The Cursed Prince

Harlow was taken aback by how the Demon King's demeanor suddenly shifted once she gave him a little bit of hope. Raphael started to appear a bit more genuine and less teasing… So, he was truly delighted by just this?

Gosh. Harlow didn't realize how much of a sucker this Raphael was.

Was this Ice Prince actually a pitiful guy who didn't know how to talk with women and thought that the best way for him to get a wife was simply through making an oath with the mother of his future bride?

Harlow pressed her lips hard and tried not to assume that Raphael was like that. After all, this was the Ice Prince… the vicious Demon King who stole the heart of an Elven Princess and then broke it.

What did Harlow get herself into this time?

She was confused but before Harlow could make any new assumptions, the Demon King had already stepped down from his throne and approached her with a large grin on his face and bowed his head.

"Since you have decided to think about this arrangement between the two of us, I will show you everything that you can obtain by becoming my true wife," Raphael promised as his eyes twinkled. "Tonight, from midnight until dawn arrives, let us have a party!"

"What?" Harlow batted her eyes at him in confusion. "A party?"

"I will invite the entire kingdom to come into the palace and celebrate your arrival." Raphael chuckled and then looked at her sincerely. "I wasn't able to attend your birthday, but let me have the chance to celebrate your birthday with you in person."

Harlow pursed her lips but then eventually shrugged. After a couple of moments, her eyes sparkled with challenge and she smirked at the Demon King with mischief as she thought of something wicked. 

"Alright. Try to make this party and impress me, Raphael. You better come up with something grand because you ruined my last birthday."

Raphael only smirked back at her. "Princess, prepare yourself to be amazed at everything I can offer you. I am the Demon King of the Underworld and will present to you what a man of my position can give to you."

"Hey, you just said that you'd be throwing me a party this midnight, right?" Harlow threw off the man's smirk with her sudden question. She didn't seem to be impressed with his words at all.

Why would she? Harlow had already heard countless proposals left and right, some of the flowery and poetic men even promising her the sun, moon, and stars if she would accept them. 

Raphael's words were elementary to Harlow.

"Indeed." Raphael nodded. 

"Isn't that so soon for you to prepare?" Harlow couldn't help but point out in a matter-of-fact tone. "It's not so easy to plan a party and then you have to think about the guests. Who will come at a sudden notice? Demon King or not, guests will need time to prepare."

Raphael chuckled. "Princess, you underestimate me too much. I am a man of my word and when I say we will have a party tonight at midnight, I truly mean that."

"And how do you think you'll do that?" Harlow challenged and crossed her arms. She gestured with her head to the rather empty throne room. "I don't even see many servants around your place."

"Prepare to swallow your words, princess." Before Harlow could say anything else to him to rebut him, Raphael simply clapped his hands, and soon the environment around them changed before her eyes.

The throne room was regal, imposing, and even a tad bit scary when she first came in since it was filled with a lot of intimidating suits of metal armor that lined up along white marble pillars. 

All of them appeared to be empty tin cans and Harlow had seen them before in both Draecian and Myreen palaces and usually never cared for them. However, in the Demon King's castle, she thought that their helmets moved a bit and looked in her direction. 

Now as Raphael clapped, all of the suits of armor started to march forward like soldiers and raised their weapons in greeting. The chandeliers above them started to burn brighter and the colors seemed to become more vivid.

Just before Harlow stepped in earlier, the entire throne room was dim and dark because it reflected the mood of its owner, Raphael, who had been so gloomy at Harlow's confrontation earlier.

Right now, the Demon King was motivated to turn everything around him to be bright and beautiful to impress his bride.

As Raphael infused his magic into the castle, everything started to come to life and the lonely demon castle became more fitting and welcoming for an entire entourage of guests to come and visit.

"Enchanted…" Harlow muttered in surprise and tossed a look in Raphael's direction. That was impressive and it had enlivened the throne room. However, it was not enough. She clicked her tongue. "There are still no guests though. You can't have a party just with the two of us."

"Of course not, darling," Raphael agreed as he motioned to the walls where the suits of armor left. There was an arch design behind each one of them which was inscribed with magic and suddenly, they started to glow.

"Wait, are those portals to countless realms…?" Harlow's eyes widened and she thought that this was the closet that Julian was speaking of. However, contrary to her expectations, it only revealed demons of various kinds.

It was from the lowliest goblin to even the most powerful succubus and witches that were revealed to be in the portal. Each of these individuals however seemed to be in their own kind of castle.

Harlow realized that the archway portals actually led to various places in the underworld.. It was a great military tactic for a king to have his people always be prepared to come into his throne room, but now Raphael was using it for a different reason.