She bursts into the kitchen, donning only a nightgown, with her wavy brown hair worn loose around her shoulders. She must’ve looked like a wreck, eyes wide and shaking like a rabbit, but no one paid any mind to her. Her eyes scan the food preparation area, stopping only when she finds a certain demon butler.

“Why didn’t you tell me you shared thoughts with Cedric?” she demanded.

“Would it have mattered?” Aaron seemed unfazed by her outburst, helping the maids prepare breakfast.

“Miss Walker, you shouldn’t be out of bed,” Martha scolded, interrupting the pair. “Your wounds won’t heal properly and I can’t keep changing your bandages.”

“Martha, I’m fine,” she said. “The only reason I keep bleeding is because of the leeches.” She shudders, feeling the phantom slimy worms on her skin. She despised the outdated medicinal practices of the Charis Realm and considered it a miracle that she was even alive.

“They’re good for you,” the maid said. “You wouldn’t have gotten better without them.”

“Bloodletting helps the body,” Aaron said, agreeing with the maid. “Shall I get Ruth to escort you back to your room? You need time to fully heal.”

“You still haven’t answered my question,” she fumed.

“Your question is a product of your delusions,” he said. “There’s no such thing as mind-reading.”

“But you just said-”

“You’re hearing things, my lady. Now go back to your room,” he admonished.

She looks to her right, seeing the row of kitchen blades lined up against the wall. She knew he was only pretending that she was delusional in front of the kitchen staff to hide his identity as a demon, but she felt that if she held a knife, he wouldn’t have dared to speak to her like that.

Kill him, Lillian said. A dead demon will never disrespect you.

I refuse, she replied. You can't tell me what to do.

"Miss Walker, I think I can advise you on how to take care of yourself," the butler bristled, crossing his arms. "Such defiance is very unladylike."

She stares at him, mute, embarrassed to have voiced her thought out loud. Lillian laughs, mocking her. Juggling two conversations at once was proving to be a greater mental struggle than she had expected.

"Ruth," Aaron said, tapping the young maid on her shoulder. "Could you please escort Miss Walker back to the guest room? It seems that the lady has lost her way."

“Aye aye, sir,” the tiny maid said, saluting the butler. “I shall escort the lady to her barracks.” Ruth had gotten over her pirate phase, but she was now pretending to be a soldier, inspired by some veterans she and Martha had run into in the market. Aaron pats her head fondly as the girl puts on a serious face and marches over to Nicole.

She allows the maid to drag her away from the kitchen, amused by her charade. In a way, Ruth’s enthusiasm reminded her of her younger sister back home. As they dashed up the stairs away from “enemy soldiers,” she found herself missing the life she used to have.

From the outside, some people would say she had a broken family. Heck, she even said that whenever she looked at her divorced parents and spent her holidays devoid of love. But things had been changing before she was whisked to the Charis Realm. Her father was making an attempt to be in her life. And her mother seemed to care more for her.

But that wasn’t enough to convince you to stay, Lillian said. You barely questioned my offer.

You targeted me at my most vulnerable, she scoffs. Had I not been crying, I might’ve said no.

She crawls into bed, watching Ruth run back to her chores. The goddess fell silent in her head. She pulls her covers up to her waist, grabbing a book from the nightstand. Reading had always soothed her. It didn’t matter what dimension she was in. Books were her comfort, little portals of their own to different lives. Lillian never disturbed her when she read, the only courtesy the goddess extended to her. For someone who hadn’t been present at the beginning of her quest, she sure was showing her presence more frequently. She had a feeling that the goddess was growing desperate, but whenever she questioned her about her ulterior motives, she refused to answer. All she knew was that she wanted Aaron dead for killing her lover. But Ileana didn’t have Alice torture her for something that insignificant. Lillian had committed a crime terrible enough to be reduced to a voice in her head. No goddess gave up their power and chose to be a coward.

She puts down the book, too distracted to continue reading. Mr. Whiskers leaps onto her bed, nudging her to play with him. She obliges, growing more homesick as the cat purred against her side. It pained her to know that she probably couldn’t save Jessie in time. For all she knew, her cat back home could’ve died already.

He’s still alive, Lillian said. You can save him. All you have to do is slay the demon.

Nice try, she thought. But there are two demons in this manor.

Two? I only sensed Asmodeus. Every other demon resides in hell, the goddess said.

Cedric’s story replays in her mind. His choice to become a demon still stuck with her. He left his family and became the very thing they hated because he did what he believed was right. It was noble, selfless even. But her heart ached for him. He must have been all alone in his suffering.

I was wrong, the goddess said, taking in Cedric's story. You had completed your mission. Asmodeus was just a step ahead of you, keeping his eye in another person’s body.

He’s invincible, she said. The bracelet you gave me couldn’t even make a dent in him.

I’m sorry, Lillian said. I didn’t know killing him was this difficult. He’s far more clever than I anticipated.

She continues to pet Mr. Whiskers, feeling oddly victorious. Finally, the goddess would stop nagging her to do the impossible.

I will keep my end of the bargain, Lillian said. I’ve been unfair to you, keeping you here for so long.

She stops petting the cat, causing the animal to scratch her. I don’t believe you. You can’t even manifest your physical form here. How do you have enough power to send me back?

There’s a spell you can perform with the gifts I’ve given you, the goddess said. If you’ll let me, I can teach you.

Lillian was offering everything she wanted, but somehow she couldn’t be happy. The goddess’s words were too good to be true. Something was amiss.

Before Lillian could respond, Aaron entered the room, his cross expression scaring the cat away.

“Aaron,” she said, acknowledging the butler’s presence.

“My lady,” he said, bowing to her. She blinks in surprise. His demeanor had completely flipped from when he had addressed her earlier.

“I’m not a lady,” she corrected him. “Why are you acting so formal with me?”

“Because the Lord said to treat you like a lady of this household. He was not pleased with the way I spoke to you earlier,” he said, maintaining an even tone through gritted teeth.

“How did he-” She cuts herself off. Cedric had probably found out through the mental link he shared with the butler.

“Nevermind,” she said. “What brings you to my room?” She noticed that the butler was not wearing his usual eyepatch, using a glamour to give the impression that he had human eyes. It unsettled her that he regarded her with Cedric’s brown eyes. They may have both been demons but only one of them acted like it.

“I wish to talk about the agreement we made,” he said, taking a seat at the foot of her bed.

“Ah,” she said. “You mean the agreement that got me kidnapped and tortured?”

“I’m very sorry about that,” he said. “I had not expected the Family to retaliate by hurting you.” His response was simple, free of any complicated excuses as if he were anticipating her question.

“But you knew they were going to retaliate,” she said, pressing forward.

“Yes.”

“You knew and you didn’t tell me.”

He raises his eyebrow, clearly tempted to ask her where her statements were going, but he restrains himself to one-word answers.

“Yes.”

“Did my well-being, for a single moment, cross your mind?” She was mad at the demon for several reasons, but she was putting in an effort to make sure all those reasons didn’t tumble out of her mouth. She wanted to be a bigger person and she knew Aaron was smart enough to understand what she was insinuating.

“Your well-being is always on my mind,” he said. “It is second only to the Lord’s health.” She narrows her eyes. Did she really have to spell it out for him?

“Then why didn’t you warn me about the Family? If you knew the Lord didn’t give them an answer in time, why didn’t you tell me? I would’ve been careful,” she said.

“That was the Lord’s business,” he said. “It was never my right to tell you.”

“You share a mental link with him. You had every right to tell me. It would’ve prevented this.” She gestures towards her damaged body for emphasis.

“I cannot see the future,” he said. “I didn’t know they were going to target you. My only concern with you was returning you to your dimension.”

He may not have seen the future, but he saw the Lord’s mind. If he truly had a mental connection with Cedric, he would’ve also known that the night the Nefastus attacked the manor, Alice had seen her. She was fair game for the Family from the moment the Chosen One laid eyes on her.

“Aaron,” she said, changing the subject to something that nagged her mind more, “why didn’t you tell me about the mental connection you shared with the Lord?”

“I didn’t think it was necessary.” He folds his hands in his lap.

“Really? Because I disagree,” she said, raising the tone of her voice. “I think it was absolutely necessary that you told me if you wanted to pursue an agreement with me that was identical to the one you had with the Lord. My answer to your offer would’ve been very different if I knew exchanging eyes would give you unfettered access to my mind.”

“You’re mistaken, my lady,” he said, finally understanding the issue. “I wouldn’t have been able to read your thoughts. I don’t even read the thoughts of the Lord.”

“But you share a mental link with him,” she said. “Shouldn’t it be easy for you to pry into his mind?”

“We only get occasional glimpses of each other’s heads,” he said. “Think of it like a daydream. It’s not something either of us control, though I have been able to prevent most unwanted mental intrusions.”

“Most,” she echoed, “but not all.” It did not make her feel safer about the agreement she formed with him.

“Does Cedric know that you tried to form an agreement with me? Is he aware that on the same day that I got kidnapped, I was going to get a procedure that would tie me to you?”

He doesn’t respond. His silence spoke for him.

A horrifying thought occurs to her. “Would I have become a demon after our eyes were exchanged?”

“Only temporarily. Once we successfully send you back to your dimension, your humanity would’ve been restored.”

She laughs. He spoke as if she was still going through with the procedure.

“I’m not exchanging eyes with you,” she said.

A look of slight confusion distorts his face. “Don’t you want to go home?”

“Yes.” She wanted to be back in her bedroom as if nothing ever happened. She missed home, more than she would ever let Aaron know.

“You’re going to have to go through with the procedure for me to assist you,” he said, matter-of-fact.

“It’s more complicated than that. I don’t belong in my home dimension.” She recounts her dream the day she was kidnapped, telling him that she was Lillian’s last creation and how Ileana said she was a glitch in the Charis Realm. She spares him the gory details of her torture.

“Lillian hid you in Evelyn’s dimension for eighteen years? I knew she had one more card up her sleeve,” he said.

“She’s also hiding in my subconscious,” she said, tapping her forehead. “Ileana had me tortured to force her out, but it didn’t work.”

“That’s impossible,” he said. “She can’t be inside you.”

“What other goddesses would call you Asmodeus and be constantly after your blood? I keep hearing her voice in my head. It’s quite annoying.”

Like it’s a real treat to be inside your head, Lillian said, speaking up.

“It doesn’t make sense. The last time she possessed you, she almost broke your body. And I advise you to refrain from using my real name. It’s far more dangerous than you think.”

“Lillian possessed me?”

“It took up a lot of her power,” he said. “I did my best to restrain her.”

“I have no memory of this,” she said. She holds her hands out in front of her, flexing her fingers to make sure that she was still in her own body.

“In a way, it technically never happened,” he said. “Neither you nor Lillian would remember it.”

“Why? How-”

“Lillian isn’t the only one with a few tricks up her sleeve,” he said. For a moment, his demon eye reappears and his form flickers. To her surprise, he didn’t look like the shadowy figure she saw in the mirror at the market. He was beautiful, with his gold eye and mane of copper hair.

I expect nothing less from the Prince of Hell, Lillian said. Asmodeus is the demon of lust.

Stop drooling over him, she thought, finally getting a chance to tease the goddess back.

He was my Hand for a reason. I know you prefer the looks of the other demon, but I don’t agree with your tastes, handsome as he is, Lillian said.

She rolls her eyes, waiting for Aaron’s human form to return. Hadn’t the goddess urged her to kill him just a few moments ago?

The demon’s glamour reappears, this time as a vague outline of a human form over his body. She rubs her eyes, unable to unsee his true body. Wings of fire sprout from his back, so hot that she could feel them from where she was sitting. It was a wonder that they didn’t burn his clothes off.

“Is something wrong, my lady?” The butler looks at her with concern, the vague hologram of his human form mirroring his expressions. Just staring at him made her dizzy.

“Your glamour,” she said, blinking rapidly. “The illusion is weak.”

The demon looked offended. “It’s the same form I’ve always shown you.” Horns sprout from his head, curving towards the ceiling.

“You’ve got a lovely pair of horns,” she said. “Also, I would’ve never pegged you for a redhead.” At least his high cheekbones remained the same.

He snaps his fingers, trying to strengthen his glamour. “What about now? What do you see?”

Small, golden scales appear on his neck, matching the shade of his eye. The longer she stared at him, the more the illusion crumbled.

“It’s not working,” she said. “I still see your true self.”

“Close your eyes,” he instructed. “You will go mad if you stare at me any longer.”

She tries to squeeze her eyelids shut. “I can’t.”

He puts his hands over her eyes. “How about now?”

His hands glow red, burning into her vision. “It’s not working.”

“Lillian’s presence inside your mind has strengthened your sight of the supernatural,” he said. “‘I’m afraid it’s not something you can turn off. But I can help.”

He began to chant in an old language, something that sounded foreign but became more familiar the longer she listened to it. His voice wraps around her head, trying to obscure her sight. Something in her lashes out against his magic. Blue butterflies bleed from her fingertips, flying around the butler. He tries to swat them away, but more appear from her hands, filling the room.

In all the madness, the only thing that made sense to her was Aaron’s lone human eye. Cedric’s dark brown eye stares at her, the least remarkable thing about the demon’s body. It was familiar. Normal.

The butterflies stop escaping from her body, returning to the flesh of her palms. Aaron’s glamour slowly drapes over him, the horns shrinking into his head and the fiery wings vanishing. Her sanity returned and the butler she knew sat before her, not a hair out of place.

“You have magic,” he said, looking at her glowing blue hands. “This certainly throws a wrench in my plans.”

“What plans?”

“My plans to get you home, of course. Unless you’d like to stay here?”

"I was Lillian's last creation. I won't belong anywhere except for here," she said.

"This isn't Lillian's dimension anymore," he said. "Ileana is the Mother of the Charis Realm." He paused, shifting to a softer tone. "You belong where you feel most at home. Don't let your creator decide who you are. If you feel like this is your home, the Lord is more than willing to house you for as long as you need. If you feel that you must return to Evelyn's realm, I will find a way for you to go back, one that doesn't involve losing your eye."

"So I never had to lose my eye?"

He shakes his head. "It made sense when I assumed you were devoid of magic. I could've channeled my energies through you to get you home. But it's clear that you have your own abilities, powers you can't control."

"Lillian offered to teach me how to use them to go back."

He regards her warily. "And do you trust her?"

"I don't know." She looks away, unable to meet his eyes.

He sighs. "I'd say take your time to think about this, but the Family is still after you. If Ileana doesn't feel that you belong here, you will die, one way or another."

She hesitates. "What if I wanted to go back to Evelyn's realm?"

"Then you better prepare for a one-way trip to hell."