Asmodeus whisked Melody back to their shared room before anyone could really protest, including Melody herself. It was already known that he would be helping her with her preparations, and so no one thought anything was out of place about this. But, since everyone knew where they were going, Melody tried not to be too worried. If they took too long because something bad happened, she was sure someone would come looking to see what happened.

As it turned out, however, there was no real need for worry. Despite Asmodeus’ earlier words, he was almost professional as he helped Melody get ready. The beautiful outfit he had helped her pick out was finally peeled out of its case, all the accessories lined up on her bed. He waited with quiet patience for her to get into the dress, and didn’t even try to flirt as he helped cinch it all up and get it properly settled on her. And though Melody kept expecting him to do, or say, something that would make her uncomfortable, it never happened. Still, she could see the blush across her face as she sat in front of a mirror and watched her reflection while Asmo did her hair and makeup.

By the end of it, she looked like she had stepped out of a fancy movie, maybe even a fairy tale. It was a suitable comparison, considering Asmo had earlier likened the castle to something out of such a story. She had never been so dolled up before, and she couldn’t help but touch her cheeks, just to make sure the version of herself in the mirror mimicked the gesture. Even though she was far from being a child, and had left her awkward teens behind her some time ago, she always felt younger than she was because of how her siblings treated her. But, dressed this way, she felt more like a woman than a girl, and it wasn’t exactly the most comfortable feeling. At the same time, however, she felt a thrill of elation run through her.

“I told you that you should stop hiding behind all those loose and baggy clothes, didn’t I?” Asmo said as Melody stood up. She could only nod at this, still not completely certain that she wanted to be dressed up this way more than on very rare occasions. Still, she was glad to not be a disappointment. “Well, then, let me escort you back to the ballroom,” he said, extending an arm. Timidly, Melody took the offered arm, and the two of them returned to the hall.

To Melody’s surprise, everyone looked the same as when she left them. She almost pulled away from Asmodeus, panic starting to well up inside her. Was this a joke? Why was she the only one dressed up? But, if it was a joke, why such an elaborate and expensive one? Asmodeus held her firmly in place, but not to the point of hurting her. Glancing down at her expression, his eyebrows went up.

“You look good, Melody, don’t fret,” he assured her. “I always stand by my work, and I’ve done a wonderful job, if I do say so myself.”

“But… I’m the only one dressed up!” she almost wailed, keeping her voice to a low whimper instead.

“Oh!” Asmodeus couldn’t help but giggle. “Don’t worry about that right now; you’ll see soon enough.” Gently letting go of her arm, he took a few steps away. “Speaking of which, that’s my cue to go. You go on inside.” He sprinted off, and she soon lost sight of him. Hoping that he was right, she stepped into the ballroom, her heart hammering with nerves. Diavolo spotted her from the center of the room, and nodded his head.

“All right then, here we go…”

The room went black; Melody couldn’t see anything at all, and for a moment her panic nearly doubled in its intensity. Seconds later, a slight popping sound could be heard, and the room slowly grew brighter from a thousand little motes of light, sparkling and growing, until she could see the room properly again. The room itself hadn’t changed, but the occupants had. Not only were there a lot more of them, but…

Melody didn’t know where to look. The room was now packed with people in full demon form. Her eyes had been on Lord Diavolo last, and as she adjusted to the light again, she could feel her cheeks grow red. Instead of being so completely covered up in a stiff uniform, he now looked every inch a demon Prince. Even his hair and skin had changed to hues that no one would see on a human being; his hair was brilliant like a cardinal, his skin almost a charcoal color. He had two pair of magnificent dragon-like wings, and a very impressive set of horns. His clothes left… little to the imagination as far as his physique went, though Melody wasn’t sure exactly what he was wearing. There was a lot of black and gold, and the tight collar around his neck looked elaborate, expensive, and hard to put on. Yet, even with all this, he still wore the same affable smile as ever. She hated to stare, but she couldn’t pull her eyes away either.

“Well then, let the dance begin! Everyone enjoy yourselves!” Diavolo’s words seemed to set the room in motion, bodies moving as people started to ask each other to dance, a swirl of unfamiliar faces moving around. Melody found herself getting lost in the sea, her panic now being of a different sort. Where were the angels? Where were her pacted demons? Mixed in with the crowd, she saw some familiar demon forms: Leviathan, Beelzebub, and Lucifer. This was only partially comforting. Before she had seen them in brief moments when the demons in question were angry and had been a definite threat to her. Now they were surrounded by other demons in a formal setting, not even looking her way. Demons who were strangers felt far more dangerous now than back in RAD, where they had all looked human. Now some of them leered at her, making her wish she could run and hide. It was tempting, and she tried to weave her way through the crowd, vainly trying to find the door until…

“…Yo, Melody.” Melody heard Mammon before she saw him; her head eagerly turning towards the sound of the familiar voice. What she saw was not what she was expecting either. While she had been aware that the brothers were all quite good looking, Mammon’s demon form was… surprising. Usually she didn’t stand that close to someone showing so much skin. She didn’t even know how to describe what he was wearing except that there were a lot of belts involved. His horns were sleek and upright, curled in a tight twist. He had bat-like wings, with spikes on the joints, that hung low on his body… and they weren’t the only things that hung low; his pants looked about to fall off, causing her to blush harder. While he didn’t look threatening, she was sure that if she hadn’t met him before seeing his demon form, she would have been completely intimidated. But, the way he was blushing as well, made it hard to be too worried.

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“Um, like… you know… Uh, I mean, like… uh…” Mammon was stuttering pretty badly, and rescued himself by throwing in a laugh. “L-Like you’ve gotta have weird tastes to ask a human like you to dance. I’m guessin’ no one here’s gonna do that, huh?” He laughed a bit more. Melody wished he didn’t feel the need to push himself away so hard. “…So y’know, as long as you don’t have a partner, I guess I could maybe go ahead and pair up with you for a li’l bit.”

“Mammon, why not just admit that you want to dance with Melody?” Satan said, chuckling at his older brother’s expense. This was the first time Melody was seeing his demon form as well. He was far more covered up than Mammon or the Prince, not showing any more skin than usual. His clothes weren’t so much startling, as confusing. She wasn’t sure what those oddly intricate knotted ribbons were for. But his double-curved horns and rather vicious looking tail were definite signs that he was in demon form. He didn’t seem to have wings, but he had a large feather boa slung around his neck that he definitely didn’t have prior to the change.

“You’re such a lo…” Leviathan began, but then seeing Melody’s rather stricken expression, he changed his words a bit, “such a liar! And a total tsundere!” He was still laughing at Mammon as well, but his words weren’t as harsh as they usually would have been. Melody was glad to get a better look at Leviathan’s demon form this time around, though she still felt a split second of apprehension at the sight of his tail. But, here in the bright light of the ballroom, she thought it looked rather majestic. Not that Levi was likely to believe her if she said as much. Still, she appreciated his redirection, and she smiled at him. Catching the smile, he blushed and hid his face behind his hand.

“GRRRRR! Get outta here, both of you! Shoo! Shoo!” Mammon grumbled, trying to wave away his two younger brothers as they heckled him. Mammon hadn’t completely sorted out how he felt about Melody, warring between his Greed claiming her as his property, and the warm way he felt when she thanked him, or tried to nudge his brothers away from picking on him. She was nice, not because she had an angle, but because she was truly a kind person. That sort of thing was rare in the Devildom. Rare meant precious, and that started the cycle of questioning his Greed all over again.

Another laugh stopped any further words from Mammon. Lucifer had approached the small group. Melody had to force herself from shrinking back. While both Beel and Levi had hurt her in their demon forms, Lucifer’s attack had been the most recent, as well as the one with the most intent. He hadn’t simply lost his temper, he had spoken at length about his anger, trying to force her to make an impossible choice. It was… not a good memory. And while she doubted that the circumstance would be repeated, the sight of him was unnerving. But, she couldn’t deny that, out of the gloomy atmosphere of the crypt, and away from the near-death experience, Lucifer was quite a sight to behold.

“Melody, come dance with me. Now.” His words were imperative, the kind that no one could ignore. His expression was completely assured; he knew that Melody had little choice. Even though she would have rather danced with Mammon, she found herself taking Lucifer’s extended hand, clothed in its red glove, before she could even consider the option. Was he that commanding a presence, or was she that afraid of him? Melody didn’t know, but she gave Mammon an apologetic look as Lucifer guided her to the dance floor. Dimly she was aware of Satan and Levi teasing Mammon a bit, but they seemed so far away now. “Do you know how to dance?”

“No, not really,” Melody admitted. But Lucifer didn’t even show a trace of annoyance. In fact, he smiled.

“No problem. I’ll lead,” he said putting his hands in place, one around Melody’s waist, and the other holding her hand. As he guided her into a proper dancing position, and walked her through the steps, he continued to talk, his face going neutral. “In general, there are all sorts of reasons why one might ask someone else to dance. For example, they might be interested in them, they might want to touch them, or they might simply be doing it out of politeness.” Melody wondered where he was going with this, but out of the three, she could only guess the last one would be anything close to accurate. Lucifer wasn’t finished, however. “Or it could be because they want to have a private conversation.”

“I’m…” Melody was at a loss for words. There had been ample time for Lucifer to discuss things with her at any other point of the day. At least, she thought he was in enough of a position to make the time if it was necessary.

“I didn’t ask you to dance to lecture you,” Lucifer said, removing any need for Melody to continue to flounder. “Think of it as a warning instead.” He chuckled, the sound a bit dark, as the two of them glided against the dance floor. Although Melody didn’t know the dance, Lucifer’s skill at it was so great, he could guide her with just the right pressure here or there; the experience was almost dizzying.

“Warning for… what?”

“Ah. The warning is not meant for you,” Lucifer clarified. “I saw your expression when you realized you were in a room full of demons, many of them unfamiliar. You are right to be afraid, Melody. But, by dancing with you, I am showing that I am completely aware of who you are. That I have chosen to dance with you first, above anyone else, means that you are important and not to be touched.” He lowered his voice slightly, pulling Melody closer as the song shifted slightly. Melody’s heart rate sped up significantly. “Although I am fully aware you are likely not comfortable with this arrangement, it is the best way to get my point across. Mammon may be the second most powerful, but he doesn’t command the same respect.” For once, Lucifer was not speaking of Mammon to insult him; it was simply a fact.

“I… I understand,” Melody said. She could feel her face grow pale. As much as Lucifer and his brothers were meant to keep her safe, the room was full, and it would be easy for her to get lost, especially in such a large crowd. She was shorter than most demons, and didn’t have any extra horns or wings to help her stand out. The brothers might not be able to see her, let alone reach her, in time if someone were to try something to harm her. And yet, at one point, Lucifer had been the one she needed saving from. It was a lot to think about. Fortunately, Lucifer didn’t press the conversation further, and the two of them finished the dance in silence.

“…Pardon me.” The sound of Solomon’s voice behind her made Melody instinctively grip Lucifer’s hand tighter, the comfort-seeking motion making even the Avatar of Pride’s eyebrows flick upwards a trifle. “Well, looks like a new song has started. I’d love the chance to dance with Melody. Might I cut in?” Although Melody was tempted to say no, she also didn’t think that Lucifer would dance another round with her; surely he had many other demons he wished to dance with… or felt an obligation to dance with. She remembered Beel speculating that Lucifer probably didn’t enjoy the dances, per se.

“…Fine. I get the feeling that you’ve gotten the message and you understand what I’m telling you, Melody. I’m glad we got to have this little talk,” Lucifer said pleasantly, letting go of Melody with a graceful step back, adding a slight bow to the process. It was a mere formality of the dance, not a sign of respect or subservience. Still, his dark eyes conveyed that the warning was meant for Solomon too, not just the demons. No one was going to harm her tonight. Melody didn’t know how to execute a proper curtsy, but she made a basic attempt; she doubted that Lucifer would mock her for it in this instance. Pride had to know when to let the other person save face as well. Too bad it wouldn’t save her from having to face Solomon.