Chapter 365: The Royal Palace - I
The worries of Asmodeus became a reality from the moment he thought they might play tricks on them, and they did! Originally, they were supposed to meet the Emperor first thing the next morning.
However, the royal elven knights told Asmodeus and his companions that the Emperor was tired and turned them away at the door. Not long after, a servant sent another message.
"So the emperor will only meet me and you, Ciela?" Asmodeus rubbed his chin, feeling irritated after having to stay at a crappy inn for the night because the Emperor never allowed them to stay inside Ar'Ciela's former palace.
"This place is so humid and annoying!" Erika complained while gazing at Ciela, Alice, Vinea and Asmodea, who all seemed unpleased.
"Even if your relationship is bad, we are from the kingdom of Grigor. He shouldn't treat both princesses and the duchess this way!" Erika growled, her aura flickering violently, before Asmodeus hugged her from behind, lifting the lovely woman off her feet. "Ahh... stop,, Asmo..." Erika protested.
"Erika, calm down. You should've learned by now that most elves aren't fans of human royalty." Velvet snorted, her lips curled into a twisted smile; she also felt annoyed, but somehow, watching Erika allowed her to calm down and think rationally. "Will we remain here another night?" Her question echoed, causing the other women to grind their teeth.
This cheap hotel wasn't a great place to get intimate, so many of them felt annoyed. After finally reaching the forest of the elves and camping on dirty nights, they wanted to bathe and spend a night with Asmodeus.
Only to be told there wasn't a bath in this hotel!
"Don't worry. Soon, a servant from Ciela's old palace will guide us there. Tonight, we will stay in her former palace," Asmodeus said in a calm, low voice. He knew how his women felt, and ever since becoming close to Velvet and Alice, his ability to understand them without being told specifically had improved considerably.
"Good! I wanted a shower so bad~ my body stinks of sweat!" Asmodea didn't hold back—being one of the most comfortable around Asmodeus, she didn't really mind a little dirt and even offered to pleasure him last night using her mouth. Sadly, he rejected her offer and refused the advances of any other women who suggested something similar. According to him, it would be impolite as he wasn't clean.
Though he knew Asmodea was a little perverted and liked a thicker scent, he still felt it was too much.
"Well, after the meal, you should all do as you want. Let's take a night to rest and recuperate fully." Asmodeus spread his arms with a wide grin to the women, who nodded happily.
Aki specifically turned red because, unlike his women, when she fought beside him and could smell her scent as a Foxkin, her much stronger sense of smell caused great embarrassment.
"Finally..." the fox muttered, normally used to all women bathing in the river... but after that river halfway through the forest. There wasn't another chance because of the elves escorting them.
The young fox girl turned to look outside, staring at the blue sky without white clouds. She sighed, "The kingdom of Grigor... I wonder what it looks like."
Since travelling with Asmodeus, Aki has seen more of the world, but the princesses of Grigor always speak of their kingdom and the beautiful sights. How they couldn't wait to show it to everyone... It made Aki happy that they spoke about wanting to take her to see their kingdom because she hadn't had many friends before.
A life of service as the knight who protected her cousin was the role of Aki's collateral family line. "Thanks to Lady Yumiko, I could come this far... my first time outside the forest. Hehe." She giggled in excitement as the other women glanced at her, warm smiles on their faces.
The women found the innocent fox very cute and fun. Unlike those who became Asmodeus's women, Aki was fun to tease and gentle—she always became lost when suddenly teased.
"Phew... sorry this trip wasn't so pleasant, girls." Asmodeus showed a bitter smile while sitting away from the woman, aware that he smelled like a beast right now.
"It's fine..."
"We got to eat so many different meats, haha." Velvet snorted while winking at the Demon King.
"I am happy to be with you, don't worry." Vinea said with slightly pink cheeks.
"Husband, I have some tea for you..." Asmodea sniffed the air the closer she got—at first, it wasn't obvious, but the moment she placed the tea down, he felt her nose close to his neck... 'Ah this perverted demon princess!'
However, they were both attuned to the sin of lust. Thus, they couldn't go against their body's desires and kinks.
"Huhu~ such a powerful scent." Asmodeus skipped away with a delighted face while humming.
. Your next journey awaits at empire
.
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Two hours passed, causing Ciela to become nervous and worried that the elves would keep treating them like this, but then a knock sounded on the door.
Knock-Knock—!
Before anyone could answer or allow them inside, the door opened, and an elf wearing a maid outfit appeared—she gazed into the room and took a breath before her face twisted slightly, a look of disgust. 'Well, elves love cleanliness after all...' Then she scrunched up her face and scowled at Asmodeus before gazing at Ciela for a moment.
"Princess Ar'Ciela, the palace is ready. Please allow me to escort you." However, disgust and dislike clearly lingered on her face. As the group left the inn, several guards and knights followed them, muttering and whispering insults.
One such person was Kukula, who wore regular clothing rather than her armour while leaning against a tree; she clicked her tongue loudly. "What the fuck? They didn't clean up! Gross!"
"You're right. I don't like how we were stuck with this duty. I mean, is THAT thing really the princess? That dirty thing? Her pure white skin is gone; now, she's fallen." One guard frowned as if he did not understand why he needed to guide such an unworthy princess.
'So this was his plan, huh?! to degrade her and maybe cause another issue.' Asmodeus narrowed his eyes, feeling his chest tighten as flames formed rapidly inside his core, ready to spew out and destroy this forest in a moment.
He clenched his fists before a soft pair of hands wrapped around his left hand—it was Ciela.
Her beautiful brown skin slipped along his fingertips as if to calm his trembling rage. "It's okay, Asmodeus. They are still my people..." she whispered. However, the next whisper made her body quiver, and her eyes became cold—like ice.
"Heh... it's because she spread her legs for that demon, isn't she probably knocked up by a demon and became a fallen slut?" This guard, a member of the imperial elite forces, said such things without even realising that he was standing in front of the Demon King.
However, Asmodeus didn't take action. The palace of Ciela came into view, and he didn't want to make things worse yet, at least for now. 'She is mine. If anyone tries to harm her or any of my women, I shall unleash hell upon all of them...' Even if Ciela begs me, if these bastards make her cry again!
"Hah... this is your palace, you know the way around right?" The maid with the poor attitude who had complained earlier spoke to Ciela with zero respect. There were many eyes in the halls leading to the huge silver spire twisting around a thick tree.
"Huhuhu... look! What the princess has become."
"The emperor should just put her down already..."
"She slept with that beastly man?"
The elves might have thought that being so far away, on the balcony, might have made them safe, but because all women who became part demon gained enhanced senses even further than their normal races.
None of the women who stood with Asmodeus missed the face, height and build of each person who spoke negatively.
'Idiots...'
"Well, that's fine, I will thank you for guiding us this far." Ciela didn't change her method and remained the same elegant and kind princess who didn't judge them for their crimes.
Not because she loved her people or was gentle and kind, but for her mother.
Ciela knew her mother wasn't in the palace at the time, but she was fighting against the demons to the northeast; she couldn't risk trouble right now, even though she wanted to skin all the arrogant and ignorant people alive.