The Demon’s Bride

Elise thought herself as a rather adept person when it comes to reading a person's character. She didn't know if she was correct, but the man seemed sly. In one hand, he appeared to look like any normal humans, except for the red eyes that stood out to make him odder than humans. 

If not for Elise hearing Ian telling her that the man in front of her now was a demon, she would have thought of him as a vampire. 

"I thought you would not let me meet her," chimed Beelzebub. His smile was not wide but enough that showed a hint of amusement to see Elise. The red haired maid, thought Beel. She was the same as the description the maid he asked this afternoon gave him. "Red hair," he noted. 

Elise, who heard him calling her red hair, wondered why the man pointed her hair.

"Why would I hide my bride when one day you will meet her. If its bound to happen, I would rather that I introduce you, not you finding him around by sniffing her scent," their banters sounded to Elise like a squabble but both appeared to be used with the words they exchange to each their.

"Milord," Cynthia and Austin came after Beelzebub, calling Ian to alert their arrival. They both looked at the man with golden hair who had taken a seat right next Ian. The man stared at them, his eyes were red. 

A vampire? Austin and Cynthia asked themselves, finding it strange to see the new guest. In the past, there had never been guests staying in White Mansion like the person did now.

"Take a seat everyone," Ian said, and Austin took a seat apprehensively in front of Beelzebub.

Beelzebub had noticed since the two beings entered their eyes had settled on him, gauging his entire feature. "Your dogs?" asked Beelzebub, not being subtle with the term he used and not only Austin had frowned on his words but Cynthia who had first thought the man to be amiable and friendly. 

Elise also looked at Beelzebub, was all Demon like him?

"Pardon me, but I am not a dog. My friend may be a cat too, but he is not a dog," it was Cynthia who replied, defensive.

"Oh! They don't use this term here in the mortal's world?" Beelzebub turned to look at Ian before his red eyes turning to Cynthia and Austin for his smile that was small turning wide with a cunning thought, "In where I live at, humans who follow us blindly are called dogs. They are disposable; Even if you are a person, I can make it so you are a dog. A snap of a finger is all it needs."

People could take Beelzebub's words as a joke, but Elise who had seen Ian turning Hallow to chick, knew the man was half serious, or perhaps completely serious by his words.

"Beel, my door is open to shoo off bees," Ian cut between his words. He noticed Beelzebub's hand ready to kill and he clicked his tongue, "Was one day enough for you to leave the castle?"

"It was a joke," Beelzebub raised his shoulders and shrug, "Still, I expected you not to have any servants at all. It's a surprise remembering your past."

"People change, and Demons are not an exception," Ian answered, and Elise agreed with the thought, "This is Mr. Beel, a guest, who is about to leave."

Cynthia stared at Mr. Beel. He had red eyes, the same color of Ian. Who was he? Austin had the same line of thoughts. The way the man had spoken to Ian without fear was something new he had never seen before, and he doubted there was anyone who was able to do the same in Warine.

As if Ian could red the minds of his two aides, he stated casually, "Beel is a demon from Hell, known better as Beelzebub. He came to visit for a vacation."

"Nice to meet you all," Beelzebub smiled, watching the frozen expression that came from the two creatures sitting in front of him. His eyes casted to Elise, seeing the human girl unbothered with his words, he take it that the girl had been told before hand of his true nature from Ian.

"A demon-" Cynthia gasped. Both Austin and Cynthia in truth knew Ian's nature as a Demon. But this was their very first time to ever meet a Demon other than the Lord. It was unbelievable that Mr. Beel was a Demon when his face looked nothing different compared to vampire.

"Hm, the food is here," Ian said when the chef came along with the maids. The table was then filled with foods. The dinner was filled with silence for a long moment that felt stifling but still breathable. Elise watched Mr. Beel from the place she sat on. The Demon seemed to look calm, but was he?

She wondered if Hell really have a vacation. Was the man lying? But Ian would have catch his lie before letting him inside.

"Cynthia, have you found news of Martha and Lipton?" asked Ian, hisbhand cutting the meat on his plate where blood dribbled after the knife pierced the meat. Unlike Elise's meat the meat on Ian's plate was yet to be cooked fully. 

Cynthia steal a glance at Beelzebub, who had stopped eyeing his food to look back at her. Looking away, she replied, "There have not been any news about Mr. Lipton and his manor. No strange or questionable situation in the house. As for Miss Martha, she lost her father yesterday evening. The cause was a chronic illness."

Elise's first reaction was to look at Ian. She had heard from Ian of how he met Martha's father before. Ian didn't reply and only hummed, he didn't look affected and Elise wondered if it was because this had happened many times in his life.

For a Demon who had lived for nine hundred years, it was said without the need of proof that Ian had many people who come and passed by his life. The loss must have numbed his sense. Thinking of it and the loneliness Ian suffered, put Elise to sympathy.

She then thought of Martha's father's death and the shadow she saw. Was the shadow connected to the death?

She then heard Ian who sat beside her spoke, "I thought it would be her who died." His words nonchalantly left his lips with eyes without an emotion.