely, not this vividly and clearly, with her entire being demanding just one thing...
"...also, the Ra family, the Paimon branch, is currently conducting several businesses with the Sin of Greed, which now limits their work with Lust... I heard that Greed and Lust are in conflict again, which is why those rotten fish lost their best who..."
With all her strength, with the purest intentions and a directness worthy only of her Father, to swing, smash that smug face and shut that...!
"...bitch..." The word tore from Charlie's lips. Her eyes, now white pupils on a crimson background, stared at the wall, her hands clenched into fists, not even feeling the sharp claws digging into her palms.
The sound of a portal manifested beside her once more, a whirl of feathers sealing shut behind the backs of two figures of royal blood.
"You were speaking of my wife?" chuckled the male voice of Prince Stolas, who was brushing off his shirt and adjusting his cloak with meticulous gestures before a snap of his fingers sent it billowing as if borne on "cosmic ether."
Right, that's what Dad called those colored paints in the sky when he told her about...
Charlie blinked, her heel making a loud click on the blue marble tiles before her gaze fell upon the surrounding hall, full of sunlight that shouldn't be there, for it was n...
Charlie's eyes dropped to the wall clock, crafted in the same gold-and-purple style of strict symmetry and geometry. A gold filigree frame was accompanied by a stellar gleam indicating it was still morning, specifically ten o'clock.
It hung on a distant wall of the large, dark purple room, illuminated by three tall stained-glass windows depicting the phases of a rising moon. The Princess of Hell was walking through a narrower passageway, flanked along the walls by various busts of the Prince of Goetia himself, abstract shapes related to eggs (a theme Charlie had noticed was nearly ubiquitous in the art of the Goetia demons), and... lots of mirrors.
"Your Majesty?" Stolas's soft voice interrupted her thoughts, politely raised to draw Charlie's attention. The tall demon's figure, now without the cloak, looked even more imposing than with it... Charlie blinked.
"A... lovely chandelier, Your Grace..." Charlie nodded towards the aforementioned object, crafted to resemble an entire planetary system with a sun at its center. It was "aimed" at a table made of purple wood with gold inlay, its base adorned with images of the different phases of Earth's moon.
Prince Stolas walked with slow, measured steps towards the main table in the center, which was surrounded by various shelves holding books, scrolls, and rare golden instruments that occasionally glowed with something blue or purple. The Goetia demon circled the table, running his long, dark fingers along the gold-trimmed edge that seemed to shimmer with something... "stellar"...
Charlie closed her eyes for a moment before looking back at the Prince of Goetia, fixing a polite smile on her face, exactly as her Mother had taught her. Even though her cheeks still ached and the constant effort to suppress her trembling was starting to grate.
"Please, let's forgo such excessive politeness," Prince Stolas exhaled, seating himself at the table, sinking almost soundlessly into the high-backed chair. It was nearly identical to the one he'd used during the "breakfast," only with a taller back. "Many have had... a similar reaction to my dear wife." He closed both pairs of his crimson-glowing eyes, leaning back into the chair. "Especially when she tries to be..." The bird-like face of Stolas scrunched up, as if either searching for the right words or for censored ones.
"Such an evil bitchy bitch?" - Charlie said, letting a quiet growl creep into her voice as her eyes frowned at her surroundings, or rather the two staircases circling the main table and bookshelves. Farther down each staircase was an even larger shelf filled with even more knowledge, both in the form of books and parchment.
Stolas gave a reluctant nod, attempting a smile with his beak.
"How about we settle for 'relatively polite'?" Stolas said quietly, slightly opening his eyes to look at the Princess, who let out a soft laugh in response. A snap of his long, dark fingers, and a nearly identical chair appeared beside the table, only softer and... deeper?
Charlie reluctantly approached it, first running her hand over the armrest, which practically radiated softness and comfort. A moment of hesitation, and Charlie carefully sat down...
"Ah-hh-h..." Charlie let out a long sound of relief as the tension drained from her previously strained back, legs, and arms, not to mention her shoulders and neck. "Thank you, Your..." Charlie spoke, her voice quiet, but the owner of the study simply nodded, raising a palm.
"Please, Princess, since we are alone and without..." Stolas's face twisted into a strange grimace, and his upper pair of eyes seemed to roll. "...an audience, just 'Stolas' will suffice," he said softly, placing his palms on his knees and allowing himself to stretch, his body emitting a loud crackle from seemingly every bone. "If you don't mind, of course," Stolas added more loudly, a flash of panic mixed with haste crossing his face. Charlie's expression, until then completely relaxed and blank, lit up with a faint, genuine smile.
"Then just 'Charlie' Stolas" Charlie nodded to the demon, who returned the gesture before leaning back in his chair again. Her voice was quieter, slower, less strained, as her figure seemed to slip from invisible strings, sinking into the armchair and allowing her legs more freedom, nearly kicking her heels off.
Prince Stolas himself, contrary to the type of meeting and the guest he was hosting, simply mirrored the Princess of Hell, almost lounging against the long back of his chair with a drawn-out sigh. The Goetia demon, however, still made a gesture, summoning a small hand mirror similar to the ones Charlie had used when she was younger.
Charlie wasn't paying attention to the demon's actions, nor to what were probably the routine duties of a household head things she could only name in passing, having never truly seen them in action, knowing of them only from what her Mother said, her Father joked about, and what the Eldritch demons occasionally "demonstrated."
Now, with her eyes closed and "gazing" at the high ceiling with its stained-glass window similar to the one in the dining hall, Charlie was just trying to remember, beneath that mountain of verbal garbage from Stolas's wife, what she had actually wanted to find out from her, what to ask her husband, and what to "casually" inquire about...
"...Definitely not the latest bedroom escapades between the most scandalous demons, and certainly not the details of supply shipments between the Rings..." Charlie's delicate fingers gently massaged her slightly throbbing temples, which with each passing moment allowed her to think more clearly and recall her Plan.
Honestly, Charlie was beginning to think that if Prince Stolas possessed a gift for the "Stars," then his wife was a master at shattering the sanity and peace of any fool who had the stupidity to attend their reception.
"...As much as I would prefer not to start with this, I am obliged to ask you, Your Majesty," Stolas drawled, almost sighing; his voice echoed the one from the very beginning of their meeting, and both pairs of his eyes fell upon Charlie, who had nearly jumped, startled by the sudden shift in tone and manner of speech. "How did you find our reception, Your Majesty? The hospitality of our house, the care of my dearest wife?" Stolas tilted his bird-like head, his voice practically dripping with emotion the moment he mentioned Stella, though his tone was clearly practiced to maintain at least a semblance of politeness and concern.
"Perfectly lovely, Your Grace," Charlie responded in kind, nodding as she straightened up and assumed a more appropriate posture, a far cry from her previously slumped form. "Princess Stella has... excellent taste in food, is wonderfully knowledgeable about the Goetia, and is well-versed in household affairs." Charlie nodded almost mechanically. Stolas, whose face was a mere step away from twisting into something unpleasant, nodded in return.
Both aristocrats fell silent, allowing themselves not so much to catch their breath as to shift their train of thought, lifting their masks and permitting a moment of relaxation.
A moment passed in the surprisingly quiet, spacious room, dominated by the theme of stars and celestial bodies, where the only sounds were the breathing of the two solitary souls. A second passed, and Stolas cracked his neck, then his shoulders, simultaneously flexing his fingers. A third, and Charlie simply leaned back into the soft cushion of her armchair, closing her eyes with a drawn-out sigh.
"And in reality?" Stolas uttered quietly, not moving a single muscle in his body. Charlie mirrored him. Neither looked at the other; the Princess of Hell seemed, or perhaps she had finally noticed, that the chair summoned by the study's owner wasn't even facing the main desk. It was turned sideways to it, remaining where Charlie had been standing, at a considerable distance from Stolas.
"...My apologies, but is your wife always so... So..." Charlie's voice wavered between a loud exclamation and a polite inquiry. Her figure rose slightly, leaning on the armrests. She wasn't so much trying to find censored expressions as ones that would fully describe everything she had just endured. "...A fucking annoying, nagging, bitchy piece of shit?!" Charlie finally failed to restrain her voice, baring her sharp fangs. In response, Stolas simply let out a quiet laugh and waved his hand.
"You forgot her colorful descriptions of everything she dislikes, especially including her husband," Stolas shook his head, propping his bird-like face on a fist, his elbow resting on the arm of his own chair. "I assure you, she means no real harm. After all, she was expecting the Queen herself, not your..." Here, Prince Stolas's voice faltered; his pleasant tone abruptly shifted to one all too familiar to Charlie, whose eyes narrowed more intently on the Goetia demon. "...Consort. By the way, congratulations." Stolas nodded, and Charlie returned the gesture with a faint, slightly strained smile.
"Thank you, Stolas," Charlie managed to restrain a hiss, her tone settling into something more neutral. "My noble mother sends her apologies for being unable to visit your beautiful and esteemed house, but the King..." Charlie's voice hitched at the end, but no further explanation was needed. Stolas simply nodded, gradually assuming a more normal posture.
"It's quite alright. It's just that Stella... can be rather particular..." Stolas lowered the lids of all four eyes, gazing somewhere towards the exit. "More polite to her superiors, rude to Sinners, but she is never without purpose, much as I might wish otherwise," Stolas exhaled deeply, leaning forward and slowly bracing himself on the desk.
"So, all that chatter, all that useless crap about demons and the details of their fucking personal lives... That has a purpose?" Charlie frowned, staring intently at the Prince, her head tilted, forcing the taller demon to avert his gaze.
"I must say, this was before she even started on 'the usual,' as she calls it..." Stolas drew out his words slowly, his crimson eyes looking anywhere around his laboratory except at the Princess, who was now leaning on the armrest closest to him. "Usually, it elicits a positive reaction... It seems you and I are among those who simply don't appreciate her... style of communication." Stolas sighed, gesturing to summon several scrolls lying separately, adorned with strange seals and fastened with ribbons.
Charlie's gaze softened, and her mind, seemingly of its own accord, synchronized with the Goetia Prince's words, pulling forth a memory of how V... Zephyr spoke with the demoness almost as an equal. Sometimes Charlie didn't understand how he could endure all the boring drivel Stella dumped on them.
"Is she always so... hospitable?" The corners of Charlie's lips trembled slightly, and her gaze certainly didn't carry the politeness her voice feigned. Prince Stolas sighed heavily, shaking his head, but offered no reaction to the comment.
"Only when she's dissatisfied with something or strives to 'display'..." Stolas's bird-like face contorted for a moment before returning to an almost benignly weary expression. "...Her attitude towards... all of this, without overstepping the bounds of propriety." Both sets of Stolas's eyes lowered their lids, and his beak moved almost imperceptibly.
"And... What your wife said about you and your..." Now Charlie's voice cracked, the previous irritation and stress gone, replaced by mild embarrassment. The Princess of Hell wasn't so much avoiding the topic herself as she didn't want to cause discomfort to such a gracious host.
"Prowess in bed? Inability to function 'normally' in a 'proper' Goetia family, a trait my dearest half-brother, the Marquis Andrealphus, undoubtedly possesses?" Stolas spoke, his crimson, pupil-less eyes rolling, his tone devoid of the politeness his words held, freely releasing irritation and almost open disdain. Charlie, looking away from the Prince, nodded. "My dearest wife has often used such methods for motivation and spreading false rumors, so please, pay it no mind." The smile on Stolas's bird-like beak was weak, strained, and unlike any Charlie had seen before. "Just foolishness to keep the rest of the Goetia focused on Stella," Stolas stated clearly, evenly, and quickly. Charlie gave a weak nod in response.
Neither of them spoke further, each lost in their own thoughts, while the silence, filled with a strange, barely perceptible sound... almost like... a shimmer? A strange blend of clock ticks, raindrops, and the murmur of water, all woven together into a single, pleasant symphony, made the starry sky pattern on the high ceiling of the study seem almost alive.
Charlie wasn't looking at Prince Stolas, at first absorbed by the revealed vista, noting from the corner of her eye how the "planets" on the chandelier directly above the main desk, where Stolas sat, were moving.
The Princess of Hell herself... was slowly calming down, allowing herself to think.
The anger at the constant chatter, and the necessity of maintaining it, from Stella, was receding. Charlie's mind began to ponder the events, began to analyze... All the things V... Zephyr had taught her, so she wouldn't waste such opportunities, so she would be better...
And Charlie could agree with Stolas. Or rather, with the fact that his wife truly wasn't just spouting hot air. She always steered the conversation in the direction she wanted, always brought up topics that seemed disjointed, but if you looked at how Charlie and Zephyr reacted to them, the Princess felt ashamed.
Her Mother would have tanned her hide and been right to do so, her Father... Charlie honestly couldn't say what he would have done, it had been so long since she'd seen him at similar functions.
"...She provoked emotions, hindering thought and any attempt to glean even a shred of useful information. And yet, that harpy remained within the bounds of propriety and even asked if I wanted to talk about something else!" Charlie pressed her lips together, almost biting them from the surge of anger. Not so much at the demoness, but at herself, for still allowing people to treat her this way.
To just... use her like some kind of doll!
Charlie covered her face with her hand, her elbow propped on the armrest, massaging her closed eyes.
...God, if she had behaved like this before, then Adam, Zephyr, Asmodeus, Beelzebub, even her own parents...! No wonder they saw her as a "child," why no one wanted to perceive her as the Princess, and not just Charlotte.
Charlie's thoughts echoed her turmoil, resurrecting with each passing moment those very instances when she... Had similarly ignored everything else, swept up by some emotion, just charged towards her goal without even thinking to ask anyone about... Hell, even about whether her fucking games were suitable for Redemption!
Sharp fangs bit into her dark lip until a familiar sound drew the Princess's attention.
The sound of a glass bottle.
Charlie blinked, turning towards the main desk in the study, where Prince Stolas, Keeper of the Stars and the Grimoire given to him by his father Paimon…
Was simply drinking and smoking, almost combining the two.
"...Stolas?" Charlie said quietly, only now noticing how the hall had dimmed slightly, and the stars seemed to be fading and freezing, ceasing their beautiful dance. The Prince himself, with his shirt unbuttoned, simply saluted the Princess with the bottle—the very one that had remained unopened during the "lunch," personally gifted to the head of the household by her and Zephyr.
The Prince was almost drinking from the bottle's neck while using a snap of his fingers to light a cigarette.
"M-my apologies, Your Majesty," Stolas coughed, setting the half-empty bottle down on the desk with a loud clink. "It's just necessary to... 'Calm the nerves,' as they say on Earth." Stolas giggled, looking at Charlie with a bleary gaze, his crimson eyes somewhat dimmed, allowing a glimpse of the white sclera without visible pupils.
"Is it because of your wife, the reception, or..." Charlie lowered her eyes for a moment, gathering all she knew about Goetian customs, the scant information the hosts had shared about their relationship, and then fixed Stolas with a soft, yet penetrating look. "...because of your marriage?" Charlie said more confidently, turning her torso towards the desk, crossing her legs and slightly hiking up her hem. Stolas's bird-like face began to redden, and he nodded with a weak, languid smile.
"All of it together, Your Majesty. And if you would permit and forgive me this moment of weakness, for which my wife would freeze me on the spot..." Stolas almost sang the words, gazing somewhere towards the center of the study as if seeing every mirror and bust. When Charlie nodded uncertainly, he simply "inhaled" the cigarette, burning it down to the filter in a single drag. "...Then not every soul in our paradisiacal hell can afford what you can, Your Majesty." Stolas shrugged, leaning on an elbow, his hand free from the new cigarette he'd pulled from a pack.
Charlie's attention was fixed on the slightly slouched figure of the Goetia Prince as he took another drag, this time "consuming" only half the cigarette... Charlie sniffed the air.
The tobacco smoke was soft, almost gentle, not like what the Sinners in the Ring of Pride used, or the demons from Greed, Lust, or Wrath. No, these... herbs, with a hint of mint, lavender, ginseng, chamomile, hops... It was from Sloth, the primary supplier of medicine and substances for the mind.
Meanwhile, Stolas seemed to be just warming up.
"We, the common demons of the High Aristocracy..." Stolas's tone turned caustic, his eyes dimming as Charlie nodded vigorously, catching every flicker of his crimson gaze. "...simply cannot just choose whom we can and will love, we simply cannot be happy if the Goetia requires otherwise!" Stolas gestured with his hands, spreading the pinkish smoke. Charlie assumed her most receptive posture, almost turning her chair fully towards the main desk.
The Princess of Hell felt somewhat uncomfortable exploiting the host's state like this, his hidden tension. Somewhere deep inside, Charlie winced, cringing each time she repeated Zephyr's gestures to leverage Prince Stolas's goodwill not so much for building connections, but for information...
No, Charlie was sincere, she gave a slight shake of her head, clenching her hands on the armrests into fists. All that openness and gentleness towards the host was genuine, it's just...
Charlie so desperately wanted to find something to wipe the smirk off that arrogant bitch's face!
Simultaneously with the Princess's thoughts, Stolas picked up the bottle and, with a snap of his fingers that released a spark of stellar energy, summoned two glasses, filling them halfway.
"...Tell me, Your Majesty, is your Consort gentle with you?" Stolas began abruptly, his tone both strained and distressed. Charlie quietly took the floating glass, averting her gaze and unconsciously recalling those moments spent with Vil... Charlie's shoulders twitched, and she nodded. "Is he courteous, ready to offer a kind word, to hold you if you feel unwell?" Stolas exhaled, downing his glass in one go and letting out a breath afterward. Charlie didn't even bring hers to her lips.
"V... Zephyr..." Charlie whispered slowly, which didn't escape Prince Stolas's notice; he was watching intently, seemingly tracking every subtle movement of Charlie, whose cheeks had faintly reddened. "He is tender, polite, and persistent..." Charlie began, not looking anywhere in particular, more absorbed in her thoughts, before she clenched the glass and shrugged her shoulders, snapping out of it. "Yes, Zephyr does everything you described." Charlie nodded, a weak smile on her face, quietly praising herself as she watched the demon's bird-like face simultaneously droop and brighten.
This time, Charlie managed to limit herself to a few confident words, without her voice faltering or mumbling.
"Well done."
Charlie nodded gratefully along the mental link, sending her joy and pride at the accomplishment, receiving the equivalent of a "head pat" from William, only... emotionally? Charlie suppressed a quiet chuckle, closing her eyes and enjoying their nothi...
Wait. Didn't William warn them that they shouldn't...?!
"A-and your wife?" Charlie shook her head, taking a sip from her glass, to which Stolas only rolled his eyes and let out a prolonged sigh. "Haven't you tried to improve your relationship in your marriage? Yes, it might have been arranged by your families, but Zephyr said that on Earth, people can make such situations work!" Charlie exclaimed, receiving an almost irritated, empty stare from the demon's frowning, bird-like face.
"Our concepts of a 'good marriage' and 'family happiness' differ too greatly, Your Majesty," Stolas nearly hissed, pouring new wine into his glass, swirling it and watching the altered "cosmic" liquid shimmer. "Anticipating your question, yes," Stolas pressed on, seeing Charlie open her mouth to speak. "I... and, I suppose, she, tried to make it at least tolerable, but... It didn't work out." Stolas exhaled, the words barely out before he instantly lost his previous fervor, leaning back in his chair.
Charlie almost winced, not allowing her emotions to show on her face, maintaining a polite, weak smile. It was unpleasant for her to hear this, to exploit the demon's weakness... Even if her Mother would have praised her for it, Charlie's soul was lashing out at her body in response.
"A-and... haven't you tried talking to her? Telling her you'd like to cuddle after a passionate night?" Charlie smiled, inwardly scolding herself for the hasty words, striving to mimic William's manner. The response was a look from Prince Stolas that was reminiscent of the ones from her Mother or William whenever she'd done something particularly foolish.
"If she even listened, she'd just sneer at how 'weak' and 'unworthy' of the Prince title I am," Stolas waved the hand holding the bottle, glaring almost venomously somewhere into the depths of the study. "She considers such things weakness or foolishness... 'Earthly trash'." Stolas twisted his voice, skillfully mimicking his wife's. Charlie took a small sip of the wine, not even registering its taste.
"Or maybe... she simply doesn't know how?" Charlie said, drawing Stolas's attention; both pairs of his eyes widened in surprise for a moment before furrowing in irritation. "Maybe she doesn't know how you would like to be treated? How a wife should behave, in your opinion?" Charlie spoke slowly, trying to imbue her voice with calm and confidence. Prince Stolas, as if reluctantly, clicked his beak, nodding almost imperceptibly.
"If that's the case, she has no burning desire to 'learn' such things with me," Stolas exhaled, then downed another glass in one go, emptying it in two gulps. Afterward, the glass remained in the Goetia demon's long, dark fingers; he stared at it as if it held all the answers... or at least could listen. "And you, Your Majesty..." Stolas said, his tone immediately putting Charlie on edge. She simply nodded, widening her smile. It was the same smile her mother wore when she'd been drinking and wanted either to laugh or to make some "serious joke" at her daughter's expense, just to "cheer Charlie up."
"How do you feel about your Consort?" Stolas drew out the words, a suppressed smile on his bird-like red face adding even more sharpness. Charlie's cheek twitched, and Stolas tilted his head, staring intently at the Princess, leaning closer. "Do you really..." Stolas spoke slowly, with a characteristic "drunken" accent common even among the high demons of the Goetia, while Charlie... was trying very hard not to swear.
Why did she have to blurt out that thing about her and Vi... And why was that the first thing that came to her mind?!
"Our relationship is, for now, in its early stages, Prince Stolas," Charlie changed her tone, expecting the Goetia demon to back off, but both pairs of Stolas's eyes only narrowed further. "The details of our personal life are none of your concern, but I can assure you that honesty and mutual understanding are paramount in our relationship." Charlie closed her eyes, trying to mimic her mother's tone during such conversations. A moment later, Charlie quickly cracked one eye open, seeing that Stolas had lowered his... Why did his gaze seem even more "suspicious" now?!
"Is that so... I'm glad for your happiness, Your Highness," Stolas drawled, looking at the bottle in his left hand before setting it down on the table and returning his penetrating gaze to the Princess of Hell. "And you... are you absolutely certain you know everything about your... Companion?" Stolas said, his voice feigning lightness, his eyes fixed on the claws on his long fingers. Charlie's face darkened, her gaze grew heavier, though inside she was frantically sorting through thoughts...
"Does he... Does he know?!" "But how?!" "Father said no demon would dare look into my min...!" "I liked the sober Stolas much better than this...!"
These thoughts flashed through her mind in an instant, adding to her rapidly beating heart and clenched hands on the armrests even more tension, which Charlie struggled to conceal, not letting it show.
"Hmm?" Slowly, as if already perfectly aware of the answer, Charlie slightly lowered her eyelids, her face a stony mask as she looked at Stolas's red, bird-like face. Inside, she was almost trembling and screaming, expending nearly all her energy to maintain her relaxed posture and prevent any emotion from seeping into her voice.
His brows twitched uncertainly; Charlie could see hesitation in his eyes, and his long fingers fidgeted with each other before he picked up the glass again, letting his gaze fall upon it. Then, after a couple of long beats of the Princess of Hell's heart, the demon's white eyes rose back to meet hers.
"Tell me, Your Majesty..." Stolas began slowly, his voice more serious, the "haze" in his tone seemingly gone, though the redness of his bird-like face remained. "You didn't, by any chance, meet your companion around the year '30 of this century, did you?" Stolas spoke clearly, enunciating every word, his eyes slowly losing their dullness and blurriness. Charlie mustered all her strength not to look away and not to let her thoughts falter with unwanted associations. She nodded, not uttering a word, not allowing even a shadow of a smile. "By any chance, wasn't it on the day of an Extermination, or a few days after?"
Translator's note
Hello! I'm back again.
This chapter was edited by my assistant, Old Man of the Mountain.
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