I stepped out of the room with the little demon still perched comfortably on top of my head.

We walked through the hallway as we made our way to the main hall, where I sensed Khalifa’s presence.

"Dante?" Khalifa and the demoness were currently seating huddled together on a comfortable chair within the hall, their attentions turning towards the door as I entered.

"Lucien!!!" The demoness sprinted towards me, arms wide open.

"Big sis!!!" The little demon poofed into her embrace and started giggling.

"Thank... you... human." The demoness suddenly spoke up.

I looked at her, eyes blank.

"Thank you for helping me.. helping us."

"I did not do it for you, demon, I did it for him." I pointed at the child poking his head out of her embrace.

Poof!

The child appeared right before me, a pout on his face.

"What did I do now?" I asked, already exhausted.

"You keep calling big sis, demon this, demon that, humph!" He folded his arm.

"She’s a demon is she not?"

"Big sis is called Hope! Hope Astariel."

"A demon? Named Hope? What kind of sick joke is that?"

"Hmmmmmm.... Humph! Lucien is ignoring big brother until he calls big sis by her name."

"Suit yourself little man, your silent treatment doesn’t bother me." I shrugged, making my way towards Khalifa.

"HEY!!" Lifting her up against her protests, sitting down, then placing her on top of me.

"Humph! You just can’t keep your hands to yourself, can you?"

"It is as you say." I replied, wrapping my arms around her waist as I closed my eyes, intent on ignoring everyone here, but then,

"BIGGGGGG... BROOOTHER!!!!!" There was an over energetic menace lurking around.

"Ughh... listen to Lucien."

"Listen... to Lucien.."

A rain of tiny fists pelted my entire body as the little demon spawn poofed all around me, trying futilely to make me budge.

"Haaa... big sis, please..." he pulled out the tested and proven puppy eyes on Khalifa and she melted like ice.

"UGHH!!!" A sharp elbow to the ribs immediately woke my pretentious ass up as the demon child jumped me, his little form grabbing my face.

"What are you doing?"

"Lucien isn’t letting go until big brother calls big sister by her name."

"I’m not calling a demon by the name Hope. Little man."

"Humph! Lucien will pee on big brother’s face if he doesn’t."

"You wouldn’t dare."

"Lucien drank lots and lots and lots of water."

"And where did you get lots and lots of water? Huh? You’ve been stuck in a cube for who knows how long.."

"Lucien has been holding it in, and Lucien doesn’t think he can hold it in anymore."

I was stumped.

Was I being threatened by this tiny ball of flesh right now?

"Pfftt.... Hahahahahaha..."

"This is NOT funny khali.." I growled, trying to pry the little boy off my face, but his grip was surprisingly strong.

"Ohh! Priceless. Big bad Dante, being threatened by a little kid, ohh the girls are going to love this."

"You wouldn’t dare."

"Oh you think? Little Lucien, feel free to pee on big brother."

"Humph! Big brother, Lucien has a very tiny bladder...."

"I’ll get you for this Khali.. I swear." I could only grit my teeth hard as I forced the words out of my mouth...

"Hope... your thanks are unneeded."

"YAAAAYYYYYYY!!!!!"

The child’s excited voice filled the place as he appeared before his still kneeling sister.

"See, Big sis?? I told you! Big brother isn’t like the other bad men. He’s so cool.."

"Saying this after threatening to pee on my face is quite diabolical, you little menace."

Poof!!

"Hehehehehehehe..." he appeared on top of my head, giggling as he stuck out his tongue, "Lucien lied hehehe.. Lucien’s tank is completely empty." He rubbed his little stomach whilst saying all that with the brightest smile I’d ever seen.

"So I got played by a child. Damn. I keep losing points everytime." I could only shake my head, and go back to hugging Khalifa.

"So... you’re Lilith’s daughter huh?" Khalifa asked, her question immediately made the atmosphere shift.

The cheer from earlier turning into something more somber, as the demoness trembled softly.

"Haaa.. I guess it was foolish of me to believe you would ignore what that man had said isn’t it?" She smiled, a self deprecating expression appearing on her face as she moved to the opposite seat.

"I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to offend you, it’s just, how did the daughter of a demon queen find herself in a place like... that? Under such...."

"Such inhumane treatment? You don’t have to sugarcoat it. I know exactly what shape I’m in." Her dead eyes didn’t even shift at such a statement..

"How... how did you end up there?" Khalifa asked once more, and for the first time, a trace of emotion flashed through her eyes.

Sorrow.

Pain.

Heartache.

Regret.

Her fists balled tightly as she bit her lips hard enough to break them.

"If it is too much, you don’t have to..."

"We were ambushed."

"What?"

"On our way back from an official gathering with the other demon kingdoms, we were ambushed by a group of human and demon mercenaries."

"That should be normal, no? Bandits are no surprises?"

"Not bandits. Mercenaries, hired professionals. They came prepared, with more than 5 law comprehension stage experts, we were more than outnumbered."

My eyes remained closed, yet my ears perked up.

"The route we were taking, it wasn’t meant to be known by anyone except the royal family."

"The nature of demons isn’t any secret. Yes, there’re a few that are not influenced by their nature, yet the vast majority remain vulgar, wild, unruly and murderous."

I couldn’t help nodding in approval.

It seemed even a demon recognized the filth that her wretched race was.

"So we always made sure to use a different route during our travels, no matter how long."

It was at this point that my instincts tingled,

"But this time, on our way back, they had attacked, killing the group of guards that accompanied us, and took us captive, selling us to the blood Duke’s son, the rest....." she stopped here, her head falling low..

"So, demon treachery at its finest huh? Heh! Even family isn’t safe from your treacherous paws, filthy demons.."

"Dante.."

"You know as well as I do who did it Khali..."

"She might not even have any siblings.."

"Her mother is the queen of lust! Heh! Even if she had none, her mother might as well have done it, I mean instead of looking for her child, she banked on the event and tried to weaken her opponent for her selfish gains, typical demon behavior."

"Dante.."

"He’s right.." the demoness suddenly spoke up.

"Heh! He’s right. Demons really are a very treacherous race. That was why I wanted nothing to do with the throne, but mother insisted, and well, you can guess the rest.."

Khalifa’s face fell as she got up, to my dismay, then hugged the demoness in comfort.

"Do you need our help? We can flush out the culprit and have them pay for what they did to you, right, Dante?"

"Helping a demon? Never! But if that help involves erasing demon filth? I can work around it." I shrugged.

"OWW! Hey!!" The little spawn suddenly pulled my hair.

"Hope!!"

"Yea, no!"

"Humph!"

.....

"See? So what do you say? Need our help?" Khalifa asked once more.

The demoness raised her head, looked deep into Khalifa’s eyes, then turned toward ny struggling figure that was trying to get a mini demon(literally and figuratively) off my head, before she smiled, I stopped.

This one was.. different.

Her eyes, they weren’t dead.

The smile actually reached them, her expression brightened suddenly, and for a moment, a very brief one, she actually looked... beautiful?

The very thought made my entire being revolt in disgust!

A demon? Beautiful? I squished that thought before it even formed.

"No... you don’t have too. I just want to rest and leave all that behind me, the weight of the crown, the schemes, the betrayal, all of it, behind me." She smiled at Khalifa.

"Alright then..." Khalifa smiled back.

"So, do you have anywhere you want to go?"

"Lucien wants to go with big brother!!!!"

"Like hell you do! I’m not taking you anywhere."

"Nuh uh!!"

"Yea uh!!"

"NUH UH!!"

"Yea uh!"

...

...

"WAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!! Big brother hates Lucien!! Sniff... sniff... WAAAAAAAA!!!"

The little gremlin suddenly burst out crying, and I panicked.

"Hey... shut it.. stop crying."

"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!"

"I mean it! I’ll toss you back into that room if you continue.."

"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!"

"Fine... fine... you can come with big brother."

"YAYYYYYYYYY!!! HEHEHEHEHE!! Lucien is going with big brother!!! Tehehehehe..." the switch made me freeze.

"Did I just get played by this kid? Again??"

"Hahahahaha...." Khalifa laughed, her attention returning to the demoness, Hope, as the little guy called her.

"Well, I guess that settles that..."

"Welcome to the group... Hope."

************

A/N: talk about being helpless.. Dante. You finally met your match.

*************

Thanks for reading..