MERIELLE'S POV
Mammon, Lucifer, and I finally reached a huge mansion. The mansion looks dark and fog is at its grounds. A dead tree stood nearby and the moon is so big, it looks like it is floating beside the mansion.
"WELCOME BACK TO THE HOUSE OF LAMENTATION!" Mammon announced, mostly to me.
"Tch. Don't be too loud, Mammon," Lucifer said.
I looked at the House of Lamentation and studied its features. Have I really lived here before? This place looks like a haunted mansion. Back in the human world in my country, I never dare to enter a haunted house or a haunted game even though I knew that the creepy creatures there are just normal people in costumes as if the day was Halloween.
"You look pale, Merielle," Lucifer said. He is not in his demon form anymore. He changed to his casual look and his horns and wings seem hidden. He looks like a normal human like that! "Everything all right?"
I just nodded while still looking at the mansion. Then, I looked at Lucifer who is smiling at me.
"I can tell if someone is lying, Merielle," he said, still wearing that smile.
"Aaahh! Merielle will be fine, Lucifer!" Mammon said. He is not in his demon form anymore. He is wearing casual clothes now. He looks like a normal human with his wings and horns out. I wish I had his confidence. We had just been targetted by a witch in mid-air and almost got us killed and he can still say that I will be fine? *sarcastic tone* Sure, Mammon. I will be fine. "Besides, THE GREAT MAMMON IS HERE!" Mammon finished and he opened the gates to the House of Lamentation.
"MERIELLE, MY SWEET LITTLE KITTEN!!!" someone shouted happily as he ran towards me and hugged me so tight and continuously rubs his cheeks on mine. "You are finally here! I am so happy! I planned so many things for us to do... naughty things included."
"G'AAHH! ASMO! HOW DARE YOU! YOU ARE TOO CLOSE TO MERIELLE! GO AWAY! SHOO! SHOO!" Mammon said and pulled him away.
I giggled as I straighten up my clothes and I looked at the one who hugged me. My eyes widened as I realize who it is. He is someone I read from the leather notebook!
"You... you are Asmodeus! The avatar of lust and is the fifth-born demon!" I said happily, but also nervous that I might have said something wrong in that sentence.
Asmodeus smiled, his smile is the kind of smile that even his eyes seem to disappear or smile on its own in matching to his charming smile. "Mhmm. That's me! Oh, I am delighted that you still know who I am. Then again, how could anyone possibly forget me?"
"Uhhh... actually... actually I-" I said mid-sentence and I am cut-off.
"How about me? Do you still know who I am? Come on, Merielle. You told me that I was your best friend! You didn't forget me did you?" another boy came forward. I looked straight into his earnest eyes and I felt sorry for him and for myself. He might be my best friend, but I don't really remember how and why we became best friends.
"Well... you are Leviathan. The avatar of envy and the third-born demon," I said.
He looked relieved that I said it correctly, but I still have to tell them how I got it correctly. The problem is, I can't. Almost all of them are hogging around me already. Satan who is the avatar of wrath and the fourth-born demon, Beelzebub, the avatar of gluttony and the sixth-born demon, and his unidentical twin, Belphegor, the avatar of sloth and the seventh-born demon. Of course, Asmodeus and Leviathan went near, too. I could hear Mammon telling all of them to back-off, but they never seemed to listen. I took a step back, then another, and another.
"THAT'S ENOUGH! ALL OF YOU!" Lucifer's voice boomed to every corner of the room. Everyone, even me, shifted our attention to him. "Merielle lost all her memories after that car crash happened."
"The one we saved her from?" Satan asked, his hand on his chin.
"Yes. Correct," Lucifer confirmed. I looked around at everyone and they have these sad expressions. All of us must have had good times for them to have these sad faces. "Merielle will be staying with us for now, because of the danger that awaits her."
"Huh? What danger?" Leviathan asked.
"As we were about to go here, a witch attacked us in the human world. While Mammon and Solomon took Merielle to safety, I tried battling the witch. Unfortunately, the witch escaped."
"What?" Asmodeus uttered in shock.
"Someone escaped Lucifer's powers?" Beelzebub said.
"Well, that is interesting," Belphegor said.
"The witch must have been really skilled then," Satan said. "And I assume you decided to have her stay here, even though you know the risk, because you know all of us brothers can protect her here."
"Yes, and I will be speaking to Diavolo for that matter tomorrow," Lucifer said.
"Why wait for tomorrow when I am here already?" someone said from behind us.
Everyone turned and two men are at the open door.
"It is lord Diavolo and his butler, Barbatos," I whispered to myself.
The two looked at me with a smile. "It is nice having you here again, Merielle. Although I didn't expect for our next meet to be under these circumstances."
"I hope you will have your memories of all of us back, Merielle," Barbatos said. So, they also know about the accident that caused my amnesia.
"Merielle is sure to stay here at Devildom again while the witch who attacked is still unfound," Diavolo said. "We cannot be sure, of course, that that witch is the only one who is after Merielle or why and what is she after her. Merielle will be staying here at the House of Lamentation, so all of you, Lucifer and company, will be near her and will always look after her."
"Alright! Merielle will be with us again!" Mammon said happily.
"And one more thing," Diavolo said. "Merielle will be attending school again at RAD."
Wait... really? I will go to school? At the Royal Academy of Diavolo (RAD)?
"Diavolo, the school is filled with demons, witches, and many more that could bring harm to Merielle. We don't know, but one of the students might be an accomplice of the witch who attacked us or the witch herself in disguise!" Lucifer objected.
"But Lucifer, who will look after Merielle while you and your brothers are at school?" Diavolo asked.
Lucifer has no answers to that.
"I will set up Merielle's schedule so she will be accompanied by you or one of your brothers each day, in every class so all of you could still go to school and keep an eye for Merielle here at the same time," Diavolo said. He seems so proud of his idea that he crossed his arms, smiled, and said, "What phrase is it called? Hitting two birds with one stone? That's definitely it."
"We will see you at classes tomorrow, then, Merielle," Barbatos said.
Then Diavolo and Barbatos left the House of Lamentation.
"Well then, shall we take you to your room, Merielle? It is the room you used when you were here for the first time," Asmodeus said.
"You mean when I was an exchange student here?" I asked excitedly.
"Yes!" Asmodeus said.
"I thought you lost your memory, Merielle?" Belphegor asked.
"I read the basic information in the leather notebook. I would show you, but my things are left back in the human world," I said rather sadly. Even the gifts they gave me are out in the open. The only one that is with me is the-
"Oooohhh! Merielle! I can see that you are wearing the outfit that I gave you as a present before! Did you like it that much that you keep wearing it?" Asmodeus asked as he walked me to my room along with the rest of his brothers.
"Nope. Can't be," Leviathan said. "All of our gifts to her are locked inside the chest that Diavolo gave her. Remember? The one where Merielle had us with her looking for the key to open it? Then when she finally opened it, there is an invitation inside for a tea party with Diavolo that all of us attended to? All of our presents were kept inside the very same treasure chest."
"I found the treasure chest with the help of one of Solomon's friends, Amadio. There is also a fly, a snake, and a crow. Mammon told me that he was the crow and the fly and the snake are one of his brothers. Who is it?" I said and asked.
"The snake was me," Leviathan said with a big smile, then he dropped his face in a sad one. "Sorry, Merielle. I scared you back there. I just really had to stop you from getting out of that attic without taking the chest."
"It's okay, Leviathan," I said. "Thanks to you, I did not leave it."
"You can just call me Levi," Leviathan said and smiled. I smiled back.
"The fly was me," Beelzebub said. "I barely did anything, except taking a few bites of your dinner before Levi told us it is time for us to leave. You just left your food when you opened the chest."
Yeah. He is right. I did not eat any dinner. I got so excited about opening the chest and taking out its contents that I forgot to eat my dinner.
A sound came and I blushed from shyness.
"Beel, are you hungry again?" Levi asked Beelzebub.
"No, that wasn't my stomach," Beel said.
"I'm sorry," I said. "It was me. I haven't eaten dinner yet."
"Don't worry, Merielle. I will prepare your dinner," Lucifer said.
"Really?" I asked in disbelief.
"I'll help!" Satan said.
"Me, too!" Beel said.
"I might as well tag along to keep an eye on Beel," Belphegor said. I wonder, is it okay to call him Belphie?
"That would be useful, Belphie," Oh. And that was Lucifer saying that, as if he could read my mind.
And so, Asmodeus, Leviathan, and Mammon, led me upstairs to my room
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AUTHOR'S NOTE
The picture above does not belong to me. It belongs to the makers of Obey Me! Shall We Date? Otome Dating SIm