The demon's servant

Chapter 3: The Lady's Welcoming

Lady Salene helped Hariio a little by moving things around in her room, as she had demanded it must be prepared first. After it was completely prepared, she lay down on her bed to 'sleep.' "Can't demons stay up forever without the need to sleep?" Hariio asks."Sure. But what else am I going to do for 14 hours? Well, good luck." Lady Salene closed her eyes.Hariio decided to clean the kitchen first so he could start preparing food for the feast. He used various cookbooks from the library to cook.12 hours later, the clock saying 6 o'clock at night, Lady Salene comes down from her room. Hariio had cleaned every inch of the mansion, now leaving it with a bleach smell. But cutting through the strong scent is a delicious sweet and savory scent coming from the kitchen. As Lady Salene walked into the kitchen, she saw Hariio working hard at various dishes for the fest, from small appetizers to the sweet desserts he had made them all. She plucked a grape from a vine and rolled it between her fingers before popping it into her mouth. Hariio sensed the sudden movement and looked behind him."I hope you find the mansion in satisfactory condition. It was only what I could do in a short period of time. I also couldn't get to the basement. Sorry." Hariio looked worried. Lady Salene sighed. 

"You did perfect, Hariio. You have worked like as if your soul was on the line." She laughed a little, "Oh, it is!" 

Hariio tensed up and turned back around to continue on his dish. Lady Salene stride up to Hariio and pressed her body against his back. 

"You know Hariio..." She says sweetly, "If you serve perfectly as a servant, I might just spare you from eternal torture." Hariio thinks for a moment. He looks at her calmly, then says, "How can you guarantee that? If you were to sign a contract, those could easily disappear. A verbal contract never works." He thinks longer, "I know. You can publicly announce today during the gathering that you will free me from eternal torture if I act as your humble servant." 

Lady Salene panics and steps back. Hariio smiles at her reaction. She stumbles with her words for a moment then says, "Fine. But I want a blood promise that you would never betray me." Hariio looks at her and continues his work. 

Suddenly a knock from the front door echoes into the kitchen. "Ah. That must be our first visitor. Are you done with that dish, Hariio?" Hariio nods and then turns the burner down. 

He walks with Lady Salene to the front doors. He takes a deep breath before opening them and says politely, 

"Welcome to Lady Salene's Mansion. I am the servant, Hariio. Now let me take your coat."