The Demon’s Bride

Ian made his way to Vella's room. His shoes clicked on the floor and the servants who saw him along the way bowed in fear. It wasn't only the previous night where Tracey was killed that frightened the maids but the expression Ian had on his face where it almost seems as if he had turned to an ice sculpture. Without a hint of blood, cold and ruthless.

Stepping inside the room, the other person who had stood beside the door pushed himself, "I heard the commotion."

"Barely a commotion if you come this late. Where were you?" questioned Ian to Beelzebub. The golden-haired man tilted his head to his shoulder. "Don't play shit on me, Beel. I'm not patient now. Tell me where you went or I would tear you to two here now."

Beelzebub raised both his hands, acting as if he was surrendering, "I was searching for someone in the villages near here. Does that act as my alibi?"

"If you come with someone but you were alone," Ian narrowed his eyes. He can't believe anyone especially not Beel who after his first day staying at his castle, an incident breaks out.

"I don't have grudge against your bride, Ian," defended Beelzebub. He shrugged his shoulders, "Nor you. I am not foolish to know that I can't win against you. Even if Satan put me to this I would not agree. You know better than anyone how loyal I am for you."

"Keep your acts for later. I am also not foolish not to know that you didn't come here for a simple vacation. I will clear this matter later," Ian left the door and entered inside. Vella who was tended inside the room immediately stood up and bowed. "Did you know your friend is going to kill Elise?" Ian asked without a tact. He didn't feel sympathy and he didn't see why he should spare an act as if he was feeling pity when he felt none.

The pressure Vella felt with Ian inside the room was frightening. She could feel the air turning tense as if she was hiking on the peak of a mountain where the air turns denser and harder for her lungs to take. She opened her pursed lips slowly, "Yes, I do."

Beelzebub took a distance while watching what was going on with a smile, enjoying the show that was playing before him.

"And you helped her?" Ian next questioned had Vella immediately shake her head. "I should have known that Elise attracts people who always betrayed her in the moments of her happiness."

"I tried to persuade Carmen over it, to change her mind. She is not a bad person," said Vella, her hand clutched tighter on her dress that was covered with blood that came from her shoulders that were wounded.

"Oh, surely she is not. She is a very kind person with an immense compassionate heart where she could try to help her friends to meet the grim reaper faster. How kind of her," Ian said in a sardonic voice. "Cut the pity talking. I need nothing of such. Tell me the details of what she did," he said and when Vella meet his eyes, she felt chill on her skin and immediately threw her gaze as she was too fearful to meet the Lord by his eyes.

"About two or three days ago, Carmen received a letter from a village. She had been in contact and wrote a few letters before that weren't sent to her family, but I have never read them. It was the time where Mister Maroon passed me the letter sent for her," Vella remembered the letter, the white envelope that changed everything. "I didn't mean to read the letter. It was by accident that the wax stamp of the letter broke and as I got curious, I took a little peek over it. In the letter, it was said that the writer told Carmen to kill Elise and the Lord, with godspeed."

Ian reached out his hand above his shoulder bringing his hand to a hither-come motion for Maroon to come over his side. The butler reached out the small torn parchment. Taking it Ian showed her, "This?"

Vella's eyes grew wide when she saw the paper she had torn was on Ian's hand. "Yes that is the letter but how?"

Ian didn't reply and instead placed the letter away. "In short, you tried to stop your friend, without knowing that she was hell-bent to kill Elise. Hence, turning your hard work all for naught. Did the letter told the reason for her to kill me and Elise?" It wasn't to Ian's problem that someone tried to kill him. He had been on the hunt for his life since he was in his teenage years and it didn't change whether he was a Demon or not.

People chasing for his life wasn't a surprise or a new thing, but for Elise it was and that mattered a hell out of him.

"Carmen told me that they need to kill Demons," the girl looked at the Lord hesitantly before continuing, "She told me that Elise and you, milord, are Demons. Carmen had to obey the person who ordered her because she was promised if she was able to kill both of you, her family would be granted a new life. They would come back from the dead."

"Resurrection," hummed Beelzebub. He had moved from the door to stand beside Ian. "That's amusing," Beelzebub hummed but his expression tells how much he was intrigued with Vella's information.

Ian frowned. Now he understood why before Elise slept she had asked him regarding the resurrection. "She should know better that resurrection magic is impossible. It's a fable written only in books. Only a tale to give humans a hope that would never be achieved."

Vella tore her sight from the blond-haired vampire whose eyes were bright red like the Lord's, "I told Carmen it was impossible, but she said that she saw someone being resurrected from the dead. In the village of Saltige, she saw it happened. She also claimed that many other people who died came back to life."

Saltige, Ian noted. Once again, Elise's village where her aunt who sold her lived at came back to their cases. Ian wondered if Blythe's mission and Carmen's mission to kill Demons were issued by the same person. He can't put a finger yet to be sure, but he could feel that the reason the two cases had was similar.

What was exactly going on with the village Elise lived in in the past?