Winter Nights of Hell

      

Chapter Nine

A Night Out 

      

 

Over the next few weeks, it wasn’t anything different. Things were everyday normal; I didn’t experience anything crazy or weird, nor have I gained any other special powers of any kind. I felt my connection to the underworld grew more substantial. Still, between Kurai and Enoxon helping me try and feel comfortable, things were slowly getting ok here. I didn’t leave the house very often, only when they needed to visit or check in with Lord Mundus - who surprisingly hasn’t questioned me too much about the Spirit Walkers. Granted, I hadn’t seen them since that day either. It was strange that so much happened within just a few days, and now it’s all quiet. I’ve been continuing my typical healing sessions with Kurai - it was like free massage therapy, but… Trying to expel demon poison from my body. 

Which reminds me… He told me that I still had some lingering in my body and that he couldn’t expel it. He stated that he would keep trying, but he wasn’t sure if he’d be able to get it all. It bothered me because of what Yushin said about what kind of demon I brought into their world - even though they were all demons. Right? Knowing I had something to do with this was very sad, but no one could answer my questions. If only I could see Yushin or Yuna again, I feel as though I would be able to understand a bit more, but they had not revealed themselves to me lately. I pray that the demon that’s got me marked didn’t get them. I’d feel so bad. Knowing that they were some kind of “Spirit Walker,” which, by the way, no one has wholly explained anything to me regarding Spirit Walkers. With the sound of their name, it sounded similar to someone walking with the spirits. 

 I sighed and rolled away from the depressing scene outside my window, pulling the blanket over my head as I heard a knock at my door. “Go away,” I groaned. “I’m sleeping.”

“My Lady, it is not good to be sleeping all day,” a familiar voice sounded from the other side of the door. 

I peered intently at the door of the familiar voice, confused by what I just heard. Was that… Astaroth? I hadn’t seen him since the party. However, I didn’t want to move. Calling back out to Astaroth, I invited him into the room.

Astaroth shuffled his way into the room, quietly shutting the door behind him as he greeted me with a warm smile. “I’m sorry to disturb you. However, I was informed by Enoxon you hadn’t been coming out of your room. Is that correct?” He sat in the single chair in my room, sitting properly as though he would be here for a while.

The atmosphere was tense, but perhaps it was just me. The way I read over Astaroth was that he was just the Lord’s servant but also a friendly demon. Besides the social part, I didn’t know much about him, and that our gazes were nearly the same purple shade. 

“Ah, I brought some tea,” He blatantly shared with me, with a quick snap of his fingers, a cup of tea bubbling in front of him in a little blue cup. “This is a different type; I call it Nimble Starlight.” He pushed the cup toward me, “It’s my twist on the Human Worlds, Genmaicha.”

Knowing that his last cup was delicious, I couldn’t turn away from a cup of tea with the Duke. The aroma of the tea hit me, making me feel somewhat at ease as I took in the pungent smell, and forced me to sit up in bed slowly. My raggedy hair rested on my back. I ought to wash it. 

“Thank you, Astaroth.” 

“Of course, I try to accompany all beings regarding tea. When Casielle and Zarall are here, I make them a tea similar to what they would drink in The Celestial World - it’s the least I could do. With Enoxon and Kurai, I typically make them a tea that reminds them of their hometowns.” Astaroth gently clapped his hands against each other as if to get some kind of dust off them. 

“Hometowns, hm?” I repeated, staring at the cup of tea and letting the warmth steam my face. “I’m sure their hometowns have wonderful tea as well. But what brings you here, Astaroth?” 

A soft sigh escaped him as he leaned back in his chair. “To tell you the truth, I think I needed a break from The Crimson Lord,” He jokingly stated with a soft chuckle. “Mostly because Kurai and Enoxon were worried about you, and the Crimson Lord was as well.”

I frowned; indeed, they hadn’t worried about me. Maybe Kurai and Enoxon, but not Lord Mundus. He has his private manners to attend to. 

“Casielle and Zarall also haven’t been able to check in with you, as whenever they do, Enoxon typically tosses them out,” The smile on his face was very comforting, warm, and friendly. How could a demon be so… un-demon-like? I studied his features and noticed that he was the one who seemed worried overall.

“I’m honestly grateful for the quiet I’ve been given since a couple of weeks ago and all the incidents happening. I do not enjoy sitting around all day. Still, typically I’ll go out and train with Kurai or read a book with Enoxon - nothing serious,” I explained to the worried demon. “It’s been nice to relax. Being a human in the underworld is exhausting.”

Astaroth nodded slowly, and his voice deepened as he sounded much more severe this time, “Lady Snow, I am concerned about this demon who has attacked you.”

My hands tightened around the cup I held, and they shook a little. “What?” I questioned him quietly. 

Gently, Astaroth placed one hand on my shaking hands and clasped it around mine. “I would highly recommend sharing with me the events that took place the night you were attacked, please.” With his other hand, he lifted my chin carefully and locked his purple gaze with mine.

I stared into those deep, purple abyss of eyes, and immediately I knew he was being serious. Shocked, my lips quivered, and I turned away from him. Why did I feel I needed to tell him something but couldn’t find the heart? He was the Duke to the Crimson Lord, but I didn’t think he intended to hurt me. I wasn’t sure how to respond, but I needed to say something. “Astaroth,” I murmured, “Perhaps you have seen these markings?” A duke of his ranking should have a lot of knowledge. I showed him the strange claw marks on my arm that had slightly healed but still showed the long black vein-like lines expelling from it - similar to the one on my side. I don’t know what Astaroth’s intentions were, but I kept the fact that I did see Yushin and Yuna, as instructed by Kurai, to do so. Keeping a secret from the Lord and his Right-Hand-Man hurt me because if anyone knew anything, they would know. They were the literal King of the Underworld and that of a, well, I guess, like a Prince. 

“Astaroth, leave her alone,” Kurai’s sudden voice sounded near the door. 

I perked up when I saw the nogitsune walk through the door, instantly feeling his agitation swell inside him. 

“Enoxon and I told you what we told you. You don’t need to keep pressuring for more,” He entered the room, gently motioning for him to leave. 

Astaroth’s gaze turned saddened and rather cold that Kurai had interrupted the conversation. This demon knew something and something he wasn’t willing to tell me. He gently patted the top of my hands and nodded, “I do apologize severely, Lady Snow. If you have any questions, please feel free to approach me. I will be more than happy to help guide you through the underworld full of mystery,” His mood of voice completely changed to that of a friendly attendant who was just ensuring that his people were ok. With one last smile and pat on the top of my hands, he stood up and bowed to me. “See you soon, Snow,” He waved goodbye and, within a second, disappeared from the room. 

“Are you ok?” 

I nodded to him and replied, “I’m ok. He brought me tea. A very calming tea.” I took a sip of the tea left with me and smiled at the black-haired demon before me. 

Kurai didn’t reply, just shifted his weight from one side to the other, his hands in his pocket as he coughed. “Well, anyway. Enoxon and I are going to town. Would you like to join us?” 

“Oh, can we visit some of the shops?!” I exclaimed excitedly. 

“We’re going on a business trip,” He retorted.

Saddened by that, I lowered my gaze back to my tea. “Oh.”

“Business?” Enoxon’s voice came up behind him. “No time for business, just time for a fun day out!” He cheerfully exclaimed. 

Enoxon coming up behind Kurai caused him to jump and nearly come into contact with the sorcerer. Remind me not to ever jump-scare him. 

“Oh, so we can stop at the shops!” I rejoiced head tilted slightly to the side. “It’ll be fun!” I giggled.

“Yay…” Kurai muttered, rolling his eyes and heaving a sigh. “Well, get dressed, and let’s go.” He turned away, shoved past Enoxon, who stopped and smiled at me. 

“I want to show you some nice places to go when we’re in town, Snow!” He boasted, “Maybe we can find you something you’ll like; if you do find something, I’ll buy it for you!” His tone was just so upbeat. It just made the atmosphere full of happiness and light - different from the Asturdorm demon atmosphere. 

“That would be nice, but I don’t need anything. I just enjoy looking; besides, I don’t have… Money? I’m not sure you all accept human world money,” I grinned awkwardly. 

“Mm, I guess you’re right. They won’t accept human world money, but they may make a trade - it depends on the bargains you can find. Come on, let’s go!” 

I nodded quickly and shooed him out of my room while I dressed.

 

When I joined the others, Enoxon had quickly teleported us to the town, where I was able to land from his teleportation with a simple thud rather than falling on my behind. He had teleported us right on the outskirts of town in hopes of avoiding anyone that may have an issue with him using magic. 

Enoxon and I led the way, and he told me of all the different kinds of shops, which made me even more gleeful that I could learn this about the town. Kurai followed us closely behind, keeping to himself. I was enjoying my time in the busy-bussing city; many demons roamed around us - old ones, young ones, and middle-aged demons - a city full of different types, just lurking around but enjoying themselves. It’s crazy to think I was a human in this vast underworld. Who knew what other places there were besides Asturdorm? Perhaps I’d be able to visit one day. 

“Here is where most shops are,” Enoxon said, motioning to his surroundings. “This is the busiest part of the town, considering most demons come here to eat, get clothing, or whatever a demon needs,” He explained. “Jewelry, books, figurines, whatever they need, it’s here.” 

Surrounding us was the ‘downtown’ part I ran into while chasing after Yushin’s glimmer. It was just as busy as it was that day. I smiled as I took in a few small shop stands, eyeballing everyone surrounding me. I felt like I was in my hometown. The surrounding people were demons disguised as humans; I guess that’s what they came off as. At least here, I didn’t see any strange shadowy monsters like the one that had attacked me, which only made me wonder – Did that one have a body he could easily disguise himself under? I shuddered at the thought that a demon could look a lot different from what I saw outside the ‘human’ form in that strange, shadowy-looking monkey-bird-looking face. It blew my mind that the demon could be any of these people. I tried to push that to the back of my mind when I saw something catch my eye. 

It was a little figurine stand with hand-made, tiny sculptures. I went over to the old lady running it, long raggedy brown hair covering one of her eyes and the other closed just barely. Looking over all the figurines, I was able to depict a few of them. Simple ones include a brown and white cat, a yellow-painted dog with orange flowers, and even a few birds. Then some creatures looked like an eagle with four legs, like a griffin. I noticed a chimera as well and a few other mythical creatures. There was also the figure of the infamous Cerberus - the underworld dog that was supposed to be the guardian of the gates of Hell. But, ultimately, my eyes fell back to the simple little cat figurine. 

Enoxon approached me and began speaking to the lady to purchase my figurine. I kept trying to tell him that it was ok, but he insisted I had something as a present. When he paid the little old lady, he thanked her, and we turned away and approached Kurai. 

“You didn’t have to do that, Eno, but thank you,” I said warmly, holding the little figurine in my hand. “Look, Kurai! It’s a cat! Cats are the best.” 

“A cat?” He muttered, obviously not impressed. 

“It’s cute!” I said, trying to show him the figurine. 

Kurai turned away, stuffing his hands into his pocket. “It’s a cat,” He murmured as he turned away.

“At least it wasn’t a dog,” Enoxon poked fun at Kurai, who turned his back to him, giving him the cold shoulder.

“Thank you again, Enoxon!” I cheered, giving him a bright smile. 

“Of course, let me know if you see anything else that catches your eye.” 

I dipped my head quickly to him, coming back up with a small smile as I gently put the little figurine into my bag wrapped around me, right next to the dagger inside. I can’t leave without it. Tucking it away nicely, I returned to the surrounding shops, visiting a few different ones with Enoxon. Deep down, he was such a relaxed soul; it’s hard to believe he was so old. If you’re practically immortal, you get away with that - but he had a heart of gold and could see the good in everyone. My mind paused momentarily as I wondered why Enoxon was in the underworld. Why wouldn’t he want to be in the human world? 

“Oh, Snow! Look over here!”

I stepped over next to Enoxon as he stopped by a shop with many different paintings. Paintings that one would find in the human world and the underworld. Something for everyone. The artist had a lot of landscape photos. The main one that caught my eye was the second largest one - which looked almost like Asturdorm and its village, but not with snow. It was still dark, but there wasn’t an ounce of snow anywhere. I scanned the photo hard when the salesperson came up to us. His hair was nice and groomed, with horns coming out of his head, and he began to speak to me, “Ah, I see the interest that has sparked inside you, Human-girl. I can sense you are not very old - in fact, you have probably not been around long enough to see Asturdorm before this wretched snow fell on us. Tell me, are you new to the Underworld, Human?” 

I blinked as he stated Human. Was this demon able to recognize that I was a human? My eyes flickered over to him. I could feel Kurai’s presence looming behind me as he approached us, listening to the conversation.

“Oh, do not worry, young one,” He said softly, “I am a lesser demon and have no interest in you. Your blood is not sweet like most humans.” 

I frowned, and Enoxon said, “We don’t have much time, but thank you for your input!” 

“Dear Sorcerer, do you not wish to purchase from me? These paintings have caught your friend’s eyes, amusing her to the point where she is interested.” The demon softly spoke to us as he shifted his body and turned sideways. “Perhaps something that reminds you of home?” He spun around with a more miniature painting of what looked like a cabin in the woods, surrounded by green leaves and cherry blossoms. “This is a magical piece - as it shows to each user a different picture - something we desire the most. By the looks of it, human, this place seems to show that of a home - perhaps one you used to stay at?”

I gently reached out for the painting, staring at it. It did look like my home back in the Human Realm. Speechless, I gently grabbed the image from him and looked over it. I was amazed at this painting.

“How much is your stupid painting?” Kurai muttered, taking the stand and shoving through Enoxon and me.

The sales demon grinned wickedly, “I see. What is it you miss the most, Nogitsune?” He asked him, “Perhaps–” 

“How. Much. Is. It?” Kurai demanded, cutting him off immediately. 

The two of them began to discuss the painting price, and Kurai was getting agitated with the demon he was bargaining with. I was too absorbed in the photo to be concerned about them. A hand gently lay on my shoulder as I was steered away from the cart, still staring at the picture. Returning to my senses, I quickly raised my head and looked at Enoxon and Kurai, who walked beside me. “This is pretty neat!” I smiled up at them. I asked Enoxon, “So, is it true? Do you see something else than what I see?”

 Enoxon shook his head, “I do not.”

Confused, I turned to ask Kurai the same question, and he shrugged. “You were conned,” He simply stated. “That’s what demons will do, and for some reason, he was able to see you as a Human rather than a Demon - which means we oughta figure something out about that.” His gaze trailed above my head over to Enoxon, who nodded in agreement.

“I’m not sure how it was possible, but he wasn’t just a lesser demon, that’s for sure. Some demons can tell if you’re human or not, or as for me, if I’m a magical being,” Enoxon explained, crossing his arms as he contemplated what happened. “Perhaps I should come up with some… The magical barrier of some kind.” He seemed utterly lost for words. “I have no idea if there is a spell like that.”

I smiled gently at him, not very concerned that one demon knew I was human. “Well, if something happens, at least I know two of the most powerful demons… Or, well, sorcerer!” I tried to lighten the mood with them, as they seemed highly bothered. It seemed to work because I noticed the two looked away from each other and myself with a slight blush.

“Indeed,” Enoxon murmured, looking off to the side. 

I returned my gaze to the picture I had, smiling as I ran my fingers over it at the paint. Whether I was conned or not, this brought a memory of home to me while I stayed in the underworld. I was slightly disappointed if I was fooled, but that was ok. “I’ll make this work,” I gently said, holding the painting close to my body. “Thank you, Kurai!”

He didn’t reply, just dropped his hand from my shoulder as the three of us continued walking through town. Things were quieter since the encounter, and I figured Enoxon was trying to think of a way to mask who I was and Kurai… Well, he was just the silent type.

Throughout town, we continued to see a couple of different places, Kurai keeping close to Enoxon and me but also looking around as if something were happening. He seemed to be watching other demons who would often eyeball us. I kept walking, ignoring those around us, staying focused on the demon spirit and sorcerer with me. When we went to another shop, closer to the steep hill leading up to Lord Mundus’s Castle, there were a bit ‘higher-up’ demons here that dressed a lot differently and were more likable. There were some demons in their proper form, which was strange. Every demon was different. It seemed - whether it was their horns or their bodies, or their skin tones (being that they were possibly red or another unnatural color.) There were all sorts of demons here, some with wings flattened against their back and some with weapons attached to their sides. Still, they were a bit different than the ‘lesser’ demons running the shops downtown.

We ended up heading to a tavern after our shopping spree. We heard a couple of different groups talking, which reminded me of the bar at home. The bar gave an eerie feel but was suitable for an underworld bar. A rather large bar. There were two bar areas to order at, with barstools and numerous tables. Alcohol of all kinds lined the walls, and the counters of the wooden bars, and innumerable people sat around and enjoyed their drinks. I wonder what kind of drink the underworld had anyway. We took a seat at one of the bars. 

We were greeted almost immediately by a young woman with fiery-red hair pulled up and off her back, exposing a tattoo on the back of her neck. She wore a simple black vest and a white long-sleeved undershirt that covered her arms, neatly wrapped around her neck, and buttoned up nicely. On the back of her black vest was a bright red pattern, and she wore little red-heart earrings, eyes as red as her hair, and horns on her head. She greeted us with a smile, leaning on the counter. 

“What’s a pretty little thing like you doing here? Running around with these trouble-makers?” She flashed a flirty smile in my direction, running her well-done demon nails under my chin, causing me to look up at her captivating eyes.

Instantly, I felt utterly embarrassed and just watched her. If I ever tried something like that at the bar I came from, I’d probably get slapped in the face or fired. But she did it so casually that I couldn’t help but be speechless.

“You oughta get away from these stinky men, come join a woman for a night,” She teased me, noticing that I was speechless and embarrassed.

“Same ole’ Jenieva, aren’t ya?” Enoxon questioned her.

She straightened her posture and looked him up and down smugly. “You annoy me, Enoxon,” she stated bluntly. “Let me have my fun. I don’t get a lot of pretty girls here,” Her voice dropped to a whisper as she came back over to me, “Especially a human woman, delicious.” She licked her lips and winked at me, forcing me to melt into my chair.

“Jenieva, the usual, please,” Enoxon dismissed her, shooing her away from the melting, well, me. 

“And for the Lady?” She asked, as she pulled back away from me and began to mix some drinks. 

“I… uh, um,” I was still speechless by such a sudden greeting. 

“Mmm, she likes sweet drinks. Give her an Angelic Parody,” Enoxon said, relaxing on his barstool and folding his hands.

“Sweet like her~” She continued to tease.

I needed clarification, though. She knew I was human? Now, I was embarrassed not only by her teasing but now I was wondering how she knew. Did I just… Look human? There was a giant bubble above me that pointed down and said, ‘HUMAN!!!!!’ My feet shifted uncomfortably on the barstool. 

Kurai sat on one side of me and Enoxon on the other. Being with them made me feel at ease, but also I still felt uncomfortable at the same time. It was a mutual feeling. I only get tense when someone calls me a human or stares at me. It was weird. The bartender, Jenieva, sat a pretty orange and blue, almost lavender, colored drink in front of me. Recognizing it, it looked similar to a Royal Hawaiian Cocktail, a rather popular drink from our bar. However, I’m sure it tasted differently here in the underworld. I picked it up, smelled it, and took a slight sip. It tasted very sweet, different from the Royal Hawaiian, but sweet. 

“Do you always smell your drinks, darling?” Jenieva asked me. “Is that something your kind usually does?”

“I, um, used to work in a bar. I don’t trust many people around me when I am working,” I told her quietly, avoiding her gaze.

She gave me a smug smile as she sat down two frozen blue drinks in front of Kurai and Enoxon, garnished with what looked like an orange, but… A red-orange, like a blood-orange. “So little Miss Bartender had a bad experience before, huh? Did someone buy you a shot or two, and it didn’t end well?” She questioned me, cleaning a bar glass with her towel. 

“We had many bad travelers come into our bar,” I explained to her. “A lot of usuals would try and lace drinks, unfortunately, with the travelers… It was not fun to kick them out, but we had to do what we had to ensure people were safe. I will always smell my drink first and examine it.”

“Good for you; someone could easily take advantage of you. You’re just a sweetheart, looking like someone who couldn’t say no to a good night?” 

I nearly choked on my drink, my face bright red with embarrassment as I wiped my face nearly immediately with a napkin. Lavender eyes wide as she said that, and I couldn’t even find words.

 Enoxon laughed heartily as she said that, watching my reaction. “You’re talking about miss goody-goody two-shoes over here, Jenieva,” He commented. 

“Oh, so you haven’t had a good night!” She gasped, jumping back a little before leaning back in and tucking a strand of white hair behind my ear, tracing the side of my face with her demon claws. 

At first, I thought she was kidding, but she was 100% coming to me. 100% for sure. I avoided her gaze as I stared down at my drink, all the blood rushing into my cheeks and warming my entire body up. Can demons do that?! If they can’t, she just did. She flirted with me and invited me to have a “good night.” 

“Leave her alone, Jenieva,” Kurai grunted, glaring at her with his deep amber eyes. He took a sip of his frozen drink and watched her move. 

She huffed, pulled away from me, and crossed her arms, returning Kurai’s glare. “Eno, why did you bring Mr. Grumpy-Pants this time? He’s no fun,” She sighed, shrugging and turning away from us to her dishes behind her. “I gotta make everyone feel comfortable, even simple ones like her.” 

I quietly thanked Kurai, unsure if he could hear me, but if he did, he didn’t acknowledge it. 

“Anyway, what have you been up to since returning to Asturdorm?” Jenieva asked them.

“Just doing some research lately. What kind of things have you heard?” Enoxon asked her, raising an eyebrow.

“Mmm, it’s going to cost ya,” She told him, shrugging again. 

Enoxon groaned and leaned back, his head dropping back some. “What do you want?” 

“I want the girl, obviously,” The red-headed demon stated simply. 

“Jenieva,” Kurai growled, hitting the bar top somewhat hard, causing my drink to shake slightly. 

“Ok, ok, down, boy! That’s a good boy.”

Kurai got up and walked away from the table, leaving the bar top and going to sit at a table by himself. I felt terrible for him; he seemed fed up with today. I get it, though; it was embarrassing for this demon to talk to me this way like I was just her toy. Honestly, never has another female flirted with me - even at a bar so this was new. If I ever return to the bar, I can use her tips to earn money - once I read the customer first. 

“Well, I haven’t heard much, honestly,” Jenieva stated, leaning over the bar to Enoxon. “A few small details, here and there. The entire town knows there’s a new demon following around the Magical Human Sorcerer and the Fox-Demon. A few rumors have some of the locals thinking she’s a human, being she’s with you. But then again, when The Crimson Lord brought her to the party and announced her as a demon, that’s where ¾ the rumors have been. But that ¼ of Demons that believe she’s human will have them going around wondering - I can’t imagine they’ll be after her, though. Her scent is nearly amazing for those of the highest-ranking demons.” She told us, eyeing me. “Not my type, but if you’d like, just give me a call. We can change things for you,” She clicked at me and winked again, which caused me to blush again.

“I, uh, thank you! I’m going to check on Kurai,” I awkwardly pointed to the nogitsune sitting at the back of the restaurant near the second bar top table with another bartender. 

“Good luck with the hot-head, Sweetheart. Call me if you need help with him. I enjoy handling a rough demon,” A laugh left her, and she turned her attention back to Enoxon. 

I immediately got up and hurried over to Kurai, awkwardly standing at the side of the table. “May I?” I asked him.

He didn’t reply, just took a sip of his drink. He didn’t say no, but he didn’t say yes. Just kind of... Ignored me? I sat down with him, holding my own orange and blue drink that had mixed colors now from waiting so long and from me mixing it up, of course. It was a nice little drink that wasn’t powerful, which I needed. I didn’t try to speak to Kurai. I just enjoyed his company and eyed the gorgeous bar. 

A group was chatting at the bar table a few feet away. The three demons kept their voices down as they spoke. It was something to listen to, not that I needed to be a part of their conversation, but… why not?

“Did you hear they found more traces of Lord Zonoth and Lady Serelia?” The first demon muttered behind me.

“I heard that they found the blood of Lady Serelia deep within the underground caverns,” The second demon stated quietly.

“I’m not sure; that sounds a bit sketchy. How long has she been missing?” 

“They say nearly 25 years; it could have been longer, though.”

“I wonder what happened to her. Perhaps something happened in the birth of the new Prince?”

“Nah, they say the prince was born, but something happened to him alongside Lady Serelia.”

“Maybe they’ll release that information when The Crimson Lord is officially the King.”

I listened to their gossip about the previous Rulers of the Underworld. I didn’t know much about them except for what Astaroth told me. He told me that the King and Queen didn’t have a child - that Lord Mundus was a close family friend. So, who was correct, and who was lying? I guess, as commoners, they didn’t know the true story... Or maybe their story was true. I didn’t realize I was staring at them until Kurai spoke.

“There’s a lot of confusion about Lady Serelia and Lord Zonoth - no one knows the truth except the Reaper. He’s the only one who could know about their life after they disappeared,” Kurai murmured. 

Blinking away from staring at them, my attention turned to Kurai, and I sadly replied, “It seems quite confusing… Astaroth gave me a different side of the story.” I recalled how he stated that something horrible happened to them - something of misfortune. 

“Again… No one knows, not even Mundus himself.”

Thinking about what could have happened, I began to try and put the pieces together. If the commoners stated they had been missing, and Astaroth said they went into the disappearance, perhaps something deadly happened to them. Then again, maybe they just ran off because they didn’t want to be in charge anymore. I’m sure people got tired of ruling an entire kingdom. It’d be a lot of work, even if I had demons and war monsters to help me. But what happened to the Prince that these commoners mentioned? Indeed it wasn’t rumored that they had a kid - someone from the castle had to know if they did. Why wouldn’t they want their child to take over? 

“A drink for the lady from the gentleman at the bar,” I heard Jenieva’s voice speak up behind me. 

Jumping at the sudden voice, my heart raced in fear. I was deep in thought, and she just approached me out of nowhere. 

“Specifically for, The Lady with the White Hair,” She mocked in a deep voice, rolling her eyes. “Men are stupid.”

“Eno?”

“Naw, some other guys,” She huffed, “I’m kind of jealous. Maybe I’ll leave early and join you for a drink. Would you enjoy that?”

“Beat it, Jenieva,” Kurai muttered.

Her lips pursed into a frowny face, “Kurai, you never let me have fun.”

“Your fun is pushing it to the limits.”

“It is not, I just like my woman in certain ways, and Snow has everything~” Her voice turned into a sing-song-like, over-the-top excitement.

“Maybe we can hang out one day,” I told her, grinning awkwardly, putting my hand behind my neck. “I noticed your nails were done; they’re very pretty. I’d love to know where you go.”

“Don’t give her hope,” Kurai warned me, pinching the bridge of his nose. 

“Ooh, I’ll show you! That would be a fun date,” She blew me a kiss and winked at me before chuckling and walking away, “See you soon, Snowy~.”

Snowy? Well, at least I could trust this demon. Jenieva was a friendly person, or she just had a charm that people fell for. Either way, besides Casielle, it’d be nice to have a friend I could do things with outside of running from evil spirits. Nevertheless, I inspected the drink that was provided to me and examined it. It was a bit different than my previous one, and I could smell more potent alcohol in it. I gazed over my shoulder to see the two guys sitting at the other end of the bar, and they caught my eye, giving me a flirty grin and ‘cheering’ to my drink as they lifted their own. As usual, I smelled the booze before casually sipping it.

“You’re just going to accept a drink from a couple of demons?” Kurai questioned me, raising an eyebrow as I sipped the drink. 

I gave him a small smile, nodding, “If there was an issue with the drink, I’m sure your nose would have picked it up.” I reached over and bopped him on the nose, giggling as I did so. 

Bewildered, he stared at me, kind of almost disgusted.

I twirled a piece of my hair and shrugged, “You’ll be ok. Let’s return to Eno and join him - it’s not fair to make him drink alone.”

“You go on. I’m not much of a social drinker.” He said to me, dismissing me as I got up.

I frowned and let out a soft sigh, gazing at him with a little bit of disappointment. But I smiled gently, “You don’t have to be so alone.” With that, I twirled away from him, carrying my drink over to the two at the bar, chatting up a storm

 

Jenieva - The Bartending Demon

Owner of The Wet Rose 

(As usual, AI-Generated Photos from me on NijiJourney)