The Countess and The Demon (Resident Evil X Devil May Cry)

Chapter 4: The Bloody Palace

2 hours later...

Lady Dimitrescu sat in her chambers, drinking her blood wine when the grandfather clock in the corner chimed 8 o'clock. "Time to check on our guest," she said, standing up and brushing her dress off. As she got to the door, she had to open it first and lean over in order to get through. Her height was a bit annoying at times, but she didn't mind. She'd been like this for decades, and she was used to it. As she went onwards towards the guest bedroom, she heard something she'd never thought she'd hear: one of her daughters, laughing happily, without bloodlust in her voice.

When she finally reached the h had granted Dante, she heard something else: a guitar. As she opened the door, she saw Dante laying on the bed, bare chested and barefooted, holding a rather nice guitar, while her daughters, Bela, Cassandra, and Daniela sat on a couch, clapping. It appeared that Dante had just finished a performance. Daniela, being as hyperactive as ever, was the first to speak up. "Mother, come sit with us, Dante was about to play another song!" Her other daughters nodded eagerly. "Isn't it past your bedtimes?" She asked, raising an eyebrow. "Please, just one more?" All 3 of them asked. "Alright, fine, but after this, you all must head to bed. I need to talk with Dante. So, Dante, what're you gonna play next?" She said as she turned to Dante, adjusting her hat and sitting down between her daughters, who proceeded to snuggle up to her. "Actually, I was about to put this old thing back in the music room where I found it, but since everyone is sooooo insistent, I'll play one more. He started plucking away at the keys, beginning a rather rough melody that went like this:

When the song was over, even Lady Dimitrescu couldn't help but give a slight smile. She hadn't expected this young man to have any musical talent, and here he was, proving her wrong. If only we knew if he could help with Mother Miranda, she thought. "Alright, daughters, off to bed. I require a word alone with Dante." She said, as her daughters all exploded into swarms of flies, once again phasing through the walls. "That was certainly an interesting song," she said, glancing at the guitar. "Sorry about borrowing the guitar, Miss D. I just wanted to unwind a little. What with all the monsters in the village and some personal issues? I figured you'd be OK with it. Your daughters certainly didn't mind," he said, smirking. Lady Dimitrescu couldn't help but laugh at this. "OK, fair. But I came to talk about our 'Mother Miranda' problem." Dante sat up, looking her dead in the eye. "Lady, I'm not one for going out of my way to help people, and besides, I just came out here to check on a friend. The only reason I'm still in this godforsaken region is because of that photograph I showed you earlier. So tell you what: I help with your bird problem, and you help me with my sword problem. Deal?" "I will have to confer with the other lords about this," she responded. "There's 3 of us in on this little alliance, Lord Heisenberg, Lady Beneviento, and myself. Moreau is untrustworthy, and we didn't even try recruiting him. He quite literally has a tattoo of Mother Miranda on his chest." She said, shuddering at this last part. Dante couldn't help but be saddened at the thought. "Poor bastard. Sometimes, people will do anything for power or affection. It happens to the best of us, whether we realize it or not," he said, a single tear running down his cheek. He quickly turned away in a failed attempt to hide it, but Lady Dimitrescu saw it. She saw the look in his eyes, like he'd seen it happen to someone before, someone close to him, she assumed. She didn't know how to react. Here he was, this complete stranger, sharing his emotions with her of all people. A monster practically straight out of a horror novel. She got up and moved to sit next to him, setting the guitar aside. "The way you said that... does it have something to do with the sword in that photo you showed me earlier?" She asked, trying to be as empathetic as possible. She wasn't very good with people outside of her family, seeing as everyone else she met, she usually killed. He nodded slowly, reaching for his coat. She thought for a second that he was reaching for one of the guns in the holster on the back, but he pulled out something she'd never expected: an ornate amulet, wrought in gold, with a large red jewel set in it. He handed it to her to examine. "That was my brother's," he said, looking up at her, as she turned it over in her hands. On the back was an inscription, "Dante & Vergil." She looked at him, shocked. "It's all I've got left of him... about 10 years ago, he disappeared. Then, a little over 3 months ago, he resurfaced, twisted, and broken, as a mindless knight under the control of the Prince of Darkness, Mundus... I didn't even know it was him I was fighting until his helmet shattered... the way he looked at me, he couldn't even tell who I was," he managed to get out before he started crying. "That sword in the photo I showed you... it was his, before he disappeared. It belonged to our father before us." Lady Dimitrescu had no clue how to react. No wonder he was so hellbent on finding that sword...