Queen of the Underworld

Chapter 1 - Another World

“You’re a bit cranky with Lena today,” the man exclaimed amid the hungry parting of their lips. When she felt his fingers crawling their way up to her chest, a soft moan helplessly emerged from her throat. “Are you jealous about the kissing scene we filmed earlier this morning, Eli? You just can’t stand seeing me with another woman, huh?”

“Jealous? You must be kidding me.” Elisa tugged his collar without any warning and pinned him like a nail to the wall.

She claimed another fierce kiss before bestowing him a glassy stare. Grabbing him by the jaw, the notorious film directress leaned closer to whisper in his ear.

“I’m already at work, Justin. I don’t need another one pretending you’re funny.”

Her fast hands reached for his pants and immediately unzipped them, causing a burst of breathy laughter from Justin, who became distracted from feasting over her neck. While inhaling her scent and sucking her sweat induced by the lack of air ventilation inside the mechanical room of the old building where they filmed, he obediently pulled his trousers down.

“Chill out. I’m kidding. You’re too impatient.” He groaned when she grabbed him down there roughly. “All I’m saying is, give her a break. She’s a new actress, after all. She’s not as experienced as me.”

“I’m just teaching her the ways of the jungle,” she muttered, followed by a heavy heaving sound as the actor pressed his palms against her breasts subsequently. His mischievous chuckle irked her, so she leaned closer to bit his ear. “And don’t flatter yourself. You can’t paint her with the same brush. Lena has talent, and she’s working hard. While you, Mr. Big Boy, is just rock hard down there and not even getting any work done to satisfy me.”

The wide-eyed twenty-year-old man halted his motion and pierced a confused look at her direction. His thick and well-trimmed eyebrows furrowed slowly as she bestowed him a nonchalant gaze.

“Wait. What do you mean by that?”

She shrugged her shoulders and snorted playfully, “What do I mean? Honey, did you think we’ve been doing this because I think you’re a good actor?” His prolonged silence almost made her jaw drop in disbelief and eventually turned into silent laughter. “Oh, no. Justin, my boy, you’re hot. Even Lena looks at you as if she’d devour you any minute.”

“But you think I am not a good actor?”

When the renowned directress pressed her lips together instead of answering his question, Justin immediately got his hands off her and pushed her away. His eyes shifted away from hers and remained fixated on the cemented ground.

“Oh, so you really thought that. I’m so sorry. I didn’t know we’re not on the same page.” Elisa tried to touch his cheek, which he dismissed by turning the other way. “Didn’t you deliberately approach me during the team dinner because you want to cover up your incapacity to act? Or am I missing something here?”

“Incapacity to act? I’m an award-winning actor — ”

“Oh, good Lord. We both know your agency is deliberately buying out awards for their artists, and of course, that includes you.” She shook her head and placed a hand over her nape. A glint of annoyance and impatience was already glistening in her eyes as she fixed her crumpled dress. “Ah, so much drama for this nonsense. You could’ve saved that for tomorrow’s taping. But, whatever, I’m out of here.”

Her feet were about to turn in the direction of the door when his hand tightly gripped her arm. She cringed in pain amid turning to face him again. He was about to jam his giant palm toward her when the sound of shattering glass echoed from the outside.

Both of them exchanged confused glances. They’re currently on the set of an abandoned building, and the filming ended hours ago. They always make sure that everyone has already returned to the hotel just across the street before they meet up.

“What was that?”

She couldn’t help but roll her eyes upon noticing the panic written all over the man’s face. “I’ll take a look. You can go ahead and return to the hotel.” Her gaze narrowed while scanning Justin from head to toe. “Put on your big boy pants and fix your life, buddy. This is the last time I’m vouching for you. Memorize your lines.”

Before he could yell out any complaint, she was already walking out of the room. After the door shut behind her, she was welcomed by pitch-black darkness. As far as she could remember, there should be a light working in this hallway because she purposely left it open.

“Is it a black-out?” she mumbled to herself while pulling out her phone to light her path. Another sound of glass crashing almost made her jump out of surprise. It was followed by some slightly inaudible whispers that creeped her out even further.

“What the? Somebody’s really here?”

It was getting louder and louder as she continued to stride forward until it led her to a corner room near the bathroom they often use when filming. All the while, she was thinking it was a storage room used by cleaning staff. Actually, she could bet that they all thought so.

Her hesitation vanished to thin air when a terrifying groan echoed from inside that room. Right now, she was more than sure they’re not the only ones in the building. She held the doorknob tightly and pushed it open.

Her whole being trembled in fear as her eyes followed the motion of the knife held by an unidentified figure of a man. She couldn’t help but gasp loudly when it was shoved repeatedly in the stomach of a woman. It was dark, so she couldn’t visualize who exactly these people were. When the punctured body fell on the ground, Elisa immediately recognized its curly blonde hair and flowery cheap bluebell dress. It was Lena!

Her hand automatically reached for her mouth. She was about to take a step backward but abruptly halted upon meeting the gaze of the man holding the bloodied knife. As the light from the window reflected his face, the lady was able to discern the visage of the man who assaulted the female lead of her movie.

Jet black bloodshot eyes. Icy cold gaze. Thick-set eyebrows. Pouty lips. If he were a regular guy passing in front of her, she surely wouldn’t miss the chance to hit on him. But, unfortunately, she has nothing but fear for her life right now. There’s no way she’d let herself die like Lena. Not even that murderer’s handsome face could shatter her resolve!

Without any word next, she ran all her might and as fast as she possibly could. The renowned filmmaker was popular among her colleagues for her unbeatable stamina, but fear must have slowed her reflexes.

“No, this can’t be happening.” She screamed at the back of her mind while listening to the running footsteps closing behind her. There was no time to think, but she was willing to fit inside any hole just to get out of this horrendous situation.

As soon as she saw the fire exit sign, she rushed into it. However, the next thing she knew, her thin frame was already rolling down the stairs. Her head slammed on the floor, and her ears rang loudly — blocking all sounds around her. As the blood from her broken skull flooded the tiled floor, her vision started to deteriorate.

“Bloody hell,” she managed to mutter to herself while trying not to lose her consciousness and submit to the inevitable demise her fate was currently facing. “Y-You can’t die j-just like this, Elisa. Wearing no bra and no tally on the scoreboard tonight? For Pete’s sake, what a lame death.”

Her complaint only stopped when her blurring vision caught the sight of the man walking down the stairs and heading in her direction. She didn’t need to see his face to know that it was that murderer. Driven by her desire to survive, her hands reached for his feet and squeezed them hard despite her fading strength.

To her surprise, the man scoots to her eye level, finally meeting her fiery gaze. His cherry-picked thin lips carved a small smile. Before she could curse at the stranger for mocking her, the ringing in her ears got louder and no matter how much she fought over it, both her eyelids gave in.

Ah, is this the end? Her voice full of disappointment echoed in her throbbing head. All of a sudden, she could feel the lightness of the air. It was almost as if her body’s currently floating in the air. When the excruciating pain faded, there was no doubt in her mind that she finally arrived in the afterlife.

I’m ready for my welcome party, Lucifer.

Her attempt to open her pair of eyes was welcomed by the blinding rays of sunshine reflecting off of her face. She blinked at the sight of a luxurious chandelier hanging above the bed she was lying on.

“Was I sent to heaven?” She remained motionless as her forehead wrinkled. “Really? After all the crap I did on earth? They still sent me here instead of the fiery pits of hell?”

There was silence engulfing the spacious room as the lady let the idea resonate within her senses. After a while, she couldn’t help but burst into a peal of amused laughter. She only stopped upon feeling the sharp pain emerging from her stomach because of cackling so much.

And then, it dawned on her. Pain? Isn’t the dead supposed to feel nothing? Or is it just another false concept in the living world?

Her deep thoughts were interrupted by the loud footsteps coming outside the gigantic door of the four-cornered room. She instinctively sat up from the bed and tugged the sheets over her body.

“My Lady, you’re awake!” A loud raspy voice echoed back and forth in the room as a petite woman dressed in a maid costume ran to her bedside and held her hand tightly while crying. Her face instantly reminded her of a sad-looking squirrel, so she wasn’t able to grasp the situation immediately.

“Thank goodness, thank goodness. The Gods of Pantodýnamos still showed you mercy. The blessing we got last month from the temple of doom must’ve worked!”

“Call the royal doctors. We need to know Lady Elisa’s condition. Hurry along!” It was an authoritative command from a tall, middle-aged man adorned in a vest similar to what the servers at the five-star hotel she frequently visited. After the other maids ran out hurriedly upon his orders, their gazes met, and his visage softened.

“Lady Elisa, are you feeling alright? Are you hurting anywhere?”

Elisa couldn’t figure out why, but warmth and comfort soothes her entire being upon hearing that man’s voice despite the apparent confusion rumbling her mind. She shifted her eyes repeatedly between the two strangers in front of her.

“My Lady?”

“Who,” she gulped and bit her lower lip. “I’m sorry. Do I know the two of you?”

There was no need to guess because the astonished faces of the people in front of her were enough to make her realize that they were as confused as her. Not many seconds passed in complete silence, the maid started to wail louder.

“Oh, my poor Lady! What do we do now, Jonathan? She has lost her mind,” screamed the woman, which slightly brought a sour taste to her mouth. Did she just accuse her of being crazy? “Don’t you remember me? I’m Ysabel, your favorite maid-in-waiting.”

She carefully pulled her hand away from the maid who introduced herself as Ysabel. Still unconvinced by the strange occurrence happening at the moment, her eyes circled around the Victorian-themed room. The lady was convinced something was off, but she couldn’t find any cameras around to confirm her suspicion.

“Is this a prank? A dream? This can’t be how they punish souls in hell, right?” She mumbled in a low voice and shook her head. Frustrated by her ridiculous conclusion, she slapped her palm across her cheek – hoping that she’d wake up from this bad dream. There were gasps heard, but the pain kept her distracted. “Ouch, that hurt.”

“Hold her down,” Jonathan commanded before she could even look up to see their reaction. She also had no chance to explain as the maids pushed her back to the bed and tied her hands up the headboard.

“What the fck is this? Let me go!”

“My Lady, calm down.” Another man in a long dark robe and seemingly thinning grey hair emerged from the doorstep and walked in her direction. Everyone, including Jonathan and Ysabel, bowed down as if showing respect to his presence. After he sat in the chair beside her bed, he turned to look at the people around her. “What happened here? Why is she distressed?”

“She can’t remember anything, Dr. Rowan. She’s even hurting herself.” The distraught maid immediately explained. “And she kept talking about souls and hell. All that nonsense. Do you think this has something to do with her head banging down the stairs? Did she go insane?”

“Why, you little….” Elisa was about to curse at Ysabel when her words sank into her. “Wait. I fell down the stairs?”

“See, she doesn’t even remember it.”

“Lady Elisa,” the doctor calmly called her name and leaned closer. “Do you know where you are right now?”

Her face softened upon his question. Her eyes started to scan the place once again as the mystery only got harder to solve at this point.

“H-heaven?”

She expected resounding waves of laughter after mumbling those words because even she found her conclusion hard to believe. But, instead, they only exchanged bothered glances before gaping back at her.

“Wh-What are you all looking at?”

“I understand, my Lady. Sleep for now.”

“Sleep? I just woke up – ” her rants were cut short as Rowan’s broad palm carrying a white handkerchief covered her mouth and nose. She tried to mumble words and retaliate, but her sense of smell was invaded entirely with a minty scent, slowly leading her into a deep slumber.

“Rest well.”

As if cast with a spell, she drifted away. She had no idea how long she had slept after that stressful encounter. When she regained consciousness, the sight of the same chandelier already dismayed her. Although she was no longer tied up, her body was too weak to even get up from the humongous bed.

“Ysabel, is it?” She didn’t have to tilt her head in the maid’s direction because she could feel her intense eyes ogling her as soon as she opened her eyes. “What’s my name again? Why are you calling me my Lady?”

“You really lost your memories.” Ysabel heaved a long sigh and dragged the wooden chair closer to her bed. “My Lady, you are Elisa Alynthi. The second daughter of the Archduke and member of the Harem Sphere. We all call you like this because you’re part of an aristocratic house.”

“Ah, at least I have the same name here.” She ran her fingers through the strands of her hair while defeat replaced the determination flashing in her eyes. “Do you have a mirror?”

“Mirror?” Ysabel put down the embroidery hoop on her lap and stared at her with suspicion. “What do you need a mirror for?”

“Uh, to look at my appearance?” Elisa pulled herself up and met her hesitant gaze. “Fine, you can hold it in front of me if you don’t trust me. What a drag.”

The squirrel-looking maid-in-waiting pouted and stood up. Ysabel returned with an antique hand mirror and pointed it in her direction. Her eyes went wide upon seeing her reflection. She even reached for her cheeks to confirm if the sight in front of her was real.

“I-I look the same?”

“Fortunately, your face wasn’t scarred when you fell down the stairs.”

“Right, I fell down the stairs.” She clapped her hands together with that sudden realization. “Can you tell me what happened when I fell down the stairs? Any strange occurrences during that day?”

Ysabel crouched her shoulder and scratched the back of her head, “I don’t know if I could tell you this yet, but it’s the same day King Aegic died. We found you in the west wing of the royal residence, just several meters away from his room, where he was found dead. You were unconscious for almost a month now.”

“King Aegic?” Her brows furrowed, unable to comprehend anything that she has said to her. “Who’s that?”

“King Aegic is your – ”

“Enough of that.” It was Jonathan, entering the room and nodding his head lightly to give respect to the lady’s presence. “You should rest more, my Lady. Your memories will return soon, don’t worry about it. For now, you should recover so that you can attend the celebration prepared by the Queen Mother.”

“Celebration? But King Aegic just died – ”

“Ysabel,” the butler called on the maid’s name with a stern voice before turning back to look at Elisa. “Prepare a bath for the Lady. We’ll bring in her meal in a bit.”

This place wasn’t heaven or hell. That conclusion was the only thing she was sure about now. Just like that, she felt as if she went into another world. Trapped in a different identity with the same name and face felt overwhelming, yet she found herself enjoying being treated like a princess all this time.

Days passed, she took advantage of Ysabel’s long-windedness and quickly learned about the strange place she was currently in. Although, the maid still managed to be mum about what happened the day the owner of this body fell down the stairs.

Here in the realm of Pantodýnamos, six powerful states were ruling over humanity. One of those kingdoms was the Káto kósmos or the Underworld. Apparently, this place was ruled by a race of demons. She almost got excited when she learned that she could be an extraordinary creature, but her idea was immediately shut down by Ysabel with the revelation that she belonged to the house of human aristocrats.

“We’re so glad you’re fine now, Eli.” An Irish-looking woman with curly hair and adorned in some kind of gypsy outfit sat beside her. Right now, they’re in the middle of the ball that the Queen Mother arranged to celebrate her well-being. “The Queen Mother must’ve been so thrilled to hear that you’re in good health to throw a party as grand as this.”

The perplexed lady gulped and secretly circled her gaze to find her talkative maid. Ysabel said that she’d come back with refreshments, but it’s been a while since she last saw her.

“Ah, the Queen Mother. I should thank her, but I haven’t seen her yet.” Her senses tingled with relief for managing to sound natural despite her hesitation to answer or talk to anyone tonight.

“Silly, Eli. Just send her a letter through your maids. She won’t come here.” The woman hogged the glass of wine and snickered. “Oh, no one told you about it?”

“N-no?”

“How could she possibly celebrate if the son she oh-so-dearly-loved had just died?” Unlike her previous tone, the sound of her voice was tainted with a hint of sarcasm. “I guess she has some decency to mourn. Unlike you.”

It wasn’t a direct insult, but Elisa didn’t appreciate the way this woman was addressing her. She took her time to scan her visuals from head to toe. High nose bridge, cat-like eyes, slim waist line, confident demeanor, and heart-shaped lips — all of those were typical villainess features they’d often look for during casting. Unfortunately, she didn’t think this world had an actual representation of it.

“Excuse me, do I know you? I’m sorry. As you may have already heard, I don’t remember much, especially insignificant ones.”

Her sudden jab halted the delight in that woman’s face. She was flustered at first but swiftly regained composure and smiled at her.

“Oh, yes. I heard. I’m so sorry you had to go through all these, my Eli. I’m Serra Callis. We used to train together at the Harem Sphere before they took you into the palace grounds for your royal duties.”

“Royal duties?” She took the chance to sound intrigued and innocent. Because, judging from this woman’s villainess percentage, she did not doubt that Serra was the kind of character who would take advantage of the situation and unintentionally reveal the greatest secrets in an attempt to dishearten her. “What do you mean by royal duties?”

“I guess they thought it’s better that you don’t remember this at all, but you were a bride to the Demon King. You and Aegic have been so close since we were kids. We all thought you two would end up together.” Serra leaned closer to her ear while tapping her shoulder. “Too bad you’re going to marry his murderer brother instead. Tough luck for you, sweetheart.”

“M-Murderer? I’m going to get married?”

The smile on Serra’s lips only got wider upon her query. “Be careful, Elisa. Considering how he murdered his brother, don’t you think he’s already planning to kill you too? After all, you are the previous king’s woman.”

Her words rang loudly in her ears. Before she knew it, the memories of Lena’s murder and her terrifying death flashed back clearly at the back of her head. She stood up without mumbling anything and ran out of the hall where the ball was being held.

With her whole body trembling and fear erupting out of nowhere, she had no idea how she was able to reach the garden. Not even the scent of roses calmed her senses down, so she continued on walking fast until her head bumped into a muscular chest.

Unlike her normal reflexes, Elisa easily fell down with that very little force. Despite her current frustration, she immediately noticed the feet just standing in front of her instead of helping her stand up.

She was ready to lash out, but her world stopped upon being welcomed by a familiar face. Jet black bloodshot eyes. Icy cold gaze. Thick-set eyebrows. Pouty lips. Despite the jeweled crown placed on his head and flashy military suit plaid on his muscular body, she couldn’t be mistaken. It was Lena’s murderer!

“How dare you meet the gaze of His Highness? Stand up quickly and show some respect!”