A Marvelous Devil.
Chapter 25: Checkmate.
The Underworld.
Dante Andromalius.
"Really, mother?" I bit back down a sigh as Celestine checked my attire with sharp eyes for what felt like the hundredth time.
I allowed it because she was having fun dressing me up… and it honestly reminded me of Tandy when we went shopping. It wasn't the same, obviously.
I wasn't attracted to Celestine in any way, but the pure unconditional love she showed me felt genuinely nice.
And no matter how many times she babied me, I would always marvel at it, because I simply had no experience feeling something like that.
Sighing, I smiled at her. As long as she did it when it was appropriate, I could let her have fun. Seeing her smile gave me a fuzzy feeling.
She smiled a lot since I returned, but… I could see how much Hadrian's situation bothered her.
She missed her husband, and even if she knew that it was just a matter of time, she was still sad. I didn't even understand what she was feeling, but I wasn't cruel enough to take the few things she enjoyed away from her.
Celestine glared adorably, her eyes almost glinting as she looked at me.
Damn.
She stood on the tip of her toes, growing just enough to match my height.
"You were gone for half a year and returned so different," she whispered as she caressed my hair, then stopped instantly.
"No… You had already changed by then," Celestine smiled sadly, "but all I see now is a grown man, one that doesn't need his mother to coddle him every day."
"Yet you still do that," I grinned as a happy feeling appeared inside my chest.
"Not that I'm complaining," I added softly as I snuck my arms around her back, pulling her in and enjoying the sheer warmth of her body.
"You'll always be my baby, Dante." She shook her head firmly, "It doesn't matter if there's a point where even the Lucifer defers to you, you will always be my son."
How cute. But I really didn't know how to reply to that, so I just hugged her tighter before letting Celestine go.
"What do you think of this one, then?"
Looking at my reflection in the mirror, I nodded to myself.
Six months since Sona had seen me, and I had changed significantly.
I had grown a bit taller, and it was easy to notice now that I focused on the changes. Not hilariously so, but enough to comment on it. I was probably around 6'2 and had filled out thanks to my training at Kamar-taj, where I focused on the physical side of things.
Not like those bodybuilder models I had seen the times I visited the agency, thank Seere. I had what mortals called a swimmers' build, which was just like I prefered.
And it was noticeably all hard-earned; there wasn't a single tell of devil shapeshifting in sight.
My hair was longer than before, but Tandy loved to play with it during our late-night movies, so I wouldn't cut it anytime soon.
I couldn't take away things that she loved when I was away, and I didn't know how long I'd stay here in the underworld. Tandy was… damaged enough that she latched to me like glue, thanks to everything that she had going on.
A bit less than three months living together reinforced her dependency, but I needed everything to my advantage for my return, and that meant staying as I was before I left.
Was it shitty to do? Some mortals might think so. I, for one, didn't care about their sensibilities… even if some small part of me wondered why it was so hard to leave her.
Or why I still missed her.
The Dark Force agreed with me, its infantile consciousness sending a hunger that I shut down with a small portion of cosmic power.
I had to return soon… this greedy fucker was going to bleed me dry before I noticed it.
Then a smug feeling came out of the wisps I held in my grasp to keep it away from Celestine, like the bastard knew that by forcing me to feed it more often, I would return to my light even faster.
"It fits you well, even if I think it's too human," Celestine tutted as she looked at my clothes disapprovingly.
This woman, I barely avoided rolling my eyes as if she didn't know that Sona was accustomed to Human things. It was much better than the stuffy things they called clothes here.
I swear, some devils could not let go of time. Like, I saw it as something foolish, even eternal beings grew with the world, instead of clinging to the past as some of these Lords did.
But whatever, they weren't my responsibility.
"Where do you plan on taking her?" Celestine asked as she finally stepped back.
Humming, I finished my attire with a diamond-encrusted crest. The banner I used when I was Seere. It's not like anyone would recognize it in this reality.
It was significantly different than the one the extinct house of Seere had in this reality.
"It depends on her," I looked at my reflection one last time, "and I believe it's time."
Mother looked toward the door, and the guards opened without delay.
It's not like they would let their family heir wait for someone like us.
Sona entered alone, making me grin. I had expected her to bring her Queen.
The blush that rose through her face at my knowing glance made it clear. Oh my, how precious.
She did look… beautiful, to say the least. She wasn't a bombshell like Rias or many other devils I had seen, but in this specific blue sundress, she looked stunning.
It was obvious that she had tried her best, even going as far as using a tiny amount of makeup I barely managed to catch, and even that was thanks to my enhanced senses.
That serious expression of hers made me want to tease her until it crumbled. And now she was going to receive my attention alone, since she left Tsubaki behind. Poor Sona.
"Sona," I nodded as I approached under the warning glances of the guards I still didn't know the name of.
Heh… they were still salty that I had been living under their noses for weeks. Hilarious.
Grabbing Sona's hand, I lifted it gently. Sona was already nodding approvingly… at least until she felt my lips firmly against her skin.
Her breath caught for a moment as she tensed, but I was already moving away.
"It's a pleasure seeing you again, my dear," I continued like nothing happened, ignoring the glares from the guards and mother.
"It's been a while," Sona tried to get her act together and did a surprisingly good job of it.
"Shall we?"
She took my arm as I led us towards the exit, then I said goodbye to Celestine.
It was time to see if she had changed in these six months.
Later.
"Regretting it already?" I asked the bespectacled devil seated in front of me.
We were inside one of the best restaurants in the territory, which gave us a good amount of privacy.
Which meant I had Sona all to myself.
Sona's expression barely changed, doing her best to look in control, but there were tells.
Her muscles tensed before relaxing, her eyes darted everywhere but mine, as if searching for the waiter.
"What do you mean by that, Andromalius-san?" she finally responded when she realized that no one was coming.
As if I'd allow my fun to be ruined this fast, the poor owner probably didn't remember about this table existing. And the least said about the waiters, the better.
"Heh," I smirked, "drop the honorifics, it's not like we're distant with each other, no? I still remember our last meeting."
"I don't know what you're talking about," Sona replied firmly, not averting her eyes.
Interesting. Did she want to play dumb about the way she came apart during our meeting?
"Does that mean that you don't want me to fulfill my promise from last time?" I laughed, tapping the table and dropping the effect of my clan trait.
Sona's eyes brightened in barely concealed hope, so much that I felt a tiny amount of guilt over the pawn piece I had consumed before leaving.
She must have agonized over it so much. But she was at fault, and I did warn her.
"I still think you are lying to me." Her excitement disappeared like she was dropped into a pool of frigid water. "Many devils have tried to replicate Lord Beelzebub's work, but no one has succeeded."
"So, you do remember about our last meeting," I nodded, grinning.
"But as I told you back then, I tell no lies, Sona," I leaned forward just enough to invade her space, "and much less to someone as adorable as you."
She leaned back instinctively, then caught herself, refusing to retreat. Her eyes narrowed in faux anger, but the flush on her cheeks gave her away.
Before she could say anything, the owner arrived in a hurry, remembering that someone important was being ignored by their staff.
Sona couldn't bite back at me, so we ordered the plates before he left, then she returned to glaring at me.
Props to the owner, and having Sona as a date surely helped here; the food arrived not even five minutes later. I could feel the magic coming from it, not only from the ingredients but also from the methods used to cook it.
"Six months," she murmured so low that I barely heard her, looking up at me. "You were gone for six months, and no one knew where you were."
"And you still fulfilled our deal, despite not knowing me," I smiled gently, "Why?"
While she was under contract, she could have done the bare minimum to fulfill her words, but she didn't. She went above and beyond what I had expected, to be honest.
A small part of me whispered that most of my kind would have done much worse than her, to the point of turning Celestine for all she was worth, just to have some semblance of control over me.
It wouldn't have worked, and I would have destroyed her and her family just for the attempt even if I liked her, but she simply… didn't.
It was surprising, if I were to be honest, especially from a devil as pragmatic as she was supposed to be. She reminded me of myself. And it was probably why I liked her so much.
"I gave you my word," she replied.
She said it as if that were enough, and perhaps for us, it was.
I liked her even more, and much to her embarrassment, a smile grew on my face as I looked at her face.
"Thank you," I nodded, "I genuinely appreciate what you did, and as promised, I will do as I said. But unless you wish to lend me another piece to analyze, you'll have to wait until I receive mine."
She made a face at that, making me burst out laughing at the horrified look.
She took a bite out of the meat, nodding in approval at the taste.
Curious, I copied her and tilted my head.
What a strange taste. It was unlike anything I had tasted. I didn't know what kind of animal it was, but even after its death, there was a shocking amount of magic inside.
And its lifeforce was still thrumming inside its meat.
That gave me another idea for using Tandy's light. Damn… she'd make both of us rich. She could oversaturate all kinds of things with her lifeforce, just like the tea leaves I had been using since she wasn't here.
The memory of the blonde brought a happy feeling once more, one I didn't bother to hide.
"That good?" Sona tilted her head curiously before wincing, "Well, I suppose it's your first time eating the meat of an ultimate class monster. We can split the bill after we're done."
How adorable. The earnest look on her face made her look even cuter.
"It wasn't like that," I shook my head, "It just reminded me of someone."
She gripped her fork tight, but I didn't grin as I wanted.
I knew she didn't bring Tsubaki because she was feared I'd split my attention between them. And while jealousy complicated matters, I didn't know whether it was simply because she was young or because she was averse to someone who had other women.
It wasn't something I feared with Tandy, she was too dependent to object, and she would stay that way as long as I kept her happy.
Just as she was. Mine, completely mine.
"Where were you during this time?"
"Here and there. I doubt you'd know," I shrugged while wondering how much I should tell her, "Training, as I told you."
Sona hummed, looking me up and down and pinking at my knowing glance when she stopped on my muscles longer than necessary.
"You grew stronger," she made a face at that... A jealous look.
Was she upset at me growing this fast? I wasn't showing all my growth, and she was already feeling disgruntled.
And I could understand why, despite being half a year since I saw her, her strength felt almost the same. There was some improvement, but on the demonic power side, she had barely changed.
But the jealousy retreated before I could act, and a greedy and possessive expression showed before she hid it masterfully.
I could work with that much better.
"I know some tricks," I grinned, "Interested?"
"How vague," she responded flatly.
"Would you prefer I bore you with details about meditation? How I kept repeating the same moves over and over again until the sun went down?" I leaned forward just a bit, enough that she could feel my presence looming over her.
My feet moved under the table, enough to graze her leg.
Sona almost dropped the fork on the table as she tensed.
"Or would you rather I tell you about how much I waited for this meeting? About how much I think blue brings out the color of your eyes?"
"Shameless flirt," she scowled even as her leg brushed against mine, blushing.
"Guilty as charged," my smile widened, "Tell me, Sona. Did you think about me when I was gone?"
"No," she replied quickly. Too quickly.
I held her gaze as mine grew amused, and I didn't look away until she shifted in her seat.
"I hope you remember I don't like lies," I said softly. The weight of my focus did more than any touch could. "Did you lie to me, my dear?"
Sona's whole body shuddered for a moment. Just like last time.
Peeking past her body all the way to her soul showed me how chaotic her feelings were. From fear, to desire, and deep beneath everything, arousal.
The lack of control, something she absolutely hated, but turned her on like nothing ever before.
Something she learned thanks to me.
Sona shook her head minutely, her hand tightening for a bit before letting go like it was on fire.
"I just wanted to know when you would give me my pawn piece back."
"Sure you did," I didn't bother to hide a grin even as I sipped on my wine, "but I fear that is business, and we're currently on a date. Don't you think it would be better to focus on something else?"
She smiled nervously for a moment, then sighed and nodded resolutely. There was a concoction of feelings warring inside her, but in the end, it all flattened out into pure anticipation.
Later that night.
Our meal finished in comfortable silence, but there was some tension between Sona and me.
She was an absolute wreck of nerves, but her excitement grew with each passing moment, and when it all ended, and I offered my arm, she took it without hesitation.
The walk towards the Sitri mansion was in silence, the charged glances between us easy for anyone to notice.
Not that they did, I was using my clan trait to its maximum output.
There was confusion growing throughout Sona, but I had already something planned.
As soon as we approached the best park inside the territory, and one of the best places the underworld had to offer when it came to nature, I spotted the guards and blocked doors.
Then I tugged on Sona's hand, enough for her to glance at me in curiosity.
"While it was a beautiful day with you, Sona, I don't think I'm ready for it to end yet. Would you gift this poor devil some minutes of your time?"
I didn't think she would say no, since propriety had left her when we were flirting in the restaurant, so after a moment of hesitation, she nodded.
I didn't wait for more confirmation than that, allowing the Dark Force to spill out from the soles of my feet to lift us over the wall.
Sona gasped as we got sucked into the fog, but then the Dark Force lunged at her like an angry animal.
I yanked it back immediately. What the hell was wrong with it?
A wave of indignation came back from the darkness. Feelings of betrayal and protectiveness. It was like… he thought I was leaving Tandy for Sona?
Like I was abandoning her for someone lesser? According to its consciousness.
I nearly laughed despite myself. What an amusing little baby.
I had to be firm with it because there wouldn't be a repeat of something like this. I just sent my thoughts on Tandy, that I wouldn't… couldn't replace her.
Even if I had more than her, she would always be part of me.
It returned confusion, then reluctant understanding. It was like a toddler.
The Darkness settled deep into my heart, almost like it was watching Sona with critical eyes. Then it turned smug.
I was then bombarded with images of Tandy and Sona next to each other, as if they were being compared.
And Tandy came on top. How precious. I was surrounded by juveniles.
Sona's hand slipped into mine as we walked through the trees, her fingers taut at first, but after I gave her a soft clench, they tightened around mine with more confidence than she felt.
"Your family outdid themselves," I whistled, earning a puffed-up chest from the devil.
"The Sitri territory has the biggest natural reserves in the underworld," Sona said proudly, even as she looked at the place in wonder herself.
I supposed that since she spent most of her time on Earth, she hadn't seen this place in a while.
As we walked, I caressed her hand softly, and she reciprocated almost hesitantly. Then I saw a bench in the distance, bathed in moonlight.
"Come," I whispered, and we took our seats next to each other, turning my body just enough to face her.
"Tell me about you, Sona."
"You probably already know everything there is to know," Sona scowled cutely, "You played me like I was on the tip of your finger since we met."
"But there is a difference hearing it coming from you," I shook my head slowly, "I want to hear it from your lips."
My eyes dropped to look at those beautiful pink lips.
Her tongue came out nervously as she wetted them while locking eyes with me.
She absolutely knew where I was watching.
"There's not much to know," she shrugged, averting her eyes.
But she spoke. I didn't know how long we spent here, with Sona opening up to me from everything she could think of. From her childhood with Rias and Seekvaira Agares, to her dream of opening a rating game school for devils that weren't high-class by birth.
It was a beautiful dream… and a harsh one, too. I doubted she truly understood what kind of backlash she would receive from the council.
But there was something new she didn't have before. Me.
And I had a bone to pick with those bastards for attacking what was mine.
And truthfully? Helping Sona succeed in her dream would make things easier for me to fulfill my deal with Red.
"You'll need allies for that," I added after a moment of silence, "Have you realized that? I think not even your sister's power will help you much with that."
"Are you saying I'm destined to fail?!" She stood up, her expression angry.
"I'm saying that you will face a lot of opposition," I sighed calmly, "But I believe in you."
She didn't know if she should be angry or happy, which… understandable, to be honest.
I doubted many people approved of her dream.
Deciding to drop the seriousness, I teased her a bit, "Is this why you're so picky with your husband? Are you waiting for something specific?"
She sat again, closer this time.
Then she shook her head, "I refuse to be married to some pig twenty times my age, and much less someone that only wants me for what my family can give."
Huh. I barely avoided bursting out laughing at that.
"So, chess? I must admit that you're good enough."
"Not good enough," Sona scowled as she glared at me adorably.
Then she breathed in deeply, turning serious.
"Last time we played…" she started, then hesitated. Her fingers clenched around her thighs.
"Was it luck? Or…" she looked up at me, almost angry despite the blush growing on her cheeks, "Could you beat me? With no tricks… if you wanted to?"
I didn't reply as fast as I should have, letting the silence linger between us.
Then I looked at her.
"What would you give me for that answer, my dear?"
My gaze dropped towards her lips, then back to her eyes.
She didn't answer. Or didn't know what to answer. But I saw her gaze linger on my mouth for a moment before she snapped back up.
I noticed the instant she understood what I was saying, because her blush exploded.
But I didn't move. Not until she made the first move.
Sona nodded, almost imperceptibly. And that was enough.
"You already know the answer to that, Sona, deep inside your heart," I said softly, leaning just a bit, enough that she could feel my breath. "I'd beat you every time you asked me to."
For a moment, there was just silence. Sona just staring at me.
Then she kissed me, desperately.
Sona was inexperienced, and it was obvious that I was her first romantic interest, ever.
But despite that inexperience, she made up for it with sheer aggression.
I stopped the kiss for just a second, enjoying the way she leaned once more, her eyes glaring despite the pure excitement dancing in her eyes.
Putting my hand on the back of her head, I caressed her hair for a moment, then I angled her head softly, slowing her down for a moment before my tongue slipped past my teeth.
Her hands found my chest, grabbing my shirt and pulling me towards her.
She tasted like berries, and it was intoxicating.
Slowly, but surely, we shifted enough that Sona found herself straddling my lap. I smiled through the kiss in victory, then I pulled her even closer.
Sona's chest was next to mine, the softness of her legs under my hands as I gripped tightly.
"You're beautiful, my lady," I whispered, watching her face and enjoying her changing expressions, "and if you allow me to, I will show you that."
I kissed her lips, "Every."
Then I kissed her button nose, "Single."
"Moment," I kissed her neck next, with Sona's whole body shivering before letting out a breathy moan.
"You," then the other side, "Want."
"We should stop," Sona murmured breathily.
And I bit the lobe of her ear, earning another groan of pleasure.
Sona's hands entangled with my hair, pulling me towards her hard enough that my scalp tingled, then downwards.
And then, even lower.
My hand slid under her side, and Sona arched into the touch with a gasp that sent a jolt of arousal through my body. Her glasses were askew, her hair disheveled, and she never looked more alluring.
I was about to do something foolish… but before I could teleport us somewhere else, the whole place shook.
And we both bolted apart as something… someone… landed in the park with enough force to crack the ground and leave a crater the size of a building.
Then the temperature dropped enough for goosebumps to rise along Sona's skin.
"Unhand my precious So-tan this instant, you fiend! Only Levi-tan gets to… wait. Why is she in your lap?!" The figure stopped cold in her tracks, and even her absurd demonic power stuttered for a second. "SONA SITRI, IS THAT A HICKEY?!"