The Double-Blind Effect

by Its Kare Bear

All Charlie hopelessly believed in is that there is a small bit of good in all demons. Now, what she needed to do was show it to them and nurture it. How hard can that be? Alastor was willing to give her a helping hand, but what was in it for him? Tossing aside all her better judgment, she accepted.

8. Bad Reputation!

The Double-Blind Effect

Chapter 8: Bad Reputation!

"A girl can do what she wants to do, and that's what I'm gonna do. And I don't give a damn 'bout my bad reputation. Oh no, not me."—Joan Jett

(Day 6 afternoon. Before grand opening)

It was a dark, dreary day in Pentagram City. Thick black clouds covered the sky, and rain poured heavily down. The still in the air became more charged as the center of the storm loomed over the hotel. The winds violently whipped and howled as lighting flashed furiously outside. The chandelier in Charlie's room flickered before ultimately a power out occurred, and the light in the room shut off, followed by a popping sound from a transformer outside. If it weren't for the window, the room would be pitch black, but the dim natural lighting illuminated most of the room. The princess sighed, closing her book before she walked over to the windowsill and pushed the curtains open to see how the weather was faring.

She was a little disappointed by the power out, for she adored the book Alastor loaned her. What a nonsense, funny book! It's filled with a loving but curious Alice following around a white rabbit and befriending many unusual characters in Wonderland.

"It doesn't look like the storm is going to lead up soon." The heiress murmured, watching the drops of rain running down the window. She retreated further into the room; digging through a dresser draw, she pulled out a flashlight. Clicking it on, she ventured out of the room to head downstairs towards the circuit breaker. The hotel's painted entirely; however, the elevator was still inoperable, and no generator.

The heiress mind wandered off to the events that played the past few nights ago. The non-date with Alastor was far more enjoyable than she cared to admit and yet another secret she has to hide from Vaggie. If Vags knew about it, she would crossed-examined Charlie, and there would be another earful lecture about why the Radio Demon shouldn't be here. There was nothing to discuss or anything remotely romantic going on between them. Upon reaching her destination in the employees' only room, she bee-lined it to the circuit breaker and opened the lit. She honestly hadn't the slightest clue of how electricity worked, but she wanted to try. She flicked a switch that had a label for the room she's currently in, but nothing happened. "Hmm, maybe the wire is loose. I wonder if I can open the hatch and see what I can do."

"If you keep messin with that shit, you'll become the Barbecue Princess." Husk uninterestedly announced his presence behind her.

Charlie apprehensively puffed out her rosy cheeks and cautiously retracted her hands, then retreated from the circuit breaker. She veered around to see the grumpy feline sinner leaning against the doorframe, and innately she offered a kindhearted smile. "Hehe—that would be bad!" A little nervous laughed escaped her lips.

"The transformer popped, so there ain't nothin' no one can do till the storm passes and workers can then fix it." The feline tiresomely told her. "Come on, princess, everyone is in the lobby." He instructed and strode away. He didn't need a flashlight, thanks to nocturnal vision. 'Kids these days don't know how good they got it.' He reminisced back in the days where he served in Vietnam.

The princess hastily followed, and they made it to the lobby, where all the sinners resided. The area was far brighter than the rest of the hotel, thanks to the massive long arched windows and several lit candles scattered throughout the room. Turning off the flashlight, she placed it on a side table.

"Good afternoon, my darling!" Alastor sat comfortably on a sofa with a book in his hands. His crimson eyes shifted from the book he's currently engrossed in over to Charlie, flashing her a traditional charming smile. "Or should I say it's a dreadful afternoon, haha!" He spoke gleefully as the radio audience laughed along with him.

"Hehe—yeah, it's really raining cats and dogs outside, and unfortunately, I'm no electrician, so we're out of power till the rain stops."

"Don't get lather about this, my dear." He was downstairs because his office didn't produce enough natural lighting compared to the lobby. He basked in the silent room as the rest of the sinners played with their thingamajig…smartphone.

Charlie wordlessly nodded at him before she ventured over to Angel Dust and Vaggie, where they currently dwelled at the bar and engrossed with their smartphones. It made her regret not bringing hers, but if she had it, it'd only buy her a few precious minutes of entertainment. "Hey, sweetie."

"Hey, Charlie." The moth flashed her princess a sweet smile before her gaze lingered over to the Radio Demon, to which she scoffed. 'Just being in the same room with him makes my skin crawl.'

Boredom came into play for the Hell Princess, and after some careful deliberation, an idea immediately came into mind. "Hey guys, I got an idea of what we can all do to pass the time. How about we play some cards?"

Two curious sinners' heads lifted away from their smartphones while Husk walked behind the bar to grab a chilled beer from in the mini-fridge.

"So, yur're taking my suggestion seriously? We can play poker?" The feline demon irritated mood temporarily lifted.

"Erm, no, but I do have a proposition." Her doe eyes held a certain twinkle of happiness.

"Pass." His foul mood returned, and his hopes and dreams died in a fiery abyss.

"Haha, come on, it'll be fun!" Leaning into the cold marble bar counter, she watched Husk drink beer. "A deck of cards isn't just a box filled with fifty-two pieces of cardboard for the sole purposes of gambling. These playing cards came become your friends in a card game, your assistants in a magic trick. They represent something much bigger than playing poker. They can represent mystery and friendship."

Husk perplexedly started at her and didn't utter a word for something in her words spoken to him. It made him reminisce about his previous life on Earth. His endearing early childhood birthday parties always consisted of an entertaining illusionist with a pack of magic cards. It's what started his drive to try and become a magician.

"A simple game of cards can make you feel special and give great joy." Charlie continuously tried to convince him.

"If I agree, will yah shut the hell up?"

The heiress fervently nodded.

"Fine."

"What about you two?" The heiress turned her hopeful eyes at the spider and moth.

"My phone's about to die anyway, so I'm in." Angel Dust shrugged and stuffed the phone into his pocket. 'Not like there is anything fun to do with no power.'

"Of course, babe." Vaggie placed her hand on Charlie's, giving it a gently supportive squeeze, and the princess smiled in return.

"I can play too, right?" Niffty announced her presence. She had a little demonic doll in her hand. The rain must have kept her longer in bed because it appeared she had just woken up.

"Of course!"

"What game are we playing?" The little demon asked.

"Erm, I only know Go-Fish." Charlie sheepishly replied.

"Fuck that. I rather play fifty-two pick up; I'm picking the game… that's playable for all ages." The feline added, just in case the heiress would pester him about it. "I'll make some drinks. What do you guys want?" He offered since he was the barkeeper of this joint… and it was a part of the job.

"Oh, I'd love it if yah gave me a screaming orgasm." The spider demon purred; his gaze fixed to the feline.

"We ain't got that." The feline demon drily responded, ignoring the spider demon's innuendo.

"Well, what the fuck do yah gotz?"

"Cheap booze and non-alcoholic beverages." Husk nonchalantly answered.

"Booze, please," Angel replied in a similar tone.

"Same here." If they were going to serve alcohol at the hotel, the Hispanic moth should take advantage of it. Since there was no circular table in the lobby, the three sinners plus the princess gathered in the lobby's center and sat on the floor, forming a big circle.

Vaggie sat next to her girlfriend, Angel was to her left, while Niffty sat on Charlie's left.

"Strawberry-lemonade for me!" The heiress sunnily exclaimed.

"Me too!" The cyclops added, and the two exchanged brilliant smiles.

Husk expected a non-alcoholic drink from the little cyclops but not from the Hell Princess. "What yah, too good for alcohol now?" He quickly made the drinks and set them on a tray. Leaving the counter, he joined the group.

"Erm, no, no, no, it's nothing like sort! Al, did you want to join us in a card game?" She nervously attempted to change the topic and glimpsed over to the overlord.

"Oh, HELL NO! That cheating bastard ain't gonna play!" Says the cheating, infuriated feline. He passed out the drinks and pulled out his lucky deck of cards to shuffle them and distribute out the cards. "The game is gin-rummy." A non-poker game, which is based on one's skill set and some luck components.

Alastor ignored Husk's comment as he turned a page. "Perhaps another time, my dear. If play, I play to win what I desire." His half-lidded illuminating eyes flashed over to his plaything and offered her a magnetic grin.

Sweat broke out on her skin, and a warm blush splattered across her face. She hastily averted his gaze, looking down at the cards in front of her; she picked them up to view them.

Angel cautiously darted his heterochromia eyes from Alastor to Charlie's blushing face. 'Ah, fuck, he knows, toots. The hell are yah gonna do?' He sipped his alcohol, looking over to the moth and judging by how she was staring at her cards and not at them. She hadn't the slightest idea of what was going on. 'Whatever, not like it's my business, anyway.'

"Actually, there is a funny story about Charlie's no-drinking policy." The Hispanic sinner shuffled her cards, taking a sip from her drink.

"Hahaha, Vags n-no one wa-wants to hear that!" The heiress hysterically laughed; her pleading doe-eyes darted to her girlfriend.

Again, the Radio Demon inquisitively lifted his head from the book. 'Hmm, curious indeed, she did refuse to drink with me in my office.'

"Ohh, you better diss, toots. I gotz to know, what da fuck did she do?" A toothy grin played on the spider's mouth. He was dying to know what the innocent Hell Princess did for her to swear off alcohol.

All the prying sinners locked their gaze to Vaggie. "Well, it all started a few months ago before we've obtained the Happy Hotel."

A few months ago…

'Focus… focus… breath… and—!'

"Now, Charlie!" Lucifer instructed.

Charlie's prideful doe eyes flashed open, swinging her fists relentlessly out and a burst of fire expelled out. Fiery musical notes scorched many stationary scarecrow dummies, which resembled that of the Exorcists and random demons.

"Good, good." The Hell King nodded in approval, sipping on an elegantly crafted cup of tea. Behind the palace, he sat at an elegant table in the courtyard. Red rose vines entwined around several massive, white marble pillars and short rose bushes hedged across the thick marbled fencing. Just beyond the great courtyard was a massive garden filled with several exquisite fountains, but instead of an angel spraying out water, there was an enormous apple that spewed water. Rows and rows of freshly trimmed shrubs created a labyrinth garden, and within it were several private seating areas.

"Let's see if you can handle moving targets." With a snap of his fingers, Razzle and Dazzle hurried away from the lavish dessert cart. Taking their place at the designated station where there was a mini catapult. They loaded up discarded old plates in the bucket and cut the rope that held the contraption in place—the arm of the catapult-launched dishes that dispersed high into the sky.

The heiress wore a fitting outfit for her daylily training exercises, a black sports bra with matching long yoga pants. Hunching down with her hands on her knees, she had a minute to catch her breath. Tiny sweat droplets poured down her temples. Lifting her head up and with an explosion of demonic energy, she rocketed down the garden's field, chasing after the high-flying saucers in the sky. Several fiery musical notes discharged off her delicate fingers and vaporized each plate before they touch the ground. As a result, her fire exploded in a triumphantly colorful firework display. She whirled around, confidently smiling at her dad.

"Impressive, you truly know how to control your fire, but for your final task, you'll be tested on how you handle an actual fight." The Fallen Angel returned a wide, sharp-fanged smile at his daughter. With an effortless wave of his palm, several royal lion guards appeared out of the blue. They towered over Charlie twice in height and width.

"That's three against one! Isn't that a little unfair?"

He softly chuckled to his precious daughter's innocence. "Sweetie, this is hell. Hell isn't fair." His elbow rested against the table, relaxing his cheek upon his palm. If anything, the royal guards couldn't measure up to her league because he knew the strength within his flesh and blood.

Charlie puffed out her rosy cheeks in irritation.

This is the part where she always… struggled.

The truth of the matter was she was far too passive and sympathetic. She didn't view herself as a full-on pacifist per se; it was just that she detested seeing her people suffer at the hands of each other and from the Exorcists. The heiress refused to part in killing sprees just to reduce overpopulation. Sinners suffered and died once; they shouldn't have to die again.

Recently, she's been coming up with an idea to deal with overpopulation in hell, but she hadn't the courage to speak to her family about the matter. She struggled internally for what she believed in versus pleasing her father.

So, this left her with only one ultimatum.

Self-defense and outwit.

The royal guards wore silvery plates of armor with the emblem of the apple on both sides of their shoulder pads and one at the center chest plate. The first sinner lion rushed at the princess, swinging his fists persistently as she evaded each potential blow by graciously leaping backward and rotated to the opposite side. It looked as if she danced around him like she was the incarnation of wind.

With a glance over the shoulder, she saw the second attacker coming up behind her. Charlie's black feathered wings materialized and outspread, and at the opportune time, she launched up into the sky. Her raven wings shimmered against the crimson lighting of the sky. The two lions comically collided into one another and tumbled about, which made the princess giggle. She soared down to the ground, her wings dematerialized, and the two guards picked themselves up. All three lion sinners clustered together to devise a plan and then gyrated around to face her. She knew what they were going to do: they plotted to attack all at once.

'It's time to end this.' Inhaling the fresh air, she concentrated on a fireball forming within her hands. Once they were in a proximity range of her, she discharged the fire, and it rapidly enveloped them in a vortex of fire.

"Alright, just surrender, and I'll lower the flames."

Lucifer peeked an eye open, sipping his delightful tea. 'Ensnaring your adversaries? Clever, but it won't work.'

One of the braver guards leaped through the flames, shielding his face with his arms to prevent from being scorched. Refusing to surrender, the lion dauntingly smirked at the princess, and he charged at her, maddingly throwing punches, which she evaded.

"Charlie sweetie, you can't keep evading attacks forever, and a trap doesn't always work out. Attack." The fallen angel instructed.

Her heart sank to the bottom of the ocean, and the swirling feelings of self-doubt plagued her, gnawing away her confidences. 'Why couldn't he just give up? 'Truly, the Hell Princess didn't want to fight back because if she used her fire, it would hurt or potentially kill the lion, and she didn't want that. She felt stuck at mental crossroads between being the perfect daughter or following her heart.

"Attack!"

Her back pressed against a solid oak tree. 'Huh?' Through her indecisiveness, she failed to remember her surroundings. She vigilantly gazed up to the sinner that towered over her and hating the fact she was trapped. Her demonic energy intensified as her fingers twitched in anticipation to strike back, but when she looked at the guard, all she could see was…an innocent sinner.

No matter how irrational it sounded or how it contradicted the word sinner… that's what she saw.

She saw the good.

'I can't do it….' Instinctively, her powers overlaid her entire body with a slight, rosy, demonic glow. Within the last second, she raised her arms defensibly as the lion guard's fist soared in, and the pair collided.

The force of the blow from their combined demonic energies affected the surrounding area. It shredded the truck off the tree and virtuously left the princess unscathed. Royal guards weren't decorative muscle. They fended off fruitless attempts of assassination on the Magne family. Lucifer refused to deal with bothersome rats in hell, for he had more important things to do.

"The Hell King declared. "Enough." He placed the porcelain teacup down.

Sneaking a quick look over the shoulder, she gawked in dismay at the missing tree; its new location was a few yards away. Her attention turned to the lion that scoffed at her in disapproval. Her heart further sank, dropping to her knees, and she lowered her head. The feeling of inferiority sang within her as her fingers grazed through the grass and irately ripping off a handful of greenery.

Letting out a long-disappointed sigh, the fallen angel stood up to cross his arms behind him and strolled over to Charlie. Wordlessly, motioning his hand for the guards to leave, and they bowed before hastily departing.

"Charlie?" He got on one knee, staring at his indecisive daughter.

"You must be mad."

"Mad?" Lucifer bewilderedly cocked his head as if he was trying to understand what was going on in her mind. He reached over to lift her chin. "Charlie, I'm not mad at you."

Charlie cautiously stared back to her dad's tender, smiling face. A feeling of disheartenment washed over her, and she averted his gaze.

"Do you know why I train you?"

"… To deal with overpopulation in Hell?"

"Haha, well, that's only a small portion, sweetie." Gliding his claws over to his daughter's rosy cheeks, he massaged them in a notoriously delicate matter that helped reestablished some lost confidences.

Anytime her parents affectionately massaged her cheeks, it naturally makes her smile, and finally, she met his gaze.

"One day, you may find yourself in a dire situation where I am out of your reach and unable to protect you. Charlie, when that day arrives, I want you to be capable of fighting back. Many hellions here do not respect the hierarchy system that we've established, and they will not hesitate to attack. Do you understand?"

She nodded.

"Splendid!" Pulling Charlie up from the ground, his gaze peered over beyond his daughter. "It looks like our training session is over for today. Your girlfriend is here to see you."

"Vaggie!" Whirling around eagerly to see her Hispanic girlfriend, she bee-lined to her and gave her a big bear hug. The moth affectionately entwined her arms around her princess and apprehensively bowing her head to the Hell King in a sign of respect.

"Ahh, sweetheart, don't forget we have another party tonight. I'll take my leave now." Lucifer sighed, dreading another tedious party.

"Dad!" Her sweet voice called for the fallen angel, releasing her moth from the hug, and moved a few paces closer to her father.

"Yes?"

"…Nevermind, it's nothing. I'm looking forward to the party tonight." For the longest time, she wanted to speak openly to her father about her dreams and ideas, but she was petrified of what his reaction could be.

Would he hate her?

Luci nodded in compliance; however, he was positively bored with the same dull parties day in and day out. 'I hope this time they will serve some caramel apples.' He thought and left.

"So, did you have time to talk to your Dad about your idea?" Vags curiously asked.

"Erm, no, unfortunately, the topic never came up." The Hell Princess sighed as if to say: 'this is harder than it looks.' "But there's still hope. I can talk to my family and other royal members at the party! I'm sure they will all be on board. No one likes Execution Day because even we can lose loved ones."

"I think that's a great idea, hun!"

A few hours later…

The night was young within the palace, and the beauty of the scarlet pentagram sky softy illuminated through the arched stain glass windows within Charlie's room. Her room lavished from the floors to the ceiling in luxurious decorations, from small knickknacks to over-the-top family portraits. The floor had dark red velvety carpeting, and in contrast, the walls were a fiery rose. The antique mahogany furniture was polished free from blemishes, and a black crystal chandelier hung from the center of the room. Here and there were pieces of her personality, an adorable demonic cat plushie on her bed, a diary, and a poster of a rainbow.

Charlie dressed in a sophisticated ballgown, a blush pink strapless ballgown. There were elegant swirls of white lines designed in the dress with an apple symbol at the center. She wore long pink gloves, and attached to the dress was a long rouge-colored cape. She brushed her hair and style it in a thick bun, and placing a black tiara at the top of her head.

The princess stared nervously at her reflection from a standing mirror. 'Of all the times to get the heebie-jeebies now isn't one!' There was no way she would lose heart now, not after all the tiresome hours of rehearsing in front of the mirror. 'What's the point of being a princess if it means I can't do anything to help?' The sound of a faint knock on the door made her ear twitch. "Come in."

Vaggie opened the door, strolling into the princess's room; she stared at Charlie's grace. "Wo-wow, you look beautiful."

A slight blush suffused her already rosy cheeks as if she got caught doing something unladylike. "T-thank you." She said in a quiet voice, and the jitters in her stomach played with her. All the heiress needed was an extra boost of encouragement to get through tonight, and she massaged her cheeks for that self-assurance but failed miserably. It wasn't the same when her parents did it.

"Are you okay?" A hint of worry sat on her brow; her voice held concern. 'She looks as nervous as a cat in a dog pound.'

"Huh? To be honest, I'm a smidge nervous." She demonstrated her anxiety by almost pressing the pad of her thumb and index finger together.

Placing her hands upon the Hell Princess's shoulders, Vaggie gingerly smiled. "Believe in your dreams, but you have to have the courage to make them a reality. No matter how impossible it may seem, I know you can do it."

While her moth's words were awe-inspiring, they still didn't seem to quell her concerns. "Aright, it's now or never. Let's get this show on the road!" Balling her fist, she marched out with her moth hand-in-hand. The long hallways color-coordinated to her room; however, there was a hint of gothic vibe in the wallpapers and various decorations.

They arrived at the colossal size ballroom. The tiled marble floors were black-and-white, and at the end of the ballroom had a stage was a band playing soothing music. To the west was a dining area; it had white cloth circular tables with leather chairs. There was a long bar on the east wall with various imported liquors and long tables with extravagant foods and sweets. It was a peculiar sight to see so many nobles mingling about and no violent outbreaks.

Her hands felt clammy, her nerves fluttering, and her throat tightens when she caught sight of Lucifer conversing with Stolas. Lilith excused herself and left the ballroom.

'She looks like she is going to pass out at any given moment. Talking to her father is the toughest thing; she has ever done. I wish there were something I could do.' The moth sinner brushed her fingers through her girlfriend's blonde hair, pushing back any astray tresses. "Charlie, let's get a drink. I think it'll help you."

"Huh? Erm, but isn't drinking like a sin, Vags?"

"Yes, but in moderation, it can help reduce stress and take your mind off your troubles. Come on, let's go." Pulling Charlie along towards the bar, she took a seat on a stool. "Two Melon Balls, please."

The bartender nonverbally nodded, preparing behind the counter for two shots as the princess sat next to Vaggie. The two shots slide down the counter to them, and Charlie picked up the glass. Without a moment's hesitation, she downed the alcohol, and it quickly unwaved her nerves. "I think it's working—" Her sentence got cut off.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't Ms. Too Good for My Brother." Helsa Von Eldritch appeared behind the two, and she smugly smirked.

"Hesla?!" Charlie frowned in disgust at the sight of her hated rival. 'I dumped him because he was a lousy piece of shit boyfriend! Oh satan, I hope he isn't here too!'

"What the hell are you doing here?" Vags said, frowning at the filth a few feet from her.

"Don't breathe the same air as me, commoner." Her snake-like eyes flashed angrily to Vaggie before it peering over to the Hell Princess. "My parents are here just like the rest of these losers to kiss your father's ass… and when he least expects it, maybe they will slit his throat!" Her sickly laughter reverberated through the ballroom.

The moth's face twisted in rage, yet reframed from doing anything that might embarrass her princess, so she settled with mumbling derogatory Spanish words.

"You—you—you…." Charlie stammered around, looking for the most remarkable comeback of all time. "You're not a nice person!" She bombed.

"Oooh, nice comeback. I'm so scared!" Helsa sarcastically retorted, setting her hands to her cheeks; she pretended to be a frightened damsel in distress.

"I… I need another drink." The princess mumbled, rubbing her temple in frustration, and waved to the bartender for another shot. "Keep them coming." Two more small glasses slide down the counter, and she gulped down the sweet liquor. She shivered from the delightful sensation that alcohol brought, and it eased her worries! "I don't have time to deal with you, Helsa. I have more important matters to deal with." New confidence slowly emerged.

Shifting her attention to her moth, she leaned in to kiss her on the cheek. "Wish me luck, hun!" She hopped off the stool to wave, but before heading to the stage, she made a funny face by stick out her tongue behind her rival.

"Luck!" Vags broke her silence with a burst of outright laughter that evoked Hesla to turn around heatedly.

To her annoyance and surprise, she saw Charlie innocently batting her doe eyes and cutely smiling. "… Whatever, bye, loser!" She snorted and left the bar.

Zooming towards the stage, Charlie saw the band was taking a break, and on her way too, she grabbed some mystery shot glass from a server carrying a tray of drinks. For the extra boost of luck, she chugged it down like water. Placing the glass back on the tray, she resumed the trail to the stage. 'Whoa, my legs feel like Jell-O, haha!' She giggled to herself.

She lightly tapped on the microphone to test for sound. "Ahem, ladies and gentleman, may I have your attention, please." Charlie energetically spoke to the crowd as they simmered down to total silence and gave their unbridled, questionable attention. "As you all may know, I'm Charlie Magne, and I'm grateful that you all came here tonight! There is something I would like to discuss a matter about that I think could benefit our world!"

Her curious eyes flashed over to her moth for a moment, and she warmly smiled to see Vaggie, giving her two thumbs up. "Every year on Execution Day, we suffer a massive loss of people from regular citizens to loved ones by Exorcists, and I, for one, have had it! That's why I'm proposing we make some positive changes that will surely benefit us all!"

Charlie took the microphone off the handle and slowly paced back and forth across the stage. "It's an alternative route through the means of redemption! I believe sinners are capable of redemption. I know that everyone here has done good things and bad things, right and wrong. But sometimes, I think heaven misjudges good intentions as bad ones, and their fixation on what is wrong blinds the righteous. Seeing the good in people doesn't mean expecting them to be always good; it means choosing to accept the bad and focus on the good. I know there's good in everyone, and that's why I'm asking for you to stand with me tonight in support of my idea! I want to create a program that can rehabilitate sinners!"

Utter silence.

Naturally, her hopeful eyes flickered over to her father, anticipating his reaction. He clenched his jaw hard enough for muscles to tick, and he said nothing, but there was a gleam in his eyes that spoke to her. Was that… disappointment?

"Hahaha! Would you get a load of this, crazy bitch?!" Helsa laughed hysterically, following after several noble demons laughed, echo the ballroom. "She thinks sinners can be redeemed? Oh—man, this is too rich! Her father is a fallen angel, for fuck's sake!"

Charlie's daunted doe eyes broke contact with Lucifer, veering to the audience laughing at her.

"Moron, have you ever considered that heaven's not all cracked up to be? Hell is where the fun is at."

Something invisible snapped inside her; it was the thing that struggled to hold everything together, now fell apart. The alcohol took effect on numbing her mind, and something deep within the heiress invoked like a tiny flame; it ignited her heart and chaotically burned. Charlie's heart pounded harder than ever, yet this was not from fear; it was out of vexation from everyone mocking her.

"You—bitch! I'm gonna shut that mouth of yours!" She disregarded the repercussions of her actions or how they affected her family status. The princess had something to prove. It took a firm kick in the butt to resolve all her insecurities. In the end, she chose to follow her heart, and the courage she dreadfully needed blaze within her. 'And if that means I have to beat the shit out of all the demons here to prove my dreams aren't foolish, so be it!'

The heiress's emotions flared up, triggering her form to alter as horns sprouted from her forehead and her teeth became sharper. Her eyes fluttered and transformed; the sclera turned crimson and the iris gold. Charlie dove off the stage, tackling Helsa into the ground, and sat up to rolled her fingers into balls of fury. Swinging them out, she repeatedly hit her rival across both sides of the face, hard.

"GET OFF ME!" The serpent roared, grabbing one of the princess's arms to stop the assault. Her other hand tried to push the crazy demon off, but instead, she ended up tearing the middle of Charlie's dress down to the navel.

The two-demon wrestled on the floor, and they tossed and turned. It went from hair pulling to crawling each other in the shoulders and face until Hesla kneed the heiress in the gut.

The Hell Princess shrieked in pain. Backing away, she stood up to hold her stomach.

Blood poured down the serpent's lip. Using her palm, she wiped away some blood and checked to see if she was bleeding. Multiple eyes sprouted across her face in vehemence. "You're gonna pay for that, you little whore!"

"Bring it, bitch!" She egged the serpent on.

Lunging at the heiress like a madman, Helsa seized Charlie's shoulders and shoved her ruthlessly against a wobbly dessert table, which broke in half from the strength of the ram.

The princess fell backward onto the broken table. Desserts soared into the air and splattered all over the floor while a punch bowl came sailing downward and rested upon the heiress's head. Cocktail mix drenched her hair and face. Thanks to her affinity to fire, steam produced off her body that effectively evaporated the alcohol.

Charlie's blood boiled over. Tossing the plastic bowl elsewhere, she rose then charge at the serpent to punched her in the stomach, and her rival withered in agony. They continued to struggle against each other by yanking on their hairs and holding back each other's arms. Ultimately, the princess knocked her forehead into the serpent's, they both shrieked in pain, yet she didn't stop from there. Clenching onto the serpent dress, she rammed her into another dessert table.

"Bon appetite!" Grabbing a hand full of her rival's thick hair, Charlie shoved her face into a double chocolate three-tier cake and successfully breaking the foldable table. After that, Helsa didn't get up.

"Oooh, catfight!" One male demon lustfully hooted.

"Shuddup!" Her dangerous eyes illuminated, shooting a menacing glare at the catcaller. She invoked a fiery musical note from her palm and blasted it out. The discharge propelled the sinner across the room, and he crashed into several other demons. They toppled over another dining table, launching an extravagant cake into the air; it fell onto a female wolf demon's head.

Numerous fuming royal nobles glared at Charlie and each other.

Charlie never felt so free until she let go of the need to please everyone. "Anyone else against my idea? Take a number!" Letting go of Helsa's head, she whirled around and faced an infuriated mob, flashing them a sharp-fanged confident grin.

A group of demons surrounded the heiress, and within her palms, a small wild flame ignited. The crowd ganged up on her as she expelled out the untamed fire.

In a matter of seconds, a brawl broke out of control. The heiress fought with a group of nobles as other royal members fought amongst themselves. Fire chaotically exploded in a beautiful display of fireworks, and it scorched the drapes off curtain rods and various pieces of wooden furniture.

Lucifer laughed frenetically. "Attagirl!" He's dreadfully bored with routine nightly festivities, and witnessing his daughter attacking royalty made him proud! 'She's finally showing some moxie.' Initially, he felt like the world's luckiest dad, yet her speech was… unpalatable.

Vaggie stared in incredulity at the brawl playing in front of her. 'What the hell?! I thought some alcohol would help calm Charlie's anxiety, not make her fight every single demon in the room!' She didn't blame her girlfriend; it was quite the opposite; she was proud that her princess stood up for her dreams. She cautiously gazed over to the Fallen Angel, and her face dropped, mortified. 'He's laughing?!' Is that a good thing or a bad thing?!

Lilith returned from the powder room, and her eyes were as big as saucers from witnessing the chaos and destruction in the ballroom. Her face remained unruffled. Strolling over to her dear husband, she shot him a golden-eye glare because he loved this! She jabbed him violently in the ribs with her elbow to grab his attention.

"Ow, did I get knifed? Erm—my love! You've returned." The fallen angel apprehensively said, rubbing his now sore ribcage.

"I was only gone for about five minutes." The succubus lowly spoke.

"This took one." He jokingly rebuttal, glimpsing at his wife, and sensed she wasn't in a playful mood. He cleared his throat and sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck. "Li'Li, it's not that bad, and I think it's a positive thing—" His sentence interrupted.

"I don't care who started it—" Raising her hand to silence her husband, she stopped midway through because an ablaze howling wolf demon ran past them. The sinner crashed through the large window and fell into an enormous pond, and she perplexedly stared at that before resuming her attention to her husband. "I don't care who started it. I want you to end it, Luci." Lilith's sigh of aggravation came out as a hiss.

Opening his mouth for a second, almost in protest, he abruptly closed it and crossed his arms behind his back to wordlessly nodded in agreement at his love. He slowly sauntered closer through the middle of the ballroom. Many royal nobles stopped their attack once he neared them. 'Let's have kids, she says; it'll be great, she says!' A sarcastic lie thought ran through his mind, waving to the royal guards to end Charlie's fun.

The tallest guard approached the wild princess. "Alright, princess, playtime's over."

Charlie spun around to face the guard, and within her grasp, she held an unconscious owl demon. She recognized this lion; he was the one that broke through her flame barrier and scoffed at her. There were hundreds of guards, so there was no way for her to remember each of their names. "But I still want to play with my toys." She innocently answered.

The lion perplexity stared at her when suddenly she lobbed the lightweight sinner at him. In the nick of time, he dodged the body by jumping out of its projected path, but at that point, it was too late the heiress bolt passed his line of sight and jumped on his back. Scrunching her fingers up into angry cannonballs, she furiously punched the demon in the head multiple times. Several guards surrounded them, trying to grab her and cease the assault.

The fallen angel was so delighted to see his daughter finally showing the initiative to fight back, yet what triggered this fiery passion was through her speech, and for him, this was not admissible. 'Was I too harsh on her, or was I not harsh enough?' He contemplated his parental upbringing.

"Charlotte."

That single word ceased all movement within the princess, peering her gaze to see her father standing a few paces away. Instantaneously, her demonic features vanished, jumping gracefully off the guard's back as he fell to the ground. She scooted him aside with her foot. "Daddy!"

Feeling a sudden a draft in her dress and a quick glimpse down, the feeling of modesty overwhelmed her. She noticed the tear in the dress and did her best to hold the two torn fabric pieces together. She cleared her throat ineptly. "So, what did you think of my speech?" She brightly beamed at him.

"What do I think?" He said through a clenched jaw, struggling with unrestrained fury; he didn't want to stop and think about the ridiculous thought that came across his mind. "Your dream is nothing more than a childish fantasy. Do you believe you're going to find sinners willing enough to give your idea a chance?"

Charlie's world shattered like a dollhouse made of glass. 'He hates my idea.' The astonishment hit her like a ton of bricks. Nothing hurts more than being a disappointment to the single person she thought would never hurt her; however, instead of sulking, she rose to his challenge. "You don't know that for sure. I mean, come on, Dad. It's better than every year the Exorcists come down to kill the people we care about just because of overpopulation. Sinners died once; they shouldn't have to die again."

"This is the life they've chosen, and there are no do-overs."

"But if you just gave it a chance—" The Heiress pleaded.

"Enough, I'm finished with this discussion!" They glared at each other for a long moment. Their differences created a rift that separated their worlds apart. "I don't want to hear any more silly notions about redemption—" The fallen angel froze midway through the sentence as he felt his wife's gentle squeeze on his shoulder.

"I think what your father means to say is that we believe you can do anything you set your mind to, sweetheart." Lilith intervened, acting as a mediator. She missed her daughter's speech, but her woman's intuition abruptly kicked in and recognized they needed to stop arguing before hell decides to freeze over.

Cautiously, the heiress met her mother's soft face and hastily concluded that both her parents opposed her idea. 'Well, there is one thing they can't order me to do is stop dreaming. If I can't make my dream a reality here, I'll find a place where I can!' Unbeknown to her, the alcohol in her system was ready to come up and say hello.

"How about we change your dress and—" She observed her daughter's face turned paler than usual and a tad green. "Charlie, your face is quite green… are you alright?" The succubus concernedly asked.

The Hell Princess's hand covered her mouth and slowly nodded. "Excuse me." She murmured and bee-lined it out of the ballroom with her girlfriend trailing closely behind.

"Haha! So, Charlie set a guy's crouch on fire, and he goes jumping out of the widow four stories high!" Vaggie said in-between spurts of giggles, and before long, the room filled with reverberations of hilarity.

"You and I sure have two distinctly different memories about that night."

"How do you not remember? You sent more than two dozen demons to the hospital! I think you held back during your interview on TV!" The moth glimpsed over at the princess, which she naïvely shrugged.

"It's really a fuzzy memory…."

"You sent Helsa to the hospital," Vags stated.

"Okay, that I don't regret that." The heiress pointed out, adjusting some playing cards in her hands, and for a chance of pace, she felt lady luck was smiling down on her this round! 'You know what they say the seventh time is the charm!'

"Damn, maybe I should lean yah my guns for future turf warz." Angel jestingly added. "Could get yah some nice street cred to match with that ass handing yah gave to those rich fucks."

"N-no, I couldn't do something like that!"

'She has no poker face.' Husk thought. Gin-rummy was based on a game of luck more than wits, and ostensibly the princess lacked in luck and cloaking her emotions in the game. While he never would admit it to anyone, he was having a decent time. 'Too bad this isn't poker; I'd be living in a castle by now!' He sulkily added. "Gin."

"What?! I thought I was gonna win this round." Charlie pouted.

"Care to play again?" Husk asked, gathering up the playing cards, and began to shuffle promptly.

"Yeah!" Everyone retorted at once as the cards flung in their direction to start a new game.

Alastor momentarily used the book to shield his face and silently chuckled. To think that his plaything went on a wild rampage like that fascinated him. He speculated the trigger was her passion for redemption, and the alcohol only enhanced it. If only he had time traversal capabilities, he could have witnessed her ferocious side firsthand, and if what the frowning dame said to be accurate, Charlie held back during the TV interview. 'Oh, the purest form of entertainment, pure, unadulterated violence.'

He felt a tad indecisive; the overlord couldn't resolve which side he found most entertaining about his plaything. Was it her coy yet spontaneous nature or her unbridled wrath? He closed the book for a moment, placing it on his lap; his gaze lingered to the Hell Princess and caught sight of her frowning from losing the card game. In the right opportune moment, green mist swirled around her playing card, unbeknownst to her.

In just a few turns, the princess triumphed. "Gin! I win!" She cheerfully exclaimed.

"What?!" His cynic gaze lingered to her cards, and Husk shot a glare to the Radio Demon. "It was you, wasn't it?! Yah fuckin used that voodoo magic and let her win."

"Al?" Charlie quirked a brow up, and her curious eyes veered to the smiling sinner's direction, where she radiantly smiled at him, and he flashed a cocky grin back. "Oh, I know what's going on here. Husk, are you a little jealous that you lost the game and using Al here as a scapegoat?" Turning her attention over to the feline.

In a toying matter, Alastor batted his eyes at Husker.

"What?! In yur fuckin dreams. Whatever… it's not like this is actual poker." He grumbled, yanking the playing cards from the ground and reshuffled them while mumbling incoherent cruse words.

Alastor dithered about his actions to help the princess win a simple game of cards. Did he want to see his plaything smile that much over losing to a game? No, he relished toying with Husker because it was so easy to piss him off over insignificant matters.