Bound to the Demon Lord ✔️

Chapter Thirteen

Phoebe was relieved that the clothes Gloria had prepared for her were very simple and could easily blend in with anything commoners wore. The material itself was of very fine quality, but it was a simple design: a white off the shoulder blouse, a long navy high-waisted skirt, and brown hooded cloak. Since Krios had agreed to her request to give the maids the night off, she had been the one to do her hair and makeup.

Knowing them, her maids would be horrified to find that she had put on very light makeup and only used a few clips to pin her hair out of her face. Since they believed this was some big romantic date, they probably would have made her go all out in her appearance. What she had now was much more comfortable.

She had been surprised though when Krios told her to meet him near the stables at six. She had expected him to escort her from her room all the way to the festival and make some big show of it. Sneaking around like this seemed a bit out of character. But since she was finally going to be able to go out and see more of the Underworld, she wasn't about to complain.

She would also admit it felt a little nostalgic. When she had been younger, she had snuck out at night a few times to spend time with friends or even a lover. She had been more mischievous and rebellious back then. And now, it was like she was reliving her adolescence, keeping to the shadows and darker corners as she made her way towards the stables.

But when she grew closer, she didn't see Krios. It was strange; he said to meet at six, and she had arrived probably five minutes later than the designated time. It wasn't like he was a hard person to miss; he was an eleven-foot tall demon. Even in a crowd of Underworld patrons, he would have stood out.

"Phoebe."

She paused. It was obviously Krios's voice, but he sounded... different. Normally his voice had a deep, almost guttural growl to it. While this voice still carried a similar baritone, it didn't have that same rumble. Turning around, her eyes widened when she saw a man step out from behind a tree.

He was dressed in simple clothes: comfortable pants with a sash tied around them, boots, and a shirt that wasn't fully buttoned. Anyone else would have been afraid of the tall stranger, but she knew him. His dark skin, long braided black hair, and handsome face were familiar to her. But the thing that stood out most was the dark birthmark on peeking out from his open shirt, matching the one she had on her own chest.

But that only made her even more confused. "Krios?"

"You recognize this form?"

"I... saw it one time. In a memory."

He eyed her for a few moments before nodding to himself. She felt weird standing next to him. He was supposed to be this huge imposing demon with horns, wings, and a tail that would terrify even the strongest warrior. But now, he just looked completely human, minus the bright red eyes. He was still quite tall, probably a little over seven feet, but even that was still short compared to his usual height.

"Come on," he said, gesturing to her to follow him. "The fastest way into town is through the back gates."

"Wait."

He stopped to look at her.

"Why are you like... this?" She gestured to all of him.

He arched an eyebrow. "I thought you wanted to go to the festival."

"I do, but I thought..."

A look of understanding came over him, and he huffed. "I figured you would want to be discreet. Whenever I need to leave the palace, I usually disguise myself so as to not draw attention." Then a small smirk came to his face. "Unless you want everyone to know you're on a date with the Demon Lord."