They dragged her through a dark, towering castle, its massive stone walls cold and foreboding. Shadows danced across the dimly lit corridors, and Lily's heart pounded in her chest as she was pulled deeper inside. Eventually, they stopped in front of a huge, imposing door. One of the demons by her side opened his grotesque mouth, his voice low and guttural.
"We've brought the princess."
From inside the chamber, a voice responded, cold and commanding, sending a chill through her bones. "Enter."
The demon guards standing by the door moved with deliberate slowness, their claws scraping against the ancient wood as they pushed the heavy doors open. The demons holding her gave a rough tug, dragging her forward and then throwing her onto the cold, unforgiving stone floor.
Lily's hands splayed against the ground, the impact sending a jolt of pain through her already trembling body. She looked up, her eyes adjusting to the grand room before her.
The throne room was vast, ancient, and unwelcoming. The air was cold, filled with a sense of foreboding. Dark stone pillars lined the space, towering over her like sentinels, and everything was bathed in the dim glow of flickering torches. The stone floor beneath her was ice-cold, and the silence in the room was deafening.
At the far end, sitting atop an immense throne carved from what appeared to be solid black stone, was a man. Or at least, what appeared to be a man. He exuded an aura of dark power, his presence suffocating in its intensity. Flanking him on either side were tall, shadowy demon generals, their eyes gleaming with silent malice.
Lily's gaze slowly rose to meet the figure on the throne, and for a moment, her breath caught in her throat. The man—if she could call him that—was devastatingly handsome, in a way that was both mesmerizing and terrifying. His chiseled jawline and sharp features gave him an otherworldly beauty, but it was his eyes that unnerved her. They were black—pitch black—like the endless void of a night sky, and they seemed to swallow everything around them.
Two twisted horns protruded from his forehead, though one was broken, adding to his fearsome appearance. His dark hair fell loosely to his shoulders, unkempt but somehow adding to the air of danger that clung to him. He wore loose, dark clothes that hinted at his lean, muscular form, though his strength was more elegant than brutish.
Yet what struck Lily most was the look on his face—an expression of cold indifference, almost boredom, with just a hint of cruel amusement glinting in his eyes. He looked down at her as if she were a curiosity, something weak and fragile that had stumbled into his domain by mistake.
Meanwhile, the Demon King was calculating. As he gazed down at the trembling human princess, his mind worked swiftly. A human princess… so fragile and utterly out of place here. He allowed himself a moment to assess the situation. She had no power, no strength—just fear. But fear could be useful. 'She might be a valuable pawn, after all…'
The silence stretched for a moment, heavy and oppressive, before the Demon King finally spoke. His voice flowed through the room like ice, smooth and dark, sending a shiver down Lily's spine.
"Why were you running through the forest at night?" His lips curled ever so slightly, as if he found the situation mildly amusing. "Shouldn't you be smelling flowers in your little palace?"
Lily remained silent at first, her throat dry and her body shaking. She had no idea how to respond, fear rendering her momentarily speechless. But under the weight of his cold gaze, she felt she had to say something—anything.
"I... I was f-fleeing," she stammered, her voice small and shaky.
The Demon King's expression didn't change, though for the briefest of moments, Lily thought she saw something flicker in his eyes—a glimmer of detached understanding, as if he knew exactly what it felt like to want to escape. But just as quickly as it appeared, it vanished, replaced by his usual coldness.
"I see… how amusing," he said, his voice laced with mockery. "You might be more useful than I thought."
With a wave of his hand, he signaled the demons beside her. They moved quickly, seizing her by the arms and dragging her away, back into the shadows. Lily's heart pounded in her chest as she was pulled out of the throne room, but her mind remained fixated on that brief moment—the look in his eyes. It had been fleeting, almost imperceptible, but she had seen it.
It didn't make sense. He was a demon, the ruler of this terrifying place, and yet for a second, he had looked at her as if he understood her fear, her desire to run away.
But whatever that moment had been, it was gone now. And she was once again powerless.