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The party was in full swing while you were trying to fray yourself a path between all the guests to the staircase. You had attempted your best to hold a discussion with Satan’s acquaintances as well as Asmo’s circle of celebrity and influencer but you still felt like you lived in a completely different world from them. As expected of a gala of this magnitude, the banquet hall was lavishly decorated and the entire high society and important demon figures of Devildom were gathered here. But only one name was filling those conversations: Mephistopheles.
A few weeks prior, Barbatos had come to deliver the brothers and your invitation at the House of Lamentation. During his prompt visit, the butler had explained that every few centuries, the Radiance Gala celebrated each family of nobles who assisted the Demon King and contributed to Devildom's flourishing. During the party at the twelfth stroke of midnight, the Radiant and their chosen partner would open the first dance. This time since he was the first born of his family, Mephisto’s turn had come. Names after names of heirs and famous personalities circulated in RAD’s hallways as potential partners yet even when the night of the Gala had come, no one in the assistance knew who would have the honor of accompanying Mephisto for the dance opening.
You were close friends with the demon. Maybe not as close as you wanted to even. Between the longing gaze, a touch lasting a second longer and exchange of sweet words passed as playfulness, any outsiders could tell you were both very enamored of the other yet it seemed neither of you could have the courage to confess. Of course you had also tried to subtly get the demon to reveal the identity of his chosen partner but he mischievously grinned and answered 'You’ll see'.
“Oh…excuse me”
Getting up those stairs with your heels and layers of fabric was proven harder than you thought. Thankfully, as you had guessed, the upstairs area had fewer people yet had a perfect view on the main hall. Compared to the liveliness downstairs, it held a quieter atmosphere. The bright light generated by numerous chandeliers of crystal were more subdued here, replaced by flickering Will-o'-the-wisp. You let out a sigh of relief to have made it up without falling while smoothing out the creases on your dress. Several divans and couches were disposed of around with two or three waiters offering drinks. Opting for a champagne flute, you settled in one of the empty divans. Maybe drinking a bit will make this gala more enjoyable.
A long moment after, the first stroke of midnight resonated all throughout the hall. It was time for you to go back down having promised at least one dance to each brother if possible. Deep down you wondered if you would have an occasion to dance with Mephisto but brushed it off promptly. The demon would most definitely be occupied by other guests and already had a partner. Sensing a slight twinge in your heart you switched your attention back on carefully going down the staircase. Last thing you wanted was to ridicule yourself in front of all those important people plus you’d never hear the end of Lucifer’s sermon.
The first dance approaching everyone had gathered in the main hall. It was even more difficult now to form a path between the crowd of people. You thought you would never see the end of people on your way yet suddenly your path was cleared. Finally able to freely breathe, you took a lungful of air. Next time you should stick to one of the brothers you mentally noted. As this thought crossed your mind, a cold shiver went down your spine. Something felt odd. The previous murmur and whispering who had filled the gala for the entire night had suddenly died down. That’s when it clicked in your mind. By some ominous twist of fate you had found yourself at the center of the banquet hall. All eyes were focused on you, scrutinizing your every move. Panic overflowing your body, you tightly grasped at your dress your breathing accelerating. The sound of the bell was still echoing adding up to your anxiety. You could sense that champagne you drunk earlier buzzling in your stomach, threatening to escape out at any moment. Maybe you should’ve accepted the extra food Beel was piling up on your plate at the dinner table. Your heart was pounding loudly in your ears. The only thing you could think of was to look around for something to fixate on and calm down.
The last stroke of the bell reverberated in the silent hall getting you out of your torpeur. Shortly after, you noticed a familiar step accompanied by a cane. With absolutely no doubt, you knew it was him: the current talk of the town and main event of the Radiant Gala.
As he was getting closer, you couldn’t avert your gaze from him. Dressed in a black suit, the silver ornament on his jacket matched the one on his cane. He was adorning a vibrant amethyst chained brooch on his lapel. Mephisto being a noble wasn’t a new thing to you however for the first time since you had gotten close to him he exuded majesty with a faint hint of darkness you couldn’t quite point out.
In just a few steps here he was standing proudly. His glistening chartreuse eyes were full of this comforting fondness he often had whenever you were talking to each other.
“Do you have any idea how long I’ve been looking for you ?” while his voice sounded upset you could tell from his expression that those were no reproach at all. You knew him well enough to know that just as always he was being over-dramatic. A smile forming on your face you answered:
“I was resting upstairs but you found me at the end didn’t you ?”
“I did. Just in time”
'Just in time' Those words resonated in your mind. What could he possibly be up to at such a time. Shouldn’t he get ready for the opening with his partner ? You took a glance around your surroundings. There definitively was no dance partner by his side; just you and him in the center of the dance floor. Amused by your puzzled look, the demon giggled. In a swift movement, before you could register what he was doing, Mephisto was bowing down, with his left hand extended toward you. A wave of murmure, and surprise could be heard from the other attendees. In that instant, you were just as startled as them if not more.
“May I have the honor of having this dance with you ?”
His voice was crystal clear in your ears. You couldn’t refrain a suppressed laughter to relieve the accumulated tension. Really he was a piece of work. Going through all this secrecy just when he could’ve asked you long before as you would’ve eagerly accepted his invitation. Oh how amusing it must’ve been for him to see others, hell, to see you pondering on who his partner would be. As you were just standing still without uttering a single word, Mephisto lifted his eyes to meet yours, full of anticipation. He sure knew how to always keep you on your toes and just as you wanted to get back at him, you gave up on your thoughts. You placed your hands in his palm. A soft sigh of relief escaped his mouth. His confidence might not be as unwavering as he made it appear you noticed.
He let his arm rest lightly on the back of your shoulder. Imitating him, you put your hands on his shoulder as the other was intertwined with Mephisto’s.
“Your posture would be correct if we just…”
Without hesitation he brought your body closer to his.
“Perfect”
If this sudden proximity made you flustered you made sure to not let it show through.
Mephisto nodded in the direction of the orchestra’s conductor so the opening could finally start. Not long after the first notes of violin echoed in the vast hall. Following the melody, he slowly started to sway. Since he was well versed in ballroom dance, you tried your best to follow his movement. With furrowed eyebrows, you intended to pay attention to his steps. Yet from time to time you couldn’t avoid trampling on his feet here and there each time apologizing. You felt his embrace tightened as he lowered his lips to your ears, whispering
“Relax, I can feel your body tensed all over”
“I never learned how to dance,” you replied back “let alone in front of so many people.”
You certainly were not prepared for this at all. Sure you had danced several times in your life; while cooking in the kitchen of House of Lamentation or in Asmo’s room accompanied with Mammon for an abrupt mini party. However this was a completely different setting and genre. The demon let out a soft grin.
“It’s not as hard as you make it to be. First, stop looking at your feet. This will just make it unnecessarily harder for you and you look quite stupid”
Not paying attention to the last part, you listened to his advices and turned your eyes on him instead. For a second you wondered if this was a great idea since Mephisto’s sharp yet tender gaze tended to put your mind in turmoil and lose focus.
“Good, now all you have to do is to follow the orchestra’s tempo and leave the more technical steps to me. In other words trust me”
Thus you followed his lead. His movements were precise, flawless even, yet graceful. Falling in line with his steps, it was alluring how you were flowing in the dance hall without any faux-pas. A genuine smile bloomed on your face. Blissful sweetness soon filled your heart. It felt as magical as the fairy tale you read in your childhood in the Human world, as if it was only the two of you in this banquet hall. His eyes were glimmering with delight seeing as you were enjoying yourself.
“I could have never shared this dance with anyone but you”
You both took little steps forward before Mephisto pulled you backward holding you firmly with his arm placed lower on your back bending himself closer to you.
“ You truly are my one and only partner”
You could definitely sense the warmth of his words even through his movement. The demon pulled you right back in his arms facing you directly as the two of you were swirling around the hall. While quite shaken by him you had no doubt of his sincerity. It seems this time he had finally taken a step further. You closed your eyes feeling dizzy yet you couldn’t really tell if it was from his words or the world whirling around you. Mephisto held you tightly making sure you had a stable footing as you landed your final spin.
The last violin’s note resonated just when Mephisto extended his arms as you left his embrace and held his hands high before you both bowed to the audience. A thundering applause reverberated all throughout the banquet hall. A large crowd of demons gathered around the both of you complimenting your dance and how beautiful it was. While overwhelmed by the huge attention you were relieved that you were able to put on a good performance. All the brothers were showering you with compliments and some of them like Mammon and Levi made sure to show how envious they were of Mephisto but he only held your hand tighter in defiance with a triumphant grin. Asmo’s praise were endless. The Avatar of Lust was gushing over how you two looked so irresistible, how glad he was he chose this dress for you and that you should definitely dance with him later. Mephisto smoothly entertained their conversation and occasional snarky comments for a while before excusing himself and moving away from the crowd.
The demon took you to an enclosed balcony on the side of the banquet hall. He then asked a server to bring a plate of refreshments from the buffet with water before drawing the curtains signifying that this balcony was occupied and to not disturb those inside.
“Dancing demands a lot of effort, even more since you’re not used to it. If you need anything else feel free to ask.”
You sat yourself in a fauteuil present there and with a raised eyebrow, you retorted to him:
“I sure do have some questions for you but you’re right I’m a bit weary”
The demon raised an eyebrow while pouring you a glass of water without a word and handed it to you. You took a few amuse-bouche out of the plate and took your time to eat them. You sure felt your energy drained now that there was no one around except the demon. After cleaning your hands and mouth with a napkin you sprung to your feet with an accusatory finger pointed to Mephisto, taken by surprise.
“Why didn’t you ask me to be your partner before tonight ?”
“And ruined the fun of everyone mulling over who my potential partner would be? Never. ” he scoffed before adding in a boisterous tone “In addition, I’d have you known that recent R.A.D newspapers have increased in sales since demons believed I had left hints in some articles. Truly a bunch of foolish buffoons”
You shook your head in disbelief. He undoubtedly was a lost cause. Upon your exasperated look he cleared his throat regaining composure.
“Of course it wasn’t just for that. Think of it as a mere bonus”
This time his voice was more serious. He gently took your hand in his and drew circles with his thumbs on the back of it, eyes looking down.
“I guess you could say I took a gamble with fate tonight”
This sure was out of the blue. With furrowed eyebrow you questioned him, perplexed:
“And did you win ?”
Mephisto tilted his head on the side with a pensive expression.
“It seems so. There’s but only one things left”
Repassing the recent event in your mind and his words you tried to piece everything together. You glanced at him, eyes full of expectation. Right at this instant, it felt like you were close, so close to finally obtaining what you yearned for after all this push and play game.
“I pride myself in living according to noble principles yet I've broken several rules of courtship. When I’m with you everything seems of less importance than making you happy and spending time with you.”
Mephisto paused for a second. He fondly looked at you with a soft smile. In your ears, your heartbeats were drumming soundly.
“We’ve been getting closer every passing day and toying around the lines a lot, never having the courage to ask the other what we were exactly or where our relationship was heading. So right now I want to properly do it”
He took out of his jacket a little silver box where within laid a similar amethyst brooch as the one he was wearing.
“Would you take this coward of a man as your lover ?”
You felt your chest explode from how overjoyed you were. You gleefully smile at him and acquiesce fervently.
The demon's face was beaming with happiness. He carefully took the brooch out of the box and gently pinned it on your dress.
“Beautiful” he said under his breath.
You leaped to his arms, taking him by surprise and making you both fall back into the fauteuil.
“Of course I would if not me who else would be able to bear with your awful antics”
Mephisto dramatically lift a hand to his heart with a painful grimace
“Ah, my love, those words sure pierce my heart. You truly must've bewitched me for I still want no one but you”
This sent you both in a fleet of laughter. You truly felt comfortable in this little cocoon of yours enjoying each other's presence with only the moon high in the Devildom’s night sky as witness. After a while you raised your voice:
“We should definitely go back inside. The others might be wondering where we run off too. Plus I don’t think it’s proper for this year’s Radiant to stay away from the gala for too long”
Mephisto sighted.
“As much as I’d want to stay here with you, my dear, you’re correct.”
The demon reluctantly left your embrace and offered a hand to help you stand up and fix your dress. He readjusted his cane by his side and ran a hand through his purple hair to move a few locks out of his eyes.
“Are you ready ?” you asked
This time it was the demon's turn to surprise you. He grabbed you by the waist holding your body close to his. He raised his fingers to lift your chin, staring intently at your lips.
“May I ?”
You nodded in agreement thus the demon leaned in as you closed your eyes. Mephisto tenderly brushed his lips against yours. It was only a chaste kiss that didn’t last long yet felt surreal. Mephisto and you were really dating. You’d need a bit of time to get accustomed to it. He leaned back and brought your knuckles to his lips and kissed them.
“I’ll keep it at that for now but rest assured we’ll have plenty of time for more another on another occasion”
This sent a soft shiver down your spine. He sure knew how to send your heart in turmoil. You made a mental note to find a way to get back at him in some way otherwise you would never know peace.
“I guess now we're good to go”
Mephisto looked at you one last time, before opening the curtain as you both went back to the main hall, hands held tightly with the pair of matching amethyst brooches glimmering in the night.