As a human, Morrigan believed that she could never come to hate any gathering where lots of food was involved. Especially if the food was good. And the one made by Demon Castle chefs was most certainly top quality both in terms of presentation and in terms of taste. Even something with an unappetizing name, like salamander liver patée on volcano-baked bread turned out to be a delicious treat. However, the Nachtstern Festival feast was most certainly now on the list of gatherings Morrigan resented.

The whole evening she was being ping-ponged from one table to the next, forced to listen to demons and demonesses brag about their sons and suggesting that she get to know them better. Some of these sons showed no interest in Morrigan since they were still children themselves and had no idea that their parents were buttering them up for marriage.

But many of these suitors were much older demons and were eager to charm Morrigan in their favor. The only thing she could feel for them was disgust. While technically she had the mentality of an adult human, nobody here knew that. To them, she was just a child. And yet they had the gall to try to groom her into their good graces.

Azrael watched the whole charade with much amusement although whether he was amused at Morrigan's misery or the knowledge that the demons were flirting with somebody who was a human before was unknown. Morrigan guessed that it was probably both. A few times she tried to coax him into helping her, but he had no intention of doing that, instead leading her from one table to the next with a wide smile.

By the time she finally reached the royal table where Alphegor sat together with his four consorts and their daughters, Morrigan was too tired to pay any proper attention anymore. All congratulations and cheers melted into a jumbled mess as she mechanically recited her 'thank yous' and tried to keep her ever heavier eyelids open. Before she realized what had happened, she found herself in her own bed.

"Huh? How did I end up here?" she said groggily and looked at the clock on the wall. Its shorter dial was pointed at nine, meaning that she had already slept in.

Oh, God! Galandir! I need to get dressed quickly and try to get him out of prison before Father decides to punish him.

Morrigan didn't bother to call for the maids and instead put on the first dress she found in her wardrobe. She quickly combed her hair and was about to rush out when she noticed the Burmese Ruby standing on the nightstand next to her bed. It felt wrong to leave the treasure she worked so hard to win there, so she quickly snatched it and put it in the hidden pocket of her dress.

Now I need to go to Father and have a serious talk with him.

She left the room in a hurry, only stopping to ask the guards about the King's whereabouts. Apparently, there were some documents to take care of, so he had gone to his office. That made things easier for her as it meant that nobody would interrupt them.

She turned into a shadow and without a second thought headed straight to Alphegor's office, not paying any mind to the guards and just slipping inside from underneath the door. The King was busy scribbling something, his brows furrowed in a scowl.

"Morrigan, I'd appreciate it if you could at least knock before barging into my office," he said, his voice filled with irritation. However, it appeared that this irritation was directed more at the paper in front of him rather than her.

"Good morning. There's something I wish to discuss with you Father," she said after materializing out of her shadow form. As she did, she was startled by another figure in the room, a sleek demon with dark skin and vivid blue eyes. Most of his body was covered and his attire vaguely resembled that of a ninja.

"Leave us, Melanos," the King commanded, and before she could even properly blink, the demon was gone.

"Who was that?" she asked.

"Our spymaster. What is it that you wanted, Morrigan? I am very busy at the moment. There was an incident yesterday that needs to be dealt with," the King grumbled, looking rather tired.

"An incident?"

"Nothing you need to concern yourself with," he replied briskly as he continued writing. Morrigan felt a bit annoyed that he wouldn't share exactly what troubled him but decided to brush it aside for the time being. There were more important matters to deal with.

"Father, I wish to know why you imprisoned that elven boy," she said, and Alphegor's hand stopped for a moment. His scowl deepened, and then he resumed writing at double the speed.

"That was merely a temporary measure to ensure that he doesn't get any ideas in his head and escape," he said.

"And why couldn't he just leave? Didn't he ask you to grant him freedom?" she retorted.

"And so I have. He has been freed of the fallen and is no longer a slave," he explained. His voice was so cold that Morrigan could barely recognize her father. It felt like she was talking to a ruthless king.

If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

"Then why is he imprisoned?"

"Because he owes us a debt that needs to be repaid," the King explained, still not bothering to look up from his document.

"Three million gold is an insane amount. It'll take him centuries to repay that if he works a simple servant's job," she objected, stepping closer to her father's desk.

"Then it's a good thing that elves live so long. He'll spend a few centuries repaying his debt and then will be free to go," Alphegor said matter-of-factly.

"How can you even say that?! He is just a child," Morrigan raised her voice, frustrated by his cold and heartless response.

"He came to steal from us," Alphegor finally looked up, eyes as cold as daggers piercing into Morrigan. She was taken aback by his statement. Not because he had known. She had long since learned that the King knew everything that was going on in his Kingdom and especially his own home. She was shocked by his demeanor as he had never talked to her with such cold anger.

"He was most likely ordered to do that by the fallen," she protested.

"Yes, Melanos got as much from him. But the boy was stubborn. We had to use a truth potion for him to admit it," Alphegor retorted. "Turns out his whole goal was to get your blood."

"My blood?" Morrigan paled. Why would Galandir need her blood?

"Yes. He was supposed to give it to his fallen master, although he had no knowledge of what they would use it for," Alphegor said through gritted teeth. "I cannot let someone like him just walk freely. He might still decide to turn on you in an attempt to please his masters."

"He wouldn't do that. He just wishes to be free. Let me talk to him. I'm sure he'd be willing to explain himself then."

"No. It is too dangerous. The boy is skilled in magic and clever to boot. He might attempt to use you to gain leverage over me," Alphegor said.

"So what is going to happen to him? Is he just going to rot in prison for the rest of his life," Morrigan felt anger growing inside her from this injustice.

"No, he'll be working in the dungeons to repay his debt. Once he's done with that, he's free to go just as I promised. As long as it is outside the Demon Kingdom borders."

"The dungeons?!" Morrigan exclaimed. The horrifying place never failed to foul her mood since the only purpose of the dungeons was to make any unwanted guests suffer. Those few times she'd been down there, she felt like a bit of her happiness was permanently drained out of her. Not to mention, that anybody unlucky enough to work in the dungeons always looked like they had lost all hope in life.

"Father, you can't be serious! That is no place for a child," she raised her voice out of her frustration. Alphegor rose up from his seat, looking down at her.

"Morrigan, enough! I understand that it is your human past that is compelling you to say this, but it is time for you to learn the ways of the Underworld. If you remain soft towards those who wish to harm you, you'll get stabbed in the back and killed," he said sternly, and Morrigan took a step back. She felt as if he had slapped her across the face. A twinge of regret passed through Alphegor's face as hot tears filled Morrigan's eyes.

"So my human past is a mistake after all," she said bitterly, and slipped into the shadows, unable to face her father anymore.

"Morrigan, wait… I didn't mean that… " he called after her, but she didn't stop and instead headed straight back to her room. As soon as she was back, she fell into her bed, letting hot tears stream down her face.

I only wanted Galandir to be free again. That child was no doubt taken away from his home by the fallen and forced to do their bidding. But now, I've condemned him to an even worse fate. And Father seems to be unwilling to feel compassion for anyone who isn't a demon.

She understood that largely her father had mentioned her human nature out of anger. However, the fact he wished for her to change that, hurt. Morrigan had always believed that Alphegor would accept her the way she was no matter what happened. That was the reason she gave up her life on Earth and returned to Doppelta. But it appeared that even here there were expectations that she had to meet.

"Alright, Morrigan! Enough moping. I need to do something about the elven boy. I can't just let him rot in the dungeons for hundreds of years," she slapped her cheeks to get rid of unpleasant feelings within her. Those would be addressed at another time.

Father certainly isn't going to change his mind. At least not anytime soon. And talking to him right now wouldn't lead to anything productive. I could try asking Azrael to bring me to the prison so I could at least talk to Galandir. But Azrael is largely a wild card – I can never know whether he'll be in a mood to cooperate.

As Morrigan was thinking of the best course of action, a knock sounded on the door.

"Lady Morrigan, are you awake yet?" Gunna's friendly voice came from behind the door.

"Yes, come in," she called back, wiping away any residual tears from her cheeks.

"My, you're already dressed! Couldn't wait to get up this morning?" the nanny said cheerfully, waddling over to Morrigan's side.

"Something like that," she replied awkwardly.

"That's wonderful. Today is a sacred day in the Underworld – time for rest and peace. It's a great day for contemplation and time with your family," the nanny explained. "It means you'll be able to rest a bit. Sadly tomorrow, it will be necessary to send the guests from foreign countries back so there will be an event to attend before their departure."

"Oh, joy…" Morrigan muttered, imagining yet another stuffy party. Hopefully, this one would be on a smaller scale.

"That is a worry for tomorrow. Today you may rest alongside everyone else," Gunna said.

"Yes, rest would be nice…" she said absentmindedly when an idea crossed her mind. "Is this a day when the whole Kingdom is resting?"

"That's right. Most businesses are closed today and it's a time when even Demon Castle servants get to relax a little," the nanny explained.

"Even the guards?"

"Yes, I believe a large number of guards have also gone to rest with their families. Only the bare necessary minimum is kept," Gunna explained.

Bare minimum. That means there won't be as many guards watching over the prison. Perhaps, a certain little princess could sneak in.