CHAPTER 33: DEVILS

Viktor turned to Lilith, finding her already staring at him. "Are you alright?" he asked.

Lilith nodded, offering him a small smile, though she could still feel the lingering sting on her cheek as she did. "Thank you," she said sincerely.

"You are welcome. Allow me to introduce myself, I am Rune Viktor Theron, an old acquaintance of the prince and the Duke of Burghling," Viktor explained.

Lilith glanced away for a moment. There was something about his deep blue eyes that made her lower her guard an unusual reaction, considering she had only just met him and knew nothing about him. What unsettled her even more was the fact that their eyes were the exact same shade. Looking into his gaze felt eerily like staring into her own reflection.

"That’s wonderful, Lord Rune. It is a pleasure to meet you." Lilith offered a polite bow.

"Please, I would prefer Viktor. That’s what my friends and family call me—Rune sounds far too formal," he said with a light chuckle.

Lilith narrowed her eyes slightly. "But I am neither your friend nor your family," she stated, to which he simply smiled.

"Not yet. But we will become friends eventually," Viktor said with quiet confidence. "Tell me about yourself?" He crossed his arms over his chest, his posture relaxed, yet his gaze intent, as though genuinely interested in her response.

Lilith hesitated for a moment before answering. "I am Lilith Sherburn. I am... was from Eryndor. I serve as a maid attending to the prince. He saved my life twice, and now, I suppose, I owe him mine." She ended with a small, fleeting smile.

"Wonderful. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Lilith." A brief silence passed before Viktor spoke again. "I was about to take a walk in the garden. Would you care to join me?"

Lilith hesitated. She wasn’t sure what his intentions were, but it was just a walk—harmless enough. "Alright," she agreed.

Viktor nodded in approval before leading the way out of the dining room, his strides slow and measured so she could easily keep pace. For the first few minutes, they walked in comfortable silence, the evening breeze cooling the air as they took in the beauty of the garden.

"What do you know about demons, Lilith?" Viktor asked, his question catching her off guard. She blinked at him in confusion.

"Well... I don’t know much," she admitted. "I guess they are workers of the devil? But I’m not totally sure." She let out a nervous chuckle.

"You’re not entirely wrong," Viktor said, his tone calm yet unreadable. "Demons serve Lucifer, the King of Hell. Among the demons, two brothers stood above the rest, Azazel, the eldest, was Lucifer’s right-hand, while his younger brother, Asmodeus, served as Hell’s gatekeeper. They were the most powerful devils after Lucifer himself... until one betrayed him by becoming a traitor, and the other had a forbidden affair with an Arnix, a witch from a powerful coven."

"As punishment for their defiance, Lucifer cast Asmodeus into the Soul of Darkness for eternity, while Azazel was stripped of his power and banished from Hell forever." Viktor’s voice was steady as he spoke, his gaze fixed on the distant horizon, lost in thought.

Lilith frowned, her unease growing. Why was he telling her this? And what did any of it have to do with her?

"I don’t understand," she said hesitantly. "Why are you telling me this?"

"I know that you are a witch, Lilith," Viktor said, his voice firm. "You have powers that are yet to be unlocked. I want you to awaken them as soon as possible and fulfill the purpose for which you were brought here."

Lilith’s breath hitched. "And what is that?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. "What is the real reason I was brought here?"

Viktor’s expression remained unreadable. "To break the curse of a powerful god," he replied vaguely.

"A curse?" Lilith’s brows furrowed. "What curse? I still don’t understand what you’re saying."

"You will, soon enough," Viktor assured her. "But for now, we must focus on unlocking the full potential of your powers. Tomorrow morning, the prince’s uncle will summon you for the first stage of your training."

Lilith’s mind swirled with questions. She was supposed to break a curse, but she knew nothing about curses, let alone how to break them. What exactly was cursed? The castle? A hidden royal? Or...perhaps the king himself? She had never seen the king, nor had anyone ever spoken of him in her presence. Could he be the one trapped under some ancient spell?

Before she could voice her thoughts, a guard jogged toward them. He offered a respectful bow to Viktor before turning to her. "The prince calls for you," he announced. "He wishes to see you immediately."

"You should go. We shall continue our conversation later," Viktor said with a small smile.

Lilith nodded, returning the smile before making her way back into the castle. She had assumed the prince wouldn’t call for her today, yet here she was, summoned again. On her way, she picked up a broom and dustpan, just in case he wanted his chambers cleaned.

As she stepped into the room, she immediately noticed that it was empty, at least, almost empty. Something small and black was curled up on the prince’s bed. Lilith narrowed her eyes, taking cautious steps forward. Only when she was close enough did she realize it was a black cat, its eyes closed in what seemed like peaceful sleep.

Letting out a quiet sigh, she shook her head. She had half-expected something far more sinister. But still, a cat? She had never known the prince to have pets, and if he did, how come she had never seen it before? Or was it a stray that had somehow found its way inside? That seemed impossible, the prince’s windows were too high for a cat to climb through.

Deciding to leave it undisturbed, she turned to exit the room when she suddenly heard a faint mumbling sound, like someone talking in their sleep.

Lilith froze.

She ignored it at first, brushing it off as her imagination. But then it came again, a low murmur, the words indistinct yet undeniably there. Fear crept up her spine. She was certain the room was empty. She had checked. So where was the voice coming from?

Her eyes shifted to the cat on the bed, which was stretching itself lazily. Gripping the broom tightly, Lilith took cautious steps forward, then hesitantly poked its stomach with the broom’s bristles.

The cat stirred slightly, its mouth moving as it mumbled once again.

Lilith stiffened, she had heard correctly, the voice was coming from the cat. Swallowing hard, she poked it again, this time a little harder.

The cat’s eyes suddenly snapped open, locking onto hers. Purple eyes stared into blue ones. Both of them shrieked in surprise.

Without thinking, Lilith swung the broom and smacked the cat, sending it tumbling to the other side of the bed with a loud thud.

"Ouch! What is wrong with you? Are you crazy?" the cat groaned, rubbing its side.

Lilith’s grip on the broom tightened as she cautiously moved around the bed, her eyes widening in disbelief. Now that she could see it properly, she realized that while it resembled a cat, it wasn’t entirely one.

It stood on two legs, its form lean and upright. Its fur was thinner than that of a normal cat, revealing more human-like features beneath. It had no whiskers, and its limbs were longer and more defined, its fingers almost resembling a person’s rather than a feline’s. Lilith took a step back, her heart pounding. "What in the world are you?" she whispered.

"What is wrong with you, woman? How dare you disturb me from my blissful slumber?" it growled in anger, placing one hand on its waist and pointing a clawed finger at her.

Lilith’s eyes widened in disbelief. Without thinking, she stepped forward and smacked it again with the broom before quickly retreating.

The creature let out a yelp, stumbling back before glaring at her. "Will you stop hitting me?! That hurts, you know! Don’t do that again!" it snapped, frowning deeply as it rubbed the sore spot.

Lilith gripped the broom tightly, her pulse racing. "W-what are you?" she finally managed to ask, her voice barely above a whisper.

"I am Grim, the prince’s personal moggly," it answered curtly, folding its arms as it stared her down.

Lilith blinked, her mind struggling to process the situation. "This isn’t real... I must be dreaming. This can’t be real," she whispered to herself, squeezing her eyes shut and shaking her head. When she opened them again, she nearly screamed, Grim had moved closer, standing right in front of her. She jumped back, falling to the ground as she clutched the broom tighter.

Grim sighed, rolling its eyes. "Honestly, humans are so dramatic."