Leviathan’s tail had done more damage than anyone expected. Lucious’ injury turned out to be only a graze, but it was enough to knock him unconscious.

Mara couldn’t understand these little men with over-sized heads. No matter how much they spoke (and they were quite eager to do so), the language was alien to her. It was all about Lucious’ condition, she knew that much, but that was as far as her understanding went. Eventually, a kind looking, wrinkled faced elder, waved his thumb up and gave his brightest, toothless smile. Lucious was going to be alright. She sighed with relief, to her own surprise.

The grey servants came with the change of clothes like Lucious had mentioned, and she wondered if he had summoned them just before he went down. In a small chamber with a shower and some towels, she washed off the blood and changed into a long informal gown, and a light cardigan. Still too elegant for anything that she would ever wear, but much more comfortable.

She opened the door to rejoin Lucious then froze when she saw him. There he was, lying in a small bed, unconscious and... for the first time, not wearing a mask. That's right, he had taken it off before he fell.

She looked around, but they were alone.

She forced a deep breath, not only to calm herself, but to repress her raging curiosity. This was her masked kidnapper, her Shinigami, sprawled there, defenceless! She hadn't realised how much she wanted to see his face until this very moment.

There probably wouldn’t be another opportunity like this.

She approached as quietly as possible and sat beside his bed. His features were more delicate than expected. His skin was fair and now had a healthier colour; and his lashes were long, as she looked closer. His tousled hair around his horns and forehead made him look as young as she had imagined, perhaps only a few years older than her. Either way, he was too young to be so bitter and serious all the time! She let her eyes take him in, engraving the sight of him in her mind, thinking of his blue eyes when she had seen them before he fell, putting them together with the rest of his face. He looked too serene; defenceless and unburdened, not matching the villainous image he had been showing her. Maybe what he had shown her this evening, that softer tone, that concern, perhaps that was more like him. She tried to imagine different expressions he had been making all this time.

Based on what she’d seen at the banquet, she admitted she expected something bizarre about his face, but it was quite the opposite. He was arguably one of the most handsome men she had ever seen so close, and she had seen many, through her Art classes. No, handsome didn’t quite cover it. He was… Aaargh! She shook her head; he wasn’t even human!

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She looked at him again.

There was also something familiar about him, she had to admit, though she couldn't quite pin the thought. If he only opened his eyes, she might get a better sense of him. No, he was deep in his slumber.

He had pulled her from her life, kept her here captive, and still refused to give an explanation.

She should despise him.

Yet the hate just kept slipping father away, making itself more difficult to hold on to. Just before he passed out, it seemed like he had a genuine concern for her; over her guilt. Despite everything, he had calmed her. Right now, it was as if he was two different people. Which side of him would he show her once he woke?

I could never make you my servant.

Her heart thumped.

With both hands, she clapped her cheeks. Wake up, Mara!

He is a demon!

Not just any demon, he’s the Devil’s son! The prince of Hell!

How could she even let herself feel anything for him?

Was she wavering? Was she trying to find goodness in a demon prince?!

He had kidnapped her. She had to find out why, and then focus on getting herself home, that was all there was to it.

He was being more forthcoming after the attack, so this could be an opportunity to get him to trust her, to talk more to her, maybe even get him to send her home… somehow. The opportunity was there, but she had no idea how to use it to her advantage. Most of her life had been about fending off people, not draw them in. Her social skills were close to zero (or in this case, manipulation skills, but those were at a drastic sub-zero level, she sighed).

Her recent dreams of Louis. That had to be the starting point, but the thread was lost again. The banquet resulted in a fruitless effort to find him. If he was a demon in his human form, maybe he would’ve been easier to spot, but she couldn’t recall seeing any other human-looking demons besides the royals. Maybe Lucious was right and there was no Louis. Maybe he was from somewhere else, or her memories were still all jumbled and playing tricks on her.

Too many maybes!

She would talk to Miina next time. She hid it well, that one, but she was far smarter than she let on. She might come up with another idea to help find Louis.

As she wondered about her meagre options, Mara let her eyes rest on Lucious.

It took a while, but she finally noticed it.

With the long neck collars he always wore, it was covered, but now he was shirtless. She saw it plainly: the small diamond shaped tattoo on the right side of his collarbone.

That symbol, on that exact spot… she was certain she had seen it somewhere before.