FALLEN ANGEL: MARRIED TO THE DEMON KING
Chapter 34: THE MORNING OF A DEMON QUEEN (3)

Chapter 34: THE MORNING OF A DEMON QUEEN (3)

"Breathtaking." She murmured, more to herself than Velmoria.

"Bet an angel such as yourself did not expect to find beauty in the demon realm, your highness. We have the demon king to thank for everything."

"I cannot deny that truth. I know—I knew the demon realm as a land just full of fire and ash. I knew all demons to be creatures of destruction." Arella looked back at the window, this time looking down at the palace grounds. A beautiful garden of pure white flowers sat below her, with a gazebo smack in the middle of it all. Such a beautiful garden in the demon realm would have sounded incomprehensible to Arella just a few days ago.

"The bath is ready," Velmoria interrupted her train of thought.

She helped Arella out of her robe, placing it aside as Arella stepped down into the tub. "Can the rest please introduce themselves?" The heat of the water enveloped her, soothing her sore muscles. The oils infused in the water released a sweet, flowery aroma.

The demons rushed to help her wash her back and her hands. They did not even seem fazed at the marks that littered her body.

The second maid, the demon who had made her bed, was taller than the other two. She had deep red skin and short horns that curled back from her forehead and eyes that were a deep electric blue. "I am Xyra, your majesty." Her voice was steady, but Arella could feel her formality. "I am honored to serve you."

"Thank you, Xyra," Arella offered her a small smile before turning her attention to the third demon.

She was the shortest out of all the demons, with tanned skin and a furry tail swishing out of her black dress. Her hair was sandy brown, long, and tied in a ponytail at the top of her head. "I am Solenne, your majesty. It is my privilege to assist you in any way I can." As if she were showing it with her actions, she worked faster to scrub Arella’s back, being careful not to touch her wings.

"Thank you, Solenne."

She turned her gaze to Lysia, who seemed to shrink slightly under her gaze. The pale-skinned demon was using a small brush to brush Arella’s fingernails. "And Lysia, you have already introduced yourself. I hope I can count on the assistance of you all." She rested her chin on her free hand. "What are the other demons saying about this marriage?"

All the demons paused their actions for a second, surprised by the question. Velmoria looked up from the bath salts she had been perusing. "It is... complicated, your majesty." The head demon finally spoke up. "The high lords have been very open about their opposition to the marriage."

"Do they give the king a hard time?"

The demons went even quieter this time. "It is just that..." Velmoria began, then stopped talking.

"There was supposed to be another demon from one of the noble families to marry the demon king." Xyra finally spoke up, finishing Velmoria’s words.

"Xyra." Velmoria chastised. She was not sure if their angel queen was ready to hear the dirty laundry of the noble families.

"I think it is important she knows." Solenne defended herself.

Arella was unfazed. "Another demon?"

"The demon was not decided upon," Velmoria spoke with a sigh. "The king continued to ignore them for as long as I have been working. There was nothing consequential decided from the talks. Just when they were reaching their last straw, he announced he was marrying you a week ago." Velmoria finally settled on a bath salt and hovered it below Arella’s now to see if she liked it. "The wedding happened so fast that I think they are still surprised by it."

Arella took a sniff of the bath salt. "Yeah, that smells nice." Velmoria added it to the water, "It makes sense, though. With that body and those looks, it would be weirder if he was not being sought out by females."

Solenne and Lysia coughed at her words, obviously surprised. "Will any of these noble ladies be here tomorrow?"

"I shall invite them if that is what you wish, your highness," Velmoria nodded.

"I do not wish for that at the moment. Add their information to the pile I will be looking at today, including the high lords who have been giving the king a hard time. I will start from there. For tomorrow invite those on good terms with the king."

A flicker of approval crossed Velmoria’s gaze.

"And what do you all think?" Arella finally asked.

The question hung in the air as the three maids exchanged nervous glances. Velmoria raised a brow but said nothing, obviously curious about how they would respond.

Finally, it was Xyra who spoke first, her posture straightening as she met Arella’s gaze. "Permission to speak freely, your highness?"

"Granted."

"As a lesser demon, I serve the throne, and by extension, you. My personal feelings are irrelevant to my duty, but," she paused, choosing her words carefully, "I will admit I did not like the thought of serving an angel. We have been enemies for millennia, and as such, I had my reservations about you." She paused to take in a deep breath. "However, I respect the king’s decisions; we all do. All the demons wait to see how you will fair in our palace, as do I."

"I see."

Solenne chimed in next, her furry tail swishing anxiously behind her. "To be honest, your majesty, I was sure that this marriage would lead to war. But now that I have met you, I think that it can work."

"I will do my best."

Finally, all eyes turned to Lysia, who seemed to shrink further under the attention. She fidgeted with the brush in her hands, avoiding Arella’s gaze. "I do not know what to think," her admission was a whisper. "It is all so strange, serving an angel. However, your majesty is kind, and I think that is enough for now."

The honesty in her timid voice struck a chord in Arella: "Thank you for your honesty, Lysia." They all turned to Velmoria, who had been sporting a smirk.

"Your majesty, if I did not like you, I would have set your hair on fire." Velmoria laughed.

Arella found herself laughing along, even as she raised her wet hands to protect her hair. Velmoria glared at her, "Do not destroy your hair, please."

Arella put her hands back down, and Velmoria’s gaze softened. "I think you will do just fine, your majesty. After all, you have me as a competent maid."

To that, Arella let out a full belly laugh, "Yes, I will appreciate assistance from all of you. I ask that you be my ears and eyes from this moment forth."

"Yes, your highness!"

They continued to chatter as Arella let her body rest and soak the hot water in. With her permission, they washed her wings, gushing over the feathers. When Arella finally stepped out of the bath, the maids moved quickly to dry her and help her into a fresh robe.

"Where is the King at this moment?" she asked Velmoria as they walked to the bedroom. Her clothes of the day had been lain on the bed.

"He has paperwork he has been working on since morning. He requested to have breakfast with you once you woke."

"Alright, then that will be the current plan. I would like to have breakfast in that garden I saw downstairs."

"I will have that prepared immediately, your majesty." Velmoria tipped her head.

"Perfect."

"After breakfast, I will meet with the designers," she confirmed.

"As is the plan." Velmoria confirmed.

"Good."

With the assistance of Solenne and Xyra, Arella put on the dress that had been picked out. The dress was made of emerald green velvet, with a high boat neckline that settled just above her collarbone. Delicate gold patterns traced the collar, cuffs, and hem, reminiscent of curling ivy vines. The sleeves fit snugly at the shoulders before widening slightly down the arms into flowing fabric that settled at her wrists with a gentle drape.

The bodice was fitted and cinched at the waist by a thin gold chain circle belt before giving way to the voluminous skirt that swept the ground with each step. The back dipped down to just above her waistline, leaving enough space for her wings to rest. Lysia came back with a golden chain that they tied at the neck. It hung at her back, settling in the middle of her wings.

With her hair tied up and her clothes worn, Arella was ready to tackle the day.

"Alright," she looked into the mirror to fix her halo. "Let us go have breakfast now, shall we?" She spoke mainly to herself than to her maids.

.

S/T:

Interviewer: How long have you been working here?

Velmoria: (Pushes VIP sunglasses up her face) It has been 200 years.

New novel chapters are published on fr(e)ew𝒆bnov(e)l.com