The guards opened the large two-piece door and led me into the huge hall. At the entrance stood a big, white, finely decorated carpet that went all the way to the opposite end. The hall had many big windows that were placed quite high, providing excellent illumination. Massive pillars stood all over the place, reaching to its very roof.

I soon realized that the guards were leading me towards the throne. A large, round figure set on it, a crown on its head and all dressed in blue. Right next to it stood a relatively slim but well-defined female figure. With a single glance, I saw that both of them wore some extremely expensive ornaments and jewels, and I dreaded to think just how much all that blue clothing costs all by itself.

The guards stopped me some distance away from those two people.

“You are in the presence of His Imperial Majesty!” The female standing next to the throne said in a practiced voice, “Show some proper manners!”

Realizing my mistake, I prostrated quickly: “I’m sorry! I’m terribly sorry! I had no idea!”

I knew it right away but was simply taken by surprise. So I tried wiggling my way out of it.

“That makes sense. The guards were ordered not to tell you where you were being taken. Still, the magnificence of this place and the Emperor’s majestic form should’ve been a very obvious giveaway. Stand up!”

I obeyed right away, realizing that the guards were still standing right next to me.

“Is that her?” The authoritative female asked someone behind her, turning her head to face them.

“Yes.”

Following the voice, I saw another figure, but this one was hunched. It was some distance away from the other two, almost blending in the shadow of a pillar.

“That’s Snirba. She’ll serve you well,” the shadowy figure continued talking in a voice of a very old male.

“Hmm … and I can see why,” the large, round male sitting on the throne stroked his beard vigorously, “Why haven’t I seen her before?”

“She is much more useful elsewhere.”

“Hmm … is that so …”

“So, you trust her?” The female asked.

The old voice snorted before answering: “She has never failed me before. She’s very talented and is a quick learner. She’s also smart enough to understand the importance of her mission.”

“Is that so … well, I doubt the demons will reject her. She really is pretty … for a slave.”

I felt my canine ears shoot straight up.

“Yes, you’ve heard me right,” the female continued, “the demons. You’ve certainly heard of them, haven’t you?”

“Y-yes, my lady,” I responded, hating how my voice betrayed my sudden weakness.

“By now, everyone knows that we’re negotiating with them. We’re trying to figure out what they want in exchange for peace.”

“And if we can get them to help us a little bit,” the old voice added.

“However, they are very … they are hard to understand. They don’t speak in proper tongue and, when they do say something, their words are very confusing and strange. On top of that, they’re demons. It would be foolish to trust them. So … we need someone to help us understand them. And that’s where you come in.”

“I think someone like you will be perfect for this task,” the old guy and the female started talking in turns, “You’re a smart girl. You have your way with people and have a knack for understanding their desires. And you never shy away from doing what has to be done to complete the task.”

“And this task is of the highest importance. The survival of The Empire, if not all of Greadinall depends on it. You will be given to the demons as a gift. That’s the easiest and the safest way to infiltrate you in their ranks.”

“Believe it or not, these demons proved themselves to be reasonable. They would gain nothing from hurting their own slave.”

“Indeed. You’ll be given to their champion. He’s surprisingly good-looking, by the way! He doesn’t look like a demon at all, so you may even find your time with him entertaining. You’re to get on his good side and use that to learn as much as possible about these demons. We already have someone close to them, but they keep her at a safe distance. Living with the demons, you should be free of such obstructions.”

“That’s also how you’ll deliver your findings to us. It may be hard to find them at first, but you’ll eventually meet our diplomats. Gather information on the demons, remember it, and deliver it to one of our diplomats when it’s safe and convenient. That’s your mission.”

“And, if you’re successful, the crown will repay your family’s debt. After that, you’ll be a free person once again.”

That made my tail swish with excitement.

“You were right … she’s very motivated,” the female said in an amused voice.

“She’s a hard worker. She’s determined not to remain a slave for the rest of her life.”

“That’s admirable. It’s such a shame your family is woefully incompetent. But, if you succeed, its honor will be restored once again.”

I responded with a silent nod.

“That’s essentially it. You’re to live with the demons and learn as much as possible about them. We don’t think you’ll be in danger. These demons are doing their best to convince us of how non-violent they are. His Majesty will host a ball in two weeks, and the demons will be his guests. That’s when you’ll be gifted to them.”

“Meaning, you have two days to say your farewells. But not to your family. They don’t know and mustn’t know of this. Unfortunately, there’s nothing we can tell you about the demons. We’re only sending you because we know nothing about them in the first place. We’ve exhausted all the other options.”

“What we do know is that they’re hiding their true nature. They’re doing their best to show themselves in a good light, which is something the demons aren’t supposed to do. They’re putting so much effort into it, we’d actually believe them if not for the fact that they live in hell. So that’s something that we have confirmed.”

The female turned towards the shadowy figure: “Is there anything else?”

“No, I don’t think so. There isn’t much to cover since we know next to nothing.”

“In that case, you’re dismissed! Guards, take her away!”