As the Demon Demands ✔️

Chapter Three

Dinner time had finally come around, and the servants had gathered in the common room of the servant quarters to eat. A lot of them were missing, finishing up their chores or having been sent by Ala to the main palace to help with the banquet.

And now, Evangeline was sitting at a small table sitting across from her mother, eating a bowl of pork and cider stew. Though she had barely touched her food, merely staring down at the bowl while playing around with her spoon. Her mind kept going back to what had happened earlier, replaying in her mind again and again and again.

Marak had left for the party a few hours ago, and she had managed to avoid him after she returned to the kitchen. She had even convinced Marion to clean up his study while she had gone up to Ala herself and asked the head maid if there were any other chores she could do. Thankfully, she did, and she had been spending a lot of time out in the garden gathering herbs.

She had tried thinking about what she was going to say to him tomorrow. She didn't want to upset him, but she did want to know why he had been acting so strange. Of course, it could have just been a completely off day for him and she was overreacting. She had considered the possibility, but she still wanted to know the truth.

"Eve, is everything all right?"

Eve snapped out of her thoughts and looked up at her mother. "O-Oh, yes... I'm fine, Mother." To prove it to her, she took a large bite of the stew. "Just... a little tired."

"Yes, you have been working hard today..." Rosa sighed, shaking her head. "I would have come to help, but I'm still feeling a bit fatigued; Madam Ala had me doing less strenuous chores."

"It's fine, Mother."

Besides, Evangeline was more concerned about Rosa's health. Ever since she had to close her bakery, her health had never been the best. The doctor had once said that her spirit had weakened, which took a hit on her constitution as a whole. So nowadays, whenever she would get sick, she would usually be affected by it longer than most people, and would remain tired even after she was no longer showing symptoms.

However, Rosa was looking better today than she had a few days ago. Her olive skin looked much healthier now, and short wavy brown hair seemed to have gotten back its luster. Her green eyes were much more alert, and she seemed to have regained some of the weight she had lost while on bedrest.

"We're missing a lot of us today," Rosa noted, looking around the room. "I knew Empress Lamia wanted this to be a big celebration, but it's too much."

"Well... they are going to announce his engagement tonight."

Rosa rolled her eyes, taking a sip from her water glass. "I feel sorry for anyone who has to marry into that family... Especially to that Prince Zestrath. The empire is doomed when he finally becomes king."

Evangeline bit her bottom lip and took a look around the room. Some other servants spared Rosa a glance, but no one could disagree. Zestrath, despite having been trained to be king one day all his life, was an incompetent and selfish monster. He was always out at parties, drinking and causing trouble at those clubs and casinos that the wealthy could enjoy. Any decisions he had been involved in, such as the taxes that kept increasing, only brought hostility from the commoners.

That wasn't even touching on his more... criminal hobbies. It was a bit of an open secret that all of the princes, Marak aside, engaged in some illegal activities. Sometimes for just fun, other times for profit. Underground fighting rings, taking drugs, human and demon trafficking – they were wrapped up in many rumors, but no one could do anything about it.

When he finally took over as emperor, there was no telling what would become of the empire. Rosa seemed eager to leave before then, perhaps even move to Noria across the Carastall Sea, a human kingdom that usually welcomed humans from Sharith with open arms... Evangeline could see a lot of humans doing just that.