"Look at all these foods," Deziara, disguised in simpler clothes and with a blonde wig, strode through Linberor Market Square. Delicious smells, both savory and sweet, were mixing up in the air, attracting new hungry mouths from far beyond the square borders.

"I'm still not fond of this idea," Morrigan noted, transformed into a white-skinned blonde version of Azrael. The four demon guards followed behind them through the crowd, wearing commoners' clothes and staying some distance away to not arouse any undue attention.

"This time everything will be fine. I know lots of magic now, so I can protect you, Morri," Deziara cheered and pulled Morrigan along.

"No, you are supposed to call me 'Father'. I hope that you will be on your best behavior, young lady," Morrigan reprimanded, lowering her voice for it to sound more masculine. Her sister just laughed.

"Of course, Father. When have I ever let you down?"

"Let's just be quick. I don't want to stay out here longer than necessary."

"It's not like I'm not worried, but we have taken precautions. Who would recognize us like this? And we have our guards with us this time," Deziara consoled, but Morrigan still felt anxious.

Odd that Deziara is so eager to get outside. Perhaps as she is getting older, she too is feeling more entrapped by the castle. Well, nothing bad happened yesterday when I was out with Father. It should be fine today as well.

"Look! What's that? It looks so pretty," Deziara pulled Morrigan's arm to a stall that was filled with an assortment of fruit on sticks. But they weren't the regular Underworld fruit that Morrigan had grown used to the last ten years. There were strawberries, grapes, oranges and kiwis.

"Interested to try some Overworld fruit, young lady? I promise you – they are delicious," the stall owner, an elderly-looking duergar man, picked up one of the colorful fruit sticks and waved it at them. Looking around carefully it was clear that nobody else came to the stall, and it appeared that most of the fruit remained unsold.

"Overworld fruit? Who'd want to try those?! Let Overworlders eat them," Deziara was about to turn on her heel and leave when Morrigan grabbed her by her hand and pulled her back.

"Don't be so quick to judge," Morrigan said in her best impression of a man's voice. It wasn't very successful, but it would pass for somebody who had a bad cold.

I need to get some magic that helps me change my voice too. Otherwise, my transformations aren't completely convincing.

"Trust me, young miss, you will not regret it. These fruits were picked from the Gardens of Eldarar," the duergar picked up another stick of fruit and offered one to Morrigan and one to Deziara. Morrigan didn't hesitate to take hers, and her sister reluctantly followed.

"Just try it," Morrigan urged and then took a bite of the large strawberry. It was just as she remembered, sweet and a little tangy and most definitely delicious. Deziara eyed hers suspiciously until she finally relented and took a careful nibble of her strawberry.

"W-What? This is delicious," she called out and began enthusiastically munching on the berry, all previous suspicion completely forgotten.

"Told you, miss," the vendor smiled and then yelled out loudly. "Come try some Overworld fruit. Look how much this young demon lady and her father are enjoying them."

People who were previously walking past the stall suddenly turned and looked curiously at them. Seeing the gusto with which Deziara was eating, some demons approached the vendor and asked for the fruity sticks. They were just as reluctant as Deziara but after trying it, began eating earnestly. Within ten minutes people were pushing each other out of the way to get to the front of the line faster.

"How much for the fruit? We never paid," Morrigan shouted over the crowd.

"On the house. You two helped me out," the duergar laughed, passing three sticks to eager demon customers.

"Thank you very much!" Deziara smiled, licking the last bits of fruit juice off the stick. "Now, come! We still have so many foods to try out!"

Both girls continued exploring the market, looking for the most appetizing and unusual foods. They came across something that reminded Morrigan of takoyaki, except this one was apparently filled with kraken flesh instead of the octopus. She was reluctant to try it at first, but since Deziara swore that krakens are supposedly delicious, Morrigan gave it a shot. The flavor was pretty much the same as takoyaki.

I guess a kraken is a giant octopus in the end. I wonder how many people can one kraken feed. It could probably keep a restaurant stocked for weeks.

Happy with the savory snack, the sisters decided to seek out something more filling next.

"I'm still hungry. That race really worked up my appetite," Deziara said cheerfully, looking from stall to stall, like a hunter searching for its next prey.

"I know what you mean. Despite already having dinner and two snacks, I feel like I could still eat a whole horse."

"A horse? Where'd you get a horse in the Underworld?" Deziara asked suspiciously.

"I… Nevermind, it's just something I read in a book," Morrigan corrected herself.

Have to be careful with what I say. Things that were normal to say on Earth, do not make a lot of sense in the Underworld. I don't want Deziara to start thinking of me as some weirdo.

"In either case, you can't call that small dish we had in the castle a dinner. It feels like the portions are getting smaller by the day," Deziara huffed.

"It does! Maybe we should have a word with the chef," Morrigan said.

"Oh, I'd love to give them a piece of my mind. I want a proper meal. Princesses aren't even allowed to ask for seconds. The moment I tried, Viana glared at me."

The author's content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

"You too?" Morrigan chirped up, and both sisters laughed. Suddenly a pleasantly familiar smell tickled Morrigan's nose. "Do you smell that?"

"You're going to have to be more specific. There's lots of things I can smell," Deziara chuckled. Morrigan grabbed her by the hand and began pulling her along, following the pleasant smell. Before long both girls were standing in front of a stall that looked to be lined with rather plain-looking pies.

"What's this?" Deziara asked the vendor, a chubby demon woman with a motherly smile on her face.

"These are cheese and meat pies. Fresh out of the oven," she said and pointed towards a large round bread oven behind her.

How did she get that thing over here? It's huge!

"They look rather simple. Why don't we try something else?" Deziara said and tried to pull Morrigan away. But she stood and stared at the pie. It didn't look like anything special, but the smell reminded her strongly of something. She just couldn't recall what.

"Why don't we give it a try?" Morrigan said. Deziara looked suspiciously at her for a moment, then relented.

"Alright. Last time you insisted, we tasted something really good. I trust your sense of taste," she said.

"Two pies coming right up," the vendor smiled, and put paper wrappings around the two pastries, making them easier to carry. Morrigan paid and then each girl took one of the pies. She could still feel the warmth of the pie from behind the wrapping, it spreading through her fingers.

Morrigan thanked the demon woman and bit into the pie. The flavor that exploded in her mouth could only be called one thing – bliss. Meat and cheese mixed with tomato sauce. It tasted just like a pizza.

"Wow, this is good! You have a knack for finding the tasty stuff," Deziara ate her pie with gusto, savoring each bite.

"Told you!" she replied and continued enjoying her pizza pie.

***

"That was great. I finally feel full," Deziara said, wiping the last bits of the creamy dessert they just ate off her mouth.

"I wish we could eat like this every day," Morrigan nodded vigorously, her stomach filled to the point of bursting.

The guards who were following them also looked satisfied, having bought their treats and eating them in shifts, so at least two guards were watching the transformed girls at all times.

"Me too. Unfortunately, tomorrow we'll have to return to the tiny portions. I really don't want to return to the castle when I think about that," Deziara groaned.

"We should be going back now. Somebody might notice our absence if we stay out any longer."

"I know, I know. But I still want to look around a bit. Maybe there's something fun around here," Deziara said and began scanning the market with her gaze. "Oh, look over there. That looks interesting!"

Deziara ran towards a dark booth in front of which sat an elderly demon woman with white hair. This was the first time Morrigan had seen a demon that looked elderly. Demons looked young throughout most of their lives, only truly showing signs of aging once they lived for over ten thousand years.

"What is this?" Morrigan asked, looking at the odd stack of cards in front of the elderly demoness.

"Fortune telling, young ones. Give me your coin and I shall tell you your future," the woman croaked in a hoarse voice.

"Fortune telling? That sounds fun! Let's try it," Deziara cheered and set down a coin on the table.

"Alright, alright, but quickly," Morrigan said impatiently, an uneasy gnawing appearing in the pit of her stomach.

There's no way fortune-telling is real. Not even in this world. Who could ever predict the future? Not to mention that this demon woman is giving me the creeps.

"Give me your hand, young lady," the elderly woman wheezed.

"Is that really necessary?" Deziara scrunched up her nose in displeasure, looking up and down at the woman with a barely hidden disgust.

"It is if you want your fortune told," the woman replied and reached her spindly, wrinkly arms towards Deziara. The girl sighed, then placed her right hand in the old woman's. She closed her eyes solemnly and began humming to herself. She hummed for a minute or two, then finally snapped her eyes open.

"You will suffer great hardship because of a close family member. However, if you abandon them, then you'll gain great prosperity," the old demoness cackled. Deziara instantly snatched her hand away.

"What kind of fortune is that? You just made that up," she accused.

"No, child. I only say the truth of what the future holds. But the truth is not always pleasant. Father, wouldn't you like to have your future told as well?" the woman reached out her hand towards the disguised Morrigan.

"N-No, thank you," Morrigan replied in a lowered voice, taking a step back.

"It's alright. This one is for free since your daughter didn't appear satisfied with her fortune."

"It couldn't hurt, right? I'm curious to see what she'll say about you," Deziara said, but there wasn't a lot of conviction in her voice.

"No, I really am not interested. Let's just go home," Morrigan said and took Deziara's arm, trying to pull her away.

"Do not think that I will let you escape!" the woman suddenly lunged forward, grabbing onto Morrigan's hand. She tried to free herself, but before she could, she felt herself and Deziara being teleported away.

The next moment, Morrigan and Deziara found themselves in a large empty room filled with dust and cobwebs. There were only two candles for light which gave the place an eerie and foreboding feel.

"What just happened?!" Deziara exclaimed, looking around the place in shock.

"Father, Azrael!" Morrigan instantly called upon their protectors, however she could feel that the call didn't reach them. The old woman began cackling and laughing while her shape morphed and twisted. The wrinkly skin smoothed out and messy white hair turned into black locks.

"I'm afraid they can't hear you. I had this whole place warded just for this occasion," Asdeus laughed, removing the dirty rags and revealing an elegant black dress.

"Asdeus! Father will put your head on a pike!" Deziara roared, anger and fear contorting her features.

"The King will have no idea this ever happened," Asdeus said sweetly and laughed again, her voice echoing against the walls.

"Oh, yes he will! Do not think you can keep us here for long. The moment he finds out we're gone he will turn this whole kingdom upside down to find us. Right, Morri?" Deziara turned towards Morrigan, only to find her reverted back to her demon self, her hands trembling.

"I don't think 'Morri' has enough courage to say anything. Afraid of your retribution, lamb?" Asdeus stepped closer, her heels clattering against the wooden floor.

"Morri, snap out of it. She's just one demoness. Even without Father, we can take her on," Deziara said resolutely, then threw a fireball at the demoness. A watery shield appeared in front of Asdeus, and with a hiss fireball turned into hot vapor and dissipated in the air.

"How naughty, Deziara. Throwing fireballs at your teacher. I'm afraid that won't do at all," Asdeus moved her hand up and suddenly Deziara's body went completely stiff.

"W-What is happening?" the girl managed to say.

"The reason why you remained safe for so long was because I needed the time to master a forbidden bit of magic. With this mastered, not even your dearest daddy could oppose me," the demoness moved her hand down with a sharp motion, and Deziara fell to her knees and then lowered her head to the floor in a bowing motion. "Now that's better. How pleasant it will be once the King bows at my feet."

Morrigan took a shaky step back, but then suddenly felt her body tense up and move forward against her will.

"And where do you think you're going? You're the whole reason we're in this mess, human! It's time to pay your dues," Asdeus snapped, and did the same motion as before with her left hand, forcing Morrigan on the floor just like Deziara.

"Human? Morri, what is she talking about?"