Disclaimer: Makai Ouji and its characters belong to Yukihiro Utako and Takadono Madoka. Please support the series by watching the anime's official release on Crunchyroll and buying the manga.
A/N: I'm so sorry this took me so long! But I'm back now, and I have M-rated material coming with me :D Enjoy!
The following day could not have come any sooner, nor could it have gotten any more chaotic for anyone and everyone in Hell. All of the demons had woken up early in excitement for Sitri's coronation, which everyone but Dantalion, Eligos, Astaroth, and Lamia had attended.
The little Princess spent her time preparing Dantalion for the wedding that would come shortly after the coronation, while Astaroth and Eligos took care of the ceremony and venue arrangements.
"Your clothes definitely have to be white!" Lamia tried to persuade the Grand Duke. "Even Sitri took note of how 'beautiful' you look in this color."
"That color represents purity," Dantalion explained. "I don't have the right to wear white in my own wedding. I'll just go wearing my normal clothes."
"No!" the daughter of the Nephilim queen protested. "You either wear white robes, or I am going to force you to go in a dress!"
"That's actually not a bad idea!" Dantalion admitted. "They never gave me a proper baptism in Stratford, so I never got to wear that dress." Lamia's eyes lit up with hope.
"Are you serious?"
"Not really," Dantalion replied in a dead tone while the smaller demon searched all of the wardrobes for something suitable. "I'll get laughed at if I cross-dress."
"Whatever," Lamia brushed off the Grand Duke as she handed him a big pile of clothes. "Just take off your clothes and put this on."
"Oh, my... How many layers are there?!"
"Just hurry up and wear it!" Lamia yelled. "At this rate, we'll be late!" Dantalion then quickly did as he was told, putting on layer after layer of robes. Lamia snickered to herself, imagining how pleased Sitri would be from taking them off one by one later that day.
Meanwhile, Sitri flew to the location of the wedding in a rush. Now that he was king, the only thing that he needed to complete his life was Dantalion. The former viscount felt nothing but blessed as all of his hopes and dreams began to come true one by one. First, he was crowned as the interim ruler of Hell. Now, he was about to form a union with the love of his life. They would rule together for the next few years while they create their own family.
Sitri arrived in the garden of Astaroth's palace just in time to see the queen finish up organizing everything with Eligos. The two women wore a proud expression on their faces after they took in the sight of their handiwork.
"Where's Dantalion?" Sitri asked the two as he landed not too far behind them. "I want to see him!" The queen and the marchioness turned around to look at Sitri, only to be awed by the sight of the new king. A rich, blue cape hung from the fallen angel's shoulders, embellished with silver buttons and chains. He wore black leather gloves to match his black leather shoes, and a sheathed sword hung from his belt. The jacket he wore was of a sapphire shade, made with dragon leather, accompanied by metallic-grey trousers. Lastly, his blue hair was tied and slicked back, and a golden crown adorned with stoned of sapphire sat atop his head.
Sitri was truly a sight to behold.
"Looking good," Astaroth said as a sign of approval. "Not as good as your bride, though. You'd have to wait a little longer to see him. It's bad luck for a couple to see each other before the ceremony starts."
At the queen's words, a small smile graced Sitri's lips.
"I'm sure he'd look stunning."
Not too long after Sitri's arrival, guests started flowing in and sat down. Everyone was present; even Balberith, who had shown opposition towards Sitri's pursuance of Dantalion's heart. Even His Highness Lucifer, who was supposed to be in a deep sleep, had awakened and attended. It was no surprise, however, seeing as Dantalion was his one and only heir. Perhaps the Emperor had wanted to be there to give away Dantalion to another; perhaps he wished to see how happy his only family member looked on his wedding day.
The Emperor approached Sitri, who kneeled before him in respect.
"You better make my child happy," Lucifer warned. "He's my only treasure." Sitri nodded in compliance.
"I will take good care of him, my liege," Sitri assured the Emperor. "I swear on my life."
"Sitri, get to the damn altar!" Eligos suddenly yelled out, interrupting the conversation between the two fallen angels. "The wedding is about to start!"
And so — as eager as a zealot could get — Sitri made his way to the altar in haste. Soon after he got up on the elevated platform, an orchestra began playing soothing music suitable for weddings.
Then, there he was. All dressed in layers of satin robes — the foremost layer being white, Dantalion stood waiting by the garden's gate as he held a small bouquet of gardenias. Lamia stood next to him, of course, carrying a basket of blue rose petals. Looking at the Grand Duke, no one — no one at all — dared to think that he would be anything but deserving to rule beside Sitri. Nephilim or not, the only successor of Lucifer was worthy of happiness; be it the throne of Hell, or a partner who will cherish him.
The Emperor advanced towards his successor; a gloved hand reaching out, which the brunet gladly took. Lamia then pressed forward, throwing flower petals in Dantalion's path as she proceeded to the altar.
"I never imagined this day would come," Lucifer said to Dantalion in a gentle whisper. "You were so hung up on your vow to serve Solomon for all eternity. I never stopped to think for once that you would leave me this early..."
"Please don't fret," Dantalion softly spoke. "Having been an unwanted child as a human, I'm certainly blessed to have been your one and only contractee. I see you as my dearest father. I will never leave you, Your Majesty."
They finally reached the stairs leading to the altar. Slowly — slowly, Lucifer lead Dantalion up. Just like every parent, he felt joy in witnessing the one point in his child's life when the said child would take part in holy matrimony after having found true love. Yet, at the same time, just like any parent, the Emperor felt dread from having the light of his life taken away from him. He refused to look as Dantalion let go of his arm and, instead, gripped Sitri's. There was no going back. At the very least, Lucifer would make sure that this ending would be a happy one.
"Those robes suit you well," Sitri began to whisper as Dantalion ascended to the white altar. "But, really, how many layers do you have on?" Dantalion gave the King a decent smile.
"Lamia said you'll have to count for yourself," the Grand Duke teasingly replied as the orchestra stopped playing. "Tonight."
"Everyone," Kevin abruptly shouted out. "Before we begin the ceremony, please place your bets on whether their first-born would be a girl or a boy! I bet it's a boy!" Indeed, the archangel's gambling addiction had its ways of ruining a tranquil atmosphere. A shoe, William's in particular, was thrown at the dark-haired man.
"Is gambling the only reason you came here?!" the descendant of Solomon yelled. William, who Sitri chose as his best man, was actually surprised that he and Camio had actually convinced the angel of repentance to descend into Hell and perform the rite. To think that Kevin agreed to come with them just to turn the future of the royal family into a subject of betting was just unbelievable. The angel sighed and offered his apologies, commencing the ceremony right after.
"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to witness and celebrate the union of Sitri and Dantalion in marriage. Through their time together, they have come to realize that their personal dreams, hopes, and goals are more attainable and more meaningful through the combined effort and mutual support provided in love, commitment, and family. On this day, they will be united as husband and wife- uh... husband...? Somebody, please, help me! I don't understand how this works in Hell." Kevin started to shake in embarrassment as the crowd lightly laughed.
"Dantalion would still be considered a wife," Sitri confidently claimed. At his words, Astaroth scoffed.
"That's just speaking for yourself, isn't it?" Yet again, the crowd laughed. The angel exhaled.
"Well anyway, let's continue. If anyone objects to this marriage, please feel free to tell your Emperor face to face," Kevin said before continuing. "Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant. Love does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. In honor of this holy matrimony, please say your vows."
Naturally, Sitri went first. Everything happened so suddenly, and he was definitely not in his right mind when he had asked Dantalion to marry him out of the blue last night. So, there he was; about to say his vows without having had any practice. He shook in nervousness as he turned to face Dantalion, and spoke.
"I, Sitri, take you, Dantalion, to be my friend, my lover, the future mother of my children and my wife. Or husband. No, you're definitely a wife. In the presence of Our Mighty Emperor, Lucifer, and our friends I take thee to be my one and only Queen. You will be the only one I will share my life with, because unlike Solomon, I do not take pride in harems. I vow to be your faithful partner in sickness and in health, in good times and in bad, and in joy as well as in sorrow. I promise to love you unconditionally, to support you in your goals, to honor and respect you, to laugh with you and cry with you, and to cherish you for as long as we both shall live."
As Sitri recited his vows, the majority of the guests giggled to themselves as the king projected his thoughts aloud. Even Kevin was trying to surpress the small laughs of amusement that bubbled up his throat. All the while, Dantalion soaked in the precious words of affection from Sitri as his lips curved up into a smile. In all those years that he had mourned, he failed to notice that such a simple, yet precious, happiness was waiting for him to come down to earth. Maybe in all of those years he had been suffering with Solomon as they defied fate together, destiny had wanted him to have been beside Sitri instead.
Surely, now, he could let go of Solomon.
Gathering of all the feelings he had wanted to convey for so long, Dantalion began to recite his vows.
"I, Dantalion, take you, Sitri, to be my lawfully wedded husband, my dearest friend, my faithful partner and my love from this day forward. In the presence of His Highness- Lucifer, our family and friends, I offer you my solemn vow to be yours in times of plenty and in times of want, in times of sickness and in times of health, in times of joy and in times of sorrow, in times of failure and in times of triumph. I promise to cherish and respect you, to care for and protect you, to comfort and encourage you, and stay with you, for all eternity. I pledge to you endless strength that you can count on when you are weak. I'll be your ears when you can't hear, your eyes when you can't see, or your heart when you can't feel. You'll never need to look further than me. I'll be your days and nights when you need them filled, your spark of life in the darkness, your hope when you're down and out. Beseech me not to leave you, or to return from following after you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. And where you die, I will die and there I will be buried. I will give you all of my love until death do us part."
No further words were needed to be spoken. The pledge between the two was agreeably clear, and it brought tears of awe to their witnesses. Without delay, Kevin brought a cushion, on which two rings sat, in front of the couple.
"Please exchange rings." The two demons reached for their respective rings, then Sitri took the initiative.
"I give you this ring as a symbol of my love and faithfulness. As I place it on your finger," the blue-haired king stated as he slipped a silver ring with sapphire gems on Dantalion's ring finger. "I commit my heart and soul to you. I ask you to wear this ring as a reminder of the vows we have spoken today, our wedding day." In turn, Dantalion gently placed a golden ring with a big ruby held in place by tiny claws.
"With this ring, I marry you. With my body, I will serve you. With my heart, I will love you. Everything I own, I will share with you. Everything that I am, I give to you."
After Dantalion wrapped up his oath, Astaroth came up behind him and adorned him with a golden cape. He then was asked by the angel to kneel, and a weighty silver diadem, on which diamonds and rubies of the highest caliber were embedded, was placed upon his head. Dantalion rose back up as soon as the crown was situated atop his head.
"Now," Kevin proceeded. "Please choose at least four people who will bear witness to the consummation of your marriage. Unless the maids in the palace will suffice, that is." Dantalion lowered his head slightly in embarrassment, while Sitri remained unfazed. Having been more involved in royal life, the king knew that it was tradition for other people to observe whenever a royal couple would procreate in order to prevent false rumors about the royal child from forming. His blue eyes stole a glance at Dantalion, who appeared to be flustered.
"The maids in the palace will suffice," Sitri attempted to say, but he was interrupted by Astaroth.
"Lamia and I will spectate," the queen offered, wearing a conceited smirk, as the smaller demon nodded her head off in agreement.
"It would be beneficial to have me there in case Sitri gets too... excited," Camio also spoke up, thinking how painful it would be for Dantalion if the king became drowned in lust and forgot that his partner had not mated with anyone for several years. "I will hold him back." At that moment, playful chuckles reverberated throughout the wedding site.
"I do not need an invitation to observe," Beelzebub claimed with an eerie cheerfulness. "I'm a fly. You won't even notice I'm there, so we could fit a fifth person. Oh!" Out of a sudden recollection, the Northern Duke turned to William.
"I think Solomon would be interested in seeing the mother of his late children be taken by another."
"Please don't call me by that name. We aren't the same," the blond prefect responded. "But, yes, I do want to supervise the consummation of this marriage."
"It's decided, then," Kevin interjected to stop further discussion. "By the powers vested in me, I name you King and Consort of Hell. Sitri, you may now kiss the... Oh, screw this, just kiss him, damn it!"
So Sitri and Dantalion kissed, and in a flash, the stars aligned. At that moment, nothing else was real. It was just Sitri and Dantalion by themselves on the purely white altar, feeling the radiance of their combined love and sorrows.
They were pulled back into reality as they heard the amorous cheers from the crowd, Lucifer's being the loudest. A standing ovation was given to them, obviously enough. The majority of the demons had been struck by sheer admiration. One would not usually see two demons who care for each other as much as those two. Their love was naive, selfish, powerful, and rare; for a love between demons, that is.
Indeed, Sitri and Dantalion were a match made in Hell.
All was well; this was what ran through the Emperor's head. He ran up to the couple with the intention of congratulating them. That, he did, but there was one more thing that he wanted to see through to the end before he concluded his heir's life to be a happy one.
"I want a lot of grandchildren," was what Lucifer requested of Sitri in a silent whisper. "A whole legion of them." His words made Sitri chuckle in delight. The blue-haired king had never thought that the Emperor of Hell would wish for such a thing.
"Your wish is my command."
For sure, this ending would be a happy one. Or so Lucifer thought.
Just as Dantalion was about to throw the bouquet of sweet-scented gardenias in his hands, they had fallen from his grip. Dantalion would not have purposely let the bouquet hit the altar's floor. Horrified gasps resonated throughtout the garden as everyone looked at Dantalion. An arrow had been shot right through his chest. An arrow of steel had burrowed itself into his chest, and his crimson blood soon soaked his extravagant robes of satin. As his warm blood dripped farther down, Dantalion's eyes glanced up to seek the direction in which the arrow came from. Sitri did the same. To say the least, they were not surprised to see Balberith in their line of sight. A cloaked demon — from the looks of it, a Nephilim who was formerly a bandit — stood behind Balberith, steadily holding a wooden bow in his rigid hands.
The silver diadem which Dantalion wore proudly fell onto the pristine white floor beneath them. A laugh of triumph that came from Balberith himself was barely audible in the sea of chaos.
No.
No.
No!
This is a nightmare, Sitri thought. All of this was merely a bad dream. He rushed to catch Dantalion, whose knees gave way to his collapse. Behind him, the crowd was shrouded in complete pandemonium after witnessing an apparent act of rebellion against Lucifer. Yet, Sitri did not care. He knelt down and cradled his beloved — his Dantalion — as tears dreadfully formed behind his blue — blue eyes. From the bottom of his heart, he wished that this was just a horrible nightmare. While Sitri's fears began to swallow him whole, the Cecil priest knelt beside him and swiftly pulled the bloodstained arrow from Dantalion's chest. Excessive blood gushed out from the brunet's wound, which frightened Sitri even more. He grasped Dantalion's hands tightly.
God was not someone any demon acknowledged. Certainly, God was not someone Sitri had placed his faith in. But now that the only thing he had placed his hopes on was being taken away from him, the king wished for nothing but for God to take away everything from him; everything but Dantalion.
"That Nephilim won't rise in the ranks," Sitri suddenly heard Dantalion say between raspy breaths. "Don't worry." Before he could continue, the brunet took Sitri's hands in his own.
"I won't die."
After all that has been said and done, Dantalion was rushed back to his manor by Kevin and Baphomet. Absent the three, Sitri was left alone with the guests. The faces of the demons were all solemn as Balberith and his accomplice were brought to the front for all of them to see; of course, William was also there to endure the following torment.
Needless to say, an enraged Lucifer stood before them all.
"Pray tell, High Priest," the emperor viciously demanded. "What in the Heavens possessed you to do such a thing?!"
"That's obvious, Your Highness," Balberith replied without the slightest regret for what he had done. "It's unacceptable to let Nephilims, like your heir, gain that much power over Hell." A powerful slap from the angered Emperor sent the duke's face flying across the crime-tainted garden.
"Duke Balberith," Lucifer began, his voice showing no hint of mercy. "I hereby strip you of your titles: Baal, and Berith. Until your rightful Queen recovers from his injuries, you will be confined in your own home, absent food and water. King Sitri will decide your punishment. If it be light, I shall take over and make you suffer for what you did to my only child."
