Lucifer opened the passenger side door and held out his hand. Without hesitation, his Baby Girl grabbed hold and stepped out of the car. Cameras flashed as he pulled her to him and snaked his arm around her waist.
Questions and summons were shouted from all directions,
"Milord! Milord!"
"Is this her?"
"Princess! Over here!"
"Young Lord, is this your wife?"
"Milady, look this way!"
"Milady! Do you love the Prince?"
"Is it true you were forced to marry him?"
"Where did you come from?"
The questions came from all around, and Lucifer could feel his Baby Girl tense, "Ignore them for now. I'll handle the questions later." He whispered in her ear, "All I need you to do is walk that sexy little ass up those steps with the poised presence of a Princess." He instructed as he felt a hungry growl in the back of his mind, but that was all. So far, his demon was behaving as promised.
She chuckled a bit but straightened up, holding her head high, and they began their walk towards the entrance as the onslaught of questions continued around them. As they made their way up the few steps, the doors of the restaurant were pulled open for them, and a very tall, very skinny woman dressed in a well-tailored suit greeted them,
"My Young Lord." Her surprisingly shrill voice hailed as she bowed almost at a perfect ninety-degree angle, "Such an honor to have you and your beautiful wife joining us this evening." She then turned to his Baby Girl, repeating the impressive bow, "Princess, it is an indescribable pleasure to make your acquaintance. Your beauty is beyond anything I could have envisioned."
"Thank you." She replied, and Lucifer could smell and see her awkwardness.
"Kathrine Ann, this is Lilliana. She owns this restaurant. It's been in her family since its founding." Lucifer explained.
"It's a pleasure, Lilliana. My Prince has told me excellent things about the food. I'm quite excited to see what's on the menu." She replied politely.
"I will not disappoint you, Milady. My grandfather established Lilliana's, and I grew up learning how to cook and perfect the cuisines for many different worlds from both him and my mother." She explained.
"Did you're grandfather name the restaurant after you?" His Baby Girl asked.
"My grandmother, Milady. I was named after her." Lilliana explained.
"How lovely."
Lucifer cleared his throat, "Our table please, Lilliana."
"Of course, Young Lord. Please, right this way. I have prepared the chef's table for you, and I will be cooking your meal."
"No," He objected, "This is our first night out as a couple. We wish for something more intimate." He explained, "Away from nosey spectators."
"Of course, Young Lord. I have the perfect table." She smiled. Seemingly unphased by his sudden request, she snapped her fingers, and a small, young woman dressed in a dark blue collared shirt with a black tie and an apron wrapped around her waist quickly popped up almost out of nowhere. Lilliana whispered something into her ear, and she was gone just as suddenly as she appeared.
Lucifer and his Baby Girl were led past a large dining room, up a set of stairs, past another smaller room full of tables and gawking onlookers, and finally through a door and into a small room. It was, in fact, a very intimate space with one wall completely missing allowing full access to a balcony that overlooked a vast lake behind the restaurant. His Baby Girl pulled away, walked out onto the balcony, and gazed off at the setting suns over the water while Lucifer took in the rest of the room. A small, fully dressed table clothed in dark blue and positioned in the middle of the room. By the door, a long wooden table butted up against the wall, and in the corner, a small fireplace was lit and burning softly, giving a pleasant warmth to the exposed room,
"Will this do, Young Lord?" Lilliana asked with yet another bow, barely passing the threshold.
"Yes," He smiled, watching his sweet little doll bask in the fading light of day, "I want the table stripped. All plates, glasses, and cutlery will be washed and handled only by my guard. Anything that enters this room goes through him first." He ordered, and with another snap of Lilianna's fingers, two servers quickly entered the room and did as he asked, leaving only the tablecloth.
"I will send your server as soon as your guard arrives, Young Lord." She bowed and followed the servers out of the room.
Lucifer walked across the room and out onto the balcony with his Baby Girl,
"So are they after you are me?" She asked as he leaned forward, resting his forearms on the railing.
"Who?" He replied, looking out over the lake.
"Whoever's playing with poison." She clarified, turning her beautiful green eyes on Lucifer.
He just smiled, keeping his eyes ahead of him, "Get used to it, Baby Girl. This is standard practice. Where there is power, there are those who wish to take it."
"You still haven't answered my question." She reminded, but just then, the door opened, pulling both their attention to the small female server from earlier, who bowed to them.
Milord, Milady. May I bring you some drinks?" She asked with a curtsey as Lucifer now leaned back against the railing.
"My guard?" Lucifer countered.
"In the kitchen, Milord. He sent me to get your drink order." She explained.
Lucifer nodded, pushing himself up, but his Baby Girl turned her eyes back to the lake to watch the last bit of light fade on the horizon.
After ordering drinks, Lucifer walked to the table, unbuttoning his jacket,
"Oh, and no cubes in the waters." He added as the server reached the door. "Come sit, Baby Girl, before you freeze out there." He called to her, slipping his arms out of the sleeves.
He carefully and neatly draped the jacket over the chair back before walking to the fire and tossing in another log. His Baby Girl turned from the railing and did as he asked. As she reached her chair, Lucifer pulled it out for her to sit.
"Such a chivalrous Devil." She chuckled as Lucifer pushed in her chair.
"Manners are a requirement for a proper society." He informed, taking his seat across from her.
The door opened again, but this time, Thron pushed a small cart into the room, his jacket folded over the side, and his sleeves rolled up to his elbows. He began unloading cutlery, plates, and glasses onto the long table by the door without a word. As he worked, their waitress returned with a tray holding a bottle and a decanter. She placed the tray on Thron's table and walked over to the couple, bowing low once she approached.
"My Prince, Princess, Lady Lilliana wishes me to tell you that she has begun on your first course, and it will not take long. May I get anything else for either of you while you wait?"
"No, you may leave." Lucifer shooed, barely giving the girl a side look.
"We're fine, thank you, sweetie." His Baby Girl added, and a faint smile crossed the young girl's face before she bowed again and left, "Hum, where did those manners we were just speaking of go?"
Lucifer rolled his eyes as Thron approached the table, a drink in each hand.
"Milady." He bowed his head, placing her drink down before repeating the gesture towards him, "My Prince."
Before she could grab the glass, Lucifer snatched it from her. Her eyes snapped to his as confusion and annoyance filled the space between them. He gave it a quick sniff and took a solid pull before placing it down in front of himself while his Baby Girl stared at him questioningly.
"So, may I have my drink back, or should I ask Thron for another pour, my greedy Prince?" She inquired after a moment.
"In a minute," Lucifer answered pointedly.
"Right?" Another moment passed as Lucifer focused on how he was feeling, "Thron, may I have some water while my husband holds my wine hostage?"
"No." Lucifer answers, "Here, you may have this back now." Leaning across the table, he hands her the glass, "Water Thron."
He ordered with a flick of his wrist, and Thron quickly walked over with two glasses. He placed them both in front of Lucifer this time before returning to his table of empty dishes. Lucifer sipped one drink,
"What are you not telling me?" She asked him suspiciously, taking her first sip.
"Nothing you need to worry about, Baby Girl." He reassured, not looking up at her and focusing his eyes on the glass of water. But his answer didn't sit well as her annoyance only grew.
She was about to reply, but she stopped and cleared her throat. This caught Lucifer's attention, and he quickly looked up to see a confused look on her face as she rubbed her throat and swallowed. Suddenly she coughed and then coughed again.