𝕿𝖍𝖊 𝕼𝖚𝖊𝖊𝖓'𝖘 𝕷𝖎𝖔𝖓

The Prince's Lesson

"Hm, I see. So you sympathize with him because of how kind he seems."

"Because of how kind he is," Y/N corrected him, "The way that man was crying... Sebastian, you don't just start crying blood because you're upset. His whole world was just shattered. His whole life just exploded in his face. He just betrayed everything he ever cared about, and I'm betting he did it to protect Soma from something. I don't think he would betray him without probable cause."

"What could possibly be dangerous enough to warrant that type of protection?"

"Mina," Y/N sighed. She was technically right. "She could be dead or murdered. Maybe she fell in love with West, or at least his money. Agni loved Soma in a way I don't think anyone other than a parent could understand, but I have a gut feeling Mina didn't share that love for him." Y/N made sure to drop her voice even lower so Soma couldn't hear her. If he caught even a small bit of disrespect towards Mina, he might try to strangle her.

"Oh?" Sebastian seemed a little impressed with her deductions.

"I know it seems awful, but..." Y/N sighed. She didn't want to out Mina but she had walked herself into a trap. "But if West offered Mina money... More money than she would've ever gotten as Soma's nanny... she might take that and run. If most people had to choose between being a rich man's wife or being the nanny of a spoiled brat, it's an obvious choice."

"Yes, I suppose it is," the demon muttered. A small silence filled the space between them. It wasn't uncomfortable, but the question lurking the back of Y/N's head was. "Does he hate me? Am I just a fool for thinking we could be friends?"

"May I ask you one last question, Lady Y/N?"

"Of course. I told you before that I wouldn't hide anything."

"Then, did you mean what you said, back in the manor? Do you consider me a friend?" Y/N felt guilt crawl up her spine. It seemed to leak out of every pore of her skin. "Agni was supposed to be his first friend, and I ruined that..."

"I do," Y/N eventually answered. She had thought about it for a while, and she really did care about Sebastian. She knew he might never bat an eye if she was harmed or even killed, and they were arguing constantly. Not to mention the bickering and banter, along with the fact that they hardly ever saw eye-to-eye. However, she really did find herself caring for him. "I care for you and I consider you a friend. Whether you think of me that way I have no-"

"I would like to think I could," Sebastian interrupted her. The demon hardly ever spoke out of turn or interjected himself, so when he broke off Y/N's sentence she was taken aback. And he did it by saying he wanted to be her friend. Y/N's mouth gaped open. She was in pure shock. "You and I both know I do not feel the same way humans do, but I would like to think I could have a friend."

Silence. Y/N didn't know what to say. What would you say in this situation? A demon who crawled out of the depths of Hell, summoned by the sacrifice of a child who was murdered, made a contract with a child in exchange for his soul, and he wanted to be her friend...

"Sebastian... I..." Y/N sighed, not knowing what to say. "Is this because I'm not human?" It would make sense if it was because of that: Y/N might never die. Sebastian had been around for thousands of years without making a single attachment because he knew he would outlive it all. If Y/N was possibly immortal like he was she might never leave him, in a sense. She could be his friend until the end of time, someone for him to look forward to when he was summoned to Earth. When the butler didn't answer her, Y/N assumed she was right. "Even demons get lonely. You can't get attached because you'll outlive every Master you have. As far as we know I can't die, so it would be a safe bet... wouldn't it?"