Chapter 5 Mystery

After taking a shower, she simply tousled her long, uncombed hair. She took a moment to look at herself in the mirror. She was annoyed because no matter how much she tugged, the hem of the pink dress she was wearing just wouldn't reach her knees. Plus, it was off-shoulder. If she pulled it any further, she might end up exposing her chest.

She headed towards the dining room, thinking she would be eating alone. She took a step back when she saw Drico already there, eating. Some of his staff were lined up on the side, keeping watch. The table was long, and it seemed she was supposed to sit at the far end.

He glanced her way when he noticed her arrival. She felt lightheaded. It felt like time slowed down and she was watching a drug commercial. Who said she needed to take drugs to get high? One look from Drico, and she felt like she was hallucinating and soaring to the heavens from the impact of his gaze.

"This way, please," a staff member guided her. She felt like she was in a five-star hotel with the way the maids here attended to her. Could these women even be considered maids? If posture and appearance were the criteria, they might even be more educated than her.

She followed the woman, who assisted her in taking a seat at the far end of the long table. More male staff members arrived from the kitchen and arranged dishes in front of her, which she could only see in photos. Was she at home? Or in a first-class restaurant? What was the truth?

She redirected her attention to the man, even though he was quite a distance away. He was still having a profound effect on her. He didn't utter a word, just focused on his meal. Despite the delicious food in front of her, her attention was solely on Drico. She watched for his gaze to meet hers. It didn't happen. He didn't even spare her a glance. When he was about to stand up and leave the dining room, she also stood up and hurried after him.

"Wait!" she called out. She made an effort to block his path, knowing he would likely ignore her. "Give me back my cellphone. I need it!"

He looked down at her. Literal. How many inches taller was he than her? She forgot everything else she was going to say when she noticed his gaze drop to the dress she was wearing. The dress that was lacking in fabric no matter what she did, with her shoulders exposed and a large portion of her legs as well. Her cheeks grew warm. It felt like she had just stepped out of the bathroom and was wearing nothing but a wrap. That's how the dress felt on her!

"What are you staring at?" she retorted, even though she was feeling a bit embarrassed.

"It might be better if you always wore outfits like that..." he started.

She blinked at him. What did he say? Was that a compliment? Did he just say that this dress suited her? Did the demon find her attractive? She hadn't even combed her hair yet! Her heart fluttered with joy.

"...so you won't kick my people here," he added, rolling his eyes. It seemed he had guessed what was on her mind.

She got annoyed. "No matter what I wear, I won't hesitate to kick your face if I want to!"

"Really?" he challenged.

She was thoroughly embarrassed. She could just imagine it. "I don't want to engage in nonsense talk with you. Just give me back my cellphone!"

He didn't say anything. He just left her with a smirk. A very gorgeous and deadly smirk.

Damn. He's handsome.

There she goes again, swearing. She's really tempting fate because of that man. Her feet felt heavy as she returned to her seat in front of the food.

She needed to retrieve her cellphone. But where could the demon have hidden it? In hell? She couldn't go there, it's too hot.

That night, she spent the entire evening thinking about how she could get her phone back. She needed a mandatory selfie with the prince of hell for a souvenir! And aside from that, she needed to confirm something. She remembered where she saw the symbol from the strange painting in the library. If she remembered correctly, she had saved a Greek article about it, which was on her phone.

And that phone was probably in Drico's room.

If she entered the master's bedroom, it would be like entering the lion's den.

She glanced at the clock; it was already late at night. He was probably asleep.

She decided to take action. However, she was disappointed when she cracked her door open slightly to peek into the neighboring room. Several guards were stationed at the door. She couldn't slip in and enter so easily.

She thought of a way. Usually, in mansions like this, the master's bedroom always had an adjacent room connected to the nearest room. And the closest room to the master's bedroom was... her room! There might be a door connecting her room to Drico's!

She turned around to illuminate all the lights in her room. She was sure there was a hidden door inside her room that led to Drico's room! And if not, she would create one!

Fortunately, all her instincts were correct. Underneath the displayed painting on her wall, she found a secret button. When she pressed it, a section of the wall in her room slid open, creating an opening.

Thank the Lord for her intuition and instincts. They always guided her. It was dark in the other room, so she turned off all the lights in her room again to avoid casting light into the adjacent room.

Delaiberately, she entered the demon's lair. She was grateful for the light coming from outside, as one part of the bedroom's wall was made of thick glass. She carefully searched in the dim light for the owner of the room. But he wasn't there! The large bed in the middle was unoccupied. Good.

She began her search, her heart pounding so loudly she couldn't understand why she was so nervous. As she was looking around, she came across one of the locked drawers in his study table. That wasn't a problem for her. She easily picked the lock and it opened.

The first things that greeted her were the important business contracts. Her eyes widened at the figures she saw. Each paper held millions of dollars.

She swallowed hard. She only saw contracts of such enormous value in the movies.

She carefully arranged the papers back before she fainted.

She knew Drico was a billionaire, but she never imagined he was a super mega billionaire based on the type of business transactions he was signing.

But that wasn't what she needed. She just needed her simple Alcatel Flash cellphone, and she still couldn't find it.

She was about to close the drawer when she felt another compartment inside it. She quickly retrieved the papers carefully hidden in that secret compartment.

She broke out in a cold sweat as she glimpsed the black and white printed picture faintly illuminated by the sparse light outside. It was the painter's symbol again.

The symbol looked like a chalice with a coiled serpent and a dragon's head. It was small but clear. She grew even more nervous. She didn't know what the symbol meant, but she knew it was related to Drico's missing goblet.

Along with the symbol were photos of people who were obviously prominent based on their clothing and their appearances. She thought they were wealthy people from Greece.

Her attention was drawn to the last piece of paper. It was an old, crumpled English article dated March 1934.

"...the legend of an ancient goblet, forged from the dark and silvery armor of the fallen angel himself, still haunts and stirs delusional greed to some of Greece's secret societies today. As it was claimed that the goblet holds the key to incomparable godlike beauty, unending wealth, and everlasting life..."

What nonsense was this? She laughed, but then she pondered. The laughter disappeared from her face as she pictured Drico, whose perfection seemed like it underwent genetic manipulation and was meticulously designed to be flawless.

And add to that his immeasurable wealth.

She shook her head. She was too old to believe in such things. It wasn't Drico's fault that he was born with great genes and into a drowning pool of money. His good fortune in life had nothing to do with an old and terrifying goblet.

Instead, she concluded that many were interested in the goblet of the DiVanne family, and it was impossible for someone like her sister to have stolen it. She guessed it had been caught in the crossfire of wealthy people vying to acquire it.

Drico should know about it. Was he just pretending not to?

A surge of anger rose in her chest. She took the necessary documents. She would confront Drico about this.

The guards at the door were surprised by her exit. She didn't care. Whoever tried to stop her would answer to her! Even if she could hardly move properly because of the dress, she could still throw a punch if needed.

She grabbed the collar of a guard who tried to block her. "Where's your master?!" she demanded.

He glanced at another companion before speaking. It seemed like he was seeking permission. "H-He's at the pool."

Her memory was sharp. She had seen the pool before, so she knew where it was.

It was like an Olympic-sized swimming pool. She scanned the area to find Drico. He was in her right hand, the papers she wanted to show him. She blinked when he emerged from beneath the water.

Wet hair.

"Water dripping out his beautiful head. He looked like the god of water himself! He swallowed, before he could forget his purpose he intentionally closed his eyes for a few seconds to calm himself. 'Drico!' she called him. It wasn't a good idea because when he looked in her direction, their eyes met. It made it even harder for her to breathe. The powers of the goblet might actually be real. No ordinary person had the right to possess such beautiful eyes!

His emergence from the water in just black swimming trunks didn't help her at all. His body was a perfect example of male perfection in anatomy. Perfect arms, shoulders, body, and an extremely sexy build. 'Who gave you the right to invade my privacy?' 'Your room is locked. You act like he's got the most beautiful body in the world!' she retorted. 'This is what I'm talking about!' he snapped, taking the papers from her. 'How did you get into my room??' 'You forgot your room is connected to mine?' 'You're not supposed to know that.' 'Why? You assumed I'm an ordinary woman? Well, you're mistaken. You probably know what those mean. Many are interested in your family's goblet, so why target my sister?'

'Just because you saw the tip of the iceberg does not mean you understand its nature already. Don't act as if you know everything because you don't! The only reason I'm keeping you here is to catch a thief, and if you don't cooperate with my plans and insist on being nosy... I might as well get rid of you!'

'What will you do, kill me?' He gave her an evil smile. 'That's one brilliant suggestion.' She secretly panicked. 'How can you accuse my sister of stealing your goblet when there are many underground societies in Greece that desire it? Shouldn't you be going after them instead of my sister?' 'This is gonna be the last time I'm warning you about this... you have no right to ask questions, and you have no right to speak to or approach me... if you value your life, go back to the room I gave you, because that's where you belong!'

'You'll have to tie me up if you want me to stay there-' 'Don't worry, that can be arranged. Now, get the hell out of here. I don't want to see you.'

He set aside the papers she brought and submerged back into the water. The way he dismissed her, it was as if he had no intention of talking to her anymore. She felt like her feet were nailed to the ground. That guy had no shame, he had such a high opinion of himself. Well, if she were blessed with that kind of perfect appearance and wealth, she wouldn't be sulking either. She'd be thanking God every day... what an ungrateful creature he was.

After a few moments, she noticed that several minutes had passed and Drico still hadn't surfaced. How long could a person stay underwater without oxygen? She wasn't sure, it probably depended on the person, but considering how long Drico had been in the water, all sorts of thoughts entered her mind.

She paced around the pool, desperately searching for any sign of him, but due to the darkness beneath the water, she couldn't see him. How many minutes had passed? What if something had happened to him down there? What if he had lost consciousness? Or worse, what if there was an accident underwater? She couldn't waste any more time, every second counted, so she plunged into the deep pool.

It was still dark below, she couldn't find him. She had to surface for breath several times. But Drico, she still couldn't see him!

'Oh my God, Oh my God....Drico!' She couldn't help but shout in panic. 'Drico DiVanne! You beast, don't make me worry like this, I'll beat you up...'

She made a few more dives.

'Drico!!'

Tears started to well up in her eyes. The feeling in those moments was that she might lose Drico... just the thought was already painful.

She forgot that she was underwater herself and needed to breathe. She didn't realize that her last dive had taken much longer due to her intense desire to find Drico.

Before her final heartbeat, a strong hand pulled her. Her body felt numb, she didn't know what happened next because her eyes had closed completely.

A few moments later, where light and darkness were in a fierce struggle in her mind, she felt a sudden rush of air enter her mouth, right into her chest. It supplied her with the air she needed to breathe on her own. She gasped and coughed loudly. She managed to expel the water that had blocked her breath!

She felt weak. But alive. What the hell had just happened??

'Are you okay? Dammit! How do you feel now?' it was Drico. He was beside her. She realized she was on the side of the pool now. Her dress was disheveled, her skirt was almost at the top of her underwear.

She tried to get up to fix her dress, but it was useless. The fabric was so thin that when it got wet, it practically revealed her entire body. No matter how much she liked Drico, she still wasn't comfortable with the idea of exposing herself in front of him.

'I thought you drowned... are you okay?' he asked.

She laughed sarcastically. 'Are you crazy? Why the hell did you jump in the water if you don't know how to swim??'

'I know how to swim... I looked for you! I looked for you for so long, but I couldn't find you, so....' She couldn't bring herself to continue.

'So what?'

'Why the hell did it take you so long to surface? Were you trying to kill yourself?' Instead of answering, he just glared at her. He stared into her eyes for what felt like an eternity, as if he were studying the color of her eyes. She felt that, for the first time, he made an effort to calm himself. 'It's called the diving reflex. I have an innate skill of holding my breath underwater for much longer than any average person can. Don't ask why, it's just the way I am. This is like a form of exercise for me... like a mental exercise to gain control.'

She burst into laughter. She laughed at herself. She had been so worried about this demon a while ago, thinking she was about to die, and now he was just doing some exercise. Her own foolishness was truly amusing.

What she didn't expect was for Drico to reach down and scoop her up from the pool floor. He held her by the neck as he lifted her out of the water and carried her to the room.

Several of Drico's people approached to offer help, but he didn't let them. He was the one who escorted her to her room. All the while, she was wondering what he saw in her eyes earlier that made him suddenly decide to be kind to her.

Because of the unusual side he showed her during those moments, she was even more motivated to learn everything about him. Who is he, and what are the hidden secrets behind the second prince of hell?