The only thing that would have made tea time better would have been a healthy serving of digestive biscuits to go along with the tea. He made a mental note to teach a future chef a basic recipe, so all would be able to discover the simple pleasure of enjoying a nice cuppa with a biscuit.
Emma led Azazel to the barn behind the cottage, where the cows and chickens were kept. Unsure of what she wanted, he blindly followed her.
"This is the only spot tall enough for you," Emma stated with an evil grin.
Azazel side-eyed her. He shrugged, then took a spot in the corner, on top of the hay bales.
"Satisfactory," he muttered. If he didn't know better, he would have thought she was purposely mocking his previous king status.
Leaning back, Azazel shut his eyes. He was taken aback when she approached him and smelled him. Perilously near to him, she sat down atop the bale of hay. His demonic entity would have taken advantage of the circumstance if he hadn't developed a strong sense of self from his previous life.
"I'm sure Granny couldn't hear us from here," he opened one eye, grinning at her.
Emma whopped him over the head. "Stop having weird thoughts."
Feisty, my kitten.
He didn't dare speak that out loud.
He sighed and closed both eyes again. It wouldn't be long before he would be forced to get off his ass and go find ways to make the kingdom a bit more lively, but he had no clue where to start.
"Any idea where to...recruit?" He spoke as if he needed to use a gacha to gain more units in a mobile game.
Emma scratched her chin and shrugged. "There is a carpenter who lives alone in the mountains."
A carpenter living in the mountains seemed unproductive, but a good place to start.
"Have you ever met this man?"
"No."
That got him essentially nowhere. Even so, he knew he would need to proceed to the mountains. With his new sense of smell, surely he could sniff out a carpenter, or three, alone on a mountain. His first task would be to restore the palace to its former glory. A barn was no place for a duke of his pedigree. A carpenter would be necessary for the task.
"So much work," Azazel muttered.
Emma grabbed his cheeks and pulled on them. "Maybe you just aren't cut out to be a duke."
Azazel stared at her blankly.
"Of course I am."
Emma let go of his cheeks and pressed her nose against his, causing him to profusely blush for only the second time in this, er, both his lives. "What makes you so sure?"
Azazel smirked and licked his fangs dramatically, causing Emma to immediately back away, as she didn't want to get caught in his lips. She wasn't concerned about the fangs.
"Maybe I used to be a king?"
Emma broke out in laughter, smacking her knee. "Very likely."
He would show her. After all, he was, in fact, a king, even if it sounded like a joke to her.
"Well, you are going to marry me soon, so even if King seems farfetched to you, I will be a dashing duke," he reminded her of the agreement between him and Granny.
Emma glared at him.
Azazel could tell he hit a nerve. "Come with me to the mountains tomorrow?"
Emma shook her head. "No, but I will have my brother come with you."
"Damn," Azazel sighed. The more time he had with her alone, the greater his chances of seduction.
"My brother is younger, but he knows this area well," she nodded, proud of her sibling.
"You seem sure about leaving your brother with a demon," he smirked.
"Trust me. You're the one I'd be worried about," she jumped up from her spot. "Goodnight."
Azazel sighed. "Night, already?" He peered out of the barn and noticed the stars twinkling above him. Before he could take a breath, Emma had already disappeared.
It may have been late, but he didn't feel any hint in his body that sleep would be approaching. Instead, he lay with his eyes closed for hours, waiting to drift off.
By morning, he realized demons didn't require sleep. It was convenient in a sense, but also a bore as there was no way to quickly pass the hours. Aside from the occasional pecks on his toes from a chicken, he was bored out of his mind.
The only thing he had to keep him company was his thoughts. He thought about how things could have been different if he hadn't met Elizabeth. He had bumped into her while he was with a group of friends after his coronation as King. Why she was allowed in such proximity remained a mystery, but looking back, he could see the warning signs from the moment they first met. She had love-bombed him. She must have been a serious narcissist or sociopath with the way she clawed herself into his life.
Azazel sighed as he sniffed out a new scent. It wasn't dainty and sweet-smelling. It was more akin to a thousand dirty jockstraps left in a hot gym.
When he opened his eyes, he saw probably the beefiest man he had ever witnessed. This man was probably eight feet tall and as wide as a truck. Was this Emma's brother?
I guess I do have a disadvantage if I wanted to sneak into the cottage to whisk away my prey.
Azazel stood up as Emma entered the barn. He looked from the beefcake back to Emma.
"Azazel, this is my brother," she snickered as she approached the future duke. "George, this is Azazel."
Why is his name George of all holy names?
Facepalming was starting to become a regular occurrence in Azazel's life.
"Charmed," he somehow gasped out from his exasperated state.
"..."
George #2 remained silent as he walked out of the barn.
With a sigh, Azazel turned to Emma. His gaze immediately softened as he saw her face up close. She was radiant in the mornings. Objectively, she was much more beautiful than his former wife.
Emma lightly blushed. "So..."
"So....?" He paused, then smirked. "Decided you want a romp in the hay before I leave?"
Emma frowned.
"I'm kidding..." Yet, he would have made it happen if she said yes.
"Watch out. If George hears you say those words, he may kick your ass."
"I shall handle the ass-kicking when the time comes for my kitten and me to unite as one," he stated, sure of himself.
Azazel made his way out of the barn with the small woman following close behind. He caught sight of George #2 again. Oh, right. George.
"So, George..."
"...."
Azazel watched as George marched onward, taking that as his cue to follow. Before he left, Emma ran up next to him and grabbed his hand. "Please be careful."
Azazel nodded, catching up to her brother.
The two of them walked with George leading the way. After hours of awkward silence, Azazel was starting to feel uneasy. He had never been around somebody not willing to engage him in conversation, so he felt he needed to take initiative.
"How old are you, George-boy?"
"...."
"Okay..." Azazel paused as they reached the base of the mountain. "Think we will have to trek up the mountain?"
"...."
Azazel scratched the back of his head and then petted his right horn. This trip was going to be a struggle for him if George #2 stayed silent the entire time. He attempted to rack his brain as they walked up the steep mountain trail.
Perhaps I am simply unliked, as Granny is going to marry off his sister to me. It was the only explanation he could think of.
As they made it further, Azazel could smell the scent of animals nearby. As he took in the aroma, his stomach began to rumble. Perhaps the bunny snack he consumed the previous day had exited his system and he needed a top-up. He hadn't had a shit, though. Maybe demons didn't shit? He didn't think it made sense a creature as enthralling as himself would ever have to take a shit.
He watched George #2 from the corner of his eye as he pinpointed the location of the scent. The welcoming gaze of a deer flooded his sight. Azazel figured he would catch up to the buff man later. For now, he needed to catch some prey.
Thankfully, a deer would not prove to be much more of a challenge than a bunny. As he stalked the deer, he began to wonder what difference a vampire and a demon ever had.
For one, the sun does nothing to me.
Before he could blink, Azazel found himself with his fangs sunk into the side of the deer, lapping up the sweet, gamey blood of the animal. Ah, it has much more to it than a bunny.
He felt George #2 decided to reappear next to him just to make things more awkward as he feasted. As he drank the animal's blood, the oversized man peered down at him.
Great, now Emma's brother is witnessing me in some monstrous ritual.
"Would you like a drink?" He didn't want to be rude while enjoying a feast. "There's enough to share with my future brother."
"...."
After what felt like an eternity, Azazel's BokeBall shook and sucked up the deer's carcass.
"Wonder how many animals this thing can hold?" He questioned as he watched George turn around and continue forward.
Azazel couldn't wait to summon the deer for Emma to see. Perhaps Granny would enjoy this zombie dear more than the bunny.
Getting rather bored just following George without conversation, he started his MP3 player back up. At least he had something to occupy his time. He wasn't sure how he had forgotten he had the device the night before when he was bored out of his gourd.
He listened to Scandinavian death metal as they ventured on. He snickered and thought it was a fitting tune to hear as he watched the hulk of a man walk in perfect sync with the beat of the song.
Azazel hummed to himself, hoping this wouldn't be a multi-day trek, as he would potentially go mad staring at this man that entire time.