The Demon’s Bride

The sky had turned orangish-black in the White's Mansion and ravens turned back to their house in the trees of White's mansion. Sounds of rustling from the wind as it brushed the trees filled the people's ears and two people galloped to the entrance before they both pulled the leash to their horse as it neighed to stop at the spot. A beautiful woman with silky bright brown hair and piercing silverish eyes jumped down from the horse nimbly to see a maid walking over them. "Have the Lord arrive yet?" She asked the maid in a melodious tone.

"He hasn't, milady." The maid replied and moved aside for a man with shoulder-length blonde hair, called Austin to come. "That's good we will wait here for him then, I think he will arrive soon, the black fires must have told him that we've arrived." He glanced up at the ravens that gathered around the trees.

"I agree." The woman replied to place both palms across her lips giving her warmth breathes to it as she rubbed both hands to warm up her cheeks. Austin leaned on the wall beside him while jamming his other hand on his trouser pocket. He gave a long yawn and glanced over his shoulder to the woman with a smirk.

"Being half-human must be hard, Cynthia." Austin saw the woman smiled in return with a non-laughing eye.

"I guess it is much more enjoyable than being a werecat who have to talk in meows with the other cats, just thinking about it makes me want to hide in a hole." Cynthia retorted as she glanced over to the maid who was currently bringing a lantern for them to warm up.

Austin rolled his eyes, "You do know that a werecat is much better than a human, don't you?"

"I don't." She passed the other lantern to him and took one for herself. "They can't eat anything unless it is cold due to their easily burned tongue. Must be hard because you can't enjoy it like other people."

"That's not true." He defended to which Cynthia was fast to retort back. "Then would you like a cup of hot tea to see whether it's true?"

"That wouldn't be needed." Austin resigned from the bickering immediately from the thought of burning his tongue that could disable him from eating. "What do you think the Lord would bring today?" he steered the conversation and Cynthia gave a long hum to weave her thoughts.

"He had never brought anything alive to the mansion before. Unless it is something very unusual and rare I can't see him bringing it..."

"My thought, exactly. Perhaps a salamander? He did say that they look fascinating before." Austin rubbed his chin and glanced at the gawking raven that came as though it was warning Ian's coming to the mansion.

"Don't jest, he said that it looks very fascinating for him to eat. He said that he had never taste them before and was looking forward to try."

Austin tilted his head and further commented. "Even though he doesn't need to eat?"

"Well, he's the lord without any whimsicality, there must be something wrong with him." Austin responded with a nod in agreements.

Cynthia's eyes traveled to the sound of neighing horses and loud footsteps coming close to the entrance. The two immediately straightened their back and walked over to the carriage followed by the other maids who had formed two lines to greet Ian's homecoming.

The servants who at first had a relaxed face saw the Lord's carriage and turned their face in the color of nervousness. Whenever the Lord absent from the house, the servants felt as though finally could breathe in relief. He was a very peculiar man and everyone even the people outside the land regard him as so. People called him the Lord of Warine, sometimes as the most renowned sorcerer of the world, but there's a far frightening truth that as the servant's of Ian White they could never tell to anyone.

The truth that for almost over forty generations, Ian White had been the Lord of Warine without any offsprings.

To note on this day, no one except for the Church to know what being he was. In a world full of mythical beings, it was normal for other mythical beings who have a longer life than humans. But as for what kind of mythical beings Ian White was, not many who know.

Inside the carriage who finally stopped after their ride for two days, Ian glanced at the girl who slept out of tiredness. No wonder she's sleeping deeply now, he thought. The girl had been too curious about the things she had seen and kept on giggling all the time when the Sulix danced for her. It was rather an amusing scene to see the faeries who rarely treat a human with kindness goes as far as dancing in front of a little girl, he got the free tickets to see their dances too which was horrible if he had to grade. To people being granted this dance is a very large honor. Yet the Sulix did it effortlessly even without Elise asking for it. This high-esteemed favor from the faeries was none other than because of Elise's power to be able to see them. To the faeries, a human who could see mythical beings was a treasure, and thus they treated her dearly. And this didn't only apply to faeries but also to many other mythical beings.

This showed just how much the sweet child matter to the world, particular mythical beings and creatures.

Yet to his eyes, the Sulix are just trying their best to catch the attention of someone who could see them, in another word, they are just too happy that someone other than him could see them.

Ian reached out his hand, picking the girl in one hand carefully so that she wouldn't wake up from her wonderland. Maroon sensed his master exiting the carriage to help him to open the door from the front and placed the stool for the first time forever. After their realization that the girl's legs were too short for her to climb or go down the carriage, Ian ordered Maroon to bring one when they were about to exit the carriage.

This, of course, didn't pass the Cynthia, Austin, and the servant's eyes. They looked at the stool which was rarely used and looked at each other, wondering that perhaps the lord is coming with someone else today.

He stepped out leisurely bringing the girl on his arm which Cynthia and Austin both gasped in consonance with goggled eyes. On the Lord's right arm, a little warm being which was none other than a human being rested on his shoulder. Not only that the Lord brought a living being to the mansion, but he also brought a human, and a little girl to top.

It was far more surprising than the stool Maroon brought out a moment ago.

"Th- This..." Austin index finger raised mid-air not knowing where he should point his finger at. He inspected with his eyes in skepticism and hesitantly queried. "Is... this little girl alive...?"

Ian lifted his brow from his words. "Of course she is." The lord confirmed.

"Is it really a human?" Cynthia mumbled and Austin sniffed to examine Elise's scent before snapping his head back to his friend. "It is really a human! Oh my God!" He covered his mouth to see Ian scrunching his brow at his following words. "My lord, please do not take this to heart and apologies for my rude words but I suggest you bring back the girl to her house in case you kidnapped her. I know she's cute and adorable, have a very sweet smile that I doubt you know how sweet it is because your nose isn't good. However by the laws of the Church kidnapping is a great offense, she must be missing her dear family greatly. You see, my lord to humans family is the utmost important thing, some times even far more important to their life that they didn't care about sacrificing their lives of others for the sake of their loved one. So, my lord please reconsider your option. I'm sure you are compassionate enough that you wouldn't want to separate such a little adorable girl with her family, wouldn't you, my Lord?!" He spoke long yet fast, but the content of his words was only to persuade Ian who he thought had done a great sin of kidnapping a sweet child from her family. Cynthia who also had the same guess as Austin nodded vigorously in agreement.

Ian sighed and smirked coldly at his two aides. "Do you two have such a low opinion to me?" His red eyes narrowed down and they both shook their heads.

They realized they had run out their mouth in exaggeration and the two quickly spoke in sync. "We wouldn't dare."

Gawking raven flew toward him resting next to his unoccupied shoulder with the same red eyes at him. "She's a child that I brought from the slave auction. I called you two here for no other reason than her."

Cynthia and Austin looked at each other and then to Ian. "Her?"

Ian strode of from his place and languidly ordered. "For now, your works are to be her chaperone."