Love Is Never Ugly

Chapter 5

Lucifer awoke to the morning light that came peeking from the window of the room. He stood up from the chair in which he had slept in and waited to see if the master of the castle would show himself anytime soon. When no one appeared and he realized how worried his children might be should he stay gone a moment longer, he decided to take his leave.

"Thank you noble sir for your hospitality." He called out.

He left the dining room and moved to approach the front gate but stopped upon glancing through one of the windows which allowed him to see something very intriguing. A part of the castle that was much brighter than all other rooms that he had seen. Not at all dark and gloomy. This place that contrasted so much with the castle had Lucifer's curiosity greatly peeked and he just had to get a closer look at it.

It was a rose garden beyond imagination. The most beautiful flowers blossoming while giving off the sweetest scents. He was almost blinded by their color and overwhelmed by their perfume. Lucifer was then reminded of Charlotte's request to bring her back a rose and could not resist plucking one for his favorite child.

"At least I can bring a smile to Charlotte's face." He told himself as he admired the garden.

And as he looked around to choose which rose would be perfect for his daughter he once again was unknowingly watched by a set of red eyes and the owner of said eyes was becoming very anxious with this man trespassing in his garden.

"You should not have spared his life. Now he plans to take advantage of your generosity."

Lucifer pulled a small knife from his coat pocket and cut the loveliest rose from the branch. But no sooner had it been removed, the man suddenly felt a chill in his heart. Shadows seemed to be gathering all around and the ground felt as if it were shaking. A clawed hand gripped his shoulder from behind and when he turned around to see who or what had grabbed him all of his blood turned to ice.

"Well that's a fine way to show gratitude." The figure spoke in a sinister yet humorous voice. "Because of your gift to me I chose to not only spare your miserable hide but also to offer you food, drink, and shelter for the night. All under one condition, that you take nothing from this castle! Yet you not only violate the policy of my abode but you steal what is most precious to me!"

Lucifer could not speak. In that moment he had been rendered silent by extreme terror for he had never seen anything so hideous and frightening in all his life. Although the figure was masked by the shadows, Lucifer could make out his face perfectly and he tried to turn away from it.

"Don't look away from me when I am speaking to you! It shows great disrespect!" The creature moved his intense grip to the man's face and forced him to look at his own. "Yes my face is horrible isn't it? Ugly? Atrocious? Not at all handsome or beautiful!"

He laughed.

"It is a face that you have probably only seen in your nightmares! A face that has been spoken of in ghost stories told by the elderly! And it is a face that shall be the last thing you ever see in this world! For I intend to eat you alive!"

"No!" Lucifer cried, finally able to speak again. "You...You cannot be serious...Do you truly mean to eat me over plucking an insignificant flower?"

"That rose maybe insignificant to you but it is more valuable than all the treasure in the world to me! You have taken what I loved most so now you must die!"