Chapter 2 — The Little Queen of Paradise
The hall was silent, cold, and heavy with tension.
"Deav!"
The little girl climbed the grand throne, her tiny hands trembling as she stood before him, sobbing uncontrollably.
Deav's murderous aura flared — dark, suffocating, and sharp enough to slice the air. His brows knitted slightly as his eyes landed on the little girl's swollen, tear-stained face.
"Who dared to bully you?" he asked coldly.
His tone was calm, but beneath it lurked the kind of danger that could erase an entire generation without hesitation.
The entire hall froze. No one dared to breathe, no one dared to move.
The little girl shook her head softly and stretched out her arms toward him, wordlessly asking to be carried.
Deav didn't hesitate. He lifted her into his arms and settled her gently on his lap, brushing away her tears with a careful hand.
"Tell me who bullied you," he murmured — softly spoken words that carried a lethal weight.
The girl sniffled and wiped her face with the back of her hand before pointing directly toward Rose.
Rose didn't raise her head, though every gaze in the room bore into her trembling body. Her heart pounded in terror, already imagining the death that awaited her.
But the little girl didn't care about Rose's fear. Her teary eyes fixed on Deav as she wailed,
"Her chest is bigger than mine! I want mine to be big too!"
For a long moment, the hall was dead silent.
"Huh?"
Even Deav was stunned. His crimson eyes blinked, then drifted down to the girl's flat chest.
A faint, amused smile appeared on his lips — dangerously charming, effortlessly handsome — and with it, every trace of the killing aura in the hall vanished.
Deav chuckled, shaking his head slightly. "You all may leave," he instructed.
No one questioned the order. No one even dared to breathe too loudly. They seized the chance to escape the lion's den and fled the hall without looking back.
Once the doors closed, silence filled the room again.
Deav looked down at the little girl in his arms, an incredulous smile forming on his face.
"Don't tell me you've been busy inspecting all the palace maids' chests," he teased, raising a brow.
The little girl nodded without shame. "All of them have big chests. I even touched them! They're round and soft. Though some are... um... long. But I like the round ones better. I've been waiting every day for mine to grow, but nothing happened. Look — so flat!"
She pouted, tugging at her dress as if to prove her point, but Deav quickly stopped her hand.
"How did I end up raising a little pervert?" he muttered in disbelief.
"I'm not a pervert!" she protested, glaring at him. "I just touched out of curiosity! I wanted to know what was so big there — but now I kinda want it too! Everyone else has one!"
"Only females have them," Deav replied, half-amused.
"Err, I'm a female too," she countered smugly.
"You know that, yet you're being a pervert?" he asked, trying to suppress a grin.
"I'm not a pervert! They're like me — I'm just small!" she argued, puffing her cheeks. Her big, innocent eyes glistened with determination — eyes that could melt even the cruelest hearts.
"Deav, I want to be tall too. I'm the only small one in the world!" she complained, blinking twice dramatically.
Deav sighed deeply. "You're not the only small one. In the human world, a little life is being born right now — much smaller than you," he explained.
"Human world?" Her eyes widened, curiosity gleaming. "Is it different from hell?"
"Yes, it's different. And stop calling this place hell," he corrected gently. "This is paradise."
"Paradise?" She scoffed, puffing her cheeks again. "The other side of the palace is filled with lava — endless lava! And so many souls are tortured there! If it wasn't far away from here, I'd have died of thirst already," she grumbled.
Deav exhaled helplessly. "Seriously…"
"But still," he continued, gazing into the distance, "everything here is beautiful. The land, the sky, even nature itself."
"I never said it wasn't," she mumbled. "But will you take me to the human world? I want to see it."
Deav tilted his head slightly, teasing, "What, are you not satisfied living in my palace anymore?"
"I just want to see another world. Please," she whispered earnestly.
"Fine," he conceded at last. "I'll take you there when you turn eighteen. We'll celebrate your coming of age in the human world."
A bright, radiant smile bloomed across her face — the kind that could light up darkness itself. Her dimples deepened, making her cuteness irresistible.
"Thank you, Deav! I love you so much!" she cried, wrapping her tiny arms around him.
Deav chuckled softly, pride flickering in his crimson eyes. "Is my little queen hungry? It's time for dinner," he remarked warmly.
"Will you eat with me tonight? I don't want to eat alone," she murmured, gazing at him hopefully.
"Alright then," he replied with a smile. "We'll have dinner together."
With effortless strength, Deav lifted her in one arm and walked out of the hall.
---
Later that Night
The palace was silent under the crimson glow of the underworld moon.
The little girl's eyes snapped open. Her brows furrowed as she turned toward the window.
"Riel."
The voice that echoed through the room was deep — commanding — ancient.
Riel didn't flinch. The innocent smile she always wore had vanished, replaced by a chilling coldness that could freeze the soul.
Her gaze stayed locked on the window, her expression unreadable.
If any of the palace maids had seen her now, they would never dare to approach her again. That sharp, predatory look in her eyes — it was exactly like Deav's.
"It's been a while since I've tasted raw meat," she whispered, her tone laced with deadly amusement. "Or maybe... you're just itching to be devoured by me, disturbing my sleep in the middle of the night?"
A cold smile curved her lips — a smile that promised death.
And in the next instant, she vanished.
The air trembled slightly as another figure appeared where she had been. Deav's tall form emerged from the shadows, his expression calm and proud.
"Even after months of peace, she's still as wild as ever," he murmured to himself, smiling faintly. "I truly raised her well. As expected, she never disappoints me — worthy of being this Devil's one and only."
A warm, proud smile crossed his face — the smile of a devil who loved his creation.