Chapter 81 The Kingdom of Rest
“You’re actually excited about visiting Sloth?” Sera asked, watching Lilith pace their chambers while waiting for the portal activation. “The kingdom literally named after laziness?”
“I’m excited about visiting somewhere quiet after Asmodeus’s chaos.” Lilith adjusted the bag on her shoulder for the third time. “And Belphegor can’t be that bad. He shows up to all the council meetings.”
“Shows up and immediately falls asleep in his chair.”
“That’s strategic. He hears everything while everyone assumes he’s not paying attention.”
The summons came from a palace servant, informing them the portal was ready. Lilith followed the familiar path to the arrival chamber where Lucian waited to activate the gateway, his mirror eyes reflecting her nervous energy back at her.
“Belphegor’s kingdom is different from the others,” he said without preamble. “Don’t expect grand tours or elaborate demonstrations. Sloth operates on its own timeline, and pushing against that will only frustrate you.”
“So what should I expect?”
“Very little, very slowly.” Lucian activated the portal with a gesture, the gateway opening to reveal a courtyard that looked almost abandoned in its stillness. “Try to learn patience while you’re there. You’ll need it for what’s coming.”
The cryptic warning hung in the air as Lilith stepped through, Sera close behind. The temperature shift was less dramatic than usual, just a gentle warmth that made her want to immediately sit down and rest. The courtyard stretched before them, all moss-covered stones and ivy climbing walls with patient persistence. Everything felt slower here, like time had decided to take its time.
“You made it.”
The voice came from above, and Lilith looked up to find Belphegor draped across a balcony railing like he’d been poured there and forgot to move. He was beautiful in that effortless way some people achieved without trying, dark hair falling into eyes that tracked their arrival with more awareness than his posture suggested.
“Lord Belphegor,” Lilith called up. “Thank you for having us.”
“Don’t thank me yet. You might hate it here.” He gestured vaguely downward. “Someone will show you to your rooms eventually. Or you can find them yourself. Doors are unlocked.”
Then he closed his eyes and appeared to fall asleep mid-conversation.
Sera stared. “Is he serious?”
“I think so.” Lilith spotted a servant approaching with the unhurried pace of someone who had nowhere important to be. “Let’s just go with it.”
The servant, an older woman with kind eyes and no sense of urgency whatsoever, led them through a palace that felt more like a sanctuary than a seat of power. Wide corridors with cushioned benches every few feet. Gardens visible through open archways where people napped in the sun. A library where readers dozed over books they’d eventually finish.
“Lord Belphegor says to rest today,” the servant explained, opening the door to quarters that were less opulent than Mammon’s but infinitely more comfortable. “He’ll find you tomorrow. Or the day after. Whenever.”
She left them there, and Lilith looked around at rooms designed for maximum comfort. Beds that seemed to invite falling into them. Chairs positioned perfectly for watching rain if it fell. Windows that let in light without being aggressive about it.
“I could get used to this,” Sera admitted, already gravitating toward the largest chair.
They unpacked slowly, the kingdom’s energy seeping into them and making urgency feel unnecessary. When Lilith finally ventured out to explore, she found herself moving at half her normal pace just because rushing felt wrong here.
The palace revealed itself gradually. A meditation garden where water trickled over stones. A dining hall that served food whenever people wanted it rather than on a schedule. A massive greenhouse where plants grew wild and people tended them with patient attention.
She found Belphegor in what appeared to be his personal study, sprawled across a couch with a book open on his chest and his eyes closed. Lilith cleared her throat. Nothing. She tried again, louder.
One eye opened. “You’re still here.”
“I just arrived a few hours ago.”
“Feels longer. Time’s weird in Acedia.” He sat up with visible effort and gestured to a chair. “Sit. Talk. Or don’t talk. Whatever you prefer.”
Lilith sat, unsure what to say to someone who seemed half-asleep. “Your kingdom is very… peaceful.”
“That’s the polite way of saying boring.” Belphegor’s smile was slight. “Most people can’t stand it here. Too slow, too quiet, not enough happening. But that’s the point. Sloth isn’t about being lazy. It’s about choosing what deserves your energy and refusing to waste it on everything else.”
“That sounds almost wise.”
“It is wise. People just confuse strategic rest with apathy.” He finally sat up properly, giving her his full attention in a way that felt like a gift. “You’ve been running yourself ragged visiting all my brothers, learning about their sins, trying to figure out which one you’re supposed to choose. When’s the last time you just stopped?”
Lilith thought about the constant pressure, the endless training and political maneuvering and weight of the prophecy. “I don’t think I have stopped. Not really.”
“Then that’s what you’ll do here. Stop. Rest. Think without everyone demanding answers.” Belphegor stood with a stretch. “Come on. I’ll show you the best napping spot in the kingdom.”
He led her through corridors to a tower that climbed high enough to see the entire capital spread below. At the top was a room with windows on all sides and cushions scattered everywhere, clearly designed for doing absolutely nothing productively.
“This is where I come when council meetings get tedious, which is always,” Belphegor said, settling into the cushions. “You can see everything from here, but you’re too far away for anyone to bother you about it.”
Lilith sat beside him, looking out over a kingdom that moved at its own unhurried pace. No chaos like Asmodeus’s capital, no militant organization like Cain’s, just people living their lives without apologizing for taking their time.
“Can I ask you something?” She watched clouds drift by. “Do you actually sleep through all those council meetings, or are you just pretending?”
“Both. I sleep because they’re boring, but I hear everything anyway. Sloth doesn’t mean unconscious. It means conserving energy for things that actually matter.” He turned to look at her. “Speaking of things that matter, how are you handling the whole prophecy situation? Everyone expecting you to choose, time running out, Father dying?”
The bluntness should have been shocking but felt refreshing after so much careful diplomacy. “I’m terrified and have no idea what I’m doing.”
“Good. That’s honest.” Belphegor closed his eyes again. “Most people in your position would perform confidence they don’t feel. The fact that you’re admitting fear means you’re actually thinking instead of just reacting.”
They sat in comfortable silence for a while, and Lilith felt something in her chest unclench. No one here wanted anything from her immediately. No training to complete, no lessons to learn, no political maneuvering to navigate. Just quiet and time to think.
“Your friend Sera,” Belphegor said eventually, eyes still closed. “She’s the one who came with you?”
“Yes. She’s been with me since the beginning.”
“Interesting.” He didn’t elaborate, and Lilith didn’t push. If he wanted to say more, he would eventually. That seemed to be how things worked in Sloth.
The sun was setting when they finally left the tower, everything painted in gentle orange and pink that made the kingdom look even more dreamlike. Belphegor walked her back to her quarters with that same unhurried pace.
“Tomorrow I’ll show you the gardens,” he said. “Or the next day. Whenever you feel like it. No schedule here.”
He drifted away before she could respond, and Lilith entered her rooms to find Sera already half-asleep in that enormous chair.
“This place is dangerous,” Sera mumbled. “I haven’t wanted to do anything productive since we arrived.”
“I think that’s the point.” Lilith collapsed onto her own bed, feeling exhaustion she’d been ignoring for weeks finally catch up. “We’re supposed to rest.”
“Then I’m doing it right.” Sera’s eyes closed. “Wake me when something important happens. Or don’t. Whatever.”
Lilith lay there listening to the quiet, feeling time move differently than it did anywhere else. No urgency, no pressure, just the permission to simply exist without justification.
She fell asleep before she meant to, the kingdom’s energy pulling her under like warm water, and for the first time in longer than she could remember, she didn’t dream of anything at all.