Archive of Our Own ^beta

Stolas sighed deeply as he was shown to the throne room in his cousin, Decarabia Goetia's palace. Decarabia had requested that he come and see her as soon as possible, stating that she needed to speak to him about Octavia. Octavia's eighteenth birthday was just two weeks away now, and turning eighteen was one of the most important milestones in a Goetia's lifetime. A Goetia's eighteenth birthday was also the day of their coronation; the day that they received their crown, and began to take up the duties required of them by Hell's society. Octavia was going to be officially recognised as Princess Octavia of Hell, and she would begin studying the living world's astronomy, just as Stolas was meant to be doing now.

"You wanted to see me, Bia?" Stolas said as he approached his cousin. She was sitting atop her throne, flanked by two Hellhound bodyguards on either side.

Decarabia looked at him like she wanted to kill him. "Stolas, we need to talk."

"What about?" he said as though he didn't already know. One of the Hellhounds moved to put a chair out for him in front of Decarabia, a small, uncomfortable-looking stool which looked like it hadn't been used in centuries. Still, he obediently sat down, looking up at Decarabia on her throne.

"About Octavia," Decarabia responded.

"She's been busy getting ready for her coronation," he said quickly, "She's with her mother today. Stella is taking her to get her coronation gown made."

"I know," she said, fully aware that he was avoiding the real reason why he'd been called here.

Stolas fidgeted with the collar of his shirt. "And later today, you'll be making her crown, won't you?"

"I will take the measurements, and discuss the design with her, yes," she said coolly, "I do hope that she'll choose a design less tacky than the one you wear."

Stolas struggled not to respond to her insult. Decarabia was responsible for the study of the living world's jewels and precious metals, and so it was her job to make the Goetia family's crowns when they came of age. To prove herself worthy of her title, Decarabia had made her own crown for her coronation, and crown design was something that she took very seriously. She didn't know why Stolas had insisted on putting his crown on a top hat, but she thought that it looked ridiculous, and she didn't want to have to make a crown like that for Via.

Decarabia's eyes narrowed further at Stolas. "You know as well as I do that I didn't bring you here just to talk about Via's coronation," she said coolly, "We need to talk about how you've failed her."

Stolas crossed his arms with an indignant huff. "I don't know what you're talking about. I have done everything in my power to be a good father to her."

Decarabia's plumicorns folded back against her head. "So you think that your affair hasn't been affecting her in any way?"

He paled. "How did you"—

"Via told me everything. You lent your grimoire out to Blitzø, an imp, and once a month, you made him have sex with you, in your palace, where poor Via could hear everything," she responded, her eyes turning to purple crystals as her full demon form began to awaken, "Regardless of how you feel about Stella"—

"I never loved Stella! You and I both know that we were forced to marry to produce an heir to my throne!"

"Regardless of how you feel about Stella," she boomed, standing up from her throne as her body was surrounded by a blindingly bright lilac aura, "You cannot bring your affairs into your home."

Stolas pouted like a child in time-out. "And why shouldn't I? Why shouldn't I get to sleep with someone I like in my own home?"

"Because you have Octavia to think about," she shot back, unmoved by his pitiful words.

"And what, exactly, does Octavia have to do with my love life, hm?" he responded, folding his arms, "Who I spend my spare time with is none of her business."

"It is her business when you bring them into your home," she continued, "Do you think that she likes hearing you get fucked by your affair partner? Do you think that she likes hearing her parents scream at each other for hours on end because of you bringing Blitzø into your marriage bed?"

Stolas gasped, unable to believe that Decarabia had the nerve to pin all of the blame on him. "Well, Stella and I were unhappy together long before Blitzø entered the picture. My affair with Blitzø hardly changed a thing."

"Maybe not for you two, but it certainly did for poor Via. She told me that she heard everything that Blitzø did to you when you were in bed together," she shot back, "Even when Stella moved out, Octavia couldn't escape from your affair. Whenever she was at home with you, she was forced to listen to her father's bedroom activities whenever she tried to sleep."

The aura disappeared, and Decarabia sat back down on her throne, straight backed and stiff, as if demonstrating how much more refined she was than him. "That's the problem with you, Stolas. You don't think about anyone other than yourself. You don't care who gets hurt as long as you get you want," she sighed, "Not Stella, not Via, for Satan's sake, you don't even seem to care about Blitzø."

Stolas gasped, offended that she would dare to even think that he didn't care about Blitzø. "What are you talking about?"

"Blitzø came to my jewellery store last month. He said that he urgently needed the engraving removed from the Asmodean crystal you gave him," she continued, "He told me all about your deal with the grimoire. When he showed me what you had had engraved on his Asmodean crystal, I was so disgusted that I removed the engraving for free."

Tears welled up in Stolas' eyes. The engraving he'd had done on the crystal had been a very heartfelt message about he wanted Blitzø to choose to be with him, even if he didn't need his grimoire anymore. Asmodeus had done the engraving with his own hands. "He...He wanted the engraving removed? But why?"

"Is it not obvious? As I gathered, he was sick of you treating him like a sex slave," she responded, "He didn't want to be reminded of how you forced him to have sex with you every time he went to work."

"But I"—

"We are Goetias, Stolas! Our duty is to care for and protect our subjects, not treat them like our playthings!" she shot back, "You have no right to treat anyone, least of all an imp, like your personal sex slave!"

Stolas wiped his eyes, sniffling. "I just wanted Blitzø to be mine."

"And you didn't care if he didn't want to be yours."

"I wanted him to choose me!" he cried, "I gave him the crystal because I wanted him to have the freedom to choose me!"

Decarabia's plumicorns flickered. "And why do you think that he should've chosen you?" she said coolly, "Why do you think that he should've continued allowing you to have sex with him instead of seizing the opportunity to free himself from you?"

"Because I love him!"

Tears poured from his eyes, but Decarabia was unmoved by his display. "Do you? Do you really?"

"What are you saying, Bia?" he cried, "Blitzø is the only man I've ever loved!"

"Do you love him, or are you in love with the idea of him?" she said coldly, "Do you love Blitzø, or do you love the fantasy you made up in your mind, about being swept away from your arranged marriage by a commoner?"

Stolas had never asked himself that question, but he hadn't needed to, or so he'd thought. "I..."

"And you hurt him because he didn't buy into your fantasy," she continued, plumicorns flickering so hard that they nearly shook her tiara out of place, "Blitzø is not your knight in shining armor, come to rescue you from your tower, he is an imp whom you forced to sleep with you so that he wouldn't lose access to the grimoire he needed to stay in business."

She readjusted her tiara. "Speaking of your grimoire, Octavia is behind on her studies because of you. You're the reason why she doesn't know half of the spells in it yet."

"It's not my fault that Blitzø decided to steal the grimoire from me!"

"But you let him keep it," she shot back, "You let him keep your grimoire so that you could use it to force him to have sex with you, and now, because of you, Octavia has been having to take remedial classes so that she can catch up on the months' worth of magic lessons she's missed!"

She rubbed her temples. "Shirking your responsibilities to Hell, and your daughter, and allowing an imp to have illegal access to the mortal realm? What do you think the rest of the Goetia family will think of that?" she sighed, "These are grave offences! You could lose your title! Your palace! Everything!"

Stolas paled. "You wouldn't...Tell the others, would you?"

"Some of them already know. Stella told Andrealphus, and some of the other marquises and marchionesses have been informed as well," she sighed, "Some of them even want to tell the kings and queens. You and I both know that Paimon will not treat your offences lightly."

Stolas trembled, terrified of what his father would do if he knew what he had done. The other kings and queens would want Stolas to be stripped of his title. Paimon would want Stolas dead for what he'd done.

"Please, don't let the others go to the kings and queens about this," he said quietly, "You have to stop them!"

Decarabia looked at him as though she'd asked him to kill Lucifer. "On what grounds should I try to stop them? All of the accusations against you are true."

"I can't lose everything, Bia! Please, I'm asking you to stop them, not as my cousin, but as Lady Decarabia Goetia, Marchioness of Hell," he said shakily, "If you don't defend me, no one will!"

She shook her head. "Stolas, if I try to defend you from this, I could lose everything. I am not going to risk my title, my palace, and possibly my life, to defend you," she said coolly, "You've brought this upon yourself. You will have to face the consequences of your actions."

"But what about Via?" he cried, "I don't want the Goetia family to go up in flames right before her coronation! What do you think that that will do to her?"

Decarabia sighed deeply, hating that he kind of had a point about Octavia. It wasn't like him to actually think about his daughter's wellbeing.

"The others have agreed to stay quiet until Octavia's coronation," she said coldly, "We don't want our new princess to face any more stress before her big day. What they do after Octavia's coronation, however, will be beyond your control. If they decide to tell the kings and queens about this, I will not stop them."

She got up from her throne, flames blazing in her eyes. "Stolas, you have failed in your duties as a prince. Octavia will not follow in your footsteps when she is officially crowned princess."

Stolas wanted to respond; to defend himself, to say something about Via, but he didn't, because an imp butler entered the throne room, ringing a bell to get Decarabia's attention.

"Your highness, Princess Stella and Princess Octavia have arrived," the butler said, "Shall I let them in, or are you not finished speaking with Prince Stolas?"

Decarabia looked in the butler's direction. "Let them in. I've said everything that I need to say."

"As you wish, your highness."

Stella and Octavia entered the throne room moments later. Octavia was in her brand-new coronation gown; a purple satin dress patterned with twinkling stars.

"Oh, Via, you look so beautiful," Decarabia gasped as she approached her niece, "You're going to be the envy of all of Hell!"

Stolas shed a tear as he looked his daughter up and down. "Princess Octavia of Hell...I still can't believe that your coronation is only two weeks from now!"

"Neither can I," Octavia said quietly, "I hope that I can be a good princess of Hell."

"Well, you'll certainly be better than your father, won't you?" Stella quipped, glaring at Stolas.

Stolas turned away from his ex wife, not bothering to respond to the insult, even though it was true. Octavia was going to be twice the ruler that Stolas had ever been.

Decarabia cleared her throat. "We're getting off topic. Octavia, have you thought of a design for your crown yet?"

"I have some ideas," she responded, "I want something simple, but pretty. Something I can wear with every outfit."

"I'm sure I can make that happen for you," Decarabia responded, "Let's go and draw up some designs in my atelier, shall we?"

Octavia nodded. "Yeah. Lead the way, Aunt Bia."

Decarabia lead the family out of the throne room toward the atelier where she made her jewellery. As she sketched designs for Via, and took measurements for her crown, Stolas tried to be excited for his daughter, but he couldn't. Not when he was two weeks away from losing everything. The marquises and marchionesses would tell the kings and queens. Paimon would strip Stolas of his title, possibly kill him. If he let Stolas live, he would have nowhere to go. Stolas was doomed, and there was nothing he could do about it. The two weeks leading up to Via's coronation were simply the calm before the storm.