Exchange Students WantedIt's been a long few weeks, but by a mixture of chance, hearsay, and some apparently excellent bluffing skills, I managed to find myself at the doorstep of this dream's - if I can call it that - ruler. I'd been spending the st several days cooped up in small crevices to avoid being eaten since my run-in with a talking wolf that said she really liked the smell of me. In the meantime, I'd figured out that Grimm were gold coins with what I believed had a half-decent exchange rate. I'd picked a few of them off the streets, imagining I might need them for something. Bribes maybe.

  This pce was called "The Devildom," currently ruled by a man under the name "Prince Diavolo the First" I, in my infinite wisdom, had decided that talking to him would be the best course of action. I may have been a little reckless since there was still a part of me that thought all of this was a dream. I mean, it was a little ridiculous that a flimsy little human could survive in such a hostile living environment where randomly getting eaten was not a distant worry. Judging by the amicable way the demons (as this is indeed what they were called) referred to the Prince, I at least didn't think the man would kill me on sight if I waltzed into his castle unannounced.

  "This is going to end poorly," I muttered before I seized my hand around a long pulley which controlled a huge, grey bell that was probably not intended for this purpose. I pulled on the thick cable with all my might, and a deep, rumbling GOOOOOOONNNNGG... resounded through my feet and into my bones. It felt like a bell that could only be rung during a funeral, filled with sorrow and horror, and it was a bell that could certainly be heard for more than a mile. The sound lingered, long after the heavy bell had stopped moving, and I winced at the feeling, wondering if there were demons panicking across the Devildom.

  And yet, as the long, arch-capped doors opened to reveal a butler with hair the color of dried seaweed, accented by seafoam-colored ends, I found myself feeling relieved. His expression was collected, unperturbed, and most importantly, faintly welcoming. Another really attractive guy. Lord have mercy.

  "We've been expecting you," he said quietly, lowering his head a little to me. W-Wait, you have? What? I literally just rang an important bell that's probably only supposed to be used for times of emergency, and you didn't stop it from happening? "Truthfully," he continued, seeming a little ashamed, "we've actually been searching for you for the st several days. It's quite fortunate that you've managed to find your way here by yourself." The butler stepped to one side, gesturing for me to come inside. "Please come in; there are things his highness would like to discuss."

  "...yes," I said, a little giddy at this point with anxiety. Among other things, despite the fact that the butler didn't feel as if he were threatening at all, there was just... something about him that unnerved me really badly. I walked into the castle, and the man walked slightly ahead of me, beckoning me after him. The main hall was grand and beautiful, and I couldn't help myself from gawking a little at its splendor. Screw Buckingham; this pce was gorgeous. What are safe things to say? I wondered, feeling the need to fill up the silence, but the man filled it for me as he led me up a stairwell.

  "My name is Barbatos, for future reference," he said, offering a gnce backward at me, his downward-sloping lime eyes piercing straight through me, and I stiffened. "You needn't be so tense, Ms. Gsgow. Unlike some of the other denizens I'm sure you've encountered, I have no intention of eating you." He faintly smiled at me, cutely I thought, before he looked straight ahead. I wasn't sure how to respond to that. "That being said," he continued after a moment, "we also do not intend to return you to your pce of residence as you might desire."

  "...why?" I asked hesitantly, even as Barbatos stopped before a door, quietly knocking, a quiet and familiar "come in" resounding from inside. That voice reminds me of someone I knew...

  "I can answer that," a friendly voice chimed in from behind me, and I jumped like a cat as I turned around to see a red-headed guy with gleaming, predatory yellow eyes. Clearly well-built and dressed in a bze-red uniform, I was looking at a man that, while he absolutely terrified me with his mere presence, had been opulently blessed with good looks. Especially his big smile as he looked at me. That was a definite plus.

  "My lord, you did not have to startle her," Barbatos softly scolded, and it was only at that point that I actually realized this man was the Prince. Prince Diavolo.

  "I apologize," Diavolo said to me, looking genuinely abashed as Barbatos opened the door and ushered us both inside before closing it again. It was a darkened but beautiful room with a vaulted ceiling, various paintings strewn over the wall. There was already a figure sitting in the corner, currently drinking what I could only assume was tea. "But Annelie, the reason I do not wish to send you back to the human world is because I saw an opportunity when you were transported here by mistake. I wanted to take advantage of it, especially seeing as you've survived this long by yourself." Diavolo sat down in the armchair next to the other figure, and as my eyes got more adjusted to the dim lighting, I could swear I'd seen the other figure before.

  "And..." I pried my gaze away from him, urgently sitting down as Barbatos gave me a chair to sit on, my legs trembling a little. All three of these people could kill me in impossibly torturous ways; I was certain of that fact. "What opportunity was that..." I hesitated, "your highness?" No distinct reaction. All clear.

  "Well, you see, I've recently started an exchange program for an academy I head, where races aside from devils are encouraged to learn alongside us. Currently, I'm afraid we only have one human exchange student, and he isn't..." Diavolo pressed his lips thin, "what you would call representative of the species." It took me a few moments to register what he was saying and realize what he was almost certainly after.

  "Are you..." I wet my lips. "Asking me to attend a school for demons?" Diavolo smiled at me again, and it was in that moment that I realized not all of his smiles were necessarily good-natured.

  "That's correct," he confirmed with a slight nod, taking a sip of his own tea.

  "He is not asking." I turned my head towards the figure next to Diavolo, the one who had been quiet as a mouse until now, and my brows furrowed as I tried to remember where the hell I'd heard such an attractive voice before. It couldn't have been J*eASMR or Th***yB**NSFW; their voices were a little higher. Not to mention the fact that I knew I'd seen his pretty face somewhere else before... Diavolo turned to the other figure with a somewhat confused look.

  "What? No, I am actually asking though."

  "AH!" I pointed at the man, my eyes wide with recognition and startling all three demons in the process. "You're the guy from Devil's Hotspot!"

  "Lucifer, you met her already? Why didn't you tell me?" Diavolo asked, and I nearly snorted at his name. Lucifer? My mind immediately went to Tom Ellis, and I almost giggled at how different they felt as Lucifer groaned, pressing his face into his hands. Unlike before, Lucifer was wearing a dark grey uniform edged with gold accents in the form of buttons, trim, and studs. Simir in style to Diavolo's, it was long and almost draped down to his calves. His red nails had been concealed under a pair of bck, leather gloves, and I couldn't help but feel a little disappointed before I found myself gncing at Diavolo's massive, bck-nailed, caramel-fvored paws. Get it together, Anne...

  "If I had known who she was, I would have," Lucifer replied, giving me a warning gre. "And forget you ever saw me there."

  "You look a lot better in what you're wearing now," I suggested impulsively before I internally smmed my face into a wall as Lucifer stared at me in silence. Why did you say that OUT LOUD?!

  Diavolo, however, found my remark very humorous and burst out in contagious peals of ughter, before he said, "I must say I'm inclined to agree, though there's a certain charm about him in those clothes as well." He directed a teasing gnce towards what I could only assume was not just a political ally but also a friend. Lucifer turned his head, annoyed, and Diavolo shoved down the rest of his chuckles and turned back to me. "So, Annelie, what would you like to do?"

  "What's in it for me?" I should never be allowed to speak; Lucifer looks like he's going to murder me in cold blood. Maybe he's trying to with that icy stare...

  "Well, what do you want?" Diavolo asked with a tilt of his head, and I opened and closed my mouth for a few seconds, not sure what I should say. "Is there something in particur that you want? It isn't often that I encounter a human that's as courageous as you are." It was fairly obvious that Lucifer disagreed with that assertion, given how his jaw twitched a little.

  "Is that what you're calling her?" he asked, and Diavolo gnced at him with some confusion.

  "Human? Of course, Lucifer. What else would I call her?"

  "No, not that. Courageous. She waltzed in here with no regard for the proper order of gaining an audience with a member of the royal family. I would say those kind of actions are more indicative of great stupidity or great cunning, and I'm very partial to the former." I wish I could disagree with you, you prick.

  "Thanks," I said as dryly as I could, and he turned a baleful eye on me, almost making me flinch, but I didn't shrink back.

  "You're welcome," he answered coldly, and I felt a touch of fire ignite in the back of my eyes.

  "That was sarcasm," I replied, offering him a smile that I could only hope conveyed how much I wanted to give him a smack even if he'd have my guts for garters.

  "Answer Diavolo," he commanded tersely, terminating the exchange entirely rather than continue. I wasn't sure if he considered himself too stuck-up to bicker with me or if he was just impatient to move things along, but I was starting to really hate his personality. Best face I've ever seen, but he's a bitch. If only he were nicer; then maybe I'd like him. "What do you want from him?"

  The question made me think for a long several moments, because to be honest, I had no idea. The only things that actually occurred to me were basic living provisions like a bed to sleep in, food I could eat without feeling disgusted, and to be a little more protected from predators. I guess I'm more animal than person these days, I thought with a slight snort. Getting out of the Devildom wasn't really that much of a priority if I was being honest with myself.

  "Is my safety guaranteed if I live here? What about living arrangements? And food? I can eat octopus, but I don't want to eat it every day." I shiver a little at the horrifying memory of the suckers that clung to my tongue with a vicious intensity. "Especially if it's still moving." Diavolo actually seemed a little disappointed, like he expected me to be more greedy and ask for something extravagant.

  "Of course I can take care of your accommodations and give you plenty of food... as for safety, I would probably need to assign you a bodyguard..."

  "I'll take care of it," Lucifer sighed out, surprising Diavolo a bit, but he didn't protest to the decision.

  "...do you promise not to kill me?" I inquired, still a little testy from our earlier exchange, and his eyes narrowed at me.

  "I said I would take care of it," he rumbled. "Exactly what do you take me for?"

  "You won't like my answer," I grumbled back, and Lucifer folded his arms and leaned forward, his face coming a little further into the light.

  "Enlighten me," he practically growls.

  "No," I retort, prompting him to raise an eyebrow, probably right on the edge of striking me in the cheek. I could already feel my jaw aching, in part because I remembered his biceps weren't anything to scoff at underneath those clothes.

  "Is that so?" I feel a jump in my stomach as he looks at me, half-wondering what he's thinking in that moment, because it certainly can't be anything good. I scrabble for something to help me and end up picking Diavolo.

  "Keep in mind that if you sp me right now, Diavolo is watching." Lucifer made a sharp sound in his throat that almost sounded like a bone breaking as he leaned back, but Diavolo was smiling as if all of this was perfectly expected.

  "I'm gd to see that you're getting along already," he said, and I wondered vaguely if he had a screw loose. Does he really think that's what's happening here?! "In any case, if room and board was your only other concern, I believe there is a guest room in the House of Lamentation that is currently unoccupied." Lucifer's face acquired a decidedly disgusted look, but he said nothing.

  "What's that look for?" I challenged, and Diavolo looked over at Lucifer with some confusion as he shook his head and nursed the bridge of his nose.

  "It's nothing. Nothing important," he muttered.

  "Well, then since we've discussed all that I wish to discuss with you, would you care to adjourn this meeting and head home together?" I paused. That's why he was revolted, wasn't it?

  "He lives there too?" I asked tentatively, hoping internally that this House of Lamentation was just down the street or something, but I was quite incorrect.

  "Yes, I do," Lucifer replied for Diavolo, his voice no longer annoyed but instead resigned. "So do my brothers." Brothers? Plural? Is this a rger house than I think it is? Wait... only brothers? I found myself wetting my lips at the thought in both excitement and dread. If they're all anywhere near as attractive as he is, I'm going to horny jail a lot during this damn exchange program...

  "By any chance... are there any other girls? Girlfriends that visit, maybe?"

  "No. Why?" His answer was curt but a little bemused as his eyes bored into me like they wanted to investigate my brain matter.

  "No reason... no reason," I answered, and it seemed like Lucifer was gring at me as he stood up to leave.

  "The tea was much appreciated today, Barbatos," Lucifer said, patting the butler's shoulder companionably, and the contact startled me a little as his entire demeanor changed. So it's just me he hates, I guess. Wonderful. And I'm going to live with this asshole, starting today.

  Barbatos showed us out in awkward silence that I doubted would be broken the entire way to my new home. However, as we passed through the main entranceway, I felt Barbatos' breath faintly touching the edge of my ear.

  "I would advise you to be careful on your way, Ms. Gsgow," he murmured as I passed, and I whipped around to look at him as the castle doors rapidly started to close. His radioactive eyes burned into me through the darkness, and for some reason, I had a haunting feeling that he wasn't referring to my way to the House of Lamentation. There was something those eyes saw that I was pretty sure I did not like. Something I did not like one bit.