"It's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Luciana Mircea Stygian wife of lord Stygian. I will be in your care from today." she introduced herself keeping it as brief and short as possible. She did not want to go around telling them that she was a princess abducted by their lord.
"My son isn't with me but please take care of him as well." she smiled.
-"It would've been better if I brought Nemesis with me. Looking at his innocent face relieves my stress." she sighed.
They quietly stood as they took turns to introduce themselves.
They were mostly low-class demons or hybrids of a human and a demon. She was sure to know their species by their looks.
The servants mostly posed a lukewarm response as if they were suppressed like puppets or they weren't ready to open up to a bride who belonged to an enemy empire. The introduction didn't last long. The fortress had a handful of servants who managed the place for their lord.
They were mostly in groups so she guessed that there might be families working together to make ends meet. The cook of the kitchen was a friendly man who too was a hybrid. He had a huge appearance. He looked tougher than most of the servants. He was the first to greet her. She couldn't determine his age but she assumed to be around in his fifties according to an average human age. He had noticeable grey streaks of hair that mixed up with his black hair. He had similar dark skin to most of the demons in the fortress. He had a mustache that looked like a line drawn over his lips. He bowed gently and submitted himself to her command.
"Your command equals the command of my master my Lady!"He swore at the top of his lungs. It startled Luciana but the others remained indifferent.
"So my lady did you like my food? I put extremely careful thoughts for your food. And what about the young master? Is he having any trouble eating? Please tell me if the food isn't to your liking!"
Luciana felt herself lost in his chain of questions that seemed impossible to answer at once.
"Uh- uh!" she panicked which to answer first. She had these situations in her life as a princess but since being the wife of an enemy man she lost most of her self-confidence.
"Zehel! Madame feels burdened by your blabbering."Blake interfered making the man stop in an instant.
"You sure are a lively one."Luciana giggled. The servants were surprised to see her smile and laugh.
"M-My sincerest apologies Madame! I didn't know it would burden you to such an extent. I was simply worried about you and the young master when my lord informed me about your weak health."
"Please, I'm only ever grateful for your concern over mine and my child's health."
"Oh, no Lady! It is our responsibility that you live a comfortable life!"
"Then we are in your care." She accepted his offer gratefully.
"Then all of you are dismissed. Do you want to meet the guards and the soldiers madame?"
"But my lord husband isn't here. And..." she glanced at the leaving servants.
"His aide has left for negotiations with him since he often fails to understand how to negotiate with the other lords. He would threaten them if the lords are being hard on him and the negotiation would come to an end without a reasonable outcome." he looked rather gloomy in a comical way. But to Luciana, it was a major shock.
-"At least he could be reasonable!" she screamed internally.
"Then I'd like to take a brief tour in the servants' quarter instead." she proposed.
"Why go to a humble place like that madame?"
"Because the responsibility of the employees rests on the shoulders of their employer. I would like to see how the servants are faring."
"Very well."
As they walked he spoke with her occasionally to not let her bored out. But Luciana was a keen observer and an enthusiastic learner.
"However my lady. I'd say that I'm more relieved that he got married. He did send marriage proposals to some noble households but ended up being rejected by all of them. There was one greedy low-ranking noble who proposed to marry off his daughter to the Lord. At that time I managed the territory instead of Jafar. But all he wanted was complete control over the Stygian territory that is larger than the capital city itself and the soldiers that master trains. And besides I was repulsed to see the very sight of him and his daughter who was just as ugly as he was."He grumbled.
"Oh Forgive me for letting my personal thoughts out like this lady."
"It's alright. I can understand that you were genuinely concerned about him."
"Well of course lady! Don't you think that the lord is too good even for himself?"
"Pardon?" she looked at him clueless as they stopped in front of the big wooden door with visible metal nuts attached to the wooden planks.
"I mean the lord isn't aware that he had good looks compared to most demons. I used to think that his looks were such a waste if he fails to get a gorgeous wife for himself. But he is such a muscle brain that he wouldn't mind marrying to any woman who'd be benefitting him and the land. Weren't you too seduced by his looks?"
-"More than being seduced I was being abducted. And would he only reap benefits off from a woman wedded to him?" She was far more concerned about the importance of caring for each other as man and wife.
"Would he not care for any of them if he were to marry?"
"He wouldn't. That's how he is."He said.
She felt like her heart had been pierced by the unbearably harsh answer.
"But it's a different story now that even left me in awe."
She flinched and remained silent.
"He feels a sense of responsibility over you my lady. The way I see it. He never really cared before if the negotiation worked or not. But this time he seemed more determined to make things go smoothly. It's a huge sign that he is dutifully carrying out his lord's duties as much as he is capable of by looking after you and your child."
-"I wished he could at least confide in me."