The Lucifuge estate buzzed with
orchestrated chaos. Snow glistened outside, while warmth and tension simmered within the grand dining hall. Morning light streamed across a long obsidian table, where a full gathering broke their fast.
Lucien sat at the head, flanked by Albedo and Velzaria around the table: Grayfia, Rias, Venelana, Souma, Yue, Ghislaine, Kuroka, Yamato, Rangiku, Gasper, Yumi, Koneko, and Akeno. Silver platters shimmered with enchanted dishes, but attention hovered on the day ahead.
"Final security confirmations?" Lucien asked between sips of fireleaf tea.
Souma conjured a floating blueprint of the estate, its structure layered with shifting wards. "Security enchantments, guest flow paths, and aura dampeners are in place. We're rotating houseguards every hour."
Narberal entered smoothly. "Grayroad has arrived."
Grayfia nodded toward the entrance as Grayroadphased into view in his usual spectral flair. "I'll ensure no threats reach the threshold," he intoned, voice like unraveling silk. "One cloaked intruder from House Varnis was intercepted an hour ago. Quietly removed."
Rias frowned. "Already?"
"Subtle chaos is still chaos," Souma said, placing scrolls beside his plate. "Which brings us to infiltration threats."
Narberal appeared with unnerving grace, golden eyes glowing. "Illusion wards are reinforced. Dreamwalkers and memory thieves will be... repelled with prejudice."
Lilith's projection flickered above a floating rune disk.
[Probability of violent escalation: 89% if Makima is seated within line of sight of Esdeath.]
Lucien didn't miss a beat. "Put Riser between them."
Souma smirked. "That way, everyone wins."
Laughter sparked across the table, even from Grayfia.
Shadows and Sparring
Later that morning, Lucien stood with Yue and Ghislaine in the training hall.
The refined version of Eternal Dusk Domain bled from his palm, dense, coiling, and responsive. When activated, the surrounding light dimmed, and an eerie silence fell. The domain pulsed with an aura of fearthat gnawed at the will.
"It feeds on emotion," Yue murmured. "On terror."
Ghislaine stepped back, sword raised warily. "It's evolving."
Lucien clenched his fist, halting the Domain. "Then I need to master its hunger."
Elsewhere, Lucien trained alongside Rias. Their spells interwove crimson destruction and umbral binding, swirling in a helix of raw legacy.
"You're syncing," Lilith observed. "Lucifuge and Gremory resonance approaching dual-cast threshold."
Rias grinned. "Guess we make a good team."
Synergy and Strain
Elsewhere, Kuroka and Yamato sparred barefoot in the courtyard snow, exchanging fast blows and ki flares. Their rhythm improved with every pass.
Lucien gave them a rare smile. "You've grown sharper together."
Yamato gave a tusky grin. "It's about trust."
Kuroka winked. "And a little flirting, nya."
Nearby, Akeno and Rangiku clashed in playful competition with Albedo and Velzaria. Lightning collided with petals. Wings flared, flame-kissed steel. Rivalries sparked, camaraderie forged in fire and elegance.
The War-Wife Test
"Enough training," Grayfia declared. "Etiquette time."
She and Venelana summoned Albedo and Velzariainto the Solar Hall.
"Loving a devil king is not enough," Grayfia said. "You must match him in vision… and outpace him in restraint."
Venelana sipped her wine, watching with approval as Grayfia recounted stories of diplomatic subterfuge, battlefield etiquette, and assassination attempts over tea.
"Sometimes," Grayfia whispered, "you destroy kingdoms by dancing well and saying nothing."
Velzaria muttered, "This is harder than fighting dragons."
Albedo, ever composed, replied, "That's the point."
At the end, Narberal entered with two obsidian boxes. "Battle gowns, personally enchanted." Albedos flowed like liquid void, etched in obsidian filigree and death-spell wards. Velzaria's gown bore dragon-scale motifs and infernal rune stitching from Ddraig's bloodline.
They didn't speak. They simply nodded in mutual understanding.
The Guests Are Coming
Scattered vignettes flickered across magical orbs:
Makima walked through a devil marketplace. No one dared look her in the eyes. Her heels tapped like execution drums.
Esdeath examined two swords. "Which one screams grace and intimidation?" Her general opened his mouth. His boot froze mid-comment.
Mio Naruse squinted at two dresses. "If he's dangerous... I should wear this." The maid blinked. "Miss, that's mostly a ribbon."
Magik cut a rift through Limbo. "This better not be boring."
Isabella Osa spun her white braid. "Been too long since I crashed a noble party."
But the most cryptic of all:
A gray-skinned girl with amethyst eyes and a deep-blue cloak stood alone atop a cliff. As wind tugged her hood down, a faint sigil glowed on her brow… six points spiraling like a demonic eye.
Behind her, a monstrous horned shadow—red and immense—grumbled in a voice that made the air tremble:
"If he hurts you, Raven… I will burn reality."
Lilith: "Threat Level: Multiversal Cataclysm. Father: Trigon. Daughter: Confirmed Fiancée Candidate."
Lucien: "…I'm going to need stronger wards."
Kuroka purred. "Or a wedding ring blessed by apocalypse gods, nya."
Opening Chimes
Souma shuffled the floating charts. "We've calculated seatings to minimize incidents. Makima is not within five rows of Esdeath. Riser remains central buffer."
Narberal entered the hall with perfect poise. "The first carriages have arrived."
Magical chimes echoed across the estate. Wards shimmered. Walls shifted with glamours. Scented air welcomed nobility and monsters alike.
Grayfia approached Lucien, adjusting his collar with a mother's touch.
"Walk like a prince. Rule like your father. But Lucien…" she leaned closer, "…love deeper than any king ever dared."
Outside, beneath twin pale moons, the first monsters dressed in finery stepped onto House Lucifuge's ancestral grounds.