"Shit..! I guess there's one good thing about wearing such a heavy skirted dress; No-one can see how bad my legs are shaking!" Lea thought to herself as she stood there, middle of the dancefloor in the arms of Lord Diavolo. "Why did he have to insist on dancing with me..?! Yeah, I guess everyone expects us to dance together at least one dance, but still..?" She could barely feel her legs, and was pretty sure she was about to make a complete fool of herself.

"Don't worry." Diavolo, sensing her nervousness, leaned closer, whispering against her ear. "Just follow my lead. It's easy. Just try to relax."

Lea nodded, her tension easing slightly as she focused on Diavolo's steady guidance.

With each step, she felt herself growing more confident. Soon, she had forgotten about her anxiety and was able to focus only on her partner's words and movements— Diavolo's warm smile and reassuring presence made her feel like she was the only one in the room, and soon Lea was able to forget all about the curious eyes on them.

When the music ended, Lea found herself grinning widely. She had never expected to enjoy herself this much. "That was amazing!" She exclaimed, her eyes sparkling.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it." Diavolo smiled, unable to resist the urge to pull her closer. But, when he was just about to do that, Lea was swept away from his grasp.

"Lord Diavolo—" Lucifer gave him a court nod, yanking Lea to his arms. "I'm afraid your attention is required elsewhere." He glanced to the direction of a small group of murmuring guests nearby. "Don't worry, I'll look after Lea."

"Oh... alright then." Diavolo reluctantly nodded.

Diavolo watched as Lucifer swept Lea away, leading her towards the other side of the dancefloor. He couldn't help but to frown; He was definitely not pleased about Lucifer stealing his dance partner, but since he had to play the host, it was unavoidable, so he tried not to think too much about it. Besides, the sooner he would finish mingling, the sooner he could go and find Lea again.

"Oh, you're not a half bad dancer." Lucifer said with a somewhat teasing tone. "I'm surprised. Though, you could've danced with someone more suitable than Lord Diavolo."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Lea pouted at the raven haired demon. "Besides, it's not that I was left with much of a choice, now was it? It's not like I wanted to dance at all in the first place."

"You sure looked like you enjoyed yourself, though." Lucifer gave her a lopsided grin, spinning her around. "Maybe a bit too much."

"Yeah, maybe..." Lea laughed sheepishly. "But I've never been to a ball before. I didn't expect it to be this fun."

"And, what, exactly, is so fun about it?" Lucifer arched an eyebrow, abruptly yanking her almost a bit too close to comfort. "Whatever the two of you were doing out there on the balcony?"

"Oh, um, we were just talking." Lea blushed slightly, glancing to the side.

"Were you, now?"

"Well, yeah..." Lea shrugged, looking up at him. "We were having a nice chat."

"A nice chat, huh..."

"Nothing else happened."

"Nope."

"Hmm." Lucifer narrowed his eyes, trying to read her expression. "Is that really the case?"

"It is."

"I see." Lucifer fell silent. His gaze was intense, and it was obvious that he didn't entirely believe her. He pulled her even closer, their bodies almost touching. Lea gasped when his hand slipped down her back, stopping dangerously low.

"W-what are you doing?!" Lea stammered, her cheeks turning red. She couldn't understand why her body suddenly felt so hot, and the fact that Lucifer was holding her this close wasn't helping at all.

"You shouldn't get ahead of yourself." Lucifer smirked at her reaction, his lips mere inches away from her ear. His breath tickled against her skin, and his voice was husky. "Remember, there's still months before the ritual."

"I don't get what you're-"

"Then tell me, Lea, why you had your hands all over Lord Diavolo?" He whispered.

"I-I- What? No, it wasn't like that..!" Lea protested, her face flushed. She couldn't believe what he had just said— What was his deal anyway? "I- I just-"

"I'm just messing with you." Lucifer chuckled. "Though, I wouldn't get too attached to him. He's the prince of Devildom, afterall."

"I'm not-"

"Lucifer."

"Ah. Lord Diavolo." Lucifer came to an abrupt halt, looking up at the demon in front of them. Still, he showed no intention of letting go of Lea. "You're back, already?"

"I don't feel like mingling much tonight." Diavolo stated flatly. He wasn't sure why, but the way Lucifer was holding Lea, his hand placed possessively on her back, bothered him. He didn't want anyone else to have her this close, and it made him feel oddly jealous.

"Is that so." Lucifer was slightly amused by Diavolo's reaction, though he didn't show it.

"Yes. Now, I hope you don't mind..." Diavolo's arm slipped around Lea's waist, forcing her to break away from Lucifer. "I'll steal Lea away for another dance. She is my date, afterall." He added with a smile, which couldn't quite reach his eyes.

His words were enough to make Lucifer's eyebrows rise. "She is, is she?"

The silence between them was heavy, but neither of them dared to break eye contact.

"Eh..." Lea's eyes darted between the two demons, and she was completely baffled by the way they were glaring at each other. "Is everything alright?"

"It's fine." Diavolo answered, finally turning his attention to her. "Shall we?" He flashed Lucifer a one last wide smile, taking Lea's hand and leading her back to the center of the dancefloor.

Lucifer was still staring after them, frowning. He hadn't missed the look in Diavolo's eyes. Was it jealousy he had seen? Or, perhaps, possessiveness..? Whatever it was, it wasn't a good sign. He'd have to keep a close eye on the situation.

"Did something happen?" Lea asked, tilting her head. She was still puzzled about the exchange between Lucifer and Diavolo.

"It's nothing." Diavolo assured her, smiling.

"Well, if you say so..."

"So, have you decided yet?"

"Decided what?" Lea asked, blinking.

"Which one of us is the better dancer." Diavolo gave her a mischievous smirk.

Lea giggled. "Hmm." She hummed, pretending to be deep in thought. "Well, the choice is obvious, isn't it."

"Is it, now."

"Definitely."

"Go on."

"Lucifer."

"Wha-" Diavolo stared at her in disbelief.

"Kidding!" Lea laughed, grinning at him.

"Hey!" Diavolo huffed, giving her a pouty look.

"I'm just kidding." Lea laughed. "Of course you're the better dancer."

"Alright, well..." He chuckled, a slight blush on his cheeks. "I've had more practice, so that's not exactly a fair comparison."

The rest of the night passed by quickly, and Diavolo spent it dancing with Lea. They were both having fun, and for a moment, Diavolo was able to forget his duties and his responsibilities, and simply enjoy himself. Lord Diavolo always appeared courteous and graceful at events like this, but also somewhat reserved— Him spending the entire night on the dancefloor, smiling from ear to ear, was an unexpected sight.

Now, hours later, the ballroom was nearly empty, most of the guests having already retired for the night. Lea had already called it a night as well, and headed to her room after a fun— but exhausting— evening.

"You should've also danced with the great witch Maddi, at least." Lucifer casted a sullen look at Diavolo as he walked up to him. The two of them were one of the few people still in the room. "She was seemingly offended when you turned her down."

"Perhaps next time." Diavolo shrugged, giving Lucifer a nonchalant smile.

What Lucifer refrained from mentioning was the fact that Diavolo hadn't just refused the witch's invitation to the dancefloor, but also chosen to dance with no-one else but Lea that evening, and that had indeed raised some eyebrows at the party.

Lord Diavolo had worked hard on rebuilding the relationships between all the three realms, so many guests had wondered if choosing his new human assistant as his dance partner for the night could've been a political statement. If that only was the case..! Lucifer had his own speculations about Lord Diavolo's motives. The situation worried him enough as it was, and he knew he had to be careful not to give Diavolo any ideas about the possibilities of pursuing his current interest.

"Well, if nothing else, it's clear that Lea had a wonderful time." Lucifer couldn't help but to add.

"She did." Diavolo's expression softened into a warm smile as he thought of the human girl.

"Indeed." Lucifer's tone was flat, but his expression was sour.

Diavolo was still smiling. "She's a good dancer, isn't she?"

"Lord Diavolo, if I may..?" Lucifer couldn't hold his tongue anymore.

"Yes?" Diavolo didn't sound particularly surprised by his sudden seriousness.

"With all due respect..." Lucifer was clearly choosing his words carefully. "Are you certain you should be doing this?"

"Doing what?" Diavolo's expression was blank, but his eyes betrayed him.

"This... whatever this is. I'm not blind." Lucifer wasn't in the mood for games. "I've known you for a long time, so I know exactly what you're thinking."

"And, what am I thinking, Lucifer?"

"You know what I mean." Lucifer sighed, shaking his head.

"No, I don't. Care to elaborate?"

"The situation with Lea— It's difficult as it is. The curse, the ritual... Everything is complicated enough already."

"Yes, and?"

"It would be wise not to make the situation more complicated than it already is."

"Is there a problem?" Diavolo asked, finally looking at him, his expression serious. "With Lea and I getting along?"

"I don't see how the two of you getting 'along' would be beneficial for anyone, including yourself."

"How so?"

"You know perfectly well."

"I really don't, Lucifer."

"Lord Diavolo..."

"I'm just being friendly with Lea."

"Friendly." Lucifer repeated the word as if it had a bad taste to it. "Fine, you're friendly with her. But, Lord Diavolo, you cannot deny that the events that led to Lea's arrival to Devildom— and close to you— were the most unusual ones."

"What is your point?"

"My point is, that Lea's role in all this— whatever the true meaning of it is— could still be unclear."

"Lucifer."

"The situation is delicate. She could truly be a victim in all this, but we cannot turn blind eye to the fact that she could also be a part of a very carefully fabricated plan of your enemies to dethrone you—" Lucifer's voice held a sense of urgency as he voiced his concerns. "If she's in it-"

"LUCIFER!"

Lord Diavolo rarely raised his voice, but this time his angry bellow was enough to make the whole room tremble. The sheer force of his anger reverberated through the air, silencing Lucifer instantly. For a moment, neither of them said a word; Lucifer stared at his friend in disbelief, taken aback by his furious reaction. Diavolo, though, refused to even look him in the eye, giving him only a sidelong glare when he finally spoke again.

"Lucifer." He repeated his name, more calmly this time… But the tenseness of his voice still acted as a reminder of his outburst, keeping Lucifer on his toes. "Your worry for the future of our kingdom is most appreciated. I have heard your concerns." Diavolo said tersely, the choice of his words a stark reminder of the rift that had emerged between them. Then he turned to the direction of the door, preparing to make his leave. Before walking away, he halted for a fleeting second, just to give Lucifer one last sullen glare. "Do not speak of the matter ever again."

With that final, ominous warning, Diavolo left the room. Lucifer was left standing there alone, the weight of his concerns still heavy on his mind.