"I don't want to wear you out, he said... I don't want to overwhelm you, he said..."
Lea's stance was almost wobbly as she followed Barbato's back to her room— When Diavolo had guided her to the dining room for supper, he had failed to mention that they'd be having the seven demon brothers as dinner guests. It had been... chaotic, to put it mildly. As the seven brothers, along with the demon prince himself, sat at the dinner table, a lively conversation had unfolded; They exchanged friendly banter, teased each other, and laughed together.
Each of the demon brothers had their own personality and quirks, and it was obvious they all shared a close bond.
Belphegor, the youngest, had fallen asleep mid-conversation, and his twin, Beelzebub, had no qualms about eating his brother's food, despite other's protestations. Asmodeus, the Avatar of Lust, had been eyeing her from head to toe, giving her a once-over; He had a mischievous, flirtatious vibe, but seemed like a decent guy, nonetheless. Satan, the fourth-born, had been quieter and more reserved, his green eyes studying her with keen interest. Leviathan, the third-born, had spent the whole dinner sulking, occasionally sending death glares towards her— Not exactly the most inviting atmosphere, but still, not a bad kid, probably. Mammon, the second-born, was the most outspoken, but his behavior was a bit... peculiar, to say the least. He seemed like a loud-mouth, but there was something else there, as well. His words carried a certain bravado, but the look on his face was sometimes a bit uneasy. And, Lucifer, the first-born, kept scolding the younger ones for their mischievous behavior, which earned him some teasing from his brothers.
All of the brothers were so... different. But, at the same time, they were very similar. They were demons, yes, but the way they acted, the way they spoke, their personalities and interests were all so human. They all were so different, yes, yet they fit well together as a family.
Lord Diavolo seemed to enjoy himself as well, but in contrast to the brothers, his behavior was more reserved, more polite. He watched the brothers with a fondness that spoke volumes of his feelings, but his eyes had a sad tint to them, his smile not reaching his eyes— Whatever the reason for this bittersweet gaze was, Lea had no way of knowing. Still, Lord Diavolo had been a gracious host; He had made an effort to make sure Lea was comfortable during the dinner, keeping her involved in the conversation while the other brothers had a tendency to bicker among themselves. Lea couldn't help but notice how Diavolo had been keeping an eye on her the whole time, his amber eyes always searching her expression, a small, concerned frown forming whenever she got too flustered or overwhelmed.
Lea had a good time at dinner, despite the slight tension, but it had been tiring. After the long day, her mind and body were drained of energy. It had only been a few days, and she had already faced more stress and uncertainty than she ever had in her entire life.
"What a day." Lea sighed as they finally reached her bedroom. "I can't wait to hit the hay- What is this?!"
The room wasn't quite as she had left it— It was filled with paper bags of different colors and sizes, each of them neatly stacked on the floor, waiting for her.
"Ah, the young master wanted to ensure you'd have all the necessities you might need, so he sent me out to do some shopping for you." Barbatos explained. "But I must confess… since there hasn't been any ladyfolk living at the castle during my time here, I had no idea what you might need." He smiled apologetically, looking even slightly embarrassed about the fact that he had found himself unqualified for the task. "I suspected it would be more fruitful to consult someone better knowledgeable in the matter; As I had hoped, Asmodeus was more than happy to help."
"I… I see..!" Lea stuttered, still baffled by the mountain of beauty products in front of her. "Looks like you guys thought of everything— I'd be surprised if I'd find myself lacking anything..!" Lea flashed Barbatos a bemused smile, still a bit taken aback by the lavish display before her. She was thankful for the effort, of course, but this was WAY too much..! But, the last thing she wanted to do was to embarrass her hosts, so she decided it was better not to complain.
"A body scrub, face scrub, feet scrub..! There's a scrub for each part of my body!" Working hard on keeping up the poker face, Lea explored the wide selection of tiny bottles and jars presented to her. "And not one… not five… or ten… but TWELVE shades of nail polish!" Asmodeus had gone all out on a shopping spree, most probably nearly emptying more than a few of the most popular beauty shops in town! More she looked at the products, the more painfully obvious it became that the avatar of lust definitely didn't have a cheap taste; "My god, these look like they cost a fortune!" Only merely touching the items was enough to make Lea's palms sweat— Judging by the tiny bottle of lotion in her hands, it was quite likely that from now on she'd be slapping her entire month's food budget onto her face every morning. "I don't even dare to ask how much they spent… Only even the thought of paying back is enough to make me go bankrupt! And to think that I was used to savoring every last drop of dollar store moisturizer…" The thought alone made Lea want to cry. But, it was too late to start worrying about the price now, though.
As her eyes were taking a tour around the room, Lea noticed the wardrobe was open. Curiosity getting the best of her, she went to check the contents. The wardrobe was full of clothes; Dresses, blouses, skirts, pants, and everything else a woman could ever want or need. The outfits ranged from casual wear to formal attires, and as Lea examined them, she couldn't help but notice the fine quality of the materials.
"Asmodeus was also kind enough to select the outfits for you." Barbatos explained with a smile. "It was a difficult decision, since he insisted on including all the outfits that had caught his eye, but he eventually managed to narrow down the options to the most practical selections."
"W-well, he certainly did an amazing job..!" Lea replied, still baffled by the amount of items presented to her. "I just hope it wasn't too much trouble."
"Not at all. I'm glad that Asmodeus was able to enjoy himself. He is usually surrounded by his brothers, and I can't say they have the most similar interests." Barbatos smiled. "He insisted that you two should go shopping together next time."
"With this selection, I won't need to do any shopping for the rest of my life..." Lea felt a cold sweat run down her back as she stared at the closet. "Y-yeah, that sounds fun..!"
"I'll make my leave, then." Barbatos bowed politely before making his way to the door. "Good night, miss."
"Wait, Barbatos." Lea called after him.
"Yes?" He paused, turning his head to face her.
"Thank you." She gave him a warm smile. "For the shopping and everything."
"It was my pleasure." He nodded politely before exiting the room.
"Well then." Lea took a deep breath, her gaze lingering at the wardrobe. "Time to take a shower and get ready for bed, I guess."
The hot water from the shower had felt heavenly, but the moment she stepped out of the bathroom, the cold air of the castle hit her. Wrapped in nothing but a towel, Lea shivered as her legs carried her back to the closet.
"So, which should I choose..?" She murmured as she pondered over the selection. "PJ's, or the nightgown..?" She bit her lip, her eyes studying the contents of the closet. "PJ's would keep me warm, but the nightgown looks so pretty..." Her hands grabbed the piece of clothing. It was a simple but elegant white gown, with lace details and a v-shaped neckline, and a knee-length skirt.
"On second thought, maybe it's a bit too... uh..." Lea felt a heat creep up onto her cheeks as she let her eyes trail along the nightgown. It was pretty, but also... very revealing. "Maybe not the best option right now."
Lea was a bit embarrassed to admit, but when it came to lingerie, she had always been more of a practical kind of girl. She didn't exactly have the funds for expensive pieces of clothing, so she was content with buying the ones that were the most suitable for their function.
"But, this one..." She couldn't help but to feel her heart skip a beat when she laid her eyes on the beautiful piece of clothing— It was a silken, black, negligee-like piece, the straps of the camisole adorned with delicate lace, its sheer hem ending in a thigh-length flounce. A pair of matching panties, made of the same material, completed the set.
"Wow, this is beautiful.." Lea let out a small gasp as she carefully took the garment from the closet. "I've never owned anything this nice..." She was hesitant to touch the beautiful piece, afraid of the fabric ruining under her touch. "This looks so fragile, like it would tear at the slightest pull..." Still, the temptation was too strong to resist, and soon her fingers were caressing the soft fabric. It was as if the garment had a life of its own, the thin straps and lace almost begging to be wrapped around her body.
"I kinda want to try this on... No, wait-!" Lea shook her head, her cheeks flushed from embarrassment. "Why do I even have this kind of a thing, anyway?! Was Asmodeus trying to send a message or something..?!" She bit her lip, her eyes still glued to the garment.
Sure, the choice was a bit surprising, but the truth was, she was curious about the feel of the silk. She had never owned a negligee, and her curiosity had gotten the best of her.
"Come on, Lea, you know this isn't the right time for this kind of thing…" Lea scolded herself. "But, it's not like anyone would see it... And I bet it would feel so soft on my skin..." Her eyes darted around the room. No-one would know. There was no need to worry about anyone walking in on her. And, the silk felt so soft…
"Well, I guess it wouldn't hurt if I tried it on just this once."
Soon, Lea was wearing a silky piece of lingerie. The fabric felt heavenly against her skin, and a soft gasp escaped from her lips as the cool silk slid against her skin.
"It fits perfectly..."She had to admit, it felt really nice. Lea turned her back towards the mirror and took a quick glance at her reflection, a light blush creeping up her cheeks. She looked cute. Really cute. The lingerie looked gorgeous against her skin, the soft, sensual material complimenting her curves perfectly. Lea let out a sigh, her fingertips stroking the sheer fabric.
"Seriously, what was Asmodeus thinking..." Lea muttered to herself, but her hands kept trailing the garment, her body enjoying the soft texture. "It is nice, I give him that, but aren't these types of clothing usually meant for... you know, seducing your partner or something..? Who on earth would I even-" Her chest tightened when the demon prince's face crossed her mind. "Wait- Wait a minute..!" Lea let out a shriek, her entire face now crimson red. "Why am I even thinking about such things?! And him- him from all the people..!"
She shook her head, forcing the thoughts out of her head. "Anyway, I think it's about time to get dressed and go to bed— I'm so tired that I'm getting all these crazy ideas..!" Her hands were about to reach for the pajamas, when a knock on the door froze her. "Oh fuck..!" Lea felt her heartbeat accelerate, her hands grabbing the first item of clothing they could find, which happened to be a dressing gown. "Oh no, I need to put something on-!" Lea was quick to wrap the dressing gown around her body, the garment just barely covering her bare thighs. "Uhm... yes, who is it..?" Lea tried to sound as casual as possible, but her voice was quivering from nervousness.
"It's me, Lord Diavolo. May I come in?"
"Uhm, sure..!" She replied, the heat now spreading onto her ears. What was Diavolo doing here, at this hour?!
"I hope I didn't wake you." The demon prince greeted her with a polite smile as he stepped into the room, his eyes briefly trailing her figure before meeting her eyes. "You must be tired, I apologize for coming to see you at this hour."
"I was just about to go to sleep, so it's okay." Lea flashed him a smile, praying her flushed cheeks would quickly fade away.
"I wanted to talk with you, but I'll be quick." His eyes were searching her expression, a faint frown appearing between his brows. "Are you alright, Lea? You look a bit… flustered. Have you been feeling unwell?"
"No, I'm fine." Lea shook her head. "I'm just a bit tired, that's all.
"If you say so." Diavolo replied, but he didn't seem convinced.
"So, uhm, you said you wanted to talk about something, right?" Lea changed the subject, hoping that Diavolo wouldn't notice her awkward demeanor.
"Ah, yes." Diavolo nodded. "After the supper, Lucifer and I continued our discussion, and we've come to a decision that the best way to learn more about the current situation is for us to search the ritual grounds." He explained with a serious tone. "Since it's the only place that's related to the incident, it's a reasonable course of action, and it should give us some clues."
"Uhm... yeah, that makes sense." Lea agreed. She had to admit, though, that the memory of the place made her feel uneasy, and she'd rather stay away from that place if she could.
"And, since we're making a visit to the human world, you can take care of any unfinished business you might have." Diavolo smiled— He knew how worried Lea had been, so the visit to the human world would definitely ease her concerns. "You can notify your family and friends that you'll be away for a while— Lucifer came up with a story of you joining a student exchange program, which will explain your absence."
"That's a great idea..!" Lea was genuinely surprised; Lucifer's idea had sounded rather realistic, considering the circumstances. Her family and friends would definitely believe her, and she wouldn't have to worry about her relatives calling the police because they thought she had been abducted or something..!
"We'll leave tomorrow morning." Diavolo announced, his gaze meeting hers. "So, I suggest you get some rest tonight."
"Right." Lea nodded.
"Sleep well, Lea." The demon prince gave her a warm smile before leaving the room.
As the demon prince closed the door behind himself, his hand lingered on the handle for a moment. He had noticed her flushed face, the way her eyes had been avoiding his. He had done his very best to remain calm and collected, but Lea's appearance had left him a bit baffled. She had looked beautiful, her cheeks aflame, her eyes shyly peeking at him, the thin material of her robe not leaving much to his imagination.
"Asmodeus and Barbatos found some nice… clothes for her." He thought, his hand sliding away from the handle. But, his eyes were still fixed on the door, the image of the young woman still lingering in his mind— She was so pure and innocent, the way her cheeks had turned red from embarrassment only added to her charm.
"What is this, Diavolo?" A smile made its way onto his lips, his hand stroking his chin. "I'm surprised at myself." He murmured. "Who would've thought that a human could make me feel like this..?"