The Demon’s Bride

Candles placed outside the gallery lost flickered when no wind came. But in the next moment a harsh wind slipped out from the wall of stones which was placed at the end of the corridor, blowing the flame to gray smokes that faded to air.

Inside the gallery, Ian ran his finger in circular motions to the surface of the cup which was gold in color. The red tea lost it colors once his red eyes were reflected to the the liquid. "I've told her about immortal beings." when he uttered the last two words, Ian smiled with a hint of wickedness to Maroon.

The butler looked up when he saw Ian pushing himself from the cushioned chair. Maroon make a shift of expression from his passive face when he mentioned the two words. Unlike all people in the castle of Warine, only Maroon knows about Ian White's true origin. The butler knows who he was and what make him who he is now. The cruel Lord of Wariness has his history which had been buried by the time that passes and who knows this was only a few, him included with the rest had passed away.

Maroon had spent centuries with Ian. The bond they shared was a master and servant relationship but Maroon had thought of the Lord more than only his master. He thought of him as a friend, and at time partners who have to suffer from pain. Maroon's gray eyes were on him as he asked, "Did you explained it to her?"

"Not yet." Ian hummed and he touched the wall where paintings were placed to run his fingers across the railing. "I've only give her the clues she needed. She's getting curious and slowly she'll want to know more. Her mind must be filled with me right now." he chuckled, amusement crinkling at his red eyes. "How many immortal beings are in this world, Maroon?" he asked.

"I only know three, my lord. God, Angels, and Demons." Replied Maroon and he saw Ian stopped at the painting he talked with Elise in the afternoon. The painting she chose was bright. Elise was brought up in a life filled with misfortunes, growing up she only. faces more of it yet the girl was bright. Like the choice of painting she had taken, she was a bright girl with a pure heart.

So pure that the Demon in him want to stained it over with his own darkest color.

"Out of the three only one is most frowned about. Even though no one knows what it takes to be a Demon," he chuckled, his eyes looking at the painting of a person with both black and white feathery wings dipping inside a lake. Maroon could only take his words in silence. He knows what it takes to be a Demon because he had seen Ian. The human who had fall to a Demon and the process was far than hellish and torturous.

"Do you still recall the past, my lord?" asked Maroon. Unlike in daytime when he spoke only fractures of words, he was talkative when he spoke to Ian.

"It takes time to forget and my time have come. I've forget everything about it. Like water washing away sands, every memories of the past in my head is almost close to nothing." His smile faltered in a split of second before it appeared back. "But I find some sounds never disappearing. Perhaps time wasn't the only enemy that force my memories out of my mind. I have just gotten used to the grief and pain which slowly deprive me of feelings." He ended the talk there and questioned the butler, "How about you, do you still remember everything?"

"My memories before I met you, milord are nothing I could remember." replied the butler with a bow of his body. His words were short but it express the loyalty he had for him.

Ian stared at the red-headed butler, unlike Elise's hair color, his was dull and dusty. It reminded him of the day when he was still a boy. "You should have resented me. No humans want to walk in the Hell's path yet here you are swearing your loyalty to a Demon."

Maroon for the first time finally gave his most humane expression which held some sadness and smile, "How could I ever resent the person who saved my life? I've become what I am now by my choice and followed you by my choice. I know milord, you are not what you seems to be."

"You mean to say that I'm kind?" Ian laughed with a hint of sarcasm, but the butler nodded to agree at his words.

At the point, the two reached to the wooden easel, the same one where Elise had knocked one creating a mess that lead to punishment which hadn't been ruled out to be what kind. But surely, it would be torturous, thought Ian with a smile of evil.

Maroon, on the other hand noticed how the stand was empty from canvas even though he remembered that recently Ian had locked himself in the gallery to paint a single portrait of a girl. Unable to keep his curiosity, the butler asked, "Milord, allow me to ask where is the painting?"

Ian shifted his eyes from his butler to the wooden easel, "That? I've given it to the true owner. Unfortunately she wasn't able to see her own face because a puddle of green paint covered her face but I wonder when will she realize the color of the hair?" He asked in amusement, his lips becoming wide.

"You've given the painting to her...unfinished?" asked Maroon, this was rare especially for Ian White, the Lord. For the Lord to give present to another was already surprising but what he found more surprising is that Ian who would never give anything that was incomplete, had left the painting to the girl's hand.

Ian didn't have to turn to know what kind of expression or thoughts the butler had running in his mind and he explained, "It was finished, but she made the mistake. Which is why next time, I'm planning her to help me. For the one who had ruined the painting, she should be the one to settle her punishment." hummed Ian with joy to see when the punishment would be set out.

He had promised her one and wouldn't let her down. Elise... thought Ian to himself. She didn't know what charm she had on her own body. Her beautiful face of pure eyes rioted men's instinct to wanting and have her, but that was not all, she had the curves and everything women envies. But the girl didn't noticed it herself. The more he thought about her, his desire grew, his smile crowning his face broadened.

"Have you notify Vervor to the invitation to the White Mansion?" Ian asked him, walking to the vase where most roses had wilted. He took one from the vase, using the same trick, it became lovely and red on color.

"Yes I have, milord. News has that Mr. Vervor is very delighted and eager to come." Maroon saw how the Lord who was playing with the rose now had turned the grin to place it with something eerier.

"That's great. We should prepare him a hell." at his words, the rose he played with fell to the ground. The lively rose turn brown and darker to black and by the time it reach the ground, the rose had turn to combusted dust. The dusts too didn't stay long as in a second, wind came and blew it away.

A/N: I wish to set a goal of 1000 power stones by the end of this week. It may seem far fetched but I believe everyone could! Please vote to the book and show your love to the book <3  If we gather 1000 powerstones befor the weekly reset on the end of this week, Sunday, I will give a mass release. Please Vote, lovelies. *heart*