When they arrived at the banquet hall, all eyes turned to them, inconspicuous with their whispers. It was clear they wanted a glimpse of the person whose hand Lucious held. Mara was thankful she couldn’t hear a thing, and did her best to avoid reading their lips; it was overwhelming enough taking in the splendour of her new surroundings.

Much like everywhere they had walked past, the walls in this chamber were windowless, and built with rough-edged stones, making her feel they were still underground. Fire bubbles and large candles floated high above, brightening the whole room. The wall at the far end, behind the dais, featured a gigantic sculpture of six in-curved horns, like a crown of sorts. She might be in Hell, but if she were to imagine a large festivity in a palace, it would still pale compared to this. This was too mesmerising. She understood now Miina’s fascination with it. Everything looked so impeccable, so distinguished that she feared her very touch could taint it.

Then there were the guests, the honourable court of Hell as Mammon referred to them. Those that did not wear masks almost appeared human. Just almost. A second glance showed those luminous red eyes, black irises, horns, and claws that betrayed their true nature. Some other guests did wear masks, but they were as far from looking human as one could imagine. There were bears over seven feet tall, standing on two legs, wearing tuxedos and smoking cigars like they were in a gentleman’s secret club. There were impossibly tall and scrawny women with human bodies, but with cat heads, surprisingly looking more expressive than she’d ever imagine a cat could be. And other creatures that looked like centaurs with long majestic antlers. These, she found were the most impressive. Regardless of their inhuman appearance, everyone was extravagantly outfitted, giving off such a confident air of sophistication, it caught her off guard. She hated to admit it, but she was grateful Mammon had been so obnoxious and fussy in preparing her for this. She would've most likely fainted from embarrassment otherwise.

The blatant glances and murmurs continued as they walked. By this point, her hands trembled. Then a gentle squeeze followed. Lucious, the hand he still held whilst leading her. He kept his eyes up front as they carried on, but his hold of her remained sure, as if to remind her she was not alone. She took a deep breath, and let her eyes wander again. How would she find Louis in this? Maybe all this attention would catch his eyes, but would they even recognise each other? It’s been over twelve years. She was also wearing this veil, he wouldn't be able to see her. She would have to be the one to find him.

They stopped by the closest table near the dais, and Lucious pulled up a chair for her. She sat down awkwardly, unaccustomed to these rules of etiquette, while Mammon and Lucious talked amongst themselves, nodded and greeted fellow nobles as they took in the room.

‘I will move up there, but Mammon will stay with you. Remember what we discussed.’ Lucious said in her mind, looking as if he wasn't even addressing her.

Mara nodded. With a flap of his wings, he walked away towards the large dinner table. Mammon was already taking his seat next to her, when two other guests, a couple it seemed, joined their table. They had donkey faces, the two of them. When they greeted, they looked so grotesque that Mara wasn’t sure if they were smiling, crying, or just braying. Her stomach quivered with a mix of nerves and excitement, threatening to overwhelm her. She looked down at her hands, trying to repress a hysteric laugh; this whole scenario was too insane to manage!

‘Deep breaths, my dear lady.’ — Mammon said in her mind while he looked elsewhere. — ‘You’re doing quite well for your first Hell banquet. Let’s not make it your last, Mm?’

It was with tremendous effort that she regained control. After taking two deep breaths, she asked:

‘Why did he go up there? I thought we needed to stay together.’

‘There are ways to do that without being glued to one another. I'm here, and you're wearing his feather. So in many ways, my lady, we are already all together. He is a prince, for appearances, his place is beside the rest of the royal family.’ He nodded towards the dais. She followed his gaze to see the rest of the royal family arrive. Immediately, everyone in the room, bowed. Mammon had to nudge her from her perplexity so she could follow suit.

When they sat again, Mara observed the family. They seemed to engage little with each other. Like Miina had said, all of them wore masks, similar to Lucious, except for Satan. She couldn't explain in more detail, but it seemed like the basic royal decorum just didn't apply to him.

Lucious was sitting straight, sipping on his wine, holding his usual cool and distant demeanour. To his right was the one who could only be his brother, Leviathan. Even without Miina's description, he stood out, making it impossible to mistake. He defiantly wore his mask atop the left side of his head, while he slouched on his chair, and pricked the table with the end of a serrated knife. With an occasional sip of his drink, he licked the border of his glass and winked at some of the guests. The commotion it caused told Mara of his many female admirers. His stare was sharp, provocative. Mara found it difficult to bear the intensity. Admittedly, he was as handsome as he was unnerving. Below his horns, his dark hair had strands that were the colour of fire. He had piercings along his pointy ears, and a large tattoo on the side of his neck that disappeared further inside his unbuttoned shirt. If he were human, she would say he was a delinquent. Either way, though they had a similar build, it was clear he was the complete opposite of Lucious. His eyes suddenly darted in her direction, and she stiffened. It was as if her thoughts had called out to him, but he couldn’t see her underneath that veil… could he? His scrutiny didn't last. Instead, he spared his brother a sour look and then refocused on his audience. Mara was grateful again for the veil, maybe for the tenth time that evening.

The Devil and his queen were at the head of the table, engrossed in each other. She was on his lap with arms around his neck, smiling, blushing at his whispers. They looked like a pair of new young lovers, sitting on a park-bench. Were it not for her pitch-black eyes, the queen could almost pass for a human. An especially voluptuous one at that. Her well-proportioned curves, combined with her alluring gown left very little to the imagination.

The Devil now, was something else entirely.

Stocky, strong, and hard featured. Even seated, she could see his unnatural build. His skin was red, and he bared his muscled torso unencumbered and with pride. His trousers were white and cropped enough that she could see his hind legs with hooves. As magnificent and malefic as he looked, it was his six horns that said it all. It was the way they framed atop his head. They completed him, giving him his natural crown. The enormous sculpture on the back wall made sense now: it was a tribute to the king of Hell. Even the endearing displays of affection with his wife didn't reduce his oppressive presence. He really was the ultimate authority here; there was just no scenario Mara could imagine Satan bowing to anyone else.

Seeing the couple together, reminded her of how her parents used to be when she was a child. Her father, the gentle love-struck pursuer, and her mother, the strict, but secretly soft loving wife. It was love as she had come to know it. Even today, in their older age, their love was still the strongest she’d ever known. To find such a thing here, in Hell, amid these demons... Her chest tightened. Indeed, love was borderless.

Then the Devil’s hand brushed up and squeeze his wife’s thigh, while he licked her ear, as if she were made of some melting ice-cream. The queen too, pulled him closer, and her hand drifted down her husband’s chest. Mara looked away, feeling a heat coming up from her neck. No one else seemed to pay attention, including their sons sharing the same table! When she searched Mammon’s face, he was also just as indifferent, sniffing and appraising his wine, and the donkey couple was still conversing with each other, maybe smiling, or crying, she still wasn’t sure…

This was just another dinner at Satan's house.

Then the servants brought out the food.