Saturday, the first of two days in the weekend when school was out giving children and the older kids time to hang out and have fun. Some adults also enjoyed it too since they were off from work even if several of them chose to open their shops anyway to interact with customers. Several eateries were also open for the same purpose, offering all kinds of meals ranging from dishes made for breakfast to dinner. At this time of day, they were offering only breakfasts as brunches because it was still early in the morning. While some patrons went about their business in the market district and residential district as well, others went around town to various outdoor vendors plying several kinds of wares from other regions of the Gray Garden that could not be found in stores. As for the people who worked in the castle, their leisure time functioned just like everyone else's as they also had the weekend off. Of course, some of them who enjoyed their work continued it because it was fun to them which was a similar reason to the motive shopkeepers had when opening today. It was such a pretty day that it would be a shame to waste it as the weather forecast stated there would be a mix between rain and fog for the following day, hence why the people savored this lovely weather while it lasted. Sunday they would be indoors doing activities inside until Monday when it cleared.
Opening the front door of her house, the young angelic girl stepped out to inhale fresh air. Dressed in her usual attire, she smiled cheerfully and adjusted her purse slung around her shoulder. Opening her eyes while shading them from the sun hanging above their world in the sky, Macarona gazed upon the clouds passing by slowly as if they were snails taking their time trudging along on their way. Hearing footsteps from behind her, the angel turned around to look inside to notice that her guest was also ready and decked in the same kind of dress the demon wore too. Smiling at her, Macarona shut the door behind them after Lil exited and strode past her, outstretching her arms as she opened her mouth in a smile while absorbing the sun's warmth. "Looks like you're enjoying the daylight, Lil," the angelic girl commented. "This must be the first time you've seen our world's sun. I suppose you must not have been too fond of the cloudy sky yesterday wanted a clearer sky."
"Hell yeah, it's awesome!" Lil exclaimed happily as Macarona started walking next to her on their way over to the edge of the residential district. "It's a shame you can't see such beauty in my underworld and Refi's because of the lack of daylight and bad weather respectively. The only place I ever saw any actual sun was in the Flower World whenever our gatherings took place there. I truly enjoy the quaint little feel of Rosa's world," she remarked to make conversation while also referring to the Flower Devil by a shortening of her first name as a nickname of sorts. Other people in the vicinity took notice of her as she and Macarona chatted, some of whom returned to activities they were in the middle of whereas others commented amongst each other about who Lil was. This background chatter didn't reach their ears, however, even though Macarona felt they were already wondering about the demonic lady partly because she asked around town for the angel and the fact this was the first time some of them saw her after hearing about Lil's presence. Despite not aware of her identity, she was a new face to them and they couldn't help but wonder where she was from because there was just this vibe to her that presented Lil as someone not from around here. "You've seen the twin suns over in the Flower World with the twin moons, right Macarona? Were you told they each represented the four seasons in her world?" Lil asked next to continue their small talk.
"As a matter of fact, it was one of the first things Rosaliya introduced us to when we visited her world," Macarona responded. "I thought it was interesting how the suns symbolize Spring and Summer while the moons stand for Autumn and Winter, and how they switch positions in orbit to affect the Flower World's climate based on which season it was with Spring balancing Autumn as Summer balanced Winter to ensure the climate wasn't a contribution to any natural disasters."
"The four seasons certainly do play a big role in Rosa's world," Lil remarked, noticing the warp slate they were heading to and bounding over to it so she could examine what it was. "Oooh, this is so pretty! Hey, Macarona, what's this diamond-like crystal? Is it an artefact of your world?"
"No, that would be a warp slate," the young angel replied to answer the questions and also explain what they were to Lil. "They're common in the Gray Garden. The way they work is being activated by somebody who sets the coordinates in for where they want to go. Warp slates around this world have been configured to perform long distance travel to portals leading into the Flower World, the Weather Season World, and the Corporate Heaven for the purpose of commercial trade. However, this decreases their range to other regions in this world for national travel. At best the shortest range is the set of other warp slates located in this region; this part still functions properly, though we'd require the trains to travel into towns located throughout the world in other regions." While she explained all of this, Macarona set the coordinates for Blancblack castle and went within a space which she also pulled the demon into. "When you've got the coordinates lined up, just step in here before activating the warp slate." Saying this, she then did just that to teleport them both.
"Wow, that's fast!" the lady exclaimed excitedly because she felt the experience was quite thrilling in a way. "I've never seen these kinds of objects in other worlds. These warp slates seem to be quite handy for getting around. I wish some of them could be imported to other worlds too."
"They're actually a creation of Miss Etihw's; she constructed them with her magic. I think it might work the same way with other deities too," Macarona said as she turned to gaze upon their destination now that they reached it. Watching as Lil approached the courtyard's center to marvel upon the beautiful marble-like baroque architecture, the angel stepped closer to provide an official welcome to Blancblack Castle. "Welcome to Blancblack Castle, Lil. This is where several centers in this region are located among various departments the castle funds and administers for people."
"Oh, this is such a pretty castle, and so magnificent too!" Lil complimented the building as she and Macarona approached the steps leading up towards the main entrance. Crossing through a set of double doors after opening them, the demon's grin widened in amazement at how large this place must've been. The two of them were only in the foyer among other angels and demons with Nephilim as well, yet the size of this part they stood in was pretty big. "Wow, this is so amazing!" the demon again spoke up cheerfully, walking forward to gaze upon the artwork and tapestries on the walls. Going around this particular area, she also looked at the artefacts in each display case.
"There's more where this came from," her angelic companion uttered while sauntering next to her to direct Lil over to a map of the building's several floors with each department listed which showed people where said departments were located. "Here, you can see the several centers which are located here. There are all kinds like the historical wing on the fifth floor which has a museum and two departments for anthropology and archaeology. Other wings like the medical center could be found here too, as well as a cafeteria with a kitchen along with a library. There's even a college center for higher education since the castle also serves as this region's university as well," she said.
"Can we go to all of them?!" Lil asked excitedly, wishing to see everything in here.
"In due time," Macarona smiled, shutting her eyes. She thought it was nice seeing her good friend so excited and interested in aspects of her world. Lil's reaction to it all and her desire to see more was like that of a kid amazed and in fantastic awe of her surroundings. Macarona was rather fond of that trait the demon was showing off, though she still had to ensure Lil was well collected since the demon might've run off in search of other things that caught her fancy. "First we should be getting upstairs to see Miss Etihw and Mr. Kcalb. If I recall correctly, she said Mr. Wodahs was also going to be attending the meeting as well. We'll go up to the top and see them first, then we'll go around the castle for a look at everything since the departments are fine with visitors around."
"Sure, I'll be looking forward to it. Which way is the nearest elevator, Macarona?"
"It's over here," the angel replied and led her over to an elevator by the daycare center that little children went to. "It's just by the castle's daycare center. Mr. Kcalb's two pet cats, Ater and Arbus, are employees there. They're in the Flower World with Miss Grora, one of the angels who works in the garden and is also a guard who helps protect the inhabitants from any and all threats."
"Are they the girls' whose parents came from the Flower World?" Lil inquired curiously.
"Yep, that's them, it's why they and Miss Grora are going to be absent for some time until they return at a later date. I don't know when that'll be exactly, but I can introduce you to the three of them whenever they return if you still happen to be here," Macarona offered the idea to Lil.
"Certainly," the demon responded eagerly, pressing the call button for the elevator. "We've got to go to the top floor, correct?" she then asked for confirmation. Lil may have memorized that from looking at the map, though this was still her first time here and she thought the map probably wasn't updated if there were any renovations that altered the spaces of those areas she saw on it.
"That's the one," her angelic companion answered her as they stepped in when it came for them. Some employees were already inside and they stepped out before Macarona and Lil went in too. The angel pushed a button for the top floor and let the elevator ascend. On their way up, more passengers got on and disembarked on other floors along the way, making small talk with the pair for brief introductions since they hadn't met Lil before despite hearing about her. While they were aware of who she was and where she came from, this was their first time meeting her. Upon getting to the top floor, the duo disembarked and found themselves in another kind of lobby with furniture inside. Couches and chairs were set up by a couple tables, acting as some kind of lounge for people to sit at where they found some more employees conversing about a variety of different topics. "It is just inside here," Macarona uttered, leading Lil up the stairs towards double doors. Opening one and entering with the demon in tow, she announced their presence. "We have just arrived now."
"Ah, good, you're here," Wodahs remarked upon seeing them after taking a seat at the table in between Etihw and his brother. "You've brought Lil with you as well, I see, as you've discussed with Lady Etihw. Come, take your seats so she may explain her presence in our world with details."
"You're this world's Head Angel, right?" Lil asked, strolling forward while looking around the office as she and Macarona headed towards the table. "Wodahs, is it? Where's a Head Demon?"
"We do not have a Head Demon, just my brother," Kcalb responded to her inquiry as both girls took a couple seats next to one another right across from him and the two divine figures next to him. "And yes, you're correct, he is Wodahs. Though you may have heard of us from Macarona, and probably from your husband as well, allow us to introduce ourselves next. That is Etihw," his arm reached up as he pointed a finger at the Goddess to introduce her first, "whom you may know as the White Goddess of this world. Consequently by contrast, I am Kcalb, the Black Devil. Now, you may know of us as I've said and we know of you; that being said, however, this is actually the first time we've seen you. I do know your husband and heard of his marriage to you, however."
"My dipshit husband," Lil corrected him by putting forward that insult to Satanick first just before she commented on Kcalb and Etihw. "Yeah, I've heard of you through him and Her Majesty too. Your decision to make peace with your Goddess created a small stir among the hells; not that big of an issue, really, for none of them are bothered by it since it doesn't affect them except for a loss of some trade between the underworlds with a snail's pace on the rest. I know your world does trade with the Flower World and Refi's Shadowed Sanctuary, and some items do make it to some other underworlds." She leaned back in her chair and stretched her arms behind her head, making herself comfortable while taking one of the teacups available to pour some tea for herself and also Macarona. Taking a sip, her eyes jolted open in pleasant surprise and she smiled. "Mm, good tea."
"Thank you," the Head Angel murmured aloud to show he appreciated the compliment on how the tea he made tasted prior to getting right down to business. "Now, why are you here, Lil?"
"To get the hell outta my hell because my dipshit husband refuses to let me have power in the Devil's Kingdom," the demonic lady responded as-a-matter-of-factly, getting right to the main point. "You must know it's a patriarchal civilization, right? One founded upon the idea of the men having all the power in every aspect of society? I mean, it's so unfair that women don't get power."
"In some places, yes, that logic does make sense and it's a shame such inequality is a norm in societies like that," Etihw agreed, sipping her own tea. "But more to the point, why are you even in the Gray Garden in the first place? Surely you could rely on other associates for support, right? I do remember Macarona mentioning others she met in Reficul's underworld. Now, keep this issue in mind: I do not mind letting foreign visitors to our world come see the Gray Garden. What really worries me is how your husband will take this affair. He shall notice your absence and likely force you to return; should you refuse, he might declare war on our world just to get you back in his."
"True, that's an option he might consider," Lil consented and put forth further elaboration. "Unfortunately, my other friends in other worlds barring Killie couldn't make time for me because of affairs keeping them busy. They're the ones I associate with most; I've only met Macarona once at the last gathering before yesterday evening, and I only associate with Killie through these small meetings of ours. I don't have Macarona's number or address, so I couldn't contact her before." A sheepish grin spread across her face as she chuckled while also scratching the back of her neck.
"I take it this other individual, Killie, is from your underworld and is also preoccupied with her own affairs as well," the Devil stated rhetorically before moving on. "I understand the difficulty in contacting Macarona, having only become acquainted just once before. It's your first time here, after all, so you wouldn't really know your way around all that well. Most visitors are like that."
"That's where I come in," Macarona spoke up to involve herself in the discussion too since she was vouching for Lil. "I'm letting her stay at my place while she's here, and she's welcome to stay for as long as she needs until these affairs are wrapped up. I can also show her around too."
"Yes, I'm sure you can handle that, Macarona," Etihw responded to her contribution to this matter prior to addressing another concern by addressing Lil again. "You've said war is one option. Is there anything else he might do to reclaim you?" she asked, getting to the bottom of that issue.
"Eh, he might try diplomacy, have you extradite me in exchange for something. If that does not work, he might switch gears to war if he really wants me," the demon explained, shrugging as Satanick could've done a variety of things regarding this situation. "Hell, knowing him, he'd pretty much see me as being expendable and try to have me assassinated; though I am his damn wife."
Macarona's eyes bulged out in surprise, afraid to hear the Gentleman Devil would think a horrible idea like that was also an option. Satanick may have been a tyrant, but to go so far to kill his own wife if he considered her useless was terribly cruel in the angel's eyes. "H-he can k-kill you?!" she exclaimed in shock, expressing her fearful worries that Lil could've been killed by him.
"It's within his right to, he is the Devil of the Devil's Kingdom, after all," Lil clarified for her to try and put Macarona's mind at ease concerning that. "I appreciate your concern, Macarona, but I can assure you I won't fall so easily to whatever assassins he may send out if he chooses to."
"I'm certain you must be pretty powerful, being the wife of a strong Devil," Wodahs stated since he could believe Lil was capable of handling herself when it came to any assassins Satanick might have instructed to kill her. "Of course, we'd appreciate it if you'd leave the residents of this world out of that affair to keep them safe by handling that yourself. We can aid you diplomatically if need be, though we'd prefer to avoid the risk of incurring another conflict with foreign worlds."
"W-whoa, hold on, time out!" the angelic girl leapt to her feet, worried they really would've considered extraditing Lil from their world to avoid a war with the Devil's Kingdom. "Would that mean you're really thinking about sending her away just to avoid war?! I-I understand that, though we should also consider Lil's feelings and take them into account too! She has a say in this matter!"
"If she still doesn't wish to return to her own underworld, we can check if the other worlds she has other friends in can welcome her," Kcalb proposed an idea that might've been satisfactory to them both. "We can speak with Satanick and ask him to postpone any negotiations for her until she's safely in another world where she won't have to face off against assassins. The Queen could get involved in this so her perspective can be contributed; thus she can put forth her judgment on the affair to decide if this marital dispute between Lil and Satanick can be solved accordingly in regards to how she'll handle the case. Any thoughts on the plan? Is there agreement or objections?"
Lil put a bent finger to her chin as she considered the proposition the Devil laid out for her. She was still smiling which suggested she actually did like the sound of that. Eventually she made a choice regarding the idea by accepting it as the best this world could've done to aid her. "You've made quite a reasonable option to consider, and I like it. That should hopefully help settle this."
"We hope it should," Etihw remarked, liking the idea as there were no problems with it.
…
The more she thought about it, the more she couldn't help but feel worried for Lil because the demonic lady was her friend. They left the meeting with Kcalb, Wodahs, and Etihw satisfied a good deal even if the content brought up in that discussion was questionable to them. A matter the Goddess brought up was in regards to what kind of food Lil ate when the vampire demon brought up what kind of demon she was. That raised a red flag in Etihw's mind because she was worried a lot of residents could've become her meals since vampires had to drink blood. Thankfully this was appeased by Macarona when the young angel personally vouched that Lil didn't drink blood. She'd known that since meeting her last year, and the lady clarified that bit after dinner while they cleaned up last night. However, this wasn't the issue that scared her as her mind was on something else for that matter, another issue brought up by her friend at the meeting which gravely worried her.
Lil had said her husband could've authorized assassination attempts against her because of her being expendable in his eyes. That sudden remark came out of nowhere, out of the blue in left field in fact. The way she said it made it seem like there were other affairs her demonic friend was aware of, matters pertaining to a much deeper intrigue of politics and business in the hell she came from. She was Satanick's wife and Satanick was the Gentleman Devil, so it was a natural guess to determine if this was simply much more than just a marital dispute between them. That being said, the fact she left after requesting for more power really did suggest it clearly had to do with politics.
Nonetheless, Macarona believed it wasn't her place to question it. She might've had some knowledge of politics, but she wasn't an expert or even a master professional in the subject. There was no real reason for her to get involved because it was a debate between Lil and Satanick due to their respective positions in their society. Although Macarona would let Lil stay with her, she was beginning to feel like restrictions were being placed on her to limit how effective her aid could be. While she understood that her friend would have to handle this on her own, the angel couldn't help but feel like she wasn't really helping all that much. All she did was give Lil a place to stay; there had to be other methods she could utilize, something else she could've done to stay involved even though Etihw, Wodahs, and Kcalb wanted her to be safe by not getting too involved. Of course, it was also important to consider everyone else in the Gray Garden too as well as the world itself. If a conflict did erupt because of these sensitive matters pertaining to Lil, it could have been difficult to avoid them. Yet Macarona felt hurt knowing she wouldn't be of much aid to a friend of hers as the situation was starting to look dire. Despite agreeing with the Goddess and Devil, as well as the Head Angel too, the young angel felt torn between providing plenty of support and just a minimum.
Macarona cherished her friends, and Lil was one of them. She couldn't abandon her when they've become such good friends in light of having only met once prior to this second encounter.
"Macarona? Macarona?" she could hear the demon speak up, sounding concerned for her. "You okay? You're not too bothered about how that little meeting went, right?" Lil hoped she was not, but knew this was a sensitive matter for Macarona because of how helpless the angel felt. The notion was there, evident in the girl's facial expression and body language indicating she was quite upset about how things turned out. The demon worried she might've said something wrong and in an attempt to try and soothe Macarona's nerves, she sought to offer some comfort to the angel.
"Wha…?" Macarona murmured in response, snapping back to attention upon hearing Lil's inquiry. Realizing she put a lot of thought into the situation and how it made her feel, she suddenly became aware of how her response to the meeting was affecting Lil and quickly spoke up to offer the demonic woman comfort just as she was receiving some when Lil put a hand on her shoulder. "To tell the truth, I am even though I'm positive things will work out," came an unsure reply from her to the demon's question as the two of them sat in the castle's museum in front of a display case showing some armor sets from the war. "I mean, it was so unexpected, hearing your husband might send assassins after you. I couldn't help but feel worried about you, Lil." Thankfully she told the truth about how she felt so she wouldn't hurt Lil's feelings by showing how concerned she was.
"It's okay, Macarona, I appreciate the concern like I said before," Lil reassured her, giving the angelic girl a smile with a thumbs up to show she was grateful for it. "However, I'm powerful for a demon. Why, even some of the strongest demons in the Devil's Kingdom include me among the list they're on in terms of how strong they are. Trust and believe me when I say there's no way any assassins my dipshit husband sends after me will emerge victorious. I've known him for a long time, and I also know how the assassins under his command operate both individually and together in a group. I've studied the functions of his responsibilities, closely scrutinizing them while getting a good idea of how affairs work in my underworld. I know each of his associates and minions like the back of my hand, and that includes their schedules too. How do you think I've managed to get out of the Devil's Kingdom to attend the last gathering undetected by everyone in my underworld? Of course, Her Highness claimed she needed me as an attendant for the trip which was why I was able to get off scot free that time, but still it's been important to me knowing all their schedules."
"So you memorized the schedules and managed to sneak away when nobody was looking?" her angelic companion put forth a rhetorical inquiry. "In other words, no one was the wiser as they couldn't locate you because they were unaware of your absence? That's definitely possible at times on some occasions, but what about when you do get caught sometimes? Do they prevent you from leaving ever again, or must they provide an escort of sorts to ensure you don't escape them again?"
"Oh, I've never been caught, ever. I didn't even need to sneak out last time because of how the Queen informed Satanick she wanted to use me as an attendant for the journey to Refi's hell. I could say my dipshit husband would definitely keep me under wraps if he found out, but he hasn't."
"Unfortunately, he'll find out eventually if you're gone for too long," Macarona remarked to raise a valid point that also needed to be considered because Lil's absence would've raised quite some red flags in Satanick's mind depending on how long his wife was away and where she was.
"True, though we've already been over that at the meeting," Lil responded, aware the angel wasn't trying to kick her out because of their friendship. She did acknowledge the legitimacy that was highly evident in that issue, though felt reassured by how it would've been taken care of. With a mild shrug, the demonic lady simply dropped the matter and stood up since she wanted to go see something else now that they had finished exploring the entire museum and both departments that were on this floor. "Come on, Macarona, there's still plenty I'd like to see here. We can skip over the medical center since that's pretty much like a standard hospital, so take me to the library next. Then we can take a look at the castle's college center." Lil shut her eyes and smiled. "Hopefully it can take our minds off these issues so we can enjoy things here without having to worry too much about them. What do you say, Macarona?" Her offer was soothing and it certainly did help the girl next to her feel better since Macarona smiled back, thankful for having such a great friend like Lil.
"Alright, the library's this way," the angelic hostess replied, standing up to lead her friend over to the elevator again. Entering it after Macarona pushed the call button to open the door, they stepped in and rode it a couple floors down towards the library. Exiting it, they stepped out to cross the hallway and enter through another door. Watching as Lil's eyes widened in amazement because the sight of so many books in different sections at once seemed to leave her in awe, the young girl giggled slightly since she felt the demon must've been quite an avid reader. "I guess you'll love to come here every so often while you're staying here, huh?" she chuckled, walking next to the lady.
"I will, reading's pretty much one of the only things I do back home!" Lil marveled at each of the novels and other kinds of manuscripts available, not keeping her voice down because of how amazed she was. A quick glance at a Nephilim who caught her eye garnered a sheepish smile from her since the demon observed him holding a finger to his lips to indicate this was a place of quiet chatter. "Sorry, forgot I wasn't using an indoor voice," she apologized and looked at Macarona again while they continued to talk together as the young angel led her throughout the library. "But yes, I've read a lot of books in my spare time, Macarona. Plenty a time I'd find myself rereading over many volumes I already covered several times before for other fresh perspectives of them."
"Wow, you must be quite a learned individual in literary studies," the angel complimented her, impressed by how well-read her demonic companion appeared to be from that one comment.
"I certainly am; hell, my dipshit husband sometimes patronizes scholars who may be useful to him and sends the literary ones to me so I can hold appointments with them. It's not much for a means of my contributions to academia in the Devil's Kingdom, but at least it's something. In fact, some of them were my tutors when I was first developing into the role of being his wife; I still do know some of them well, though they're all unfortunately on my dipshit husband's payroll, so they won't bother coming to my aid because he's the one paying them for whatever services they offer."
"Well, it helped you have a better understanding of education and the government."
"Damn straight!" Lil exclaimed to confirm the idea, though still used an indoor voice rather than shout it out loud like she had done with one of her previous comments. "I'm so versed in how such affairs operate that I can contribute my own ideas to help improve civilization. Unfortunately, the men aren't too keen on accepting advice from a woman—everyone except Yatsuzaki since he does share power with Killie and their son. He's quite a role model the others should follow, though they don't because they consider him to be too open with his wife which is unique. Still, nobody's got a problem with him because he does his job just fine; that's why everyone leaves him alone."
"What does Count Yatsuzaki do?" Macarona asked out of curiosity.
"He's the owner of an enterprise consisting of vineyards and farms, and he also owns some of the large, corporate banks along with a few retail stores. Unlike the rest of the aristocracy, he is a lot nicer to his employees and gets involved in their lives and the businesses he runs with the aid of some associates on each of the corporate boards he heads. His wife and son help him with each of these endeavors, acting as a secretary and vice president respectively in some cases whereas the other cases are where they provide different kinds of benefits for employees. Killie's a CEO of the Devil's Kingdom's large fashion industry for all classes, setting reasonable prices on some of what should be more expensive outfits so that a lot of people besides the upper classes can purchase the duds an aristocrat wears. To some extent, anyway, due to specific boundaries and restrictions that set wealth and gender as the sole two determining factors regarding everyone's place in society."
"Those aren't the only significant factors, right?" Macarona asked for further details about that last remark. "I mean, there are other worlds that include other limiting factors which establish people in certain roles and positions. Are there no other elements like ethnic backgrounds, Lil?"
"Nope, just wealth and gender; race isn't an issue in the Devil's Kingdom because even an individual from a minority—in the sense that that aren't that many demons of a specific species or population living there—can become quite a successful entrepreneur," the demonic lady explained. "My dipshit husband recognizes that, and he knows ethnicities in minorities are quite valuable due to this reason which is why he doesn't set restrictions on them. The same goes for foreigners who have immigrated to our underworld, though it's unfortunate that women and the poor don't get too much of a say. The ones that are still allowed to are the men, regardless of how poor they are."
"So the demographics are centered largely on the male population in society when they are compared to how much of a foothold women hold in the Devil's Kingdom," the young angel stated rhetorically, comprehending the account as Lil was explaining it. "Although ethnic minorities may be a relatively smaller part of the population as opposed to those who were native to the underworld in the past, they can still join the majority of the other demographic based more on gender instead."
"Yep, that's the gist of it," Lil confirmed the idea since that was how the concept functioned in the Devil's Kingdom. "Gender is the factor keeping women from attaining higher prestige while the men get to have all the glory—with the exception of Yatsuzaki and Killie as I said. It is a most unfortunate skew for the female demographic because of such restrictions placed upon and against women. It is worse for them when the other demographic pertaining to wealth is taken into account because some of the poor and lower classes do include women as well. Although ladies in several of the upper classes are better off than the rest, they still don't have much of a voice and power in our civilization even though we do make contributions to it just as well as the male demographic."
"But which of the two would you say is the worst: wealth, or gender?" Macarona inquired.
"Depends on the perspective you're analyzing the problem from. If gender, women will be portrayed as those who have next to no benefits unless wealth affords them the chance to secure a much better position in society. On the flipside, wealth is horrible because it establishes tiers within civilization that set the standards and boundaries between lower, middle, and upper classes. There is a silver lining in both that serves as an improvement, if not to a full extent: of the two, wealth is not as restrictive as gender because it actually allows even minorities and the poor to join the ranks of higher classes for better lives so long as the individuals can fulfill certain objectives. By making themselves known to somebody via excellent effort and commitment, even the poorest of workers could strive to secure better benefits. It pays to work hard, and that is why wealth is not as harsh a factor as gender is because even women could join their spouses and also reap the rewards too."
"But then by that token gender wouldn't be so bad either because women acquire wealth," the young angel commented to put forth a hypothesis, testing if wealth made gender less strict for people in the Devil's Kingdom. "They might not be able to wield it if their husbands are in power, but they could inherit it if they have no sons serving as heirs or if the sons don't want the wealth."
"That is one thing which isn't too severe towards women, yes," Lil consented to the point. However, she also put up a counterpoint to it too. "Yet that doesn't exist in my underworld. Once a man with good wealth and no male heirs die, the cash is instantly seized by my dipshit husband. He simply adds it to his own treasury for whatever purposes he has in mind and tosses the widows and any daughters they may have back into the poorer classes of civilization where they suffer the pain of being poor—again if they already made the climb to any of the upper classes in society."
"So while women can enjoy having wealth, they cannot use it because only the men could instead of them," Macarona concluded from this discussion as they strolled through the library. "It sounds pretty harsh because they don't seem to be able to really do anything in your underworld."
"Precisely, Macarona, they have absolutely no freedom. Even though women may be able to flaunt wealth by showing it off, they are not allowed to actually control it. If anything, they just become trophies, status symbols men can use to brandish their own wealth. Therefore, women are not really wealthy at all as they're merely objects of men's affections for wealth alone. They have lives, but their lives are dulled by restrictions set against them in a patriarchal society where men rule over their female counterparts. I'm no different from them with the exception being chances to sneak away whereas other wealthy women don't since they merely stay by wealth their husbands earned and bask in it without having done anything to contribute towards it. They can't control it, they can't spend it; all they do is enjoy it while they have enough to satisfy them. It keeps the wealthy women in check so their husbands wouldn't have to worry about controlling them because their primary concern is making wealth and keeping it too. If they lose all of it, they don't blame themselves for the loss since they pin it on women instead simply because they're allowed to."
"Even if they're responsible for losing all their money in the first place due to their issues?"
Lil nodded, stretching her arms behind her head. "Yep, they just deny they were responsible and claim it was the fault of their wives for not doing anything to help control the wealth. However, what they don't even bother or care to realize or admit is the fact laws are in place to keep women from controlling the wealth. It's become quite a horrible norm in the Devil's Kingdom, Macarona."
"Sounds like the Devil's Kingdom is a horrible place to live for both women and the poor," the angelic girl commented after listening to her friend's lecture on the civilization's elements.
"It sure is, Macarona, and it's the worst in its category. Some other underworlds follow the same concepts, though not to the same extent. The Devil's Kingdom wasn't always that bad since previous Devils ruling over it for the head monarchy didn't integrate such ruthless procedures and legislation into society like my dipshit husband. He was the one who derailed it from better days."
"And nobody can stop him?" Macarona asked, feeling sorry for the people of Lil's hell.
"Nope, and nobody, not even GriRea herself, will alter it," the demonic lady responded.
"But why? Her Majesty's the Queen, so she should have more political power than Devils."
"Aye, she does. It is a double edged sword letting them govern their own underworlds how they please. GriRea can certainly sack them from their jobs to replace them with candidates she'll probably feel are better and more loyal than the ones currently in place. She doesn't, however, for whatever reason I don't know. Even so, it's kind of a blessing having a monarch who'll allow them to be in charge of how hells are run so long as they're loyal and function properly in civilization." Lil sighed as they left the library, the gesture indicating she wanted to drop the subject for the time being because it was quite a depressing topic about politics and the state of society in underworlds. "Oh well, it is what it is and hardly much can be done to make changes in a society already far too corrupt to even be saved. If it hasn't already crumbled under weight of issues it caused itself, there must be at least something holding it all together to prevent a chaotic collapse from happening real soon. I can only hope it'll at least be the same as when I left it, otherwise it might be different from what I know; whether that'll be a good or bad thing is yet to be determined because it didn't occur yet. Of course, it probably won't ever occur or it may depending on what happens in the future."
"And if it does collapse, what will you do then, Lil?" Macarona asked out of concern.
Lil shrugged. "Eh, I probably might go back to help the restoration effort if I'm wanted. If not, I'll find someplace else to go. Maybe the Gray Garden will become my new permanent abode then." She turned to flash a smile at the young angel since that was an idea she liked. "That means we can hang out all the time, Macarona! Might not be much in the grand scheme of things, but the thought is at least something positive in a gloomy picture of a miserable underworld in despair."
Macarona nodded with a smile directed at her demonic friend. "Yeah, it is definitely a good thing," she agreed despite also knowing that their friendship alone likely couldn't be enough help to the Devil's Kingdom getting any better. It saddened her because of what society was like over there for all the inhabitants with the poor excluded unless they proved themselves as well as women being excluded too if they didn't happen to be wealthy—and even if they did possess a good bit of wealth to show off and enjoy, they had no power whatsoever. It was a real issue in a patriarchal civilization run by the aristocracy. Although Macarona felt relieved it wasn't like that in the Gray Garden, she couldn't help but feel worried for the population of the Devil's Kingdom governed by Satanick after listening to Lil's brief lecture on affairs over there. In spite of dropping the topic for now so neither of them would be depressed by it, Macarona hoped things would soon get better in that hell for the sake of the demons there, including Lil as well since she and the angel were good friends. That was wishful thinking, but she wished it could come true someday when women along with the poor could have a chance to better their lifestyles so they could be equals to men and also possess enough wealth so their lives could be improved. This was a bright, yet uncertain future.
…
And so that concludes the second chapter of this story. As I've alluded to before in A Weekend at Reficul's, the Devil's Kingdom is an authoritarian patriarchal form of governance with a totalitarian government run by the men in society. The reason why I've set Satanick's underworld up like this is because I want to make the underworlds each unique in their own way based on what the Devils reigning over them are like. In Satanick's case, it is more like a patriarchal society with some limits on who can attain power in civilization under him, yet the system is corrupt because of what he's put into legislation for governing it. The poor can hardly benefit unless via certain circumstances in which they could advance their lifestyles, but stricter restrictions are set against women in the Devil's Kingdom. This plays a big part in the story regarding Lil's opposition towards Satanick and how he's governing the Devil's Kingdom; however, I'll leave the matter of any reform for this underworld unsaid for now and let the story take care of it as this progresses. You'll find out later how this is addressed.
However, I will say that it is certainly much different from how the other underworlds are governed and what they're like. From what we can infer from Ivlis' hell, it appears to fit a standard perspective of what a hell may be like. By contrast—from a non-canon standpoint my fanfics take—Reficul's underworld would be better than Ivlis' in some ways. For instance when we compare these two hells together in my non-canon perspective, Ivlis' underworld is chaotic and disunited whereas Reficul's is more in order and united. This contrast helps with the identification of what these underworlds are like, and no two underworlds could be quite the same as another even if they may share some similarities with one another. The same can also be said for the heavens too in this regard, just as they might be the opposite of the hells. The Devil's Kingdom is no different from the other underworlds when considering this since like the rest of them, it too has traits that make it unique from others as I've discussed above.
Hopefully this helps clarify my thought process by elaborating on how it will be used. I'm aware that it could come across as being sexist in the case of the Devil's Kingdom; though this isn't the case because I'm merely trying to flesh it out as a society. However, I apologize sincerely if it does come across as such even though it wasn't intended to be or sound like it. I also apologize if the material about the lower classes and the poor came across as offensive as well; again, I was only trying to provide context when fleshing out the Devil's Kingdom. I apologize again if the content was even seen as being racist when it was not my intention with the same reasoning stated twice now being why I've established the Devil's Kingdom as such.
Also, I've given Reficul's underworld a non-canon name in this chapter.
