[center][h1]Chapter One: The Calm Before The Storm[/h1][/center]

The frame of the velvet-lined chair creaked slightly as Rath leaned back, his feet resting on the edge of his desk as he read over some documents. It was one of the more tedious parts of being a high-class devil but it had to be done. A disorganized and uninformed household just wasn't acceptable under his leadership. It was simply terrifying imagining all of the paperwork Alice was forced to deal with. Her brother better suck up to her big time for putting this burden on her especially when she had yet to claim all of her pieces. 

A streak of sunlight cut in through the curtains, another reminder that it was the start of another day. He laid the stack of papers down on the desk towards the middle, before stretching his arms out and removing his legs from the desk to sit in a normal position. With Alice's attention split between two points, He would need to keep an extra eye out for threats. A stray devil had already decided to move in, perhaps an omen, but Alice and her household would be more than capable. What he feared was that this stray devil was only the first of many dangers that are going to try and capitalize on the weakened defenses of this territory.

For that reason, Rath was actively searching for suitable candidates to complete his set of evil pieces. His right elbow rested on the desk as he laid his head onto his hand, the opposite one picking up one of his bishop pieces and twirling it between his fingers in an agitated fashion. There was talk of even some Devil Houses that wanted to take advantage of the disappearance of the two love birds, a rumor that Rath managed to catch while back at a party hosted by his family. The very thought pissed him off. He and Alice were destined to be rivals until the end of time and he wouldn't let a single soul interfere with that.