The Devil's Bride

Chapter One: The King

Lucifer Morningstar. A name many humans found intimidating. The King of Hell, the Devil, Prince of Pride. Standing 7 feet tall, with brown skin, brown hair, crimson eyes, and white horns.

Prince of Darkness...awaken.

He sat up in his bed, awakened by the morning sun through the window. He grumbled, rubbing his face, then stretched his arms before getting up and getting ready for the day. No important events, video calls, or other social work today, so he put on a simple grey t-shirt and burgundy sweatpants as he shuffled to the bathroom to tidy up. He seemed so grouchy, but in a calm way, sluggishly going about his usual morning routine

After performing his morning ritual, he headed downstairs to the kitchen and brewed a pot of tea. He fixed it up how he liked, then grabbed a scone from the box that was made yesterday.

He took to the dining room, sitting at the table...alone. Drinking his tea...alone. Eating his scones...alone.

Alone...alone...alone...

You would think after centuries of being alone, he'd have grown accustomed to it, though with every passing day he wished he had someone to share his time with. Sure he had his son, Anthony, here for some time. He adopted the boy as a toddler, and raised him. Of course, like all children, they grow up, and Anthony left when he turned 23. That was 13 years ago.

He sighed, opening his phone and scrolling through the news feed. He stayed this way until he'd finished 2 cups of tea, then decided to get up and get on with his day.

First order of business, the garden. Lucifer stepped out into the garden, and out to the shed. He gathered his things and got to work. Trimming hedges, flowering plants, checking on the flowers and shrubs meticulously. The man loved to garden, and while he was generally humble, you could see his title as the Prince of Pride was accurate when it came to his garden. He called it his own version of Eden, which was rather ironic given that his father, the original Lucifer, had caused Adam and Eve to veer off the holy path in the real garden of Eden.

He smiled, humming to himself as he cared for his beloved plants. After a while he decided that it was time to go back inside. Once inside, he went into his office to look over the mail for the day. He stumbled upon a pink envelope, with a handwritten address. "Hm..." he opened the envelope, reading the card inside.

Dear Lucifer,

You are cordially invited to my daughter, Princess Anna's, 21st birthday masquerade ball on Saturday, June 23rd, hosted by myself in the Grand Hall located in Ecstacy City. You are encouraged to bring your own mask/costume, however extra masks and accessories will be provided if necessary. Dinner will be served at 7 pm, and alcohol will be provided for the duration of the night. The doors will open at 5 pm.

Signed,
Asmodeus

Lucifer hummed. "Anna is 21 already? How time flies," he smiled. He opened his phone and texted Asmodeus.

Lucifer: Just received the invitation. It's a little last minute, don't you think?

Asmodeus: Maybe, but our original plans fell through so we had to do something different. You think you can come?

Lucifer: I'd be delighted. Are gifts in order?

Asmodeus: You ask that as if you won't get her a gift anyway

Lucifer: That is true. I suppose I will be seeing you and Miss Anna next Saturday

Asmodeus: Sounds good, Luci. See ya then 🩷

Lucifer chuckled, putting the date into his calendar. "Hm...a chance to get out of this mansion is a chance I'll take," he smiled. "I hope Anthony was invited too...he deserves to be included just as much as the others do."

Lucifer went about the rest of his day, generally lounging around and enjoying a more relaxed day for once. He caught up on some reading he'd been doing, took a walk around the property, and just sat outside for most of the day.

At the end of the day, he came in and retired to his room, taking a shower before bed. He stretched out on his mattress, yawning. He grabbed his book to read until he drifted off to sleep.