But then she thought twice about it.

A daydream, uh ?

What was the devil dreaming about ? Sissy realized she didn’t know much about Nate. According to the worm, they had grown distant since their mother left and communication between the siblings had slowly died out. The worm’s description of their relationship was rather straightforward.

Nate still cared deeply about his little sister but couldn’t show it due to Peter’s meddling. Sissy viewed her older brother as her father’s little protégé and was both envious of their bond and profoundly hurt by it. She felt like Nate had betrayed her by siding with his father. Nate, on the other end, wanted nothing more than to leave this house and be free of his father’s influence.

Sissy held back a frown. What influence could Peter possibly hold on this world’s mastermind ? The devil had chosen to be a victim in his own scenario. There had to be a kick to it. She tried to remember what Sarah’s daydreams looked like. As memories started to come to mind, she suddenly decided to shift her focus somewhere else. Somehow those memories made her feel uneasy - a slave bought by a fucking duke ? Are you serious ? An emperor falling for a maid ? Was power imbalance in relationships a common fetish ? She had questions, and she wanted none of the answers. The thought crossed her mind like a shooting star. Was Nate in a relationship ? Her mind dove deeper into the rabbit’s hole. Was this world a badly made stage for a love story ?

Sissy stopped walking.

Really ? Was the devil dreaming about love ? What about loving this lowly one enough to let her go ? Fuck, don’t - she caught herself. Sissy felt those parasitic thoughts she had sometimes would be the end of her. She needed to stay calm. The material she was born from was corrupted, but her mind itself was clear. There was only one path forward. Find the “dirty thing”. She abruptly realized she had never asked the devil what he meant by that. Somehow she felt like he wouldn’t tell her if she asked. Then how to find it ?

She started walking again.

She let her mind wander for a while, not settling on anything in particular. Eventually hunger showed itself again. Sissy didn’t have the habit of eating, so she hadn’t had breakfast this morning. She deeply regretted it on the way home.

If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

**

She had grabbed ice cream on the way. This world had too many ice cream trucks - and no proper currency. She had found a couple of coins deep in her pocket, they were smooth of any marking. The ice cream guy didn’t count them. She just dropped it in his hand and the transaction was over. Then she had to wait for a bit; she tried not to stare at him. When he finally handed her the ice cream, she barely said “thanks” before leaving.

Creepy things were creepy.

When Sissy finally neared her home, she saw someone rushing out the front door. That wasn’t her father from looks alone. She was too far to see their face but it looked like a boy Nate’s age. The frown she held back earlier came back. She was trying not to let emotions show on her face anymore, so she lowered her head and walked the rest of the way home staring at her own feet. When she put her sticky fingers on the handle, Nate suddenly opened the front door - tears in his eyes.

Her whole face twisted.

The devil’s expression of pain immediately dissipated; fear flashed in his eyes. He avoided her gaze.

“You came home early,” he said while raising a hand to hide his face.

“Not really.”

What the fuck ? Sissy’s whole body was tense. She found it hard just to speak; at the same time, she found it hard not to.

“So that’s your taste ?”

The words escaped her as if waved out of her mouth by a magic spell.

“Does Peter know ?”

The devil finally met her eyes.

“He doesn’t need to.”

“Maybe he does.”

They stared at each other for a while. Something slowly shifted in the devil’s eyes; his fearful and confused look changed to one of subtle appreciation. His whole demeanor changed along. Sissy was stuck on the same page. So he was really fucking Peter back then ? The devil cupped her face with both hands.

“Did you eat ?”, he laughed in a short breath.

“Hm.”

“Really ?”

“I don’t know,” Sissy admitted.

A love story. This really was a love story. This world was built from the devil's romantic delusions. Worst, it involved minors. What was she doing here ?

“I’ll make you something.”

In Sophie’s life, Nathan always wanted to be the one to feed the dog. The memory flashed through her mind as she stayed there, a blank look on her face from shock. Finally she moved.

“Okay,” she mumbled while taking Nate’s hands off her face.

“It won’t take long.”

“Okay.”

The devil smiled.

“You’re so easy.”

Fuck you.