9_Hellfire Citadel

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We rode in silence, and we sat side by side, both looking out the window, I was nervous, and I kept wondering what was going to happen after we arrived...the wedding consummation?

I cleared my throat, veering around to face him, "Your Majesty..."

"...Hubby, call me Hubby," He replied, he knew nothing of what it meant until she said it was a pet name or something like that but as the curious King that he was, he found his newly wedded wife intriguing and filled with mysteries.

"Okay, Hubby..." I twisted my nose, getting married to a demon and calling him hubby wasn't exactly on the list of things I wanted to do before I died yet here I am, doing those things, I should have thought about these things before calling him Hubby in front of Hazel's royal ass parents.

"...Do you have another wife?" I asked, hoping to hell he'd say yes.

"No," He replied and I felt like I was hit on the head by a boulder.

"But I do have many mistresses," He replied.

"Oh, you do?" I asked faking a smile. Why did I ask that, he was attractive, of course, there would be a bunch of demon women swarming around him.

"You don't seem to like that?" He turned his attention to me.

"You are a King, you can do whatever you want without criticism," I replied, turning back to the window. Was he kidding, I was praying for that, maybe this way the wedding consummation could be avoided and he would go sleep with his favorite mistress, at least that's how it happens in the movies. But why did a part of me feel...heartbroken?

"So...Hades huh?" I asked."Any relation to the Greek god Hades?"

"That devil is my grandfather, and we don't speak his name in the Citadel, so I advise you to be less interested,"

"So what are you, like Hades the third?" I asked again and he pivoted his attention to me, with a cold gaze.

I gulped, "Oh you are?" I asked and then slowly veered around to the window, I could already imagine life in the Citadel, and it wasn't a good vision.

The Caravan stopped and a guard informed us that we had arrived, Hades stepped down and offered me his hand, I took it and he helped me down.

The sight that welcomed me was a vision to behold, the castle was grand and luxurious, unlike the human kingdom, Aetheria. It wasn't all flowers and hearts but that was what made it even more intriguing.

The demon castle in the underworld is a grand and imposing structure, with towering spires and dark, foreboding architecture.

The exterior is made of black stone, adorned with intricate carvings of demon figures and symbols. The gates are made of gleaming iron, adorned with spikes and chains, and are guarded by fearsome demonic creatures.

The garden had black and white roses, and the trees were scanty and dead, it had a chilling aura but at the same time, it was like a surreal artistic chunk.

"King Hades," Five men in luxurious robes approached us, each had a different color on.

"We came to welcome you and your bride," One of them said.

"Heavens, she is even more gorgeous than we imagined," Another said, eyes glowing with stars.

"Thank you," I replied in confusion, as my gaze darted from the five men to Hades, who still had that stoic expression on his face.

"These are my Elite men," He introduced. "Stephan," He said pointing to the overly handsome blonde-haired guy with glasses that enhanced his green eyes, he looked intelligent and he bowed slightly.

"Pleased to meet your acquaintance, Your Majesty," Stephan said and I bowed slightly in return.

"Likewise Sir. Stephan," I replied with a smile, I liked this Stephen already.

"Artemis," He pointed at the tallest among the five of them, although Hades was a few inches taller than he was. He was hot and he had brown hair that was neatly styled, with brown eyes.

"Your Majesty," He bowed slightly and so did I.

"Luke," He pointed at the youngest among them, he even looked younger than I was and he had a rebellious look, with black hair that he packed in a ponytail, with sexy brown eyes, he was the cutest and to top it, he had chubby cheeks.

"Welcome, Your Majesty," He waved with a jolly smile. Which I returned.

"Matthew," He pointed to the bald man with a bulky body, he was shirtless and covered in tattoos, even his face. His ears were pierced and he was carrying a big sword, almost the size of a towering giant ready to strike fear, and he was black too.

He bowed slightly, and so did I.

"And Serpent," He pointed at the last one, he had a stronger aura compared to the rest of them, even stronger than the bald guy, Matthew. He had shoulder-length honey-blonde hair, and his eyes were purple, yes, purple. He had a stoic expression just like Hades. "He is also my general,"

"Ha, figures," I didn't realize I had said that out loud.

"What was that?" Hades asked.

"Hmm?"

"You said something,"

"Oh, don't--don't mind me I just unexpectedly voiced out my thoughts," I feigned a smile.

"Welcome to Hellfire Citadel, My lady," Serpent bowed slightly, his deep voice resounding in my ears.

"Thank you," I replied.

"Why can't I read your thoughts? I want to know what you think about me," Luke said, using incredible speed and in the blink of my eyes, he was standing so close to me, our faces were inches apart that I almost fell when he came up to me that way.

"Argh," I stepped back.

"Me too," Matthew replied, you'd expect him to have a deep voice that matched his looks but you'd be surprised to know he sounded like a girl, his voice was tiny and sounded feminine, which almost made me burst out in laughter until my mind processed their words.

"What, read my thought?!" I exclaimed with creased brows.

"Yes, we demons are supposed to be able to read human thoughts, it's always fun..."

"...It's called invasion of privacy...Luke," I responded to the rebellious-looking boy.

"If it makes you feel any better. None of us can read yours," This time it was Hades who spoke causing me to look at him in disbelief.

"Still!" I exclaimed yet again.

"You want to know what I think about you, well I think you're bad boys...you shouldn't invade people's thoughts," I scolded like a mother scolding her kids, and with a scoff, I picked up my dress and started walking behind to meet Miriam.

"She seems disappointed," Hades said nonchalantly.

"For some reason that's making me feel bad," Luke said with a pout.

"Me too," Matthew said also wearing a sad expression.

"Maybe you should have thought about that before saying you could read minds in her face!" Stephan scolded giving Luke a knock on his head.

"I'm guessing you can't too, Your Majesty," Serpent said, turning his gaze fixated on their new queen who was busy embracing her maid.

"Yes, it's strange...yet another perplexing thing about her," Hades ran his fingers through his long silver hair. And then veered around to look at his wife, his blood-red eyes, fixated on her.

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"This place gives me the chills,"

Miriam said, looking around.

"I find it, artistic and adequate," I replied looking at the exterior of the huge mansion.

"Shall we," Hades walked up to us and gestured for us to follow him.

We were walking closely behind him, "You should control what you think here, these troublesome demons can read minds," I whispered to Miriam as we carefully strolled behind Hades and Serpent while the other four were behind us, carrying our luggage.

"I know that My lady, and you do too," Miriam stated and I blinked twice.

"I did?" I asked with creased brows.

"Yes, my lady, you also know they can hear us whispering even from miles away," She said again and I instantly clamped my mouth shut.

We got inside the castle, walking through the grand halls, Inside, the castle is opulent and luxurious, with grand halls adorned with dark tapestries, ornate chandeliers, and lavish furnishings.

The walls are lined with dark marble and obsidian, and the floors are covered in rich, blood-red carpets. Sinister statues and grotesque artwork adorn the halls, depicting scenes of torment and suffering, which I was guessing was the Demon's motto.

The walls are lined with flickering torches and the ceiling is adorned with intricate, twisted designs. The air is heavy with the scent of incense and the sound of distant wailing echoes through the halls which made me and Miriam embrace each other closely.

Two maids suddenly appeared, both looking so beautiful that I gaped at their beauty, they both had their hair packed in an updo and they were wearing a uniform, a pitch black maid uniform.

"Good evening Your Majesties, Shall we prepare her, Your Majesty?" One of them asked.

'Prepare me for what?'