The Princess Trials

CHAPTER 5: ASMODEUS

DEZ’S POV

"When do we get to the damn hotel?" I grumbled, leaning my head against the cool glass of the window. I directed the question at my assistant, executioner, right-hand man, and best friend, Freezer, who was navigating our vehicle through the quiet, stone-paved streets of Asteria.

Officially, the royal delegation from Ravaryn wasn't supposed to arrive until tomorrow morning. But the thought of waking up before dawn for a forced political procession sounded like a unique form of hell. So, we had made the quiet journey under the cover of night instead, heading toward a discreet, high-end hotel Freezer had arranged.

"Chill, Dez. We’ll be there in half an hour, tops," Freezer replied with a low chuckle, catching my severe scowl in the rearview mirror.

I didn't want to be here. I didn't want any part of this absurd spectacle. But the Asterian princess had finally come of age, and my kingdom desperately needed a queen.

"You sure about this?" Freezer asked, his tone dropping its usual playful edge as he read the dark look on my face.

"Yes. The people need a queen," I answered automatically. It was the same rehearsed, emotionless response I had given to everyone who had questioned me over the past few weeks—my advisors, my sister, my high council, and my generals.

Unsurprisingly, it didn't fool my best friend for a single second.

Freezer snorted, catching my gaze in the mirror again. "Sure. What about *you*, Dez? What about a wife for you? A companion? A lover?"

I shook my head, letting out a weary breath. We had rehearsed this exact argument a thousand times over the centuries. It always started with him trying to push my boundaries and ended with me shutting him down.

"No. She’s far too young," I stated flatly. "I am nearly five centuries older than her. The mere thought of taking advantage of a girl who hasn't even lived a fraction of my life makes my skin crawl. I feel like a predator just standing in the same room. I won't be touching her—not on our wedding night, not ever. She will be free to live her life as she pleases. All I require is a sovereign presence for Ravaryn."

Freezer’s eyes narrowed in the mirror, flashing with sudden, protective irritation. "Free to live her life? Free to sleep with others? To turn the Demon King into a laughingstock? Is that really what you're sitting there telling me?"

"If that is what she chooses, yes," I replied, entirely unbothered. I genuinely had no intention of laying a finger on her. I planned to keep our interaction strictly professional, limiting our meetings to required public appearances. I wasn't going to offer her a traditional, faithful marriage, so I certainly didn't expect her to offer one to me.

"That is complete bullshit, Dez, and you know it," Freezer snapped. "Why can’t you just allow yourself to be happy for once in your miserable life? Besides, I highly doubt the princess would ever agree to a hollow arrangement like that—unless you're planning on keeping her in the dark?"

I scoffed. "Of course I’ll tell her. If she rejects the terms, I’ll gladly withdraw my name from whatever trial she sets. Hell, given the competition, she might not even select me as one of the final five."

"She’d have to be blind and brain-dead not to pick you as one of the five," Freezer muttered. He went quiet for a moment, switching lanes before pressing further. "Alright, for real now, Dez. What’s the actual reason? Drop the King act and give me the truth."

I held his gaze in the mirror, letting the heavy silence stretch between us before I finally gave in with a quiet sigh.

"I am waiting for my mate. The princess is merely a political necessity until she arrives."

Freezer froze. He stared at me through the glass for three full seconds, and then burst into a sudden, boisterous laugh.

"Your *mate*? Are you serious right now?" Freezer wheezed incredulously, glancing back at me so sharply that he swerved into the adjacent lane, nearly clipping an oncoming carriage before violently jerking the wheel back into place. "Dez, those are children's fairy tales! No one in the realms has felt a mate bond in centuries, and you’re sitting there holding out for a myth?"

"And *that* is precisely why I didn't want to tell you," I said, my voice dropping an octave, cold and unyielding. "I am waiting for my mate. I know she exists somewhere out there. And I refuse to give the remnants of my heart to anyone else."

Freezer stole another quick glance at me. Seeing the absolute, deadly seriousness etched into my face, the humor instantly drained from his expression.

"Alright then," he said softly, turning his eyes back to the dark road ahead. "I just hope to the gods she's real, Dez. For your sake."

I offered him a small, rare smile, opening my mouth to change the subject, but he beat me to it.

"Who would've thought," Freezer added, a smirk returning to his lips, "that the oldest, most terrifying, and most ruthless monarch in the demon realm is secretly a hopeless romantic?"

I let out a quiet huff of laughter, and together, we rode in comfortable silence into the glowing heart of Asteria.