Chapter Six
Window, desk, bed.
Window, desk, bed.
Window, desk, dining room, desk, window, desk, bed.
Endless pacing, ever restless, nothing to do, and no one worth seeing. This had become my life, or lack thereof, over the past three days. Aside from mealtime, I’d stayed here in this room, where I didn’t have to worry about confronting the household demons. Or worse, Sitri himself.
I hadn’t bothered returning to the streets of Lantyca. So long as I confined myself, Sitri had promised to keep me safe. It was a fool’s game to test the limits of his promise so soon. But as restlessness stirred in my bones and dark thoughts circled overhead, the walls of my room closed in.
In the stillness, my mind repeated the vow I’d made to Vapula. I imagined my parents weeping for my loss and heard Levi’s last words to me on the balcony. Alone and self-imprisoned, the rumination became difficult to bear. Hunger always followed those thoughts, not for food,but for something to numb the pain gnawing away at my insides.
Staying here would drive me insane. I needed a change of scenery. What a shame it was that the only option I had was the lust Prince’s mansion, crawling with his henchmen.
I shuffled over to the door and listened, ensuring the hall beyond was quiet before unlocking and cracking it open. There was still plenty of light, thanks to the lanterns hanging on the wall, but no demons. My shoulders loosened. Maybe the place would be abandoned. Holding that hope, I left the safety of my room and locked the door behind me.
The mansion’s corridors had felt claustrophobic in the dark. Now that there was light, they somehow felt even smaller. If I stretched my arms to my sides, I could brush both walls with my fingertips. If I held my hands straight up and jumped, they would have touched the ceiling.
The only things that remained imposing were the doors, made of stained wood without a grain pattern, and set into broad frames. Some of them I recognized; the door to Sitri’s chancery, with its lewd, intricate carvings, and beyond it, the door to the dining hall and kitchen.
The dining hall door gave me pause. If these demons possessed any alcohol, they kept it well hidden. Sitri’s servants hadn’t served it at mealtime or left it out around the mansion. If there were any wines or liquors, I would find them stowed away in the kitchen, where they would likely be used for cooking.
It was a risk to steal them, but the payoff would be worth it—a few hours free from my agony and a night of dreamless sleep. A chance to scratch the itch that crawled beneath my skin. That desire emboldened me, even though I knew how disastrous theft might be.
I reached for the doorknob. My fingers brushed its surface. Then, a faint scuffling came from the room beyond. It grew louder. A bang and a muttered curse made me flinch. I drew my hand away and took a step backward.
The door slowly opened, a bulky figure stepped through it, and I found myself face-to-face with Apollo.
He appeared almost exactly as he had before, save for the huge metal wastebasket he carried, full to the brim with glass bottles, soiled kitchen rags, and cloth sacks. He stumbled, nearly dropping his basket at the sight of me. His eyebrows raised.
“Oh, Lillia!” Apollo set the wastebasket down on the ground, careful not to let its refuse touch the wall. “I wasn’t expecting you to be out and about at this time of day. Everything alright?”
As I watched his face, Apollo’s surprise faded, and his brows pinched together. His tight-lipped smile betrayed concern I hadn’t expected from him. Though I wanted to believe it was genuine, I knew how dangerous that line of thought could become. This was one of Sitri’s demons. I wouldn’t risk trusting him. Not yet.
“Just getting a little stir-crazy, that’s all,” I answered. “I needed a walk to clear my mind, and hadn’t expected company.” Apollo followed my gaze as I turned it to the waste bin, and his lips relaxed.
“You can usually find me and Mara around here somewhere,” he said. “Prince Sitri runs a tight ship, and there’s always work to be done. We drew straws. She gets the privilege of cooking today, and… well, someone’s gotta take the trash out, right?”
“And that ‘someone’ is an armored knight?”
I looked Apollo over and had to stop myself from laughing. There was something comical about seeing this bulky, muscled demon, sword secured at his side, carrying out such a mundane task.
He’d even drawn straws with the maid. Forhousework.
Just my luck that I’d find myself stuck in this nonsensical, backwards kingdom.
“‘Knight’ isn’t quite right,” he said with a laugh. “We all pitch in around here in the ways we’re able. If you ever wanted to help out, you could earn a little grace or some extra privileges. Sitri can be a stick-in-the-mud, but he won’t hurt you, and it helps to show him you’ll return the favor.”
I raised an eyebrow. “He certainly tried to hurt me. If he’d been any rougher, I would be covered in bruises. Besides, I don’t know if it’s a good idea to buddy up with the Prince of Lust and Lies. That title doesn’t inspire much confidence.”
“You’re under his protection now,” he said. “That isn’t something he offers lightly, not in times like these. Give him a chance to show you what it’s worth.”
The demon’s posture shifted. His muscles tightened, his brow creased, and he couldn’t seem to meet my eyes any longer.
“You trust him,” I said.
Apollo nodded. “Of course I do. I wouldn’t be here otherwise. We’re a team, and if any of us were going to leave, we’d be long gone. In Hell, it pays to work together. Things get easier when you have someone to watch your back, y’know?”
