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Demon Queen Wants to Paint
Chapter 72 – Dance with a King

Chapter 72 – Dance with a King

It turned out that Annabell was not the shy girl Morrigan initially thought her to be. Once she became entranced in conversation, she kept going. And going. And going. Initially, the fallen girl was raining praise at Morrigan, then the topic switched to the competition in general, and later Annabell was explaining the difference between her pet arachnoids – a sort of spider monster.

"They have the cutest little, black eyes and they look at you so intelligently. Truly arachnoids are the most amazing creatures on Doppelta," she gushed, completely unaware of how the corner of Morrigan's lips was beginning to twitch.

Somebody, please save me! I don't think I can endure any more 'lessons' on arachnoid physiology.

Deziara's familiar form passed through Morrigan's peripheral vision, and she turned towards her, hoping to find salvation in her sister. However, before she could truly catch her, Deziara disappeared somewhere in the crowd.

So much for that escape route. Just how much longer do I have to listen about spiders? They'll be showing up in my nightmares at this point.

"And did you know that their pincers secrete a special type of venom that can…" Annabell carried on undisturbed, then suddenly the whole hall went silent, their gazes turning towards the far side of the ballroom where Alphegor was standing. Morrigan gently poked the girl, who looked around dumbfounded at first, then blushed and quickly shrunk back, muttering a quick apology.

"Dear contestants! I want to congratulate you all for getting this far in the competition. I wish you all luck in tomorrow's performance and invite you all to dance to your heart's content. As a reward for your hard work, you may request a dance from anyone within this hall," the King announced with a smile.

Morrigan felt cold sweat form on her hands as the attendants' eyes went from Viana to Deziara to her. As the Demon King's daughter, they were the most desired prize in the ballroom. One of the quicker demon noblemen was already bowing before Viana and asking her for a dance, while a few more were approaching Deziara and Morrigan.

No, no, no, I can't let all these important people see me fumble on the dance floor. I need to find a way to not dance. Would it be all alright if I just pretended to be tired and left? It's not exactly a lie. That probably isn't the best solution, but it's better than becoming a complete fool in front of everyone.

Another demon nobleman was bowing in front of Deziara, to which she responded with an elegant nod and extended her hand for him to take. While she could be brusque and even tomboyish at times, Deziara was still a princess and had proper etiquette drilled into her. She already had plenty of dancing lessons, so something like this wouldn't be a problem for her.

As one of the demon noblemen approached Morrigan, she realized that her time was short. She needed to act or become a laughing stock. From the other side of the room, she saw her father looking, no, rather glaring, at the approaching nobleman, who was completely unaware of the death stare directed at him. That's when an idea crossed her mind.

Morrigan decisively strode through the ballroom, ignoring those who wished to approach her for a dance. She headed straight towards Alphegor and then curtsied in front of him.

"Your Majesty, would you please dance with me?" she said with a smile. The King stared at her for a moment and then smiled, extending his hand towards her. As she took his hand, she saw how he was doing his best to keep a calm expression although the corners of his lips were twitching upwards from happiness.

"Of course," he announced loudly as he put his arm on her waist and held her right hand firmly. Those who had previously tried to approach Morrigan instantly shrunk back. It was doubtful that any of them would have enough nerve to ask her for a dance after she danced with the Demon King himself.

"Father… I can't dance…" she whispered so only Alphegor could hear.

"Do not worry. I'll take care of it," he smiled at her, completely unperturbed by the fact. "You could have just told me you were tired, but I am glad you've decided to dance with me."

"I was thinking of doing that, but I figured it would be more impressive if I asked for you to dance," she whispered.

"Right you are, little one," Alphegor chuckled, and the song began to play. The King instantly took a firm lead in the dance, guiding Morrigan by not only using his hands but also sort of magic. It felt like she had become an extension of her father as he twisted and turned in perfect rhythm with the music. The whole ballroom was looking at them with awe, nobody daring to dance with them taking the center stage.

Despite Morrigan not knowing the dance, she actually enjoyed it. Alphegor guided her without any issues, not allowing her to make any mistakes, instead taking absolute control of the situation. Once the song came to an end she found herself breathing heavily, but it was a pleasant sort of tiredness.

"Thank you so much for the dance, Father!" She gave her father a deep curtsy.

"It was my pleasure," he replied with a smile. As soon as Morrigan moved away from the King, Viana strode toward him with resolute determination, her previous partner completely forgotten.

"Father, may I request a dance as well?" she said boldly, and gave a sharp look to Morrigan.

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"Of course, you may," Alphegor replied and took Viana's hand. She appeared a bit surprised at first, but then a shy smile appeared on her face. This smile seemed different from the ones Morrigan was used to seeing. Those were just polite smiles that she wore to please people around here. But this smile, this one was genuine. And Morrigan thought it made her look beautiful.

However, she wasn't about to remain in the ballroom and wait for somebody to muster the courage to ask her for a dance. Instead, she headed straight to the open door which led out into the gardens. Some people were already gathered outside, taking a breath of fresh air from the night festivities. Morrigan didn't want to remain among them and instead headed deeper inside the gardens.

Nobody will mind if I disappear now right? I went there, I socialized and I danced with Father. Surely that's enough.

Haku's familiar growl resounded from somewhere nearby and Morrigan headed towards it. She was worried that perhaps some of the guests might have gone too close to the dragon and agitated him. But as she got closer, she realized those were not angry growls, but rather growls Haku made when he was curious about something.

I wonder what has caught his interest.

"Good dragon! Look at your beautiful scales," Morrigan heard Galandir speak and peeked from behind one of the bushes to observe the scene. The elven boy had climbed (or perhaps flown) inside Haku's enclosure around his stables and had his hand extended towards the dragon. Haku looked a bit apprehensive but made no move to stop the boy from approaching.

"That's impressive. Haku usually doesn't like strangers approaching him," Morrigan said before momentarily turning into a shadow to get through the surrounding fence. Galandir flinched back and glared at her.

"Shouldn't you be twirling around on the dance floor like a good princess?"

"Shouldn't you be doing the same?" she retorted and went up to scratch the scales under Haku's chin. The dragon purred happily, leaning into her touch.

"I can't believe it. He actually is your pet dragon."

"Why wouldn't he be? You thought Azrael was lying?"

"Yeah."

"I… I honestly can't blame you for that. But Haku is my dragon through and through. I've watched him hatch," Morrigan said proudly and patted Haku's neck.

"So he's never actually seen the blue skies," Galandir said, looking at Haku with eyes filled with sadness.

"No," Morrigan admitted, her gaze falling down to the dark ground beneath her feet.

"Poor guy. You said his name was Haku?" Galandir moved closer to Haku, taking slow and careful steps. He held his arm out in front of him, reaching towards the dragon. Haku appeared a bit unnerved at first, but Morrigan patted his neck, soothing him. "I bet you'd love to fly freely, wouldn't you? To soar in a sky with no limits."

Galandir's expression was gentle as he looked at the dragon, who lowered his head and cautiously sniffed at the boy. He inched closer and closer until finally, his snout touched the elven boy's hand. Morrigan could see the excitement glittering in his eyes, a wide, boyish grin spreading on Galandir's face.

"Haku gets to fly often here," Morrigan argued weakly, but there was no strength behind her voice.

"It's not the same and you know it, otherworlder," Galandir retorted and rubbed the scales on Haku's snout. The dragon snorted but didn't seem to mind the gesture, continuing a thorough inspection of the elven boy. Morrigan, on the other hand, was frozen in place, barely able to keep a calm expression.

"Otherworlder? Is this how you refer to people in the Underworld?" she retorted, trying to keep her composure, despite her racing heart.

"Don't play dumb. You know how the sun feels, you've seen it before and not for a mere brief moment. The flame you created perfectly mimicked the morning sunlight. A true Underworld Princess wouldn't be able to do that," he said nonchalantly, looking for the spot underneath Haku's chin which Morrigan scratched before. As soon as he found it, Haku purred with delight, accepting Galandir as a new friend.

"You…" she uttered, unsure of what to say. It felt like the whole incident with Asdeus and Faenor was repeating itself again. For a moment, she wondered whether she should just call for Azrael and nip the problem in its bud. But seeing Haku lowering his head to the ground – an invitation to play – and Galandir smiling back at him with a wide childish grin, dispelled such thoughts.

"It must be hard. You've been trapped in the Underworld for longer than I," he said and looked her straight in the eyes, his eyes portraying pain and suffering a child of such age shouldn't have lived through.

"I'm not trapped," she retorted, feeling a bit offended by his pity.

"I suppose deluding yourself into thinking that must make it easier. But don't you want to feel the warm rays of the sun again?"

"The Underworld has given me something more than just the sun. It gave me a family."

"The Underworld took away my family," Galandir said, and Morrigan flinched back. His eyes were filled with hatred and sadness, and she realized that the boy would no doubt seek revenge for those he had lost.

"I'm sorry…" she stammered, unable to keep his gaze any longer.

"If you are truly sorry, then make a change."

"What?"

"You're the Crown Princess now, aren't you? The next ruler of the Demon Kingdom. If there's anybody who can make a change and anybody who understands that changes need to be made, then it is you, otherworlder," the elven boy said, then turned towards Haku. "And I suggest you start by freeing your dragon."

"I'm not just going to release Haku!" she objected and clung onto her draconic friend, who sensing her distress, covered her protectively with his wing.

"This dragon is ready to give his life for you and yet you are denying him his birthright – his freedom. You know he'll never thrive in the Underworld. He will slowly wither away and become a husk of what he could be," Galandir said, then turned to leave.

"Wait, you can't–"

"I have no intention of exposing you, Princess. I'm not foolish enough to believe it would ever do me any favors," he said dismissively and then flew out of Haku's enclosure, heading towards the castle.

Haku jumped up and down excitedly, wanting to follow the boy, while Morrigan just stared at his retreating form, dumbfounded. She looked at Haku, who was spreading his wings, ready to take off and fly.

"Would you really be happier if you were free? Away from me?" she asked the dragon, who jumped up in the air and began circling around the Demon Castle. It took him no time at all to do a full lap around the castle, and she realized that the Underworld indeed might be too small for this magnificent creature.