"Bella!" Dante called sharply. Bella, who was just about to leave the castle, stopped in her tracks when a handsome figure suddenly blocked her path.
"Dante? Do you need help?" Bella asked kindly, as she usually did.
"Where are you going?" Dante asked in return.
"I'm going to pick raspberries. Why?"
"Where is Alice?" Dante ignored her question and repeated his own.
"Why are you asking me? I don't know where that annoying woman is," Bella replied irritably. She and Alice had never gotten along.
"You must know where Alice is!" Dante snapped, his blood-red eyes flaring.
"Hey, calm down, Dante! What's going on?" Bella tried to soothe him. But Dante was never the type to cool down easily.
"You don't need to ask. Even if I said nothing, you'd already know what she did."
"I won't know unless you tell me! Just explain!"
Dante glared intensely at her. His crimson eyes blazed with fury. Bella didn't dare meet his gaze.
"Don't try to fool me, Bella. You wouldn't want me to find her on my own, would you? You know what I'll do to her if I do," he threatened, causing Bella to swallow hard.
"You saw it yourself. That crazy girl attacked Zamora," he continued.
"Now tell me. Where is she?"
Bella took a deep breath. She knew the spell Dante had cast on Zamora's neck was what signaled the attack. And she also knew Dante could read minds—lying would be useless.
"Fine. You win. I don't know where she went. You know how she is—she wanders off without direction," Bella said. Dante studied her face closely.
"You're looking at me like you don't believe me. Are you accusing me of lying?" Bella said, frustrated.
Dante said nothing. He suddenly vanished down the white castle hall, gliding as if he floated. He had to find Alice—before his urge to kill her returned.
Within seconds, he found Alice calmly sipping tea in the castle's backyard, completely unbothered, as if nothing had happened.
Bang!
"Ahh!"
Dante lunged at her, knocking over a small table and spilling her tea. Alice cried out as he grabbed her by the throat, violently choking her. She clawed at his hand, trying to pry it away.
"WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER?" Dante's voice thundered, startling crows from the trees.
"Khh! W-what are you talking about, D-Dante?" Alice gasped.
"I WON'T REPEAT MY QUESTION! ANSWER ME, OR I'LL CRUSH YOUR NECK!"
"I—I really don't know what you mean," Alice managed to say.
"YOU SHAMELESS GIRL! YOU SHOULD BE THANKFUL I DIDN'T KILL YOU BACK THEN! AND NOW YOU HURT THE MOTHER OF MY CHILD!" Dante roared. He had clearly lost control.
Alice scoffed angrily. "That country girl. All she does is whine. I should've silenced her for good."
"Before you try that, maybe you'll be the one left speechless," Dante growled.
Alice burst out laughing. "You're so protective of her. Maybe I should have done it."
"YOU'RE INSANE!"
Bang!
Dante was hurled back, slamming into the castle wall by a sudden burst of energy. He got up, scanning the area, and spotted a man in a black cloak.
"You don't want to be seen as a coward, do you?" the cloaked man asked, pulling back his hood. He smirked, revealing shimmering gray eyes.
"Mind your own business, bastard!" Dante growled.
"I just don't like seeing violence. Especially toward women. You're disgracing our kind—we're not that different from humans," the man chuckled, walking toward the gasping Alice.
Dante sneered. "Stay out of it, Mike. Didn't you once kill a girl yourself?"
Dante's face changed. No more smiles—just cold, harsh rage.
"Leave. Don't ever show your face to me again," he snapped.
Mike scowled. "Yes, I killed her. But she was a weak human. I never harmed a Succubus," he argued.
"So you think humans are beneath you? Then how can you excuse Alice for hurting a pregnant human?"
"Leave, Mike. I've got no business with you," Dante warned as Mike lunged.
"You—"
"Enough! Both of you, stop fighting!" Alice shouted, unable to bear the chaos.
Dante turned his cold gaze on Alice. "Stay away from Zamora. Or you and this man will face a far worse punishment from me!" With that, Dante vanished.
---
"Are you okay?" Dante asked, finding Zamora staring blankly from her bed.
"I'm fine. Don't worry about me," she said quietly.
"Of course I'll worry. Don't you want me to?"
"It's not that. I can take care of myself," Zamora said. Dante gave a crooked smile.
"Take care of yourself? If Bella hadn't been there, that snake would've killed you. Next time, scream for me."
Zamora nodded. "Alright."
"How's the baby?" Dante asked, glancing at her slightly rounded belly.
Zamora was silent. Something felt strange—like the baby had grown unusually fast.
"I'm not sure. But I think the baby is doing well," she replied.
"Protect that child. I'll protect you, too. No one will hurt either of you," Dante said firmly, his voice filled with rare sincerity.
"Get some rest. I have to go. But if you need me, call. Don't try to fight my kind with that small strength of yours," he added, smirking. Zamora scowled.
---
Zamora was bored out of her mind. Nearly a month locked in her room, no way out.
Dante had locked the door, driving her crazy.
"That devil's cruel—locking up a pregnant woman. Doesn't he know how bored I am? So annoying!" she grumbled.
"I can't take this anymore!"
She stood up and walked to the door.
"Maybe I can open it?" she thought. She pulled the handle hard.
It opened.
She was thrilled—until she saw someone standing outside.
"Of course. That's why it opened," she muttered.
Dante had heard her, but he didn't care.
He wore his usual stoic expression. "Where are you going?"
"Out."
"No. Back inside."
"No!"
"Disobeying me again?"
Zamora rolled her eyes. "You're so annoying." She went back in with Dante following behind.
"Listen carefully. You're not going anywhere. It's dangerous out there, especially for someone pregnant."
"I'm not trying to escape. I just want to walk around. I'm bored. Can't you understand that?"
"Can't you understand that I said no?"
"Dante!"
"No more arguing, Zamora!" he shouted. But she wouldn't back down.
"But the baby wants to go outside. Don't you love your child?" Zamora pouted, rubbing her belly.
Dante hesitated, eyes on her belly.
"Fine. Let's go for a walk."
Zamora beamed. She stepped forward, but Dante stopped her.
"One condition: you hold my hand the whole time," he said, gripping her hand.
She almost refused, but a walk was better than nothing. She let him hold her hand like a protective father with his child.
They toured the castle grounds. Dante led her to a flower field near the back courtyard.
"Are they real?" Zamora asked, awestruck by the vibrant flowers. She hadn't seen color in ages.
Dante smiled quietly at her wonder. "Do you like it?"
"Like it? I love it!"
"Want to pick some?"
"No, let them grow," she said, scanning the field. Dante let go so she could explore freely.
Part of her wanted to pick a rose—but she pitied it. It would wilt in her hands.
Suddenly, she tripped and fell. Dante rushed over, helping her up. Her knee was scraped.
"This is why I didn't want you walking alone. You're always clumsy," he scolded.
"Let's get that cleaned up," he said, pulling her hand. But she resisted.
"Don't you see the blood? Ugh! You're driving me crazy with that smell!" he groaned.
Reluctantly, Zamora followed him back to her room.
On the way, they ran into Mike—the same Incubus Dante had argued with.
"Well, look who it is," Mike grinned.
Dante glared. "She with you? Your new girl? The mother of your child?"
"You're Zamora?" Mike asked.
"Yeah. Who are you?"
"Mike. Mike Crowley," he introduced, reaching out to shake her hand.
Zamora reached back, but Dante yanked her behind him.
Mike chuckled. "So possessive. Wait—human?" He sniffed.
"Don't touch her!"
"Thought so. She's carrying your heir. No wonder you're so protective."
"None of your business."
"Why always so cold to me? I've been polite today. Can't we talk nicely for once?"
Dante ignored him and walked away with Zamora.
"Nice taste, Dante Swan. She's beautiful. Give her to me when you're done," Mike taunted.
Dante stopped cold.
"Bastard. Touch her and I'll kill you."
---
Zamora had just stepped out of the shower when she saw a beautifully dressed woman in her room.
"Bella? What are you doing here?"
"Dante asked me to dress you up."
"Dress me up? Why? I didn't ask for that."
"There's an event at the palace tonight."
"An event? No one told me."
"It's a big one. One of the Incubus lords just had a child."
"Why didn't Dante tell me?" Zamora muttered.
"Let's finish quickly. Dante doesn't like waiting," Bella said, stepping closer.
"Are you ready?" she asked. Zamora nodded.
"Close your eyes."
Zamora obeyed. Within minutes, Bella was done.
"You didn't even touch me," Zamora said, confused.
"Look in the mirror," Bella smiled.
Zamora turned—and gasped. She looked radiant. More alive than ever, even though Bella hadn't laid a finger on her.
"How…?"
"Magic, of course. We don't use your human beauty tools, Zamora," Bella said, handing her a gown.
"This is from Dante, made by the royal tailors," she explained.
Zamora put it on. In the mirror stood an elegant, breathtaking woman. She almost didn't recognize herself.
"You look stunning. Dante will be pleased," Bella said.
"Is this really me?" Zamora whispered, touching her face.
Then the door opened.
Dante walked in, dressed in a white shirt, hair slicked back. He was ready to scold her—until he saw her.
"She's beautiful," he thought.
---
"Dante's here. I'll leave you two," Bella exited.
Dante stepped closer, leaned in, and whispered:
"You look beautiful tonight," as he gently stroked her hair.
Zamora blushed. He'd never said anything so sweet before.
"Why didn't you tell me about this event? Why was I the only one left out?"
"You weren't the only one. Even those in the dungeon didn't know," Dante said with a faint smile.
"Then why dress me up at all? Wouldn't it be better if I just stayed?"
"This is me fulfilling your wish. I'm tired of you trying to escape all the time. So tonight, I'm taking you to the party," Dante explained.
Zamora was overjoyed. Finally, he understood how trapped she felt.
She jumped for joy—forgetting her pregnancy.
"I'm glad you're happy. But be careful with the baby," Dante warned.
She stopped and stared at him.
"This isn't for free, is it?"
Dante smirked. "Of course not."
"What do you want?" she sighed.
"You sure you want to ask?"
"Who else am I supposed to ask?"
"I'm glad you did. But I'll tell you after the event," he replied.
Zamora narrowed her eyes. Whatever he was planning—it couldn't be good.
"You're really not going to tell me now?"
"It wouldn't be fun if I did," he said casually.
"Definitely not good," Zamora muttered. But still... her heart raced.
Zamora took the glass from Dante's hand, but she didn't drink it right away. Instead, she brought it closer to her nose and gave it a cautious sniff, trying to reassure herself.
All around the ballroom, eyes followed the two of them relentlessly. The Succubi were too busy swooning over Dante's sharp features, their admiration obvious. Meanwhile, several Succubi and Incubi grinned wickedly the moment they realized Zamora was human. Status meant little to them—once a bloodthirsty demon, always a bloodthirsty demon.
Dante, however, didn't appreciate the attention. Especially not when it was directed at the girl he considered his. He could practically hear their vile thoughts, and it made his blood boil. His gaze swept the room protectively, staying close to Zamora like a silent sentinel.
"I don't like how everyone's looking at you," he muttered, voice laced with irritation. "Do you want to go back to the room?"
But elsewhere in the ballroom, the scheming had already begun.
At the far end of the room, two demons stood huddled, gossiping as they watched Zamora.
"She's beautiful, isn't she?" Mike murmured, taking a sip of his wine, eyes fixated on Zamora with a hungry fascination.
Alice rolled her eyes in annoyance. "You really need to get your eyes checked. Clearly, I'm much prettier than that girl," she snapped, unable to hide her indignation.
Mike smirked, enjoying her reaction. "You only say that because you're jealous. Your heart's burning right now, isn't it? Admit it—you think you should be the one standing next to Dante, not her. Am I right?"
"Don't be ridiculous! I'm nothing like that," Alice retorted, though her tone betrayed her.
Mike leaned in slightly, his voice lowering. "What if we teamed up?"
"Teamed up?" Alice echoed suspiciously.
"Yeah. Let's work together to break them apart. I want Zamora. And you," he smiled slyly, "you can have Dante."
Alice hesitated, weighing the offer. After a few seconds, she nodded slowly.
"Fine. I'm in."