As Alphegor descended downstairs to greet the Fallen Delegation, Morrigan couldn't help but stare at their wings.

What wouldn't I give up for the ability to fly? Why couldn't demons have wings? All we have are these scrawny, useless tails.

"Don't stare at them so much," Azrael whispered in her ear, and Morrigan blinked.

"But they have wings! Nobody told me that," she protested quietly but tried her best to look somewhere else. She decided to inspect their servants instead. None of them had any wings, and they appeared to be from various races. There were dwarves as well as their blue-skinned counterpart duergar. There were some demons, elves, and drow as well as a few races Morrigan didn't recognize.

But one servant stood out among the rest. A young elven boy, approximately Morrigan's age judging from his build. His hair shone like a golden sun while his eyes were like bright red rubies. It reminded her of her father's eye color, when his bloodlust took over. But despite his eerie eye color she couldn't help but be mesmerized.

Elves must have some superior attractiveness gene. I mean pure-blooded demons are usually attractive, but this boy is on a whole different level. It's a shame that he's probably a slave. This whole slavery thing needs to be forbidden.

"Welcome to the Demon Castle!" Alphegor announced in his booming voice, but his expression showed no sort of welcome whatsoever. In fact, he was nearly glaring at the Prime Minister.

"It is good to be here, Your Majesty King Alphegor," Minister Heinspiel replied, his expression just as stiff as Alphegor's. The tension in the air was so thick that Morrigan could basically feel it on her skin. "This is my wife Valeria and daughter Annabell."

"Pleasure to meet you," Alphegor replied dryly, then turned towards Viana, his expression relaxing. "This is my eldest daughter, Viana."

"It is a pleasure to greet you, Prime Minister," Viana curtsied in a perfectly elegant manner, smiling politely.

"And this is my youngest daughter, Morrigan," a proud smile bloomed on Alphegor's face, and Morrigan curtsied to the best of her abilities. It wasn't as graceful as her sister's, but she believed to have done a good enough job.

"It is a pleasure to meet you," Morrigan said, trying to smile at the fallen man.

"So this is the famed Crown Princess of the Demon Kingdom. To think that you would assign your youngest child as heir. It is rather unheard of," Prime Minister Heinspiel replied, his face becoming an unreadable mask. Morrigan couldn't tell whether he was making fun of her (which she thought was the most likely scenario) or whether he was curious.

"Morrigan is the daughter of the late Queen Eirwen, so it is her birthright," Lucius intervened, noticing how Alphegor's glare had intensified.

"Is that so? Pardon me. I didn't know," Heinspiel apologized.

"Now you do. Let us proceed inside. We can talk more at the dinner table," Alphegor commanded and without waiting for the guest's reply, turned and walked back up the stairs. Morrigan thought it was rather rude, but perhaps a king was allowed to act this way. At least she hoped so.

Azrael led Morrigan back up the stairs and they headed towards the main dining hall, with the Fallen Delegation following silently behind them. Not a single word was uttered along the way, and Morrigan felt like she would suffocate from the excruciating silence.

Shouldn't somebody be talking about something? Anything? The weather at least? Perhaps their journey on the way here? Should I speak up first?

Morrigan looked towards Azrael for answers, but he shook his head.

Even Azrael won't talk? What has the world come to?

Thankfully the excruciatingly silent walk was soon over as they reached the main dining hall. A table inside was long enough to accommodate about a hundred people but only the very end of it had the dishes set out for the dinner. The rest of it had little Underworld flowers arranged in dark vases. The Underworld didn't have a wide variety of flowers and their colors weren't nearly as vibrant as the ones Morrigan had seen on Earth.

However, the maids had done their best to accentuate the larger flowers, using more demure buds of contrasting colors to bring out their vibrancy. The dark gray and silver tablecloth also helped to bring out their beauty.

The rest of the dining hall was also decorated with matching flowers as well as some sculptures and banners with the Demon Kingdom symbol on it. Namely, it was a wingless dragon with large horns and a crown just like Alphegor's on its head. Apparently, it was the shape that the first Nachtstern King liked to take in battle.

Morrigan and the other demons went to sit on the right side of the table while the maids guided the guests to the left. Alphegor, of course, sat at the end of the table with the Prime Minister on his left and Morrigan on his right. She felt rather uncomfortable being seated right across from such an important person.

No, Morrigan. You're an important person too. You're the Crown Princess so don't act like a meek, little sheep.

So she straightened her back and put on the polite business smile she had been practicing with Lady Lily for the past month. The Prime Minister's expression didn't change, remaining an unreadable mask as the maids brought a wet washcloth for him and everyone else to wipe their hands. He, however, rejected the maid.

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"I would like to be served by my own servants, if I may," he announced and the already tense air grew even thicker.

"As you wish," Alphegor replied, but Morrigan heard the dissatisfied note in his voice. The little elf boy went up to the maid and retrieved the washcloth from her. He inspected it carefully, then handed it to the Prime Minister.

Such a grim fate for a child. I've seen plenty of slaves around the Demon Castle, but at least none of them are children. Then again, it could be different outside the castle walls.

"So tell us Prime Minister Heinspiel, how was your journey to the Demon Kingdom?" Viana spoke up, putting on her most charismatic facade.

"It was a long and difficult journey. We all are quite tired and would love nothing more than to retreat to our chambers and rest," he replied.

"But surely you must be hungry as well. A good meal after a long journey will help you rest better afterward," Morrigan spoke, trying to ease the tension.

"The food in the Demon Castle is sublime," Viana added and gave Morrigan a knowing look.

I guess we're having a temporary truce now, sis? That is fine by me.

"Yes, I do hope your cooks can live up to the expectations," the Minister's wife spoke up, her voice a little friendlier than her husband's. But only a little.

"They make wonderful meals for us daily. The desserts are especially tasty," Morrigan chimed, hoping to catch the attention of the little fallen girl. Just as she expected the child perked up, suddenly looking far more interested in the conversation.

"There will be dessert?" she spoke up with a shaky voice. Heinspiel's face relaxed a little bit, and he looked fondly at the girl.

"Yes. No meal would be complete without one," Morrigan smiled, and the girl nodded shyly, her cheeks flushing a bit.

"I have to note, Your Majesty, that both of your daughters are eloquent speakers. I am surprised to see such an outspoken little child," Mrs. Heinspiel spoke, putting a gentle hand on her daughter's shoulder. "Usually children are really withdrawn at such a young age."

Really? I remember Deziara being pretty loud when she was about ten years old. Perhaps, fallen children are quieter.

"Of course! Morrigan has been an extraordinary child ever since birth," Alphegor bragged. Viana's expression turned a bit sour when he failed to mention her.

Oh no. I can't have Viana get mad at me now. I'd rather work with her through this Festival than against her. I'll try to turn the tide a little bit.

"I've learned a lot from my big sister," Morrigan smiled and looked at Viana. She appeared a bit surprised at first, but quickly collected herself and smiled back at Morrigan.

"I'd do anything for my little sister."

"How sweet! I wish our little darling could have a sibling. You would love one more child, wouldn't you?" Mrs. Heinspiel gave a knowing look to her husband, who tried to ignore it, sweat forming on his forehead.

"Annabell has already so much to do. Looking over a little sister would surely be too much," Minister Heinspiel chuckled awkwardly.

"Children are a treasure, Prime Minister. I have twenty-four daughters, each one more beautiful than the next," Alphegor appeared more proud than a golden peacock flaunting his feathers, a wide grin spreading across his features.

"How do you manage so many daughters, if I may ask?" The Prime Minister leaned closer to Alphegor and whispered so quietly that even Morrigan who was sitting closest to them could barely hear. "Sometimes I'm having trouble dealing with just one."

"Let me tell you," Alphegor lowered his voice and also leaned closer. The two men then became engrossed in their conversation completely unbothered by everybody else. The atmosphere in the room relaxed and a pleasant chatter could be heard across the table.

Seeing this Morrigan relaxed as well and focused on her table manners instead. Alphegor would occasionally brag about one of her or her sister's achievements, so she had to keep up her good appearance. Soon the main dish arrived – a small leg of some sort of a bird on a bed of vegetables glazed with a dark sauce. Morrigan tried to remember which tools to properly use in this exact case.

Was it the small fork with a knife or the medium fork? Normally I'd go for the medium one, but the bird is so small that the medium fork feels like overkill.

Morrigan felt a gentle tap against her foot and looked at Viana who was sitting next to her. She slowly took the small fork and a knife, and then delicately cut the meat from the bone. She then set the utensils on the napkin above the plate, took the medium fork and proceeded to eat.

She's showing me what I'm supposed to do?

Morrigan smiled at her and proceeded to repeat her sister's actions. As she was done cutting up the bird and was about to begin eating, she noticed how Alphegor and the Heinspiel couple were looking at her, giving her the same look one would give when they saw a cute kitten.

"Your daughters truly do get along. How sweet!" Mrs. Heinspiel noted. "Honey, we definitely need another daughter."

The Prime Minister nearly choked on the wine he was drinking, and everyone chuckled merrily at the sight.

"Enough about that, dear. Your Majesty, why don't you tell us more about the upcoming festivities?" Heinspiel suggested and then gestured to the elven boy behind him. The boy ran over to one of the diplomats sitting at the table and took an ornate box from him. "We have brought a gift as a gesture of goodwill."

Some of the previous tension appeared in the room again. The elven boy approached Alphegor with the box. What surprised Morrigan was how he firmly looked the King in the eye. Most demons usually lowered their gaze before him, and yet this young child looked at him head on without fear.

"What is in the box?" The King asked, not reaching to open it.

"It contains a rare magical gem – Burmese Ruby," Prime Minister Heinspiel announced proudly. The demon side of the table appeared shocked, while the fallen side looked awfully smug. Morrigan wished she could ask Azrael what it meant, but he was sitting two seats away from her. She looked at Viana, hoping that her sister was still in a helpful mood.

Viana leaned closer to Morrigan and whispered, "Burmese Ruby is said to possess the ability to adapt to the user's abilities. The only place where they have been found is in the Fallen Kingdom. That's the reason why they managed to gain such power."

Adapt to the user's abilities? What does that even mean?

But there was no time to ask Viana more as Prime Minister Heinspiel spoke up again, "If I understand correctly, there will be a competition during the Festival."

"Of course. It is a custom after all," Alphegor replied and took the box from the elven boy. He opened it, and his lips pressed into a thin line. Then he turned the box towards Morrigan and other demons showing a bright red gemstone that sat cradled in soft protective fabric.

"We would love to offer this gemstone as a prize for the competition winner," Heinspiel smiled.

Oh, I understand. It is not really a gift. No doubt the fallen intend to win the competition and take the gemstone back. So much for a gesture of goodwill.