"We've already informed the council concerning your lack of memories, my lord." Vile proclaimed as she took her place on the right side of the throne
"And concerning your angelic friend…" Vex added with a huff as she took her place to the left of Lucien.
Four figures stepped into the throne room one after each another, each carrying a stack of documents and tomes.
First was a young dragonkin woman, her skin shimmering with iridescence, her gleaming, crimson horns curled along the side of her head. She nodded at Lucien, eyes smokey and half-lidded as she chewed a hard candy with lazy elegance. She wore a tight vest, a tighter pants and a very bored expression.
"I'm your royal treasurer, Ignara. I keep your wealth safe, your bribes paid, and your gambling debts within reason, Your Majesty"
Next, a tall arachna-kin woman stepped forward. Her humanoid body was clad in armor, but subtle movements hinted at the extra limbs folded beneath. She flicked back her short black hair, puffed out her bountiful bosom, and her violet eyes gleamed.
"Captain X'zelle. Leader of your Royal Guard, my lord. I handle enforcement. Surveillance. And some of your wardrobe adjustments."
Then came the armored titan. Clanking, massive, radiating sheer menace in a hulking mechanical suit that hissed and sparked with each movement. Their voice came like a bear gargling gravel.
"General Groth. War. Logistics. Weapon production… Execution."
Lucien nodded, impressed. "Loving your aesthetic, Groth"
The general turned to him. and gave a slowly nod. "T-Thank you."
Last was a scrawny, nervous young demon man in robes far too big for him. He dropped his scrolls twice before introducing himself.
"A-A-Alexel! Royal architect. I b-build things. Bridges. Fortresses. Uh. Sewer systems?"
Lucien stepped off his throne, grinning. "Excellent. With introductions out of the way, we can get right to work."
He raised a hand.
Dark magic surged around him as he strode forward. The very stones of the floor rippled like liquid. Then a grand round table erupted from the throne room's floor, made of black marble and split with cracks of glowing crimson.
His officials gaped in awe.
He placed his goblet on the table and looked each of them in the eye, facial expression now serious.
"I want everything. Maps. Intel. Secrets. Gossip. I need to understand this world if I'm going to conquer it."
General Groth laughed. A deep guttural sound echoes through the chamber
"Yes, my lord! Let the age of your conquest begin!"
Lucien leaned forward, palms to the table. Flames flared from his hands and the table lit up with magic, bathing the room in glowing, molten light.
"We're not just conquering." Lucien grinned. "I want to building an empire. My empire."
-----
Eight hours later, the grand war table had turned into a battlefield of its own right.
Scrolls were scattered about, wine -stained maps lay spread out beside piles of empty goblets and meat-stuffed bread crusts. That and the oddly suspicious claw mark or two were all that remained of an executive council meeting that had gone on far, far too long.
The High Council was laying sprawled out, groaning in defeat across the marble table.
Groth's armored helm was tipped forward like they'd finally passed out sitting up.
Ignara was curled under the table, sucking on a mint with the thousand-yard stare of a dragonkin who'd seen too many spreadsheets. X'zelle was slumped against a pillar, snoring quietly, while poor Alexel looked like he might had lost the mental fortitude to even open a book again.
Lucien, on the other hand, was beaming. Legs up, documents in hand, eyes sharp as ever. He ran a hand through his dark hair and shot a glance toward his favorite trembling architect.
"Alexel," he purred. "Tell me more about the general infrastructure of my kingdom. Roads. Sewers. Transport routes. What's holding us back from the next stage of development?"
The poor demon nearly choked on his tongue. "W-Well, my lord, uh, mostly it's labor shortages. We lack skilled builders. Our construction techniques are, um, outdated. Basic wooden framing, minimal stone shaping, almost no enchanted material use beyond defense walls—"
Lucien stood up with interest and Alexel flinched. The demon lord draped an arm over the little demon's shoulder.
"You and I," Lucien said smoothly, "are going to be best friends. Civil engineering and city planning were how I started my empire… well, in a previous life anyway. They're my second favorite passions. Right after profiting and pleasuring."
Alexel's entire body stiffened.
Around the table, a collective groan rumbled.
"We can't... take anymore, Lord Lucidius" Ignara moaned from beneath the table.
"My brain isn't built for this…" X'zelle hissed.
Groth mumbled, "I've killed titans with less stamina."
Lucien clapped. "Oh come now, that was just the Ash Lands. We haven't even started on the seven kingdoms."
A chorus of anguish erupted across the room.
Vex and Vile slinked up to his side, purring like well-fed cats.
"My lord has had such a long day," Vex whispered, her hands sliding along his chest.
"Don't you deserve a little rest?" Vile cooed from behind him, her fingers finding all the right pressure points.
"Hmm," Lucien hummed, stroking his chin in exaggerated contemplation. "Torn between productivity and pleasure."
He turns to Serenith with a smirk. "Alas, balance must be maintained, right?"
The angel's mouth falls open, but she fails to find a suitable retort.
He turned to his council. "You're dismissed for the day. Be back first thing tomorrow, well-fed, well-rested, and ready to dive into the kingdom's geopolitics headfirst."
They all groaned affirmations before staggering out of the throne room like hungover zombies.
Vex and Vile each hooked an arm around Lucien's, their hips already swaying in victory.
He grinned, hands firmly gripping their demonically perfect butts. He flicked his head back toward Serenith.
Then smirked.
"You coming, my muse?"
Serenith sighed, wings fluttering with a pout. "Someone has to make sure you don't drown in decadence."