"Hello, Father," Morrigan said awkwardly while Deziara and Viana jumped to their feet and greeted Alphegor with a curtsy.
"Greetings, Your Majesty. I am most honored to have you come to my mansion," Count Etheles stepped out from his seat and bowed deeply before the King. Alphegor raised his hand, showing that it was alright from him to relax.
"I would like to say that it is a pleasure to be here today, but sadly the circumstances for my visit are less than pleasant," Alphegor's voice rumbled as he threw a dissatisfied glance at his daughters.
Oh, he is really mad. By the looks of it, he is ready to drag us back home right this instant.
"I understand, Your Majesty. But I believe any conversation we might have would be better at the table," Count Etheles smiled and motioned towards the various dishes, many of which looked like the most delectable desserts Morrigan had ever seen. The King took a look at them and then nodded, sitting down next to Viana. Everyone else sat down after him and for an awfully long minute, nobody said anything while the servants brought the plates and utensils out from the kitchen.
Finally, Azrael spoke, breaking the silence, "So… what brings you here, Your Majesty?"
Alphegor glared at the mage, who sunk back in his seat and began fiddling with his thumbs, not daring to meet the King's gaze anymore.
"Oh, I believe you know what brings me here," he said and looked at Morrigan. She shrunk back in her seat as well, although she did not know why his anger was directed at her. It's not like she had wanted to get ambushed. Or for Deziara and Azrael to almost get caught. He should blame those mystery assailants for deciding to attack on what's supposed to be a tour for her to establish a better relationship with the people of the Demon Kingdom.
Granted things in the Underworld rarely go as planned. And even things that do go as planned seem to have some sinister edge to them.
"Father, I believe—" Viana started, but Alphegor raised his hand and she instantly went silent, her gaze downcast.
"I believe it is time for you to return home. This has become way too dangerous," Alphegor growled, tapping his finger against the surface of the table.
"But Father, isn't this much to be expected?" Morrigan said, remembering all those times she had been preached to that going outside the castle was dangerous. It almost felt like she was Rapunzel trapped in a tower. Granted her tower was a grand Demon Castle the size of a small town.
"A rogue bandit or occasional monster, I would understand. These are regular occurrences in the Underworld. But a whole organized ambush against the three princesses. This is an outrage!" Alphegor slammed his fist against the table so hard that all of the dishes bounced up for half a second. Good thing that the servants hadn't yet brought out any drinks.
"It's not like we wanted to get attacked," Morrigan muttered angrily, and Alphegor's expression softened for a second. But only for a second.
"Whether you wanted it or not, it has happened and it is without a doubt that they're going to try again. Not to even mention what had happened in the Glittering Cave of Magic. Until the guilty parties are found and apprehended, the tour is canceled," Alphegor announced sternly.
"But that could take years. What will people think of me if I go home now?" Morrigan called out.
"They'll think that the Crown Princess is making the right decision by thinking about her safety," Alphegor said, and everyone in the room raised an eyebrow, even Count Etheles.
"Since when do demons value the caution of their ruler? I thought it was all about displaying strength and perseverance," Morrigan said, remembering how often everyone praised her for her magical aptitude and strength. Without that, nobody would even give her any time of day, and she would have long since lost her position as the Crown Princess. After all, lack of strength was the reason why Viana couldn't remain as Crown Princess.
"Princess is right. If she just goes back home now, she'll never be accepted as a ruler," Azrael said. "After all, there hasn't been a single ruler who wouldn't have completed the tour."
Alphegor glared at Azrael, but this time the white-haired demon managed to hold his gaze. At least for half a minute, before he shrank back again, overwhelmed by Alphegor's murderous aura.
"I will not let my daughter frolic around the Underworld while there are enemies actively trying to catch her," he said sternly, and for a moment everyone flinched expecting him to smash the table again. Thankfully, he managed to hold back, and everyone relaxed.
"But Father, isn't this also an opportunity?" Morrigan objected, the gears in her mind whirling as she was trying to come up with convincing arguments.
"How is this an opportunity?" he growled, narrowing his eyes at her.
"It's an opportunity to capture the enemy. Or at least figure out who they are," she said, hoping that a more pragmatic aspect would convince the King to change his mind. Unfortunately, his expression only darkened further.
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"You intend to chase after them now?"
"No, no, not chase after them. We could continue my tour, perhaps using a new route so the enemy wouldn't be able to predict our movements and ambush us. But if they do happen to cross our way, Azrael could defeat them and perhaps have some of them interrogated," Morrigan said.
"How can Azrael capture anyone? They knocked him out right away," Deziara chuckled, but then quickly clamped hands over her mouth as she realized her mistake. Morrigan and Viana both glared at her, and she mouthed a silent 'sorry' at them.
"I was drunk, tired and caught by surprise. That will not happen again," the mage grumbled, angrily stabbing his fork into the piece of steak in front of him.
"No, Azrael cannot deal with a large swarm of enemies. He is just one demon," Alphegor shook his head.
"I never said he has to do it alone. We have many guards for that, don't we? They'd help," Morrigan tried.
"Enough, Morrigan! I understand that you wish to travel and see the Underworld, but risking your safety for it is foolishness," Alphegor said while slicing the steak in front of him with such ferocity, that it seemed like he was cutting into the enemies.
"If I cannot continue the tour then you have find a new heir," Morrigan said in a cold voice, and then the whole dining hall went silent, even servants stopping their mid-step as everyone stared at her in shock.
"What do you mean by that, Morrigan?" Alphegor narrowed his eyes.
"Azrael said it, didn't he? All the previous rulers went on the tour and completed it. If I don't complete it, then I can't become a ruler. The nobles already look down on me because I am the youngest of all your daughters. The people of the Demon Kingdom do not even know me because I am constantly cooped up in that castle. What do you think will happen once they hear that I didn't complete the tour?" she narrowed her eyes at her Father.
"They'll understand if we explain that it is far too dangerous for you to continue," Alphegor objected, but there wasn't as much conviction in his voice anymore.
"No, they won't! People don't care about those kinds of details. They'll see the headline of the newspaper 'Princess Morrigan Fails to Complete the Tour' and what will they think? I guarantee that they will not think of me as somebody to look up to. They won't want me to remain as a Crown Princess," Morrigan snapped, remembering how easily people blew things out of proportion.
On Earth she saw it all the time in the news articles that latched onto every little thing that celebrities did and then somehow managed to turn a seemingly mundane event into some ground-shaking news. Same as with things on the Internet – somebody took something out of context, and suddenly an author who was working hard to write their novel had been accused of using AI. Although he only used them to correct grammatical errors.
But it didn't matter to the people on the Internet. For them, the author was a fraud who extorted them of their money. Even when there was no evidence to support that, many turned away from buying his books simply because somebody was accusing them of using AI.
Morrigan knew that demons weren't that much different from humans. They latched onto your every word and tried to turn your very own words against you. That she had learned from her confrontations with her sisters and concubines. Naturally, it was all quickly smoothed over by Alphegor. But he wouldn't be able to smooth over something this big. The whole kingdom would find out and there would be no hiding the fact.
"The people do not get to choose the heir. I do," Alphegor said in a cold voice.
"So you're going to plunge the kingdom into civil war?" Morrigan spat back. Both of them were staring at each other, neither one daring to look away from the other. They knew both of them were speaking the truth. Continuing the journey was without a doubt dangerous. But backing out of it now wasn't an option either.
There has to be a middle ground somewhere. Something that would allow Father to let me continue this journey, but at the same time make it safe enough that the enemy either wouldn't dare to attack or their attack simply couldn't be successful. But then again, we already have Haku and Azrael. What else could we do to strengthen our retinue?
"If His Majesty would allow me to suggest a solution," Count Etheles suddenly spoke, appearing unbothered by the cold atmosphere in the room. Morrigan almost expected the King to shoot him down, but instead, he nodded his head, his demeanor losing some of its edge.
It appears that Father respects Count Etheles. I suppose he must be trustworthy then since usually he isn't one to listen to nobles.
"If Your Majesty is worried about Princess's safety, then I am willing to offer my elite knights to protect her," he said pleasantly. Alphegor raised his eyebrow, appearing slightly surprised. Was it such a big deal that the Count would lend his knights? But she would not lose this opportunity!
"And we should completely change our travel route so it couldn't be predicted so easily. Obviously we would still have to visit the remaining three sacred places, but perhaps we could change the order in which they are visited," Morrigan said.
"We could also try to mask ourselves before entering any unsafe settlements. Change the carriage. Arrive at a different time. Try to integrate with the locals. It should be especially easy for Morrigan and Azrael, and they're the ones who stand out the most in the first place," Viana noted, continuing the assault on the King.
"And we'll be on the lookout for anything and everything suspicious. Haku is really good at telling when something isn't right. He was growling the whole time we were in that Imp Town," Deziara added.
Alphegor looked first at Count Etheles, then Viana, Deziara, and finally Morrigan. His gaze was firm and stern, but slowly, bit by bit, it softened until he finally sighed.
"Alright, you may continue on your journey," he conceded, and Morrigan cheered. "But you have to do all of those things you listed before and fulfill one more condition."
"What condition?" Morrigan asked with an arched eyebrow.
"Melanos will also go along with you," Alphegor said, and Morrigan winced. She didn't meet with the demon spymaster often, but whenever she saw him her hair seemed to stand on end. There was something about his stoic and cold disposition that really unnerved me. But if that's what it took to convince her father.
"Alright, I agree," Morrigan said resolutely.
"Most excellent. With this matter settled we can finally indulge in our meal," Count Etheles said with a smile. Somehow she got a feeling that it was largely due to his support that her father agreed for her to continue the journey. How influential really was this demon to sway the Demon King himself?