‘I hate it. That fucking king is not help at all !’

  Mariane was sitting on the bed with an angry pout on her face. She had discovered yesterday that she was in Hell’s castle, in the room she had recovered in. Of course, she had tried to walk away, but everytime she opened the door, the king’s aide would magically appear in front of her, asking if she needed everything, and preventing her from even taking a step outside.

  ‘I was doing so well ! I even managed to take the harem route, but now they want to prevent me from seeing the princes ? It must be Thomas’ plot.’

  Contrary to what Thomas was thinking, Mariane knew perfectly well that she was in a dating simutor. A game-like window had popped up in front of her eyes as soon as she had arrived in Hell.

  [Welcome to the world of ‘My Heart goes THUMP when I look at you !’ win the favor of nine handsome guys, and live happily ever after !]

  She had tried to probe a bit, but Thomas didn’t seem to be able to see the strange hologram. There was only one expnation : This situation was created for her, and her alone. However, she wasn’t dumb. Mariane knew her condition, and had no doubt that her mind was too weak to subsist without her personalities. That was why she had begged the king to save Thomas, he was perfect as a guardian and tried his best not to interfere with her life.

  ‘Everything went wrong after the king talked to him. In the first pce, how does it make sense that I can’t fill his ‘intimacy jauge’ ? The welcome message clearly indicated nine love interests, but I can’t get close to Bael and his aide. Is it a bug because Thomas is here ? I should have let him die.’

  Mariane knew that Thomas was suffering from severe trauma, but it didn’t matter to her. After all, he wasn’t a real person, only a fruit of her imagination. But now that he had a real soul and couldn’t disappear, the situation had gotten quite complicated.

  ‘I thought I would be set for life with seven princes, but they don’t hold a candle to the king. I text them almost every hour, but they can’t do anything if Bael tells them to stay away. It sucks so much. Should I try to seduce him ? No, if he’s in cahoots with Thomas, it will get even worse. Maybe I should try with the aide. After all, I’m super cute and they don’t have women in Hell, I’m sure he is at the very least intrigued. And interest can become love very easily !’

  She had confirmed that theory while seducing Paimon. The oldest prince may seem quite stoic and unfriendly, but after using a few tricks in her book - tripping in front of him, acting in unexpected ways, and inviting him for study sessions in her room - she had succeeded in bringing his ‘intimacy jauge’ up to 74%. It was proof that her method worked.

  Mariane looked at her reflection in her phone. Perfectly cute and lively, with her round cheeks and her shoulder length shiny blonde hair. If she opened her eyes a bit more and slightly pursed her lips, she would remind people of a baby bunny.

  ‘I’m much better than Thomas, he looks so gloomy. He doesn’t know how to use this perfectly fine body, he really is a moron.’

  After finishing her assessment, she adjusted her shirt and walked towards the door. As soon as she opened it, Baam appeared.

  “Do you need something ?”

  The girl took her most pitiful air, and blinked several times to make her eyes moist.

  “Hum… It’s just that… I was interested in the lessons but I can’t study while I’m trapped here…”

  The aide focused his purple eyes on her.

  “There is a pile of study books on the desk, you can browse through them.”

  ‘Why is this moss head so difficult to approach ? Green hair isn't even pretty, stop being an asshole and fall for me already !’

  She didn’t let her thoughts slip through, only toying with her sleeve to appear conflicted.

  “I know, it’s just that… I’m not that smart, I can’t understand if someone doesn’t expin it to me… Paimon used to come into my room to help me study, but now that he can’t…”

  Mariane didn’t finish her sentence. She lowered her head and let fake tears escape her eyes, falling one by one on the corridor’s carpet.

  ‘A pretty girl is crying in front of you, now you are conflicted, right ? You will certainly try to comfort me by either coming to my room or calling the princes. Come on, I’m waiting !’

  But contrary to her expectations, Baam stayed silent.

  ‘What are you doing, stupid bastard ? You should do something now !’

  She raised her head, still a pitiful look on her face, but…

  ‘Huh ?’

  The aide’s gaze was dark, almost cruel, while looking at her face. After staring at her for a while, he finally opened his mouth.

  “The princes are still immature boys that can’t control their powers. However, after living for a few millennia, you can master a useful ability, which helps you see through a person’s thoughts. You might be a guest in Hell, but please do not cross the line.”

  And with that, he waved his hand and a magic cloud pushed Mariane back in the room. The door closed behind her with a loud :

  -Bang

  The girl was stunned.

  ‘What the Hell… So Bael and Baam can read my mind ? Is that why I can’t seduce them ? No, but how does that make sense, the love interests are supposed to exist solely for me, why are they taking that bitch Thomas’ side ?’

  The situation was impossible to comprehend for her, and rather than thinking that she was at fault, she decided to put the bme on someone else.

  ‘I’m sure it’s Thomas. He must have said something to them. That’s it, I can’t take it anymore ! Even if he dies, my DID will create another personality anyway.’

  She grabbed her phone and called Beliar, the delinquent. Before making the call, she made sure to cough a few times so that her throat was painful, and added a slight trembling to her voice.

  “Bel ? I’m so tired of being locked in here… I don’t know what Thomas told them, but nobody is tending to me, I’m left alone and I barely receive enough food to survive…”

  She mimicked a sob and continued.

  “I can’t live like this… I didn’t think Thomas was a bad person, but now I can’t deny it anymore…”

  Mariane listened to the anxious voice on the other side and did her best to erase the smile that was creeping up on her lips.

  “When I was kidnapped, you said that you destroyed the demon down to his soul, right ? Can you erase only the soul and not the body ?”

  She had decided to take care of the obstacle in her pns.

  ***

  Thomas, blissfully unaware of her pns, fronted again a few days ter. By force of habit, he took out the phone and added a ‘T’ to Mariane’s social media profile. It didn’t take ten seconds for a call to arrive.

  “Hello ! How do you feel ?”

  “I’m fine, Bael. Are you coming soon ?”

  The voice on the other side sounded excited.

  “Not now, I found the spellbook ! There’s a few things to prepare, but by sunset you will have your new body. Hold on, and try to stay in front. I’ll run to you as soon as I finish to set everything up !”

  Thomas felt his heart beating faster, tears building up behind his eyes.

  “So, it’s today, right ? I’ll finally be free.”

  Bael’s tone became softer.

  “Yes, everything will change starting from today. I told you that you will be alright. Wait for me for a bit, and stay strong.”

  The call ended and Thomas put the phone back in his pocket. His long suffering would finally be over by sunset. It was the best news he had heard in all his life. He turned his head towards the mirror next to the wardrobe, excited to imagine his new appearance, when he suddenly froze. In the corner of the room, there was a tall silhouette with long blonde hair.

  “Paimon, what are you…”

  The prince took a step forward, his face rigid.

  “I have a bit of esteem for you, as a fellow gifted individual and as a study partner, so I feel obligated to warn you. Thomas, you need to run.”

  The human started to shake.

  “What are you talking about ?”

  Paimon looked at his phone, his brows furrowed.

  “There is not enough time. The other princes will be here soon to destroy you. If you want to survive, run away.”

  Thomas sprung up. He had imagined this situation countless times, and had always known that the demons hated him. But why now ? Why on this joyous day, when he was about to take a step towards a new beginning.

  “I won’t be in Mariane’s body tomorrow anyway, the king has found a way to take me out ! If you wait a few hours, you will have Mariane all to yourselves !”

  The prince looked at him with sorry eyes.

  “I know. I was aware of Bael’s pn from the beginning and even helped him in his research. However, Mariane has asked for your destruction, and we can’t oppose the object of our greed. It’s a demon’s nature. That’s why I can’t help you right now. The only thing I can do is tell you this : Run away.”

  Why would Mariane ask for him to be destroyed ? It didn’t make any sense. However, Thomas had no time for questions. Understanding the situation, he rushed out of the room, ready to alert Baam. However, the aide was not in front of the door.

  ‘What is happening ? Are they already here ?’

  His heart was beating faster, and anxiety took control of his breathing. Sensing that something was terribly wrong, he rushed towards Bael’s bedroom, while calling his number with his phone.

  ‘Answer… Please answer…’

  The call connected, but before he could say anything…

  “Oh, that’s perfect ! He ran to us, that makes it easier !”

  Six demon princes stood in front of him.