The Demon’s Bride

"Chaperone?" Austin glanced at the little girl in doubt who was surely from the scent of a human. "For the little girl?"

Ian smirked at the dumb cat who still couldn't understand sarcastically. "To who else am I talking to?" 

He brushed off Austin's and Cynthia's shocked expressions and went inside the mansion after he took off his coat to one of the maids. "Do a great job. There should be no harm done to the girl while she's still living here." His words bore the same mischievous tone and laziness yet when he passed his orders, the spine-chilling tone wrapped his words seamlessly. He didn't have to warn and continue what would happen if the girl is wounded. One would immediately know what he would give if they fail to abide by his orders. 

Austin stood outside and ruffled his hair in great bewilderment. The lord wasn't the type of person who liked to jest, unlike how his tone sounded. judging by Ian's words, he claimed to have brought the girl from a slave building, meaning the slave auction. Seven days ago the lord went to Runalia, the only place where only humans could go to and so, the girl must have come from Runalia. But that doesn't explain anything. To his knowledge, the lord never liked humans. For him to bring a living little human girl, must mean that he's planning something and worked with that in thought. 

"Do you know how to take care of a human girl?" Cynthia asked, her eyes were in great doubt to which Austin seen as suspicion of whether he could take care of the little girl.

"Of course I could. I live most of the time as a human anyway." 

"Disregarding the fact that you could turn to a cat and talked with them in a mouthful of meows." Cynthia continued to follow the Lord and Austin trailing behind to wrinkle his lower lips.

After they entered the mansion, the only human maid at the mansion Mila woke Elise up from her sleep to prepare for her bath as she had been outside and muddy for days before she could sleep. When Elise woke up, her two large blues eyes searched for Ian first but saw an unknown woman in front of her. Out of fear, she jumped from the navy couch in the Parlour room. And when she spotted Ian, her little arm spread out to hug his long leg, hiding from the unknown woman in fear. 

"What happened, puppy?" Ian fluttered his eyelashes down, making a shadow to his scarlet eyes before glancing over to the maid who had possibly done something and made Elise frightened. Mila looked down in fear, bowing half of her body so that she wouldn't be able to be glared by the lord. 

"She would be taking you to the bath. You are dirty. If you are dirty you can't sleep nor eat." Elise looked up and retracted her hand down to her skirt. "Don't be afraid she wouldn't do anything." 

As long as it was Ian's words, Elise was fast to believe it. She trotted over to Mila and held her black long skirt that was coated with a white rounded apron. "Let's go." Mila said, a little more comfortable with the girl as she was also a human, like her. 

The bath was with a white bathtub and two round knob in the middle of the oval body where the hot water and cold water would come out. The water was warm as it was filled and after some cleaning that involved using soap, the girl soaked in it. She blew the bubbles of foam hovering in front of her large eyes and blew it with her cheeks tinted in very light pink. Mists from the warm water float in front of her face whenever she breathed out. 

It was more embarrassing to be washed by someone as she wasn't used to such a lady-like treatment before. Mila didn't seem to mind it and she couldn't whine to anyone and silently bear with the shame so Mila could wash her faster. 

As she was done with the bath, Mila lent a hand to wear her a white nightgown which was a little bigger for her and dried her hair. The dripping droplets of clear water dripped down from her red hair and Mila rubbed her head gently with the fluffy towel to ring out the water. 

It has been years for Mila to ever seen a human much less a little human girl. She had actually assigned to the kitchen but heard Cynthia asking her to take care of the little girl as her personal maid that would take care of her needs. She hadn't seen the girl and thought that it was only her hallucination to hear Cynthia saying that the girl was a human that was brought by the lord. 

Mila glanced at the adorable girl who was currently looking at the mirror which was covered with white haze to make a drawing from the haze. Unlike her, who had both ink eyes and hair, the little girl had blue eyes and sunset hair. A combination of a very rare colored eye and hair that was unusual for a normal human. 

"You're good to go now! Are you hungry? The lord is now in the dining room." Mila said and saw the girl rubbing her stomach. Sure enough, her little stomach was grumbling and asking her for more food. She turned her head up with a nod and murmured. "Yes."

Hearing the girl had braven herself to speak, Mila's smile turned gentler. "Alright then." 

When Elise walked down the spiral stare and turned to the left side to meet another long corridor with only a few lights. The dining room had been opened light brightly, giving the dimmed-corridor a far brighter look. When Mila came inside with Elise, Ian's eyes spotted the girl who had been fresh from the bath, her cheeks were still pink. After the mud and grim that stained her beautiful young skin had been cleaned off, her adorable face revealed. Austin glanced at the girl from the laced she stood in and praised her adorableness aloud. "What's this creature, she's so cute!" 

Elise glanced up at the stranger with an uneasy face before trotting beside Ian who was in the middle of working his knife across the meat. Cynthia shook her head and chided to her fellow friend. "Great, you have just scared her off." 

"I was just speaking my thoughts out! She's adorable and also smelled good." Saying those words aloud, Austin the werecat sniffed with his long nose to follow Elise's fragrance. "Wait... This smell. I know she smelled very good from before. But! She smelled very similar to the sweet child!"

"The sweet child?" Cynthia's eyes grew wide from Austin's words. The sweet child appeared only every once of a thousand years. They were not only rare but regarded as a very high-esteemed being due to the mythical beings' favor on her. She had been wondering why the Lord brought a young human girl to the mansion, but if she is the sweet child, it all finally made sense to her. 

Ian glanced down at Elise and placed down his fork and knife to help the girl to sit on the high chair and spoke. "Have you just find out?" He smiled at the girl and poured her a glass of milk while cutting the meat on her plate. "I thought you would do a better job at sniffing scents." 

The lord's sarcasm was quickly retorted back by Austin's in his heart. He broke away his glance to the girl and continued. "Eat slowly and these two would be your friend." Ian pointed his finger to the two subordinates and the girl received it with a timid nod. 

"I'm Cynthia, you can call me Cy." Cynthia bent her back in order to make herself less scary to the weary girl. 

"And I'm Austin. Nice to meet you, little lady." Austin smiled widely, showing his long canine teeth. 

Elise blinked down in embarrassment from the two eyes that looked at her and replied. "Nice to met you too. I'm Elise." 

"Aww, she can talk!" Austin commented on the over-adorableness that waft off from the little girl.

"Of course she is, she isn't a fool after all. Back off, have you forgotten how she ran away from you?" Cynthia replied with a still-smiling face to hear the lord clearing his throat that took the three people's attention. 

"You should eat, puppy. It's late and you need to sleep." Ian placed over the porcelain plate to her, but it was rather hard for her to reach the table. In a great hurdle and hard work of straightening her back, Elise took her fork to hold the cube cut meat and placed it over her mouth.  

Delicacy filled her mouth as she chewed to the well-seasoned meat. Her cheeks puffed as she put more meat that tasted divinely to her little mouth. It was far different than the carrots or turnip that she usually ate raw. The meat was tender and easy to bite into, the flavor of the herbs and gravy also suited her child palate which was slightly sweeter. It was a bliss for the little girl who had to either starve herself or eat the rotten vegetable to live in the past. 

Ian glanced at the girl who began to eat in a hurry and patted her head once. "You could eat slowly. No one would steal your food so no need to be in a hurry." 

Elise nodded and slowed down her pace instantly.