Draco's quest

12. devil's incarnation

Draco pov

“You have been doing a good job ever since you came here. I guess I was wrong about humans.” The king said. I was summoned by him once again after a couple of weeks. I suppose he was impressed by my work and obedience, despite being pushed around by the others. 

It was a good thing that at least the king and the princess had saved my ass several times and that had made my respect for them increase tenfold. The queen also was not bad. At least they acknowledged my efforts and liked my work here.

“Today, we are going to visit our neighbouring kingdom so you don’t need to cook for us. We will be back tomorrow morning as we have some issues to take care of. We will be staying overnight. We brought you here to inform you of that. You may leave.” He informed me. 

I bowed down in respect for him and turned around to leave. 

“Your majesty, I hope this is not an intrusion, but how can you be so good to a slave?” 

I heard Lord Killian, Princess Sasha’s fiancé, ask as I walked away.

“I don’t see any reason why I shouldn’t.” Came the reply. “Being kind goes a long way, Killian. I hope you are learning from what you see.” He added.

 Of course, I knew Lord Killian didn’t like me. He hated me so much that he had pushed me down deliberately, punched me and taunted me without a reasonable excuse. But I couldn’t say anything, because he healed me before anyone saw us so that I wouldn’t have any proof against him. I scoffed at the thought of him learning anything. Kind and Killian? No way! Killian is heartless. How can someone like him be thoughtful about anyone? 

I dread the day he would rule this kingdom with Sasha. Sasha may be an angel. But this lord Killian was the devil’s incarnation. And I honestly don’t think that they were compatible with each other.

*Flashback*

I carefully arranged all the bowls on the tray. It was time for dinner and they will be coming to dine. It was my duty to set the table before that. Ever since Volga was dismissed, I was the one in charge of their mealtimes. I didn’t mind. It was not hard work. Being pushed around by Volga was way harder than this. 

Taking careful steps, I took the tray to the dining room, being especially mindful not to spill anything and make a mess. Having to clean up at this moment would make me late. I was almost done arranging all the plates and bowls when Lord Killian entered the room. 

Was he here to have dinner with them? I wondered.

“Slave! I need a foot massage!” he growled arrogantly and slumped onto a couch that was placed at the side. 

“B...but sire. I haven’t finished setting the table.” I replied meekly. 

“Who asked you to talk?” he spat. 

I felt conflicted. I was supposed to serve the royal family. But this guy here had to come and ask for a foot massage? Oh please give me a break. I felt as if I didn’t have to obey him. Yes, he was betrothed to the princess and he was her fiancé. But still, he was not married to her. And they don’t live together. So that possibly couldn’t give him the right to order around the king’s slave. 

“What the f**k are you looking at ass hole!” he growled and shot up from where he was seated, now taking angry, deep breaths. His fists were clenched and the shoulder muscles tensed. He was furious. But why? Because I politely told him that I was fulfilling my duty? He was nothing like the thoughtful nature of the king or the kind and caring type of the princess. I wonder what they saw in him for him to be betrothed to the future queen of this prestigious kingdom. 

This place was weird in every way possible and was filled with racist beings who thought weaker beings had to be pushed around, except for a few gems like the princess. But still, it was prestigious. They had several innovations and were inspirational in many ways. They had several fascinating pieces of equipment which I had never seen on earth.

“N... nothing sire,” I whispered not wanting to be on his bad side. But that seemed to be unavoidable. He hated me already. 

He was quick to snap his fingers and disappear, only to right in front of me. I gasped, startled but before I could step away, he grabbed my shoulder-length hair and hissed into my face.

“Listen you worthless being. I hate you so much I want to chop you into pieces and feed them to the dragons. You better do as I say or else I will make sure you see hell. I am just waiting for the day that I would finally be wed to the princess and become the ruler. Then people like you will know what real torture is.”

Then he punched me hard in the stomach, making me groan in pain and bend over. I coughed, trying to adjust to the pain. But he didn’t let me catch my breath. He clenched a fistful of my hair and picked me up by force. Only to push me down onto the white marbles of the dining room, where I landed hard, hurting my sides. 

He then straddled me and was about to punch my face when we heard someone speaking and coming to the dining room.

The king and queen!

“s**t!” he hissed and placed his right hand over my pained chest and left hand on my throbbing head before muttering the chant that was used to heal injuries, which now was kind of familiar to me. Soon enough, the pain reduced and he hastened to stand up on his feet and pulled me to mine. By the time the king and the queen entered the room, he had masked his true emotions with a plastic smile. 

“Your majesties.” He bowed down. Princess Sasha shortly arrived after them and when she did, he pretended to be the most caring and lovable being alive. 

I scoffed internally. And I thought humans were treacherous and despicable. This just proves that race and the species is not the problem. But what your mindset is. 

“Pathetic” I murmured to myself as soon as I was sure they wouldn’t hear me. I kind of felt bad for princess Sasha. She was the sweetest and kindest. She certainly deserved better than that demon in disguise. But what can I do? I needed some kind of proof before saying anything. I was nothing except a slave.

*End of flashback*

I took brisk steps away from the grand hall and towards my room. The place where I could have some peace before the devil incarnate could have any good ideas. As soon as I managed to enter my haven and close the door shut, I let out a breath of relief. 

I better find a way to save myself from him. Or perhaps try to collect proof against him. However, being a mere slave made it hard. My whole schedule was filled with chores and duties and they would try to wipe away any proof with magic. Something I could never have. 

Shaking my head in despair, I sat down on the floor, where I slept. My eyes landed on the sword I had found some weeks back. Smirking to myself, I stood up and took it. 

If I was free today, why not take my time to practice the new hobby that I had fallen in love with? I mimicked the position the Knights took each time before they attacked. Imagining lord Killian as my opponent, I started to mimic the knight’s moves. 

It was hard because my room was not very big. During my attempts to plunge my sword into my imaginary opponent, I stumbled over my pillow and fell, crashing into the wall. To my utter surprise, I accidentally pressed onto a loose tile and the wall started to slide to one side. I stared in horror as the wall gradually slid open to reveal a staircase that led down. It was dark inside and I couldn’t exactly see what was at the end of the stairs. 

“Wow!” I gasped. “This place is full of surprises.” 

I stayed in my place without moving an inch, contemplating on whether I should go and find out what was at the other end of the stairs. What if I discover a dangerous creature who could gulp me down in one go. Or perhaps a dangerous killing machine that could shred me into pieces. Perhaps a curse that would melt whoever stepped inside. Who knew? I just didn’t know what not to expect anymore.

Was it worth it?