#unfortunately belphie my beautiful prince of darkness

[crystalrose555]

Don’t make me slap you pt 28

“Hey...”

“Hey wake up!”

“Maybe we shouldn’t wake her up.”

Marley groaned harshly as she opened her eyes to see a group of small black grinning demons surrounding her. Looking around was enough to make her head swirl as she gripped the arms of the chair to stabilize herself.

“Hey, ya shouldn’t get up. Teleporting took a lot out of ya and ya ended up passing out.”

“So, I’m not home then?”

“Naw, you’re in Demon Lord’s Castle. Lord Diavolo brought you here and told us to look after you. So, do you need anything?”

“Food?”

“Something to drink?”

“A pillow maybe?”

The little demons continued to chatter at the exhausted Marley and all it did was remind her of the people she left behind. She sat up in the lavish armchair and raised her hands to calm down the tiny devils.

“Guys, I don’t need anything.”

“Makes sense since you’re dying, right?”

Marley blinked as one of the Little Ds struck their blunt companion.

“You’re so rude! You can’t just talk to her like that, what’s wrong with you?”

“What? She clearly looks like she’s just hanging in there.”

Back and forth the little Ds argued and bickered in front of the tired Marley who sat and cradled her dying pelt. She looked down and felt the hard bristles that used to be her soft fur. She held it tenderly and lifted it to her face to gently caress it. Flakes of ash fluttered onto her lap as she rubbed into the smokey sealskin. The little Ds ceased their bickering as the smell of ash filled the air. They turned to see her shoulders trembling while hiding her face.

“...Thank you..thank you so much...” 

“Look what you did, you made her cry!”

The little Ds tried to calm her as she continued to give thanks and condolences to her loyal companion.

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An hour or so had passed when a soft knock made itself known in the vast guestroom. A moment later, Diavolo quietly entered and closed the door behind him as the Little Ds floated around the room. Over by the window stood Marley who stared at the moon and refused to acknowledge the demon prince. Taking the initiative, Diavolo circled around to stay by her side. They stood silently as Diavolo took her in with his golden eyes. Her skin was darkened and chapped with black ashes that stained her hands and clothing as she held her pelt close. Diavolo smiled softly as he tried to offer her kind words only to be cut off by the woman who was lost in the distance.

“So, Lilith didn’t die that day...”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“She lived and had children. Eventually that led up to me.”

“Yes...”

“Then tell me, why did you and Lucifer lie to them?”

“It was for their own-”

“Don’t you dare. Do not come to me and tell me that’s the truth.”

“...”

“For all those years, you denied them closure, and for what? What possible reason do you have to deny them?”

“Lucifer requested that I don’t share that information with his brothers.”

“Then congratulations, you’re either a shit friend or a shit ruler.”

The room grew quiet as the little Ds lost their smile upon hearing the rough insult against their prince’s character. Diavolo, on the other hand, was frozen with wide eyes since no one dared to refer to him in such a vulgar manner. The little Ds backed away to the furthest corner of the room, unsure if their lord was frozen in shock or growing fury. Regardless, Marley continued her verbal assault.

“If you really wanted to be his friend, you would have told him to grieve with his brothers properly. And if you were his ruler, then you would have ordered him to do so. How dare you assume there would be no consequences for something like that.”

“...”

“I guess it doesn’t matter if you get what you want in the end.”

Diavolo closed his eyes and chuckled darkly before looking down at the exhausted Marley with glowing eyes.

“...Are you saying that it’s wrong of me to follow my ambition? Even if it’s uniting the three realms in harmony? Am I wrong-”

Diavolo, unfortunately, didn’t finish his statement as the room was filled with a loud crack echoing in the room. Time slowed down as the Little Ds froze in place and nearly died upon seeing the ruler of Devildom being slapped across the face by the woman they barely know. Marley stumbled as she tried to maintain her balance and look at the stunned prince. Despite her staggering, she was able to stand up straight and look at Diavolo who remained still.

“Don’t you dare think I’m just going to stand here and let you laugh at me!”

“...”

“Are you mad? Are you upset? Well, too bad, because that’s not even a drop in the bucket compared to how I feel. You’re not the one who loses sleep. You’re not the one left crying at night or filling the void she left. You’re not the one dying for your ambition!” 

Diavolo’s eyes widened upon hearing her true feelings and held his tongue in his mouth.

“But I’m going to put that aside for a moment to put things into perspective for you. If Lucifer was willing to rebel against God for his sister, what makes you think he won’t do it again for his brothers?”

“...”

“He hid Belphie away from you so he wouldn’t have to make that choice but he did and he chose his brother. If you take anything from this, is that you’ve failed at your precious dream.”

“...I’ve...failed?” He questioned without looking at her.

“Yes, you’ve failed. You’ve failed to allow the brothers to move on. You’ve failed to acknowledge what they sacrificed by making them put you and your wishes first. If you’ve bothered to even think about their feelings before yours, Lucifer wouldn’t have locked Belphie away and Belphie wouldn’t have gone insane in the attic. One of your lords, driven crazy in an attic because of your choice.”

“...So what would you have me do?” 

Diavolo turned his gaze back to Marley only to see her face had softened to a weak and tired smile. Her fiery eyes had dulled into watery pools waiting to tear up.

“You go to them and you apologize. You let them know you made a mistake by allowing Lucifer to keep Lilith’s secret, that you thought you were doing what was best and you were wrong. You apologize to Lucifer for making him think he had to do it alone and had to keep secrets from you. Allow them to express their feelings and allow it to get as messy as it needs to be. And when all the dust settles..”

“...”

“...You clean up and try again, with everyone on the right foot in the right direction. I won’t promise that it would be easy but at least it will be done more carefully and you can stand proudly once it’s finished..”

Diavolo stared at Marley who turned her attention to the moon that shimmered into the room. She sighed quietly as light in her eyes faded to a dull, murky color. Diavolo called to her only for her to stare vaguely at the celestial body. It wasn’t until he placed his hand upon her shoulder that she recoiled away from him in pain. He wanted to apologize but he instead steeled himself for a truly difficult question.

“If I’m being held accountable for my actions then I should hold Belphie to his, right?” He asked coldly.

Marley shook her head with a pitied smirk on her face.

“There’s no point in punishing him now. It would only cause more pain and suffering. If he’s the demon that the others told me about, learning the truth would be bad enough.”

“Even though you’re dying because of him?”

“I didn’t tell any of them that  I was, I rather leave them some hope that we’ll meet again. I would prefer to quietly pass on than be surrounded by tears.”

Diavolo laughed quietly while causing Marley to glare at him. Sensing this, he gave her a genuinely kind smile.

“Weren’t you just talking about grieving properly and moving on?”

Marley gave him a tired snort.

“Shut up, you don’t get to pull that card. I’m the one dying so I get a pass.”

Diavolo shook his head.

“You talk about your death so easily.”

“Life at sea is dangerous so I always expect death in one form or another. I just hoped it would have been quick.” She answered while holding her blackened pelt close.

“...”

“Diavolo, can you do me a favor? I wanted Levi to do it but I couldn’t bring myself to ask him.”

“...Of course.”

“...When I’m gone, my pelt will wither away and leave the treasure I found before I came to Devildom. Will you please take it home for me? I don’t think I have the strength to take it there myself.”

Diavolo crossed his arms and thought for a moment before giving his answer. Marley then offered her pelt with shaky hands that trembled not from fear of the unknown but from exhaustion. Sensing this, Diavolo carefully cradled her hands in his before taking away her most precious possession. She swayed back and forth as her attention was drawn to the dark sky once again, her eyes glazing over.

“I expected to die looking at my own moon but the one here is really beautiful.”

“...Yes, it is.” Diavolo answered as he held her pelt close, staining his coat with ash.