23

Grace's eyes opened slowly. She smiled as she stretched; it was morning and she was up early. She sat up in bed and thought back to the previous night. After the bath and the late-night chat, she had felt a strange sense of peace that she hadn't felt for quite a while. When she had lain down, half-asleep already, she had prayed a short and heartfelt 'Thank you for everything' before drifting off. Through her half-open eyelids, she could have sworn she had seen her cross glow gently, but she now realised it had obviously been only a dream.

She climbed out of bed and drew the curtains. The sun was only just rising, and she felt full of energy to do something. The castle was silent, and she guessed that Kuro and Lucien were still asleep. She smiled to herself. Good. She would give them a pleasant surprise when they woke up.

* * *

'Wow, human, you're up already,' said Lucien, sleepily walking down the stairs.

'Of course I am,' smiled Grace. 'Good morning!'

The sun's rays touched her bright face as she looked at him, and Lucien was so struck by how radient she looked that he only stared at her.

'Um... are you going to reply to her or should I just give her my greetings first and let you admire her for the rest of the morning?' said a sly Kuro who appeared behind him suddenly with a grin.

'Idiot! You're everywhere!' said Lucien, going red.

'Haha, good morning to you, too, Kuro,' said Grace with a giggle before going back to the kitchen.

'I say, Kuro?' said Lucien after a few moments. 'Doesn't the parlour look... brighter somehow?'

'It's her presence, I suppose,' grinned the cat, looking around, before he zoomed in on the mantlepiece and looked at Lucien more seriously. 'Hey, wait a second, you might be right...'

'Told you!' said the demon. 'Everything looks so bright and polished!'

'That's because I dusted the place down,' said Grace, reappearing. 'And a little extra touch here and there!'

'Really? You did so well! The place looks brand-new!' exclaimed Lucien.

'But we did used to dust it before,' mused Kuro. 'How come we never got it to shine like this!?'

'Well, we only ever did five minutes a week of cursory cleaning,' admitted Lucien. 'So, no wonder!'

'Thank you, Grace,' said the cat, holding up his paw to her. 'This beloved room has become so much more lovely to be in!'

'You're very welcome,' said Grace with a smile. 'And it's not the only room I've tinkered around in!'

'Huh?' said Lucien and Kuro together.

'I set the kitchen the way I wanted to, too,' said Grace, gesturing them to follow her. 'We only did a cabinet or two yesterday, after all!'

'You've really gone on a cleaning spree today,' said Lucien, and his eyes suddenly widened as he caught sight of the kitchen. 'WOAH!'

'Are you sure it's ours?!' said Kuro in surprise. 'It looks so spacious suddenly!'

'I distinctly remember it being small and cramped!' said the demon, looking around delightedly.

'I just tidied things a bit,' said Grace modestly. 'The spices are now here on this upper rack, the utensils are in that cabinet; and the groceries are here, on the shelf, out of the way—'

'The spice jars look so clean!!' said Lucien, his eyes nearly popping out of his head.

'Well, I did take the liberty of using your machine to wash them before putting the spices back in,' said Grace with a grin.

'Oh, no wonder I'd often mix up the salt and the sugar!' said Lucien with a sudden realisation. 'I could never see through the jars! – why didn't I think of cleaning them?! Good job, Grace!'

'I can see how well you've cleaned the place down, and even the floor is gleaming now!' said Kuro happily. 'I love it!'

'Thank you!' said Grace, beaming. 'And now, let's eat, shall we?'

'Oh, yes!' said Lucien, grabbing a frying pan. 'It will be fun cooking in this new kitchen!'

'No, give me that,' laughed Grace, taking it from him. 'I already made us some breakfast sandwiches and a pot of tea!'

'You did all this and you managed to make breakfast, too?!' said Lucien in delighted surprise.

'Are you for real?' muttered Kuro, staring wide-eyed at the plate Grace had set aside for him.

'Hehehe,' said Grace, and they all made their way to the parlour.

'Well, how is it?' she said anxiously when Lucien took the first bite.

'MMMMMM!' exclaimed the demon with closed eyes, before opening them again and looking at her dramatically. 'Marry me!'

'Silly!' giggled Grace nervously, her face turning red.

'If I were a human, I might fall in love with you, too,' said Kuro, taking another bite. 'The meat is seasoned to perfection! The tenderness is just the way I like it! The soft and creamy interior—'

'The only thing he's in love with is good food!' laughed Lucien. 'HAHAHA!'

'Whatever,' said Kuro, his tail wrapping round himself and hiding his face as he grinned.

'By the way, Lucien,' said Grace as they sipped their tea. 'About that wallpaper...'

'I've got a blank roll somewhere in the store,' said Lucien thoughtfully.

'Blank roll?' said Kuro in surprise. 'What's the point of a wallpaper without any design? It's better to just use paint, then!'

'Well, it doesn't chip off, genius!' said Lucien, rolling his eyes. 'Anyway, I think my mother got it once to paint herself, but...'

The room fell silent. Kuro and Grace looked at each other, wondering what to say.

'What's with you two?' said Lucien, looking up from his cup. 'I'm not sad right now! I was just wondering what to do, because that roll's just been sitting around since she passed away. Maybe we could put it up as it is... the main thing is to cover the wall, after all!'

'Why don't we paint it?' said Grace.

Lucien shook his head. 'Let's just say I'm not the best at drawing,' he grinned.

'And I can only do so much with these,' said Kuro solemnly, holding up his paws.

'That'll do,' said Grace, lifting his paw and nodding. 'We'll put your paw-prints on it! And some flowers and leaves! I'm sure you could help me with something as simple as that, Lucien!'

'I mean, that does sound kind of nice in theory...' said the demon thoughtfully. 'But drawing has a way of messing up just when you actually start doing it!'

'No, it won't,' smiled Grace. 'We'll do it together. And even if it's not perfect, I think it'll look just fine.'

'Okay, then!' said Lucien excitedly. 'I say, don't you think it would be nice if we could just paint our way out? Like draw a door and boom! A magic exit appears!'

'That would make for an excellent children's story,' said Kuro. 'But it doesn't befit you, I think!'

'Don't be a pompous idiot again, you silly cat!' said Lucien, holding him up suddenly and tickling him.

Kuro squirmed in alarm. 'Okay, okay! Let go!'

'By the way, we'll have to get the paint from the market if that's your plan,' said Lucien, setting him down and turning to Grace. 'So we'll have to do it some other day because I'm not in the mood of trudging in the heat today!'

'Oh, but I'd like an outing,' said Grace. 'Do let's go, please!'

'Well, you know the way now,' said Lucien. 'You can go by yourself if you're that eager!'

'What are you going to do?'

'I'm going to read!'

'Won't you come with me?'

'Not today!'

'Come on!'

'No way!'

'Fine, I'll go by myself, then...'

'Just ask around and you'll find the place which sells art supplies. You'll have fun interacting with the other humans, too!'

'If you say so...'

'Trust me, they're a fun lot – most of the time.'

'Will you come, Kuro?' asked Grace, turning to the cat, who shook his head at once. 'Why not?'

'Because I have a mind to take a trip to Earth today and tread on some real grass for a while,' he said.

'I do wish I could go with you!' said Lucien mournfully.

'Why can't he take you?' said Grace. 'If Kuro was able to bring me with him, then...'

'No, he was only able to bring you because I summoned you with a whole lot of magic beyond your comprehension,' said Lucien. 'He can't do it by himself. That was obviously the first thing I tried, and it failed.'

'Even if you hold on to him really tightly while he's vanishing?'

'See for yourself,' said Lucien, holding the cat with both hands securely. 'Come on, Kuro!'

A flash of light appeared and circled around them as Kuro seemed to strain himself, pushing forward all the while, until the light disappeared abruptly and he nearly collapsed on the floor.

'Too heavy,' he groaned. 'Get off me!'

'See?' said the demon, letting go. 'It doesn't work!'

'Unfortunately, as most things in this world,' said Kuro gravely, before waving his paw and disappearing into thin air in a sudden flash of light.

'That's sad...' said Grace.

'Nah, that's life!' said Lucien with a wry smile. 'Well, enjoy your market trip, and I'll be in the library until you and Kuro return!'