The surface of the door oozed like a hag’s cauldron.

    Ringed with flames, nothing could be seen within it but a black swamp, disturbed only by the occasional bubbles and also a twig which Coppelia tossed at it. The twig was tossed back out, punted by an armoured boot. And so came my next uninvited guest for the day.

    A towering figure encased in scaled armour.

    Sanguine and gold was the theme. A warrior boasting a beaked helmet topped with a plume of burning feathers. There were pauldrons in the shape of brilliant wings. Gauntlets smothered with rings. And a cuirass inscribed with the image of a phoenix.

    Most of all, however, were the armoured scales flaking away like burning embers.

    Naturally, I was horrified.

    Why … it was moulting!

    Like a common pigeon! Except it wasn’t feathers which littered my kingdom! It was … things! All of which needed to be tidied away before a passing horse ingested it!

    “The Ashen Duke,” echoed the succubus from behind her flaming door. “Master of the Smouldering Cycle. Ruler Of Mzerydon. Heir to the Seventh Plane of the Unyielding Flame. President of my fan club.”

    The armoured figure offered a nod.

    The door used as a portal burned merrily away, and yet the meadow only dimmed, cowed by the partially flaming armour which shone brighter than whatever hellish forge had crafted it.

    Thus, I acknowledged the new arrival with a polite smile … just before turning to the door with an appropriate look of overwhelming exasperation.

    I had no doubt the succubus could see it.

    “Excuse me?! … Did you just summon a demon duke in my kingdom?!”

    “This isn’t a summon,” came the reply, the tone defensive. “Merely an invitation. The Ashen Duke is my longest admirer. He won the grand prize lottery for a handshake meeting with me.”

    I didn’t bother hiding my groan.

    Succubuses.

    They were like baronesses if given actual power. Oh yes, they claimed they only wanted less taxes and maybe a pony from the royal stables–but this is exactly what would happen instead!

    A titled demon invited just to harass me!

    “Well, can you not have this meeting elsewhere? … This is highly inappropriate! I’ve enough regular nobility from the depths already inconveniencing me!”

    “My apologies. But I cannot match the sword of a princess who can bring down a wyvern. In fact, I’m worse at anything involving physicality than I am at dancing. That’s quite the claim. To call upon helpers is the best I can do.”

    “This is not a helper! This is a fire hazard!”

    “Rest assured, the Ashen Duke is very meticulous. Just like his handwriting in the 17 daily letters he sends me. He’s bound to one task and one task alone. And that’s to prevent your passage.”

    “Uwaah~” Coppelia nodded as she took in the adversary she’d be helping me with … despite the fact she was now several steps behind me. “You’d never tell he sends 17 letters a day. He looks like the guy you fight only after beating up all the other guys before him.”

    “You see? My loyal handmaiden who will blink twice if she’s tactically separating herself from me speaks truly! This is hardly a common goon! Can you not obstruct me with a flaming fruit slime?”

    “I don’t have access to any flaming fruit slimes.”

    “Well, I suggest you begin looking! Doorstops summon checklists, not dukes! … This is clearly a discrepancy! I demand you call upon something more appropriate!”

    “The Ashen Duke is chivalrous. An exceptionally rare trait where he comes from. I promise he’ll offer you the least painful defeat you could reasonably ask for, and in the process, save you from meeting the certain agony which awaits beyond this point. Believe me when I say I’m doing you a favour. Only doom lies ahead.”

    The duke stood still and tall, the moulting scales of his flaming armour enthusiastically waiting to do me a favour in the way scorching heat famously did.

    “All I need from him is a visitor’s permit,” I said pointedly. “Something everybody is lacking these days. Fortunately for both you and him, there’s a queue. I shall therefore make a suggestion. You open your door, close your eyes, and I go offer the boot of authority to whatever gnat holds you against your will.”

    I waited for the door to open.

    It didn’t.

    “A very generous offer,” said the succubus after a pause. “But one I cannot take. My eyes might close, but not those of the audience. There are worse things than demons in this world. And they are not for a princess to see.”

    All of a sudden, the waiting duke stirred. sea??h thё ηovёlFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    The flaming plume upon his helmet moved like a snake coming to life. It slithered into his waiting gauntlet, twisting and narrowing, before taking the shape of a sword much like my own.

    There the duke stood, his newly wrought weapon held upright against his chest.

    He spoke no words. But none were needed.

    I recognised this stance at once.

    A traditional fencing salute … and so I offered the appropriate response.

    “No,” I said with a jab of my finger. “Perhaps chivalry has a different definition outside of this kingdom, but here, princesses do not duel with dukes.”

    The armoured figure offered a bow.

    It was the only warning I received before my unwanted opponent dived forwards. Not with a sloshing glass of wine. But with a sword lashing with ravenous flames. And so all I could do was groan.

    Ughhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

    The nearby sign was wrong.

    This wasn’t where a witchly village was. It was a graveyard where decorum had gone to be buried.

    Why, it was one thing to be challenged like a squire woken from a hedge, but for that challenge to be issued by foreign nobility was so beyond expectation that my etiquette tutor’s magical phantom was once again exploding!

    Indeed … the rules were clear!

    If any nobility wished to stab me, then it was to be done via an assassin hiding in a birthday cake or a maid whose sleeves were weighed down by a knife!

    “–Absolutely not!”

    Thus, the light which had dimmed throughout the meadow returned as Starlight Grace left my side.

    It was enough to demand the flaming duke’s caution.

    Clearly remembering his station, he immediately checked himself, heels digging into my soil. An intelligent gleam came from between his visor as he eyed me holding my sword.

    Then, he filled the distance between us with a lethargic thrust.

    A weak, taunting jab the likes of which my knights would take as an insult, for although the aim was true, the blade came as slowly as a book aimed towards my head.

    Pwiing!

    I duly obliged, whacking the sword aside with the disregard it deserved.

    The duke paused, his eyes widening as he took half a step back. His entire posture changed as he adjusted his balance, his profile narrowing and knees dipping.

    For a moment, all he did was silently regard me.

    Then ... with the confidence of one who’d never fought a princess with exactly half a fencing lesson before, he tossed his sword in the air.

    It flashed like a fiery baton, trailing a ribbon of embers over his head before returning to his hand now behind his back. And then he did it again. And again.

    That was still only the beginning.

    A twirl. A spin. A whirl.

    From one hand to the other, he juggled his flaming sword.

    As the blade twisted and turned, so too did his limbs. He pirouetted in a manner which my ballet tutor would offer a nod towards, before he then performed what was either a highly unique dance or an undiscovered form of communication.

    It was … well, somewhat impressive.

    He didn’t say anything, but he certainly didn’t lack for emotion.

    Indeed, as the duke came to a stop, it was only after all his finesse and talent had been proudly displayed for my judgement. His sword lowered in expectation of an answer.

    I thought for a moment.

    “5.5/10,” I declared as I raised Starlight Grace. “[Spring Breeze].”

    Pwoomph.

    A pair of eyes flashed with indignation before the flaming acrobat was invited elsewhere.

    To my surprise, he actually accepted–at least for a moment.

    Rather than crashing backwards into a rolling heap of infernal armour and sprained limbs, he accepted the delicate breeze, arms spread as his boots left the ground … and then continued leaving the ground as a pair of fiery wings erupted from his back.

    Fwoooooooosh.

    Every feather was practically melting, the embers dribbling like infernal snow as he rose.

    It made little difference.

    Beating his wings only a handful of times, he reached just high enough that nothing tossed could reach him … or indeed, to stop his sword from extending into a lance.

    He held his newly shaped weapon like a javelin above him as all notions of a fair duel were dismissed.

    But that was fine.

    After all, I never intended this to be fair–and neither did Coppelia.

    “[Moonlit Flutter]!”

    It was all the flying duke could do to turn his lance against the coming scythe and excited smile.

    He failed to block either.

    Gleaming amidst its own shadow, the scythe swept cleanly through the infernal weapon before separating both a pauldron and a wing. A silent cry wailed as the duke plummeted back down to the ground. But not without a say in the matter.

    With just his remaining wing, he angled himself and exactly half a lance towards me, diving boldly like a flaming arrow–

    Booooomph!

    –only to dig a fresh crater as he fell woefully short.

    The duke became a tangled mess of limbs and armour leaking with fine streaks of flames.

    Even so, it was clear he didn’t wear the sigil of a phoenix for vanity’s sake.

    He twisted his elbows, ankles and neck back in place in much the same manner that I expected of my knights, before rising with scarcely a speck of dirt to show for it. The broken lance in his grip divided into multiple daggers as he approached, each held between his fingers like the claws of a lava wyrm.

    Still, if there was any hint of begrudgement over his tumble, he didn’t show it.

    His eyes were alight with a warrior’s eagerness as he raised his many blades in challenge … just before twirling them … crossing them … and also flipping them like salad in a mixing bowl.

    A highly concerning display. And not because I feared for my life.

    “Ooooooh~” Coppelia applauded, her scythe resting against her shoulder. “Not bad. That’s almost as much as I can do.”

    I nodded gravely … all the while adding a smattering of claps.

    Indeed, if this juggling demon duke saw fit to entertain his adversaries, then he was undoubtedly confident of surviving as many falls as could be arranged.

    Clearly a problem.

    To refuse to be defeated was an even greater breach of protocol than this already was.

    After all, nothing was worse than insisting upon a princess’s time. Except perhaps this overwhelming lackadaisicalness in trying to murder me. If he wasn’t going to fall over, then he at least needed to make good on his own challenge towards me.

    That was the least of expectations. For when it came to the subtleties of murder, demons were hardly known for their sense of restraint.

    So much so, in fact, that it was plain this was more show than substance.

    “Ohohoho … very well, I understand now.”

    The duke blinked.

    His circus display came to a pause as he stared at the sight of my smile, and in the process, demonstrated exactly what the appropriate conduct was.

    “My dear,” came the succubus’s voice. “I’m not certain what you believe you understand. But it isn’t the wisdom of remaining where you are. You should heed the Ashen Duke’s flames and turn. For beyond it is a darkness which will consume your nightmares.”

    “Is that so? Then I’ve nothing to fear. I’ve already survived the darkness–and it came in the form of ink written on a certificate which my loyal handmaiden repeatedly assures me she’s destroyed.”

    Coppelia whistled, suddenly interested in an ordinary daisy.

    I pursed my lips.

    Another conversation. Another day.

    “... With that said, to turn and flee is simply unacceptable. This is my kingdom. And the only direction I go is forwards. Or wherever my horse takes me.”

    A succubus’s groan of despair filled the air.

    Naturally, I understood why.

    She was currently a doorstop. Before that she was a door. Only trolls envied her career progression. And now she was forced to impede the only person with enough functioning limbs to assist her.

    For her to escape was truly the finest riddle anybody could offer.

    But no riddle came without an answer. And I was more than a princess.

    I was also a genius.

    Ohhohohohohoho!!

    Why, there was a simple way for her to escape her duties … and that was to ensure no door remained to be guarded!

    Indeed, where others saw obstacles, I only saw a flimsy piece of wood!

    However, while every door related problem could be resolved with a Coppelia sized solution, it was hardly enough to kick this one down, wasn’t it?

    The juggling and the showmanship hadn’t been without purpose.

    It was to offer me plentiful cause to flee while still making sure no boos were hurled from the audience. A high level of effort needed to be displayed in shooing me away. Otherwise, complaints written in infernal scripture would likely turn the succubus into a fruit slime.

    A perilous dance. She was offering her kindness despite the role she needed to play. That was an act of graciousness. And as a princess, I didn’t intend to let such cordiality go unanswered.

    Thus … it was time for my acting to blossom!

    “Very well, then,” I said, placing my hand to my chest. “I see you intend to fulfil the terms of your contract. You’ve called upon your most steadfast champion. The Ashen Duke is a foe who would drive the fear into any knight. His prowess with a sword is undeniable. It’s clear that to risk his ire would mean my end.”

    “My apologies. I understand you wish to do well. But I speak the truth when I say this is preferable to any outcome where you would pass me.”

    “Indeed, I can see you’ve earnestly attempted to stop me. I’ve now utterly no choice. I must use all my strength as a princess in order to achieve victory. In short … I can no longer hold back.”

    Only a stunned silence answered as I raised my sword.

    But nothing else needed to be said.

    I understood my role … and that was to ensure the succubus suffered the dignity of a defeat so needlessly flamboyant that not a single accusation of slacking could be levelled against her!

    “... Eh?”

    I nodded confidently.

    “Indeed, I will now use my full strength,” I said, subtly enunciating every syllable as slowly as humanly possible. “My full strength. I will use a technique so powerful that even a demonic duke blessed with a phoenix’s endurance can do nothing but suddenly and inexplicably be defeated. The moment I strike, he will either mysteriously disappear or simply explode into nothingness. Do you understand?”

    Before me, the succubus’s chosen henchman suddenly leaned away.

    A glint of overwhelming concern appeared in his otherwise fiery demonic eyes. And maybe also pure confusion.

    I nodded in satisfaction.

    As expected of someone who could mildly amuse a princess with his circus skills. His acting skills could put the seasoned veterans of the Royal Arc Theatre to shame.

    Why, given his reaction, anyone would think that he didn’t understand my perfectly clear but also veiled instructions!

    Thus, I assumed the pose of a trained ballerina–and then I began to twirl.

    No differently than when I was upon the stage, I swept around, a symbol of grace and elegance even as my long hair smacked against my own face. I went on regardless, hands and feet delicately angled.

    Just like each time I stood upon the stage, all the world stopped to watch.

    The cry of birdsong turned to silence, and for a moment, all that could be heard was the sound of an audience gasping in silence … plus my melodic laughter.

    “Ohohohohohohho … rejoice, for I shall offer a dance so vivid that even the stars may recall it, so follow this silver path beneath a melody of light. Hear the song of the seasons, blooming as dawn upon the wind.”

    I swept my sword around me as I would a ribbon, allowing the light to flare.

    “Celestial Starlight Form, 2nd Stance …[A Dreaming Cadence, A Lasting Reverie].”

    I closed my eyes.

    Within a single breath, I spun without end, Starlight Grace painting lines in the air as I offered my finest display for all the world to judge.

    Then, as my movements slowly came to a still, I opened my eyes to the sight of an evening unfettered by any darkness. The fresh shafts of golden sunlight poured upon the meadow, illuminating the leaves which drifted from the branches of every tree.

    As the forest offered its admiration, so too did those around me.

    Coppelia’s wild applause filled the air, joined by an odd croaking from the succubus as she sat upon her bed of flowers while wearing every shade of disbelief.

    The door which had been her prison and her shackles was now gone. As was her loyal admirer, his flames having returned to where they were more needed.

    Playing the role of the utterly defeated, the succubus then gingerly patted herself down as though searching for a wound. She found only the drifting leaves instead, each proceeding to guide her as she crawled to the edge of her tiny garden.

    She reached out and poked the grass like a tabby cat swiping at the hem of a dress.

    A pause and a wince later, her mouth widened as she didn’t instantly turn into a fruit slime.

    And then–she did what anyone released from the clutches of an unvarnished door would do.

    She rolled.

    “Aahhhhh~” she said, collecting the grass upon her dress and hair. “Omnidirectional movement! It’s … It’s so wonderful!”

    With a look of overwhelming joy, the succubus rolled to and fro, caring little for the way her hair messily unravelled.

    Only when it was beyond saving did she sit up again, catching the falling leaves in her palms.

    They all came together as a collage of green, sprinkled with the odd budding peony and iris somehow lifted from their homes. The gift of both spring and summer.

    Then, she turned to happily show them to me.

    “Thank you,” she said with a smile more innocent than any succubus had ever made.

    I nodded in acknowledgement.

    It was a simple, but heartfelt moment of gratitude.

    Which was great. But also not enough.

    “The colours of my kingdom are there to be enjoyed,” I said as I waved away the drifting leaves attacking my face. “I’m delighted you see the beauty in them ... provided that you paid the appropriate fees, of course. I remind you that official documentation is required for sightseeing.”

    The succubus paused.

    She waited for me to smile in jest. I didn’t.

    “Oh,” she said, blinking. “But I’ve been a door.”

    “Excuses are irrelevant. If you wish to see more of this fair and gentle land where nothing bad ever happens, then a permit is needed.”

    “I don’t have a permit … should … should I be leaving?”

    “That depends on whether or not the talent I see can be nurtured. Would you like to improve upon your gardening skills?”

    The succubus blinked, then leaned slightly away.

    “... Maybe?” she said, with all the caution I ever received when I made a generous offer.

    “Excellent. Can you pour tea?”

    “Well, yes. I’m a courtesan.”

    “Wonderful. Then I shall offer you training as a prospective maid.”

    “Excuse me?”

    “You shall be under the guidance of the Royal Villa’s most merciless staff, whose idea of morning is 2 minutes before dawn rises. It will be a brutal experience, not helped by the delicious … I mean, the debilitating amount of chaos you will personally cause when our guests forget their marriage vows in order to impress you. In return for this service, however, you may have your own garden in the courtyard which I’ll personally help supervise.”

    I paused.

    “... You will also have a salary. And sometimes free cake.”

    The succubus simply stared at me.

    After a moment, she looked back at the ashes of her door, then gave a hum.

    I took that as a yes.

    “Welcome to the Kingdom of Tirea,” I said with a bright smile. “And remember when anyone asks–I did nothing wrong.”