The Devilish Wedding

     Lucifer had an only daughter named Luxie. She had reached the age when girls start looking for husbands.
     “My dear Luxie,” said the ruler of Hell, “it’s time to think about marriage.”
     “Couldn’t it wait another year, father?”
     “No way! It’s high time,” insisted Lucifer.
     “Next Saturday we’ll hold a ball, and there you’ll choose your future husband from among the noble devils.”
     He immediately spread the news throughout the entire infernal kingdom and even sent messengers to neighboring lands.
     At the appointed time, various devils and young she-devils arrived from all corners. Some had straight horns, others pointed. Those from abroad even had horns curved like rams.
     The devilish community gathered in a festively decorated hall.
     Lucifer clapped his hands three times to start the celebration. At that moment, the music began playing a well-known waltz. The dance floor was instantly filled with dancers.
     Luxie looked around from her marble throne, but none of the young men appealed to her. They all seemed strange to her-bland, awkward, and unremarkable.
     “So, which young man have you chosen?” asked Lucifer.
     “None, father. They all look like devils!”
     “But they are devils!”
     “I’d like a real handsome man,” Luxie sighed.
     Lucifer wasn’t too pleased with this. He thought for a moment and said:
     “If you want a dashing fellow, we’ll have to look elsewhere. Among humans!”
     When the ball ended, the devils returned home disappointed.
     The next day, Lucifer and Luxie set out for the human realm. They wandered the world aimlessly. Whenever mortals saw this strange pair, they shut their doors. Some even threatened them with sticks.
     Luxie didn’t understand their behavior.
     “Why don’t these people like us, father?”
     “It’s our horns-they’re most afraid of those.”
     For a whole month, they wandered the earthly landscape without success. They slept wherever they could: in barns, haystacks, but mostly under the open sky.
     One late afternoon, they arrived at a picturesque village. The very first building caught their eye-a small blacksmith’s shop. Smoke was rising from its chimney.
     They carefully entered the yard. A bearded blacksmith was just finishing his work. When he saw the two, he hesitated.
     “A devil and his companion! What a predicament!” he thought. “You don’t mess around with devils.”
      Lucifer greeted him: “You needn’t be afraid of us, master. We come in peace.”
     “To what do I owe such a rare visit?”
     “Master, I have an unusual request.”
     “Do you need a horseshoe forged, or perhaps a decorative grille?”
     “Neither.”
     “Then what is it?”
     “My daughter wants her horns removed.”
     “That’s a small matter,” said the blacksmith. “And what about yours?”
     “I’ll keep mine for now,” replied Lucifer, placing ten gold coins on the table. Then he sat down on a wooden chair.
     The blacksmith got to work. Soon, there was no trace of the horns.
      Suddenly, there stood a beauty as pretty as a picture.
     “She looks wonderful,” the blacksmith praised. “She’d surely appeal to my son.”
     “You have a son?” the devil asked in surprise.
     “Of course, and a fine one at that! A strapping lad, already done with military service. He’s free and unattached.”
     The devil listened carefully.
     The blacksmith sighed: “But I have great trouble with him!”
     “What’s wrong? Is he ill?” Lucifer inquired.
     “Not at all. Something much worse! He doesn’t want to get married at all!”
     “Could you call him? I’d like to meet him,” said Lucifer.
     The blacksmith turned and called: “Vojtěch! Come here!”
     In no time, a sturdy young man appeared.
     When he saw the lovely girl, he couldn’t take his eyes off her. He fell in love with her instantly.
      Lucifer said: “You were right, blacksmith, your son is a fine lad.”
     Only now did Vojta pay attention to Lucifer. He noticed the bumps on his head.
     “A devil! What’s he doing here?” he wondered.
     He examined the visitor with interest.
     “Probably a new customer,” he thought.
     Lucifer suddenly stood up.
     “Thank you very much for everything, blacksmith. Unfortunately, we must be on our way.”
     “Where would you go for the night? You’ll stay with us, and tomorrow we’ll see,” said the blacksmith.
     He led them to a small, cozy room. Both were glad to have found a roof over their heads after a long and tiring journey. As soon as they lay down in the spacious beds, they immediately fell into a deep sleep.
     In the morning, Vojta said:
     “Dad, I’ve finally found myself a bride!”
     “Really? What’s your chosen one’s name?”
     “Luxie.”
     “You don’t mean Lucifer’s daughter, do you?”
     “That’s the one. I want her for my wife. No one else!”
     The blacksmith scratched his head and said: “I won’t stand in the way of your happiness. And what does she say?”
     Vojta bowed his head: “She doesn’t know anything about it yet.”
     “Hm, that’s a strange song,” said the blacksmith. All sorts of strange thoughts ran through his head. He didn’t know what to make of it all.
     The sun slowly rose above the horizon.
     Lucifer and Luxie appeared in the room.
     “How did you sleep?”
     “Thank you for asking, host. The duvets were so fluffy and soft, we felt like we were in heaven.”
     The blacksmith invited them to the table. After breakfast, he turned to Lucifer:
     “My son here wants to ask you something.”
     Lucifer looked at the young man in surprise.
     “Well, what is it you wish, Vojtěch?”
     The lad didn’t know how to begin. Then he plucked up the courage and said: “I’d like to marry Luxie.”
     The devil smiled: “I don’t know if she’ll want you. You’ll have to ask her yourself.”
     Vojta blushed deeply.
     He took a deep breath and said: “Will you marry me?”
     Luxie nodded.
     “Well, words aren’t even needed,” said the blacksmith. “It’s a done deal.”
     The fathers looked at each other with satisfaction. A weight was lifted from their hearts.
     “Now we just need to arrange the details,” said the blacksmith.
     “The wedding could be a month from today,” suggested the devil.
     “Agreed!”
     They shook hands and then said their goodbyes.
     Preparations for the wedding feast began both in Hell and at the blacksmith’s shop. From morning till night, there was baking and cooking. Nothing could be forgotten.
     For Luxie and Vojta, these were the longest days of their lives. The separation seemed endless.
     Finally, the awaited day arrived.
     And there was a wedding. But it was no ordinary wedding. From early morning, grand carriages arrived at the cottage. In them sat nothing but horned guests. Imagine! Ten dozen carriages arrived!
     The blacksmith’s family was also well represented-five brothers and five sisters. The whole village gathered in front of the smithy. It looked like some kind of anti-government demonstration.
     The wedding ceremony took place right in the smithy. Luxie and Vojta exchanged gold rings and then kissed.
     That officially started the wedding.
     The oak tables groaned under the weight of all sorts of delicacies. Everyone could take whatever they fancied: homemade sponge cake, cottage cheese, poppy seed, and pear wedding pastries, yeast buns filled with walnut, plum, and blueberry fillings.
     Lucifer’s personal chef also arrived at the wedding. From a giant copper cauldron, he served true devilish goulash, spicy as a razor, into porcelain bowls for anyone interested.
     At first, the devils and villagers sat separately. They were shy with each other. Only gradually did the fun start to flow.
It wasn’t until the devils started pouring out their “Devil’s Brew” and serving twenty-percent black beer called Belzebub that the wedding guests really got going.
     Red, white, and rosé wine flowed like water in a flooded stream.
     Then events picked up speed. The turning point came when the villagers opened bottles of pear brandy and started singing their favorite song:
     “After a shot, we’ll sing a song,
      After a shot, after a shot…”
     The devils didn’t lag behind in singing or in drinking. Soon, they struck up a very friendly camaraderie with the villagers.
     In no time, it was as lively as parliament.
     And then there was eating, drinking, and dancing.
     The local village band “Békalka” played polkas, circle dances, lively dances, and quadrilles. The devilish vocal-instrumental group “Luciferanka” performed a tarantella, czardas, and galop.
     The Moors partied with the locals with great enthusiasm.
     By midnight, no one knew who was and who wasn’t a devil.
     Exhausted from food, alcohol, and dancing, the participants lay in bizarre positions on the bare ground. Now it looked like the aftermath of some famous battle.
     When dawn broke, the blacksmith said to Lucifer: “Well, that wedding turned out nicely!”
     “Yes, yes,” the chief devil agreed, “it was a grand celebration, just like at the emperor’s court.”
     After the wedding, the guests set out on their way home. As a farewell, everyone received a generous package of leftovers.
     The smithy fell silent. After the wild festivities, there was no trace left. Everything returned to normal. Everyday life resumed.
     Not even a year had passed, and two boys were born-Světlonoš and Svítinoš. Unlike other children, they were a bit livelier. All the devils were in their bodies. No wonder! After all, their mother was a genuine she-devil!
 
Translated into English by artificial intelligence.