DxD: Path of the Gremory Prince

"Come on, Milicas... Come a little closer," Makima said, her head peeking out at me.

I took another step forward. Then, Makima smiled and pulled the fitting room curtain aside a little, partially revealing herself. So I saw that, behind the curtain, she was wearing only black lacy lingerie.

The two pieces fit her body perfectly, highlighting each of the beautiful curves I had seen naked the day before.

Before I knew it, my free hand was raised, as if acting on its own.

I was about to touch one of her breasts, but at the last instant, the curtain closed in front of me. My left hand remained suspended in the air, my fingers mere millimeters from the bluish fabric of the fitting room curtain.

Only Makima's head remained visible, and to my surprise, she was blushing and looked startled.

"W-what did you intend to do with that hand?" she asked and closed the curtain.

"Well, you showed it to me, and I..."

"You thought you could just touch it? Let's take it easy. You're a noble devil, heir to a powerful clan, right? Why would you want to touch a mere servant girl? Where are your principles?"

I scratched the back of my head, confused by her reaction.

'Women really are an enigma,' I thought.

"I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking straight."

Makima laughed softly, and then the curtain opened again. This time, she was wearing a red dress that fell to her knees, but with a subtle side slit on one leg that revealed part of her thigh whenever she moved.

'Wow!' I was stunned.

Her cheeks were still slightly red. "No need to say more."

In this dress, Makima looked even more stunning than most professional models.

Then she turned her back to me and pushed her hair forward, exposing the smooth, white skin of her back.

"Can you zip it up for me, lazy boy?" she asked.

I nodded and dragged the zipper up. I didn't have time to notice much, but I noticed that there was a dot right in the middle of her spine. This was a new discovery for me.

When I finished, Makima met my gaze in the mirror, and this time, I didn't hold back from saying what was on my mind.

"You look amazing."

Her eyes widened for a moment before she tossed her hair back.

"Okay... If you like it, then I think I'll take this one."

At that moment, I stepped even closer, leaning in until my mouth was next to her left ear.

"Next time you do something like that to me, I won't hold back. Although I am your master, such relationships aren't as uncommon as you might think. After all, my mother is my father's Queen."

"Milicas-san...? Are you still there?" Asia's voice came from the fitting room next door.

I pulled away from Makima and replied, "Yes, Asia. I'm here."

"I've finished trying on the dress. Can you give me your opinion?"

"Of course." I turned toward the fitting room next door, and Makima closed hers.

-:-

Time passed more quickly than I expected. In the blink of an eye, prom weekend had arrived.

Now I was standing in front of my bedroom mirror, adjusting the tie of my black tuxedo. Suddenly, Makima appeared behind me. We were about the same height, so she stood on her tiptoes to be a little taller than me so she could look at my reflection in the mirror over my shoulder.

"You look very good in black, master," she commented. "But why didn't you choose a red suit? It would match your hair and eyes."

I adjusted my tie one last time before turning to her.

"Red would be a good choice, but I once heard a butler at Gremory Manor say that a man who wears a tuxedo in any color other than a nice black just wants to draw attention to himself."

Makima laughed softly and nodded. "That makes sense. Men who try too hard to stand out are usually the ones who have the least to offer."

"Wow~ Milicas-san." I heard someone gasp to my left.

I turned around and saw Asia standing in the bedroom doorway.

Her eyes were wide as she stared at me, and her cheeks were slightly flushed.

"M-Milicas-san, you look great in that outfit!"

I smiled at her. "And you look beautiful too."

The dress Asia was wearing was light blue with delicate fabric and ruffles on the arms and skirt. The neckline was modest, but it flattered her.

Asia lowered her head and started playing with her fingers after my compliment.

"Thank you..."

"Well, if we're all ready, shall we go?"

"I-I-I'm about to go to the underworld for the first time... Wow, that's weird to say," Asia replied.

"Anytime, master," said Makima.

As soon as we touched the magic circle on the floor of my small room, I released a bit of magical power, and a scarlet glow took over everyone's vision. In the blink of an eye, we were already in a completely different environment.

There was a red carpet beneath our feet with the Gremory magic circle on it.

The face of the room's decoration amounted to a large canopy bed, a closet, bookshelves, and an arched glass door that led out onto a balcony. 

"My bedroom..." I commented with a hint of nostalgia, even though it had only been a little over a week since I left this place.

"Oh, this is your bedroom?" Asia asked, looking around. "How luxurious."

"I spent my childhood and most of my teenage years here," I said. 

Most of my memories as Milicas were in this room.

There were so many nights when I wished to be away that some of that feeling still lingered in me.

For that reason, I didn't want to stay here too long.

"Let's go? They're probably already waiting for us and looking forward to meeting you." I held out my left hand to Makima and my right hand to Asia.

Makima smiled slightly before accepting my hand, but Asia held onto my other arm.

The slight blush on her face showed how nervous she was about this event, and that was completely understandable given her past.

As soon as we left the room, we headed down an antique-decorated corridor and reached the ebony wooden staircase that led to the main hall on the first floor of the house.

Downstairs, the entrance hall was already full. Nobles, influential guests, and important members of the underworld's high society were scattered throughout the space, dressed in luxurious gowns or tuxedos with the haughtiness belonging only to those with power.

[Main Scene Started!]

[The Patrons are glad you're in the underworld.]

I didn't have time to pay much attention to these messages because the moment the girls and I appeared, the conversations between the devils downstairs gradually quieted until only classical music remained as a backdrop to the sighs and murmurs.

The sound of our footsteps echoed as we descended the stairs, and even the waiters serving drinks stopped momentarily.

However, almost none of these many eyes were fixed on me. Most of them already knew me, and I had exchanged a word or two at other gala parties. Their shock was due to the two beauties accompanying me.

I had expected my presence to attract a bit of attention, but this reception was beyond what I had anticipated.

"Milicas-san..." Asia whispered, gently squeezing my arm in fear.

"Ignore them," I replied quietly enough so that she, and only she, could hear.

When we reached the bottom of the staircase, several devils approached. They were nobles from various weaker and less influential houses.

"Milicas-sama, it's been a while since we last met. How are your studies progressing?"

Some of them tried to win my favor first.

"Young Gremory, I hear your power is evolving rapidly. How about training in my territory sometime? My training camps can entertain you, I believe."

Others were more direct about what they wanted.

Being a Gremory, I was used to flattery and countless requests. More and more nobles approached, forming a small circle around us. But, unlike at the Kuoh Academy, I didn't have to be patient and endured this with a lopsided grin.

I kept my expression serious, my aura carefully contained. Without looking at anyone, I said with a tone as cutting as the coldest wind in limbo:

"Excuse me."

Some devils widened their eyes, others frowned. However, none dared respond harshly or stand in my way. My words worked like magic, and the crowd parted like the sea.

[Some Patrons disapproved of your arrogance.]

Asia looked at me for a moment, and her grip on my arm weakened as she lowered her head. I immediately knew that, like the Patrons, she didn't approve of how I had acted.

We walked through the hall without further interruptions, though many gazes followed us.

"Is something wrong, Asia?" I asked.

Asia raised her eyebrows, probably surprised that I had noticed her mood shift.

"Why did you... treat them like that?" she whispered.

"Coldness is valued in the underworld," I glanced at her and replied. "They expected exactly that kind of response."

"But they seemed so interested..."

"Watch." 

Pointing discreetly behind me with a nod, I encouraged Asia to look at the nobles who had tried to talk to me. 

When she turned slightly to peek, she saw that instead of being hurt or irritated by my response, the nobles I had rejected were smiling. Several even seemed excited, while others chuckled softly and awkwardly.

"It was pointless to try and get an audience with him in the middle of an event like this. I knew it, hehe!"

"Milicas-sama truly embodies the nobility of a devil."

"We couldn't have expected much. The true heir to the Gremory clan would never be so accessible."

Asia looked ahead and then back at me. "I don't understand... Why are they happy?"

"Because that's the culture here. For them, a noble must be distant and unattainable to the majority. This reinforces the position they expect me to hold in the future."

[The Patrons now understand your motivations.]

[Several Patrons admire your knowledge of devil society.]

[100 credits have been sponsored.]

"That sounds sad," Asia commented.

"Yes... I'm going to change it, but I need to do it little by little. This culture of coldness and status must be broken, but change takes time."

Asia raised her eyebrows, and then a sweet smile appeared on her pink lips—one so pure that I almost forgot where I was.

[Asia Argento's admiration for you has increased.]

[You have received +1 Relationship Point with Asia Argento.]

My heart raced for a moment at her sweet smile before I forced myself to remain composed.

'Pull yourself together, Milicas. You're in the middle of an event full of nobles, and there are more important matters to deal with. Like the wedding that's being arranged for me... one that I'm not even remotely excited about.'