Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It was springtime. The streets were bustling with people enjoying the sight of the cherry trees in full bloom, filling the streets with a pink hue, but Barbatos didn’t have the time nor the interest to walk under their shade. 

There was a place he needed to return to.

“I’m home!”

He needed to return home, with his family.

“Daddy is here!” A couple of joyful voices answered.

Hearing the sound of footsteps approaching, Barbatos kneeled to the floor and opened his arms, ready to receive the embrace of the pair of kids, a boy and a girl, who were running towards him.

“Up you go!” Holding them tightly, Barbatos lifted his children in his arms.

“Daddy, did you bring the stuff?” His daughter asked. Her name was Sitri, his seven year old first born. She had inherited the same scarlet eyes as her mother, and her long, wavy, dark hair fell over her back. She had several scarlet highlights on it, the proof of her grigori inheritance.

“The flowers, the food, the clothes, and everything?” Dante, his son, was looking at him with expectant eyes. He was two years apart from his sister, and even when they shared the same sharp, scarlet eyes, the color scheme of their hair was the opposite. His disheveled hair was full red, with some black strains, and he wore it tied in a low short ponytail.

“They’re still cookin’ our dinner, but yeah, everything is inside Purgatory.”

“Then hurry up, daddy! Take ‘em out!”

“Take ‘em out! Take ‘em out!” His son echoed his sister.

“This is the first thing you ask for after your dad comes home? Even I have a heart, you know?”

Years ago, Barbatos used to grimace seeing how Zagan, his bad friend and fellow Archdemon, made a fuss every time his adopted daughter was involved in something but, since becoming a father himself, he began to understand why Zagan felt that way. Barbatos would never admit, though, how happy he was each time his kids ran to greet him when he came back home after a long day. It was too embarrassing.

“Sorry, daddy. We missed you.” Sitri said, rubbing her face against his.

“Yes, we were lonely without you.” Dante added, pecking him on the cheek.

“Nnnngh…!”

Feeling a sudden burst in his chest, Barbatos pressed his heels against the floor with force to keep him from falling. If Zagan saw him now, he would say something like “who’s the one making a fuss over his children now?”

“Daddy, are you okay?” His son asked while he patted him on the head.

“I’m alright, I’m alright…” He wasn’t, but Barbatos needed to act cool in front of his children, so he took a deep breath to regain his composure and put them down on the floor. “C’mon, go and wash your hands. I’ll leave the stuff in the kitchen.”

“Yes, daddy!” His kids said in unison before running towards the kitchen.

“Don’t run or you’ll trip!”

“Hee hee hee, they’re just excited for today. Welcome home, Barry.”

Serafina, his mother-in-law, was standing in front of the upstairs. She had scarlet eyes and flowy, long hair of the same color, and her appearance was so jovial that nobody would think that she had reached her fifties already.

“I’m back, mom.”

Three decades ago, a woman had given birth to Barbatos, but she wasn’t his mother. His mother was Serafina, the one who accepted him even when he was a sorcerer and welcomed him to her family even before marrying to the Lillqvists.

“Shall we prepare too?”

“Yeah, we only got a pair of hours before Chasty comes back home.”

It was the nineteenth of Arnaki, Chastille’s birthday, his wife, and the Lillqvists were holding a private celebration for her. They would wear fancy clothes, eat delicious food for dinner, shower her with gifts and love and, later at night, Serafina would put the kids in bed so the husband and wife could have a more private time on their own.

Every year since getting married, Barbatos had taken care of planning everything for Chastille’s birthday, but Sitri and Dante were beginning to grow up and wanted to do something for their mother as well. That’s why, for the past week after school, they had spent every afternoon at Zagan’s castle learning how to bake a birthday cake. Barbatos was sure that he could bake a cake for his wife if he tried, but his children said that “the spirits will die if you do”, so they ended up asking Zagan’s butler and the granny for help.

Raphael had a scary face, but was surprisingly good with kids, and no one was better at making sweets than Gremory, so Barbatos knew that his children were in good hands. Well, perhaps not with that old hag, but Kimaris had promised him to keep a close eye on her, and not even Zagan would let anything bad happen to his nephews. Nephy, Zagan’s wife, would be there too, so there was no need to watch them through the shadows. He only had done it out of habit, not because he was worried or anything.

Baking a cake was the children's job, but decorating the house was Barbatos and Serafina’s task. Well, it would be better to say that making sure that his mother-in-law wouldn’t cause a mess was Barbatos’ job. After moving in with the Lillqvists, he made sure to repair every corner of the tattered mansion -which took a lot of effort and time- and placed a spell all over the place that would repair any damage done in it and protected them from any intruder, but that didn’t solve the biggest problem.

The Lillqvists were clumsy for nature, so no day passed without one oopsie after another, and that meant Barbatos had to always keep a close eye on his spacey mother-in-law, his workaholic wife, and his defenseless kids. Doing that everyday was exhausting, but seeing all of them smiling at the end of the day was the best reward he could ask for.

“Time for decorating, then!” She said, clasping her hands together.

Everything needed to be ready before Chastille came back, so they got down to business.

While Serafina was taking the tablecloth and the silverware from a cabinet in the dining room, Barbatos took a peek at his shadow. His kids were in the kitchen, standing on a stool, mixing the flour with the eggs, the sugar, and the melted butter. Both of them were wearing a pink apron, and they looked so cute that he thought of using Memorandum to record that moment later. Chastille would be happy to see them.

Chastille seemed to be doing fine as well. She had been cooped up at her office all day, tackling a tall pile of documents as usual, but Nephteros was there assisting her. That haughty elf was such a pain to handle sometimes, but both of them agreed that Chastille worked too much. That’s why they reached some kind of agreement to lessen her work: Nephteros would take most of Chastille’s mundane office work, and Barbatos would take care of the dangers inside and outside town before they could reach her ears. Chastille was in no condition to enter the battlefield, and wouldn’t be for a while.

“Barry, is this place alright for the bouquet?” Serafina asked, pointing at the center of the dining table.

“Yeah, let’s put it there.”

Barbatos took his attention away from the shadows and grabbed a flower bouquet from subspace. It was made of white honeysuckles, thistles, red tulips, crimson poppies, tiger lilies, and reddish hollyhocks. He didn’t know almost anything about flowers, so every year he relied on the expertise of a certain extravagant florist that seemed to be acquainted with the bird woman who liked to play some kind dress-up-dolls with her customers. Barbatos still felt shivers remembering what she made him put on in exchange for not messing with Chastille, but that was a story for another time.

“They sure look lovely.” Serafina said, looking at the bouquet.

“Chasty is lovelier.”

“Indeed… My daughter has turned into a splendid woman. I’m sure he would be so proud of her.”

Serafina approached a shelf and took a framed picture from it. On it, a young knight with scarlet hair and eyes was smiling widely, carrying a little Chastille in his arms. He was Sylvester, Chastille’s brother, who died at the age of twenty-four.

“I’m sure he’s celebrating with us in Heaven.” Serafina said, a nostalgic look on her face.

Barbatos didn’t know if Heaven or Hell really existed, but he had seen Zagan doing some kind of offering to someone on the same date of his birthday. And the Lillqvists did it as well, hoping that it would reach Vest in Heaven.

“After Vest died and my daughter was chosen by the Sacred Sword, we never celebrated any birthdays again… Even when every day could be the last for her.” She continued. “But now we have so many birthdays to celebrate. My daughter’s, yours, my grandchildren’s… And I can’t thank you enough, Barry.”

“I’m just doin’ my job.”

That selfless wife of his was always putting others before her, so Barbatos had made sure Chastille could celebrate her birthday every year. After all the work she did to protect the town, she deserved a day to be pampered. Because Chastille was the protector of the town, but Barbatos was the protector of her smile.

“I’ll keep counting on you, then.” Serafina said, bowing her head.

“I’m tellin’ ya, this ain’t...”

Before Barbatos could end his answer, a loud ruckus came from another room.

“Careful!”

With a quick reaction, Barbatos teleported to the kitchen to grab his kids, who were about to fall from the stool.

“The hell happened here?” He asked, gently placing them back on the floor.

“Dante was about to fall, and when I caught him, I hit the bowl and…” 

And the baking mixture they had worked so hard preparing had spilled all over the floor. But that didn’t explain why eggshells were splashed on the cabinets, how the walls had ended up slappetered in flour, the pots rolling on the ground… Well, Barbatos had seen stranger things happening in that house.

“Sorry big sis… hic It was my fault…” 

“No… It was mine…”

Both of them hugged each other and burst into tears. Even when Barbatos cleaned the mess, the kids knew that the mixture wasn’t edible anymore.

Sitri was a proud big sister who boasted about always taking care of her little brother, while Dante was more timid and serious, but they were just kids. As their father, he should have kept a closer eye on them, so if someone was to blame, it was only him. Barbatos wanted to give them the freedom to learn on their own, but it was time for dad to step up.

“C’mon, is that a reason to cry? Dad is gonna clean this mess in no time.”

“But… The cake…” Sitri said, ducking her head.

“Don’t sweat it. There’re still ingredients, there’s still time, and there’s nothin’ your dad cannot do with sorcery. I’m one of the Archdemons, remember?”

And what kind of father would he be if he couldn’t put a smile on his children’s face?

“Thank you, daddy. I love you.” Sitri said, burying her face on his legs, and then Dante hugged him tightly too.

“I love you too, daddy.”

“Ugh…!”

Barbatos almost fell to his knees after receiving such a destructive attack from his children, but Serafina's soft laughter made him get back to his senses… almost.

“They sure do love their dad.”

And he loved them back, but there were still some preparations needed to be done before Chastille arrived home, so Barbatos ruffled his children's hair and cleared his throat before speaking, trying to regain his composure.

“Let’s just bake the damn cake! And I’m helping this time!”

Who cared if some stupid spirits died? The happiness of his family was more important than anything.

“Mom is gonna get here real soon, so we’re gonna dress all nicely now, alright?”

“Yeah!” Both kids cheered.

The cake had been (surprisingly and) successfully baked, the house was fully decorated, and the food was already placed on silver platters on the table. All that was left was to get dressed before Chastille arrived home.

The bird woman had prepared attires for everyone. A yellow dress for his mother-in-law, an emerald green dress for Chastille, a pearl-colored tulle dress for Sitri, a white shirt and taupe short pants for Dante, and a dark purple tuxedo for him. She had given herself the freedom to add some strange outfits in the order, but Barbatos let them hidden in Purgatory so the kids wouldn’t see them.

“We’ll be right back. Let’s go, children.”

Serafina took them to their rooms to help them change while Barbatos awaited her arrival at the entrance hall. Barbatos could change everyone's clothes using sorcery, but Chastille didn’t want the kids to get used to always relying on their dad’s spells.

When he was left alone in the entrance hall, Barbatos snapped his finger and replaced his usual sorcerer robes for a tux. He also tied his unkempt hair in a low ponytail and pierced his ears with several earrings, taking care of not staining the clothes. Chastille would nag him if he did.

Just a little more… His wife would be home very soon.

“I’m back!”

Outside, the sun had begun to set, and yet it felt like dawn was breaking when Chastille opened the door.

Chastille was wearing her bishop uniform. A blue and golden butterfly hairpin was pinned on her long, scarlet hair, tied to the side, and a pair of vivid green gems decorated her ears. Her lovely facial features were a little more mature than the first time they met but, like her mother, it seemed that time had stopped for Chastille after reaching the age of twenty.

“Welcome home, Chasty.”

Barbatos opened his arms and Chastille let herself be embraced by him. It was their little recharging moment after a long day of work.

“I needed this…” She sighed. “I worked a lot today.”

“I know. Good job today.” He had seen her through the shadows, after all.

“Mmm… thank you.”

Chastille stood up on her tip-toes while Barbatos squatted a little, looking for each other’s lips. She gave him a short peck first, and then another, and another, until he pressed her body against his to deepen the kiss. With their shadows connected, distance meant nothing for them, and yet he couldn’t kiss her since that morning because both of them were busy working. And he had missed the taste of her lips.

“I love you, cutie.” He murmured after letting her go. Saying “I love you” for the first time had taken Barbatos a lot of courage, but he promised Chastille to tell her those words every day of their lives. 

“I love you more, handsome.”

“Hah!? I love you more!”

“No way! I’m the one who loves you the most!”

“And no one loves you more than me!”

Their usual lover’s quarrel echoed through the whole mansion until a cheerful voice from upstairs interrupted them.

“Now, now, you two, no need to fight! We all love each other a lot!”

Barbatos and Chastille jolted. Serafina was peeking through the staircase, with Sitri and Dante at her side. The kids had the same expression on their faces as the little brat when she looked at Zagan flirting with his wife.

“I… Um… I’m home, mom, Sitri, Dante!”

“Welcome home, mommy!” The kids replied, running down the stairs to greet her.

“Well, would you look at this?” She said, taking a good look at them all well dressed up. “I have the cutest children!”

With such a beautiful mother, there was no way her kids wouldn’t look cute… But Barbatos shoved aside that embarrassing thought.

“Welcome home, Chasty.” Serafina, who had also gone down the stairs to greet her daughter, placed her hands on her grandchildren’s shoulders. ”I’ll take the kids to the dinner room, so go and change your clothes.”

“Thank you, mom.”

“Don’t be late, mommy!”

“Yeah, don’t be late!”

“I won’t!” Chastille waved to her children as they left the foyer, and then spoke to Barbatos again. “I'll change as well. Is my dress in our room?”

“Yeah. Your friend said she left it a little loose on the tummy.” He said, caressing her stomach with his knuckles, which made Chastille blush.

“Right… The baby is growing.”

Chastille was expecting their third child. When the talk of kids came up, they agreed to have two of them not too far apart in age, so the third one came as a big surprise. Shax said that Chastille was near her fourth month of pregnancy, so the baby was probably conceived the day of Alshiere Imera. It was an unexpected, but very welcomed, gift for the whole family.

“Well, then, I’ll come back in a minute.”

“Hold on.”

“Whah!?”

When Chastille was about to walk towards the stairs, Barbatos placed a hand on her back and grabbed her by the knees, carrying her in his arms.

“I’ll take you to our bedroom.” 

“Wait, Barbatos! I’m pregnant, not sick! I can walk on my own!” Chastille protested, all flustered, but he ignored her complaints and carried her up the stairs.

“Ain’t no way I’m lettin’ ya trip over the stairs!”

Barbatos had already had his fair share of scares each time Chastille almost tripped or fell down the stairs several times while being pregnant with their other kids, so for him it was just the natural thing to do.

“I’m not that clumsy!”

The Lillqvists were clumsy by nature, and he was an overprotective husband and father.

“My, my! Everything is so well decorated! And look at those flowers! Magnolia never misses!”

The whole diner room was decorated in golden and scarlet motifs. Garlands hung from the walls, and on the center of the table was placed the flower bouquet Barbatos had taken from subspace earlier.

“Mommy, mommy, come sit!”

Sitri and Dante were tapping the seat at the head of the table. They had also placed some cushions for Chastille to be more comfortable while sitting.

“Hee hee, it seems my kids are starving!” Chastille giggled, taking the seat she was offered.

The food placed on the table smelled delicious, and it was past the hour the kids used to eat dinner, but being hungry wasn’t the reason why they were impatient for their mom to sit.

“You look pretty, mommy.” Sitri said. It didn’t matter what his wife wore, she always looked beautiful, but that dress suited her rather well and was making her look more dazzling than usual. That bird lady had a strange hobby, but she was good with her job.

“So pretty.”

“But there’s somethin’ missin’, right kiddos?”

“Yes, daddy!”

“Mm? What do you mean?”

Barbatos brushed her hair to the side and placed a necklace around her neck. It was a pendant made of mithril shaped in the form of a pair of wings with diamonds embedded inside, from which hung a shiny red jewel.

It was said that only the ‘Mystic Artisan’ could forge mithril, but Barbatos was given the chance to learn how to do it in exchange for a price. He couldn’t do it as well as Archdemon Naberius, but it had been enough to craft the rings on their left hands, and now the pendant hanging from her neck.

“Wow… How pretty! And it feels warm!” Chastille exclaimed, touching the red jewel with the pads of her fingers.

“It does ‘cause it’s a crystallization of the mana of all of us combined, our ‘little bean’ too.” Barbatos explained.

Barbatos could read the wavelengths of mana, but not see its flow like his bad friend did. That’s why he had to swallow his pride and ask Zagan to teach him how to weave mana and crystallize it. He had offered one of his best bottles of brandy in exchange as well, but it was a fair price to pay if that could make Chastille happy. 

“The baby too…?”

When a soul was incarnated, its mana could be traced even soon after the moment of conception. Barbatos felt bad for taking a portion of mana from their unborn child, but he could swear that the baby had “asked” him to do it when Chastille was taking a nap on his lap in her office one afternoon.

“Yeah, so this means you’re gonna have us together with you. Always.”

“Thank you… I don’t know what to say.” She said, still in awe. “But is it alright for someone like me to wear something this beautiful…?”

The Lillqvists had to cast away a life of luxuries, so Chastille didn’t learn about fashion and trends until almost reaching adulthood. However, even after all those years, the only ornaments Chastille wore were the butterfly hairpin placed on her hair, her emerald earrings, and her wedding ring, wrongly thinking that jewels and the like didn’t suit her.

“It suits you very well, my dear. Have more confidence in yourself.” Serafina said, holding her hand.

“Right… Thank you, mom.”

Scarlet was her color, and it combined rather well with the blue and gold of her hair ornament and the green gems on her ears. Barbatos wished his wife would be more aware of how beautiful and feminine she always looked.

“But do you like it, mommy?” Their son asked. He seemed to be a little anxious, not understanding why his mother was so hesitant.

“Yes, I like it very much… Thank you, everyone, I’ll cherish it.” Chastille kissed her children on the forehead, rubbing their backs, which put a smile on their cute faces. “Well, I’m starving… So let’s dig in!”

“You heard your mother, so go and sit, kids.”

“Yes, daddy!”

And once everyone was seated, Barbatos began serving the food.

“Mmm… The food was delicious…” Chastille said, stroking her belly.

“Yeah.”

Instead of ordering the food in an expensive restaurant, Barbatos always opted to do it in the same tavern he used to meet with Zagan and others for a drink. Not because money was a problem, but because the portions were bigger and more varied, and his wife was eating for two now.

“Ahem!” Sitri cleared her throat, wanting to get the attention of everyone at the table.

“Yes, Sitri? What is it?” Her mother asked.

“My little brother and I have a letter to read to mommy!”

“Oh? I wonder what it says.” Serafina chuckled softly. Barbatos and her knew the kids wanted to write something for their mother, but they didn’t let them know its contents because “it’s a surprise”.

“Can we get up from our seats and read it now?”

Their father was an Archdemon, but their mother came from a noble family, so they had been educated in good manners. That’s why they wouldn’t leave their seats until their parents told them to do so. Such well-educated kids.

“Yes. Go ahead, dear.”

After being given permission by their mother, Sitri and Dante stood from their seats and surrounded her, while Barbatos grabbed a rolled parchment from a shadow. As promised, he didn’t take a peek, so the crimson seal was still intact.

“Here.”

“Thank you, daddy.” Dante took the parchment, but he gave it to his sister, who broke the seal and unrolled it.

“I’ll read the letter, but we wrote it together!”

“Yes, together!”

Dante was only five and still learning how to read out loud, so it was natural for the big sister to do it. Seeing his kids relying on each other made Barbatos feel really proud of them.

“Let’s hear it, then!”

Dante nodded at his sister, and then Sitri spoke in a clear voice.

“Dear mommy. Thanks for all you do. No one works harder than you, and no one is prettier than you. You’re so strong that you take down all the baddies, and you even bring daddy to his knees.”

“Hey!” Barbatos protested, which made Chastille chuckle.

“Well, they’re not wrong!”

But that didn’t make it less embarrassing to know that the kids had seen him in such a shameful state. Barbatos hated acting like his bad friend did with his elf wife, but no matter how much restraining spells he put inside his body, Chastille always made his heart pound with such force that he could feel it almost bursting at any moment.

“Don’t mind me… Keep goin’, daughter.” He said, waving his hand, and Sitri nodded and continued.

“We like it when you sing us songs, cook food for us, and when you take our hand and give us hugs. We always want to give you kisses, so please daddy leave room for us.”

Barbatos smacked his face in shame, and Chastille and Serafina burst into laughter seeing his reaction. He always made sure that no one was looking when he kissed his wife, so who had taught his kids to spy on them without being detected? Was that old hag? No, it was probably the freckled nun. She always caught them making out in the office and only revealed herself after collapsing on the floor, bloodless.

“You’re the sweetest mommy ever, and we love you so much. Happy birthday to you. From Sitri, Dante and the baby in your belly.”

“Aww… Thank you, that was so sweet!”

Chastille embraced her children, her scarlet eyes moistened. Serafina let out a soft sob as well, and even Barbatos could feel the corner of his eyes feeling warm.

“I love you too… All of you.”

“And we all love you, my dear. You’ve always been so loved by everyone in this family, don’t ever forget.”

Serafina rose from her seat and hugged her daughter from the back, which made Chastille finally break into tears.

“Mommy… Are you sad?” Dante asked.

“No… I’m not sad, they’re happy tears.” She answered, ruffling her child's hair. “I’m just so happy and grateful to have all of you here with me…”

But there was someone absent, someone who Chastille missed dearly. Barbatos had helped mother and daughter fill the house with pictures of Sylvester using “Memorandum”, a sorcery that he had developed with Zagan and Gremory long ago. Still, that didn’t make him come back from death.

Letting out a heavy sigh, Barbatos stood up and placed an arm around Chastille’s waist.

“Hey kiddos! I’m gonna smooch your mother now, so don’t get it my way!”

“No! I want to smooch mommy too!” Sitri pouted with indignation.

“And me too!” Dante followed.

“Let granny smooch her too!”

“It’s alright! You can take turns!”

Seeing her family arguing over something silly, Chastille waved her hands trying to calm them down, but they ended up filling her with kisses until she stopped crying, not taking turns at all.

“Well, now that everyone has smooched mommy, who wants cake?” Serafina asked, clasping her hands.

“Me, me, me!” The kids echoed.

“I’ll be right back.” Barbatos kissed his wife’s hand and then talked to his kids. “C’mon, you two come with me.”

“Yes!”

The three of them went towards the kitchen to grab the cake. Since the handmade cake was supposed to be a surprise for her mother, the final touch needed to be made away from her sight.

The kids had learned in school that there was a tradition in which one had to blow candles on their birthday while making a wish for it to come true. Fearing that adding candles on the cake would end in some kind of disaster, Barbatos had offered to put some floating tiny flames over it, and the kids had been fine with it.

“Now, walk slowly.”

Holding the cake together, Sitri and Dante went back to the dining room with short steps. Barbatos had secretly put some support under the plate so the cake wouldn’t fall, but the kids didn’t need to know that.

“Ta-da! A cake for mommy!”

“Wow! It looks delicious!” Chastille exclaimed, grabbing the cake from her children’s hands and placing it on the table.

“We made it together, mommy, and daddy helped too.”

“Even dad?” At her son’s words, Chastille opened her scarlet eyes in surprise.

“What’s so strange about it? The kids needed help, so I helped.”

“It’s just that… I can’t picture you in the kitchen.”

“You’re one to talk!”

Well, Chastille had improved a little with her cooking over the years, but Barbatos couldn’t say the same. Still, he had stuck to his children's instructions about how to make meringue step by step as if he was recreating a complex magic circuit, so in the end everything went fine. The frosting was also his doing, and he had placed some strawberries on top as well.

“Mommy, you have to blow the tiny flames and make a wish to make it come true!” Sitri said, jumping in excitement.

“Oh? This is the first time I heard about that.”

“Yes mommy, the teacher said it.” Dante was also jumping, eager for the mother to make a wish.

“Then…” Chastille clasped her hands as in a prayer and then said. “I wish we can celebrate our birthdays together every year!”

“Ain’t you supposed to not tell the wish out loud?” Or that's what his kids had said to him.

“Whah!? That wasn’t the proper manner of doing it?” Chastille reeled back, a slight trail of sweat falling from her cheek. “I haven't blown the flames yet, so let me try again!”

“How about we do it all together?” Serafina asked. “This way all our wishes will come true!”

“Yes! Let’s do it together!”

“Together, together!”

“And you too, Barry.”

Barbatos didn’t believe in things like making a wish upon a star or stuff like that, but if he could wish for something, that was for his family to always stick together, just like Chastille wished.

“Ha… Fine.” He said, approaching the table, and then Chastille stood from her seat to make room for everyone.

“Now then, at the count of three. One, two, three…!”

The flames were blown away, and their wishes were made.

“Mommy, cut the cake now!”

“Cut the cake, cut the cake!”

“Alright, alright, I’ll cut the cake and you two will put everyone’s share on their place on the table. Deal?”

“Deal!”

Chastille grabbed a knife and cut the cake into seven pieces with expertise, while Sitri and Dante did as told, leaving one piece of cake on the tray.

“Uh? Isn’t there a portion missing?” Chastille cocked her head, confused, staring at the single slice of cake left on the plate.

“Whaddya mean? One slice for your mom, one for you, one for each kid, one for your brother, and one for me. Six pieces.”

Barbatos didn’t like sweets, but there was no way he would pass on eating something made by his children, and Chastille knew it. She had included him while cutting the cake.

“But I also cut some for… Nevermind.” She said, shaking her head. “I’ll bring this slice to Vest. I’m sure they’ll share it.”

When Chastille left the table to place a plate in front of a portrait of her brother, Serafina gently nudged Barbatos in the arm.

“Thank you, Barry.” She whispered.

“I don’t know whatcha talkin’ about, mom.” He said, winking at her. What happened to the missing slice of cake would be their secret.

Once Chastille got back to her seat, everyone ate their share of cake and showered her with more gifts and love until the time to put the kids in bed came.

Later at night, Chastille was leaning her back against Barbatos’ abdomen in bed. A thin film of sweat covered her bare body, and his skin felt warm against hers. The necklace was still hanging from her neck.

“[Hush little baby don't say a word, mama's gonna buy you a mockingbird. If that mockingbird don't sing, mama's gonna buy you a diamond ring.]”

Chastille was humming while Barbatos caressed her swollen belly with his big hands. It was a song that she used to sing for Sitri and Dante to lull them to sleep, and now she sang it for the baby in her womb every night too.

“Hey, Chasty.”

“Yes?”

“I’ve somethin’ more for you.”

While she was distracted looking at him, Barbatos placed a pair of flowers on her tummy. Those flowers were called ‘dahlias’, and one had a shade of pink, while the other had a vibrant deep red color.

“Oh…” Chastille’s face lightened. “My birthday is not the same without these flowers.”

“I know.”

“Thank you, my love.” She said, giving him a quick kiss on the lips.

For Chastille’s twentieth birthday, Barbatos had offered those flowers to her, and no year passed without him giving them to her again during their private time at night. Dahlias had a special meaning for Barbatos and Chastille, that’s why he never mixed them with the other flowers.

“Her name is Dahlia.” After a moment of silence, Chastille spoke again.

“Her?”

“Yes, we’re having a baby girl. I can feel it.” She said, caressing her belly.

Not even someone with the medical knowledge as the first Tiger King had the means of knowing a baby’s sex before birth, but if Chastille said it, then she must be right. Her intuition was always on point, and she also knew that their first born would be a girl and their second one a boy.

“Hey, Dahlia. You better grow big and healthy in your mom’s tummy. And next year we’re gonna celebrate our birthdays all together, you hear me?”

Chastille chuckled softly and linked her fingers with his.

“Your dad is right. We will celebrate your grandma’s birthday, your dad’s, your siblings’, mine… and then yours too.”

“Every year.”

“Yes, every year.”

The Lillqvist family would keep celebrating together, every year, and for many years to come.

Chapter Text

I’m starting to regret this…

Zagan was in the throne room, holding a headache. The whole place was buzzing with voices arguing over a trivial matter.

It all started one day, when his beloved wife came to visit him at his throne, with her cheeks all rosy and a lighter steep on her feet.

“Master Zagan!” She said, her pointy ears quivering. “There’s something important we must discuss with you!” 

“We…? ”

At his words, Nephy’s shadow wriggled and the figure of his bad friend appeared at her side.

“Barbatos, who invited you here? ”

He was never welcomed at his castle, and yet Barbatos always came and went as he pleased. Zagan was also expecting to have some time alone with his wife, so his presence soured his mood.

“Shut it! I came to talk with your wife, not you! ” He roared.

Since when did they grow to be so close for Barbatos to ask Nephy for advice? Zagan felt a surging wrath rising from his stomach, but when he was about to stand up from his seat and punch Barbatos, Nephy spoke again in a lovely voice.

“And I gave him my best advice, but we need your assistance, Master Zagan. This is a very important matter. ”

Well, if there was something troubling his wife, he would listen. But looking at her smiling face, it didn’t look like something he should worry about. Barbatos only went to see him when there was something involving Chastille, after all.

“Very well. Speak. ”

And go away and die, that’s what he wanted to add, but his bad friend’s unexpected words shook him to the very core.

“I need help for… er… proposing to the crybaby. And it needs to be this month. ”

The whole castle shook. Zagan thought he had misheard, but then Nephy spoke again.

“Isn’t it wonderful? Lord Barbatos will finally ask Chastille to marry him! ” She said, jumping with joy.

Cold sweat ran down his brow. It wasn’t wonderful. Chastille would be tied for life to that man if she accepted. Even when it was his fault that those two had ended up together, Zagan couldn’t help but feel bad for the poor girl.

But if he didn’t agree to lend him a hand, Barbatos would never leave. And it wasn’t like he cared if someone was present or not to pamper his wife with affection, but Zagan didn’t want Barbatos there. His bad friend was always a pain in the ass to handle.

“I understand. I’ll think about something. ”

Like just arranging dinner at some restaurant and giving Barbatos a letter to read to Chastille. Zagan didn’t want to waste the precious time he could use to be with his wife helping that man but, if he didn’t do it, nobody else would lend him a hand and his bad friend would keep pestering him.

But then something unexpected happened.

One after another, his subordinates came to him offering their assistance to make Barbatos’ proposal a success. Furcas had run through the whole Archdemon’s Palace, dragging Lilith and Selphy along, announcing “the good news” as if Chastille had accepted to marry him already, so there was no one in the whole place that didn’t know about what his bad friend intended to do… and no one that had refused to help.

Behemoth and Levia were the first ones wanting to lend a hand. The three of them had struck some kind of friendship some time ago, and since Barbatos became an Archdemon, the pairing assisted him from time to time with whatever he was doing in town, hiding inside the shadows.

Then came his beloved daughter, Foll, with the twins, Aristella and Dexia, who wanted to help “the kind mister” planning his wedding too. Zagan didn’t understand how anyone could think of Barbatos as someone kind, but since it was something the twins had decided for themselves, Zagan couldn’t intervene. And Foll was pretty fired up, too.

Even Shax said he wanted to help, and Kimaris and Orias had assured Gremory wouldn’t get in the way. It was a miracle she was away at that moment, or that granny would have gone havoc.

And those chains of events had led to the current gathering in the throne room to discuss the proposal plan.

Zagas was sitting at the head of a large table, with Nephy at his right side and Kimaris at his left. In a clockwise position, the ones sitting were Alshiera, Shax, Barbatos and Vepar, along with three unexpected guests.

“Before we continue…” Zagan spoke, interrupting the loud voices of the people present there. “Allow me to ask again. What are you doing here?”

“Don’t mind me, I just came to enjoy your butler’s tea.” A girl with long, silver hair answered, sipping tea. Her violet eyes had stars carved on it, and she was sitting at the opposite side of Zagan. Her name was Asmodeus, “The Collector”, and she was the teacher of the silver-haired man frowning at her side.

“It pleases me to know that.” Raphael said. He was standing behind Zagan, guarding his king’s back.

“Kee hee hee. I was told I would hear something amusing if I came here today.” A feminine voice giggled under a mask. The owner of that voice was “The Mystic Artisan”, Archdemon Naberius, who was sitting at Asmodeus’ left side.

“And I don’t want to be here… But I can’t see a future where I’m not dragged into this, so here I am.” A woman with a blindfold sighed. She was Eligor, known as the “Astrologian”, and her prophecies were always absolute. With her long, dark hair falling over her open chest and a mole under her lip, she was considered a real beauty. Or so was what others said. Zagan only had eyes for his wife.

I don’t want to be here either…

Or to be more precise, Zagan wanted everyone to leave and be alone with his wife, so better to be done with it quickly.

“Just to be clear… This sudden haste in wanting to get married isn’t because Lady Chastille is expecting, right?” At Alshiera’s words, Zagan almost choked on his tea.

“Haaaaaaaah!? We didn’t get that far!” Barbatos roared, beet red. “She said she wants to wait until marriage, and you have no idea how much I’m struggling to hold back!”

Zagan didn’t know, and didn’t care, but it was true that, even when the Church didn’t have any celibacy rule, waiting until the wedding night to consummate the marriage seemed to be the norm among noble ladies as Chastille. And even if it wasn’t the case, Zagan couldn’t imagine his bad friend doing anything of the like with that tomboyish and workaholic girl.

“Is the reason to be able to sneak into her bed, then?”

“That’s not the point!” Barbatos smashed the table in protest. “And there are other things one can do without goin’ all the way, ya know?”

“Hee hee, I’m well acknowledged on those matters.” The vampire chuckled softly. “They’re very helpful for destressing oneself… and one’s partner.”

“Ha! You bet. She sleeps like a baby when I finger her at night.”

Zagan spat out his tea this time.

“M-Master Zagan? Are you alright?” Nephy said in worry, patting his back.

How… How dares he go further than me with my Nephy!? It was unforgivable.

“I’m alright… I just heard something I didn’t want to hear.”

“My, my, we’re all adults here, aren’t we? No need to react that way, my Silver-Eyed King.” Zagan could see Alshiera smirking behind her teacup, which didn’t make the situation any better.

“Um… But excuse me. Since when poking another’s cheek with your finger is considered an adult thing?” Nephy asked, cocking her head, and everyone in the room fell silent.

“I want to go home…” Eligor was holding her brow, and Zagan couldn’t help but sympathize with her.

But seriously…? Those two…?

Even after all those years, Zagan couldn’t go much further than holding hands while sleeping with his wife. Just touching the tip of her finger was enough to make him freeze all night.

“Hey, Purgatory…” Shax whispered something in Barbatos’ ear, to which he replied nonchalantly.

“Ah? Yeah, I can lend you some scrolls the crybaby liked.”

“Sir Raphael, please restrain yourself!”

Raphael was taking his Sacred Sword from his prosthetic arm, with clear murder intent towards Shax. If not for Nephy, Shax would have lost his head already.

“Let’s just get to the point already…” Zagan was about to lose his patience. He wanted them to go away, and soon. “Tell us. Why do you want to propose all of a sudden, Barbatos?”

“W-Well…” His bad friend averted his eyes, his ears red, while scratching his cheek. “The crybaby’s twentieth birthday is approaching, yeah? So I thought that… it would be a good moment to do it.”

“And do you expect us to prepare a proposal plan in such short notice?” They were in the first days of Arnaki. Zagan had been preparing Nephy’s birthday party for a month already. His wife deserved the best celebration of all.

“Shut it! I’ve been busy!”

He wasn’t wrong. Barbatos and Nephteros had some kind of contract, and his bad friend had been “cleaning” the town since then. Zagan wouldn’t interfere in something his sister-in-law had decided by herself, and whatever Barbatos was doing, it allowed him to spend more time with his family, so he was letting them be.

Well, Zagan had dispatched some of his subordinates to arrange some things already, so the only thing to do was for Barbatos to follow the plan. Nothing more.

“Then here’s what you’re gonna do. You’re gonna buy her some flowers, dress like a normal person, and give her a ring during dinner at some restaurant.”

“Just that?” Barbatos snorted. “Man, that’s easy.”

“So you say…” The man at his side sighed.

Barbatos and Vepar had known each other for quite a long time, and he had been dragged in Barbatos’ tomfoolery more than once. It was surprising that he came to the meeting by his own accord.

“The restaurant is booked already, and Manuela is tailoring your clothes right now”. Why Manuela had Barbatos’ measures was a mystery, but Zagan had no interest in knowing the reason. “She knows a good florist in town who’ll prepare the bouquet, so once you get the flowers and the clothes, just take her to the restaurant.”

It was a simple plan, but knowing Barbatos, Zagan couldn’t let him alone or he would surely screw something up. The wiser thing was for someone to accompany him.

“And to make sure that all goes as planned, I’ll command someone to accompany you as well.”

“I’ll accompany him.” Everyone stared at Eligor, who was raising her hand, in surprise. “It’s already set in the future that I’ll be there with Purgatory, so there’s no need to discuss that matter.”

“My condolences, Astrologian.” Vepar said.

“Not too fast, Earthshaker. You’re in that future too, and you’ll be the one who’s called ‘best man’ at the wedding.”

“Huh? ‘Best man’? What’s that?” He asked, tilting his head. Zagan was wondering the same.

“It means that you’re the closest person to the groom.” Alshiera answered.

“Well, that makes sense. You’re my best pal.” Barbatos said, placing a hand on Vepar’s shoulder. “Of course you’re gonna be my ‘best man’ or whatever it’s called.”

“Mmm… I’m not very convinced, but I’ll comply.”

“Ahaha, isn’t that a good thing, my cute disciple? You’re even blushing.”

“I’ll kill you!”

Now that Asmodeus mentioned it, Vepar had his cheeks flushed.

Someone closer to the groom, hm…?

Zagan’s family had grown within the years, so he had a lot of people he considered close to him. He didn’t have any “best man” at his wedding, but just imagining Barbatos taking that role was making his face twitch.

But why do I suddenly feel odd…?

The fact that Vepar would be the “best man” at Barbatos’ wedding and not him somehow felt wrong.

“Don’t make that sour expression, ‘Sorcerer Slayer’. You’ll be the other ‘best man’.” Eligor added.

“Huh? Me too?”

“I’m glad for you, Master Zagan!” Nephy whispered. She seemed happy for some reason.

“Anyway…” Zagan said, clearing his throat. “Then, Astrologian will accompany Barbatos.”

“My disciple and I are going too.” Asmodeus grabbed Vepar’s hand and raised it, as if he was volunteering.

“What!? Don’t decide for me!”

“It’s the job of the ‘best man’ to accompany the groom on these matters.” Raphael intervened. “But my liege is already busy, so that honor will fall on your shoulders.”

“A-Alright… I’ll go with him.”

To be honest, Zagan wasn’t that busy, but he didn’t want to be put with the likes of Asmodeus. She was considered one of the Archdemons with the worst personalities of all.

“Now, the last thing… You’ll need a ring to propose, but there are some good shops in town where…”

“A ring?” Barbatos interrupted him. “Guess I can craft one. But which material should I use…?”

Right. Barbatos was surprisingly good at delicate craftsmanship. Not as good as the Mystic Artisan, of course, so perhaps he could do something simple by himself. One less thing to bother himself with, Zagan thought.

“Guess this is why I’ve come here…” Naberius stood from the seat and approached Barbatos, towering over him. “You and I aren’t acquainted, aren’t we, Purgatory?”

“Uh… Nice to meetcha?”

“This is what we’re gonna do.” The masked Archdemon continued. “I’ll teach you how to forge mithril… in exchange for something.”

“What!?” Barbatos and Zagan shouted in unison, rising from their seats. Only Archdemon Naberius was able to forge that kind of material, so the price in exchange for teaching Barbatos how to do it must be pretty high.

“We don’t have much time, so the design needs to be simple. Are you alright with that, Purgatory?”

“Er… Yeah.”

“Then let’s go, there’s no time to lose.”

“Wait, now?”

Ignoring him, Naberius grabbed Barbatos by the scruff of his neck and began dragging him out of the room.

“Hey! Wait! Where’re you takin’ me!?” Barbatos protested as he was taken away, not being able to resist at all, while everyone looked at them with sweat pouring from their brows.

And as soon as the door to the throne room closed with a thud, Zagan felt a sudden shiver.

“Hey… Kimaris? You’re sure that Gremory isn’t around, right?”

“Yes, my liege.” The black lion answered, his ears down. “Madam Orias is keeping her occupied.”

Still, I’ve a bad feeling about this…

While Zagan was dispatching all those presents in the throne room except his wife, not far from there an old fomorian laughed loudly.

“Kee hee hee! Fred not, Purgatory! I’ll make sure this proposal is a success!”

Zagan was right to worry.

“Is this really necessary…?” A woman complained.

Three Archdemons and a former candidate were walking in town, their arms linked. The one who suggested it was the silver-haired girl walking between a woman with her eyes binded and her disciple, Asmodeus.

“Well, both of you can’t see, so it’s proper to help you walk so you don’t trip, right? Ahaha!”

“I can’t stand you…” Vepar sighed.

Barbatos was at Vepar’s side, holding his arm as well. In other circumstances, he would have added his voice to the complaints, but a more important matter was weighing in his mind.

Chastille’s birthday had finally arrived, and he was feeling pretty nervous. He hadn’t seen her since the beginning of the month, only exchanging some quick words, and was craving her presence. Barbatos could peek at his shadow at any moment and see how she was doing, but it wasn’t the same.

In exchange for teaching him how to forge mithril, the Mystic Artisan had kept him busy all day and night for two weeks straight, all while asking all sorts of details regarding his relationship with Chastille. Barbatos felt like he could die of embarrassment at any moment, but endured it until the end. He had survived the most dire situations just for her sake, so a little love talk was nothing in comparison. And Barbatos couldn’t wait to see Chastille’s face after seeing the ring.

But that was easier said than done. Zagan had prepared some plan to make the proposal a success, but Barbatos wasn’t very convinced about it. He was the one who asked for help, so his bad friend told him that, if he didn’t like it, to think something on his own.

Well, the day had arrived and there was no time to make different plans. And the first stop was a flower shop.

“Weeeeeeeeelcomeeeeeeee~!”

The four sorcerers reeled back. The one greeting them was a woman with puffy, short, light green hair, looking like a big dandelion. She had two bug antennas poking from her head, overly long eyelashes, full-black eyes, and a pair of butterfly wings flapping on her back.

“I’m Magnolia! M-a-g-n-o-l-i-a! And I’m gonna assist you to-day!”

“…Thanks?”

Barbatos wasn’t good at dealing with hyper excited people. It would be better to be done with their business quickly and get outta there, but it seemed the extravagant florist had other plans for them.

“I have the bouquet rea-dy for the groom! But I was told by Ma-nue-la that there was only one bride, so why am-I-see-ing three of them?”

The feet under Vepar cracked. He hated being mistaken for a woman, and If nobody stopped him, the whole town could turn into rabble. Luckily, Asmodeus threw them a lifeline.

“Oh, don’t mind us. We’re just… acquaintances of the groom. And this one here…” She said, tapping her disciple’s shoulder. “Is the ‘best man’.”

“I see, I see~! Such a lo-ve-ly relationship!”

“Let’s just get over this…” Eligor said, holding her brow. Barbatos also wanted to leave that place soon.

“Then just one-se-cond please!”

The extravagant woman disappeared into the backstore and came back holding a bouquet of deep purple, red and white flowers. Their scent itched Barbatos’ nose.

“I asked my flo-wers which ones wanted to-be-part of the bouquet, and here-is the result!”

“‘Kay…?” Barbatos didn’t understand what she was saying. Flowers were just flowers.

“These cu-te flo-wers’ names are baby’s breath, chrysanthemum, edelweiss, heliotrope and salvia~! And they mean…”

“Whatever, just hand them. There’s another place we hafta go next."

Not like their next stop was better, but Barbatos couldn’t stand her strange way of talking anymore.

“Awww, the flo-wers are gonna get mad at you if you don’t li-sten to them, you know~?”

Like I care! Barbatos thought, exasperated.

“Um, are these…?”

Asmodeus was looking at some star-shaped white flowers. The Archdemon who always had a smirk glued to her face was making quite the sorrowful face.

“These flo-wers are ca-lled ‘Lily’!”

“‘Lily’? I see…”

“Do you want one?” Vepar asked.

“Uh? I don’t…” Asmodeus shook her head in denial, but her eyes kept averting towards the lilies.

“Give me one. I’ll pay for it.”

“On it~!”

“Uh… Uh? There’s no need too…”

“Just shut up and accept it, Collector.”

“...Alright.” Asmodeus scratched her cheek, shaded in a light pink. Barbatos felt like he was looking at something he shouldn’t, and it seemed that Eligor was feeling the same way, even when she couldn’t actually see with her eyes.

We’ve suddenly turned into third-wheels…

Even Barbatos knew that giving flowers to someone was an intimate gesture. The crybaby always had flowers in her office, but he never bought any for her. Well, he would give her a full bouquet during dinner, but his bad friend had paid for everything, not him. It didn’t feel like a gift Barbatos had chosen for her.

While the butterfly woman was busy with Asmodeus and Vepar, Barbatos’ eyes fell over a pair of flowers, pink and red, put on display at the center of the shop. They had several layers of petals and, for some reason, Chastille’s face came to mind when he looked at them.

Pink like her lips and fair skin, red like her eyes and hair…

“Hey, gimme these pairs of flowers too.” Barbatos said, pointing at them.

“Oh, my, my! An ex-ce-llent choice!” The florist chirped. Then she approached him with a light step and clasped her hands. “These flowers are called ‘dahlia’! Dah-li-a!”

“That's so…? ‘Dahlia’.” Barbatos didn’t remember any of the flowers’ names the extravagant woman had mentioned a moment before but, for some reason, ‘Dahlia’ had a good sound to him.

“Do you want them pla-ced in the bou-quet as well~?”

“Nah, just put them apart.” It was a gift chosen by himself, and perhaps he could give them to her as a birthday present after the dinner.

“Very well~!”

The florist wrapped them in some white envelopment and handed both the bouquet and the dahlias to Barbatos.

“So? How much for the dahlias?”

“Oh no, the dahlias are-on-the house~!”

“You sure?”

Barbatos always added his bills on Zagan’s tabs, but if it was something for Chastille, he wanted to pay for it himself.

“Yes~! To-day they’re free but, in exchange, come to buy flowers e-ve-ry year for your wife-to-be~!”

“Er… Alright.” She was an extravagant woman, but if Chastille liked the flowers, he would think about coming back again.

“If you’re done, then let’s go.” Vepar said. Both him and Asmodeus, who had a flower tucked behind her ear, were still blushing a little.

“Right… Well, thanks, I guess.”

“Come again soon~!” She waved.

With the flowers retrieved, the next place they had to go was to Manuela's clothing store. Barbatos braced himself getting ready for what was about to come, and when it seemed that he had found his resolve, the florist shouted from the door.

“By the way~! Pink dahlias mean kindness, beauty and grace, while the red ones mean strength, passion, power, deep love and admiration~!”

Hearing her words, Barbatos fell on his knees in embarrassment.

“Here is the document you requested, Lady Nephteros.”

“Thank you, Kuroka.”

Nephteros was reviewing a stack of documents at Chastille’s office. It was the nineteenth of Arnaki, Chastille’s birthday, and Nephteros had been working all day so her friend could call it a day sooner and enjoy her birthday.

Chastille would come back from patrolling soon, and once she did, Nephteros needed to make sure her friend went directly to the Lillqvist household, where Nephelia would be waiting for her. That was Nephteros’ role in the grand plan her big bro had prepared.

“I’m back, Nephteros, Kuroka.”

Chastille entered the office soon after Nephteros finished one pile of paperwork. She was clad in full armor and had her Sacred Sword on her back, the proof of her status as an Archangel.

“Good job today, Lady Chastille.” Kuroka said.

“Mhm…” She replied, absent minded, while taking a seat on the sofa.

“What’s wrong?” Chastille had her scarlet eyes averted, looking rather depressed. Nephteros had an idea of the reason why her friend was making that face, but she needed to feign ignorance.

“I couldn’t get a hold of Barbatos today either…”

“He must be busy with something, don’t give it much thought.” Nephteros answered.

“But today is my birthday… And he didn’t even greet me.”

That workaholic friend of hers hadn’t cared about her own birthday until two years ago. To be honest, Nephteros didn’t know what celebrating a birthday meant at that moment either, but Chastille made sure she could celebrate it every year along with her sister. That was why Nephteros wanted to make sure that today’s plan succeeded, even when that meant not being totally honest with her friend.

Well, she hadn’t lied to Chastille. It was true that Barbatos was busy, but Nephteros couldn’t tell Chastille what he was doing. If all was going as planned, that man was at Manuela’s store at that moment.

“Just dump him already, Lady Chastille. That man doesn’t deserve someone as good as you.“ Kuroka said, which made Chastille look even more gloomier.

“Kuroka, stop it.”

It was not a secret that Kuroka hated Barbatos. Nephteros couldn’t stand him either, but they shared the same love for Chastille. For that reason, they arrived to an agreement where, in exchange of Nephteros taking off work for Chastille, he would become some sort of vigilante in town.

Thanks to that, Chastille had less office work to do and more time to take a rest. Well, as an Archangel, Chastille had an important role to fulfill that no one could do for her, but Barbatos and Nephteros would do anything to take some weight off her shoulders. Nephteros truly admired Chastille for all the work she did on a daily basis, but she also wanted her friend to enjoy life a little more.

“I just hope he’s not involved in something dangerous again…”

Chastille was sharp, so she was aware Barbatos had gotten hurt more than once while protecting her. Nephteros still remembered a certain incident that occurred in this same office, three years ago. That man had almost sacrificed himself to save Chastille from an assassin's attack, and then Chastille saved Nephteros… so many times.

As long as that man protected her dear friend's smile, Nephteros would respect Chastille’s choice of taking him as her partner.

“Chastille, you’re talking about the only man who can get hit by big bro’s punches and survive. He’s probably fine.”

“I know, but…”

“Just get changed and go back home. Go enjoy your birthday.”

And please, be happy.

Her friend deserved all the happiness in the world.

“Fine… I’ll go and change.”

“Not so fast, Lady Chastille.”

“Eeeeep!”

A beautiful woman was leaning against the office’s door. She was Gremory, big bro’s left hand, and even when she had a good heart deep inside, that woman liked to mess with other people in the name of something called “love power.” Nephteros had almost fallen in her hands once, and Kuroka, who was hiding behind Nephtero’s back, trembling in fear, had been one of her victims as well.

“Miss Gremory? It’s strange to see you here.”

“I came to discuss an important matter with you, Lady Chastille.” Gremory said. She was frowning, seeming to be concerned about something.

“Huh? With me?”

“Yes. I’ve come to have a woman to woman talk.”

Nephteros felt a shiver running down her spine. Big bro had told her that Gremory didn’t know anything about the proposal plan, and mother should be making her busy… So that sorcerer's presence couldn’t mean anything good.

“Very well. I’ll listen.”

Chastille had her work mode mask on, so she probably didn’t realize Gremory was scheming something. Nephteros wanted to intervene, but Gremory spoke before she could say something.

“Lady Chastille, please listen to me.” Gremory said, sitting at Chastille’s side and grabbing her hands. “There’s something important that I must tell you.”

“And I’ll assist you as best as I can, Miss Gremory.”

Gremory put on a sorrowful face and took a deep breath before speaking again.

“I’m aware that what I’m about to tell you may hurt you but, for the affection I have for you, I think you deserve to know the truth.”

Nephteros held her breath. She wanted to rise from her seat and take Chastille away from that woman’s clutch, but Kuroka was grabbing her from the shoulders with force, not letting her move.

“I’m ready.”

“Purgatory has been absent lately… right?”

“Yes, do you know if something happened to him? If so, please tell me.”

“Gremory, please, don’t…” Nephteros tried to say, but Gremory spoke before her once more.

“The reason why Purgatory has been absent is… Because he has found himself a paramour.”

“Chastille, don’t listen to her!” Nephteros yelled, but it was in vain.

“A paramour…?”

“Yes, one of the Archdemons. One you’re acquainted with already.”

Nephteros tried to stand up, but she found herself unable to move. Kuroka had let go of her grip, so did that granny do something to her?

“I know you love that man, but I believe you deserve something better. You don’t deserve to be mistreated that way.”

“Lady Nephteros…? Are you alright? You’re trembling.” Nephteros heard Kuroka in the distance, like a whisper. She tried to answer, but no sound could escape from her mouth.

“They’ve been spotted in town, their arms linked, hiding in an alley…” Gremory continued. “I’m sorry, Lady Chastille, I know this must be very hurtful to you, but I want you to know that…”

Before Gremory could end her phrase, Chastille jumped out of her seat and rushed off the office.

“Stop, Chastille!” Nephteros yelled, finally released from the mysterious force restraining her. “Gremory, what are you doing!?” Nephteros screamed at Gremory, but she was nowhere to be seen.

This is bad… This is really bad…

Without her work mode mask, Chastille turned into a total mess, and if she bumped into them at that moment, the big surprise would be ruined.

“I’ll be right back, Lady Nephteros. I’ll dispose of that despicable man myself.”

“Stop right now!” Before Kuroka could run after Chastille, Nephteros grabbed her by the scruff of her uniform.

“Lady Nephteros, why are you stopping me!? That man deserves to die!”

“Would you calm down and listen to me!? Do you really believe any of that hag’s words?”

Nephteros was almost at her limit. Everyone had worked so hard for this day to be a success only for this granny to come and mess up things. The last thing she needed right now was Kuroka going on a murder rampage.

“Um…” Kuroka ducked her head, her ears flattened.

“Kuroka, listen… That man is scum, but he loves Chastille more than anything in this world. And you know that.”

Barbatos was the worst kind of sorcerer, but he always had chosen Chastille above anything else, having to pay a big price for that more than once. And he would never do anything to make Chastille hate him.

“But then, why…?”

“Barbatos is going to propose to Chastille today, and the woman Gremory mentioned is just helping him get ready for that. Another Archdemon and that guy called Vepar are with him today too, so this is just Gremory trying to toy with them as usual.”

And Nephteros couldn’t imagine another woman who wasn’t Chastille being genuinely interested in that man, but her friend always took everything she was told to heart.

“Big bro had everything planned, and the idea was to let Chastille go back home sooner so my sister could help her get ready for tonight. It was supposed to be a surprise, but…”

Zagan chose to not tell Kuroka so she wouldn’t interfere with the plannings. Kuroka was a good girl, but she lost her temper everytime Barbatos was involved. And yet, despite everyone’s efforts, that damned granny was about to throw it all away.

“Then there’s no time to lose, Lady Nephteros! We must go after that man!”

“Didn’t you listen to what I just said?”

“If Lady Chastille sees them now, she’ll misunderstand the situation and won’t be able to recover!”

Kuroka was right. In such a state, Chastille would misinterpret anything she saw. Just imagining another month with Chastille absent from work was making Nephteros shiver again.

“You’re right… Let’s go, perhaps they haven't left Manuela’s shop yet.”

If they couldn’t catch Chastille, at least they needed to find Barbatos to warn him and win some time. Nephteros wouldn’t let her dear friend’s big day be ruined by anyone…

“Huh!? Rachel? Rachel!?” Kuroka yelled.

Rachel was on the floor, collapsed, with a trail of blood pouring from her nose.

“This can’t be happening…”

In the end, Nephteros and Kuroka couldn’t get in time to stop Chastille or warn Barbatos.

“Here comes my supermodel!”

“Y-Yo…”

The look on the bird woman’s face was making Barbatos want to run away, but he knew that, if he didn’t let her do her thing, she’d go for Chastille next.

Barbatos and Manuela were acquainted, but never talked much. The only thing he knew about that store clerk was that she liked to play dress-up-dolls with her clients and that the cat woman was a favorite of hers. He didn’t give a damn about what happened to that annoying cat lady, but Barbatos couldn’t stand the thought of another person touching Chastille, so he came to some kind of agreement with that woman.

It happened one night, when Barbatos went to drink at the usual tavern with Gremory, Kimaris, Shax and Vepar. They stumbled upon the winged woman, who seemed to be a close friend of Gremory, and shared some drinks together. Manuela could hold her alcohol rather well, so Barbatos was having fun until she pointed at his legs saying he was the perfect model for a new line of clothes she wanted to put on display soon.

He immediately refused, of course, but then Manuela rose from her seat, placing her hands on her hips, and said…

“Choose. You or… Chastille.”

…And Barbatos had to let her play with him to her heart’s content.

“Oh, my! And isn’t she…?”

“Asmodeus, my name is Asmodeus.”

Asmodeus was hiding behind Eligor’s back, shaking. Could it be that the most treacherous Archdemon had fallen victim to this woman as well? If it was the case, Manuela was truly terrifying.

“Mhm! I have some new clothes today that I’m sure would…”

“Come here, mister, before the chief loses her focus. Kuu will hold the flowers for you.” A fox girl pushed him towards a back door. Barbatos had seen her several times with the freckled nun, and it seemed she had come to save him, or rather, to save his companions from turning into dress-up dolls by Manuela.

“Well, I’ll be right back!” Manuela said, going after Kuu.

When Kuu left him alone with Manuela, Barbatos felt a shiver going down his spine.

“Er… I’ll be in your care…”

“Relax! I know we’re short on time today, so I’ll just put the final touches to your attire.”

Barbatos wasn’t convinced, but he didn’t have another choice but to let her do her job. The faster she worked, the faster he could get outta there.

The tuxedo Manuela had tailed for him was full black, with golden and blue embroideries, and it suited him to the ground. For Barbatos, the only function of clothes was to serve as a fortress for a sorcerer, but he couldn’t deny that the bird woman had talent.

“Squat down a little, I’ll tie your hair as well.”

Barbatos did as told, and while Manuela ran her fingers through his hair, he remembered how Chastille liked stroking his locks every time she let him rest his head on her chest… He missed her so much that it even hurt.

“I’m sure you’ll love Chastille’s dress for tonight… and my ‘special gift’ too.” She whispered. “Don’t worry, I know you prefer something cute for her.”

“C-Cute…!?” Barbatos jolted.

Just imagining Chastille wearing one of Manuela’s clothes made Barbatos feel both anxious and excited. He had been craving her touch for so long that he feared the restraining spells placed in his body would break once he saw her again. But the crybaby had asked him to wait for “going all the way”, so Barbatos didn’t want to get his hopes up.

“Now, put your earrings on and we’re done.” She said, patting him on the back. “Chastille is a good girl, so be sure to treat her nicely, alright?” 

“Yeah…”

Barbatos had messed up so many times that he still didn’t understand what she had seen in him. That girl deserved the best, and Barbatos didn’t know if he was the most suited person for her, but he was greedy. He wanted her all for himself, and no one would treat her better than him.

When Barbatos came back to the front store with Manuela, he saw Asmodeus, Eligor and Vepar sitting on a sofa. He had left the bouquet with Kuu, but now Eligor was holding it, perhaps while the fox girl was busy putting some items on some shelves.

“Wow… Clothes really can change one’s appearance.” Asmodeus said, no trace of sarcasm in her words. “It’s a shame that you two can’t see it.”

“You look good, mister!”

Barbatos felt his ears burning. If someone had to compliment him, he wanted Chastille to do it, but it didn’t feel that bad to receive some praise. He was used to his bad friend always insulting him.

“Hee hee! My work is always top-notch!”

Manuela sounded really proud of herself. Well, if Zagan always relied on her for choosing clothes for his family, it was for a reason. And Barbatos didn’t have to put on fishnet stockings and wear stilettos… this time.

“Ah… We’ll be on our way.”

The bird woman worked fast, so they still had time until the appointed hour. Chastille should be at home by now, getting changed, but Barbatos wanted to be on time to escort her to the restaurant. And he was beginning to feel anxious, too.

“Very well! Break a leg!” Manuela said, giving him a thumbs-up.

“Bye, mister! Come again!” Kuu waved.

Well, one more thing done. He could be with Chastille very soon…

“Not so fast, you two!” When they were about to exit the door, Manuela grabbed Asmodeus and Vepar by the shoulders. “I need the measurements for the ‘best man’, and only the groom is needed to propose today, right?”

“Excuse me…?” Vepar knitted his brow, unaware of the calamity that was about to fall on him.

“And I have something for… Asmodeus too!”

“Wha… What? I’m fine with my clothes! Use my disciple instead!”

“Go, mister and missy, leave while you can.” Kuu whispered.

“...Yeah, let’s get outta here, Astrologian.”

Even with the door closed, Vepar’s screams could be heard from the street.

I can’t believe I’m doing this…

Chastille was running through town, looking for Barbatos. She was aware that granny was spitting nonsense, but her body reacted before she realized.

Barbatos had been absent since the beginning of the month. He answered from time to time, but didn’t go to visit her at night for their tea parties, excusing himself saying he was busy.

Is he really cheating on me…?

And, if that was true, was it because she got cold feet the last night they were together? Had he grown tired of her, and looked for a woman with more experience, for someone who would want to do more adult things with him?

No, he isn’t like that…

Chastille felt so happy when they finally began dating. They had a rocky start, but quickly began behaving more like a couple would do. Even when they still quarreled over silly things, they always ended up looking for each other's touch, like holding hands. And holding hands led to caresses, caresses led to kisses, and kisses led to other things. Everything seemed to be fine, but when they were about to make a big step on their relationship, Chastille stopped him at the last moment saying she wanted to wait until marriage to “go all the way”. Barbatos looked disappointed, but he kissed her brow and let her dress again.

And, since that night, she hadn't seen him again.

But wanting to wait until marriage was just an excuse. It would be nice to wait until the wedding night for that special moment, but Chastille was fine with taking that big step before because she couldn’t imagine herself being married to anyone but Barbatos. He was the man she wanted to be with forever, and that would never change, so for her it didn’t matter if it was something done before or after marriage.

But he never said he loves me…

And Chastille hadn’t told him those words either… Because she was scared of his reaction.

The moment felt right. They were arguing as usual, but she also wanted him to stay a little more and asked if it would be okay to cuddle for a bit in bed. And she caressed his face, and he kissed her hands, and before they realized, they were naked under the sheets, staring at each other. And when she saw herself reflected in his obsidian eyes, the only thing Chastille could think about was how much she loved him and how much she wanted to be with him forever.

Chastille felt that not only her body, but her soul as well, laid bare in front of him, all exposed. That was why she asked Barbatos to stop, because she feared his reaction if he realized how much she loved him. She feared that he wouldn’t reciprocate her feelings in the same way, that the only one drowning in her own emotions was her.

But she also feared his feelings towards her were as intense as hers. Because, every time Chastille officiated a wedding, she imagined herself in that position, wearing a white dress holding a bouquet of flowers in her hands, walking down the aisle, while Barbatos awaited her in front of the altar.

And Chastille couldn’t stand the thought of binding him to her and leaving him alone one day.

If Barbatos had found another lover, she had no right to force him to stay by her side. She should let go of him and let him be happy, but she didn’t want to. Because she was selfish, and she wanted him only for herself. Chastille wanted to be with Barbatos, forever and ever, in that life and the others.

That was why she needed to find Barbatos and see what was going on with her own eyes.

And when she finally found him… she couldn’t believe what she was seeing.

Gremory was right. Barbatos was with that beautiful Archdemon again. She was holding a bouquet while he was kneeling on the ground, all dressed up, showing her a ring…

…And Chastille felt something boiling in her head.

“You cheater!” She shouted, taking her sword from its stealth.

After leaving the clothes store, Barbatos and Eligor were walking through a back alley. He could teleport to her house immediately, but he also wanted to stretch his legs a little while Chastille was getting ready. Barbatos was tempted to take a little peek at his shadow, but Zagan’s wife had asked him to not look or the surprise would be ruined.

“So… Now that we’re alone, will you tell me the real reason why you want to get married, Purgatory?” Eligor, who had been silent almost all the time during their outing, spoke to him. She was still holding the flower bucket and the pair of dahlias.

“Ah? You don’t remember what I said? It’s ‘cause her twentieth birthday is today.”

“I can tell that’s not the reason why.”

Archdemon Eligor could detect lies. No one knew how she could do it, but no one could trick her with direct words. And she was right, but Barbatos didn’t see any reason to tell his reasons to someone like her.

“And why should I tell you?”

“At least entertain me, make my time spent here worth it.”

Barbatos sighed. Eligor didn’t have any reason to help him, and yet she was the first one who had offered to lend a hand getting ready for today. She didn’t gain anything for doing it, so the least he could do was to offer her a little chat.

“She… didn’t tell me, but I think the crybaby has been thinking about marriage for a while.”

A wedding was a ritual where two individuals exchanged vows of love. It was something more suited for someone who followed the Church’s teachings, not for sorcerers. Even Zagan had taken a bride without holding any ceremony, and Barbatos thought that already meant they were married until Chastille told him it wasn’t the case.

“The other night we… um… almost did it, but when I was about to… you know… Well, the crybaby said she wanted to wait until marriage.”

Barbatos didn’t understand why it was necessary to “wait until marriage”, but he would never do anything against Chastille’s wishes. He would rather cut his hand before hurting her again.

“I don’t know what ‘marriage’ means so, the same night, her mom invited me to tea as thanks for catching her when she was about to fall from the stairs, and I took the chance to ask her what being married means.”

The only married sorcerer Barbatos knew was his bad friend, but whatever was going on with their relationship, it didn’t change much of what they did in the beginning. They held hands, he made her sit on her lap, kissed sometimes… But it wasn’t much different from what he did with Chastille already.

“And her mom said somethin’ like ‘supporting each other in the good and the bad moments’, but ain’t that what I’ve been doin’ all this time…?”

“I leave my daughter in your hands.” Serafina said to him that night, bowing her head as if giving him her blessing. It had been her idea to propose to Chastille for her twentieth birthday, which made Barbatos be in a hurry.

Barbatos began looking after Chastille because Zagan asked him to do it. They were tied by a contract, but then he couldn’t help but assist her with unrelated matters to that deal. He only wanted to see her smiling, so he ended up protecting her not caring about the contract anymore.

“The thing is… Every time the crybaby has to officiate a wedding, she always puts on that face… The same face when she looked at Zagan and his wife when…”

Chastille was the one and only woman in Barbatos’ heart, but it hadn’t been the same case for her. She had loved another man before, a man who had a partner already. It was never meant to be, and that broke her heart.

“Anyway… She was lookin’ at some mag with white dresses, and I bet she was thinkin’ some crap like ‘this doesn’t suit me’.”

Barbatos had contributed to those thoughts calling her ‘an amazon’. How he wished to turn back in time to punch himself.

“That’s why I think she wants to get married.”

“Mmm… It may be possible for it to be the case.“ Eligor said, placing a hand on her chin with a delicate movement.

Even though, wanting to be married wasn’t enough to do so.

“But it’s the man who has to ‘propose’, yeah…? So I went to ask Zagan’s wife about what the crybaby would like as a proposal, and she said that ‘anything done with heart’, but how could someone like me pull that off?”

Barbatos was known to be a heartless sorcerer. There was someone that had called him kind, but Barbatos couldn’t see himself in the same light.

“Then we went to ask Zagan… And here we are.” Barbatos said, slumping his shoulders.

“Well, I can understand your reasons better now, but you don’t sound really convinced for a man who is about to propose to his partner.”

“Of course not!” He roared. “This whole ‘proposal plan’ stinks. I bet that asshole didn’t put it much thought, but I couldn’t think of anything better, and time was running out…”

So Barbatos didn’t have any other choice but to follow it to the end, even when he didn’t like it.

“I skimmed the letter I’m supposed to read to the crybaby today and it ain't somethin’ I’d say, ya know? All those fancy words… She’s gonna realize that I didn’t write ‘em myself.” And only imagining her face of disappointment was making his chest ache.

“And what would you tell her, then?”

Barbatos fell silent for a moment, thoughtful, but he couldn’t find an answer.

“I… don’t know.”

Every time Barbatos looked at her face, he was left speechless. That night, seeing Chastille with her scarlet eyes moistened, and her long hair sprawling over the sheets like a pair of phoenix wings… Some words were about to come from his throat, but he swallowed them fearing her reaction.

He didn’t have the courage to say “I love you” to her, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t express it in another way.

“But I made this for her.”

Barbatos took a small box from a shadow and opened it in front of Eligor, revealing a ring shaped in the form of a tail-eating snake with a pair of small sapphires set in its eyes.

“The ‘Mystic Artisan’ told me to think about the crybaby while forging it, and this is how the ring ended up lookin’.”

“Mmm…? An ‘ouroboros’ …?” Eligor had severed her sense of vision but, just like Vepar, she had other ways to “see”.

“Yeah, it appeared on its own. I don’t know why.”

“You don’t?” Eligor said, tilting her head. “But it makes perfect sense.”

“Uh? Whaddya mean?”

“Tell me, Purgatory, what does the ‘ouroboros’ symbol mean?”

The ouroboros was a symbol used to represent the eternal cycle of renewal, life and death, death and rebirth, and the transmigration of souls, but it could mean something more.

“Among other things, it means ‘infinity’.”

“Yes, and that’s why the ring took this shape. Because you want to be forever with the girl in your heart, am I right?”

Barbatos could feel his face flaring up. He wanted to deny it, but… There was no point in doing so.

“Y-Yeah…” He admitted.

“There it is, the real reason for wanting to marry her.” Eligor curved her lips upwards. Barbatos couldn’t see her eyes, but he could tell her smile was genuine.

Barbatos didn’t know how and when it happened. He just took a job as a bodyguard, but then he began looking at her daily, finding amusing how awkward that crybaby girl was. And no matter how much he tried to avoid it, his eyes always fell on her, until one day she looked at him back.

His heart belonged to her since much before he realized it, and would always do, now and forever, but that didn’t mean she felt the same way towards him.

“But what if she wants to get married… but not to me?”

Barbatos would rather die than not share his life with Chastille.

“You won’t know until you ask her, right?”

“I know, but…”

“Is the great Archdemon ‘Purgatory Barbatos’ afraid of his partner’s answer, perhaps?”

Barbatos clenched his molars. She was right, he was scared of how much his feelings for her had grown over the time. He feared his feelings would overflow in a way he couldn’t control, that she didn’t return them the same way.

“Yeah, I’m hella scared.”

He was afraid of being alone again one day, but there was only one way to avoid that fate.

“But I wanna be with her, so I’m gonna propose… in my way.”

Barbatos got back his determination. He had gone through hell and endured it only because he wanted to return to her side. Asking Chastille to marry him was nothing in comparison.

“Well, isn’t that fine? I’m sure your marriage will be a happy one, Purgatory.” Eligor said, her lips drawing a smile again.

“Is that what the future you see says?”

“No, I don’t need to rely on prophecies to know that. I just can tell.”

Barbatos felt a heavy weight being lifted from his shoulders. He didn’t know why, but Eligor’s words felt like salvation.

“Ha! Talkin’ with you it’s easier than I expected, Astrologian. You ain’t that bad when you’re not trying to cajole others. ”

“Same to you, Purgatory. You’re better when you show some weakness.”

Both of them let out a heartfelt laugh. Eligor was the last person Barbatos expected to get along with, but he felt much better after talking to her.

“So? What do you plan to do?” She asked.

“Ah… I’ll pass on that crappy letter and improvise somethin’ on the spot.”

“Do you want my help to practice a little?”

Barbatos gave it some thought. He should go to Chastille’s house soon, but perhaps there was still time to do some rehearsal.

“Yeah, but it has to be quick. I don’t want to make her wait.”

“Alright. Just kneel down and imagine I’m that girl. Tell me the same things you'd say to her.”

Barbatos did as told. With Eligor holding the flowers and he still having the box with the ring opened in his hand, it looked like a real proposal.

“Er…”

He tried to imagine that Eligor was Chastille, but it didn’t feel right. They didn’t look alike at all, his heart didn’t flutter the same way when he looked at her face… He couldn’t feel anything, so no words were coming from his mouth.

“Um… crybaby, no… Chastille.”

“Yes?”

“You see… um… I…”

Please marry me, I want to always be with you, be my wife, let’s always be together… It was what Barbatos wanted to say, but he couldn’t. He couldn’t say those words to a woman who wasn’t Chastille, even when Eligor was acting in good faith. She wasn’t the one he wanted to hear those words.

“My bad, Eligor, but I can’t do this.”

Barbatos was about to stand up when he heard a loud scream.

“You cheater!”

Chastille was standing at the other side of the alley, tears on her face, pointing her Sacred Sword at him.

“Stop it! Listen to me!”

“I have nothing to heard from a cheater!”

Heartbroken and blinded by rage, Chastille was pursuing Barbatos around town swinging her sword. Without his usual sorcerer’s robes, Barbatos was at clear disadvantage against Chastille, who was clad in her full armor, and yet he was standing his ground avoiding her attacks.

“I saw it all! You were kneeling proposing to that woman!” She yelled, crushing the magic circuits Barbatos was casting with his right hand.

“That woman was helping me propose to you later!”

“Huh!?”

“Caught ya!”

Taking advantage of Chastille’s moment of hesitation, Barbatos grabbed the Sacred Sword with his bare hand. The sudden smell of charred meat made Chastille go back to her senses.

“Barbatos! Let go of the sword!”

“I won’t until you fuckin’ listen to me!”

“But the Sigil…!”

A Sacred’s Sword aura was super effective against sorcery, so if Barbatos didn’t let go of the sword soon, the blade would cut his hand in half, losing the mark he had worked so hard to obtain.

“Who cares about a damn Sigil when you’re cryin’ like this!?”

Chastille realized that her face felt wet and her vision was blurry. Had she been crying all this time…?

“I’ll listen… So please, let go of the sword.” She said, loosening her grip on the handle. Barbatos also released the blade, making the sword fall to the ground with a clatter.

“Look at me.” He said, holding her face between his hands. “I said look at me!”

Barbatos was grimacing. The wound on his hand must be feeling really painful, and yet he was touching her skin as if his life depended on it.

“I don’t know why the hell were you there, but this is just a misunderstanding.”

“A misunderstanding…!? You were kneeling down… As if proposing to her!”

“I told you!” He roared. “What you saw was just Eligor helping me propose… to you!”

Chastille’s mind went blank for a moment. He had said something about proposing to her just a moment ago, but she was feeling so hurt and enraged that his words didn’t sink in until Barbatos had mentioned them again.

“Wait… To p-p-p-p-p-propose to me!?” She jumped in shock, her side-tied hair whipping around.

“Didn’t you hear me the first time!? And who the hell would I propose to if not you!?”

“Bu-… bu-… but…!” Chastille stuttered, her eyes twirling in confusion. “But Gremory came to my office and said… She said you have a paramour!”

“A para… what!? Wait, why would you believe anythin’ that old hag spits from her mouth!?”

Barbatos was right. Gremory wasn’t a bad person at heart, but she was known for messing around with other people's love lives. And yet Chastille had fallen for her antics, line, hook and sinker.

“Because I thought… I thought you grew tired of me because I got cold feet the other night and… and… you went to look for another lover…” She said, averting her eyes.

“Huh!? Ain’t no way I would cheat for that shitty reason, or for any reason at all!” Barbatos answered, grabbing her by the chin so she would look at him again. “And it’s not like I can’t wait until you’re ready for goin’ all the way!”

“Then… Why didn’t you come to see me these past weeks…?”

Tears streamed down Chastille’s cheeks again. She had felt so lonely. Ever since she discovered that Barbatos was guarding her, no day had passed without feeling his presence. He sometimes went silent, yes, and he sometimes disappeared and didn’t see him for days. But Chastille knew he was always there, protecting her, even when she couldn’t see him. Barbatos had become her sanctuary, and she felt helpless without him.

“‘Cause I was busy getting everything ready for your birthday!"

“You could have told me!”

”It was supposed to be a surprise, dumbass!”

“Even so…!” Chastille protested, gripping his clothes.

Barbatos was always hiding things from her, like how he was always putting himself in dangerous situations and getting hurt on his own. Chastille had seen Nephteros healing Barbatos while scolding him once, but she remained hidden and acted like she didn’t see anything. But that day she felt the same fear as when a certain incident happened some time ago… The same day her first love withered and the seeds of her new one began to sprout.

Chastille was afraid of dying and leaving Barbatos alone, but she was also afraid of being left behind.

“I thought… You had left me…”

“I’d never do that to you.” He said, wiping away her tears with his thumb. “That’s why… I forged you a ring, got flowers for you, put on these fancy clothes… All for you.”

“For me…?”

“You want to get married, yeah…?”

“I do but… How do you know that?” Chastille blinked in surprise. She had never talked about marriage with him.

“I could tell by the sad face you make every time you see other women getting married.”

“You could tell… only by that!?”

“How long do you think I’ve been lookin’ at your face!?”

Chastille’s face flushed in a deep red. Barbatos didn’t seem interested in any of the Church’s ceremonies, so she thought he wasn’t paying attention at any of the weddings officiated by her. If he had realized that, how many embarrassing things had Barbatos discovered about her…?

“Anyway…” He said, scratching his hair. That gesture must have hurt his injured palm, since his face twitched for a second. “I talked to your mom the other day and… she said you’d surely like being proposed to on your birthday, so…”

“And you want… to marry… me?”

“Why the hell would I be doin’ all this shit if I didn't wanna marry you!?”

Barbatos had done pretty crazy things for her, but Chastille never imagined that he would go to such lengths to grant her greedy wish. And she should feel happy about that, but the only thing she could feel was a lump in her throat.

“But I’m someone… Someone…!” Chastille said, clenching a fist against her chest. She also closed her eyes tightly, not wanting to see his black eyes.

Someone who was always causing him trouble, someone selfish, someone weak, someone ugly… Someone who wasn’t good enough for a kind-hearted man like him.

The sudden sound of rustling leaves made Chastille open her eyes again. Barbatos was holding a pair of flowers, one pink and the other red, with his right hand.

“You’re someone hella strong and powerful, passionate, but also kind, graceful and beautiful… You’re everything I lack.”

Chastille stared at his obsidian gaze as Barbatos spoke. Barbatos wasn’t a man who used flattery or gave compliments to others, ever, and he was sounding completely serious, so she was left speechless.

“And this is who I am.” Barbatos snapped his fingers and shadows surrounded him. When they dissipated, he was wearing his usual sorcerer’s robes. Barbatos then untied his hair and brought his other hand to his chest. “A scumbag, a villain, a coward, but I’m also someone who admires you… and the man who deeply loves you.”

“Uh…?” Chastille couldn’t believe her ears. Did she misheard…? She wanted to ask, but Barbatos kept talking.

“Passing up a woman like you would be the second stupidest thing I’d do in my life besides tryin’ to kill ya to get the mark on my hand.” He continued. “But if you still think I’m gonna cheat on you… Then gouge my eyes out, chop off my hands, claw out my heart… so I can’t look, touch or fall for any woman but you. The body my teacher wanted to steal, and my whole soul… I’ll give it to you. But in exchange…”

Barbatos lowered himself on a knee and held the flowers up to her, as if it was an offering. Then, the words Chastille never thought she would ever hear came from his mouth.

“Chastille, I love you and I want to be with you forever, so marry me… please.”

Chastille stood in place, mouth agape. Tears began to run down her cheeks, dripping on the ground, while Barbatos waited anxiously for some kind of answer.

“Crybaby…?”

“I love you more!” She said, jumping towards him to hug him tightly.

“Huuuuh!? No way! I’m the one who loves you the most!” He shouted, embracing her back.

“And no one loves you more than me! And I’ll say it as many times as needed!”

“Then I’ll tell you how much I love you every day!”

“You better keep that promise…!”

“Do you really think the great Archdemon Purgatory Barbatos can’t keep a promise!?” He roared, pretending to be offended. “Of course I’ll! And sorcerers never go back to their word, so you better be ready!”

Chastille kept bawling her eyes off while Barbatos patted her in the back. She had lost count of how many times he had supported her all this time, through thick and thin. And who cared if she was selfish for wanting him all by herself? He seemed to want the same, so nothing else mattered.

“Sorry for always being such a crybaby…” Chastille said, letting him go after -almost- managing to stop crying.

“Well, you’re my crybaby.”

“Hee hee, guess I am.”

Barbatos pulled Chastille in a kiss that took her breath away. She had missed his warmth so much that she wished that moment would never end, but there was an answer Chastille still needed to give him, so Barbatos let go of her and handed her the flowers once more.

“So…? Will you marry me or not…?”

Accepting the flowers Barbatos was offering to her, Chastille finally gave him her answer.

“Yes, I’ll marry you!”

“You mean it…?” Barbatos eyes’ widened, his mouth opening and closing in a daze.

“Yes, Barbatos! My answer is yes! Now and forever!”

Barbatos smiled in a way that Chastille had never seen, and he was about to embrace her again when they heard a loud scream behind them.

“SHE SAID YES!”

It was Manuela. She… No, everyone was there surrounding them, observing the whole scene. And everyone meant everyone they knew, both from Zagan’s castle and from the church in Kianoides.

Zagan had his mouth wide open, while Nephy was bawling her eyes off as Nephteros stroked her back. Even Kuroka was letting out a loud sob, standing between a teary-eyed Shax and Raphael, who was patting her head.

Eligor, the woman Chastille had mistaken as the one Barbatos was proposing to, had a smile on her face that looked as beautiful as a waning crescent moon. Vepar and a silver-haired girl were at her side, both wearing some strange attire, and she was wiping the tears dwelling in her violet star-shaped eyes.

Her mother, Serafina, was crying her eyes out as Ryan hugged her by the shoulders. Alfed and Torres, the other two Knights of the Azure Sky, were bewailing while embracing each other, and Richard was holding Rachel in his arms, who had her hands clasped and a trail of blood pouring from her nose.

“Congratulations, Horse Head, handyman!” Foll, who was flying above them, let out a trail of rose petals.

“Hooray for the happy couple!” Selphy cheered. At her side, Lilith was crying uncontrollably.

“Whaaaaah! I’m so happy for you, Chastille!” Lilith shouted, clapping with enthusiasm.

Lilith’s claps were the starting signal of a big ovation in the whole town. Furcas followed Lilith’s lead, and then Selphy followed him, and then Ain, and then Alshiera, Asura, Behemoth and Levia -well, they were making Phenex clap-, the twins Aristella and Dexia, Kuu and Madam Orias, Micca and Furfur, who was imitating him… And even Father Jonas was there, clapping cheerfully.

While Barbatos and Chastille were still holding each other, the whole city of Kianoides was resounding with cheers of congratulations for the new bride and groom, who had paled in shock.

“B-B-B-B-B-Barbatos…? Wha-wha-wha-what do we do…?” She asked, stuttering in panic.

“...I’m not goin’ through this shit again. We’re outta here, crybaby.”

“Don’t call me… Whah!?”

With a swift movement, Barbatos surrounded Chastille’s shoulders and grabbed her by the knees, fleeing from the scene and leaving the words of congratulations behind them.

The next day, the whole continent would be shaken with the announcement of the wedding of the Maiden of the Sacred Sword, Chastille Lillqvist, and the Archdemon Purgatory Barbatos, bringing end to a conflict that had lasted for hundreds of years. But that’s a story for another time.

“Kee hee hee! All was a success!”

In one of the church spires, an old fomorian was laughing soundly. Behind her, a black lion was holding his brow, his ears flattened.

“Miss Gremory… All would have gone well if they just followed the schedule planned by our liege.”

Nothing related to couples could escape her. Kimaris still didn’t know how Gremory had evaded her teacher’s clasp and found out about Barbatos wanting to propose to Lady Chastille.

“What’re you saying, Kimaris? Our liege is wise, but the couple of the century deserved a much befitting marriage proposal! And the whole city is overflowing with love power now!”

Zagan’s plan was a pretty simple one to follow, but it was true that Gremory stirring the waters had led to a much more emotional proposal.

“I’ll invite him for a drink later…”

That was the least he could do to apologize for Gremory troubling them, but thanks to that, Kimaris was asked to be the third “best man” in Barbatos and Chastille's wedding.

Chapter Text

It was the last day of Easter, and the Lillqvists had gathered together with other families in a large park in Liucaon to enjoy the sight of the cherry blossoms, all dressed in kimonos. Well, doing sightseeing wasn’t the only thing planned for that day. Barbatos wasn’t interested in taking part in any of the activities prepared for both adults and kids but, if lending a hand meant that his family could have a good time, then he would go along with whatever Zagan asked him to do.

Since it was Easter, the adults had organized something called “Egg Hunt”. The children and the not-so-children would paint boiled eggs, Barbatos would hide them in different spots throughout the whole park, the kids would go searching for them, and whoever found the most eggs would get a prize. Chastille said it was a tradition implemented by “Luthius Matthew” to represent the “rebirth of the most important Saint of the Church”, but the story felt so unappealing to children that it led to that kind of fun tradition.

Zagan told him to make sure everybody found the same amount of eggs so “everyone can get a prize”, so it would be a competition rigged from the start. Barbatos didn’t see the appeal of “hunting” for painted eggs, but at least his kids seemed excited for it. And if his kids were happy with it, he would be too.

“I never thought I would be wearing something like this at my age.” His mother-in-saw said cheerfully. Serafina was a grandmother of three grandchildren, and yet she blended in the group of kids painting eggs as if being a child herself. She was dressed in a shaded pink kimono similar to her daughter, and her joyful expression and carefree smile was making her look more like Chastille’s sister than her mother.

“Ku ku ku. With this spell circle, I’ll summon a powerful demon!” Sitri, his older daughter, was mumbling at his right side. The runes she was writing weren’t forming any pattern or incantation, so Barbatos just let her be. Her unruly hair was combed in two top buns, and it had taken them longer to style it than to dress her in today’s attire. The base of her kimono was black, while the flowers embroidered on it had different shades of pink, purple and white.

“Your strokes are too thick, you need to put less pressure.” Sitting on his left side, Dante, his middle son, was correcting another kid. He had a knack for painting and drawing, so he was acting like some sort of instructor. The kimono he was dressed in had a navy blue color, with red spider lilies drawn all over the fabric.

“That’s my son, just like his uncle Ves.” Chastille said, ruffling his hair, tied in a low ponytail. His mother’s words made his cheeks flush in a deep red, and Dante ducked his face in embarrassment. Dante had always been timid but, as he began growing up, he was becoming even more self-conscious of others' compliments.

Barbatos stared at Chastille. His wife looked really pretty wearing a pink kimono with her hair tied in a high ponytail. She had worn another piece of cloth called ‘yukata’ during their first time in Liucaon, and Barbatos had struggled to compliment her. Barbatos had a Memorandum of her wearing that kind of clothing, and his heart still pounded every time he looked at it.

That day, Barbatos had worn his sorcerer’s robe all the time, but for today’s outing Chastille asked him to dress up like everyone. He was more comfortable wearing dark clothes, so his kimono was a pretty simple one shaded in a dark navy blue color. Barbatos still wasn’t quite used to wearing other types of clothes that weren't his robes, but Chastille had looked quite pleased when she saw him wearing the kimono. Only that made the trouble of changing clothes worth it.

“Dada, done!” Sitting on his lap, his little daughter was holding a painted egg, looking at him with her shiny scarlet eyes, all proud. Her name was Dahlia and, since she was only three years old, her outfit looked more like a yellow flowy dress than a kimono. Manuela had adjusted it to be less restrictive for her tiny legs… and to prevent Dahlia from tripping.

“Good job, hon. Now we wait for everyone to finish.” He said, ruffling her scarlet hair, tied in a pair of lower buns. The egg had been painted in an amalgam of colors, but she looked so happy that Barbatos couldn’t help but smile seeing her cute face.

“‘kay!” Her daughter smiled brightly, kicking her feet in joy. Among their three children, Dahlia was the one who resembled Chastille the most, almost looking identical to his wife when she was little.

As they waited, Barbatos took a peek around his surroundings. Raphael was in another spot teaching how to hold a “tea ceremony”. Chastille was interested in it and asked Barbatos to join her, but both of them were instantly banned from participating. That got a big blow on her, but she recovered soon after joining the group of children painting eggs. Chastille was good with kids, and she knew how to handle them well.

At a different spot, Nephteros was teaching some children how to craft a flower crown. That sight reminded Barbatos of the time they got trapped inside the Hidden Elven Village, Titania's birthplace. Nephy was turned into a child, and they played games and sang for her. Well, not him, but the things he saw there were helpful when he became a father.

A loud ruckus took his attention from the dark elf. The bird woman was chasing the cat lady around, holding some strings… which were supposed to be clothes. In that spot, the adults were sitting, drinking alcohol, but Barbatos didn’t envy them. That oddball of a store clerk had approached the dragon brat and him earlier, asking if they wanted to dress as the “Easter Bunny”, taking out a well-known costume from a bag… And both of them excused themselves saying there was a place they needed to be.

Anyway, Barbatos would meet Zagan later to share a drink, so not being with the other adults wasn’t a big deal, and the one who ended up wearing a stuffed bunny costume was Michael after losing a “spell-sword-fist” game.

Speaking of the devil, Michael was approaching them holding several wicker baskets.

“Yo kids, is everything ready for the Egg Hunt?”

“Yes, Uncle Michael!” The kids cheered.

“Wrong! I’m not Uncle Michael! I’m the Easter Bunny!”

Someone burst into a loud laughter behind him. It was Stella, Zagan’s big sister from the slums, and Michael’s apprentice. One would think she should have more respect towards her mentor, but it was difficult to see the man who was supposed to be the strongest wearing that kind of costume and not laugh.

“One more time… Is everything ready for the Egg hunt or not?”

“Yes, Uncle Michael!” The kids repeated, and Stella laughed even more loudly.

“Argh… Whatever! The ones who are participating in the Egg Hunt, take these baskets and make groups!”

“We’ll see you later. Have fun with Zagan.” His wife gave him a quick peck on the lips and stood up, holding Dahlia by the hand. “Let’s go, children, Foll is waiting for us.”

“Bye-bye, dada!”

“Later, daddy! See me winning the Egg Hunt!”

“Mhm, see you later, daddy.”

“Have fun, kiddos.”

Barbatos waved goodbye and waited until everyone moved to the center of the park. Zagan said that, if the kids saw him sinking the eggs in the shadows, the mystery of the eggs magically disappearing would be spoiled.

And what the hell does he thinks I’m gonna do to hide the eggs…?

Better be done with it soon, or Zagan would nag at him for arriving late.

When the “Easter Bunny” gave the starting signal for the Egg Hunt, Barbatos snapped his fingers, spreading the eggs all over the place.

“C’mon. Take out the sake already.”

“Ha… You’re as bossy as ever.”

While the Egg Hunt was taking place, Barbatos and Zagan were sitting on a bench under the shade of a cherry tree.

“This tastes better chilled, so you better be grateful that I got outta my way to keep it cold.” His bad friend said, pouring him a drink from a black bottle.

Zagan took a sip and savored the alcohol. It had a tad of fruity flavor, but it left a dry taste in the mouth. Barbatos was right, the cold sake was delicious.

“Hmph, it would taste better with some smoked meat and goat cheese.”

“Yeah, yeah…”

As if expecting that reaction already, Barbatos took a plate of appetizers from a shadow and placed it between them. They would be eating more later, so the portions were just enough for them to have a little snack.

“How long has it been since we got together like this?” Zagan wondered.

Zagan had known Barbatos for more than two decades already. For long-lived sorcerers, that time meant nothing, but it was different from Zagan. Awakening without memories, the ones he first considered family were his big sister Stella and his big brother Marc and, after losing sight of them, he met Barbatos, his most long-lasting friend.

Well, Zagan didn’t consider Barbatos a member of his big family, but the three kids of his bad friend and his sworn ally were like nephews for him. Zagan had never imagined his sourpuss friend would ever carry a baby of his own blood in his arms, but not only had he fathered a child, but three. They still met almost on a daily basis, but taking care of his family was keeping Barbatos busy, so he didn’t have the leisure to ask Zagan to join him for a drink anymore.

“Dunno, since before my Dahlia was born, I guess?”

Sitri and Dante were born only two years apart, but Dahlia came years later like an unexpected surprise. Zagan only had his daughter Foll, so he couldn’t imagine the difficult task of taking care of a newborn while raising two more children. His bad friend truly deserved some praise for it.

“Oh, speaking of children, ain’t you gonna have kids someday with your elf?”

“Pfffff!?” At his bad friend’s words, Zagan spat out his drink.

“The hell you doin’!? This is good sake!”

“And what the hell are you saying!? Me? Having kids with my… my… my pure Nephy!?”

“Huh!? What’s so strange about having kids?” Barbatos said, tilting his head. "Or are you impotent?"

Zagan restrained himself from punching Barbatos. If they fought there, their family outing would be ruined for sure, and Zagan wasn’t foolish enough to pick a fight -that could last for days- against another Archdemon. Barbatos’ character had mellowed over the years, but he was stronger than ever. He, like Zagan, had a family to protect now.

“I’m not impotent!” Zagan roared. He was eager for more physical touch with his wife, but he still had trouble not passing out after a little skinship.

“You ain’t? What’s the reason, then?”

“It’s just that… things are fine the way they’re now.”

After a decade of solitude, Zagan had found in Nephy the woman he wanted to spend all his life with. And, soon after, Foll arrived into their lives, becoming their adopted daughter, and their family kept growing and growing, and his whole world changed forever.

Zagan had fought with claws and teeth not only for his family to live a peaceful life, but for his subordinates to be able to do so as well. With the passage of time, some of his aides had formed a family of their own, and what kind of king would he be if he couldn’t give them a safe environment to raise their kids?

“It’s not like I haven’t thought of having kids with my wife someday, but I want to enjoy my time with her for a little longer.”

Zagan couldn’t tell why, but he knew the relationship with his beloved wife would change forever once they became parents. He had seen it with his bad friend and Chastille, how both of them had grown closer and got it together for their kids sake. That wasn’t a bad thing per se, so perhaps Zagan was just scared of losing the type of life he had known since being with Nephy.

“Besides, we've our hands full taking care of Foll already.”

“The brat is still a brat, but she’s not a little brat anymore.”

Foll was a dragon, so her appearance looked much younger than her real age. But it was true that her beloved daughter had grown up, becoming a splendid sorcerer who was walking her own path. Zagan was happy for his daughter, but he also felt a pang of sadness seeing how his daughter didn’t need him anymore.

“And it ain’t the same." Barbatos continued. "Your daughter came with all her teeths inside her mouth. You haven’t gone through the whole experience of becoming a parent.”

“That doesn’t make her less my daughter.”

“That ain't the point.” Barbatos insisted, taking a sip from his cup. “Getting the big news, the morning sickness, the cravings, the spikes in her libido, her being even more clumsy, her waters breaking in the middle of the night, threatening with blowing up the whole place if they didn’t let me be with my wife during labor, and then holding your kid in your arms for the first time… Man, that changes you.”

Barbatos was more talkative than usual. Well, he became that talkative when he was drunk, so Zagan was more surprised by what he was saying than him being a chatterbox. Zagan had known more about Chastille’s pregnancies by Nephy than by his bad friend.

“And then the sleepless night, not knowing what to do to soothe your child when they don’t stop crying, the pain of colics and their teeth growing, their first steps, the ‘terrible two’, the ‘why’ phase…” Barbatos took a deep breath and then kept talking in a high-pitched voice. “Daddy, why is the sky blue? Daddy, what’s the mark on your hand? Daddy, why can’t I touch mommy’s sword? Daddy, why can’t I ask how babies are made? Daddy, why can’t I summon a demon? Daddy, why this, why that? Daddy, why, why, why?”

Zagan covered his mouth to suppress a laugh. To be fair, Foll had bombarded not only him and Nephy, but his subordinates and allies, with embarrassing questions as well. Children were curious creatures by nature.

“Well, you seem to have fun.”

“Of course, duh! They’re my little rascals.” Barbatos said, puffing out his chest. “And we’re making sure they have a better childhood than us.”

For Zagan, that was what being a parent entailed. Both Nephy and him had done their best for Foll to live like a normal child, so he could understand what his bad friend was saying. Almost no sorcerer had lived a normal childhood, Barbatos being no exception, and tragedy had hit the Lillqvists when Chastille was thirteen. It was natural for them to want their kids to grow up happy.

“But man, kids grow up so fast… Sitri is learning sorcery already.”

“Right… She’s ten already.”

Zagan learned sorcery after almost being killed by Barbatos’ teacher at the age of eight. His bad friend was ten at the moment, just like his daughter Sitri, and he was a genius who had been studying sorcery since the age of six, establishing the theories of leaping through space on his own. That’s why ten was the minimum age Barbatos had set for teaching her sorcery, no less.

“As someone who’s more experienced in parenting, let me give you a piece of advice. You’ve to let your children fly free.”

“I know, but…” Barbatos sighed, crestfallen, and Zagan patted him in the back to comfort him.

“Just accept it. At least one of your children was gonna pick an interest in sorcery. And they’re the same age as when we met, you cannot stop them.”

“Right, we were just a bunch of brats full of ourselves.”

“Speak of yourself…” Zagan murmured.

If Barbatos hadn’t kept boasting about being a prodigy only to lose to him every time, perhaps Zagan would have admired his bad friend’s talent… only perhaps.

“But a lot has happened since we met, huh? I’ll give you that, if we’re here today with our families, it's because you pestered me to no end.”

No matter how hard Zagan punched Barbatos, he kept coming back again, and again, and again. His bad friend never let him be alone, and Zagan found himself reminiscing about that time with a little fondness.

“Whaddya mean?” Barbatos asked, cocking his head.

“Well, it was thanks to you that I met Nephy.”

“Oh, right, you bought her in the Eldest’s auction.”

Zagan felt his face twitching. After falling in love at first sight, he had spent all his fortune buying his wife…

“Ha! Talk about a romantic meeting.” His bad friend added, bringing his cup to his mouth again.

“Says the one who kidnapped his future wife.”

“Pfffff!”

“Who’s the one spitting out the good alcohol now, you dumbass!?” Zagan grinned in satisfaction.

“Shut it! Or I won’t take out the second bottle!”

“Alright, alright…” Zagan said, lifting his arms as a sign of conciliation, and Barbatos took out another bottle of sake.

They talked about the past for a little longer until they saw their daughters approaching them. To be more precise, Foll was leading little Dahlia by the hand, both of them holding a wicker basket with some painted eggs placed inside. The two girls were wearing yellow tones on their kimonos, and together looked pretty cute.

“Dada! Uncle Zaan!” Dahlia shouted, waving her tiny hand. His niece had a little trouble pronouncing his name, so she called him ‘uncle Zaan’.

“Whassup, my lil’ flower?”

Even after all those years, Zagan wasn’t used to the always-cursing-Barbatos using sweet words, so he couldn’t help but reel back a little.

“I have something for uncle Zaan!” She said, a bright smile on her face.

“Uh? For me?” Her answer surprised Zagan, who was expecting that Foll had brought the little one to see her father, not him.

“Yup!” Dahlia rummaged inside her basket and took out an egg, painted in red and silver colors, and handed it to him. “For uncle Zaan!”

“Thank you, this is so nice of you.”

“Hee hee!” The little one giggled. It still amazed Zagan how she looked like a carbon copy of her mother.

From the corner of his eye, Zagan saw Barbatos furrowing. He probably was wondering why he wasn’t getting an egg from his own daughter, but Zagan ignored him. Zagan was more focused on Foll, who was all fidgety while Dahlia pulled her hand. He had a guess of the reason why.

“And this is from me…” Foll said, after a moment of silence, as she searched the contents of her basket. “...Uncle.”

Foll handed one egg to Barbatos. It had been painted in blue and golden colors, as if opposite to the egg Zagan had received.

“Uncle…?” Barbatos repeated, dumbfounded.

“Just take it!” Foll shove the egg ino Barbatos’ hand and took Dahlia away from them, who waved goodbye.

“Bye-bye, dada, uncle Zaan!” 

When they got out of sight, Barbatos looked at Zagan, still mouth agape.

“She called me… ‘uncle’…?”

“Don’t look at me with that face. Foll had wanted to call both you and Chastille ‘uncle’ and ‘auntie’ for a while.”

Zagan didn’t consider Barbatos a member of his family, but that didn’t mean he or Chastille hadn’t a place in it. His bad friend had his own family, and everytime they got together, it turned into a much bigger family. Zagan didn’t want to admit it, but the bonds he had both with his bad friend and his sworn ally sometimes felt like they transcended family ties.

“...Should I call you lil’ bro, then?”

“Ew, no way.”

The two eternal friends burst into laughter and enjoyed a third bottle of sake together.

The Egg Hunt ended in a tie, so all the children got rewards for their hard work. Barry and Zannie surely had something to do with that, even when they would never admit it. Both of them were such softies.

Hunting for eggs with the children had been so fun. Despite being one of the old women there, the kids accepted grandma like one of their own, even giving her a bunny headband to match them. But it was time for this grandma to spend part of the day with her family, her grandchildren and their closest friends.

In the last days of Easter, it was customary for godparents to buy a cake called “Easter mona” for their godchild. An “Easter mona” was a sponge cake filled with cream, chocolate or jam, covered with more cream and chocolate on top and decorated with candied fruits, chopped almonds, chocolate figures -like bunnies or eggs-, colored feathers and sprinkles. It was also common to place toy figures of popular children's story books characters on top to make them more appealing.

No one knew where or why such tradition started, but it was one of the customs followed by the Church, now enjoyed by sorcerers as well thanks to Barry marrying Chasty. Their union stopped the quarrels between knights and sorcerers, and grandma was so proud of them for doing so.

The Lillqvists began joining the tradition after their marriage, too. Even when they were devotees, the Lillqvists became some sort of black sheep among nobles after grandma’s husband died, and Chasty’s godparents didn’t want to have anything to do with her. Grandma had always wanted to buy her dear daughter a cake for this day, but money was always tight, so Chasty didn’t get to enjoy this tradition until her kids were born. Chasty was happy just enjoying a portion of her children’s cakes, but it wasn’t the same.

Well, grandma couldn’t turn back in time so, in exchange for not giving her daughter a normal childhood, grandma would make sure that her grandkid Lia would always receive a cake from her godparents every Easter until she grew up.

“Here, Lia, from your uncle Vivy and your grandma.”

Grandma didn’t expect to have a third grandchildren, so the big news came as a huge surprise. Grandma thought Chasty would ask one of her friends to be the godmother for Lia, and yet her daughter asked grandma to take on that role. Grandma accepted, of course, and teamed up with one of Barry’s closest friends, Vivy. Feli and Vivy looked so alike that grandma couldn’t believe he wasn’t another of Tintin’s children.

“Thank you, grandma Sera, uncle Vivy!” Her younger grandkid’s face lightened up seeing the enveloped cake.

“What a well-educated child. You’re welcome, Dahlia.” Vivy said. His azure eyes were looking at his goddaughter with fondness. Dressed in a white kimono, he looked like the snow lady one of Liucaon’s stories talked about.

“And this is for you, Dante.” Charron handed his godchild another enveloped cake with care. Rosie’s husband was always such a gentleman, and his indigo kimono suited him well.

“Mhm… Thank you, uncle Richard, auntie Nephteros.”

Her other grandkids’ had their own godparents as well. While her daughter Chasty was pregnant with Riri, grandma talked with Tintin about the matter of godparents. It was customary for the grandparents to act as the godparents, but both Chasty and her husband had people very important in their life, so they agreed on Zannie and Feli becoming Riri’s godparents, and for Rosie and Charron to be the godparents for the second child, Dandan.

“And for you, Sitri.” Feli said, handing Riri her cake. Both Feli and Rosie looked so cute with their baby blue kimono. It would have been nice to have a twin to dress up with.

“Thanks, auntie Nephy, uncle Zagan!”

“Here, Foll, take this from Barbatos and me.”

The last child to receive a cake was the older one, Valval, Feli and Zannie’s adopted daughter. It seemed Valval was much older than she looked, but she was still a child by dragon’s standards. That’s why, even when Zannie’s family didn’t follow the Church’s traditions, Feli asked Barry and Chasty to be her godparents. Chasty even cried when her friend asked her that. She must have felt very happy.

“Thanks for… the cake.”

“What? Actin’ all shy now? Didn’t you want to call her… mph!?”

“Shut it, handyman!” Valval had leaned over Barry to close his mouth with her hands. Valval's cheeks were flushed, so she must be feeling embarrassed about something.

“Hm? Call me what?”

“Nothing, Horse Head!”

“What? I’m still ‘Horse Head’…?”

“Don’t cry, mommy.” Dandan patted Chasty on the back, who had tears in her eyes.

“Hee hee hee, you are all really good friends.” Grandma couldn’t help but laugh. Chasty was making a really cute face.

“Indeed, as a fellow mother, I’m happy to see you all getting along so well.” Tintin said at grannie’s side. She looked so dignified with her peach kimono.

“Enough chit chat, let’s not make the kids wait.” Zannie, who was wearing a crimson kimono, always seemed cool and collected, but he was blushing a little. He also looked chipper after spending some time with Barry, and grandma was sure they had a lovely time together.

“Big bro is right. They’ve waited all day to eat the cake.”

“You sure look happy, dear.” Charron was right. Rosie had her cheeks reddened and her ears were quivering. Rosie's attitude sometimes resembled Barry’s, or so was what grandma thought sometimes.

“Hmrg…! Just open the cakes’ envelopes, kids!”

The kids did as told and cheered seeing the toy figures placed on top. They were the characters from a recently published story book where a group of animals befriended each other and went on adventures together. Lia had the hamster and the snake, Dandan the horse and the blackbird, Riri the dog and the nightingale, while Valval had two dragons, a green and a black one.

“Your dragons look nice, Foll.” Feli said, stroking her daughter’s hair. Her pretty golden eyes were filled with tears. Perhaps those dragons were her favorite characters.

“Yes… Thank you, auntie, uncle.”

Chasty let go of the knife she was holding, in shock, and Barry caught it before it stabbed the ground. Why was her daughter acting so surprised? Wasn’t it natural for Valval to call Chasty ‘auntie’?

“D-d-d-did you call me… ‘auntie’!?”

“It was the wind! Just hurry up and cut the cake!”

“Uh… Right, right! The cake!”

Or that was what Chasty tried to do, but she was so shocked that her hand couldn’t stop trembling and Charron had to take the knife from her to cut portions for everyone. What a gentleman.

Charron reminded grandma of someone from the past. That person had been Ves’ closest friend, his swordplay classmate, and his superior. And grandma would never forgive him for not bringing back her son alive.

Chasty had to take a sword when Ves died. The poor daughter of hers had to take on the role of an Archangel when she was only thirteen years old, and grandma was always scared of her meeting the same fate as Ves… But Barry had promised to always keep her safe, and now she was surrounded by family and good friends. Grandma was so grateful to Barry, who was her third son.

Please, Lord, let my family and their friends be always together, and let me see my grandchildren grow safe and happy.

Chasty wasn’t supposed to live long, but perhaps the Lord had mercy on her and gave her a husband that loved her more than anything in the world and good friends she could lean on. Ves didn’t have the same blessing.

“Dada, say ‘aah’.”

“I’m good, petal, you can have the last bite.”

Lia was still very young and Barry didn’t like sweets, so they were eating from the same portion of cake. Chasty had taught her kids that ‘sharing is caring’, and it seemed that Lia was offering the last bite to her daddy.

“Dada! Say ‘aah’!” Not accepting her daddy’s answer, Lia stood up, pouting, and brought her fork towards Barry’s mouth with insistence.

“Urk! Fine! Aah !” Barry chomped the piece of cake and gulped it down without chewing, which made Lia smile brightly.

“Yummy?”

“Uh… yeah.” His face didn’t say the same, so everyone couldn’t help but chuckle. Barry was always weak against his children.

“Then have a bite of mine!” Riri stood up and leaned over her daddy, followed by Dandan. 

“And mine too.”

“You brats! One was enough!” Barry protested, crossing his arms to hide his face.

“Rejecting your kids' kind offer? What a bad father.” Zannie said. He seemed to be having fun seeing his friend with his children.

“You shut… ugmph !?”

“Hee hee, take this!” Valval had shoved a piece of cake on Barry’s mouth, which took him by surprise.

“Yglbrthwgr !”

“Ha ha ha, don't talk with your mouth full, or you’ll set a bad example for your kids!” Vivy laughed, and everyone followed him.

Left with no choice, Barry had to gulp down Valval’s piece of cake, and his kids took that chance to make him eat part of theirs too.

It’s truly a blessing to be here with my family and friends. Grandma thought, feeling a warm sensation inside her chest.

And while the kids climbed over their daddy, making him eat their portions of cake, grandma couldn’t help but wonder something.

“By the way… Zannie, Feli, Rosie, Charron... When do you plan to have your own kids?”

For some strange reason, all of them choked on their food.

“The tea is ready.”

Chastille poured black tea over a cup with a scarlet band. It had been so long since she had a tea party with her husband after a long day that she was feeling a little nostalgic.

After putting the kids to bed, they had changed from their kimonos to nightwears. While Chastille had put on a pale purple nightgown, Barbatos had changed into a white loose shirt and linen dark blue pants. Her “always must be on guard” husband deserved to relax a little at home from time to time too.

“Come here.”

Taking her by the hand, Barbatos made Chastille sit on his lap and surrounded her waist with his long arms. Their kids liked to take turns sitting on his lap, but now it was Chastille’s turn.

“Hey, Chasty.”

“Yes?” Chastille turned to look at his face, and then felt something being placed in her hands.

“It's midnight. Happy birthday.” He whispered in her ear.

Right. Easter had fallen in the month of Arnaki and, if the date had changed, that meant it was the nineteenth of Arnaki, her birthday.

Chastille didn’t need to look at her hands to know what Barbatos had given her. Every year, he always gave her a pair of dahlias, pink and red. Instead of using a ring, Barbatos had proposed to her with those flowers on her twentieth birthday.

“Thank you… They’re pretty as always.” She said, caressing the flowers’ petals.

“You’re prettier. And I love you, now and forever.” Barbatos grabbed her by the chin and placed his lips on her, in a deep, long kiss.

“I love you too. Now and forever.” Chastille murmured when her husband let go of her mouth.

How much of a fool she had been, long ago, for thinking that he didn’t love her back. But her husband made sure that she knew how much he loved her, every day, as he promised. But only when they were alone, of course. Barbatos was still shy and would snap if he was teased too much about his feelings.

“A lot has happened, huh…?”

Who would have thought she would end up falling in love with this man and forming a family with him? Her old self surely didn’t.

Chastille had placed her duty above anything else, not having time for romance. But that didn’t mean she hadn’t given any thought at all. If asked, she would say that her ideal man was an upstanding gentleman… But her past self was a fool, because there was no one better than Barbatos, and she would choose him to be her husband over and over again. She was truly blessed to have met and fallen in love with him and for the family they had created together.

“Oh, could you grab something from my office, darling?”

“Huh? No way you’re thinkin’ about workin’ now.”

“It’s not about work! It’s a bouquet of flowers!”

“Flowers…? Whatever, gimme a sec.” Barbatos opened a shadow at his side, showing a big bouquet of flowers placed in the middle of Chastille’s desk. “This one?”

“Yes, please.”

Barbatos put the bouquet in the middle of the table tea. The flowers had different sizes and shapes, and their colors went from blue, orange, purple, yellow and white.

“I know you buy flowers for me every year, but this year I wanted to get some for everyone.”

“For everyone…?” Barbatos tilted his head, confused. “But it’s your birthday, so you're the one who should get flowers.”

“But that doesn’t mean I can’t celebrate having a family for my birthday, right?”

“Guess not.” He still didn’t seem convinced, but Barbatos was looking at the bouquet with curiosity. “But why these ones? Did you choose them based on if you liked them or what?”

“Magnolia told me to think about our family when choosing them… and this was the result.”

Barbatos said Magnolia was an oddball like Manuela, but for Chastille they were just passionate about their work. Magnolia had a peculiar way of talking, yes, and Manuela was always chasing girls to play dress-up dolls with them, but both of them had a good heart.

“This flower here with five petals is called ‘cinquefoil’, and it can mean ‘motherly affection’. When it’s yellow like this one, it also means ‘joy and vitality’.”

“Heh, just like mom.”

Her husband was right. Her mother was always showering them with affection, and kept remaining joyful… even after Ves’ death.

“And these are ‘sunflowers’, and mean ‘positivity’, ‘warmth… and ‘loyalty’, just like Ves.”

Ves was like the sun, warming everyone up with his bright smile. And he had remained loyal to his duty… until he met his end.

“Didn’t meet him, but if he’s your brother, guess you’re right.”

Chastille often wondered how things would have been if Ves was still alive. If he knew how Barbatos and she had met… Ves would have chased Barbatos like Sir Raphael still did with Shax.

“See these blue roses?” Chastille continued before getting lost thinking about the past. “Roses don’t get this color naturally, that’s why the blue ones mean ‘mystery’, ‘attaining the impossible’, and ‘being someone extraordinary’... just like you.”

“Huh? Like me?”

“Yes, like my dear husband.” She said, giving him a soft peck on the lips.

“Uh… These flowers ain’t that bad, I guess.” He answered, shrugging, but his ears were a little red.

Chastille really meant it. Barbatos was difficult to read sometimes and, when she met him, there were a lot of things she didn’t know about him. And she had seen him doing the impossible, so Chastille really thought Barbatos was an extraordinary person.

“Oh, the white ones here are called ‘myrtus’ or ‘mirtle’, and Magnolia said their meaning is ‘duty’, ‘purification’, ‘rebirth’, ‘purity’, ‘hope’ and ‘innocence’, but I don’t see them fitting any of our kids…”

“Of course not, duh. Those are your traits.”

“Mmm… I guess ‘duty’ suits me, yes.”

“You only see yourself in ‘duty’...? Tch.” Barbatos clicked his tongue, but Chastille didn’t understand why. She hadn’t said anything strange. “Ah, whatever, tell me about the purple one.”

“The purple one? It's called ‘clematis’, and it means ‘mental beauty’, ‘ingenuity’, ‘aspiration’, ‘travel’, and ‘mischief’.”

“Hah! Like our Sitri.”

As the first child, Sitri was a proud big sister, but she was also a little mischievous. Chastille had to scold her more than once for pulling pranks on others using sorcery, all while Barbatos cried of laughter… Like father, like daughter, so Chastille was sure there would be no place where Sitri wouldn’t set her foot in the future.

“What about the orange flower?”

“Oh, this one is called ‘marigold’ and it can mean ‘the beauty and warmth of the rising sun’, ‘passion’ and ‘creativity’, but it represents ‘life, death and resurrection’ as well.”

“Hm, it reminds me of our Dante.”

“You’re right. He’s a little quiet, but has this warm aura surrounding him…”

And sometimes he reminded her of Ves. Dante was pretty timid but, if Ves was the sun, Dante was like the sun’s rays piercing the clouds. Even when one couldn’t see it, its presence was always there, just like their middle son.

“Yeah. And this yellow one is another dahlia, right?” Barbatos said, pointing at it.

“Right, and when it’s yellow, it means ‘joy’ and ‘happiness’, as our little flower… don’t you think?”

“You’re damn right.”

Joy and happiness was what their third daughter brought to them when she was born. Sitri and Dante did it too, but raising Dahlia along with her brothers was being one of the jolliest experiences of her life.

“And to crown it all… ‘yellow azalea’, to represent our ‘family bonds’... Bonds that will last forever.”

“Hmph, not bad at all.”

“Hee hee, I want to put them as the centerpiece during dinner…”

Easter's holiday had ended, so that meant going back to work in the morning and celebrating her birthday later at night. Chastille couldn’t wait to celebrate with everyone once more.

“I wonder how much our family will grow…”

“Huh? Whaddya mean? Wanna have another kid?”

“No, three are enough.” Chastille said, shaking her head. “I’m talking about our kids growing up someday, getting married and…”

“Haaaaah!? Whatcha talkin’ about our kids getting married!? ”

“Why are you getting all worked up? Kids growing up and falling in love it’s part of life!”

“Like hell I’m lettin’ that happen!” He roared, making the whole house shake.

“God, why are you always so…!?”

Their quarrel went on and on until a knock on the door made them stop. Her husband had made sure their time alone at night wouldn’t be interrupted by surprise, and the kids knew they had to knock or the door wouldn’t open. The whole bedroom was soundproofed, so they must have awoken by the house's pillars shaking every time Barbatos yelled.

“Ha… Come in, kiddos.”

Sitri and Dante were holding Dahlia by the hands, and the three of them looked rather sleepy. They had spent the whole afternoon and part of the night playing and running with the other kids, and they had fallen asleep even before the outing ended and Barbatos had to take everyone back home.

“Sorry, sweethearts, did we wake you up?”

“Daddy made the house tremble again…” Sitri protested. Her rebellious hair was covering half of her face, and she looked quite annoyed for having been woken up.

“Uh… My bad.” Barbatos said, apologetically.

“Mama, uppy.” Dahlia let go of her siblings’ hands and ran towards Chastille, stretching her tiny arms towards her. Chastille was still sitting on Barbatos’ lap, so he ended up holding both his wife and her daughter at the same time.

“You can sit on my lap too, Dante.” Sitri grinned, tapping the chair supposed to be for Chastille.

“I’m not a kid…” Dante protested, and yet he didn’t put up any resistance when his big sister hugged him so he wouldn’t fall off from the chair.

“Guess we got some unexpected guests at our tea party!”

Or so Chastille thought, but the kids had fallen asleep again, Dahlia hugging her mother, and Sitri and Dante leaning over the table.

“Should I put them back in bed…?”

“How about sleeping together tonight?” Chastille suggested. “The bed is big enough for everyone.”

And the times they could do that were limited. No matter how much Barbatos threw a fit over that matter, their children would grow up and leave the nest someday.

“Then let’s gulp down the tea and go to bed.”

The tea had gotten cold, and yet it never tasted so delicious.

“Now then… Is everyone in bed?”

“Ye… ah… nnnggg…”

Chastille chuckled softly. Barbatos must have been pretty tired too, since he fell asleep just after plopping down in bed hugging Sitri and Dante, who were sleeping deeply. Dahlia was holding her tightly, mumbling something in her sleep, and she smiled when Chastille gave her a kiss on the forehead.

Looking at her family sleeping soundly together, Chastille couldn’t help but smile too. She was sure that, no matter what the future had in store for them, they would always be together, forever and ever.