I need time

After spending the entire day outside her chamber, Lilith returned in the evening. She didn't expect the manor to be shrouded in darkness, an eerie silence pervading the air. The usual warm glow of lanterns was conspicuously absent, casting long, foreboding shadows across the grand hallways.

To her surprise and growing unease, not even a single servant was around to ask for assistance in lighting the lanterns.

Covering the long corridor to reach the living room, she saw Apollyon rested on the recliner, holding a wine cup in his hand.

"You should have told the servant to light the chamber," Lilith began, her voice tentative as she attempted to bridge the silence between them.

Before she could say more, the entire chamber suddenly lit up, a warm, golden glow flooding the room. Apollyon had used his magic, his eyes never leaving the wine cup he held. The shadows that had lingered in the corners dissipated, revealing the tension etched on his face.

Lilith bit her bottom lip, struggling to find the right words to make him speak to her. She remained rooted in place for a moment, gathering her courage, before finally stepping closer to him.

"Forgive me," Lilith apologized softly, her voice wavering. "I've hurt your feelings. I was so confused... I mean, I wanted my first time to be special with you," she explained, her eyes searching his face for any sign of response, "not under the influence of some aphrodisiacs."

Apollyon's expression remained unreadable, his silence heavy and impenetrable. He took a slow sip from his wine cup, seemingly lost in his thoughts. Lilith's heart ached at the sight of his detachment, but she pressed on, determined to reach him.

"I understand if you're angry," she continued, her voice growing more desperate. "But please, believe me when I say that I regret intimacy to be happened between us in such a way. I just... I need time to adjust, to let my heart catch up with everything that has happened so quickly."

Apollyon finally looked up, his eyes meeting hers with a mixture of sadness and frustration. "It's not just about last night anymore, Lilith," Apollyon said quietly, his voice heavy with sadness and frustration. "Your eyes carry doubts. And I hate it. You can have your dinner later, as I heard you skipped your lunch as well."

He stood up, his tall figure looming above her, casting a shadow that seemed to deepen the chasm between them.

"What about you? Won't you have dinner with me?" Lilith asked, her voice tinged with desperation.

Apollyon looked down at her, his expression hardening. "No. Didn't you want me to please myself in the company of other women?" he remarked coldly, setting the cup down on the table with a resounding clink.

Lilith's eyes widened in shock and hurt, and she reached out, grabbing his sleeve in a desperate attempt to hold onto him. "How could you say that?"

"You've said it to me many times before," Apollyon replied, his tone unyielding. "I think it's time I start neglecting you completely. I don't wish to hurt myself anymore," he added, his words like a final blow.

Without waiting for her response, Apollyon vanished from her sight, leaving Lilith standing there, her hand still outstretched.

Lilith sank to the floor, tears welling in her eyes as the weight of his words settled over her. She had never imagined that her careless remarks could drive such a wedge between them.

"I tried my best to convince him, to make him see that I was puzzled. I always wanted him to be stay away from me. It's enough, Lilith. You can't let him trample on your dignity," Lilith told herself while looking into the mirror.

It had been the third night since she and Apollyon were sleeping separately. Lilith had heard how the Devil Lord was enjoying his nights in the company of the other women. She knew that Apollyon was a womanizer and he proved it to her.

Lilith left the chair and went outside to take some fresh air. The sky was dark, showing it was covered with the clouds. She was seated quietly in the porch of the garden outside her chamber, taking in the earthly scent. That was the only thing to calm her nerves down.

Lilith's thoughts were still on Apollyon. Her inner voice kept telling her how they should check on the Devil Lord.

'I cannot let him have fun when I'm alive. Couldn't he pamper me? How dare he bring other women into his chamber? I'm the Queen!' Lilith's inner voice rang in her ear. She could no longer stay in that place and headed to see Apollyon, almost forgetting her night dress was too revealing.

Because it was late at night, hardly any servant could be seen within the manor. Lilith stopped outside Apollyon's room and then, she pushed it open.