After the break, everyone eagerly returned to watch the conclusion of the competition. Some people never bothered to leave, worrying that they would miss something. Morrigan was on pins and needles the whole time, doing math in her head and wondering if there was any chance for her or Deziara to win. Part of her just wanted to win, another part wanted Deziara to succeed and there was a little bit of her that hoped that Galandir would win as his performance had truly touched her heart.
"Is everyone ready to continue the vote?" Azrael took command of the competition again, and the crowd responded with a loud cheer.
Azrael would really make a great showman. It's a shame there's no TV in the Underworld. Although… there are these projection crystals so perhaps something akin to TV could be created through magic. I'd need to understand it more to make any actual conclusions.
"Alright, Prime Minister Heinspiel, I believe it is your turn to vote," the white-haired demon said.
"I vote for the fallen champion, of course," he answered curtly. Morrigan wished that he would have voted for Galandir because he believed in his talent, but obviously, it was only because he was representing the Fallen Kingdom. After all, he didn't even bother to call his name.
"Wonderful, now it's time for our lovely consorts to cast their vote!"
"I'm voting for my daughter, although I do wish I could cast a vote for Princess Morrigan as well," Lady Lily said forlornly.
"I'm afraid it's one vote for the judge, Lady Lily. But I do understand your sentiment," Azrael chuckled and turned his gaze to the third consort, Henrietta. She was a demoness with short blonde hair and blue eyes, a real beauty. However, Morrigan rarely ever encountered her as she was very withdrawn and rarely left her room.
"I vote for Princess Morrigan," she said briskly, not even sparing Azrael a glance. This surprised Morrigan a bit, but then again Lady Henrietta's daughter hadn't entered so it was clear she would have chosen one of the princesses.
"I vote for Princess Deziara," Lady Julia said, still sporting her usually cute pink attire, standing out from among the crowd of demons like a sore thumb. Morrigan would find her refreshing if her reactions weren't so over the top all the time.
"Obviously Princess Viana's performance was the best one," Lady Viviane announced with a twinge of sorrow in her voice. No doubt she had expected her daughter to receive more votes, and looking at Viana it was clear that she was less than pleased by this development.
"That leaves with one final vote. Your Majesty, would you please do us the honor of announcing the winner?" Azrael said, and Alphegor got up from his seat and went back up to the stage. Morrigan's heart beat like crazy as it was clear who her father would vote for.
"I believe you all are already aware who is the winner of this Nachtstern Competition. The youngest participant of all, who has proved her physical prowess, magical aptitude, and her wit. It is my daughter – Princess Morrigan," Alphegor said with a warm smile and reached his hand towards Morrigan. Her cheeks flushed red as the crowd cheered and chanted her name.
She took a moment to take a deep breath and then walked towards the stage. The feeling was exhilarating – people cheered at her and not just because she was the Demon King's daughter, but because she's actually shown them something worthwhile. Something that they liked.
As Morrigan stood before Alphegor, he put a hand on her shoulder and said, "Congratulations, my daughter. You have accomplished something most demons could only dream of. With this victory, I grant you any boon you wish and the Burmese Ruby."
Alphegor produced the box that contained the ruby and presented it to Morrigan. She opened the box and looked at the red gem in awe. It glistened with a radiant light, unblemished and utterly perfect. But as she admired it, she noticed something with a corner of her eye.
While the crowd was focusing on her and the King, a few fallen had grabbed struggling Galandir and were dragging him away through the crowd, who paid no mind to them.
They're going to punish him because he didn't win. But they wouldn't be too harsh towards a child, would they?
Morrigan tried to calm herself down with that thought, but deep inside she knew that he'd no doubt be beaten half to death. They didn't care about some slave boy unless he would prove himself useful to them. And since he hadn't…
I can't let them drag him away!
"Thank you, Father! But I am afraid I'd never have gotten this far if I didn't have the help of Galandir, the champion of the Fallen Kingdom," Morrigan spoke loudly and the crowd grew quiet, their gazes slowly turning towards the struggling boy. The two fallen that were dragging him away paused, dumbfounded by the sudden attention.
"Let go of me!" Galandir snarled and wriggled out of their grasp. Hushed murmurs went through the audience as they observed the scene before them.
I feel like I'm digging my own grave here, but I won't let a child just be dragged away and beaten if I can help it.
"I believe that Galandir's valiant efforts should be rewarded as he not only reached the final task of the Competition but also performed a beautiful song which I believe deserved far more votes than it got. But since he is a child and a slave, nobody here has recognized his effort," she said and noticed how her father's eyes narrowed a bit.
The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.
Father doesn't look pleased with this. I am probably overstepping my boundaries here, but what is the point of being a Crown Princess if I can't do even this much?
"I also believe that it is unfair to grant a boon to me since I may ask my father, the King, for help at any time, while others will never have such a chance. So I'd like to give this boon to Galandir instead," she finished, trying to keep a serene expression. However, it proved to be increasingly more difficult as more and more demons looked at her with distaste.
"Are you sure about this, Princess Morrigan?" Alphegor asked, and the tone of his voice indicated that the answer should be 'no'.
Oh, dear. Father is mad at me. Maybe I…
She looked at Galandir and all of her doubts disappeared as she saw the boy looking at her with what looked like hope. Previously, his eyes always looked dark as if there was no joy left in his life. But now there was a spark of life.
I'll just have to accept whatever punishment he gives me later.
"Yes, I am absolutely sure!" she said resolutely. Muttering increased in intensity, but Galandir didn't intend to wait for anyone to step forth and object. He strode onto the stage and bowed in front of Morrigan.
"Thank you for your graciousness, Your Highness. I will accept the kindness you have bestowed upon me," There was no mock in the boy's voice, his words were sincere. Alphegor's fist clenched and a flash of red went through his eyes. However, once his eyes went back to Morrigan, his expression relaxed, resigned to her whims.
"Very well, elf. Tell me what you wish to ask of me," the King said, and the crowd went quiet, listening intently.
"I wish to be free," he said resolutely and Prime Minister Heinspiel jumped up from his seat.
"That is not something you can grant him! He is our slave!" the fallen man called in anger, and the rest of the fallen called out in agreement.
"I said that I shall grant any boon and I will fulfill my word," Alphegor looked at Minister Heinspiel with a gaze so cold that nobody dared to even squeak. Minister tried to hold the King's gaze at first but was unable to do so for long and lowered his gaze before long. "How much do you want to have for the boy?"
"Three million gold," the minister stated, and everyone gasped. With that much gold, one could feed the whole of the Demon Kingdom for a year. Morrigan couldn't comprehend the outrageous sum and her heart sank as she realized that her father would never pay that amount for a slave. Nobody would.
"Very well," Alphegor replied coldly, and Minister Heinspiel fell back into his seat. Clearly, he had called the outrageous sum just to dissuade the King. But Alphegor was not somebody to be taken lightly. He turned towards Azrael and said, "Inform Lucius of this and take the boy to the castle."
"At once, Your Majesty," Azrael said and grabbed Galandir by the scruff. "Let's go, boy!"
A moment later, they both disappeared into the shadows, leaving Morrigan and Alphegor alone on the stage. The crowd resumed their cheers, celebrating and congratulating her on her victory. However, she felt a distinct coldness coming from her father, giving her an unpleasant sense of dread. And it only grew stronger once she saw the hatred with which the Prime Minister Heinspiel was looking at her.
***
"Everything is ready for the grand finale, Your Majesty," one of the servants whispered to Alphegor, who nodded approvingly. Morrigan sat to his right, while Viana sat on his left in a grand podium that was erected in front of the stage after the Competition concluded.
Morrigan couldn't help but feel amazed at the speed at which demons always managed to set things up. Within twenty minutes, a dozen demons could transform the whole market square into what reminded Morrigan of an opera. The stage also had a completely different background now – with dark castle walls and bushes for decorations instead of the black dragon.
Apparently, it was a tradition that each Nachtstern Festival ended with a play that portrayed the historical events of the past – the reason why it existed in the first place. Morrigan was eager to learn exactly what happened between the Overworld and Underworld to make their inhabitants hate each other so much.
All the magic lights that were in the area turned off, leaving only the lights that were illuminating the stage. Two figures strode onto the stage, one dressed in all black and the other in all white.
"Dear Underworlders, you all know our wonderful world of Doppelta, but do all of you know how it came to be?" the narrator spoke in a deep, masculine voice, something Morrigan would compare to an audiobook narrator. His tone was friendly and indicated that the story was meant for the younger inhabitants of the Underworld.
"For not always has Underworld and Overworld been separate, once it existed as one," the narrator said, and the two figures on the stage came together in a hug. "The passages between the two were open and races of the Underworld could be found in Overworld and the Overworld races could be found in the Underworld. It was a wonderful time of peace and mutual understanding."
The flurry of actors of different races appeared on the stage, dancing, and weaving together while a wonderful melody played in the background. Black and white figures stood at the center of it all, holding each other in a tight embrace.
"But one day everything changed…" All the actors ran off the stage while the hugging figures retreated to the very back. "A young human man, seeking to become a 'hero' came to the Underworld in an attempt to become stronger."
A man in armor strode onto the stage and Morrigan's pulse quickened as she believed that it was an actual human. However, looking at his features more carefully she realized that it was actually an elf, his ears hidden underneath the metal helmet. To this day, she had not yet met even a single human in Doppelta.
"Of course, he was not the first to seek his fortune and fame, there were many before him. However, this man went beyond where any person should venture – he descended into the deepest recesses of the Underworld," the stage went dark, only one lone torchlight being held by the elf.
"There he met the king of all dragons – the almighty ancient landwyrm. It warned the human to turn back, but he didn't listen and the two clashed in a battle. However, the landwyrm was already old and weak, so the human warrior defeated him," the narrator said while a smaller version of a landwyrm construct grappled with the elf on the stage. After a while, the red light shone onto the scene and the landwyrm fell onto the ground and then disappeared into smoke. Once the smoke cleared a pile of gems stood in its place.
"As the ancient landwyrm died, the magical gems that he had collected over his long life emerged from his body. The human took them all and rushed back home, telling everyone of the treasure he had discovered," the narrator continued and the scene rapidly changed, the dark background switching for bright green trees and lightning turning nearly blinding from its brightest.
"Once the other humans learned of the Underworld treasures, they began to venture into it more and more often, each one seeking to slay the beast with magic within them and obtain their power for themselves."