The Cursed Prince

As Harlow continued to sob, the minutes passed by along with hours, and before she knew it, the barren wasteland was now engulfed in darkness. When she raised her head, she felt her heart stuck in her throat.

It was already late.

The night sky was dotted with several stars gleaming. It was a beautiful sight but that wasn't what had pulled Harlow away from her thoughts and grief. Goosebumps filled her entire skin as she saw the incoming group.

"No. No." Harlow choked back and threw a look at Icecube to see if her ice dragon could also see them. Icecube rose and unfolded his wings as the incoming people approached her and that told the princess more than enough.

She wiped her tears and prepared herself. With one swift motion, she took out the blade from her waist and got ready to defend herself.

An entire army of unexplainable hideous creatures appeared before her that made the princess step back with uneasiness. They seemed dangerous and could kill her in a heartbeat.

Each one of them was grotesque, disfigured, and filled Harlow's heart with dread. However, she didn't show fear on her face.

"Stay back!" Harlow shouted and watched the entire army halt at her voice. If all else failed, and they attacked her… she still had that jade bracelet to summon Raphael if she was in danger.

The princess tried to meet their gazes, but her stomach churned at the sight of them. They were ugly, twisted, and demented creatures that she couldn't explain at all. Demons still looked humanoid but these things?

Each time Harlow looked at them, their appearances changed and flickered into horrifying things. Their shapes were unnatural, their forms and sounds were too frightful as if they had come from a dark realm where the sun's light never once touched them at all. 

How had they managed to get this close to her?

Was there a realm even more dangerous than the demon realm? 

Harlow bit her lip and counted her chances of quickly boarding her dragon and then fleeing before they could touch her. 

Icecube paused close to her and flapped his beautiful dark leathery wings. A small gust of wind threw back several of the creatures back and Harlow quickly sheathed her blade and took her bow and arrows. She released one arrow as a warning. 

"Your Highness!" a voice called out to Harlow. "We mean you no harm and have searched for you when you didn't return at nightfall."

That was Beth's voice.

Harlow remembered it clearly and she paused uncertainly. When she looked at them… all she could see were monsters and she believed that in a heartbeat. However, now the princess hesitated and lowered her weapon.

Then raised it up again.

"Who are you, people?" Harlow asked again and there was a flicker of pain in her gaze as she looked at Beth. "Tell me something that only I would know. I can't trust… I don't trust what I see and hear."

Beth's expression softened and she glanced at Dorian who was standing beside her. She remembered their master had explained Harlow might be scared of them because in her eyes they looked like horrifying creatures.

This was something that Beth and her fellow servants didn't understand. However, they never questioned his words. Even after working for the demon king for centuries, they realized they still didn't know much about him.

He could be gone for a long time and then go back to stay home in seclusion, and then he would disappear again.

He always returned alone, except this one time when he suddenly brought this strange guest who had been giving the servants a hard time because of how they had to tiptoe around her. She was Princess Harlow.

This princess always had this suspicious look on her and she didn't even show respect to their king. However, the demon king never seemed offended by this woman's behavior.

He told all the servants and guards to respect her and treated her like she was the lady of the castle.

Was she though? 

Did the demon king marry her during one of his travels and now he brought his wife home?

It didn't seem like it. Princess Harlow didn't act like a wife to Raphael, they didn't share a chamber and she seemed to always want to leave. Beth actually caught her sneaking around one night, going from one room to another.

Beth immediately reported what happened to Raphael because she wanted to look out for her master. What if this woman was a thief?

However, Raphael brushed it off and didn't confront Harlow about her behavior. He tolerated this strange woman too much. It was really hard to understand.

And today, before he left, Raphael explained to Beth that Princess Harlow apparently saw all of them as hideous and scary creatures and he had to use magic to fix her vision.

So, what did that make her? A crazy woman?

No, enchanted. The demon king said that Princess Harlow was enchanted. But... by who? And why?

So many questions filled the mind of the two maidservants. Seeing the fear in Princess Harlow's eyes and how she tried to act tough, slowly Beth felt her heart turn soft.

Beth thought this strange woman was actually not bad. She was probably having a really tough time, understanding her surrounding.

"My lady.. this is Beth and Dorian. We came here to bring you back to the castle," Beth said gently. "I know my appearance is hideous in your eyes, but it's because this barren wasteland is filled with wickedness. We call it the evil triangle. Once you return with us, you will see that I am really Beth, and this is really Dorian."

"His Majesty has tasked us to take care of you and that is why we have searched for you, Your Highness," Dorian added.

Harlow blinked and then reluctantly lowered her weapon, for real this time. If she couldn't trust what she could see… she could at least trust Raphael's people, right?

They may look scary, but from the moment she stepped her foot in the demon king castle, Raphael and his servants had been treating her well.. If they had any evil intention toward her, they would have done it already.