The Demon's Concubine

Chapter 27

Lucy opened her eyes slowly, taking a moment to come back to reality. She had the most horrible nightmare- Jackal had threatened her, she destroyed the bedroom, and she ended up having to run away! As she sat up, her eyes widened when she looked around the room. 

Wherever she was, this was definitely not the Tartaros castle. This bedroom was bright and pink, but Lucy had an odd feeling about this place. It was slightly familiar, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. 

So, the nightmare had been real? Where is she, then? And how did she get here? She looked down at herself, noticing that someone had bathed her and changed her into a clean nightgown. 

"Good morning, Princess." Lucy's head snapped over to gape at the woman in the room, and she froze when she realized who it was. 

"...Virgo? What are you doing here..? Where am I!?" She stumbled out of the bed, not liking where things were going. If Virgo was here, then…

"You're home, Princess." Virgo held her by the shoulders and looked her over, meeting her eyes. Her face held no emotion, but she backed away when Lucy began to cry. 

"What do you mean 'home,' Virgo? Please don't tell me this is…" Lucy ran to the window, looking down to see the surrounding land. She realized exactly where she was now, but she just didn't want it to be true. 

"Your father would like to talk to you. Are you hungry?" 

Lucy's body shook as she turned to look at Virgo's blank face. "...No… no, please…" Her hands pulled at her hair as she collapsed to the ground. "I can't be here… no!" 

Virgo watched her princess break down, a frown making its way onto her face. Jude made it seem like Lucy would be happy to be here, this is definitely not the reaction she expected. She went to help the blonde stand, guiding her to and through the room door.

"You should speak with your father." She whispered, and Lucy was too busy sobbing to answer. 

Virgo brought her to a dining room and helped her sit at the table, staying by her side and leaning down to rub circles in her back. 

Loud footsteps approached the opposite end of the table, and Lucy didn't need to look up to see who it was. 

"I'm glad you made it safely." Jude took his seat and smiled at his daughter, disregarding how she was obviously upset.

"F-father… I don't want to be here…" She kept her gaze down, her tears dripping onto the table. 

"Neither do I, but you already destroyed the castle and palace, so this estate will have to do."

"No, father… I want to go back… I want to be with Natsu!" 

Jude narrowed his eyes at her, and he looked over to Virgo, the maiden continuing to offer Lucy comfort. "Virgo found you outside in the cold. I took it upon myself to take the demon king out so you'd be able to escape. You're free now, daughter." 

Lucy finally looked him in the eyes, his words infuriating her. "What!? Father, you… You ruined everything! You hurt Natsu, and everyone thought it my fault! That's why I was alone, you turned everyone against me!" 

Jude nodded slowly, he knew his actions would encourage her leave. "It's for your own good, Lucy. You need to be here in the angel kingdom where you belong-"

"No! Shut up about that! I don't care about what you think I should do with my life! I was actually happy with Natsu! Why can't you just leave me alone!?" She screamed, jumping out of her seat and moving to leave the room.