Chapter 203 Lucifer
Chapter 203 Lucifer
Phénix escorted her to Asmodée, who was chatting with a man of extraordinary beauty, easily rivaling Fen's. Nearly two meters tall and solidly built, he wore the same hairstyle as Kiyan, but in a striking shade of blond.
As she approached, the young woman noticed that his hair was, to the untrained eye, the color of pure gold. Beneath the light of the chandeliers and flames, it gleamed like white-hot metal.
He looked up and met her gaze. Blanche found herself staring into a pair of turquoise eyes of unparalleled beauty, watching and assessing her without the slightest attempt at subtlety. A blond goatee, a discreet but perfectly groomed mustache, a square jaw, and a pair of brilliant white angel wings folded neatly behind him completed his most striking features.
The Lord of Hell looked more like an angel than a little devil. Yet despite the apparent gentleness in the gaze he fixed upon the young woman, his true nature was unmistakable. Beneath that alluring mask lurked a very bad boy indeed.
His aura was dangerously red around the edges, tinged with yellow—the color of deception—while its blinding white core betrayed unimaginable power. The whole thing was speckled with black patches where red filaments clashed against one another.
Great. Another one completely crazy about her...
Just what she needed.
There wasn't a single line left in her dance card, and she fully intended to make that clear to him.
But... he was beautiful and powerful.
Two undeniable assets.
"Blanche!" Asmodée exclaimed cheerfully, as though they hadn't already seen each other that evening. "Let me introduce you to the King of Hell, Lucifer."
"Lucy, for you," the archangel corrected before she could even greet him.
"Good evening, Lucy," the young woman murmured, surprised by the special attention, while Phénix stiffened beside her.
You'll have to explain your relationship with him to me one day. No one is allowed to call him that except you. The last person who tried had his head chopped off.
Blanche thought she would first have to figure out exactly what kind of relationship she had with him.
As for the head...
Well. Derek and Aaron did the same thing.
"How do you find this world, my goddess?" Lucifer continued, as casually as though he were commenting on the weather.
"Uh... quite pleasant," the redhead replied, completely caught off guard by the nickname.
First Lucy—a nickname that suited a woman better—and now this...
"Personally, I prefer Hell. There may be no butler, no jacuzzi, and certainly no firebirds... but we know how to have a good time."
The archangel gave her a smile accompanied by a wink.
Blanche immediately understood what he was getting at.
He knew about her temporal mansion!
All her reservations vanished.
This man was undoubtedly on her side.
"Oh, really?" she said enthusiastically as Dean approached, carrying a single glass on his tray.
He handed the drink to his mistress.
"This cocktail is called 'Absolute Trust,' Your Majesty."
She smiled knowingly.
The redhead had already figured it out, but a little extra confirmation never hurt.
"In that case," she continued, accepting the glass as Dean was already walking away, "I'll pay it a visit... probably sooner rather than later."
"Perfect. You'll find me in your apartments. All you have to do is bring a pistachio Italian ice cream with pieces of meringue, and the door will open."
"Thank you. I won't forget," Blanche replied with amusement, taking a sip of her drink.
"I have absolutely no doubt about that, my goddess. Now then... it has been a pleasure seeing you again. But, as you undoubtedly know, when the cat's away... Anyway, I'd better head back."
"Already?"
Blanche was almost disappointed.
She had hoped for a few more words, perhaps even one last provocation or that enigmatic smile he seemed to reserve for situations in which he knew exactly what he was doing.
But Lucifer clearly had no intention of giving her that satisfaction.
She watched him for another moment before noticing Winter approaching them, accompanied by Wiwi and Argy.
She understood immediately.
The archangel had spotted the trio.
And rather than risk a confrontation with Blanche's grandfather—or worse, with his son—he had chosen a strategic retreat.
Blanche had to suppress a smile.
It was almost comical.
A few seconds earlier, Lucifer had seemed perfectly at ease, confident enough to speak to her as though they had known each other forever. And now that an old Drakion and a young boy were approaching, he vanished with an almost suspicious level of discretion.
Lucifer walked away without a word.
No explanation.
No goodbye.
Not even a final glance.
He simply turned on his heel and gradually disappeared among the guests, moving with such casual ease that it was almost as though he had never been there.
Blanche followed him with her eyes.
"Strange..."
She still had no idea what to make of him.
He was difficult to read, impossible to predict, and seemed to constantly play by rules known only to himself. He could be charming one second, almost warm, then become elusive the next.
And that way of leaving without even saying goodbye...
She probably should have found it annoying.
Instead, Blanche felt her curiosity awakening.
An amused smile appeared on her lips.
One thing had to be said about Lucifer: he had enough personality to capture her attention.
And, in her world, that was already saying a lot.
"Blanche!" Winter exclaimed. "What are you doing with the demons?"
Asmodée opened his mouth, but his daughter beat him to it.
"Phénix is the most sought-after model around right now. We briefly met at Vladimir's. We were talking fashion, and he introduced me to his employer, Prince Asmodée. A man of rare elegance."
Her father accepted the compliment with amusement.
The young woman had already understood that he took particular care with his appearance. He liked being flattered.
And to think he was the Prince of Lust, not Pride.
"Gentlemen," Blanche continued, "allow me to introduce my grandfather. And this is Prince Benjamin and William, two of my friends."
Asmodée, for his part, was not particularly thrilled to discover his father-in-law under such circumstances.
Surprise briefly flashed across his eyes before he regained his usual composure. He merely studied the man with the particular caution he reserved for situations liable to become complicated.
The problem was that his father-in-law knew absolutely nothing about it.
And Asmodée intended to keep it that way.
For now, it was best to behave like two complete strangers.
A rather surreal situation.
Phénix, on the other hand, seemed determined not to let the evening become awkward.
The moment he spotted Wiwi, a conversation sprang up between them. A few jokes were enough to bring down the last barriers, and within mere minutes, the two men already seemed to have known each other for years.
Blanche watched them from the corner of her eye, amused by how effortlessly Phénix could bond with people.
He had that irritating talent.
All it took was for him to decide he liked someone, and five minutes later they already had their own inside jokes and an animated conversation.
Wiwi, clearly won over, laughed openly.
"You two knew each other before?" Blanche asked.
Phénix shrugged.
"No."
He nodded toward Wiwi.
"But he's nice."
As though that were enough to explain their newfound friendship.
Blanche shook her head, smiling.
That was when Saphir arrived.