As the Demon Demands ✔️

Chapter Thirty

Evangeline hugged her knees to her chest tightly, burying her face into her legs. It had been another four days of "torture," and she wasn't sure if she could bare it any longer. It hadn't been as awful as that first time, but it was still hard. She still found herself sick and wanting to throw up every time Claude was forced to touch her.

And there were always two guards watching. The feral looks in their eyes always made it so much worse. As if they were jealous of Claude, or eager to do the same. She could hear them chuckle, sometimes even egging Claude on. And every time they did, Claude would flinch or almost lose his composure. They made everything so much worse, making her violated every time she was dragged into the torture chamber.

And Claude... Every time she saw him, he looked worse and worse. It didn't help that he had to keep up the illusion longer than the first time. He had to make the guards think it was happening multiple times, as if he were nothing more than a savage eager to do as he willed to her. Solomon was usually able to call the guards away after the third "round," and Claude would always collapse and have a seizure when they were gone.

They couldn't keep doing this. Claude would probably die if this continued. And she wasn't sure if she could stay sane much longer. Even now, sitting in her cell, she could feel Claude's hands all over her. Even if he didn't touch her breasts or her lowers, she still felt him on her skin. And then she would remember how those guards looked at her... Just thinking about it made her want to vomit.

Then her gaze fell to her ring. Every moment she could, she made sure it was on her finger to keep the connection strand up. She prayed that Marak was getting closer, that he would come and save her soon. At this point, she didn't care if Lamia got away again. She just never wanted to be trapped in this horrible place again.

Footsteps caught her attention. Gasping, she quickly took off her ring and scrambled to shove it into her pillow. She feared that she would be dragged out again. It was only happening once a day, but maybe Lamia wanted her to suffer more. Maybe on top of what Claude was doing, she wanted to add more torture to her schedule.

But it wasn't the guards. It wasn't even the servants who would drop off her food. Instead, Solomon walked in front of the bar, holding a tray of food. But it wasn't the usual bowl of soup or gruel; instead, it looked to be a warm stew that actually smelled fresh. Even the bread didn't look as stale as it normally did. Her stomach growled, and her mouth watered. For a moment, she wondered if this was another punishment Lamia had in mind, and Solomon had been sent to ensure she suffered.

Instead though, Solomon opened the cell door and walked inside. He kneeled down so that they were at eye level before setting the tray before her. "Here. This should give you back some of your strength."

Evangeline's stomach growled again, but she still felt hesitant to take the food. Was this genuine kindness, or did he need her to act a certain way in order to trick Lamia? She did reach back into her pillow to put the ring back in, but she didn't reach for the food.

But Solomon didn't push her to. He merely let out a heavy breath, sitting back on his legs. That was when she noticed how exhausted he looked. Bags under his eyes, skin paling that usual, face swollen... Solomon was used to having a lot of work on his plate, being Marak's Royal Magister. What was Lamia making him do to appear so fatigued?

"It shouldn't be much longer, Your Majesty," he said. "I've received word for one of my spies. The emperor is close."

"... Really?"

"Yes."

Her shoulders slumped in relief. She was still a little hesitant to trust him after everything that had happened, but she knew he felt remorse. While she still felt weary about fully trusting him, she knew that, above everything else, he wanted Lamia captured and punished. He wouldn't lie to her about this.