Baby Girl "Breakfast In The Courtyard."

Katherine Ann pushed open the door to the dining hall, her thoughts running amuck in her head as she tried to reel them in. It was odd to realize that Lucifer knew about her feelings before she did. Although, he didn't know what he was sensing exactly. When had this happened? When did her infatuation and blossoming feelings for Lucifer turn into love? And how did she not realize it until now? 

Kathrine Ann was interrupted from her thoughts by a loud growl coming from the Devil next to her, "This better not be some kind of joke."

At the table, there were a handful of occupied chairs, but Lord Lucifer's was not one. Belial was also missing.

"Young Lord! Princess!" Vassal called, hustling quickly across the hall, "There you two are." She exclaimed as she reached the couple, "Thank goodness, your father is getting quite annoyed."

"He's not the only one." Grumbled Lucifer.

"And where is Lord Lucifer?" Kathrine Ann asked.

"He wanted a private breakfast this morning. He and the others are in the courtyard." She explained, opening the large doors through which they had just entered, "Come now, follow me. Quickly." She instructed before leaving the hall with the same hastened steps.

"And the others would be?" Lucifer questioned as the couple followed.

"The elf prince Viskiam, Milril, Micheal and Belial, Duke Cazimir, and his daughter, Lady Angelique," Vassal answered.

"Wonderful," Lucifer grumbled, rolling his eyes, and Kathrine Ann scowled at hearing Angelique's name. "And the reason for this exclusive breakfast?"

"I don't know for sure, my Prince, but I imagine it's related to all the chaos that has been happening over the last few days."

In no more than a few minutes, they were entering the clearing to find everyone mentioned seated around a large round table. There were two empty chairs on the opposite side of the obviously peeved Lord of Hell.

Lord Lucifer was leaning back in his chair, lips tightly pressed, and his blonde hair disheveled, probably from running his fingers through it a few too many times. His blue eyes were locked onto his son, and he followed his movements, but he stayed silent as the couple walked to their seats.

"Finally," He snapped, sitting up straight, as Lucifer pulled out Kathrine Ann's chair before taking his own, "Do you have any idea how long we've been waiting?"

"Apologies, Father. I wasn't aware that our presence was required this morning. I had barely started my own breakfast when you so rudely interrupted." Lucifer replied, and Kathrine Ann felt the color drain from her face.

"Oh?" Lord Lucifer questioned, confused, "I asked Vassal if anything had been prepared for you two."

"It's not the type of breakfast one would find in a kitchen, Father—Ouch!" exclaimed Lucifer as Kathrine Ann kicked him hard in the ankle. He turned to face her and was met with a death glare. "Anyway, what is all this about? I believe most of you know how difficult the last couple of days have been for me."

"Oh yes, poor Louie." His father replied as multiple servants appeared with everyone's breakfast, "Three days I have been left in the dark. Three fucking days!" He snapped, startling the young servant boy who was placing his food. Lord Lucifer shoved his chair back and stood up, hands palm down on the table. "I am the ruler of Hell, and I have no idea what's going on in my own kingdom. I have Azazel in a hospital bed. Why? Don't know. My only son poisoned. Why and by whom? Don't know. Was it the same mysterious hooded man that's been targeting my daughter-in-law? Don't know. And the icing on this shit cake, my annoying, holier-than-thou brother is here to speak to my son about what? I don't fucking know! Now, somebody at this table better start filling in the details before I throw the whole lot of you into the chambers." He threatened, meeting every person's eyes but Kathrine Ann's before taking a deep breath and sitting back down, his now calm gaze falling on her, "Except for you, my dear." He added, picking up his fork.

Lucifer sighed loudly before signaling the closest servant, "Would you kindly provide both my father and me something a bit stronger to drink?" He requested.

"One for me as well." Kathrine Ann added, obviously aggravated.

"There's no way I would have known she would be here," He mumbled to her, most likely sensing the sudden change in her mood.

"For once, she's not the issue." Kathrine Ann hissed.

During Lord Lucifer's rant, a memory from the night before last flashed in her mind, reigniting the anger and frustration she had felt then. It wasn't just the Lord who had been left out of the recent events. Lucifer had lied to her, causing Viskiam to lie to her as well.

No matter what his reason was, she was angry and hurt that he hadn't trusted her enough to let her help him, especially after the conversation they had during dinner the night of the play.

He had intentionally hid the fact he had been poisoned to get her out of their room. That time could have been used to get help and, in turn, lessen the amount of time that the poison was in his system.

Lucifer tilted his head in question as she focused on her plate, aggressively stabbing the vegetables.

"If not Angelique, what has got you so upset?" He asked, "What could I have possibly done this time?"

"It seems there are endless possibilities, you jerk!" She hissed, still not looking at him.

Before Lucifer could ask anything else, Lord Lucifer cleared his throat, pulling back his son's attention. With a loud, aggravated sigh, Lucifer spoke,

"Three days is a bit of an exaggeration, Father. I told you what happened at the theatre. Nothing has changed about that." He huffed, stabbing a piece of greasy meat and shoving it in his mouth.

"You tortured the accused boy in my chambers and told me little to nothing. Lunther informed me about who he was and the affiliations he has,"

"Had." Lucifer smiled.

"Louie!"

"What, Father?" Lucifer snapped. "I handled the boy."

"And did you investigate—"

"Of course, I arranged an investigation, but when would I have had a chance to read through any possible reports that have come up? I can only do so much,"

"My Lord," Duke Cazimir began, "I have also tasked my best men with looking into what happened."

"Why?" The Lord asked, turning his eyes on the Duke, "Louie will figure it out. Besides, don't you think you and Angelique are a bit too close to this situation to be involving yourselves or the men who work for you?"

"What exactly are you insinuating?" He demanded through gritted teeth.

Lord Lucifer leaned forward, elbows on the table and chin resting in his palms, "I'm simply stating that you and Angelique, mainly Angelique, hold a bit of suspicion in this investigation, so it may be best to lay low until we figure out what the truth is. Getting yourself too involved may look—" The Lord began.

"Lucifer, you know neither my daughter nor I would ever—"

"You say that, Lunther," He began as the servant returned with a tray of drinks, giving him his glass first, "But the hostility your daughter holds for Kathrine Ann is a bit concerning. You should have heard the things she dared to say to the crowned Princess in her own home and in front of other prominent women of our society. Very unbecoming of a future leader. Especially after she so graciously opened her home to your daughter."

"She is jealous. Yes, I will admit she has behaved immaturely," He laughed awkwardly as Lucifer and Kathrine Ann received their drinks, but before she could take the glass, Lucifer snatched it from her and took a quick sip as the Duke continued, "But Angelique has always adored Louie, and with the attention he showered her with...it's not surprising that she always hoped, even expected, to marry—"

"I believe I made it very clear to you that a marriage between our children was never going to happen. Why you wouldn't discourage that idea from the very beginning is beyond me." Lord Lucifer tsked, picking up his glass and sipping it.

"He may not have, but I made that very clear to Angelique." Lucifer added, handing Kathrine Ann her drink before taking a large swig from his, "Many, many times. Also, for the record, there was no showering of attention. I had one use for your daughter, and I did not hide that fact."

His statement caused Duke Cazimir to glare at Lucifer, "Regardless, she is no more than a jealous woman, but to assume she would plot the murder of our future Queen. That would be treason."

"It would undoubtedly be treason, and you know what I do to those who betray me." Lord Lucifer said.

"Milord!" Angelique spoke, "I swear on my mother's grave I would never betray you or Louie. No, I do not like Kathrine Ann, but I am also not stupid. I would never dare harm a member of the royal family."

"Lady Kathrine—" Kathrine Ann began gripping her fork so tight it began to bend as her tears threatened to break free.

"Angelique!" Lucifer snapped, "You are not on friendly terms with my wife, nor are you in any position of power yet. Address my wife informally one more time, and I will take it as a personal insult."

Kathrine Ann couldn't help the small smile that crossed her lips despite her growing frustration over this entire dumpster fire of a breakfast. 'I love him, and I will handle this.' she thought, a bit calmer but still frustrated.

"Enough!" Belial shouted, "We have no proof of any treason yet. Let's move on, please. This is becoming nothing more than a baseless squabble."

Lord Lucifer nodded, "Well put, Brother. Louie, what happened with Azazel?"

"We know that she was, in fact, attacked while on Shain by hunters. She confirmed this and that it was a father-son team. Once Kiam returns home, he will be doing a deep and thorough investigation into where this duo came from and what alliances they have. I will be following up and making a visit to Shain in a few weeks. As far as who poisoned me, I haven't exactly been myself since the incident, so I haven't had much of a chance to ponder the possibilities. However, I do not believe it is the same assailant who has been targeting my wife."

"If you haven't had time to investigate, how could you come to that conclusion?" Lord Lucifer asked.

"If you know I haven't had time to investigate why did you disturb my morning?" Lucifer retorted.

There was a tense, silent stare-off between father and son, but a sudden tickle in Kathrine Ann's nose caused her to quickly bring her hand to her mouth in an attempt to hush the sneeze. However, a muffled squeak broke the silence as she grabbed her napkin and batted her nose, "Excuse me." She mumbled as a pink tinge formed on her cheeks.

"Baby Girl, are you okay?" Lucifer asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just a sneeze." She replied.

"Are you sure?" Lucifer questioned, "If you're not feeling well,"

"I said I'm fine, Luce. It's probably just a bit of allergies. I'm not used to the pollen here. Just continue your conversation. No point in minding my feelings now." She added the last part in a low mumble but knew Lucifer had caught it.

"Continue with your theory, Louie." Lord Lucifer insisted.

"Theory indeed." Lucifer admitted, "I could very well be wrong, but just my first observations and deductions is that our hooded fiend targeting Kathrine Ann is focusing on killing her. I don't know if he has his own reasons or if he is working for someone else, but the goal is not torture, suffering, or revenge. It's just death. The amount of Keshia in both attempts was more than enough to take out a halfling in a day, so a full mortal like my wife. I'd guess hours. Devil's Kiss is all about torture. Would it kill Kathrine Ann? Probably, but this was meant to cause suffering."

"So then, do you believe that the Devil's Kiss was meant for you?" Belial asked.

"Not necessarily. It could have been meant for her, but I don't believe it was left by the same person. One wants death, the other suffering." Lucifer shrugged.

"But why?" Viskiam spoke up, "Kathrine Ann hasn't been here long enough to make enemies."

"Two hypotheses," Lucifer replied, holding up two fingers on one hand while his drink was in the other, "Whoever is doing this doesn't believe she belongs here and wants her out of Hell or, more likely, in my opinion, they don't want me taking over Hell, and they know she is the requirement."

"But how?" Milril spoke next, "Only a select few know of the contract's existence, or at least at the time of the first poisoning."

"Treason." Lucifer shrugged, causing the whole table to go silent as he swirled his glass, "Or maybe just someone who has a couple of brain cells. I mean, come on, it's not that difficult to piece together. I got married right after someone fell from Heaven to a woman no one had ever seen before, and she happens to be the only full-blooded living mortal to ever step foot in Hell." He laughed, earning a few glares. "I'm just saying it doesn't take a scholar to put it together."

"Even still, this person needed time to plan, acquire the poison, and find people to do his bidding. It seems more likely to me that he knew before the rumor started to circulate." Duke Cazimir offered, "Also, if I heard correctly, there were three vials of Keshia bought by our Princess's attempted killer, meaning there is one still out there. I agree with Louie. These are likely two separate situations, possibly related but not the same goals."

"Correct. With one vial remaining, I don't think our hooded assailant would suddenly change his plan, less he was following the orders of another, but still, why would that person suddenly change the plan?" Lucifer pondered.

"There could be many reasons why." Kathrine Ann chimed in, "I think the possibility of it being someone close by shouldn't be overlooked. Maybe they live or work in the palace or at least have someone on the inside. I mean, one attempted, and one successful poisoning already occurred here. They could have seen an opportunity last night and no longer had Keshia, so they chose a different method. You said it yourself that Devil's Kiss would most likely kill me, maybe not the cleanest death, but if death is the goal."

"If they lived in the palace, they would have also known our last-minute plans to go out." Lucifer hummed, considering her words, "But we did interview all the servants." He sighed loudly, "We need more information, and with that, my Baby Girl and I will be going."

"Not before my last question is answered." His father ordered, "Why is Micheal here? I know he spoke to you last night."

"Grandpapa wants to bring Heaven to Hell, literally." Lucifer smiled, "Apparently, you made Hell such a wonderful place that the dead half-demons want to return home."

"No wonder Micheal went to you." Lord Lucifer laughed, "The answer is no."

"It's not up to you, Father," Lucifer replied, "By the time this possibly happens, I will be in charge. That's why Micheal came to me." Lucifer replied, "Though I do want your opinion and input. We will discuss this later in private. Good day, everyone." He snapped, getting up and grabbing Kathrine Ann's hand, and though she rose from her chair, she immediately pulled her hand from his.

"Pardon me, my Prince, but I believe I'll spend this afternoon on my own." Without waiting for a response, Kathrine Ann turned her back on her husband and everyone else and walked back to the castle without bothering a glance.

Once in the castle and knowing no one was following her she let the threatening tears fall as she stamped towards the stairs. She had completely forgotten about that terrible moment when she walked into their room, and her heart stopped. Blood and glass all across the floor. Not knowing where he was, thinking the worst.

She stopped at the foot of the stairs and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. She loved this man, her Devil, and thinking about that made her smile because she knew, soon enough, he would seek her out to set things straight. Offer her some stupid but heartfelt apology, and she would forgive him because she knew he meant it and was trying.

Kathrine Ann turned from the stairs, deciding going back to the room would just leave her sad and lonely. She wasn't ready to wallow in self-pity. She was the Damned Princess, after all! He wanted her then he would have to find her.