There was an entire night of torture. Kiki even stayed up later than she should've her hits becoming harder and her empty threats started to become real. Zen didn't like considering giving in, he didn't like letting the bad guy win but if it was for Shirayuki he would have to. Plus in a way, it was kind of his fault the woman's father died. If she told the truth and it were the corrupted guards that killed him then Zen should've been able to see it. He should've been able to stop them before they hurt anyone. But he wasn't...and the worse part was...he still didn't know who she was talking about.

"You're not really considering this, are you Zen?" His older brother questioned as he walked into Zen's room, not caring about the lack of privacy. He didn't need to, he was first born prince. He had way more authority and could take off all the doors in the entire castle if he wanted to.

"I love her..." Zen mumbled while sitting on the edge of his bed, fully dressed but he didn't feel ready.

"This will humiliate you. It will make you look weak. How could you every rule if you're ready to cave in to a kidnapper's wishes." His brother snapped at him, his blonde hair dangled in his face. He seemed to be almost messy, his hair wasn't groomed and his buttons on his shirt were badly done up, being in the wrong hole. He looked...unproper. At least unproper for him

"I love her." Zen repeated himself, being more firm that time. Like he was sure of his decision this time. There was almost no doubt in his head despite all the consequences, all the pain he would endure. Only one thing was on his mind...protecting Shirayuki.

Izana paused, staring at him intensely. Zen gave him a quick glance but didn't bother to give him a glance any longer than a few seconds. The white haired prince pushed himself off of the bed and headed towards the door. He could feel his brother's stares on him but he couldn't care less. A sudden burst of confidence swept through him...confidence or even love. Love for his best friend and girlfriend. Someone that he wanted to protect no matter what.

"You're a moron." was the last thing Zen heard from his brother as he let the door shut behind him.

"Let me speak to her." Zen ordered to the guard in charge of the kidnapper. The man didn't even hesitate as he stepped to the side. Even if Zen wasn't the prince, the guard wouldn't have dared to come between him and his goal when he was radiating so much determination. There was no doubt in his head about what he was doing. It had to be done.

He knew that he wouldn't even regret it either.

After opening the door, Zen walked in the room again. The stench almost took him off guard again but that was going to stop him. Even if the scent of blood had gotten stronger. He paused his pace at the entrance of the room, staring at the woman laying on the ground. She had more cuts on her but they weren't deep enough. Despite what Zen may have thought before, if the woman pushed Kiki anymore...she may have lost a limb.

"I'm still not going to talk." The woman grumbled but it was weak. Much weaker than last time. It seems that Kiki hadn't scared her despite what she had done.

"I know." Zen mumbled with a frown as he looked at her.

As if surprised by his voice, the woman flinched and glanced up to see the prince. She sighed before laying her head down, "Come to get more life stories? The books at this castle aren't good enough for your royal taste?" she asked sarcastically.

"I've read most of them anyways." Zen replied with a light shrug, not caring about her comment. Her words weren't as effective as last time. He wasn't quite sure as to why. Maybe it was because of his sudden spirit of determination or maybe it was because of how weak she looked. How vulnerable she was laying on the ground, bleeding, hurt. Yet as he thought of it, he didn't' think she was actually that weak. She had taken a beating from Kiki, which would frighten some of the strongest men, but she still didn't talk.

She still wouldn't talk.

She was as determined as Zen was but for different reasons. He wanted to save someone he loved and she wanted to avenge someone she loved. In a way they could be the same. Zen couldn't help but wonder if he would end up just like her had he lost a part of his family. A flashback traveled into his brain and he remembered the day he had lost his old best friend, Ati. He too wanted revenge. He and the others. Revenge drove them both a little crazy. Could it do the same to him? If Shirayuki had died...what would he have done to the lady laying beneath him?

"Then what are you here for?" The woman grumbled, her tone starting to sound annoyed. Like Zen's presence was a waste of time.

"I'm here to accept your 'deal'." Zen replied with a bitter taste in his mouth. It wasn't a deal to him, it was black mail. Pure blackmail. She was blackmailing the second prince...and she was winning.

There was a pause before Zen could hear her laughter again. She still wasn't looking at him, her face pressed against the ground underneath her. It would've hurt her nose just to touch anything else, assuming that Kiki broke it again, yet she was laying it down on the dirty floor.

"Why are you laughing?" He growled at her after the laughter went on for too long. Even at his words, her laughter didn't stop. It didn't even slow down. It actually got even louder...more demonic. Like she was possessed by some sort of demon. Zen wouldn't doubt it either.

A few more seconds passed before Zen stepped on her hand and she squeaked, her laughter getting cut short. She didn't plead for him to stop, she tried to show no signs of pain, but they were there. However, after that squeak, she went silent. Trying to show him that he didn't scare her. He had a feeling that she didn't want her hand to get squashed.

"I find it funny..." She mumbled after a few seconds of Zen not squishing her hand but his foot was still there so he could at any time, "That I was actually able to break the prince."

"Oh?" Zen questioned with a raised eyebrow, "You didn't think you could? If you didn't think you could then why even do this? What is the point?"

The woman snorted and lifted her eyes to stare at Zen. "Because despite the fact that those around me didn't believe me, they still don't. They want to watch you suffer too. They want to watch you pay for your sins. I might as well provide it for them since I would like to as well." She exclaimed.

"You're insane." Zen grumbled and gave her a glare but the glare only made the woman smile. She enjoyed his pain. His pain was like dessert to her and he could see it.

"I know." The woman replied nonchalantly before forcing herself to sit up. He watched her wince and bite her lip hard enough for it to bleed as she sat up. It was painful for her to get up but she still did it. There was no logical reason for her to sit up but she forced herself to despite the pain. "So which one are you agreeing to? Giving me the objects or the whippings? Personally I prefer the latter." she said with a smile. A genuine, non sadistic smile. It didn't match her words.

"The whipping." Zen growled at her, his hand clutching onto the hilt of his sword, "But not in public."

"No deal." The woman replied, "Publicly or she rots."

"Not publicly." Zen repeated himself, his tone getting more threatening. If it was publicly...the people would look down at him. They would've seen that there was weakness...that the attackers won.

"Okay then she rots." The woman stated with a light shrug, acting a bit more casual now, "Doesn't matter to me anyway. She was sweet but still a cheater."

Zen growled and went to threaten her,to get her to agree to something else, but instead some unforgiving words slipped from his mouth, "...Fine."

Ah I hate to do this stuff but I would really like for people to enjoy this story or leave some feedback. Well anyways...I'm currently working on an original story on Fictionpress and it would mean a lot if you guys check it out :D

You don't have to of course but if you want to, here's the link :)

/s/3301782/1/To-Hell-with-the-Devil