Charlie rose from her bed in a fright, it was still early in the morning and she hadn't gotten any sleep, her dreams plagued with worry of what was to come. Anytime she tried sleeping she thought of her friends who were still imprisoned, still stuck in their cells with no escape and it haunted her dreams.

She then thought about Wiggles and feared that they were planning on chopping him up, remembering Lucifer's comment about fattening him up before sending him off to be slaughtered.

She got up and snuck to the door, peeking her head out. She didn't see anyone around and carefully closed the door behind her in hopes she could locate the pig. The palace was rather large and she wasn't quite sure where she was going.

'Traversing this place is like going through a maze…' She thought to herself, carefully watching her step so as to not make any noise. As she made her way down the hallway, her ear twitched upon hearing a muffled noise in a room nearby.'Huh? What was that?'

Curious, Charlie got closer and closer and saw a large door to a room she didn't recognize. She pushed upon the door quietly and snuck inside. When she got inside, she noticed this was where the crops of the palace were being kept. An extra storage system in the Palace no doubt and there were likely more where that came from given how large the place was.

Still, that didn't answer where the noise was coming from and she refused to believe it was her imagination.

Charlie blinked when she heard the sound again, it was louder and she could hear it more clearly. It sounded like an animal of some kind and it was whining out of discomfort…

When she located the source of the problem she gasped at the sight, seeing Angel's pet, Wiggles was trapped in a small cage with a lock positioned on the front, a meat cleaver positioned next to him. Apparently one of the guards hadn't even bothered to put him in a pen and just placed him in a cage purely for convenience.

"Wiggles, I found you! I'm so glad you're still in one piece!" She cried out in relief before reaching for the cage,"We've got to get you out of there! There's gotta be a key around here somewhere…"

Charlie scrambled for a way to free him and began looking around the crates, frustration building when she couldn't find anything substantial as she rummaged through the castle's fresh produce,"Ugh! Nothing in here but a bunch of vegetables and fruits. Come on, Charlie…it's gotta be around here somewhere…it's just gotta be…"

Charlie was about to give up when she noticed a glint of metal on the floor lying around.

"There it is!" She quickly grabbed the key and unlocked the cage, releasing Wiggles from his tight prison. She tossed the cage to the ground and held Wiggles in the air and twirled him around as she hugged him close,"I gotcha cutie! You're safe now baby! Are you alright? Have they hurt you?"

She checked him for any signs of wounds and thankfully outside of the trauma of being imprisoned, Wiggles appeared to lack any sort of physical damage to his person. Relieved by this, she booped his nose and giggled at the cute noise he made,"Aw, you're such a cute little boar. No wonder Angel took a liking to you."

Upon mentioning Angel's name, Wiggles turned his head in search for his owner and Charlie winced,"Sorry boy, he's not here. Angel is still trapped, but don't worry, we'll get him out…somehow…"

She wasn't entirely sure how she was going to get Angel out, but that didn't mean she wasn't going to try because if she didn't…who would?

The Princess tensed up when she heard footsteps approaching behind her, a gruff voice saying,"Hey, who left this door open? I swear I closed it the last time I was here…"

The footsteps got closer and Charlie knew it was only a matter of time before she was found. Without thinking she made a mad dash out the door, sprinting as adrenaline pumped through her veins. The man screamed after her to come back but she didn't dare stop, running as if her life depended on it.

Charlie ran down the hallways, dashing down the carpeted floors in hopes she could find a hiding place. She could tell the man was still pursuing her and he had some of his guard pals to aid the chase much to her dismay.

'God they're fast!' She thought to herself frantically as she turned her head behind her, terror gnawing on her insides the moment she saw them and it only grew more the second she saw them gaining on her.

As Charlie was running she had neglected to watch where she had been going and Charlie ran into someone face first, sending her toppling to the ground like a stack of dominoes. She screeched in agony as she fell to the floor.

"Ugh…What hit me?" She groaned, rubbing her head before her eyes darted upon noticing Wiggles were no longer in her arms. She fell into a panic as her eyes searched for the big one only to look up, her jaw dropping at the sight.

Standing before her was her mother…or at least, the other version of her mother to be exact. She resembled her demonic counterpart by having pale skin and blonde hair, the only difference being her lack of horns and the fact she was wearing a lavish purple and black gown with a pearl necklace.

"Mom?"

The Queen's eyes narrowed at the sight before her, holding Wiggles in her hands. She glanced at the pig and at Charlie before saying,"So what Lucifer said was true..You have returned to us, Charlotte…"

Her voice was calm yet welcoming and Charlie felt somewhat taken in by her motherly tone.

However, before they could get any further, a guard shouted,"YOUR HIGHNESS! STAY AWAY FROM THAT THIEF! HE NEEDS TO BE TAKEN TO THE DUNGEON IMMEDIATELY!"

Charlie winced and prepared to be attacked again only for Lilith to step forward protectively in front of her,"I believe you are mistaken, men. This here is no thief or boy for that matter, this is in fact my daughter…"

"Your daughter!?" One spluttered,"That can't be, Princess Charlotte has been missing for over a century. There's no way this peasant boy is her."

"Do not speak of my daughter that way," Lilith demanded, her voice remaining calm yet firm,"You may not recognize her without her royal gown but I assure you that a mother knows her daughter when she sees her or are you doubting my judgment?"

The question was enough to cause the men to back away in fear, the queen's eyes piercing through them, her tone deadly calm as if warning them to not press her any further.

Lilith's voice then snapped her out of her trance as she addressed her,"Charlotte, stand up." She offered her hand towards her and Charlie reached out and took it, rising to her feet. She stumbled a little before regaining her footing.

"Thank you…" Charlie then looked at Wiggles before saying,"Can I have him back? He's my pet…"

That was a lie but she figured they wouldn't slaughter him if they thought he was hers.

Lilith frowned,"A swine for a pet, Charlotte? Are you certain you don't want something else? Weren't Razzle and Dazzle enough for you?"

"Mom..I really like him. He's special to me and those guys were gonna turn him into a slab of meat if I didn't get him."

Lilith narrowed her eyes before turning to them,"Is this true? Were you going to kill Charlotte's pet?"

"It was on Lucifer's orders, we swear we had no idea he belonged to her or that Charlotte was even here!" One stammered.

Lilith rolled her eyes before pinching the bridge of her forehead,"I'll have to discuss about that with my husband but as for you all, you should all be thankful this was a misunderstanding else this would be considered treason for attempting to harm the heir to the throne, even if it was unknowingly. Now run along and go back to your posts, you've disturbed us just enough and I tire of this foolishness…"

"As you wish your highness…"

The guards quickly left, leaving Lilith and Charlie be. The Princess sighed in relief as the guards left, her body posture relaxing as they vanished from sight.

"Phew. And I thought they'd never leave me be…" She muttered before taking notice of her mother. She cleared her throat and said,"Uh…Thanks for saving Mom. I don't know what I would've done had I not ran into you…literally."

"No need to thank me. It's simply a mother's duty to protect her children," She admitted warmly,"I'll always protect my children even if they make…questionable choices."

"Speaking of which, can I have Wiggles now? I know you don't approve of him as my pet but he's really special to me and I'd like to have him back."

"Of course you can, dear, here.."

Lilith handed the boar back to Charlie's arms and she cuddled the wild pig and pat him on the back.

"You OK boy?"

Wiggles nodded before giving her an affectionate 'kiss' on the cheek with his snout. He may have been an adult boar but with his small size and domestic behavior he had more in common with a pet than a wild animal.

The pigs in hell were a lot bigger than this so his small size was a little perplexing to her. She heard pigs on Earth were smaller but she had never seen one. This world may not have been Earth but it did seem to have a more realistic height in comparison to Hell, which seemed to exaggerate the height of just about everything in some way.

"Charlotte.." Lilith called,"I understand your attachment to your pet but I do believe we haven't caught up properly yet. After all, it's been so long since we've seen each other. Just yesterday you were a baby in my arms and now…now you're a grown woman…" She rubbed her eyes and Charlie winced,"Mom, are you crying?"

"Oh no, I just…had something in my eye," She replied lowly,"I just never thought this day would come and now that it has, it's a little much to bear. There's so much you've missed, so much time we've missed a s family and we unfortunately cannot get it back.."

Charlie made a face, Lilith sounded so stoked about having her 'daughter' back and it felt like her stomach was punching her with guilt every second. It felt wrong posing as her alternate self and living her life for her while her alternate's parents believed their daughter had finally returned after all this time.

Having to look into her other mother's eyes and lie to her face made her heart twist with pain.

"Are you alright, Charlotte? You look tense, is something wrong?"

"Yeah..everything is fine," She lied, a nervous smile appearing on her face as she tried to pull herself back together,"I'm fine. Just a little stressed out, that's all. Almost lost my pet and that sort of thing can take its toll on someone, you know?"

It was a lie but it seemed to ease her mother's alternate as her expression became lax.

"Do not worry, your 'Wiggles' will be nice and safe within your arms from now on. Nobody will take him away if I have anything to say about it. Understand?"

Charlie nodded her head in agreement as she clutched Wiggles inside of her arms,"Yes Mom.."

"Good. Now come along, we have a lot of catching up to do. You've missed out on so much and we need to pick up back where we started before you…ran off."

Charlie stammered as she tried to find a way out of the situation,"Mom that sounds nice and all but I really need to speak with Lucifer and-"

"Your father can wait," She assured,"Not to mention you cannot be seen like that in the way that you are dressed. You need to look like a proper lady so you don't get mistaken for a thief by the castle's guards…"

"But Mom-"

"No buts, young lady. You cannot be seen outside the house like that, especially for the ceremony…"

"The ceremony? There's a ceremony?"

"Oh, I forgot to tell you that Luci and I planned a celebration earlier today for your unexpected return. This is an occasion worth showing some cheer. We need to dress you up and make you as pretty as a doll," Lilith then abruptly grabbed Charlie's and and Charlie gasped as the older woman dragged her around without batting an eye. Her arms may have been slender but she had the grip of steel and Charlie was helpless to do anything other than be pulled around by her alternate mother.

Lilith pulled Charlie into her room before telling her to wait there for a moment. When the Queen came back she had several women beside her. They looked dressed and proper with their clothes, no doubt coming from a skilled background.

"Mom…who are those women?"

"These are my personal seamstresses," She informed her."They'll be customizing your gown. Don't worry, they just need a few measurements to get the right size for you, they're rather experienced and I promise you're in good hands. Now stand real still so these ladies can do their jobs…"

Charlie reluctantly did as she was told and as soon as Lilith gave the signal the women were upon her. She jumped a little as they started touching her and using measuring tape around certain parts of her body, like her bosom and her waist.

It wasn't like Charlie hadn't done this before it had been several centuries and the feeling of having someone do measurements for her clothes was a little awkward given how she had purchased her own clothes back in her native timeline online.

Thankfully for Charlie's sake, the seamstresses knew what they were doing and had countless years of experience(as well as a hint of magical abilities of their own so to speak) and aided them in creating the perfect dress for her.

Faster than she could blink, Charlie felt them using their abilities to summon threads of yarn and other sorts of tools used in the sewing process that she couldn't recognize and crafted up a dress for her, spinning around like a tornado and making it impossible for the Princess to keep track of their movements as they added clothes and other accessories onto her.

When the dust finally cleared, Charlie saw that her masculine disguise had been discarded completely and replaced with a dress that went all the way down.

She wore a sleeveless dress with a white rose at the center. Her dress was a darker pink at the top but grew lighter on the way down. On her collar was a red necklace with sparkling rubies inside. She also wore a black crown with her hair tied up in a bun. The Princess also had black heels underneath to add a bit more to her height.

"My, don't you just look dazzling, Charlotte?" Lilith asked, her voice laced with a hint of amazement at her looks,"Now you truly look like royalty. I've been waiting to see you dressed like this for over a century and I can hardly contain my excitement to have you back…"

Charlie looked at the dress and she wasn't going to lie, while she did prefer suits, this dress was definitely something she'd wear if she ever found a way to get back home,"Woah..this is so…so beautiful.."

"Just like you," Lilith complimented,"Now all we have to do is adjust that face of yours…"

"What's wrong with my face?"

"Oh nothing…it just needs a little pizzazz that's all," Lilith remarked,"Don't worry, Mother's got you covered. I know just the thing to spice you up. Hold still for me, will you? I need to get everything just right for the ceremony…"

Charlie blanked as Lilith began doing her hair,styling it to look more feminine and having it in a bun. Lilith adjusted a few parted hairs before pulling out some makeup and adding some on her face. Once she believed she had done a good job she showed Charlie her work.

The Princess's jaw dropped, hardly recognizing the person she saw in the mirror. Her lashes were brought out by the light pink color that blended with her eye-shadow. It wasn't anything too bright but it was still noticeable. Her lips had a coat of black lipstick on and the blush on her cheeks was a more noticeable and a slightly darker shade.

"And for the finishing touch…" Lilith then pulled out a black crown that resembles her own before placing it on top of Charlie's head,"What do you think, Charlotte? Don't you just look marvelous? I'd say it's fit for a Queen if I say so myself…"

"It looks…beautiful…" Charlie admitted,"Thanks Mom…you did a great job. I can't thank you enough for it."

"Don't mention it, it's a mother's job to care for their daughter's after all," She chuckled before grabbing Charlie's chin."Before we go, I must ask, do you remember how to behave during ceremonies? I know it's been a while and I hope things have stayed with you after all these years."

Charlie scoffed,"Mom, I know how to behave myself. I'm not a kid anymore…"

Seriously, she was over two hundred years old and she still felt like she was being belittled like a teenager. They had done this for years and while she understood it while she was younger, it did get rather tiring when you were several hundreds of years old and getting criticized by your parents for being 'immature' as they would put it.

It seemed no matter the timeline she was in, she was being put down one way or another by her parental figures, the only difference was that these were not her actual parents but merely doppelgangers from an entirely different world.

"I just want to be sure, you've stirred up enough trouble running off with your…delinquent allies that I just had to be sure you got all that behavior out of your once you were in proper uniform.."

"So…when does the ceremony start exactly?"

"Another thirty minutes from now , why?"

"No reason…I was just wondering if I could you know…bring Wiggles along?"

Lilith pinched the bridge of her forehead,"Charlotte, I understand you have a pet but you cannot bring a swine to the ceremony. Not only will Lucifer have a heart attack out of embarrassment but you'll make the rest of us look foolish. Pets have no place in a place like this and the pig is better off in your room than he is out in the public eye…"

"But mom-"

"Charlotte, no but's, the pig is staying in the room and that's final. Do you hear me?"

"Yes mom.."

"Good, now come with me. We have to prepare ourselves for the announcement and we cannot be late…"

Charlie followed the alternate version of her mother closely, mentally bracing herself for the ceremony for her 'return' so to speak.

The time finally had arrived and Charlie found herself sitting on a large parade through the streets. A large crowd of people stood on the sides of the street while she sat on the carriage, her hands placed together as she sat in the middle of her parents who were standing tall on their float that was being pulled by the horses.

Trumpets began blaring as a drum roll sang it's melody through the air.

The royal marching band walked in front of her as they began playing their part as loud as they could. Flower girls began throwing rose petals against the ground and Charlie saw large posters in people's hands that said,'Welcome back Charlotte' and 'Long Live The Princess' and such. People began firing fireworks into the skies as joyful cheers filled the air.

A pang of nervousness entered her bloodstream at the sight of the warm welcome. In such a short time her parents had organized a giant parade in 'her' honor and everyone was celebrating. She hid herself behind her mother's dress, ducking in an effort to hide herself from public eye.

This act didn't go unnoticed as Lucifer tapped her on the shoulder and whispered,"Charlotte, we're in public. This is not time to act shy. You're far too old for this childish behavior…."

"Luci, don't be so harsh towards her, it's been a while since she's been around this many people,"Lilith ushered before gently patting her daughter on the back,"No need to be nervous, Charlotte, our subjects are clamoring your return with excitement, you are being welcomed back as a Princess should. Come on, stand up and show some acknowledgement towards them…"

Charlie reluctantly stood up and looked around,seeing the countless people cheering her return and 'welcoming' her back.

It felt so wrong to be celebrated, so wrong to have all these people cheering for her. Back at home she would've lived for this type of reception but in this world, it felt wrong to receive it,especially since she knew they weren't cheering for her but who they thought was her other self.

The knowledge she was being celebrated in the place of another made her stomach churn. She was a fake, an imposter and it felt like she was living a massive lie. She was taking another person's life and acting in their place for her own purposes.

And the worst part was that they all believed it. Everyone was none the wiser about her deception and her other parents were all too overjoyed to have who they thought was their daughter back.

She was living another person's life and it made her body twist in anguish. She felt like such a huge liar, she had laced so many lies up in the time she had been inside this world that it was difficult to keep track of them. And now in an effort to save not only herself but her comrades, she had to adorn another person's clothes and live their life to save theirs…

The Princess then snapped back to reality before taking a deep breath and smiling at them warmly before tossing some roses at the crowd to show her affection towards them.

Some people reached to grab it and one particular elderly man who seemed down on his luck caught it, causing some of the on-lookers to fum with jealousy as he happily took the rose and shouted,"ALL HAIL THE RETURN OF PRINCESS CHARLOTTE!"

Charlie wearily smiled as people cheered her on. The cheers may not have been to her in particular but she decided to take what she could get. Her parents seemed pleased by her change in behavior as they were both smiling and holding each other's hands.

When the parade was over, the crowd eventually dispersed and they were able to return back to the palace.

When they got back to the palace, Lilith dismissed herself by saying she had duties to attend to and Lucifer seemed ready to do the same thing. Charlie took that opportunity as a chance to get involved as she reached for his shoulder.

He paused for a second before asking,"Charlotte, what are you doing?"

"Coming with you. I know you have meetings but I just wanted to come with you since I still had something to discuss with you…""

He frowned,"Can't it wait, Charlotte? I'd like to speak with my colleagues on my own terms and give all the trouble you and your troublesome friends because I wouldn't want your presence to cause issues with those you've wronged.."

"It's important," Charlie remarked firmly,"I get you don't trust me but I need to have a say in matters that concern me."

"Charlotte, I understand the sentiment but you have to understand that these meetings are for-"

"Adults?" She intervened before he could finish,"I thought we reached past the point of judging me off age, Lucifer. Especially since I am a grown woman and I have been for quite some time. Trying to leave me out of conversations that you believe I'm too 'immature' to handle is offensive. Am I a grown woman or am I not? Answer me that…"

"You are…"

"Precisely. And since I'm not only a grown woman but also your heir, that means I should be involved in political matters, especially those I am personally invested in."

Lucifer fell silent for a second before sighing,"You..you bring a fair point, Charlotte. I suppose there's no point in shielding you from the world any longer,especially after all this time. If you insist on coming along however, there are still some ground rules you have to follow. You must show respect to my colleagues and you not to stir any trouble while you are here else I'll have to remove you from the premises. Understand?"

Charlie nodded her head,"You make yourself very clear, Father…"

"Good. Follow me.."

Charlie followed Lucifer down the hallways, trailing behind him as they walked down the hallway. The Palace was huge and Charlie felt rather small walking past all the corridors that seemed to never end, spanning on for an eternity.

It was only when they approached a large door that she suspected was her father's office that Charlie thought their long walk was at its end. Lucifer then used his magic to open the door effortlessly, not even bothering to reach for the doorknob before stepping aside to let Charlie in,"Ladies first…"

"Uh..thanks…" She stammered before stepping inside. The Princess's heart pounded, eyes wide at the sight around her.

The other Deadly Sins were sitting around the tables, having a good time and chatting amongst themselves over a glass of wine. Even if they were in more humanoid forms, Charlie could recognize all of them right off the bat.

The only one she didn't see was Belphegor, which hadn't come off as a surprise. He was the living embodiment of Sloth and even in her original timeline, she recalled her parents complaining about his tardiness when it came to meetings.

Unless one of the other Deadly Sins dragged him to the building he would likely stay cooped up in his own residence and she was certain if Belphegor wasn't a Deadly Sin Lucifer would've gotten rid of him with how lazy he was when it came to his duties.

"I cannot believe Belphegor once again bailed on us,"Mammon complained,"This is the tenth time this century he's done this. Does he seriously expect the rest of us to go out of our way to wake him up everytime there's a crisis?"

"Don't lose your head, Mammon," Beelzebub said as she helped herself to the wine cabinet greedily,"You know Belphie does this sort of thing, it's just his routine.."

She had curly brown hair and cinnamon skin, her outfit resembling a honey bee as it was black and gold with a lavish coat and antennas sticking out of her head, keeping in line with bee motif. Her eyes were a honey color and her lashes were large and feminine.

"Routine?" Mammon spat,"It's a bad habit and it's been something he's been guilty of for centuries and it seems it's only getting worse…"

Fredrick rolled his eyes,"I hate to agree with the jester but he is right. I know it's his nature to be lazy but that doesn't mean the rest of us have to tolerate his foolishness. It's not our responsibility to get him up and we explicitly sent him a letter to NOT be late. I swear, he cares more about his deranged experiments than he does about his duties as of late.."

"Leviathan-"

"Frederick,"He countered firmly,"That's my preferred name, Beelzebub. We've been over this countless times.."

Beelzebub rolled her eyes,"I know,I just don't understand why you want to go back to that silly name. It doesn't' sound all too intimidating and it's not proper for a man like you."

"What would you know about being proper, Beelzebub? Don't act as if you are above it all,"Frederick chided,"Say what you will about my name but at least I'm not a messy eater."

"I'm not a messy eater!" She pouted only to slip up with her drink and spill some wine on her dress,"Aw nuts,again? That's the fifth time this week!"

"Thanks for proving my point,"Frederick remarked, a smug smile growing on his face at the sight of her ruined dress.

"Now now, no need to make fun of her Frederick," The Lord of Lust chimed in,"It's a tad rude mocking a fellow Sin, especially in front of others…" the Lord of Lust's eyes then turned to Charlie, his eyes narrowing at the sight of her,"Hello there, Charlotte…or should I say, Charles?"

Charlie hadn't realized she had been holding her breath until Asmodeus called out her fake name. The air circulation around her lungs had been forcibly taken out of her within a flash as her body froze up in silent terror.

"Charlotte,'Lucifer said,"Don't be rude. Greet Lord Asmodous like the gentlemen he is."

'Gentlemen my ass…' She thought to herself snarkily, snorting at the notion that Asmodeus fit the definition of 'gentlemen' in any way or form.

It was taking all of Charlie's self control to not insult the bastard, especially with that cocky grin of his as he looked her up and down. She could already tell that bastard was thinking of perverted things about her from here and she wanted to barf at the way he looked at her.

"Charlotte..'Lucifer warned,"Say something…"

'Ugh..fine…' She rolled her eyes before reluctantly bowing her head and lifting the tips of her dress,"Greetings Lord Asmodeus, it's a pleasure to see you again.."

Not.

"Lucifer,"Frederick started,"Why have you brought your daughter here? It's a little unprofessional to bring your child to the workplace especially since we're about to start a meeting. Is there a reason she is here or is she here to meddle in our affairs?"

Lucifer narrowed his eyes,"Frederick, do not get hostile with me. Charlotte has all rights to be here, especially since this matter concerns her as well. She has stated she has some…stakes to discuss with us and she's free to voice her opinion given she's the heir to the throne and will have to get involved in these sorts of things eventually."

"But does it have to be now?" Frederick asked,"It's bad enough Belphegor isn't here but now you're letting your daughter intrude on our affairs just because she happened to stir up trouble along with her annoying friends."

The blonde monarch sighed,"I understand your concerns. Believe me, I wasn't all too excited to let her in but Charlotte agreed to be respectful while she was here and I think it would be wrong to deny her request."

Frederick seemed irritated by this; however , the look Lucifer sent him was enough to quiet him down from voicing further objections. He then settled down and Charlie took that opportunity to sit down in her seat beside her Father who took his place in a large throne-like chair.

Lucifer leaned back in his chair, hands clasped together as he glanced around the room, snake-like pupils piercing through those who dared look into his eyes. There was a moment of silence before he said,"I take it that we are all aware of the situation, yes? You all know why you've been summoned here don't you?"

There was a mutual nod and Lucifer continued his sentence as he feigned a pain in his head,"My memories are a little foggy so why don't you all give me a refresher on what exactly happened? I'd like to know what happened down to every detail that you can remember."

"Most certainly, Lucifer," Asmodeus stated,"Almost all of us have been experiencing difficulties, no thanks to Charlotte and her friends. Just yesterday I can remember her and her fiery friend burning my restaurant down. I had let Valentino and his friends try and get them but they failed and that pigtailed brat sent her little ghost constructs around my house as a distraction. I swear there's still one in my house somewhere and it's been driving me crazy."

"And I too remember Alastor and his maid tearing my entire place down,"Satan said, speaking up for the first time since he got here, his grip on his chalice becoming tight as the gravitational pull on his beverage became stronger and stronger, threatening to shatter the glass entirely.

"Don't forget my children went behind my backs and snuck off to hang out with a peasant boy.. I had hoped that Mammon would be able to set them straight yet trouble just seems to follow those two no matter where I put them…"

"They would've likely stayed out had Vincent not decided to be the 'hero' and try and save the sirens. It didn't help that he got aid from another one of my works, I believe his name was Henry? And they burned my entire carnival down and destroyed my Fizz bot. It was rather disrespectful might I add, Vincent didn't even bother leaving a few scraps of him left. He also took Fizz's blueprints meaning I'm going to have to commission Belphegor for another one when he's available.. He muttered irritably,"Thankfully it's not all bad, because thanks to Vincent binding himself to me I was able to keep an eye on him. It was fun to mess around with his mind, to see those close to him suffer but once he stepped into Luci's territory I knew the conflict would finally be put to an end."

"Isn't it already over?" Beelzebub asked as she placed a grape in her mouth,"The perpetrators are in cells. Doesn't that mean our job is done? Why are we here then?"

"Because we haven't decided what to do with them,"Lucifer informed,"Truthfully I was tempted to just let them all hang but I figured talking with you about this would be wise, especially since Fredrick's children are involved and I'm not certain he and Bethesda agree on letting their spawn be killed…"

Fredrick narrowed his eyes,"We don't want our children dead, Lucifer. Helsa and Seviathan may be troublesome brats but we don't want them dead. We can have them punished in other ways that do not require their lives being terminated. I couldn't care less what you do with the others but keep that Vincent boy away from my daughter and if you can. I'd wish for him to be dead as well but I doubt Mammon would want me taking away his new toy from him…"

"Vincent is my property," Mammon said,"Do not touch what isn't yours Fredrick. I understand your dislike but I assure you that I've got everything under control. Vincent will not be a problem for you and your family this time, especially when he's confined to that little cell…"

"Personally I'd like to have NIffty and Alastor back so I can…teach them a lesson so to speak. Normally I don't deal with traitors myself but since they have been such a thorn in my side I believe a special punishment would serve them well…"

"Are you going to kill them, ' Beelzebub asked curiously,"Cuz that's what you tend to do to everyone who upsets you."

"Not right away…" He said,"I still want them to suffer and death is a quick mercy compared to what I have in mind. What about you, Asmodeus? What do you think?"

"Well I obviously wouldn't dare lay a hand on our dear Charlotte," He admitted,"But her friend…well…let's just say I'd like to have a little 'talk' with her about her behavior. Make her show her some respect to a Deadly Sin if you know what I mean."

Charlie felt sick, the way they spoke about her allies was enough to make her stomach turn on it's head. The way they spoke of torturing her friends made her stomach churn and her fist clenched up with burning rage as she snapped,"ENOUGH!"

Everyone flinched for a moment at Charlie's tone as she slammed her hands against the table. Charlie glared at all of them, baring her teeth with silent fury. Had she been able to enter her demonic form right now she was certain her horns would've been shown with how livid she was.

"Ooh, looks like someone is feisty,' Beelzebub teased,"I just love a good drama queen, looks like Lilith's deadly temper passed on through the genes I see…"

Fredrick scoffed,"Not all of us find being yelled at amusing. Lucifer, you said that your daughter would show respect and yet she's already gone back on her word, snapping at all of us like an insolent brat. I'm trying not to judge you as a parent but perhaps you should work on disciplining your daughter for her unruly behavior. She's supposed to be the heir to the throne and she acts more akin to a toddler than a proper Princess."

"Charlotte…that was rather rude. You know outbursts are not tolerated amongst the Sins. I believe an apology is in order…"

"I'm sorry.." It was a lie but she didn't want to make herself look worse than she already was,"I just…let my emotions get the best of me. It's just that I've been quiet for so long and I felt the need to speak my mind, especially since you all happen to be speaking about people I consider to be friends…"

"Friends?" Satan asked,"You consider those traitors who are locked in jail friends? I'd think Lucifer's heir would know better than to ally herself with traitors yet it appears I'm being proven wrong day by day. How disappointing…"

Charlie scoffed before continuing,"I…I understand me and my friends have caused you all trouble and caused long-lasting damages to your property. However, I believe the punishment of death or torture would be…rather extreme and completely unnecessary.

"If course you would say that," Satan grumbled,"You consider these fools friends."

Charlie scowled at the notion of her allies being 'fools' and did her best to remain calm,"Regardless of how you feel about them, I am of the opinion that jail-time would be a far better punishment than inflicting torture on them."

"And why should we consider being merciful towards them?"

Charlie fell silent for a moment before considering her tactics and decided to try a different strategy. Being kind would get her nowhere in this debate, she had to change the way she confronted the issue and fast.

"Because I'm certain prison labor and dealing with each other is far more insufferable to them. If I know anything about them, being in jail in a cramped cell is bad enough and being around people they don't like would be utter hell to them. They expect being killed or tortured but being imprisoned and having to do labor would make them miserable and break their spirits…"

"Damn, looks like someone's sadistic today,"Beelzebub giggled,"And to think I thought those guys were your friends . Guess you weren't as close as we thought, were you? Tell me, Charlotte, were you just using them to fuel your childish fantasy of running away? If so, I have to say I'm rather impressed, perhaps you are fit to be Queen with an attitude like that."

Charlie nodded and feigned a sadistic grin,"Of course, those guys weren't really my friends. I was just using them until further notice. I get you all want to get rid of them but I'm not done playing with my toys just yet. Would you mind if I got to 'play' with my toys for a bit longer? I want to take my time before I let my toys get broken. Got that?"

"We understand your concerns, Charlotte," Lucifer chuckled,"Perhaps you've matured a lot more than I had anticipated. To know you were just using them means that our lessons must've gotten through to you. Perhaps you are not a total failure after all."

"You can be serious,"Frederick said,"You're just going to let the others off the hook just because your daughter wants to mess around with her 'toys'? What is she? Five? She shouldn't be handling the affairs of prisoners like they are dolls in her playhouse. This is an adult matter and Charlotte has the mind of a child, she's not mature enough to discuss it."

"I am mature!" Charlie snapped,"I just know how to get what I want and I say that my toys are staying in the dungeon, nice and safe so I can play with them. What do you say, Lucifer? Can I?"

"Well…" He sighed,"I don't see why not. It's not as if you are asking for them to be released. Normally I would just have them all hung or given out to the other Sins for them to deal with but since you've shown yourself to be quite a deceitful young woman I don't see why I can reward you for your maturity."

"I only learn for the best, Father. You and Mom did a great job teaching me how to use others for my benefit. I did just that, only difference is that I had you all fooled. You still thought I was the same naive girl I was years ago but I've matured and will do as I please like any Princess would."

"Have it your way, Charlotte. We'll keep the prisoners here until further notice. It's not a permanent solution but until we can find a better place for them I suppose indulging in your idea wouldn't hurt. Besides, they are your 'toys' after all and I see no harm in you playing with your dolls so to speak. Just bare in mind Vincent is Mammon's property so you shouldn't be rough without his permission. He's a little handsy when it comes to what he considers his if you can't tell."

Charlie nodded her head,"I understand, Father. I'm glad you've taken a liking to my idea despite others opinions of me."

"Anything for you my dear daughter. I'll allow you to have your fun, now run along. Me and the others have much to discuss and I'd prefer if you weren't in the room for this."

"If you insist…"

Charlie dismissed herself, ignoring the looks she received from the other Deadly Sins as she left. The moment the door closed behind her the smile on her face vanished as she sighed in disappointment. This wasn't exactly what she wanted and it was far from her getting her friend's freedom…but it was still something.

In the very least she kept them off the chopping block, though getting them out of jail was certainly going to be a lot more difficult than she had realized.

'This is going to be a lot harder than I thought it' be…' She thought to herself before recollecting herself,'Don't stress out, Charlie. You can do this…somehow. There's gotta be a way to get them out, there has to be. I just need to stick around long enough and see what I can do for them…'

Speaking of the others, she should probably pay them a visit. It was the least she could do for them.

Especially Angel Dust, because out of all the group members, he was the one she had been lying to the most. He deserves to know the truth, regardless of how hard it'd be to bear. She just had to hope he'd be able to forgive her once all things were said and done and if he didn't….

Well..she'll figure out what to do when that time comes. She still wasn't sure how to get them all out of here in the first place and she didn't want to plague her mind with 'what if's before they even happened yet.

Taking a deep breath, Charlie collected herself as she braced for the inevitable, slowly making her way towards the dungeon with a calm and collected expression in order to hide her nervousness and anticipation of what's to come.

It wasn't going to be easy by any means but it was a necessary action. She had run from this for far too long and Angel deserves to know the truth, no matter how much it hurt her. She doubted he'd feel the same about her once all was said and done but she hoped they could still be friends and if not, they could at least be allies until they got back to Hell. If Angel wanted nothing to do with her and preferred to forget about her entirely after that, then she'd respect his decision despite how much it would pain her.

It was time to be honest not only with herself, but to those she considered friends, because she doubted they'd ever get out of this world if they didn't...

Thanks for 8,965 views, tell me what you think below! I'd love to know your thoughts so far and if you have any questions about this story you are free to ask.

Enigmus-288: Mammon is a massive asshole to put it mildly if the last chapter wasn't evidence enough.