11 Eleven

When her eyes see what is in front of her, she can't believe that she's in front of it. In front of her is a library. It's not a big library. The room is similar is size as the bedroom she's staying in. The walls, up to the ceiling are covered in bookshelves and books in every size and color stands on the shelves. The room looks to be the only room that has any color in it other than red or black, however the floor and ceiling are pitch black, like in most rooms in this place. She walks inside the library tentatively.

In the middle is a large scarlett colored couch, it's big enough to hold at least ten people if not more. It can also expand and you can lay on it or sleep.

"I know how much you've always wanted to learn how to read properly, I can have someone teach you" He tells her.

A smile makes its way on her lips. She does know how to read, a little. She's not very good at it she must admit, but she's always wanted to learn and now he's offering to have someone teach her.

"Thank you so much, it's a kind offer and I gladly accept it" She says, walking inside and looking around.

Going to one of the walls, she feels the books with her fingers.

"After dinner. I will have to be in my study with work, I will have your maid teach you meanwhile" Lucifer says to her, knowing that she needs to be occupied. He doesn't want her to see what he will be doing.

"Thank you" She whispers when she has walked around the room and taken a look at all the books that she can read soon.

"Come now, dinner is waiting. As we had no lunch, be sure to eat as much as you can" He tells her.

She has always been on the too skinny side from lack of food and money in her old home, and feeding her and making sure she's healthy is his first priority. They leave the library, but once the door closes a frown makes its way Athena's face. The beauty of the books is something that she would want to watch the whole day, every day. She still might be a little afraid of him, but the more he does for her and the more he shows her his kindness, she can't help but feel her fear start to become trust. And soon that trust will be become love.

Together they go into the dining room where food is on the table, more food than the night before, she's not even sure if that is possible. Most of this food will not be eaten and goes to waste. He leads her to the guest of honor seat and she sits down. He goes to the seat that he was in last night. The two of them eat until they could not eat anymore, they talked and had fun as if they were old friends. She found it rather strange that he knows so much about her, even more than she knows about herself.

The girl was oblivious to the fact that he has been watching over her for her entire life and made sure that she was safe and protected.

*******

As he promised, after dinner he bid her goodnight and they went their separate ways. While she went to the library, he went to the dungeon but not the study as he had said. He doesn't want to frighten the girl, just when she's about to trust him. He can tell because she's not afraid to be around him and she doesn't shake with fear and she doesn't fear of looking him in the eyes.

As soon as she enters the library she sees the girl that has been helping her dress.

"I am told you need reading lessons, correct?" The girl asks.

Though she knows what she is supposed to do. but Athena doesn't know how the King does things, but she will, eventually. She only hopes she won't be near when that happens, if it is anyone who will be able to get more angry than the King himself, it is Athena and when she finds out the truth, she will be furious.

Athena might not look like the type of girl who can get that mad, but looks are often trick to us, that girl can get mad and add powers beyond imagination, and you get a bomb.

Athena smiles. "Yes, where do we start?" She asks.

"How about an easy book, just to see what you do know before we begin on the things you don't" The girl answers.

Agreeing to it, Athena sits down on the couch and the girl sits beside her, but is still hesitant to be sitting near the girl she serves.

Athena begins to read, yet doesn't know every letter or word and needs assistance from the girl. They shared a couple of laughs when she gets the words wrong or says something funny instead of the words. Reading lessons with her brother were never this fun, they were boring and no one wanted to pay attention to it. This however, is what she likes. Perhaps a girl was all she needed to make it so that she can learn and have fun at the same time, she didn't get much female fun time growing up.

"That's it, I think you're ready for a hard one, but beware that this book has complicated words that can be tricky to read as there are often silent letters" The maid says.

Athena is doing rather well and they have only been at this for about three hours, yet the progress is extraordinary.

"I can do this" She says and opens the book.

While she's reading it, neither of them notice that by the doors, someone stands and watches them, or rather the future Queen. Lucifer stands there with a proud smile on his face as he watches the girl read.

"You did it, congratulations, your majesty" The girl speaks when Athena finished one hard chapter of the book.

They decided that she would read one chapter in that hard book a day and few chapters in other easier books too.

"Thank you" Athena whispers, she's proud of herself of what she has accomplished in just one day She lets out a yawn, signaling that her body is tired. It has been a long day for her.

"Now, I believe I should take you to your bed chambers" Lucifer finally speaks up, startling the two girls sitting in the library.

Both of them are startled, yet as soon as Athena sees him, she can't help but smile. While the other girl is more terrified by the presence of the most evil man to ever exist. She shakes violently out of fear and bows her head down in sign of respect and fear. All of this goes unnoticed by Athena who stands up from the couch and goes to the man that the girl is more frightened of than anything else in this world or another. She follows him out of the library, leaving the poor girl all alone, yet she couldn't be happier.

"Did you enjoy your reading lesson?" He asks, he already knows she enjoyed it, since he did watch her for a while and he saw how she was having fun with it.

"Yes, I loved it. And the books here are wonderful" She tells him, as they walk up this season long and boring stairs.

"That's good. All the books there are available for you to read, and when you have finished those, new books will be brought to you, of your choosing" He tells her.

Her eyes widen when she hears his words come out of his mouth.

"There are so many there, it will take years to read them all" She says, completely surprised that he expects her to be able to read all those books.

There are so many books in the world, and so little time to read them. What she doesn't know is that she has forever, she can literally read every book in the world if she wanted to.

"Yes, and years it shall take" He tells her as they finally reach the top of the stairs.

Her legs feel like they might fall off. There had to be something to be done with that staircase. She keeps her mouth closes after he had spoken those words, she doesn't have any respond to it and she doesn't even know what she can say. No guards are by her door, this time. They seem to disappear when the two of them are together but reappear when she's alone, she finds this rather odd but doesn't question it further.

"Good night" She murmurs.

She turns to walk inside but before she has a chance to, Lucifer grasps her wrist and turns her around. Before she can say or do anything, she is up against the wall and his lips slam into hers.

She's taken back by that action, yet doesn't push him away. It took a few seconds but she kisses him back. The kiss didn't last very long, as soon reality kicks in, she breaks away and is quick to run into the room. When she closes the door, she lets out of a breath that she didn't know she was holding. She's in shock of what just happened. Hearing his footsteps grow more distant, she slowly opens the door. Athena sees him walking away and going down the stairs.

Athena closes the door again and pushes her back against the closed door, she slides down and sits on the floor. Her fingers make their way up to her lips and touches them, remembering his lips that had just touched hers. They felt nice and soft. His kiss was possessive, yet soft. This man has taken her first kiss and she doesn't deny it, but she did like it. It was savory and wonderful. She smiles to herself. Her heart has been beating faster in her chest and has been racing since the kiss, but it is calming down, as she is now calming down.

The shock in her body however doesn't want to leave her, and she doesn't know for how long she sat on the floor, but a soft knock breaks her away from her thoughts. Quickly, she stands up and the door opens. Her maids is there with a smile on her face.

"I'm here to help you get ready for sleep" She tells her, with a soft smile.

The maid can already tell that something has happened, as Athena's cheeks are red like the walls. And, she's guessing it has something to do with the King.

"Of course" Athena speaks and takes the crown that still sat high on her head and gently sets it down on the desk.

The girl helps her undress. Athena looks dreamily at the walls, and looks to be trapped in her own thoughts, the blush on her cheeks tells the girl all she needs to know.

"How was it?" She ask with a smirk.

The spoken words break the future Queen away from her mind and comes to reality.

"How was what?" She asks confused.

The maid helps her take off the corset, leaving her naked. She's quick to get her sleep gown and help her dress.

"The kiss, of course?" She asks.

"How did you-"Athena begins.

"Know? It's written all over your face" She cuts the girl off.

She is older and knows more than the innocent girl that she serves. Once she's in her night gown, Athena sits on the bed with a dreamy sigh.

"Like heaven" She whispers.

The maid is taken back by her words, kind of strange to hear that word spoken in the Underworld, as it is knows as Hell in other words. The opposite of heaven.

The maid chuckles. "Did you enjoy it?" She asks, not even believing that she's asking about this. The cruel King has had many lovers, her included.

"Yes" She whispers.

Looking at the desk with a smile, she notices the single white rose that he gave her. Standing up from the bed, she goes over there and stares at the rose. Until a thought rises in her mind.

"Do you think he enjoyed the kiss?" She asks, wondering about it.

He had taken her first kiss and she isn't experienced as he was she could tell that.

"If I didn't know better, I'd say he did" The girl answers, knowing how in love he is with this girl.

The maid hasn't been serving the girl for long, but she can already tell that he loves her, if he didn't she would be dead. He is known to kill all lovers he has ever had, unless he makes them slaves, or imprisons them as he has only once does.

"How can you tell?" She asks dreamily while staring at the rose, she doesn't sit down, she stands and watches the rose as it will do anything is she stares at it long enough.

"You'll soon know that, when you've gotten to know him better" She replies to her question.

What Athena doesn't know is that they are already engaged and will marry soon, of course the maid knows this but is forbidden from speaking about it.

"Now, comes on, let's get you to bed" She says, the girl should have long been to bed and fast asleep.

"All right" The girl still lost in her own dreamy mind about the kiss, goes back into reality.

But, before she goes to bed, she touches the white rose.

As soon as her fingers make contact with the rose, it begins to glow. It gives off a bright white glowing light, it isn't bright enough to force them to shut their eyes, but it is enough to startle both of them. The maid backs away, as all positive light can be hurtful for her, she is a demon after all. The rose continues to glow and the girl seems to be in some kind of trance. Her fire eyes never leave the rose, and stare directly in the middle of the rose where the most light is coming from.

The brightness lights up the whole room, but it doesn't grow brighter than it is.

"It's so beautiful" Athena speaks, her voice just barely above a whisper, but it is heard by the girl that is hiding from the light.

Still, she watches the future Queen stare into the bright glowing light of the rose. She looks with wonder and confusion on what is happening to the girl she serves. She doesn't know what's happening to her, Athena doesn't seem to know either. All she can do is stare at the rose, her body doesn't move.

As Athena stares deep down in the bright light, she begins to hear voices speak to her. The whispering voices are all around in her head, she doesn't understand what they are trying to tell her, they all talk at once but she did manage to listen to few sentences.

"Beware of the dark"

"It will taint your heart"

"You shall ascend to the throne"

"His love will be what ends you"

"Lucifer is mine"

"Death you will greet"

When the last sentence is spoken, she quickly takes her hand away from the rose and the light coming from it disappears, as it has never really been there.

When her fingers aren't touching the rose, she feels like her body is heavy and black spots dance in her vision. She falls down on her knees and from there she falls to the floor. Her eyes feel so tired that she can't help but to close them and welcome herself into the darkness that has taken over her eyes. The maid is rather quick to react to this but she's not quick enough, when she gets to the girl, she's already on the floor, unconscious and doesn't move. She checks her human pulse and it's beating normally and she breathes in equal breaths.

The girl is all right, but, she's on the floor. The honey blonde will get in trouble if anyone were to see the girl unconscious on the floor. It would have been worse if she had been harmed in any way. She already knows he will have her head for it, if she were to get hurt on her watch. Picking her up, she walks with her over to the bed and gently sets her down. She looks down at the poor innocent girl that has been thrust into a world she doesn't understand.

The magic she posses are something no one has ever seen and she doesn't even know herself what she's capable of doing. The maid takes the dress and the jewels that she had put on the desk and puts them on their rightful place, still she's quiet, making sure not to wake the girl. She's not even sure for how long the girl will be asleep or if she will ever wake up, she just hopes the magic she was exposed to exhausted her so much that she needed sleep and will wake up in the morning.

Before she leaves the room, she looks at the girl, she truly looks peaceful and so beautiful when she sleeps, like sleeping beauty. She can't help but feel lucky that a girl that innocent is wondering the castle of the Underworld, she doesn't belong there, yet belongs at the same times. Her innocence really puts this place in a brighter place, and she doesn't even know all the horrible thins that happen in the very castle she sleeps in. Closing the door, she walks away from it with a smile on her face and a low giggle, when she thinks of how the relationship between the King and the future Queen is going to be. It will be a ride, that's for sure.

The King hid in the shadows while the maid walked out of the room, when she was gone, he went inside the room. Already knowing that she was asleep, yet unaware of what had happened moment before he arrived, with the rose and the future Queen. Once his eyes looked at her, he fell in love with her all over again, as he has for the time she has been in the Underworld. Her beauty continues to enchant him.

The kiss they shared had been a kiss of his dreams, he knew she liked it. He also knew that she is falling in love with him and soon when she realizes it, they shall marry and live happily ever after. But, it will still take time, and knowing the girl she will be in denial until she's forced to admit her deepest feelings. Lucifer kisses her forehead and bids her goodnight before he leaves the room, leaving her to sleep while he attends their kingdom, which she shall be doing soon alongside him, as his Queen.