Chapter 308: Numbers, Selections, and the Children Who Were Definitely in Trouble
Chapter 308: Numbers, Selections, and the Children Who Were Definitely in Trouble
Elyn’s POV
I learned two things within a few minutes.
One: no one was allowed to enter the pleasure house unless they had come for the event that was currently going on. A chance for demons to prove themselves worthy of something I didn’t yet understand.
Two: I had to stand in line.
And there were over fifty demons in line.
Male and female demons. Demons of every type — fire demons, water demons, stone demons, beast demons. They pressed together, their bodies shifting impatiently, their voices rising in overlapping conversations. Some were nervous, fidgeting with their clothes. Others were confident, their chins raised, their eyes gleaming with anticipation.
And mind you, we were given numbers.
I was number eighty-four.
At least I was lucky — that was what some of the demons told me. They said perhaps they had given me that number because I was a succubus. That the succubi running the event had seen me and decided I deserved a better place in line.
I only smiled in reply to their words.
Aziren spoke up though, shaking his head.
"She’s not a succubus," he said.
"Aziren, we are in disguise," Zayrion whispered.
Aziren’s eyes widened then. "Oh, that’s right."
He went quiet after that.
The line moved slowly.
Demons entered the pleasure house as their numbers were called out by a succubus standing at the entrance. Some emerged moments later, their faces bright with excitement. Others took longer. And some — many — came out crying.
Most of the crying ones were beast demons.
They stumbled out of the building, their shoulders shaking, their voices thick with tears, saying the same thing over and over again.
"They said I was too ugly."
"They said I didn’t qualify."
"I thought I was beautiful enough, but they said no."
I watched them go, their bodies hunched, their spirits crushed. One of them — a bird demon with magnificent blue feathers — was sobbing so loudly that the demons around her turned to stare.
Thalira leaned forward, her light blue hair swaying with the movement.
"I wonder what’s going on," she said.
She turned to the demon in front of us — a stone demon. His face was angular, his eyes set deep in his stone skull, and he had a strange stillness to him.
"Excuse me," Thalira said. "What’s going on in there?"
The stone demon turned his head slowly, his gaze landing on Thalira. He blinked once, then spoke.
"It’s a selection," he said. "Whoever gets picked gets to marry the demon who is hosting the event."
Thalira’s frown deepened.
"Marry?" she repeated.
"Marry," the stone demon confirmed.
He turned back around, apparently done with the conversation.
Thalira looked at Retheris, then at me, then back at the pleasure house.
"Do you think Velira and the others are really in there?" she asked.
Zayrion adjusted his glasses, his tails swaying slowly behind him.
"Every pleasure district in the realm is owned by Velira’s kind," he said. "So I think she would be in there. It makes sense."
Retheris frowned.
"Really? But then do you think that she’s the one doing the selection, and if so, why?" he asked.
Zayrion shrugged.
"I have no answer to what you just asked," he said.
That makes two of us.
The line continued to shrink.
More demons entered. More demons emerged — some happy, some crying, some simply confused. The number of demons in front of us dwindled, and soon it was my turn.
"Number eighty-four," the succubus at the entrance called out.
I stepped forward.
The children followed me.
The succubus was beautiful, with punk purple wings and pink hair that cascaded down her back.
She looked at me, then at the children, but then she nodded.
"You may enter," she said.
The doors opened finally, and I walked inside.
The pleasure house was beautiful.
The entrance hall was vast, the ceiling soaring high above us, supported by pillars carved with images of succubi and incubi in various poses. The walls were painted with murals — more succubi and incubi, some dancing, some lounging, some engaged in activities I decided not to examine too closely.
The air was heavy with perfume. Chandeliers hung from the ceiling, their crystals catching the light and scattering it across the room in shimmering patterns.
Succubi and incubi flew through the air.
Men and women danced on stages scattered throughout the hall, their bodies moving in tune with music. Most of them wore skimpy clothes — if you could even call them clothes — their wings spread behind them, their expressions serene and seductive.
The building was beautiful.
But I didn’t have time to appreciate it.
A succubus appeared beside me. She was tall, with bronze skin and hair that seemed to glow from within. Her wings were folded neatly behind her, and her eyes were the colour of molten gold.
"Follow me," she said.
I followed her through the hall, past the dancers, past the flying succubi, past the demons who were lounging on silk cushions and watching everything with lazy interest. The children followed close behind me, their eyes wide, their mouths slightly open.
The succubus led us to a door at the end of a long corridor, and then she opened it.
The room was large and elegantly decorated. Silk drapes hung from the ceiling, and soft cushions were scattered across the floor. A low table sat at the center of the room, covered with parchments and papers.
And sitting at that table were three children I had been searching for.
Azerion was by the window.
He had a plate of snacks in his lap — a massive plate piled high with everything from Cron’s Pops to pastries to small candies I didn’t recognize. He was eating methodically, his cheeks puffed out, his fingers sticky with sugar.
He didn’t look up, so focused on his snacks.
Brixton was seated at the table, his gaze fixed on the parchments before him. He had glasses on — glasses that he had not been wearing before — and his expression was intense, focused, like he was studying something important.
Velira sat beside him.
She had changed her hairstyle, putting it up in a neat bun. She was also wearing glasses — small, delicate frames that made her look almost scholarly. There was an air about both her and Brixton that seemed professional, like they were conducting business.
My eye twitched in annoyance.
Velira was the first to look up, immediately meeting my gaze. She swallowed.
Brixton, his gaze still fixed on the parchments, spoke.
"What is your name?" he asked, his voice carrying a fake professional tone.
Velira hit him at that point.
"Ow," he said.
"It’s Her Majesty," Velira hissed.
Brixton blinked.
"That’s an odd name," he said.
Velira hit him again.
"That’s not what I mean," she said. "It’s Her Majesty."
Brixton stared at her.
"I heard you the first time," he said. "It’s still an odd name."
Velira’s eye twitched.
"Look up," she said, her voice sharp.
Brixton looked up.
And then he swallowed. Minutes passed, and then he muttered:
"It’s Her Majesty."
A tart fell from Azerion’s hands at his words.
It hit the floor with a soft thud, and he stared at it for a moment, then looked up at me. His eyes were wide, his mouth slightly open, his cheeks still puffed out with whatever he had been eating.
I smiled at them, though it did not reach my eyes.
I walked further into the room, settled Aziren on the ground, and then raised my hand in a small wave.
"Hi," I said.
The three children swallowed nervously.
Deep down, they knew they were in trouble.