Tuttle

There is a specific way master Vandel prefers his tea. He'll only drink it if there's exactly two scoops of sugar, so I'm always careful to get the measurement exactly right.

Squirming in place, I glanced at a fellow servant, Hetty, the demon maid remaking Vandel's bed as I refilled his nightly cup of tea. The previous one had already gone cold. 

"He's out rather late tonight, isn't he?" I offhandedly remarked, hoping the anxiety wouldn't show in my voice.

"He'll be back," she grumbled.

I stiffened. "He missed his evening tea. That almost never happens. What if he was captured by the humans or attacked by a monster or..."

"He'll be fine," Hetty cut in flatly. "He always is. He's like a cockroach, in that respect."

I scowled at her. "He is your prince. How dare you refer to him like that!" 

Hetty just shrugged. "Sorry, a well dressed cockroach."

As if on cue, the thud of feet hitting the windowsill rang out and Vandel slipped through the window—butt naked.

Hetty averted her gaze.

The young prince casually munched on a piece of bread as he stepped down. I rushed to grab him a black, silken robe, holding it out. He slipped it on with only an absent nod.

"How was your trip, my liege?" I asked.

"Enlightening." Vandel sank into the velvet armchair resting by the fireplace, picking up the teacup from the side table. With a smirk, he brought the glass to his lips, the dancing flames reflected back in his pitch black eyes. "The humans should be here soon."

Vandel

A day later, an especially ear-splitting screech from my violin sent Tuttle scurrying towards me.

"Sire," he said, bowing his head. "Perhaps you should consider taking a short break from your lessons today..."

I turned to glare at him, the violin still tucked under my chin. Scowling, I pointed my bow at him accusingly. "Are you trying to suggest I sound bad? Is that why you're asking me to stop?"

Tuttle's face went ashen, shaking his bald head frantically. "No, no, no, no, sire. You sound like a dove! Like a songbird on the strings! Like a...a...um...what I meant to say is...the reason you might wish to stop is because the Alterian knights are approaching the castle."

"WHAT?!" I chucked my violin across the room, where it crashed to the floor with a pitiful twang. "I didn't think they would be here for hours! I'm not properly dressed and I've had my outfit planned for this for days. Uuugh, this is the worst. I'm going to have to cut my exfoliation routine in half!"

I dashed out of the chamber, skidding around a corner and sliding into my bedroom. Damn, I had been looking forward to this confrontation all week. I couldn't blow it because I miscalculated their arrival date.

I snapped my fingers, sending my chosen outfit flying from the mahogany closet that took up nearly my entire back wall. Sliding off my current ensemble, I held out my arms, allowing the magic to slip my new clothes onto me. Gold ribbons laced the garment up behind my back, as if done so by invisible hands. Next, I made my way to the mirror, fixing my hair so it fell just so—just the way I liked it. I gave my reflection a wink before dashing back through the halls. Finally, I burst into the throne room.

Plopping myself into the throne, I struck the most menacing and suave pose I could think of.

A guard turned to look at me, his features pulling together in concern. "My liege...are you feeling alright? Your face looks a bit..."

I glared at him and he stiffened, the words dying before they even left his mouth.

"Finish your sentence," I said dryly. 

He swallowed hard. "Err...a bit odd, my liege." 

"This is my intimidation face!" I snapped. "Obviously if you had actually read the pamphlet I sent out to the royal guards over a month ago, you would have seen that on page five it says a good intimidation face is one of the main attributes of a menacing demon."

"I-I'm sorry, my liege," the guard stammered. "I must have missed that part."

"It's okay," I replied sharply. "I'm holding a seminar for the castle staff next week. You can come to that."

Honestly, I lived in a palace surrounded by idiots. 

With a heavy sigh, I resumed my pose.

"How long are you going to hold that?" the guard meekly asked. 

"Till however long it takes those stupid knights to get here."