Chapter Text
Rest is not laziness, but a sacred act.
Every morning and night, the princess participates in her rehearsal for death. Death's cousin is sleep. Both are releases from life’s burdens! Under no circumstances can she EVER forget about her duties to embrace the arms of slumber. It keeps her mind sharp and her skin extraordinary! well, the part about her mind being sharp was something she always told herself at least.
Whatever. The point is, the princess loved to sleep. Got that? I hope you brain rotted folks got that through your thick skulls.
The princess rested her head against the railing beside her bed. Her fingers tapped absently against the soft-silk mattress she had so elegantly crafted when she first arrived in the castle. Almost a year has passed since then.
"..."
Princess Syalis traced the leaf that blew past her, The weather was chillier and windier than usual. She managed to catch the leaf when it flew, impressive. She gave herself a pat on the back for being so amazing.
Sleep is like a temporary death, a rehearsal for eternal peace. Yet, unlike death, sleep is repeatable, reversible. At least that's what she believed until she got kidnapped by the rather feeble Demon King. Now, she dances with death almost every day. The Demon Cleric is always drained from reviving her over and over again. She should value her life more, what kind of hostage willingly kills herself- oh wait, no, that's probably the only thing she does that makes sense. Let's rephrase that.
WHAT KIND OF HOSTAGE TRIES TO DIE WITHOUT FEAR FOR THE MOST STUPID REASONS ALL WHILE SHE GETS PAMPERED BY SWEET AND CUTE DEMONS!!
Ahem.. The fact that she can die yet still stay alive makes her feel a bit strange. It often leaves her questioning whether she’s still dreaming or if what she’s experiencing is real. At times, she finds herself forgetting her surroundings or zoning out as she tries to determine the difference between vivid dreams and reality. Surprisingly, she enjoys the sensation of dying. The moment her eyes flutter shut and darkness envelops her.. feels like pure bliss.
"..There's nothing to do." The princess muttered to nobody in particular but herself. She rolled out of her haven, her bed, her precious silky, snowy locks draped over her shoulders as she crawled to the metal bars, which were apparently meant to keep her trapped. Welcome back to my YouTube channel, everyone! Look here, the top 10 worst prisons in the world! At number 5, we have the Demon Castle, where the prisoners can easily break out and get away with it! Stay tuned!
The Princess grabbed her brush and began gently knocking it against the cold alloy.
Once.
Twice.
Thrice.
Fourth-
Ah. They're here.
"...Teddy Demons.." She murmured as the small, fluffy, demon-like bear creatures opened the gates with the cell keys, their soft paws immediately jumping into her arms. "Mhm..! Mhm!" They buzzed. Syalis began brushing their fuzzy fur as they sighed in contentment. Oh, Teddy Demons, a household pet every human wishes were real. Whoops. Third-wall break.
Later, the princess walked out of her cell. Marching out as she pondered on what to do.
What's interesting, hm...
Shall she barge into the meeting room?
Should she go train her body double?
Should she pluck out that Harpy girl's feathers to make herself a nice and fluffy pillow?
No. That would be too simple.
She needs to sleep! Yes, sleep to get an interesting dream!
Sleep is not for simple folk at all, no, no, no. Princess Syalis has made mathematical calculations and has solved many theories when it came to predicting which areas and temperatures dictate what kind of dreams she has. Her cell gives her nice soothing dreams, the meeting room gives her weird acid trip-like dreams, the cafeteria gives her dreams where she's surrounded by tasty food, with the catch that she can't eat anything. She considers them as nightmares.
But, the sleeping spot that holds interesting dreams... is none other than a secluded area far from any of the main areas in the castle! The couch was squishy and soft, the scent smelled like flowers, the temperature was not too cold or hot (well, usually at least), and it always had a blanket there. Perfect.
She had many interesting dreams there. Like one where Da- "what's his name?" as the princess would say, got engaged to someone else and NEVER spoke or interacted with that man in her life. Absolute gem of a dream!
The napping spot was hidden behind many pillars. The couch was hidden behind curtains, the spot was honestly like a little nook. Maybe someone before her used to go there.
Oh, who is she kidding? It was Hypnos's spot. She's jealous that she didn't take this area before he did. Oftentimes, they bumped into each other when coming here. Not that she minded. She actually really liked Hypnos. He was her teacher after all! he was wiser than anyone else in the castle. And it was evident. Because who else would have picked such an S-tier corner on a whim without much thought other than Hypnos?
Princess Syalis continued walking. She was exhausted. It took about 20 minutes for her to get there! How tiring. Oh well, at least she'd be able to sleep faster if she were all fatigued-
THUD!
The castle’s hidden napping spot was a sanctuary—a secluded alcove behind billowing curtains, with a plush sofa perfectly positioned to catch the ideal temperature for sleep. It was here that Princess Syalis often found herself, and more often than not, Hypnos was already there, drowsy as ever.
Today was no different.
Suya groaned as she slumped onto the sofa, rubbing her shoulder. "..I bumped into a pillar on the way here. I've been tainted.. broken.. ruined.. I-It hurts.." She sniffled, being dramatic and whiny about every minor inconvenience as usual.
Hypnos, already half-asleep on the opposite end, cracked one eye open. "Mm. That’s what you get for running in the halls."
"I wasn’t running," she grumbled. "I was.. napping with my eyes open."
Hypnos sighed, sitting up. "Turn around."
"Huh?"
"Your shoulders. I’ll fix ‘em."
Syalis blinked but obliged, turning her back to him. Hypnos’ hands settled on her shoulders, his fingers pressing into the sore spots with surprising skill.
"Be gentle," she whined, burying her face into the sofa’s headrest.
"Just relax," Hypnos murmured, voice low and drowsy. "I’ll take it slow."
And so he did, kneading out the tension with lazy, practised motions. Syalis melted under his touch, her complaints dissolving into soft, pleased hums.
Unbeknownst to them, however, two very unfortunate demons had just walked past the curtain.
Demon Cleric and M.O.T.H.E.R happened to be passing by—Leonard because he was coincidentally patrolling near the princess’ usual haunts (definitely not stalking), and M.O.T.H.E.R because he had been forced to leave his workshop for once (a tragedy).
Then they heard it.
"Be gentle…"
Leonard froze. That was the princess’ voice. And she sounded… strained.
"Just relax. I’ll take it slow."
A deep, drowsy voice—Hypnos.
The silhouette against the curtains was damning. The princess was bent over the sofa, Hypnos looming behind her, his hands on her shoulders, his mouth close to her ear—
Leonard’s grip on his own arm tightened. "…I think I misheard something. T-That can't be the princess and Hypnos. It can't." Oh but the shadows were definitely them.
M.O.T.H.E.R’s usually impassive face twitched. "...This is.."
Inside the nook, Hypnos pressed his thumbs into a knot in Suya’s shoulder, and she let out a soft, pleased noise.
Outside, Leonard’s eye twitched. "I’M GOING TO KILL HIM."
M.O.T.H.E.R grabbed his arm before he could storm in. "Wait. We need… evidence."
Leonard’s teeth ground together. "What more evidence do we NEED?!"
Just then, Sya’s voice drifted out again: "Harder."
Leonard made a sound like a dying animal.
M.O.T.H.E.R smashed his head against the wall.
The princess sighed blissfully as Hypnos worked out the tension in her shoulders. "You’re weirdly good at this."
Hypnos smirked. "I’ve had centuries of practice."
She hummed, already half-asleep. "Mmm.. you should do this more often."
He chuckled. "Maybe I will."
Outside, Leonard was hyperventilating.
M.O.T.H.E.R was drafting a formal complaint to the Demon King.
And neither of them would ever look at Hypnos the same way again.
The hidden nook was warm—too warm, suddenly. The princess fanned herself, tugging at the collar of her pajama coat. "Why's it so hot in here? my delicate skin.. uwaahh!" She whined, flapping her arms angrily as a micro meltdown.
Hypnos, lazily sprawled on the sofa, nodded in agreement. "Dunno. Feels like the castle’s breathing down our necks." He chuckled, patting her head.
Syalis groaned and sat up, struggling with the bow tied at her back. "Stupid thing—ow—it got stuck! God's punishing me..!" (He wasn't. She was just dramatic.)
Hypnos blinked at her, then sighed, pushing himself up. "Need help?"
She shot him a grateful look. "Please."
He moved behind her, fingers working at the tangled ribbon. "You’d think after all the times you’ve died, you’d learn how to dress yourself properly."
Then—disaster.
Sya shifted, her foot caught on the edge of the sofa, and suddenly she was falling, dragging Hypnos down with her in a tangle of limbs.
THUD-!
They landed in a heap, princess Syalis half-sprawled over Hypnos, her legs tangled with his. For a brief, breathless moment, Hypnos froze, his face dangerously close to hers.
She blinked.
He blinked back.
Then—
"Can you untie the bow?," she huffed, completely unbothered.
Hypnos exhaled, willing his pulse to slow. Right. Of course she didn’t notice.
He cleared his throat. "Yeah. Sure."
Leonard’s grip on the curtain was white-knuckled, his entire body trembling with righteous fury.
M.O.T.H.E.R, usually a man of few words, was now hissing at him like a distressed steam engine. "Stop. Stop. They could be nude."
Leonard’s eye twitched. "That’s exactly why I need to stop this!"
M.O.T.H.E.R yanked at his arm. "You can’t—humans and demons—this is—" (He was not used to speaking this much. It showed.)
Leonard wasn’t listening. "This is forbidden! A sacrilege!" (The hypocrisy of his own sinful desires was lost on him in this moment.)
Then—
"Finally!" Suya’s voice, triumphant.
"There. Happy?" Hypnos, amused.
The curtains were violently thrown aside.
"WHAT IN THE SEVEN HELLS ARE YOU TWO—?!"
There stood Leonard, face red, veins bulging, with M.O.T.H.E.R clinging to his arm like a man trying to restrain a rabid dog.
On the sofa, the princess and Hypnos blinked up at them.
Suya, now free of her coat, tilted her head. "…What’s your problem?"
Hypnos, still half-under her, raised a brow. "Yeah. We’re busy."
Leonard’s soul left his body.
M.O.T.H.E.R made a noise like a deflating balloon.
The silence was deafening.
Then—
"YOU—! YOU—!" Leonard jabbed a finger at Hypnos. "YOU FIEND! Your a senior! you c-can't be-! LET GO OF THE PRINCESS-!"
Hypnos stared. "..Are you okay?"
Sya rolled off Hypnos, sitting up. "We were just—"
"I DON’T WANT TO HEAR IT!" Leonard covered his ears dramatically. His face was burning red.
M.O.T.H.E.R, having reached his social interaction limit, turned on his heel. "I’m leaving. I need to inform the Gurdians that you've assaulted the hostage."
Leonard grabbed his sleeve. "YOU CAN’T JUST LEAVE ME HERE—"
Hypnos sighed, running a hand through his hair. "..Assaulted?."
As Leonard continued his meltdown and M.O.T.H.E.R. mentally drafted his complaint to the Ten Guardians, Hypnos stole a glance at Suya.
She was already rearranging the sofa cushions, completely unbothered.
She really has no idea, he thought, something between fondness and frustration curling in his chest.
And maybe... that was for the best.
Later that day, M.O.T.H.E.R. invents a "No Funny Business" detector.
It malfunctions and starts beeping every time he looks at the princess. He disassembled it in shame.
They loved the princess, more than they liked to admit.