She Belongs To The Devil

Adeline was beginning to sweat even in the cold night. The more steps she took, the more nervous she got. Not just nervous but also excited at the same time.

She was nervous thinking about what she was supposed to say to him if he said that he didn't remember her. And she was excited thinking what kind of reaction he would have if he did remember her. Would he also be excited to see her? Or would he be indifferent? Or even angry at her?

Adeline kept on walking further ahead thinking of all sorts of possible scenarios.

She finally reached the common room that was dimly lit with a chandelier full of candles. She was stunned to see that it was not some scary and cold cave but it was a hidden mansion. She darted her eyes around in awe and thought, "I don't think this is his hideout… this is even grander than our Palace. Who is he anyway?"

Adeline was amazed by everything that she was seeing, from stunning furniture to the sleek wooden floors.

She snapped out of her daze and she wanted to look for Theodore. But there were many corridors that separated from the common room. And she didn't know where to go from there. Also, the whole place was awfully quiet which was sending chills down her spine.

When she was thinking which corridor she should take first, she suddenly heard a soft voice from behind her, "Your Highness?"

Adeline was startled even though that voice was not frightening at all. She slowly turned around to see a thin woman who was clasping her mouth with both of her hands. Even in the dim candlelight, Adeline could tell that the woman's eyes were full of tears.

She didn't know why she was staring at her like that but it pained her to see that woman for some reason. And she assumed that she had also forgotten that woman along with her fiancé.

"Yes?" Adeline didn't know how else to react.

All of a sudden, that woman ran to Adeline's side and held both of her hands. Then she started to sob loudly, "It is really you, Princess Adeline… I thought I was just imagining you. But it is really you, in person!"

Adeline's eyes also teared up seeing her wailing like that. "Maybe we were close to each other before I forgot," Adeline thought. And she replied to that woman, "Yes, it is really me."

That woman then took the liberty to hug Adeline very tightly and asked while still crying, "Why didn't you come here for so long, Your Highness? Do you even know how devastated our master was after you stopped coming here? How could you be so heartless? How could you just abandon our master like that?"

She looked Adeline in the eyes and kept on complaining, "There was not a single day when he didn't look sad. And there was not a single day when he wouldn't stand at the entrance of the cave waiting for you. But you never came… what took you so long, Princess?"

By now Adeline was not able to control her tears anymore. The hot tears were rolling down her cheeks like a stream. She thought that her fiancé had forgotten her but it sounded like he was even more in pain than her.

Adeline wiped her tears and gulped hard, and she slowly replied in a pain-filled voice, "I am so sorry to say this but I somehow forgot you and… Theodore… and even this whole place. I still don't remember anything that happened in the past, not a single thing. And I also have been in constant pain all these years."

She broke down again and said, "I don't know how it happened but I am sorry that I forgot you. And I want to apologize to Theodore as well. He must be hurting a lot."

That woman looked stunned to hear that. And she instantly apologized, "I am so sorry for assuming that you had abandoned our master and us." She clenched her fists and began to hit herself on her chest, "I deserve to be punished. I shouldn't have run my mouth like that."

Adeline instantly caught that woman by her wrist and stopped her from hurting herself. "Hey, don't be too harsh on yourself." She then gently held her palms and asked, "Why don't you remind me who you are? I would love to know your name."

That woman softly smiled and replied, "I am Peggy, Your Highness."

Adeline sniffled and wiped her tears with the back of her palms. And she asked again, "Peggy, why don't you take me to your master? I would love to meet him."

Peggy slapped herself on the head and apologized again, "I am sorry for being so selfish. I will take you to our master right away." She assumed that Theodore was in his own room.

The two of them were so busy crying and talking with each other that they did not even notice that the common room was already filled with Theodore's followers. They came to check because of the noise that Peggy was making while crying her heart out.

Peggy gestured Adeline to follow her and Adeline turned around. But to her horror, the common room was full now, full of creatures that she had never seen in her life before. Some had sharp fangs and claws, while some had horns, and some had wings and tails.

Adeline's body went stiff seeing all kinds of creatures. But still, she kept on walking even if she had to hold her breath. She was able to maintain a straight face just because all of them didn't seem intimidating rather, they were all bowing to her as though all of them knew her.

"Maybe they do know me. And maybe even I knew them," she thought to herself. "But why is my fiancé keeping such scary creatures here? And how did he manage to tame all these… beasts?"

Adeline's mind still had not comprehended the possibility of Theodore also being such a 'beast'.

Adeline and Peggy had taken around 20 steps. But then Adeline suddenly stopped on her track because her eyes fell on a ghastly creature that looked as if it came right out of the depths of hell. It had long dangly nails, had razor-sharp fangs, and looked like a rotting corpse. It was the Ghoul. And her instinct told her to run as far away from that creature as she could.

And she did.

She turned on her heels and without even blinking or breathing, she ran out of that place as fast as she could.

---

Theodore's wings were all wet because he had a 'friendly' fight with Lucifer and Lucifer threw him in a steaming hot pool. And because his wings were all wet, he returned to his cave while flapping his wings to dry them.

His eyes widened all of a sudden when he saw Rion tied to a tree near the entrance of his cave. He instantly swooped down and landed in front of the horse. And he shouted angrily, "What are you doing here, Arion? Did you bring Adeline here against her will? Where is she now?"

(A/N: Rion's original name is Arion. How many of you noticed it in chapter 35? Adeline had been calling him by the wrong name all this time because she misinterpreted the letter from Theodore. You will know more about Arion later.)

The horse glared at Theodore and said even angrily, "Do you think that I would bring her here against her will? She came here on her-" Arion sensed Adeline running towards them and abruptly stopped talking.

Theodore also saw her. He saw that her feet suddenly stopped midways when her eyes fell on him. Theodore was still in his Devil form. He didn't want her to be scared of him again and he definitely did not want her to recognize him when he looked like that. So he swiftly turned around and flapped his wings to fly away.

But Adeline ran towards him and pleaded, "No! Don't leave me this time.. I just found you. Please!"