'Hell needs a ruler, Náli,' Maê said.
I stared at her in confusion for a moment before grasping what she was saying.
'I can't rule Hell!' I half-screamed in panic.
'You're Samael's daughter,' She argued, 'If not you, then who?'
'But..' I tried to argue but I didn't know what to say. From a legal perspective, Maê was right. I had a direct claim to the throne as Samael's only daughter.
But I had never considered ruling Hell. My only priority had been to get rid of the lost souls and allow demons to be free even in death.
'We'll be there to advise you as your council,' Maê said, grasping my hand with her own.
It somehow gave me the confidence I needed as I found myself nodding in agreement, 'Okay, let's do it.'
We walked toward the demon master's balcony, which provided a perfect view of Hell.
The demons were gathered below and stretched on for miles upon miles. They were screaming amongst themselves, hooting and cheering. It was too noisy for me as I stared down at them all.
When they noticed me standing on the balcony, their roars got even louder. Every demon was shouting out their questions at me, I could barely make out what anyone was saying above the noise.
I took a deep breath and let a burst of fire explode into the air, saying, 'Quiet!'
Immediately, the noise subsided. I marvelled at the silence for a few minutes before I started.
'Hell has been unstable for quite a while now. My father- Samael, is partly to blame for that.'
I looked around at the crowd, as my voice grew confident, 'The reason for that is because he was never truly one of us. All Samael cared about was restoring his old position in Heaven. He never cared about Hell or any of its inhabitants.'
I took another deep breath as I continued, 'As a result, Samael had a lot of enemies. Including my mother, Azrael, and Asmodeus.'
'He never trusted any of us! His pride was his downfall and we had to suffer because of it!'
I was screaming at this point, saying, 'But no more! Hell needs a new ruler, someone who respects the domain and its people!'
Hoots and cheers followed my statement as I raised my fist into the air. I continued when the cheering quietened down, 'For this reason, a new ruler will be selected based on the demon's choice. Anyone can apply, as long as they've surpassed 500 years of agr. Beelzebub will be interviewing each candidate before we can progress to the voting stage. All demons of legal age are free to vote.'
This followed more hoots and cheers that echoed throughout Hell. I turned around with a steady smile on my face, and Maê returned it. Beelzebub, on the contrary, looked flushed, and I had an idea why.
I went over to him with a cheery smile and swung an arm around his back. He was so shocked that he toppled from the sudden movement.
But it brought him out of his reverie as he glared at me with a furious expression. I backed away with my palms in the air, wearing a sheepish expression.
I had seen Beelzebub angry only a couple of times and it wasn't pretty. He was an easygoing guy most of the time, so most people forgot that Beelzebub was a demon prince.
He was just as powerful as Samael and could turn you into a horde of bees with a snap of his fingers.
Right now, he looked close enough to turn me into bees.
But Maê came to my rescue as she stood in front of me and told Beelzebub, 'Oh, lighten up! You'll have Eurynome to help you out, considering he is the only member of the ex-council left.'
Beelzebub glared at her and pointed a sharp finger, 'You! You mischievous devil! It's all your fault. You've polluted Náli's mind.'
Maê started with an unsure smile, 'Uh, I-'
Beelzebub interrupted her, 'I know what you're up to! You can't fool me. I'm watching you, you little troublemaker.'
With that, he walked out of the room. My eyes followed him until he was completely out of sight. I turned back to Maê and found her smiling at me with pride.
'Oh, Náli!' She hugged me, and I said something like 'oomf' but it sounded muffled, 'You did great out there, I'm so proud of you.'
She looked at me with a beaming smile which made me feel nostalgic for a moment. It reminded me so much of Hála.
I think Maê noticed the expression on my face because her smile faded and she looked at me in worry, 'Are you okay?'
I nodded, trying to get my emotions under control, 'Yes. Yes, I'm okay. Sorry, I got emotional there for a second.'