Hell’s Consort

New Chapter in Highest Tier (May 2021)

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Archdemon Empress Luna

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Their footsteps were a consistent percussion in the Summer Palace.

They climbed through the first staircase they see on the way up to search for  Princess Ourania's private floor and sneak into the chamber or the secret hallway King Oberon and Queen Titania mentioned where she displayed her paintings.

Luna and Apollyon would count themselves lucky if she were somewhere else. 

Both of them agreed about not leaving the Summer Palace until they witness the paintings.

This was also a chance to observe her and what was wrong with her without getting caught. 

Their loud and rhythmic steps as Apollyon and Luna walked in unison echoed in the silence as the sound bounced back from the walls with the colour of bright pastels and gold, which made the ambience more serene.

Her husband, gentleman that he was, insisted that he held her by the elbow like his child as they climbed to a couple more floors just in case she might take the wrong stride, 'slip and fall to the ground, rolling like a  tumbleweed in the desert.

It was a comical image Apollyon have supplied in her mind. Luna sighed, but she couldn't hide her amusement either, her lips curving upward.

There was no use arguing with her husband's logic when he had switched into this 'overbearing husband' persona in a snap of a finger. 

Luna and Apollyon were on board that Princess Ourania was horribly messed up, but they can't figure how much.

Despite that, Luna desired to stay on the Summer Courts.

She was determined to get her hands on the special fruit from the Tree of the Four Seasons in hopes of getting rid of this pestilence inside her—the Archdemon of Envy.

As she clenched her fists, her footsteps became heavier as her face scrunched up into a scowl, remembering how the bitch had dragged her and made her suffer in Hell.

How can she take her revenge and torment Lilith, as she did her?

Hopefully, this magic angel fruit can help her with that.

"Wife."

"Hmm?" Luna turned hummed without removing her gaze from the staircase, not noticing that her husband called her name a few times before she answered.

She was lost in her own thoughts, and this time, she made sure to protect them from Apollyon's interference.

"You angry again? I don't like to be ignored by my wife." Then Apollyon added, muttering to himself. "I was expecting you to seduce me by now so I'm not ruining your plans by looking into them." 

It was good that he made no attempts of mind-reading!

"Apollyon." Luna kept the nuance of her voice neutral so as not to alarm her husband. "What would you do if I tell you something about Lilith?"

Breathing hard from her anger, not by her exertion to climb the stairs while being pregnant, Luna was just relieved that the bitch didn't rise to the surface yet.

That delusional Archdemon didn't belong in her physical vessel.

The High Priestess Apollyon captured from the Spring Courts who created her own demon cult must have been strong to put Lilith to sleep for a long time but not enough to exorcise her out of her vessel.

The question was…for how long?

Before she confessed to her husband about Lilith, she had to make sure that Princess Ourania wasn't a threat to the safety of their baby first. 

Apollyon took a deep breath before he asked rather sharply, "What about her?"

It was clear from his tone that her husband was pissed from hearing her cursed name. "As much as possible, I don't like her name to be mentioned. She was already out of our life and I made the necessary sacrifice. Done. Finito."

'You think it's the end, huh?' Luna let out a strained smile which made Apollyon's grip on her elbow tighten that she was forced to halt.

"What do you mean by that?"

"I will tell you later after we found the paintings." Luna walked closer beside him until their arms touched. "It is connected to that."

"Alright."Apollyon grunted. "I trust you."

She believed that a painting could be a tell-tale sign if the artist had gone mad that she wasn't safe to be around sane people.

In respect to her rude mother-in-law, Luna remained on the fence about her mental state because maybe, Princess Ourania was behaving like a spoiled child in the present after not being given the thing she wanted when she was younger.

It must have been a coping mechanism.

Luna would let it slide the first time and give her the benefit of the doubt. 

Her jaws were clenched as she gripped the balustrade. "The problems never end, husband."

"We will take them one step at a time." 

She bit her cheek and kept her mouth shut.

Apollyon must have thought she meant about climbing the stairs.

Nevertheless, his advice was well-appreciated. 

"This floor, Apollyon." This floor was lit in a soft golden glow as hand-painted rose petals were spread upon the walls. "I think this is something special."

Both of them passed by ivory statues of  King Oberon and the rest of the Summer Monarchs, including some people she didn't recognize dispersed around the Palace.

As she scanned her gaze from their thick-plated armour, she realized they look like soldiers.

Sentinels.

Heroes of the past.

Some sculptures were also made in praise of certain gods and goddesses Luna wasn't familiar with in vibrant colours. 

All things she has witnessed in this place looked ancient, but it stood its ground with ease so far.

Who knew if these statues would outlive the Monarchs for ages to come?

The hall was full of plants and flowers in bloom—a charming aesthetic that can feed the heart and soul of an art lover.

"The way this floor was designed… its screams 'a mad artist lives here' from the realistic sculptures she made."

Luna approached the first room right next to the stairs, bent over and peeked through the keyhole. 

A stream of light penetrated a darkened room revealing a solitary figure seated on a comfortable couch.