Dance Of Night (A Diabolik Lovers Fanfiction)

Chapter 23 Last Dance

It was the last ball before my 15th birthday, and I arrived in a white and golden dress, just like the one I had worn on the first ball I had ever attended. It was supposed to be symbolic, had said the dressmaker, since it would be the last dress I would wear before I was deemed a woman and could wear more colourful dresses.

I was greeted by Karl again, as I always had, in the middle of the ball room, him surrounded by a handful of people who hurriedly scurried away upon seeing me. When I reached him, I bowed politely, and he bowed himself in response. He then proceeded to eye me up and down before he spoke.

"The dress is the same but the girl inside has changed greatly. You are even more beautiful than usual in that innocent gown, Ayame dear. I would take you with me tonight, since I see you as a full grown woman already," spoke Karl, making me panic for a moment since the escape plan was not to be put into action until next month. He noticed my sudden anxiety and smiled, taking a long pause before speaking again. "However I did sign a contract with your father which prevents me from doing so until your ever so close birthday, and I am a man who honours his contracts above all. I will have to wait for one more month. How have you been, Ayame dear?"

"Quite well, Karl-sama. I am surprised you remember the dress," I mentioned casually. I still called him Karl-sama occasionally, not being able to let the habit go.

He then came closer to hold me to dance. Until then, he had never grabbed me by the waist, although I already had a suitable height for him to do so. This time, however, his hand went directly for my waist, and I tensed up at the sudden touch. He sensed this and rejoiced in my being uncomfortable, lingering until he finally released my waist and grabbed me by the shoulder as he always had.

"So innocent still," he murmured with a smile. "Our next dance, for sure, will be that of the adults. For tonight we shall refrain to our usual child like stance."

We danced for a while in silence, until he spoke again.

"The next ball will be entirely in your honour, Ayame dear. It will be a celebration of your 15th birthday and of your becoming my bride."

"I thank you, but I would rather not celebrate any of the occasions," I said with a forced smile, which he returned not at all forcefully.

"I see you still have not come to terms with the way your future has been forged. I assure you, you could be plenty of joyful with me. If you would only care to let yourself enjoy the luxurious life I offer you, you could be happy," Karl explained.

"I do not care for luxury or for you," is what I wanted to say, but I knew this would get me into trouble and I was so soon to freedom.

"Are any of your other brides happy?" I objected, catching him somewhat off guard with what was most surely an impertinent question.

"Ayame, dear, you never cease to surprise me. Should any other being speak to me the way you do they would be vanished from existence in an instant. However, I have taken a keen liking to you, which is how you are different from my other brides. I did not take an actual liking to them, they were simply convenient to me. Being you ever so more different from them, your case would be different as well. I would not neglect you," he concluded, as another song began and we danced to it.

"Is that what you did to them?" I asked with unconcealed disdain.

I thought about Subaru's Mother, Christa, and how he had made her believe he loved her so that she would be his bride and give him a son, only to break her once he was born and then lock her away. She had gone mad, Subaru had told him, confusing him for his father sometimes due to their resemblance and hating him for it. She had even given Subaru a special dagger to kill her, but he had refused to do so. All of this had been because of Karl, and his want to make her suffer.