Belial stood a couple of feet away dressed in a nice suit, and she suddenly wondered how he got his clothes on with the wings and all. Would it be rude to ask? She forced the thought out of her head and brought her attention back to the girl in the mirror. This was it. She was marrying the Devil,
"Are you ready?" Belial asked,
"No," She sighed, turning to face him, "but I'm as ready as I'm going to be. Let's go."
She followed him to the door which he held for her, and they began the slow walk to the throne room,
"Are there a lot of people?" She asked.
"Probably not as many as you expect, Dukes, Duchesses, ambassadors, and a few elite citizens." He replied as they slowly strolled the hall, him keeping her slow pace and not forcing her to speed up.
"Belial?" She called after a few silent moments.
"Yes?"
"Are there people that don't want Lucifer and I to marry?" She asked.
"Oh yes, I believe I'm escorting one to the throne room right now." He replied, giving her a side-eye and a slight smirk.
"Right." She answered with a light chuckle, "What I mean is, are there people who would try and hurt me because I'm married to Lucifer?" She rephrased, hoping he would laugh off the question as if it was a joke.
"Many, I'm sure. A few popped into my mind at the mere question." He told with no change in tone.
"The Dukes and Duchesses?" She sighed.
"Possibly, but they are loyal to your father, and I don't think they would dare betray him. How well do you know them? You must know who they are." He replied as they descended the stairs, "As the future queen, you should know those who serve you."
"The only Duke I've heard a little about it, Cazimir and his daughter, who, I'm told, wishes to be where I stand now." She answered.
"Well, I suppose it's time for a crash lesson. Try to absorb it all, ok?" He demanded, scratching his chin, "So there are three Dukes and two Duchesses, each one in charge of running and maintaining a portion of Hell City and its borderlands. The City itself is divided into three different areas: West City, the working-class area, mostly consisting of middle-class families who commute to Central City for their jobs. Duchess Margery is in charge. Central City is the main part of the City. Shops, restaurants, entertainment, and anything you can think of you can find in Central City, as well as the elite. The rich and powerful all live there, including Duke Cazimir, who runs it. East City, well, that is where the lower-income live. Also, pure demons live there because it is the closest to the castle where they work, and they aren't the friendliest of creatures, so they don't particularly care for the kinder, more social halflings that inhabit the rest of the City. It is an unsavory place full of alcohol, drugs, fighting, and any illegal deeds you need to be done and are willing to pay for. Duke Prangarth runs East City. Lastly, the borderlands where all the food for Hell is grown or raised, and both Duke Krant and Duchess Katarina run it." Belial explained as they reached the bottom of the stairs and turned the corner. The door to the throne room was visible now, and her heart rate picked up. "Lord Lucifer has chosen each of them personally and trusts them to maintain their portion of the City and farmlands. However, that doesn't mean they are trustworthy in every aspect. Margery, though married and a mother, has always fancied Lord Lucifer and hates the idea of him retiring, so she's against Louie taking the throne. However, she would never betray the Lord or harm his son, but she may not be opposed to taking measures to prevent Louie from ascending."
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"Like getting rid of his soon-to-be wife that is contractually required for him to become the ruler of Hell?" She sighed as they inched closer to her unavoidable fate with each step.
"That would be the most direct course of action but the most dangerous. Anyway, Cazimir is one of the oldest half-demons in Hell and feels he's above most others because of his many years of loyal service as well as his close friendship with Lord Lucifer. He is half-vampire, making him strong, cunning, and power-hungry. He had been trying to arrange a marriage between Louie and Angelique since she was born despite being told many times Louie's hand was promised. An annoyance to him but a direct spite to her, so yes, you should be wary of him and his daughter."
"Would they hurt me?" She gasped.
"Not physically. They're both smarter than that, but socially perhaps. However, the Duke will most likely play the best odds. He'll try to make you an ally if he thinks you will be useful. Then there is Prangarth. He is a cold-hearted and ruthless soul, thus the reason he's in charge of East City, but he cares nothing about gaining power or favor. Though I suggest avoiding him, he isn't pleasant conversation. Lastly, Krant and Katarina. They are twins and very creepy. However, they're very efficient at maintaining the large surroundings of farmlands. Still, the two are very off-putting even for Hell, and as far as their intentions? Somewhere between harmless and full anarchy." He finished with a chuckle. "Got all that?"
She took a moment to organize all the new information she was just given before replying, "Margery, West City secretly loves Lord Lucifer and doesn't want him to retire. Cazimir, Central City entitled vampire whose daughter may try to socially destroy me at some point, he himself? Who knows. Prangarth, East City, very mean and foul but couldn't care less about me. Krant and Katarina, borderlands creepy twins with unknown intentions." She repeated only a few yards from the doors now.
"Good, there are many others you will need to become familiar with, especially the ambassadors for some of the worlds, but I will help you with that later since it seems Louie has no intentions of teaching you the politics of Hell." He sighed as they reached the large wooden doors where two castle servants stood on either side.
Her heart was beating frantically as they each grabbed one of the doors handles, but they didn't open the doors. What were they waiting for? This was torture prolonging the inevitable,
"Listen to me, if you walk in there like a scared little girl, you are asking to be a target. This is Hell, your future kingdom, and you cannot let any of these people see you as weak. You will be queen, and you need their respect and loyalty. You are obviously a strong woman. I've seen the way you stand up to Louie. Not many would dare do that, and the way you normally hold yourself is proud and confident. Stand up straight, stop shaking and wipe that fear from your eyes. You are alive, not burning for your sins, and if you try, you can turn this situation into something not only bearable but possibly ideal. Now let's get you married. Princess." He ordered.
He was right. She knew he was. She had asked Lucifer not to embarrass her because of the title she was supposed to claim, and here she stood, shaking like a scared little girl. She did as Belial said and straightened up, willed herself to stop shaking, and placed a fake smile on her face because the truth was nobody was going to save her. Lucifer was her fate.
"I'm ready. Open the doors." She ordered, and the two servants obeyed.