Two long days went and passed far too slowly for Morrigan's liking. The whole time she was sitting in her room and trying to figure out what ability had the ruby given her. But no matter what she tried to do it never resulted in anything. She would have loved to get some advice from her father or Azrael, but she never got the chance to meet either of them.
Alphegor didn't even return to his room to sleep, so she had to wonder where did the King even sleep. Azrael apparently had returned to the Demon Castle late last night, but unfortunately nobody had told her exactly what were the results of his mission. Although judging by the fact that there were more soldiers pouring into the Demon Castle, it couldn't have been good.
I suppose it is safe to assume that the Fallen King truly has my blood. But how did that fallen, what was his name again? Theobold. Yeah, I think that's what it was. How did he manage to send my blood to the King in that short span of time between when he injured me and Father arrived and captured him? Oh, who am I kidding. It was magic, of course. It's like anyone can do anything in this world as long as they wish for it hard enough.
"Lady Morrigan, your father summons you to the grand conference hall," Gunna came into the living room, appearing nervous, no, even shaken.
"Is everything alright, Gunna?" Morrigan asked her.
"I… Well, the Fallen King has arrived," she said. Morrigan gasped and ran to her window. Looking down from the high tower she saw unfamiliar white carriages, about twenty of them parked within the castle yard and more than a hundred soldiers with unfamiliar coats of arms standing opposite of the Demon Castle soldiers. She could sense the tension going on between the two sides even from up in her room. It was like all of them were ready to grab their weapons at a moment's notice and attack.
Oh, no. Whatever happens, it cannot turn into a fight. That would plunge the Demon Castle in a bloody battle and from here it would no doubt spread throughout the country. No, this has to end peacefully.
Morrigan took a deep breath, exhaled and hurried out of her room to the conference hall. Her heart was racing and her hands trembled, not out of fear for her own life, but out of fear for her family and her kingdom. It was ironic in a way – once she wished for nothing more than to return back to Earth and forget about the Demon Kingdom.
But now she wished to protect it. She wanted to protect her family and its many inhabitants. To protect their beautiful traditions like the Nachtstern Festival and allow them to continue their daily lives in peace. And she would do everything in her power in order to achieve this peace.
***
When Morrigan arrived at the entrance of the conference hall she saw her father, Viana and a bunch of demon ministers, including Lucius, standing by the door, surrounded by what appeared to be a small army. When Morrigan arrived all of their gazes fell and only the King met her eyes. From his looks alone, she could already tell that the situation was bad.
"The Fallen King is already inside. Let's go," he said simply, and Morrigan nodded. Her hands trembled and she tried to squeeze them together to prevent that from showing. However, as the doors were opened and she saw the fallen sitting at the table, her hands only began to tremble harder.
"Keep your head up, Morrigan," Viana whispered in her ear, and gently touched her hand. Morrigan flinched at first, but then Viana took her hand and held it firmly. Her skin was soft but her grip was strong, preventing Morrigan from shaking any further. "Do not show them any weakness. Remember that you are the Crown Princess of the Demon Kingdom."
Morrigan looked at her sister in shock. She never expected for her to show such support. It gave her the strength she needed, so Morrigan straightened and dutifully followed after their father, trying to show as much confidence and grace as Viana.
Before long all of the representatives from the Demon Kingdom and the Fallen Kingdom were seated around a long round table, guards from both countries standing near walls, armed to the teeth and ready to jump into action at any moment. Morrigan sat between her father and Lucius, while Viana was sitting on Alphegor's right. Right across from them sat the Fallen King and Prime Minister Heinspiel.
Morrigan took a moment to carefully assess the Fallen King. Just like all the demons, he looked really young with long blonde hair cascading down his back and his sky blue eyes analyzing everything with measured coldness. In a way, he seemed almost angelic. Almost. The dark wings on his back gave no doubt about who he really was – a fallen.
"It is most wonderful that you have invited me to you, King Alphegor. I am sure that today we'll finally be able to find peace between our two countries," the Fallen King said with the sweetest of smiles. However, it was not a friendly smile, and Morrigan could feel how powerful and dangerous the man really was.
"There will be no peace until my daughter's blood is returned, King Uriel," Alphegor growled in return, not bothering to keep up any pleasant appearances. It appeared that Azrael had confirmed that the Fallen King indeed had it.
"Whatever are you talking about? How could I have your daughter's blood when I was on the other side of the Underworld?" Uriel shrugged nonchalantly. Alphegor glared at him and suddenly a dark shadow arose at the end of the conference table and within it was Theobold, looking limp, his gaze completely apathetic to the surroundings. Heinspiel noticeably flinched at the sight, his face growing pale.
Even Morrigan felt a bit uncomfortable. It was clear that he had been tortured for information. She already knew her father would do that, but seeing someone who had actually been tortured was not pleasant, even if he didn't have any visible injuries on him.
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"No need to play this charade. This worm already admitted that he teleported the little bit of blood he got from Morrigan to you," Alphegor snarled. Silence took over the room as all eyes fell on the Fallen King. Then he smiled and looked at Morrigan. A shudder ran down her spine, but she did her best to not look away. Because that would be a sign of weakness, something he could take advantage of.
"Well, since you've already confirmed it, I suppose there's no reason to hide this," the Fallen King put his hand inside his white robes and pulled out a little vial. At the very bottom of it sat a little red dot. It was so small, so meaningless. But everyone in the room knew exactly what it was. The tendrils on Theobold tightened and he groaned, making Uriel drop his smile.
"It appears we both have something that the other wants back. Let's make this easy. I shall return this scum back to you in exchange for Morrigan's blood," Alphegor said.
"But do you really believe that would be a fair exchange? Do you believe the heir of the Demon Kingdom is worth the same as a Prime Minister's son?" Uriel said, while Heinspiel turned a shade paler at his words.
"Nothing in this world is worth as much as my daughter's life," Alphegor growled, and Morrigan furrowed her eyebrows. While she really appreciated that her father cared for her this much, this was not the right time to show how much he cared about her. It would have been better, if he had said something along the lines of 'I have 23 more daughters that can take her place'.
"Then I believe it would be fair for the Fallen Kingdom to receive some extra recompense along with the return of our Prime Minister's son," Uriel said, beginning the true negotiations. "As you are probably well aware, the Fallen Kingdom has been suffering from poverty for a long time now. Our citizens are dying of starvation every day while the demons frolic and cheer, organizing festivals and eating to their heart's content. These are things my citizens could only dream of."
For a king of a supposedly starving nation, he sure doesn't look like he is starving. And the clothes he is wearing are so extravagant, far more so than what Father is wearing right now.
"The vast land that the Demon Kingdom possesses is filled with riches and resources our lands do not have. I merely wish to improve the lives of my citizens, many of whom have already suffered under the injustice of others," he continued. Despite the supposedly tragic story he was telling, Uriel's smile never wavered.
"So what is that you want?" Alphegor asked, no doubt trying to forego any more sad stories the Fallen King was trying to tell.
"I do not ask for much. It would be a mere sliver of the wealth Demon Kingdom possesses. 300 million gold, 5 thousand magic gems of various grades, and the Duchy of Lendmar," he said nonchalantly. This time Morrigan did lose control of her expression for a moment as did many other demons in the room. The gall of this guy!
That is not a mere sliver! It's an outrageous sum. Not to mention the territory of Lendmar Duchy. It certainly isn't the richest duchy in the Demon Kingdom, but in terms of size, there is no place larger. Not to mention that it houses no small portion of demon citizens. What would happen to them if we just handed the Duchy over to the fallen?
"Outrageous. Your greed surpasses even that of humans," Alphegor said. Uriel just chuckled in response.
"Greed? No, this is no greed. It is merely what the Fallen Kingdom deserves. Especially after the destruction you brought upon our country a few years ago."
"I was merely cleaning out a rat infestation from my Kingdom," Alphegor retorted, and despite Uriel's smile, the tension in the room grew very heavy.
"Of course. And I am merely looking out for my citizens. Or are you saying that your daughter's life isn't quite worth the price I am asking," the Fallen King said. Alphegor slammed his fist into the table, making it crack and creak underneath the force.
"As I already said, there is nothing worth more to me than my daughter's life," he growled, his eyes turning a murderous shade of red.
"Then I am sure the price I am asking is not an issue."
There was a tense silence in the room. Morrigan knew that this was the time for her to speak up, however, her mouth felt dry and she couldn't bring herself to open it. But she had to. At the rate this conversation was going the Demon Kingdom would remain as the losing side as Alphegor wasn't willing to risk Morrigan's life, even if they were supposed to be on equal negotiation grounds.
"I believe what you are demanding is outrageous," Morrigan spoke up, and the demon ministers nodded eagerly at her statement. "One life should not be worth more than another life. Or are you saying that the life of your subject does not matter to you?"
Heinspiel looked at his son, who was still trapped within Alphegor's dark tendrils, mostly unresponsive to the conversation that was going on. The other fallen looked at their King too, and Uriel grew a bit more tense.
"One life is not equal to another. The life of a King cannot compare to the life of a peasant. Same as the Prime Minister's son cannot be compared to the next queen of the Demon Kingdom," Uriel said with a smirk.
"Who says I'm going to be the next queen? I might be the Crown Princess now, but do not forget that I have 23 older sisters. Any one of them can easily take my place. Like my eldest sister Viana here – she was the Crown Princess before me. Why can she not be one again?" Morrigan said.
"Even if you are not to be queen, you are still a princess of higher rank than a mere fallen noble," Uriel retorted.
"So you're saying that your subject's life is worthless to you?" Morrigan pressed the attack, hoping that the already tense fallen ministers would speak out against their King.
"That is enough!" King Uriel said, and Morrigan suddenly felt as if somebody had gripped their hand around her heart. She gasped, barely managing to remain upright. "You will know your place, pup!"
"Release your magic at once!" Alphegor jumped to his feet, his eyes glowing bright red.
"Not a step further or the princess will be stuffed out like a candle," Uriel snarled. "You will meet your demands or the Princess will die."
Morrigan clawed at her chest, tears rolling down her eyes from the pain. She was completely powerless before this invisible force. Seeing that Alphegor took a step back, raising his arms up to show surrender.
No… No. We cannot give in to their demands. We cannot just give up part of our kingdom to the fallen. The demon people would surely be enslaved. If only there was some way to counter their magic.
Suddenly a bright light entered the conference room, illuminating everything just like the sun. Morrigan recognized this magic – it was one of Galandir's spells. As soon as the light orb reached the Fallen King, the pain within Morrigan's chest disappeared.