CHAPTER 41: MOGGLY

"Me? Why me? This woman assaulted me, twice!" Grim grumbled, hands planted on its hips as it glared at Lilith. "And now you want me to babysit her?" It huffed, closing its eyes and shaking its head in disbelief, only to realize the prince and Viktor were already gone.

"Can I ask you a question?" Lilith broke the silence, watching the moggly pace lazily back and forth near the bed.

"No!" Grim snapped instantly, making Lilith nod and glance away in silence.

A beat passed before Grim sighed. "Alright, what do you want to ask?"

Lilith nearly jumped when she turned and saw the moggly now sitting at the edge of the bed, a broad, mischievous smile stretched across its face.

"I... I thought you weren’t interested in what I wanted to ask," she said, raising a brow at him.

"Don’t push your luck, Lilith. I’m giving you one chance, ask whatever it is and stop bothering me," Grim replied sharply. It’s eyes flicked to the movement of her leg, narrowing into a glare. "And do not hit me again."

Lilith shifted, crossing her legs beneath her. "I won’t hit you... as long as you don’t come near me. I promise."

"As if I would want to come near you," Grim scoffed. "You know, back in the underworld, I was quite the popular figure. Feared, respected... But ever since I was dragged into this pathetic world, no one treats me with an ounce of dignity." It let out a long sigh.

Lilith narrowed her eyes. "So, what are you? And why can you talk?" She questioned, ignoring its previous words.

"The same reason you are able to speak. And like I told you before, I’m a moggly," Grim replied, brushing its whiskers with its fingers.

"What is a moggly? How come I’ve never seen anything like you before?" Lilith asked, curiosity flashing in her eyes.

"A moggly is a creature gifted to a demon at birth or creation. When Master Hades was born, I was given to him as a companion and servant. Every demon has a moggly, we’re blood-tied. Only our master can control us. And besides," he added with a smug grin, "I can choose who gets to see me. So, if you’ve never seen a moggly before, it’s probably because we didn’t want you to."

"Do you have powers? What special things can you do?" Lilith asked, her eyes scanning the small creature intently.

"Oh, I do have powers. Quite a few, actually," Grim said with pride. "For instance, I can turn into you if I wished to." His smile widened mischievously.

"What do you—" Lilith’s mouth hung open as Grim slowly transformed into a human. Not just any human... her. Wearing the same dress and hairstyle, it was like staring into a mirror. The only difference was the eyes, instead of her blue ones, Grim’s were a piercing red.

"Good day, everyone," Grim said in a high-pitched, mocking voice. "My name is Lilith, and I’m a girl who enjoys hitting poor, beautiful creatures that never did anything to deserve such violence." It batted its eyelashes dramatically.

Lilith pressed her lips into a thin line. "That is not how I sound."

"If you ever listened to yourself, you’d know that’s exactly how you sound," Grim retorted before morphing back into its original form. "I can transform into anyone I want, except Master Hades. It’s forbidden for a moggly to take on their master’s appearance."

It tilted its head slightly. "So, what else do you want to know?"

Lilith was truly amazed and shocked by what she had just witnessed. A creature that could speak and take on the appearance of others, that sounded dangerous. But then again, she noticed that even when it transformed into her, it hadn’t changed its eye color. Perhaps a moggly couldn’t alter its eyes to match the person they were imitating.

"Does your eye color ever change?" she asked.

"No, it doesn’t. We can’t change our eye color," it replied before climbing down from the bed.

A moment of silence followed, Lilith’s mind swirling with questions and thoughts. "Can I ask you about your master?"

Grim paused for a split second. "Depends on what you’re asking. I can’t share important details about my master with you or anyone else, so I’ll only answer a few questions," it replied.

She nodded in agreement. "I understand. I will only ask a few questions."

"Very well then, what do you want to know?"

"How old is he?"

"He? Who is he?" Grim questioned, looking as though he hadn’t been paying attention.

"The prince, how old is he?" Lilith repeated, with an eye roll.

"Oh, yes. The prince, well, he is a year over three centuries," Grim replied.

Lilith’s eyes widened. "Three hundred years? The prince is three hundred years old?"

"Why do you look so surprised? What did you think he was—eighty?" Grim chuckled lightly.

"That’s... that’s a lot of years. What has he been doing all this time? He must have gotten bored at some point in his already long life, especially being all alone," Lilith replied.

"Alone? Master is never alone, he has me, me again, his friend, and his uncle. If anything, he enjoys his life quite well," Grim explained.

"That’s not possible. He didn’t even get married or have children of his own," Lilith added.

"Children? Master doesn’t want any of those, nor does he desire a lover or wife. You wouldn’t understand, but love is far from Master. He has never craved it, and I doubt he ever will. He seems perfectly content as he is," Grim explained.

"Do you truly believe that?" Lilith inquired.

"I see no reason not to," Grim responded.

"Will he just rule Valyron forever? Is he immortal? Will he die?"

"If he wishes to rule Valyron forever, then that would be his decision. As for immortality, I cannot give you a response. It is against my oath to my master," Grim replied honestly. "I think that’s enough talking for today. I’m going to lay here for a few minutes, and you’ll stay over there. Let’s wait in silence until Master returns. Can you do that?" it questioned.

Lilith nodded in agreement, adjusting her posture as she stared out the window, gently tracing her finger along her arm.

~~~

Hades and Viktor entered the study, closing the door behind them with a heavy thud. Hades sank into the leather chair, while Viktor paced back and forth, his fingers running through his hair, his face twisted in worry.

"Trouble never seems to leave you, Hades, does it?" Viktor muttered, his voice strained. "The last thing we need right now is the Hae witches. Those women are fucking dangerous."

Hades leaned back, shrugging carelessly. "This has nothing to do with me. It’s not my fault their gods are too egotistical to handle having the tables turned on them."

Viktor flattened his hands onto the desk. "This is serious, Hades. The witches are coming for Lilith. Now that they know she’s the one who can break the curse, her life is in danger. Do you understand that? She’s not safe."

"I couldn’t care less about those damned witches," Hades replied, a cold smile curling on his lips. "I admit they’re dangerous, but so am I. The little witch is under my protection, and I am more than capable of keeping her safe. You have nothing to worry about."

Viktor sighed, conceding. "You’re right." He paused, looking uneasy. "I heard from Lucian that Erick and his assistant were attacked last night."

"Attacked? Are they dead?" Hades asked.

"Unfortunately, Erick’s body was found at the entrance. His assistant is badly wounded but still alive," Viktor answered.

"Can she say who attacked them?" Hades asked, his eyes narrowing.

"Her jaw was broken, so she can’t speak for now. The physician said it might take months for her jaw to heal, and even longer before she can speak again. The poor girl is traumatized, still in shock from what happened," Viktor explained.

"Was anything stolen from the hut?"

"Nothing was stolen. It makes me wonder why they were attacked in the middle of the night. Erick’s house is protected by a spell, making it nearly impossible for anyone to break in. After inspecting the house, it was clear there was no forced entry. Erick or his assistant must have trusted whoever was at the door enough to open it," Viktor added.

"We shall pay the assistant a visit. If she cannot speak, she can surely write down the name of whoever attacked them," Hades suggested. "I’ve given the Book of Whispers to my uncle, he will know when the little witch is ready to use it."

"Lilith, Hades. She has a name. Why do you keep calling her ’little witch’?" Viktor questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"She is little, and she’s a witch. Besides, I don’t hear her complaining. She must be fine with it," Hades replied, waving his hand dismissively. "Now, I am going to break a few bones." Hades rose from his chair and strode elegantly out of the study.