This is such a waste of time…

An agitated Ipos lagged behind his parents as they meandered through the crowd. If there was one thing he despised more than the Gala, it was the wait to be let into the castle. Ipos found it extremely overstimulating; everyone was packed together like a can of overdressed (and overperfumed) sardines, and the many conversations blended together into a mess of noise. Manners were mostly forgotten as demons cut in front of him, forcing him to try and steady himself, lest he topple over like a buffoon.

"All this time and he's still stumbling like a toddler," Ipos heard someone whisper. "Maybe he shouldn't have ditched the wheelchair."

"How much do you want to bet he falls on his arse tonight?" another Goetia mocked.

"Oh, now that would make my night," snickered a third.

Ipos gripped the top of his cane in frustration. This sort of thing wasn't anything new, but it was embarrassing all the same. He was a prince, the third-highest rank in the Goetian class, and yet, he couldn't escape the ridicule from those beneath him. Such was the relentlessness of Hell's royalty. Ipos kept his beak shut and his head down. Endure and ignore it, that was his way of dealing with the scorn. Reaching into his pocket, Ipos pulled out his own watch. It was 5:51 now. He groaned. How could such a short wait feel so agonizingly long? Up ahead, Vine stole a glance at Ipos over his shoulder. At his side, Felicity frowned. She didn't need to look; her mother's intuition told her that her son's mood wasn't improving. Felicity's beak quivered as tears formed in her eyes. Vine quickly stood in front of her and whispered in a soft voice.

"Mmm-mmm. None of that, not here."

"I-I can't help it…" Felicity whimpered. "I'm just so worried about him. You've seen how he is lately. He barely even talks to me anymore. I'm just…" She trailed off, trying desperately to blink away her tears. Vine took a cautionary glance around, before bringing up a thumb and wiping away a tear that managed to fall.

"I don't want to lose him too, Vine…"

"We're not," Vine declared. "Trust me; we're not. I've seen the path we need to take, angel. He just needs to be pushed in that direction."

"But how…?" asked Felicity. "He won't talk to anyone, he won't leave the house unless we pick him up…"

"We can only do so much, Felicity…" Vine sighed. "But at the end of the day, if he truly wants to overcome all of this, he'll need to do it himself."

Vine could see on Felicity's face that it wasn't the answer she wanted to hear. Sadly, he could only speak the truth. Their help was just that: help. Only Ipos could decide what to do with it. The prince in question watched his parents from where he stood. He couldn't hear them, but he knew the conversation was about him. His shoulders sank. Shame pierced his heart like a sword. Slowly, Ipos turned and began limping elsewhere. He'd reunite with his parents later. For now, he didn't want to be seen with them. As he walked, Ipos' mind wandered back to Rosewood Hall. He wondered if he should check on Benson and the hellhounds. Even if they weren't getting into trouble, their antics had to be more entertaining than this.

"Mummy, look!" A child's voice snapped Ipos out of his thoughts. "I see Aunt Fifi!"

Ipos stopped abruptly as a family of three slipped out in front of him. It took only a moment for him to recognize the parents: Prince Stolas and…

Oh.

Her.

"Excuse-" Stella had begun, but she cut herself off once she saw that it was Prince Ipos she was speaking to. Her heart skipped a beat and her once neutral expression became that of slight panic. Stolas, also stopping, realized just whom his wife almost ran into. He began to grin. Finally, something he could enjoy.

"Ipos," Stolas greeted nonchalantly.

"...Stolas," Ipos slowly replied. His eyes never left Stella's.

"Hi!" Octavia waved at the stranger. Only now was Stella free from Ipos' unblinking stare. The vulture looked down at Octavia, and his eyes softened.

"Hello, little miss," said Ipos kindly. "You must be Princess Octavia."

"How'd you know!?" the owlet gasped, her eyes twinkling in awe.

"I saw it on an invitation once."

Stella narrowed her eyes at that statement. Ipos had to have been referring to Octavia's baby shower invitation. She'd sent one to Rosewood Hall, but received no response. Ipos hadn't shown up, either. Stolas' smile widened at his wife's growing frustration.

"He's an old friend of your mother's, Via," Stolas hooted mischievously. Stella glared at him.

You son of a bitch… she thought angrily. Octavia, ever the innocent one, beamed up at her mother.

"I didn't know I had another uncle!" she chirped. Ipos raised a brow.

"Uncle?"

"Oh, she calls all of Stella's male friends that," said Stolas with a wave of his hand. Ipos cringed. Stella blushed furiously. "Don't be alarmed."

"We really should be going…" Stella huffed. She knew Stolas' game. As if the texts weren't already a slap in the face. "We're going to see Aunt Fifi and Uncle Ace, remember, Octavia?"

"Oh…" Octavia pouted. The idea of meeting a new "uncle" had interested her. But, of course, Stella had to be the fun police. Octavia sighed. It just wasn't fair. Ipos, meanwhile, found himself in a small quandary. He didn't want to deal with Stella for longer than he had to, but he didn't want to upset Octavia any further.

"Erm…" began the prince. "Perhaps we could chat again once the Gala starts. Stolas could bring you around to my family's table, if you'd like, little miss."

"Oh, absolutely," Stolas hummed. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Stella silently fuming. How delicious.

"Okay…!" Octavia perked up again. Stella had enough. She started off in the direction they'd been going before. Peeking over her mother's shoulder, Octavia waved at Ipos. "Bye bye!"

"Goodbye, little one." Ipos waved back. He felt himself smiling a little. Children did that to him. It was a wonder how someone so sour could bear a daughter so sweet. As Stella and Octavia disappeared into the crowd, Stolas chuckled.

"She's the light of my life, that girl," said Stolas.

"I'm sure she is…" responded Ipos. He was a bit cautious, now, as he spoke to his fellow prince. Stolas was never this friendly, nor did their interactions ever extend beyond simple salutations. Tonight, however, Stolas seemed jollier than usual, and Ipos was on high alert.

"Actually…" continued the owl. "I do have a small request for you, since Octavia's taken a liking to you and all."

"...What sort of request?"

"Well…" Stolas hooted playfully. "I'm going to be very "busy" around 7:00, and I could use someone to keep Octavia occupied until I'm back."

"...Ah."

Ipos understood now. He wasn't surprised. Affairs were common among the Goetia. Some kept quiet about their dirty deeds, while others flaunted their sexual escapades like trophies. As long as nothing got out to the public, most Goetias didn't seem to care (until it happened to them, of course). Ipos cleared his throat. He wouldn't comment on the matter; it wasn't his business. Instead, he nodded.

"Sure. How long will you be…erm…"busy"?"

"Oh, about 30 minutes or so?" said Stolas. His tone was strangely gleeful, and Ipos found it bizarre.

"Very well," said Ipos, turning away. "I should be going."

"Ah, yes…" The owl prince lost his smile and began scowling. "Back to the ball and chain with me."

Ipos didn't care to listen to Stolas' complaints. He'd already begun walking away, but it didn't stop Stolas from calling out to him one last time.

"You're lucky, you know. You don't have to deal with this rubbish anymore, hoo hoo."

Ipos froze.

"Anyway…" Stolas began walking off. "See you at 7:00. Ta-ta."

Ipos felt weak all of a sudden. He held on tightly to his cane, spreading his legs so that he could stay balanced.

Keep it together… he thought. He clutched the side of his head and his claws burrowed into his feathers. Keep it together. Don't think about her. Not now. Not here. Not now…

The prince repeated those words in his head as he stumbled back in the direction of his parents. He hoped that his mother was in a mood to ramble. He needed a good distraction.

"Aunt Fifi!"

The search was finally over. At the sound of Octavia's voice, a Goetian couple turned to see Stella and her owlet coming their way. Their names were Ophelia and Atticus, but "Fifi" and "Ace" were easier for a five-year-old to say. Ophelia was a plump owl woman (of no relation to Stolas), and her husband was a strange, vaguely bird-like gentleman with long, white feathers. Ophelia rushed towards Stella with her arms extended.

"Vivi!" Ophelia exclaimed. Stella loosened her hold on Octavia so that Ophelia could take her. "How's my pretty girl?"

"Hehe!" giggled Octavia. "I'm excited!"

"Haha, I'm sure you are," Ophelia laughed.

"Hey up, lass," Atticus gave the girl a two-finger salute. He then nodded to Stella. "How's it goin', Stella? Good seein' ya again."

"Likewise," Stella sighed. The encounter with Ipos still bothered her, and Stolas' meddling hadn't helped. Of course Stolas would do something so petty. Anything to rile her up, right?

"You alright?" asked Ophelia, noticing the air of bitterness that surrounded her friend.

"Mmm-hmm," Stella muttered, ironically the very thing she'd told Octavia not to do.

"Did you know I had another uncle, auntie?" Octavia tugged at Ophelia's dress to get her attention.

"...What?" Ophelia tilted her head in confusion. Stella stepped in.

"We ran into Prince Ipos…" the peahen explained through gritted teeth.

"Oooooh…" both Atticus and Ophelia replied. They shared a glance, and Atticus nodded.

"Hey, Octavia," said Atticus. "I've been workin' on some new magic tricks. Wanna see 'em?"

"Yeah!" Octavia squeaked. Atticus took the girl and set her down a short distance away, leaving Stella and Ophelia to talk without any filters.

"Is everything okay?" asked Ophelia in a hushed voice. "What happened?"

"Nothing, really. We just bumped into him while looking for you and Atticus. He didn't say anything to me; it was Stolas that was pissing me off."

"Tsk," scoffed the owl. "Sounds about right. Where is he, anyway?"

Stella looked around, now realizing that Stolas hadn't caught up with them. She exhaled through her nostrils. He'd disappeared again. Of course. How typical.

"Probably off moping," Stella answered irritably. She crossed her arms. "Just like he always does. Lucifer forbid he actually acts like a prince for five seconds, right?" Stella pinched the bridge of her beak. "I swear, between him acting like a child and Octavia being so high-energy, I'm exhausted."

"You could really do with a break," suggested Ophelia. Her eyes brightened as an idea popped into her head. "How long has it been since we've had a girl's trip, you and me?"

"Not for a while…"

"We should do one, then." Ophelia took Stella's hands and gave them a light squeeze. "Make Stolas babysit, and we can spend a week in Sloth or something. You need to enjoy yourself for once."

"Maybe…" groaned Stella. It was a fun idea, but vacations came with their own set of bad memories.

"Or, if you just wanna stay home," added the owl demoness. "We could have a sleepover, like when we were kids. Oh! I could do your hair, and we could do our nails! We could even bring in Vivi and have a cute, little tea party!"

"Heh," the slightest chortle escaped Stella's beak. She was unable to hold herself back from smiling, a small one, but genuine. "That could be fun, yeah. I'll think about it. Thanks, Ophelia."

"Hey, don't mention it, girlie." Ophelia fluffed her feathers. "Now, let's try to have some fun tonight, yeah?"

Stella nodded.

"Yeah."

Wandering helped pass the time. By the time Ipos had located his parents, it was seconds away from 6:00. Felicity noticed him first, and raced towards him.

"There you are…!" she cried in relief. "We were wondering where you'd—"

She was cut off by the loud rattling of chains. The demons around her fell silent. With a sulking expression, Felicity gazed up at her son. Ipos looked away.

"Later," he whispered.

Felicity reluctantly nodded. Together, they walked back to King Vine, who waited for them to join him before turning to the opening gates. For a few seconds, all was quiet. Then, without warning, the air rang out with the sound of blaring trumpets. Two rows of hellhounds marched out. The leading pair were the ones blowing the trumpets, signifying the arrival of Hell's rulers. The hounds moved to the sides of the pathway and stood to attention as a massive, red portal materialized between them. The Goetias began lowering themselves on their hands and knees. Ipos required assistance, which Felicity and Vine provided without hesitation. Lucifer's Six Sins emerged from the portal, one by one.

First came Wrath's prince, Satan, the fire drake. With his red scales, spiraling horns, and cloven hooves, it was obvious that the imp race came from him. Unlike the imps, however, which were small and unimpressive things, Satan was massive and intimidating. Steam rose from his nostrils with every breath he took, and his face was locked into a permanent glare.

Second was Gluttony's bee princess, Beelzebub. She hovered through the portal on four buzzing wings, unable to walk due to her abnormally large abdomen. Flying around her were her drones, a race of bee and fly demons of her own design. They fed her various foodstuffs from the plates they carried. It was a dangerous task, as Beelzebub's sharp mandibles would slam shut after being fed, giving her drones mere seconds to move their hands away. Fortunately, none of them lost any fingers. Not yet, anyway.

Third to appear was the wolf of Greed, Mammon. From him came the hellhounds. As one would expect, his suit was made of the finest and most expensive fabrics Hell had to offer. On his hands were rings made of gold, silver and precious stones. Such formal attire contrasted with his wild, green eyes and scarred face. In his maw was the remainder of a cigar he'd been smoking. Plucking it from his maw, he flicked it at one of the hounds and snickered as they flinched away.

The fourth Sin was Lust's Asmodeus, the prince of incubi and succubi. His body was mostly that of a rooster, but he had two additional heads, one of a bull and one of a ram. He was broad-shouldered, wide-hipped, and his robes were loose-fitting to expose his chest and thighs. Each head licked its chops as their eyes scanned the Goetias. Such delicious-looking things. They were wearing far too many layers for his liking.

Fifth was Leviathan of Envy, the sea monster. In his ring existed Hell's only ocean, and it was populated with sirens and other aquatic demons. Normally, Leviathan ruled his sea in his true form, but the smaller, humanoid variant he was currently in was better for social events. His serpentine head was held high, but his eyes were narrowed as he eyed his fellow Sins. He missed his ocean, where all of the respect was directed to him, and him only.

Lastly, was Belphegor, the princess of Sloth. Her caprine body was draped over a cushiony bed, one carried by smaller goat demons called Baphomets. Her eyes were closed and her head was propped up by one of her hands. She had no interest in acknowledging the Goetias by looking at them; they weren't worth her attention.

The song came to an end as each Sin took their places outside the portal, three on each side with a space in between them. The hellhounds set down their trumpets as one of them howled aloud:

"Presenting King Lucifer Morningstar and Princess Charlotte Morningstar!"

The Sins turned to face the portal and dipped their heads. King Lucifer and eleven-year-old Princess Charlotte stepped out as the portal closed behind them. Compared to the Sins and even the Goetias, they were closer in size to humans. Lucifer looked exactly like the seraphim on the fountain. His blond hair seemed to defy gravity as it was tousled by a nonexistent wind. His face was a chiseled work of art, and white like marble. Despite his smile, his eyes were lifeless and cold. Charlotte was almost a carbon copy of Lucifer. The only differences were the two red horns that tore through the skin of her forehead, and the fact that her eyes had more of a twinkle to them. As they stopped between the Sins, Lucifer scanned his subjects and smirked approvingly. He raised his hands.

"Rise," he commanded in a melodious voice. "All of you."

The Goetias obeyed, and the Sins lifted their heads. Belphegor even gave Lucifer the honor of opening her eyes and acknowledging his beauty. Applause broke out amongst the crowd, followed by cheers and praises in Lucifer's name. The King's eyes rolled back in bliss. Nothing brought him more pleasure than being revered as a god by his people. It was for this reason that he was the seventh and final Sin, Pride.

Charlotte, however, frowned at the attention. She'd always found this sort of thing awkward and uncomfortable. She barely knew these demons outside of social events, and she was certain that they barely knew her aside from being Hell's heiress. What reason was there for her to enjoy the praise? All she'd ever done was exist. She felt Lucifer's eyes burn into her for a moment. She stood a bit taller and forced herself to grin.

"There's a good lamb," Lucifer leaned down to praise her. His voice was soft with an edge of danger to it, like a snake's warning hiss. Charlotte forced herself not to shiver. Before too long, Lucifer raised his hand again. The crowd was silent again.

"Ahh…" the King sighed. "How wonderful it is to see all of my loyal subjects again. Tonight marks another year of freedom, my friends, and for that, we must celebrate. Come, all of you, into my banquet hall and let's get this night started."

Conversation began picking up again as Lucifer turned and began the march to the banquet hall. Finally, the night was truly beginning. The paparazzi weren't permitted to follow the royal class into Castle Morningstar, and took a few last desperate photos before they had to run off to the tabloids.

"Are we gonna eat now?" Octavia asked, having been returned to Stella just before the gates opened. Her tummy had been rumbling during Lucifer's speech, nothing loud enough for the King to hear, but still quite audible. "I'm hungry. And where's Daddy?"

"Yes, Octavia," Stella promised. "Just wait a minute. As for your father…" Stella looked around. The owl prince was still missing in action. How unsurprising. By this point, Stella was too tired of Stolas' antics to be angry, at least for tonight. She looked down at Octavia. "I'm not sure where he is, but I'm sure that he'll-"

"Daddy!" Octavia cried, looking over Stella's shoulder. Stella looked to see her husband pushing his way past the other Goetians. He seemed peeved, even more now than when they'd arrived. It didn't take Stella long to see why.

Great… moaned Stella in her head as a trio of demons followed after Stolas: her parents, Lord Roseus and Lady Nirvana, as well as her brother, Marquis Andrealphus. Stella knew that they would have crossed paths eventually that night, but she was hoping it wouldn't have been so soon.

"Nana!" Octavia excitedly called for her grandmother. Before Stella could react, an aura swept the girl up and carried her into Nirvana's arms. Nirvana was a beautiful peahen whose feathers were iridescent shades of blue and purple. Her eyes, a sharp orange, shimmered with a small hint of fondness for the owlet.

"Ahhh, there's my big girl," Nirvana sang. She lifted Octavia up and down, causing the owlet to laugh. "Very big, in fact. What are your parents doing? Feeding you an entire bakery?"

Stella's eye twitched. She looked to Stolas, who rolled his eyes.

"Before you ask," he started. "I was wandering around. You know, socializing and whatnot." Stella bit her cheek before she could explode with laughter. Stolas? Willingly socializing? That was a good one. "I ran into them right before the gates opened. But now that I've brought them here, they're your problem."

"How very kind of you," Stella snarked. Stolas didn't answer as he left Stella to deal with her family. Nearby, Ophelia glowered at the owl. If only he weren't a prince, then she'd give him a good talking-to. Stolas never took her as a man who reacted violently to harsh words, but one could never be too sure with higher-ranked Goetians. Ophelia nudged Atticus, and both stepped closer to Stella, but the peahen raised her hand.

"I'll deal with them. You both go on ahead."

"You sure?" asked Atticus.

"It's nothing I haven't dealt with before," shrugged Stella. "I'll be alright, really."

"Alright…" Ophelia murmured. She wasn't convinced, but she didn't want to disrespect her friend's wishes, either. Atticus took her by the hand and began guiding her away. "We'll be at your table, yeah?"

"Sounds good," replied Stella, waving them off. Her friends disappeared into the crowd. The peahen turned to her family, took a deep breath, and slowly approached them.

"About time you came over to greet us, girl," said Roseus sarcastically. He was a dove-like demon whose color palette was an assortment of whites and desaturated pinks. He was far from the visual spectacle that his wife was. Many of his traits could be found in Stella, like her white feathers, pink eyes and short beak. Stella folded her arms and lowered her head.

"Sorry…" she mumbled. "I was going to-"

"Oh, please don't mumble," Nirvana interrupted. "I can't stand it when you do that."

Stella paused.

In and out… She reminded herself. In and out.

"...I said that I was going to," Stella repeated herself in a louder voice. "I needed to talk to some other demons first."

"And who could be more important than your own family?" Nirvana had a dirty look in her eyes. "I was being serious, by the way, about Octavia. She's quite plump. You have been sticking to the nutrition plan I sent you, yes?"

"Of course, I do," Stella huffed. "But Stolas insists on stuffing her with sweets."

"I like sweets…!" Octavia chimed in. "They're really good!"

"Oh, but they'll make you fatter than Beelzebub herself if you eat them all the time," said Nirvana before Stella could utter a word. "Now imagine that, being so big that we have to carry you around in a wheelbarrow or something."

"Is that for real?" Octavia tilted her head with curiosity.

"Indeed. Ask your mother; she'll tell you."

Nirvana then began cackling as Stella's nails dug into the flesh of her arms. Stella closed her eyes, and her nostrils flared as her breathing intensified.

In, out, in, out, in, out. Fuck her. Fuck her. Fuck her. Fuck her.

"I'm joking," snickered Nirvana. "Your mother was never that big, love. Well, maybe when she was a girl, but-"

"Can we go in already?" Andrealphus finally spoke up. "I'd like to sit down at some point, Mum."

"Ah, very well, Andre," replied Nirvana, her amusement fading. She dumped Octavia back into Stella's arms and smoothed out the front of her dress. "Let's be off, then."

Nirvana pushed past Stella, Roseus close behind her. Stella held onto Octavia tightly, like a child holding onto a stuffed bear. It was the only thing keeping her calm. It was the same thing every year, and Liberation Day wasn't the only day Stella had to deal with her parents' nonsense. Andrealphus stared at his sister for a few moments, before getting closer and extending his hands.

"Give her here," he said, reaching for Octavia. He added in a quieter voice. "Before you pop the poor thing." Stella didn't resist.

"Hi, Uncle Andy!" greeted Octavia as the peacock picked her up and set her on his shoulders.

"It's Andre, Via," corrected Andrealphus. He rested a hand on Stella's shoulder and guided her along. There was no point in leaving her outside. "Not Andy. But yes, hello."

Brother and sister walked side by side, and were the last of the Goetias to enter the palace. Their trip was quiet, at least, between them. Octavia would often speak up about something fun she was going to do with her father, or the rare, interesting thing she'd learned from her mother. Andrealphus kept her occupied, and for that, Stella was grateful. As much as it felt like it sometimes, it was good to know that she wasn't completely alone. The royal hellhounds followed them inside, and the castle gates were finally closed.