Demon Queen Wants to Paint

Rosa quickly ran out of the study, slamming the door behind her. She noticed her guards standing nearby, and her heart raced.

Are these guards perhaps working for Asdeus? 

Their gazes went to Rosa, and she flinched. 

I… I need to get away.

She ran as fast as her little legs could carry her, through the winding corridors of the castle. Glancing over the shoulder, she saw that the guards as always were following her at a brisk pace. Intimidated by their presence Rosa slipped into the closest wall shadow.

She felt much safer and calmer in her shadow form, since she couldn't hear her thundering heart or feel her trembling hands. Not to mention, that she could zip through the corridor at a speed that the bulky guards couldn't hope to match on their feet. Within a few minutes she was already inside Alphegor's room.

Just an hour ago, it was her safe haven. One place where nobody could intrude or hurt her. But now the familiar room looked dark, large and threatening. She breathed heavily through her mouth as her heart pumped blood much faster than needed. As the silence stretched on, she began feeling dizzy. Slowly, with careful steps, she staggered over to her bed and slid down to the floor next to it.

What do I do? I never expected anyone to find out that I'm a human. The demons here hate humans so much that they've disposed of everything made by humans. If Alphegor where to find out that I am one…

Image of Alphegor's welcoming expression mixed with her Mother's disapproving one, and Rosa covered her mouth in horror.

No, no, no. Anything but that. He can't find out. He can't!

Suddenly Rosa noticed that her familiar bed felt smaller than it should have. She looked down at her hands and saw pearly white skin. She gasped and ran to the mirror that stood by Alphegor's ornate wardrobe. She saw her horrified, human self gazing at her from the mirror.

"I shifted without even trying?" she muttered and reached out to touch her face in the mirror. When her fingers connected with the cold glass, she recoiled and shook her head vigorously. "No, I cannot take this form in the Demon Castle! I must turn back."

She took a shaky breath, closed her eyes and imagined herself regaining her demon form. Once her eyes opened, a little demon girl looked at her from the mirror. But something wasn't quite… right. It's like her form lacked some definition.

Did I shift into my demon form instead of just returning to it? Can that even happen? Does it even make sense?

Rosa carefully looked at her horns and saw they were smaller than they should be. As was the tail which was missing its pointed tip and instead looked more like a rat's tail. 

Relax. Breathe in and exhale out. Slowly.

Rosa closed her eyes again, and repeated the exercise. Bit by bit her tense muscles began to relax and her heartbeat calmed. When she opened her eyes again and looked in the mirror, she saw that this time her form was indeed the real her instead of a shifted apparition. 

Why did Azrael have to teach me that damn shifting this morning? If I hadn't accidentally turned into my human form, then none of this would have happened. 

Rosa paced around the room, her little tail flicking behind her like a whip. Occasionally it would strike a bedpost or a wall, making her grumble at the 'misplaced' furniture.

What if Azrael is actually working with Asdeus? He's always scheming something and since he cannot hurt me directly, he needs to do it in a roundabout way. What if the shape-shifting lesson was just a way for Azrael to force me to reveal myself.

Rosa didn't want to believe that Azrael would do that, but then again she never expected Faenor to betray her either. 

Remembering the elf, instantly put Rosa in an even worse mood. She trusted him because he always was patient with Rosa and taught her so many things about this world that she wouldn't know otherwise. But this whole time he had known that she was a human from another world, and he traded that knowledge for his freedom.

Even so… the place where Asdeus sent him looked deadly. Can he even survive?

Rosa shook her head to wash away the pity she felt for him.

He brought it upon himself. And I need to worry about my own survival instead of somebody else's.

Mentally exhausted, Rosa slipped out of her clothes and crawled into her bed. But instead of feeling safe and comforting, it felt far too large. She felt exposed and unprotected. It took her a long time until she finally fell into an uneasy sleep.

***

Rosa woke up from a gentle knock on the door.

"Lady Morrigan, are you awake?" resounded Gunna's familiar and sweet voice. Rosa jolted up, and nervously looked around the room. The lights were still on from yesterday, apparently she had forgotten to turn them off.

"Lady Morrigan?"

"I'm awake now. Come in," Rosa said and slipped out of the bed. The morning air felt surprisingly chilly, and she realized that she only had her undergarments on.

"Good morning, Lady Morrigan!" Gunna chimed happily, but her smile disappeared as soon as she saw Rosa. "High Miners, did you sleep without properly dressing yourself?"

"I… I was very tired yesterday," Rosa mumbled and looked to the side.

Does Gunna also know that I'm a human? Did Faenor tell her?

"You should have called me for help? You know I would have come running," Gunna huffed, pointing at the golden bell standing by Rosa's bedpost. It was specifically made for high-standing demons to be able to call their slaves at any time. They weren't needed to summon the demon staff, since demons could hear their name being called no matter how far it was. Just like Alphegor and Azrael came to Rosa, when she called them.

"I will next time," Rosa said awkwardly, and Gunna exhaled with a huff.

"Alright, I'll hold you to that promise. Now, let's get you dressed," the nanny went up to Rosa's smaller dresser and after a minute of rummaging around it, she pulled out a black and white dress with a very puffy underskirt. She was humming the whole time like she usually did, but her every movement was suspicious to Rosa.

She seems to be acting the same as usual. Perhaps, she is not involved in this after all.

"Lift your hands up, Lady Morrigan," the dwarf woman asked and gently pulled the dress over Rosa's head. Her movements were measured and gentle, moving Rosa's hair out of the way before it could get snatched against the many buttons on the back. 

Once the dress was all buttoned up, Rosa sat down on the little chair by her small table, and Gunna began to slowly and methodically untangle her hair.

"Did you have a difficult time sleeping tonight? Your hair is more messy than usual," the nanny gently patted Rosa's head, as she combed her hair.

"I had a hard time falling asleep…" Rosa admitted.

I really hope Gunna is not involved… But I better not show or tell her anything unnecessary. Just in case she is.

Her thoughts wandered to her painting that was still hidden deep in Alphegor's wardrobe.

Maybe I should destroy it before anybody finds it and uses it against me…

The thought was painful – she had worked so hard on that painting and she really liked it. It was a peaceful slice of home. The prize she would obtain if, no, when she found a way back to her world.

"Lady Morrigan!" Gunna waved a hand in front of Rosa's face.

"Huh?" 

"I said that it's time to eat breakfast. You really must have slept badly. Poor child. I'll see if perhaps I can find some calming tea in the kitchen to help you fall asleep this evening," Gunna said and then took Rosa's hand. Her calloused hand was large and warm, and Rosa held onto it tightly.

Please, Gunna. Do not be like Faenor.

They exited the bedroom and then headed right across the hall to Alphegor's dining room. It was where she and Alphegor would eat breakfast every morning before the King had to go and do whatever it was that he did throughout the day.

Few maids were already dutifully standing in the dining hall, waiting for Rosa to arrive. Their expressions were unreadable, like always, but she couldn't help but wonder if any of them reported to Asdeus.

Could she bribe an existing maid to sell information to her? But these maids serve Alphegor too. Surely he would make sure that the staff closest to him are completely trustworthy.

Gunna helped Rosa get into her chair right where she always sat across from Alphegor, and then retreated. Gunna was not allowed to eat at the King's table, so she stood some way apart from the other maids, who never failed to show their disdain towards the dwarf woman.

"This morning we have a fire lizard egg omelet with dread herbs and black tomatoes," the maid who brought breakfast every morning announced and placed the plate in front of Rosa. This omelet was nothing like those on Earth.

Instead of a beautiful sunny color, these eggs were sort of purplish while the herbs were black. The flavor wasn't too different, but the fact that even food in the Underworld was in dark colors, spoiled Rosa's mood even further. She poked at one of the perfectly cut pieces of tomato, wondering if it was safe to eat. 

Asdeus would have no reason to poison me if she wants to get close to Alphegor, right?

Carefully, she nibbled on the tomato. It tasted the same as always so she dared to put all of it in her mouth. She continued eating slowly, making sure that nothing tasted any different from normal. In fact, it took her twice as long to finish.

"Is everything alright, Your Highness?" one of the maids asked once Rosa had pushed away the plate, indicating that she was done eating.

"Y-Yes. Everything is fine," Rosa replied nervously.

Do the maids suspect me now?

"If the food was not to your liking, you can always request the chef to make something else," the maid clarified, and Rosa relaxed.

Oh, she was talking about the food.

"No, it was tasty," Rosa assured her, and the maid bowed and took the dirty plates.

"Shall we go find Faenor and read some stories now?" Gunna helped Rosa get down from the chair. She almost tripped over her feet when the nanny mentioned Faenor. "Careful now, Lady Morrigan. We wouldn't want you to get hurt."

So Gunna doesn't know that Faenor is not here anymore. That means that she has no idea of what transpired yesterday. 

"Faenor… I don't think that he'll read for me anymore."

"Of course, he will! Did you argue with him? We can just find him and apologize if you said something mean," Gunna smiled and began gently pulling Rosa along.

"No, we didn't argue…" Rosa paused, wondering how to explain that Faenor wasn't even in the Underworld anymore. 

Maybe it's better that I pretend not to know anything.

"I am sure that whatever happened we can talk it through," the nanny said, and gently urged Rosa to follow her. With a heavy heart, she went along. Halfway to the library, they ran into an annoyed looking Azrael.

"Oh, Princess! You haven't happened to see your elf slave today, have you?" he asked, peering behind them as if Faenor could have hid behind their backs.

"No…" Rosa muttered, not daring to meet his gaze.

So Azrael doesn't know what happened to Faenor? Perhaps that means that he's not working with Asdeus. But then again, maybe she just hasn't told him. Just because they're working together, doesn't mean that they're friends.

"We were looking for him right now, actually," Gunna added, worry creasing her face. "Did something happen?"

"Yes, his slave roommates haven't seen him since yesterday," Azrael rubbed his temples in annoyance. "Really… All this ruckus for a slave."

Azrael turned to leave, then as if remembering something, he stopped and addressed Rosa, "Oh, there will be no magic lessons today. I have to solve this issue first. You can go straight to Lady Asdeus."

And then he was gone, muttering angrily.

"So what would you like to do now, Princess?" Gunna asked, looking somewhat uneasy.

Anything as long as it's far, far away from Asdeus.

"I'll go play with Haku," Rosa said, and the nanny nodded and fidgeted uncomfortably. She could already understand that the dwarf wanted to join the search for Faenor. "I can go on my own."

"A-Are you sure, Lady Morrigan?"

"I won't be alone. I still have my guards with me," Rosa assured although she wished she would be alone. 

"Well, alright," the nanny conceded, and with a last nervous glance in Rosa's direction, left the girl alone. Without a second thought, Rosa slipped into the shadows and ran outside of the castle, before the guards could even realize what happened.