Chapter 11: Meeting the Sitri family

Chapter 11: Meeting the Sitri family

Tom entered the dining hall of the Sitri Manor and his eyes glanced around, his wildly beating heart calming down when he noticed the lack of a certain self-proclaimed magical girl's presence.

He wasn't sure if Serafall would be present at the 'Sitri family dinner' since she was a Leviathan now but apparently, his hosts were gracious enough to not include her, most likely knowing full well Tom was nervous enough about it without having a Satan present.

When Sarael invited him to a family dinner, Tom instantly shot him down, refusing before Sarael even finished speaking. Tom was uncomfortable enough with one devil knowing his identity and his connection to the potions, and now the sly bastard wanted to introduce him to his family?

What kind of joke was that?

Alas, Sarael gave him an offer that couldn't be refused.

Two reasonable requests.

As much as Tom wanted to say, 'Fuck you.', he just... couldn't. He couldn't say no to this opportunity.

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In the end, Tom accepted but under the condition that everyone attending the dinner would make a contract with him, free of any cost, of course, that stated they would never reveal his identity to others.

Fortunately, contracts were 'sacred' to the devilkind, and breaking the terms would be akin to rubbing the Sitri House's reputation through the mud. Not even the most vicious devil would break the terms of a contract. That's why the humans, and especially mages, had so many stories about cunningly tricking a big bad devil.

And according to Sarael, it was also why there were so many good night stories in the Underworld where the good devil won against the dirty tricks of cunning humans.

Tom's eyes met inquisitive, yet sharp blue eyes that scrutinized him from head to heels, making him feel a bit fidgety. The woman to whom these eyes belonged was incredibly beautiful by human standards but Tom didn't like the glint in her eyes. Not one bit.

The last person in the room was...

Tom blinked before slowly turning towards Sarael. "You wanted me in your daughter's peerage when she seems to not be old enough to get her pieces for at least a few years yet?" He deadpanned at the man.

"Yeah, so?" Sarael asked as if he didn't see any problem with that. "I am sure that waiting for my cute little angel would be no bother at all!"

The sincerity in his eyes as he uttered complete bullshit like that was making Tom very leery of staying friendly with this man.

"And I now refuse twice as hard." Tom dryly said. It was one thing to be a devil in the peerage of a gorgeous woman. And that image still made him reel in discomfort. It was quite another to be in the peerage of someone who wasn't even old enough to go to school.

"And this is our daughter and heiress, Sona Sitri." Lareth said, gently putting her hand on top of Sona's head.

Tom redirected his smile at the girl and spoke, "Nice to meet you, cute little princess Sona."

Of course, just as Tom expected, the girl took the bait perfectly.

"I am not little! I am already six!" Sona indignantly pouted, showing Tom six fingers, instantly out of her shy shell.

The small girl instantly realized what she had just done and blushed under the amused look and reproaching eyebrow of her mother before she hid her face in Lareth's skirt.

Tom turned towards Sarael and smirked, "She reminds me of you in a way."

That made Lareth laugh as Sarael rolled his eyes at Tom. "Of course, she does. She is like me. Smart, cunning, and good-looking."

"Hmm, I can see her growing up to be just that but are you sure you are talking about yourself?" Tom quipped, poking fun at Sarael.

"My husband loves to exaggerate." Lareth added with a smirk, causing Sarael to gasp and grab his chest.

"That hurts, honey." He exaggeratedly scrunched his eyebrows in a pitiful expression

Lareth curtly nodded at him and happily said, "Happy to be of service, husband."

Tom liked their interaction and if the quiet snickering of Sona was any indication, she also found the antics of her parents funny.

This whole dinner was becoming way different than what Tom imagined a dinner of nobility to be but he liked that. Which made him feel weird. For all he knew, they could act like this on purpose to show him he could fit into their family. They most likely were doing exactly that.

But Tom also felt they were genuine in their behavior which was why it was weird.

If he learned anything from this experience, it was that dealing with old devils like these was headache-inducing.

"Well, then, shall we eat?" Sarael asked, gently ushering Tom to his seat before taking his own seat at the helm of the table.

Several maids and butlers entered the room the second he sat down, bringing platters upon platters with luxurious food of various kinds. It was an impressive scene, to say the least. The servants as if knew when to enter and Tom couldn't help but give Sarael an unimpressed look at how much he was showing off.

Sarael just smugly grinned at him in reply. After all, he could afford it so what if he used a bit of theatrics to make a good impression?