"Is that who you are?" I gulped, looking at him with my eyes wide in fear. "You are the demon Lord? The one who kills all the wives sent to him?"
"If that's what you wish to believe." His red eyes seemed to intensify as he stared at me. His lips lifted, and I saw the glint of a fang. The man in front of me was so different. Though he looked a lot like Athan, he wasn't him.
"Where's Athan?" I asked again. "What have you done to him?"
"Oh, you are worried about him?" He smirked, looking at me with a twink in his eyes. "Darling, didn't he tell you about me?" His voice was low, but it sent dread through me. I knew undoubtedly that I was facing the man I came to meet, the rumoured demon king, the one who eats his wives, and never showed mercy.
I stood there, frozen in terror as he took a step closer to me. His eyes seemed to burn with an otherworldly intensity, and I could feel his gaze piercing through my very soul.
I felt cold suddenly like I was standing in a blizzard with no way out. I couldn't even move. I was rooted to the ground, fixed by his stare and my fear.
I tried to talk, but couldn't. I had to gulp in some air to let out another question. "Why isn't Athan here?"
Compared to the two, I will always choose Athan over this stranger, who looked like he could tear me to pieces with his mind.
"Didn't he tell you about our… arrangement?"
I decided to speak, to ask what arrangements he was talking about, but my voice caught in my throat. I was paralysed with fear, unable to move or look away from the monster in front of me. My body was freezing. It felt like he had sucked off all the warmth in the hallway.
He chuckled, a sound that sent shivers down my spine. "Oh, darling. You have no idea what you've gotten yourself into."
As he spoke, his eyes seemed to flash with an eerie red glow, and I felt a wave of dread wash over me. I knew, at that moment, that I was doomed. That I had made a terrible mistake by coming here.
He didn't look like he just wanted to kill me like I thought. He seemed like someone who would drag my pain until I succumbed to the darkness. It was like staring into the eyes of the abyss and having it look back at you, returning your stare.
"Where is Athan?" I asked once more, trying to keep my voice steady. "Where did you hide him?" Athan was the only one who could help me at the moment.
The demon king's smile grew wider and his fangs glinted in the dim light, sharp enough to pierce a hole in my neck.
"Oh, Athanasios?" The darkness in his face seemed to intensify as he locked his gaze with mine. "He's… indisposed, at the moment."
I felt a chill of dread creeping up my spine as I realized the true horror of my situation. I was trapped, alone and defenceless, with a monster who seemed to take great pleasure in my fear.
And then he reached out and touched my face. His fingers felt icy and clammy against my skin. A jolt of electricity ran through my body at but touch, but I couldn't step back. He had me fixed at a spot, with a hammering heart and sweaty palms.
"Welcome to my world, darling," he whispered, his breath cold against my ear. "You're going to be here for a very long time."
"A… A long time?" I stammered. "I came for you to kill me."
"I doubt that's happening any time from now, darling." He leaned down and took a sniff of my neck. "You smell so much like him, something that hasn't been on the others. It seems he likes you." He stepped away, glaring hard at me like I had done something grave. "He has never been close to the others. What changed? Did you throw yourself at him?"
I shook my head, trying to process the demon king's words. "N-no, I didn't," I stuttered. "We just… met, and he was kind to me."
I didn't even ask him to do that. He was so kind to make lunch for me and to take me to the garden.
The demon king's glare intensified, his eyes blazing with a fierce inner fire. He looked as if he didn't believe my words.
"Kind to you?" he repeated, his face scrunched up in a frown. "Athanasios Vasileios is not kind. He is calculating, manipulative, and ruthless. And yet, he was kind to you?" He scoffed. "He does nothing without an ulterior motive. He might be softspoken, but he's more of a devil than I am."
"That's not true, I —"
"Shh." He placed his right index finger on my lips and leaned closer, his warm breath on me enough to send my heart racing. "Tell me, darling," he whispered, his breath cold against my ear. "What did you do to deserve his kindness?"
I tried to speak, but my voice caught in my throat. I could only make sounds the more he stared at me, his eyes drinking me in, holding me captive. I was trapped, alone and defenceless, with a monster who seemed to take great pleasure in my fear. And I had a suspicion that I was running out of time. If only Athan would show up and save me from his monster, but I knew that might not happen. I had a feeling Athan wouldn't come to my rescue. He might still be pissed at my decision to die.
The kind king gave me what I wanted. He brought me to the demon Lord, so he could fulfil my wishes to die. I couldn't blame him.
"Nothing," I stammered finally. "I did nothing."
The demon king's smile grew wider at my response. "I think you're lying, darling," he whispered. "I think you did something to catch his attention. And I will find out what that something is."
As he spoke, he reached out and grasped my wrist, his grip cold and unyielding. I felt a jolt of fear as he pulled me closer, his eyes burning like hot coals. It seemed like I was staring into a raging fire, one that would undoubtedly engulf me.
His lips lifted in a sadistic smirk. "What do you think will happen if I hurt you?"