Both Eve and Kira were allowed inside the Red Palace once the demons at the door confirmed how authentic their invitation card was. They entered with the rest of the nobles and a few commoners like them who fought tooth and nail to get invited. As expected, everyone was captivated by the interiors of the Red Palace. It was unlike any other in all of Hell and the underworld.
Kira was the most impressed by the golden ceilings and bright lights that seemed to illuminate more than one room. The hallways of the Red Palace were big and supported with large golden pillars. Everything in this Red Palace was worth enough that each could be used to stop poverty and world hunger completely in the whole of the underworld. Each marbled step she took along with the rest of the crowd made her heart pound in anticipation of something.
Of the time she would walk through those large, golden, double doors of the ballroom and see the king waiting for her to fall at his feet and worship.
''Hey, you have been blushing ever since we arrived at the Red Palace. What is it that is making you smile this much, Evie?''
Eve smiled again as her hands on her sister tightened a bit. They moved with the crowd as demons led them all in a double line straight to the ballroom. They could see to their right and left how tight the security was, and the demons in uniform looked scary and intimidating enough for anyone to derail from the line and wander off to where they shouldn't.
''Have I?'' Eve asked, her dimples deepening as they inched closer to the ballroom. Her six-year-long dream was finally going to come true. She was finally going to see the demon king in the flesh—everyone was excited. She could bet a hundred silver coins that the majority of people fighting their way to attend this celebration were not doing so because they were interested in acknowledging the devil's dominion over all of Hell and the underworld. But to see the fine king and enigma—the reason for most wet dreams and sexual ecstasy. Everyone longed to see him finally beneath his veil of a thousand stars and worship him for his rumored otherworldly looks and charms.
Those who have seen—and never seen—his face before were not entering through those doors they were soon approaching to celebrate the devil— but to idolize their demon king and let tonight's glance of him stick with them for as long as they live.
Kira nodded that she had been, which only made Eve the happiest on this queue.
''Maybe I am just too excited for the party?''
Kira scoffed.
''You are the least to know anything about the devil god's celebration tonight. It's something else, and I will soon find out about it.''
Eve laughed as they moved, nodding her head while looking around to see if she could at least catch the smallest glimpse of the generous black rider who helped them reach the Red Palace in one piece and ensured each of their goals would be achieved here tonight.
''Do you still have the dragon plaque with you, Kira?'' Eve whispered low enough not to alert anyone in the queue that they possessed a dragon plaque made out of solid white gold. It could get them arrested if Hell's Royal Military discovered such worth with them, and they could be accused of stealing. They looked nothing like nobles or commoners who could afford a dragon plaque, much less one made out of the rarest white gold stone.
Kira nodded at her discreetly.
''Good,'' Eve nodded back. ''If we don't find the owner here tonight, we return home with it and keep it safe until we find him, alright? Please guard it with your life and be alert at all times during the ceremony.''
''Alright. I will keep it safe until it is reunited with its owner.''
The large, golden doors to the ballroom, pushed relentlessly by four demon guards of Hell's Royal Military, opened with a loud groan, and the first thing that welcomed Eve into the party was blinding lights—then the subtle sounds of music, laughter, and cheers inside.
They both stood at the top of the stairs to take in the breathtaking view of the ballroom. It was a hundred times the size of the whole orphanage and beautifully decorated with gold and red flowers. The chandeliers hanging low above the crowd's heads made this ballroom feel and look like a whole new world entirely. A whole new world of demons, witches, and a few humans at the top of the food chain. Eve couldn't get enough of the ethereal view, and suddenly, everything felt like a dream come true.
It indeed was, because never in her whole life had she ever imagined this glorious day would come. It made her eyes teary and her heart heavy with gratitude.
''No one should deviate from the line. You are expected to curtsy before the king first before you join the rest of the crowd to celebrate.''
Both Kira and Eve turned around to face one of the demon soldiers in charge of bringing newcomers to the ballroom for fun.
''Oh, we are so sorry, we didn't know.'' Kira quickly apologized to the demon who looked like he wanted nothing more than to chew their heads off right at this moment with the grave looks he threw their way. Kira turned to hold Eve and drag them back to the moving line and away from the demon's unfriendly stares. Since they had once deviated from the line to gaze at the beauty of the ballroom, they had to quickly join the queue and ended up being among the last people moving in a single file towards the throne to curtsy before the demon king.
Each move on the line made her excited as well as anxious. She had a silly, imaginative short scene of when it would be her turn to curtsy before His Excellency. It involved her bowing before him and him not being able to take his eyes off her because he was so captivated by her beauty. She was the prettiest girl he had ever seen, and he wanted her, offered to dance with her and—if miracles did exist—beg her to be his lovely bride and queen.
Eve couldn't stop smiling as the once-long line of noble demons and demonesses, wizards and witches, and humans who escaped being tagged as minority grew shorter, and her heartbeat anticipated the moment. Kira was standing before her, and from where she was, the five thrones placed high above them all came into view as demons, witches, and humans all curtsied before the stairs leading to the five seats of power of the Red Palace and Hell.
Her hands grew sweaty when the first ten people before her and Kira each had their turn to bow before the thrones occupied by the demon king, three other demons, and a female demon whose throne was the closest to the demon king.
''Try not to faint, Evie, when you get this close to him,'' Kira said, and behind that partly transparent veil that concealed each of their faces, only their eyes and foreheads could be seen. The five of them positioned themselves like they were gods, their aura influencing the tension in the room as demon guards and bishops positioned themselves strategically on the stairs and around the five thrones, ready to serve them.
Eve noticed how the demon king looked to be the most disinterested in everything happening here tonight. He sat, relaxed on his throne, all dressed so elegantly and glamorously it could shame beauty itself. His hands rested on the arms of his throne, one placed under his head, his eyes remaining closed as if wishing to be anywhere else but here.
''Introduce yourself before your king,'' the demon guard in charge of keeping decorum of those who had just arrived to greet the king and join in the ongoing celebration of the devil god said with a loud and powerful voice.
Kira nervously moved close to the bottom of the stairs, her head bent low, and Eve could see how she was doing a terrible job at keeping herself together under the cold glares of the four demons seated beside the king.
''I am… Kira… Ga… Gagadel of Burning Stone District, Your Eminence!''
Eve noticed how the female demon's eyes moved slightly in repulsion at the mention of Kira being from one of the poorest districts in all of Hell.
''And I am honoured to stand before Your Greatness!'' she declared while bowing her head so low until it touched the ground. Eve was impressed, and even the demon guard had no problem with how she introduced herself to the king—except the demon king cared less about a few commoners who managed to find their way to stand before him just for the purpose of letting themselves get distracted by his looks and ignore the real reason they were here. That's why he chose the least transparent veil, dark in color while matching his overlord-styled dressing. His long, dark red hair was styled, braided, and tied high into a ponytail by a beautiful set of dragon hair pins. The long white streaks of his hair fell beautifully over his face as he heard them all introduce themselves to him one by one, not caring. The only thing he cared about was being done with this place.
After a whole minute of bowing before the demon king, Kira rose to her feet, careful and discreet about staring at the demons sitting high and mighty before them. She left the line, and the demon guard's red eyes fell on her sister to tell her she was next to introduce herself to the phantom of her dreams now sitting high before her in the flesh.
Eve stepped forward, and the demon guard immediately asked her to introduce herself to them. Her heart was pounding heavily with each breath she took. The demon guard raised his golden staff a bit to hit the ground in protest of her trying to raise her head to see the king. His heated glares on her served as a last warning for her to behave before them or he would be forced to get her to behave properly.
You don't immediately look at the face of the king unless you are permitted to do so. An annoying rule that might get in her way of achieving her goals here tonight.
''Introduce yourself before the king,'' the demon guard stated impatiently again when Eve was taking forever to decide on what to do. She wanted him to notice, recognize, and possibly fall in love with her at first glance tonight. She might never get this chance to be before him like this again.
''Greetings to the holiest God of this unholy realm. Eve Gagadel stands humbly before you in awe of your presence. There is none like you in every realm, and I have come to fall at your feet in honour of that and to tell of your great name.''
The silence that occurred after she bowed her head low before the great five thrones was the most intense ever. The female demoness among them—red eyes bored deeply in silent observation and mystified by the human before the demon king. Even the demon guard held his breath at her grave sin to dare refer to the king as the god of all Hell. Her sin could be told as blasphemy against the devil himself and could worsen the internal rivalry ongoing between the devil and the demon king.
The silence stretched longer, and the other four demons sitting all tensed in their seats, expecting a reaction from the demon king, slowly let go of the hold they had on their breaths when they got none.
Just when all of their minds had been put at ease by the continued silence they received from the king, he slowly revealed the jewel and beauty he possessed in his gaze at the mortal bowed low before him—for the first time since the celebration began. He looked to see who was the one that saw him as a God instead of the feared demon king who lived in the hearts of people.