"I'm home!" Leo called out as he came through the front door. He faltered inside the hallway when he remembered the house would be empty. Entering the kitchen, he saw the letters lying on the table.
He opened the first one and scanned the note.
We found another clue. If you meet a man named John Ryder, run away as fast as you can. Be careful, son.
—Your awesome father
Putting the note back in its envelope before dropping it back onto the table, he picked up the second letter.
I am sorry we had to leave so soon, but the clue this time is suspicious and in a dangerous location. Either way, you are an adult and able to take care of yourself. Enjoy the gift I left you in your room.
—Your beautiful mother
That was his parents in a nutshell. Brief and to the point… and caring to a fault. Leo chuckled at the distinctly different messages. He couldn't help but wonder what kind of place his parents would think was dangerous.
'A gift?' he wondered.
Feeling his curiosity piqued, Leo took the stairs to his room two at a time. He entered to see a woman standing in front of his desk.
The woman, a silver-haired beauty wearing a short, ruffled maid's uniform curtsied to him. "Good afternoon, Master Leo."
Leo froze.
"Good afternoon, Master Leo," the woman in the maid's dress repeated, head bowed and ruffled skirts pulled out and to the side in a picture-perfect curtsy.
"Wh-What?" Leo stammered. "Who?!"
Even though he was surprised to find a woman in his room, Leo's reactions were still sharp. He jumped back to put some space between him and this intruder. At the same time, he called upon his power.
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"Oh my!" the woman exclaimed, blinking in surprise.
Leo heard the cry of astonishment and was finally able to match a face to the source of the voice as he continued to back up.
"Huh? A m-maid?"
'What is a maid doing in my room?'
Leo was so surprised that he wasn't watching where he was going and smashed into the door that had somehow closed behind him. Rebounding from the wooden door, his momentum carried him back into the room, where he fell to the floor.
The maid, acting as if the increased gravity was hardly an inconvenience, rose from her graceful curtsy. "I am sorry for startling you, Master Leo. My name is Lucy. Lady Saphire called upon me to take care of you in her absence."
Leo narrowed his eyes, looking up from the floor at the maid. Thinking back to this morning, he remembered his mom had said something about having someone come to cook and clean for him. He studied the woman before him.
She had short silver hair, pointed horns on either side of her head, and elf-like pointed ears. She was short of stature and wore a frilly white maid's blouse that covered her from her neck to her wrists. Ruffles of toile poofed from under a short, pleated skirt. White garter straps clipped to high, black lace stockings. A pair of shiny black patent leather pumps completed the outfit.
Any human who saw her would be seized by the beauty of her delicate features and her inhumane appearance. They might even wonder if she was a cosplayer. The black, spade-tipped tail that lazily curled from side to side behind her was not part of any costume. Leo knew, this was no cosplay.
'She's a devil.'
The woman in front of him was as a devil, just like his mother. Sighing, he cut the flow of magic to his gravity power and stood, facing the woman.
"Your name is Lucy?"
The maid nodded, face suddenly stiff as she came to attention. "Yes, Master. Lucy Mephisto, reporting for duty."
She seemed to be telling the truth, but Leo was not naïve enough to believe the words of a stranger he'd just met.
"Mother said someone would be coming over this evening, but why would my mom ask you to take care of me?" He arched an eyebrow at her. "And why would a Mephisto take on such a commission?"
'In a maid's outfit, no less,' he thought to himself.
Lucy, far from being outraged, nodded solemnly. When Saphire had called her this morning, Lucy had been surprised. After all, back when Lady Saphire had relinquished all rights to being the heiress of the Mephistos, foregoing the throne and her clan's name in order to marry Lane Karteros, she'd cut herself off from the family.
Lucy had always wondered what kind of child might be born to the greatest exorcist to exist and the strongest devil in the underworld. She had to admit she wasn't disappointed—not in the least.
'He has an edge that is lacking in Rayne, Maria, and Mimi.'
Thinking of her half-sisters and step-sister, Lucy sighed softly before focusing again on Leo. "Your father expected something like this would happen."
"Something… like this?" Leo repeated, turning the pretty, petite devil's words into a question.
Moving her hands, she gave him a series of signs that Lane had taught to Leo when he was much younger. Such signs were a token of trust his father had explained a devil could never offer in ill-faith.
Leo relaxed. He would contact his parents to confirm this Lucy was here at their request, but he at least knew she meant him no ill. With the signs, he knew Lucy wasn't an enemy—for now.
Clapping her hands, Lucy swept the previous tension between them aside as she stated with an impassive face, "I will work for you as your maid for a year and a day, Master Leo. Even though Lady Saphire is no longer a noble—at least not officially—you are still considered high-class. With a rank as such, you have every right to the services of one such as I."
All supernatural beings were divided by their level of power into Lower, Median, Upper, and Peak levels. Anything higher than that fell into a completely different ranking, one that was too complex to explain. What Lucy had told him, though, was different.
She wasn't talking about his power ranking. She was talking about his social ranking in devil society. The hierarchy among devils was extremely strict, and lower classed devils could not defy their higher-ranked superiors.
'It seems mom was an influential noble in the underworld's aristocracy. I wonder what family she came from?'
He knew that his mother was extremely powerful. But he had never inquired about her former identity and status in the underworld.
"Before Master Leo appeared, I was admiring his board." The maid gestured to the scarlet pieces that lined one side of the chessboard.
Leo knew all about forming a Circle, and as such he couldn't help but scowl at its mention. "I'm not sure I want to bestow them," he admitted. "I am not interested in creating more devils."
Because of the Great War that saw all three factions fight one another, which had immediately been followed by the Civil War in Hell that gave birth to the new Calamities—also known as the four horsemen of the apocalypse—the population of devils was at an all-time low.
That was why Aiden Leviathan, Pestilence of the four horsemen, had created the Circle pieces. It was a system that could change people of any race—aside from gods and pure angels—into devils. Those upon whom a Bestower granted one of their pieces were reincarnated as devils.
Leo did not discriminate against devils. Hell, he was part-devil himself. And he knew that not all devils were evil. Still, as a former exorcist in training, he had no interest in increasing and empowering those he'd been trained to fight against on behalf of humanity.
At his words, Lucy's lips twitched as if she'd suppressed a small smile. "Your parents know you well."
Walking over to the chessboard where the pieces were displayed, she gently caressed a pawn as she continued. "Before explaining the instructions your mother gave me, should I make you some dinner? I'm afraid it will be a long discussion."
When Leo didn't respond, she continued. "I was told you would be moving into the master bedroom in your parents' absence. I took the liberty of preparing you a bath in the master bath, so you could wash away the fatigue of the day."
Leo hesitated. He wasn't used to being served like this.
"That's alright. I'd rather shower in my own—" he started to say.
Growl!
Lucy's lips twitched again, but she otherwise gave no sign of emotion. "I guess that is all the answer I need. Dinner will be ready in twenty minutes." With another curtsy, she excused herself.
He heard her pumps click down the stairs.
"Betrayed by my stomach," Leo grumbled.
He'd been too embarrassed to tell her not to bother. He was hungry. Either way, even if she poisoned his dinner, it would have no effect on him. Leo had trained extensively with all sorts of poisons, building up an immunity to most toxins.
And though he preferred a shower over a bath, it would be a waste of hot water if she'd already drawn him one in his parents' bathroom. Though, if his mother had told Lucy to move his stuff into the master bedroom, he'd have to get used to thinking of it as his bathroom.
That meant Lucy must be moving into this room.
Leo preferred the powerful stream of the shower in his bathroom. The one in his parent's—err… in his new bathroom—was sufficient to wash off in, but he'd have to use the massive tub his parents had installed if he wanted to relax in the heat of soothing water.
Grumbling the whole time, Leo threw the clothes he'd worn to school in the hamper in the corner of his room and dug a terry-cloth robe out of the depths of his closet. Tying the robe's belt around his middle, he snagged clean underwear, a t-shirt, and sweatpants from his dresser.
Leo looked around his bedroom with a scowl. He'd barely finished unpacking. He wondered if Lucy would let him help her move his things into the master bedroom.