Lucifer's Daughter

Chapter 39- Hell's Wedding Bells

The comments, the people reading, the interest! They all motivate me to
Keep writing. Thank you beautiful people.💞💞
———————————————————
🎧: Can't Pretend - Tom Odell

Chapter 39- Hell's Wedding Bells

There I stood before a raging brute of orange and red. Destruction was all it set out to perform. Some say it purifies your soul; cleanses you of the sins you've committed.

That is why the foundation of hell is scorching, smoldering flames. To refine your spirit and return it to the grain of innocence God once created.

In this particular scenario, there was no purifying, there was no cleansing or refining. It was most certainly the opposite of that.

Amongst the sweltering fire and crowds of people, I withheld any word from escaping my lips. At the altar of lies and treachery, I was about to be wed. There it was, the Church of Sins, devoured by hell fire. I did not anticipate my first journey to hell to be my wedding. My scowl deepened.

I felt like I wasn't at the wedding, but watching it from afar. It all looked real, yet there was still this sensation that renders the entire ordeal nothing but a hallucination.

There was sudden applause and I stared at my figure, turning towards the crowd.

I saw a man stand up from the crowd and walk towards the actual me, not the hallucination version of me. Lexus. He had an evil smirk playing at his lips. Like he wanted this to happen.

I opened my mouth to speak to him, but he walked through me. He walked THROUGH ME.

I sharply observed my surroundings, then I noticed the odd atmosphere that hung in the air. I stared more intently at the people to see trickles of blood escaping their eyes and ears, however what caught my eye was Jacoby's hand curling like he was controlling someone using magic.

Blood-curdling smiles assaulted the people's lips, curving into an eerie grin. A scream escaped my lips and everyone's heads snapped at me. "I want out of here!" I screamed to the sky. A lightening bolt broke the ground and a strong rumble of thunder sounded. I was gone.

*
I fell on a cold uncarpeted floor. I recognized my surroundings. The Council Room. Before me was 'Le Miroire de la Vérité'. The night was reigning over the world. The sky was a deep black.

Then, I caught a glimpse of Rosalie and Drakos behind me, through the mirror. "What are you two doing here? What's happening?" I frantically asked as I attempted to lift myself off the floor.

Rosalie and Drakos gave looked at each other, then at me. Rosalie reached out for my hand and I took it, lifting myself up in the process. Rosalie guided me to the couch and sat me down.

Confusion was all I could feel. I knew nothing, I felt nothing and I remember nothing. Drakos and Rosalie stared at each other in silence. None of them said a word, they just stared. I closed my eyes and drew in a deep breath.

"Drakos and I thought it's best for you to see this now." Rosalie finally spoke after what seemed an eternity. "What was that?" I asked again.

"Thana, you know how the mirror shows you past, present and future, right?" He queried.

"Yes." I replied unsure of what he was getting at.

"The mirror also shows truths in forms of symbols. So what did you see in there, Thana?" Rosalie interceded.

I lowered my gaze to my lap and shifted uncomfortably. "I- I saw the Church of Sins. Everything was literally on fire and I stood at an altar. Jacoby was beside me and crowds of people stared at us. B-but after we turned to the crows, blood started escaping their eyes and evil smiles were etched on their lips. After that, the real me screamed and the heads turned towards me, then when I asked to leave, lightning came and carried me away." I explained.

Rosalie and Drakos' faces went white, like they'd just seen a ghost. "It's worse than we thought." Drakos pinched the bridge of his nose and grabbed a chair from the Council table to sit on. Rosalie did the same.
"Aren't you going to tell me what all of this means?" I asked.

"The blood coming out of the people's eyes. It means that there will be blood-shed, however an important piece of information is the one about the smile." Drakos said. "The sinister smile you mentioned is a signature sign that the owner of the body has been cast out by an evil force, the body has been taken over by Lost Souls." Rosalie continued.

"But the figures in the mirror actually seeing you... This has never happened and this means someone has gained access to the realities fabricated in the mirror, which is not a good sign." Drakos then added.

"But, Thana, we both know the only way to help this Kingdom is by agreeing to this marriage." Drakos sighed. Rosalie's back was facing me, she turned to the glass window.

Indecisiveness drowned me in a deep sea of ruse. The burden of the darkness settled in my throat, blocking air from entering. A constriction of sorts. This is the price you pay for power.

I knew deep down. I need to protect my Kingdom and there's a foul taste in my mouth regarding Jacoby. Something's off about him, especially after that hallucination.

I was unsure of why I left the magic Jacoby used to control the people and Lexus' sinister smile out, but it felt right keeping the little piece of information I had to myself. I needed to figure this out on my own and to do that I need to keep a close eye on Jacoby and Lexus.

As I tiredly strolled back to my room, I made up my mind. I was risking it all, but I couldn't put myself in such a ludicrous situation.

*

The sound of clanking plates and chewing flooded the room. No words were exchanged throughout breakfast.

There was something odd about the aura. The ambiance seemed to be brimming with agitation.

Anticipation. An insufferable action everyone experiences at least once in their lives. It's like time refuses to give in to your wishes and pass. The clock stays frozen and won't budge. As you wait for an answer or a person, the clock mocks your vulnerability. It has you by the neck. And this is what everyone in the room was feeling at this instant.

I cautiously stood from my seat. All eyes were instinctively on me. I felt their eyes follow my every move. "Thank you for coming on such a short notice today." I spoke with confidence, knowing very well they were hell-bent on knowing my answer to Jacoby's million dollar question.

"Yesterday, Prince Jacoby Tenebris presented me with a proposal." I continued, trying to build more anticipation. I looked at Lexus from the corner of my eye and he was on the edge of his seat, jaw clenched, fists balled. God have mercy on us all.

I then glanced at Jacoby. He had an unreadable expression on his face, but through the way he sat on the chair and the way he stared at me, eyes twinkling with hope, I could tell he impatiently waited for the answer with bated breath.

"I, Thana Dea, Daughter of Lucifer and Princess of the realms of Hell and the in-between, accept Prince Jacoby of the house of Tenebris' offer to have my hand in marriage."

The seven kings along with Solomon and Asmodeus looked taken a back, although they are the ones who encouraged me to accept the proposal.

Maeva and Elias gasped. Maeva's eyes were clouding with tears. "Thana..." she whispered. Elias looked disappointed, but I wouldn't blame him. On the other hand, Lexus' face was void of emotion, he continued indulging in his meal like nothing happened. I clenched my jaw at his careless façade. I don't know what reaction I expected, but it surely wasn't this...

The sound of a chair scraping the dining room floor caught my attention, and before I knew it, Jacoby's lips met mine, claiming me as his.

I won't lie and say I didn't kiss him back, because god damn his kiss was electric.