I paced the room for a while thinking of everything that Hades said to me. “the audacity!” I snapped, hitting my leg on the wood of the bed out of anger.
“fucking hell” I cursed as I stumbled from the pain.
I blinked the tears away, not wanting to appear weak even though no one was looking at me.
“stupid bastard!” I cursed the wood, or rather Hades because I was sure he had a hand in my misfortune.
Somewhere along the line, I found myself going to sleep. ’No better way to take care of any kind of pain than to sleep it off’ I thought to myself as I climbed the bed, covering up with the thin blanket
*
Again, I was woken up rather violently with loud knocks on my door, alerting me of dinner.
“finally” I muttered to myself as I dragged my body off the bed. I looked around for the tray and saw nothing through the place that was meant to be a peek hole.
“I don’t see a meal. I swear if this is some kind of joke,” I swore as I got closer to the door.
“the king requests your presence” the person said.
“I said I would not go!” I yelled, almost stomping my feet in annoyance.
The man, slightly tanned with dark grey eyes made himself visible. Although he was human, or at least had a human form, he seemed even more intimidating than Kharon in his demon form.
“I am here to do as the king requests. You either come with me or drag you through the ends of the abyss” I looked at him, something in his gaze told me that he was not joking, not even in the slightest
I found myself at the entrance to the grand dining hall, my stomach growling with a ferocity that matched my indignation. The scents of roasted meats, freshly baked bread, and spiced wine wafted through the open doors, mocking me. My mouth watered involuntarily, but I swallowed hard and squared my shoulders.
Hades sat at the head of the long, ornate table, surrounded by an array of demonic presence, laughing at something that must have been said before I got here and that grated on my nerves. He caught my eye as I hovered at the threshold, and a sly smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.
"Ah, Valerie," he said, his voice carrying easily over the noise. "I was beginning to wonder if you would join us."
My resolve hardened at his mocking tone. "I'm not here to join you, Hades. I'm here to demand my dinner."
The room fell silent, all eyes turning to me. Hades leaned back in his chair, steepling his fingers. "You demand, do you?" he said, amusement flickering in his dark eyes. "After refusing my invitation to breakfast this morning?"
I lifted my chin, refusing to be cowed. "I don't see why my presence at breakfast should affect whether or not I get to eat dinner."
His smile widened, revealing sharp, white teeth. "You forget your place, Valerie. You are a guest in my domain. Guests who refuse my hospitality must learn their lessons the hard way."
The anger simmering in my chest threatened to boil over. "I am not your guest, sir. I am your prisoner."
A murmur rippled through the room, and Hades' eyes darkened. "Prisoner or guest, the rules remain the same. You will not eat tonight."
My fists clenched at my sides, nails digging into my palms. "This is petty, even for you."
He rose from his seat, towering over the table with a smile that made me want to fly over the table and wipe it off with a slap. "Careful, Valerie. You tread on dangerous ground."
I refused to back down. "If you think starving me will break my spirit, you're wrong. I'll find a way to survive without your charity."
Hades' expression hardened, and for a moment, I wondered if I'd pushed too far. But then he simply shrugged and sat back down, dismissing me with a wave of his hand. "As you wish. Now leave us. Your presence is no longer required."
I turned on my heel and stormed out of the hall, my empty stomach churning with a mix of hunger and rage.
He thought a bit of hunger could break me?’ I thought to myself as I laughed. I lived in hunger almost all my life under my papa’s roof, right till I got married to the earl. “let’s see the shock on your face when you find out how unfazed I will be by not eating”
I said as I took my position to look at the ceiling and let my mind wander
sleep was fast coming to me again when i felt a presence behind me, i turned to look at it, just to see that beside me was kharon "my lady" he bowed leaving me a little startled