The council meeting was dragging.
I tried not to fidget in my seat, but I could feel the weight of time ticking in my bones. It wasn’t that the discussion wasn’t important — it was. We were deciding the distribution of firewardens to the southern border, and everyone had an opinion. But I had somewhere else to be, and every tick of the sun-dial outside the council room made me itch.
I glanced sideways at Ariston, who stood at ease beside me, his arms crossed behind his back as usual. He seemed unbothered by the delay, but I could feel the slight tension in his stance. He was waiting, just as I was. I shifted subtly and tapped the edge of the table with my finger.
Finally, Draegon gave the signal to wrap up, his voice steady, deep, commanding. "We’ll review the final distribution plan tomorrow. Dismissed."
I nearly bolted up from my seat.
Ariston and I moved in sync, heading for the large doors of the war room. Our steps were purposeful — maybe a bit too purposeful — because we didn’t even reach halfway across the floor before someone called after us.
"Your Highness," Vesper’s voice rang, sweet and teasing. "Where are you both going in such a rush? Don’t tell me we’re missing another secret strategy meeting?"
I turned, already preparing something neutral and boring. But then I saw Drakkar’s gaze sharpen slightly beside her, his golden eyes narrowing — not suspicious yet, but curious. His attention had shifted to Ariston and me in that moment.
I smiled, keeping my tone casual. "I have an appointment."
Vesper tilted her head. "An appointment?" she repeated, curiosity blooming on her face. "I see?"
I turned to Ariston, voice low, a faint smirk playing on my lips — masking the internal chaos currently rampaging in my stomach. "You’re still comfortable with this, right?"
Ariston gave a single, silent nod. Calm, collected. As if what we were about to do wasn’t completely out of character for both of us.
That’s when Drakkar spoke. "I know I probably don’t have a right to ask..." he said carefully, "but what kind of appointment?"
The room paused. Not fully still — papers shuffled, chairs scraped, but the air tightened a little, like a string being wound too tightly.
Ariston turned slowly to face Drakkar, and the smirk that crossed his face was subtle, but so, so dangerous.
"It’s a massage appointment," he said plainly.
For a moment, no one moved. Even Vesper stopped fidgeting with the end of her braid. Draken looked up from the map he was still rolling, one brow raised. Draegon, his purple eyes lifted from the parchment in front of him and fixed right on me. Even the magical fire sconces on the walls seemed to crackle quieter.
I swallowed. My heart was doing something strange — something fast and clumsy. I hadn’t expected Ariston to just throw it out like that. Bold. Shameless.
But I couldn’t back out now.
"Yes," I said, standing straighter, forcing calm into my voice. "I heard there’s a new therapy offered among demon nobles— a massage practice started by the incubi. Apparently, it uses heat transfer and energy flow to relieve tension."
The words spilled from me too quickly, too smooth. I didn’t know how I sounded — reasonable? Nervous? Too defensive?
"I’ve been feeling... tired lately," I added, more softly. "So I thought I’d try it."
Drakkar didn’t say anything, but his golden gaze flicked from me to Ariston — slowly. Measuring.
"And Ariston," I said with a quick glance at him, "he’s always working. He barely rests. I wanted him to experience something relaxing too."
Ariston inclined his head slightly, was the most natural idea in the world.
The room still hadn’t quite recovered.
I looked to Draegon, who was staring at me with that unreadable intensity he wore like a second skin. He didn’t speak. His elbows were braced on the table, and he hadn’t moved an inch since the word ’massage’ had been spoken. But his jaw was tight.
I turned back toward the door, trying to keep my pace even. Controlled. I couldn’t tell if my skin was burning because of embarrassment or something far more volatile. But I didn’t look back.
By the time we were far enough from the council chamber, I nearly collapsed against the wall.
Ariston walked beside me, as calm as ever, but when we turned the next corner and the corridor emptied, I exhaled hard and turned to him. "Okay," I whispered. "Was that too obvious? Be honest."
He tilted his head. "You mean the part where I said the word ’massage’ with the precision of a sword strike?"
I groaned and rubbed my face. "Exactly that part."
He smirked, just a little. "We might’ve... oversold it."
"I panicked," I said. "It was supposed to be casual. Like, Oh, just a thing I heard from a noble lady who won’t stop talking about weird skin rituals. But then you said it like we were about to go strip down and—"
I smacked his arm. "Ariston!"
He laughed under his breath, glancing down the hallway before looking back at me. "Honestly," he said, more quietly now, "Drakkar definitely looked like he swallowed his own tongue. And Draegon’s expression? He didn’t even blink. You hit something, Princess."
"Are you sure?" I asked, "I heard stuff is very common among demons."
"It is," He nodded, "As far as I know,"
"Then?" I got worried, "Do you think it didn’t work?"
"I think it did," He thought about it, "Because although it is common among demons. Demons are known for their free and lustful natures," My heart dropped at his words, till he said the next line, "but that ’freedom’ of theirs is for single people."
"How do you know all this?" I asked, "Are you sure this is true?"
He nodded, "One of the biggest examples is in front of you." He said and for a moment I was confused, "The previous king brought a concubine."
"Right!" I remembered, "And even though Seraphine was confined, no one batted an eye."
Ariston nodded, "Yes, although demons are very free in a lot of things. They are very strict in others." He paused, "And in the end, they do have hearts. So getting angry and being jealous is a real thing no matter what the species."
"But you feel jealous when you like the other person, right?" I said, "Will Draegon feel angry for me?"
Ariston smiled, "I’m sure he will be, demon husbands can be very possessive."
I smiled, "If you know that, why don’t you make things clear with Drakkar?"
I felt a strange sort of heat curl inside me. Victory, maybe. Or something a little more dangerous.
"Ah..." He thought about his own words, then looked away, "We should get going. The masseuse are waiting."