She Belongs To The Devil

Hans, the guard responsible for Lillian, walked down the dark corridor of the dungeon. He was carrying a lamp in one hand while he was holding a plate full of food in another. He was heading towards the cell at the end of the corridor where Lillian was being held captive.

When he reached his destination he slid his hand past the barrier, metal as well as magic, to slide down the plate inside the cell.

However, in the dim light of the lamp, he failed to notice that the witch was crouching down right beside the slot for the plates.

And he got startled when Lillian suddenly grabbed his wrist tightly.

"What do you think you are doing?" Hans shouted at Lillian and pulled away from the grasp of that witch.

Within the short duration of her prison stay, Lillian's black hair had already turned grey. The face which didn't have many wrinkles was now covered in them.

It was almost as if her magic was making her look much younger than her real age. And now that she didn't have any access to her magical powers, her beauty had been drained away.

Lillian cocked her head to the side and looked up at Hans from the corner of her eyes. And she asked in a feeble yet haughty voice, "Why are there so many food items today? Where are the usual bread and chickpeas?"

"Everyone is getting an upgrade in their food for today. Eat it quietly when the Palace is being generous enough to offer this food to you." The guard harshly replied to Lillian for trying to scare him.

Lillian mocked her own situation and replied in a monotone, "I already grew accustomed to the plain food. These lavish foods will only tease my taste buds."

And Hans also replied nonchalantly, "Either you eat what I am offering you, or sleep quietly in the corner. You can't be a picky eater here."

Hans turned his back on Lillian and prepared to leave.

However, Lillian abruptly asked him, "How did King Dragomir die?"

Hans sighed because she would always ask him the same question every time he would come to her cell. "I told you already. I am not allowed to reveal any information that is happening in the outside world to you."

Lillian knew about the King's death after hearing the sound of the bell that rang nine times. She wanted to celebrate his death but before that, she wanted to know the details about how he died.

She had always wanted Dragomir to suffer a very painful death. She wanted to know if her wish came true so that she could truly celebrate the end of the man she despised from her gut.

So she persisted, "Today's a happy occasion, isn't it? I am guessing it is the coronation day of the new Queen."

Lillian pretended to be greatly hurt and asked in a self-pitying voice, "Won't you even grant me this one simple wish? I just want to know how my husband died. It is my right as his wife to know."

Hans felt empathetic towards Lillian so he divulged the information in a low voice, "I heard that the late King passed away relatively painlessly. He was surrounded by all of the Royals. He was a lucky man."

Fearing that he would speak more than he was supposed to, Hans swiftly began to move his feet and walked away.

"He was a lucky man?" Lillian's anger knew no bounds upon hearing that sentence.

She slammed her palm on the plate that was beside her. She grabbed a handful of food and shoved them in her mouth as though she was near to losing her sanity.

She then screamed with her mouth full of food and fumed. And she screamed in her mind, "Why does he get to have such an easy death? Why? he should have been torn to pieces and fed to vultures!"

Lillian slammed her hand on the plate again and slammed her body on the invisible barrier, causing it to give off orange sparks.

She then mumbled furiously, "I curse that his love child will pay the price instead of her father."

She turned to her side and slammed her fist on the invisible barrier. A menacing smile appeared on her face.

Lillian caressed the barrier and whispered, "All I need to do is be patient. All I need to do is wait some more. I am going to watch the Kingdom burn down to ashes. And I am going to bathe myself in everyone's blood."

---

The Royal family members, the priests, the councilmen, and the high-ranking government officials were already present inside the throne hall. They were wearing their best dresses and were standing, waiting for the Queen and Prince Consort to enter the hall.

One of the guards finally announced, "Her Majesty Queen Adeline and His Royal Highness Prince Theodore have arrived."

The hall went completely silent. Everyone's eyes were on the back door of the throne hall.

Finally, they saw the most perfect couple gracefully walking inside. All of those present inside the throne hall bowed their head low in respect of their Queen and Prince Consort.

Adeline was trying her best not to show any kind of hesitation in her face. And having Theodore by her side was a great help to her.

Adeline stole a glance of her emotional pillar and thought, "I am so glad that we got married before the crowning. If it wasn't for him, I don't think I would have been able to take the throne right after grieving my father's death."

The two of them reached in front of the platform. Theodore was a little surprised to see that, unlike the last time, there were two thrones on the platform. But he didn't think much of it and led the Queen to the throne.

The Priests, Lord Laurence, and a few other important people were already standing on the platform.

After reaching in front of the throne, Theodore helped Adeline with her Royal mantle and Adeline elegantly sat down on the throne which was rightfully hers.

Adeline met Theodore's amber eyes with her mischievous blue eyes and elegantly gestured for Theodore to sit at the empty throne at her left.

Theodore gave a soft smile to his wife and took his throne with an equal regal aura exuding out of him.

Everyone else could only watch in awe when the power couple took their grand throne.

The High Priest then turned towards the Royals and announced, "Respected Royals and dignitaries, as per Queen Adeline's wish, we will crown both Her Majesty and His Royal Highness in today's ceremony."

Theodore was not aware of this change in the ceremony. He had just thought that Adeline would be the only one being crowned today. So he turned his gaze towards Adeline and subtly raised his brows at her.

Adeline gave her sweetest smile to him. She respected her husband a lot. He had been looking after the Kingdom and her people as his own even before the two of them got married to each other.

And this was the least she could do as a gesture of gratitude towards her husband – treat him as her equal and not someone beneath her, even though their titles suggested otherwise. She wanted to have all the people of Wyverndale to treat Theodore with equal respect as her.

The High Priest began the ceremony by making both of them take an oath.

He turned to glance at the heads of the nation and asked, "In the name of our Holy Deity, do both of you pledge to faithfully serve the Kingdom and its people?"

"I do," Both Adeline and Theodore replied in harmony and with all sincerity from their heart.

The High Priest then asked again, "Do both of you swear to uphold justice by protecting the innocents and punishing the criminals?"

"I do." Both the heads of the nation replied with the equal conviction being reflected on their faces.

"Do both of you vow to uphold the peace and prosperity of our Kingdom?"

Theodore and Adeline exchanged their glances and nodded, "We do."

The High Priest then gestured to the other Priest to bring forth the crown.

That Priest then carried a tray decorated with velvet cloth and walked towards the Queen. He stopped near the throne and bowed.

In turn, the High Priest gently lifted the huge crown made out of gold and embedded with countless diamonds and a large piece of ruby in the center.

He turned to face Adeline and lifted the crown a little higher so that everyone in the room could clearly see it.

The High Priest then declared, "In the name of the holy Deity, we bestow this crown to Queen Adeline and with it the power to rule the Kingdom."

Adeline took a deep breath in and held her head high. She was ready to bear the weight of the crown on her head and with it the responsibility of the Kingdom and her people.