Chapter 2
...…
"Finally you wake up, Son."
Miss Mu's detached voice echoed through the Norse-style room of the Devilduke mansion as she took graceful strides away from her son.
"Make sure not to cause trouble like this again. For if you do…"
She didn't need to finish her ruthless words; Lucifer understood perfectly what she was trying to convey, the deadly glint in her crimson-colored eyes said it all.
Her figure quickly faded from the view as she passed through the simply adorned door frame, thereafter, heading off in a seemingly random direction.
"..."
Lucifer received not even the slightest hint of affection from his mother. But with what he knew about his family, that was the typical attitude of not only his mother but also his father, siblings, and other relatives.
Even so, there were a few people among those in his household who viewed him with fondness. And one of them just so happened to be the maid, who, not even a few seconds ago, was left in a state of trepidation over her master's fate.
Speaking of the devil...
"Master Luci!" she cried out in glee as she jumped on his sweaty, loose-clothed body. "You have no idea how worried I was…! I thought you were going to die…! Sniffle! Sniffle!"
She spoke between sniffles as she melted into his embrace, letting the waterworks commence freely.
Lucifer watched this happen with a sharp gleam in his eyes, already contemplating how he should go about maximizing his benefits.
And that was when it struck him…
'Ah… I can do that…'
An evil smirk formed in his psyche as he gazed at the tearful woman with feigned kindness in his gaze, tenderly cradling her with his masculine hands.
"Don't worry, my dear Lu Lu. I have made it back from the brink of death, and this time, I'm here to stay," he said with a gentle smile.
"L-Luci… Please don't scare me like that ever again!"
The maid's sorrowful cries filled the entire room as she did a great job of soaking his loose robes with her tears.
'This girl may be a bit of a nuisance, but she would be crucial if I wish to acquire more resources from my dog-eat-dog family…'
A cold gleam flashed in his eyes.
He was well aware of the passionate feelings that Lu Lu held for him—feelings that only truly bloomed once she realized that the boy she loved had finally come of age.
That sweet, innocent boy with a cute face—the boy who would never even harm a fly…
A boy who died the moment a clone caught sight of his physical form…
The old Lucifer was no more, replaced with a new Lucifer—a Lucifer who would go to any lengths in order to obtain what he wanted!
And what he wanted right now was something that the naive, lovestruck maid could assist him in 'borrowing'.
_____
"My dear Lu Lu, tell me," Lucifer asked softly after a few minutes of comforting and holding the crying maid. "If your beloved young master was poisoned, would you go to any lengths in order to find the cure?"
"???" Lu Lu looked up from her master's firm chest as the worry from earlier rushed back in full force. "Y-You're poisoned…!? This can't be…"
Her eyes started to flicker erratically, and her mind became clouded, prompting Lucifer to cup her plump cheeks and steal her gaze.
"Focus on what I said, my dear," he whispered, his eyes glinting with compassion. "You must be honest with me. Tell me just how far you would go in order to acquire a cure for my poisoning."
Lu Lu was startled by his sudden boldness; he was usually so reserved. But when she stared into those blood-red whirlpools that seemed to be attempting to suck her in, her mind went blank, and she mumbled, "I would do anything for you, Luci…"
After noticing how close their faces were, she tried leaning forward for a steamy kiss. However, her perverted hopes were swiftly dashed away when Lucifer placed a hand in front of her mouth.
"???" Question marks went off in her head when she realized that something was amiss, his lips didn't feel like how she thought they would.
That was when she opened her misty eyes, only to see that same warm smile on Luci's face.
His raspy voice followed not long after, as he seductively whispered, "You must be patient, my dear Lu Lu. This poison might be capable of being transmitted through physical touch, so even a peck on the lips could inflict you with the same affliction."
Lu Lu didn't quite understand what her master was saying, but upon recalling his sudden collapse and subsequent spasm attacks from earlier, she started to piece everything together inside her single-celled frontal lobe and felt that it made sense.
After gathering all the thinking power she could manage to muster, she blurted out, "This affliction was the thing that caused your collapse and frothing in the mouth! We must hurry and tell the Miss of this treason against the Devildukes!"
'Why is she all of a sudden getting so deferential…?'
Lucifer had an unusual thought pass through his mind before he refocused on the matter at hand.
He pulled Lu Lu's face dangerously close, watching the surprise and embarrassment form on her face.
"If you truly care for me," he said, "then you must steal the vault key from the headmaid and borrow a few special medicines from the family vault. And you must do so without informing a single member of my family. Can you do that for me…?"
His words slithered into the reddened ears of the naive girl as she cutely bobbed her head before listening to him as he explained which materials he wanted her to 'borrow'. After which, she frolicked away from the scene with a giddy look on her face.
'Blind faith and blind love… two of the easiest ways to harness the power of others to one's advantage…'
With this sinister thought and one of his pieces already in motion, Lucifer decided to act proactively. He left his room in the dead of night, heading toward the family training grounds.
He aimed to assess how much battle power he had…
.....