When Morrigan awoke and found herself back in her bed—her actual bed in the Underworld—she nearly cried in joy. She hadn't been gone for longer than a week, but it felt like much more than that. Alphegor was sleeping soundly next to her, his usually tense face relaxed. As Morrigan got up to sit, he began to rouse from his slumber.

"Good morning, Morrigan," he smiled and ruffled her hair.

"Good morning, Father," she chimed back, allowing her hair to be messed up.

"It'll be a long day today. Are you ready?" the King said and sat up, brushing rogue strands of hair away from his face. Morrigan admired the sight of disheveled Alphegor and not the perfect kingly person he used in public. This part of him was something only she got to see.

"As ready as I'll ever be," Morrigan said and jumped out of bed, ready to face the challenges ahead. Alphegor nodded at her and got up as well.

"Good. There will be quite a mess to clean up after two years of absence."

"What about Azrael? Hasn't he learned his lesson by now?" Morrigan asked, pointing towards the window. They both walked up to it and stared down at the castle yard where Azrael slept, still cocooned in the dark tendrils.

"He doesn't seem particularly bothered," Alphegor chuckled, and one of the tendrils moved, slapping the sleeping demon awake. Azrael yelped, then looked around himself, and began struggling against his bonds.

"Let me go already!" he yelled looking up to Alphegor and Morrigan.

"I'll release him in a few hours," the King chuckled and walked away from the window. Morrigan glanced down one more time and then turned to leave.

I suppose a few hours won't hurt him.

***

Alphegor strode into his office, carrying Morrigan in his arms. Lucius was already in the office, sifting through piles of documents and rearranging them in a particular order. Next to him stood Viana, carefully observing his work, as well as three more Morrigan's sisters. Viana was Alphegor's first-born daughter and was already forty-three years old. It might sound like a lot but in reality, demons were officially recognized as adults only once they were forty years old.

Viana took a lot of her traits from her mother, the first consort Lady Viviana. Her wavy, purple hair, red eyes, and impressive curves all came from her. Their personalities were also similar, both being incredibly charming and slick with their words. There was a good reason Lady Viviana was the first consort.

The other three girls were the daughters of other concubines. They were Rosalie, the third eldest daughter, Miriam, the fourth eldest daughter, and finally Celiana, fifth eldest daughter. All of them turned to look at Morrigan and Alphegor as soon as they entered.

What Morrigan couldn't understand was why they were inside Alphegor's office. Nobody was allowed inside without the King's permission, except for Lucius. Morrigan looked towards her father for an answer, but his furrowed eyebrows indicated that he was just as confused about this as she was.

"Good morning, Your Majesty, Princess Morrigan!" Lucius greeted with a short bow.

"Good morning, Father!" Viana curtsied with a brilliant smile, and her sisters followed. But it was not lost on Morrigan that they had not acknowledged her presence.

"Why are they in my office?" Alphegor growled, and the girls bowed their heads.

"Your Majesty, allow me to explain," Lucius interjected, but the atmosphere in the room grew so tense that Morrigan could almost feel it restrain her breath.

"Everyone leave!" Alphegor commanded.

"Father, I'd like to–" Viana tried to pacify the King, but he was having none of it.

"Do not make me repeat myself," Alphegor glared at her, and Viana along with the others escaped from the room. But as they passed by Morrigan, they glared at her, malice oozing from their gaze.

This can't be good…

As soon as the door was closed, Alphegor turned towards the door and drew a circle in the air with his hands. It shimmered in the air for a moment and then hit the door, burning a circular symbol into the wood. A few seconds later it began to fade until the door returned to its previous, untouched state.

"Speak, Lucius! I know you wouldn't let anyone into my office unless there was a good reason for it," Alphegor said and set Morrigan down on the floor. She decided that it would be better to sit down and went to the small sofa, getting up into its soft cushions.

"It's a long and complicated story, Your Majesty. I think it's best if we all sat down," Lucius sighed and motioned towards the sofa where Morrigan was sitting. Alphegor gave him an appraising look and then sat down next to her. Lucius nodded and then took a seat across from them.

"I'll start from the moment where you chased Princess Morrigan," the old demon began and gave the girl an appraising look. Morrigan sank deeper into the cushion, feeling the quiet accusation in his voice.

"Do not blame Morrigan for what happened. It was my negligence as a parent that led to her running away," Alphegor wrapped his hand around Morrigan as if to shield her from Lucius. The old demon looked surprised at first, but then smiled and nodded.

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"To think that you would actually grow into an admirable father figure. Love does work in mysterious ways," Lucius chuckled, at which Alphegor mumbled something incomprehensible under his breath.

"Get back to the matter at hand."

"Of course," Lucius' expression returned to his stern mask, and he cleared his throat. "After you and the Princess disappeared, people within the castle grew more and more anxious by the day. Initially, I was able to reassure them by saying that you'd soon return together with the Princess, but then the fact that you had gone missing spread outside the castle."

"So people began to panic," Alphegor rubbed his chin and a deep crease formed on his forehead.

"Yes. Rumors went completely out of control, I suspect a party who opposes your rule aggravated the situation. Within a few weeks demons were rioting outside of Demon Castle, demanding your return," Lucius said, then his gaze dropped.

"Let me guess – nobles intervened," Alphegor growled.

"Yes, Your Majesty. They began suggesting that the Demon Kingdom required a new ruler. I did my best to object to their advances, assuring them that I could manage state affairs in your absence."

"But then they claimed that you were trying to claim power for yourself," Alphegor stated, then slumped back into the sofa. "I see what happened now."

Morrigan blinked her eyes, trying to understand the implication they were talking about. She had no knowledge about politics so whatever conclusion Alphegor had come to, she couldn't deduct with her meager knowledge.

"I don't understand. What does that have to do with Viana and my other sisters being here?" she spoke up, looking from Lucius to her father. The old demon sighed.

"It means that your elder sisters are now trying to acquire the position of Crown Princess," he said and rubbed the bridge of his nose. Looking at his face carefully, Morrigan noted that some additional wrinkles have appeared during their absence.

"How? Isn't Father the only one who can name the next heir?" she asked, looking up at Alphegor.

"Normally, yes. But due to our prolonged absence, your sisters could gather support from nobles who in turn pushed towards the selection of a new Crown Princess," the King explained.

"Yes. They were moving things along at lightning speed. Normally such matters would take years, but a few dukes were pushing towards the election of a new Crown Princess," Lucius explained.

"Who? I should free their heads from their shoulders for treason," Alphegor growled, and Morrigan saw her father's eyes gain that horrifying red color.

"Your Majesty, please be lenient. Finding a replacement for them now would be quite difficult. Especially with the Festival approaching within the next decade."

"The Festival?" Morrigan asked as she tried to rack her memory for an answer. She knew of many festivals on Earth, but hasn't heard about any taking place in the Underworld.

"Yes, it is a grand celebration that happens once every twenty years. I completely forgot that it is approaching. Is that reason why the girls were here?" Alphegor addressed Lucius who nodded.

"That and they were also helping me with managing the state affairs in your absence. Of course, I've kept their sphere of influence to a complete minimum."

"Good. That means it's not too late for Morrigan to make up for lost ground. I could completely shut down the matter entirely, but that might not sit well with the nobles and I'd rather not have a civil war on my hands," Alphegor said nonchalantly, as if he was talking about an annoying chore. Morrigan paled at the mention of war.

As a human she had lived in a completely peaceful country that hadn't been in a war for many centuries. But she had seen enough news to know how devastating it was, especially on civilians who arguably had nothing to do with it in the first place.

"Father, we can't have a civil war," she grabbed onto his sleeve and pleaded. Alphegor smiled and gently patted her head.

"Do not worry, little one. I believe we have returned just in time to solve the situation peacefully."

"What should we do with the princesses? Allow them to continue their work?" Lucius asked.

"I have returned so there is absolutely no reason for them to be doing that anymore. However, they may continue with their preparations for the Festival," Alphegor announced.

"But the nobles? Won't they object if the princesses are suddenly cut off from state affairs?"

"I'm not so old that I need other people managing state matters for me. I'll put the nobles in their place at the soonest opportunity. Now, Lucius, give me a report of all events that require my immediate attention," Alphegor strode towards his work desk, leaving Morrigan alone on the sofa.

"What about Princess Morrigan?" Lucius asked, throwing her a look filled with pity.

"Not today, Lucius. She's been through a lot and needs to rest," Alphegor said, then snapped his fingers. "Azrael!"

The circle on the door lit up again and then disintegrated into shimmering dust. A few moments later a disheveled and a very annoyed Azrael arose from a shadow in the ground.

"I've barely managed to go to the bathroom when you've already summoned me. I already learned from my mistake, alright? No need for more punishment," the white-haired demon grumbled, but kept his head lowered before Alphegor.

"We're going to intensify Morrigan's magic lessons," the King said sternly, and Morrigan shivered. While Alphegor was very demanding of others, he was always lenient towards her and never pushed her to do anything. If he was asking Azrael to intensify the lessons, then it was probably because there was no better choice.

It's about time I actually learned some proper magic. There is no reason to appear incompetent anymore. In fact, this is a perfect opportunity for me to learn some actually cool magic.

"I'm ready, Father," she said resolutely, balling her little hands into fists. Alphegor nodded approvingly, looking pleased with her answer.

"Alright, now that is something I can understand. I'm on it, Your Majesty," Azrael said, his previously demure attitude gone. "Within a few months time, this little girl will know more magic than all of your other daughters combined."

"Do not overdo it, Azrael. Teach her what she needs to know instead of just stuffing her full of magic that you deem to be 'cool'," Lucius grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest in a disapproving sort of manner.

"Don't worry about it, old Lucius! When have I not been a good magic teacher?"

Morrigan could think of a few instances, but decided to remain quiet for Azrael's sake.

He has suffered enough punishment for one day. Not to mention that Father needs to cool down a little. I get a feeling that one more thing could send him into a rage.

"Focus on strengthening her independence. Her ability to protect herself should be your top priority," Alphegor noted and then walked up to Morrigan, kneeling down beside her. "Do not hold back anymore. Give your lessons everything you got and trust me to take care of any problems that arise afterwards."

He said the last sentence in a barely audible voice, and Morrigan nodded.

"I won't let you down, Father!"

"You wouldn't be able to do that even if you tried," he chuckled and pulled her into a hug.