The Demon’s Bride

Oliver and the man beside him took a change of expression where their smile had fallen from their lips. Ian's statement was less of a friendly approach but more of threaten. "I will be sure to take note of it."

"Still, to die because of a servant's carelessness, Lipton shouldered quite a heavy bad luck," said Ian turning his eyes away.

"It is took much of a coincidence I believe too," Oliver answered with his eyes observing Ian's behavior more than he needs to. "It had been ruled out as an accident with the evidence we currently have. But to my humble view it is an accident which everyone could replicate."

Ian widened his eyes, a surprised expression flickered on his eyes. "Are you implying someone had tried to kill Lipton?" 

Elise turned her eyes to Ian. She had been thinking how hard it was to ever read Ian's emotion or to take a peek on what he was thinking with his mischief smirk, but she learned that he wasn't good at feigning a surprised expression. Or he might had acted to do so to spite the two men who looked sour at his reaction.

"It is my doubt," answered Oliver. He knew what kind of man Ian was. He was a man who had always done deeds that should be enough to make him guilty, but so far they were not able to find any single evidence that could prove him of his killings. 

Ian hummed with his lips closed, his eyes turning from the two men to see the manor behind them which had turn to rubbles. "I don't understand why someone will kill Lipton in such a roundabout way. If it was me-"Ian said to have the two men's eyes frown at him, "-I would have killed the man. Why the need to burn the whole manor down? Which pose more question, for what reason does Lipton need to be killed?"

For a moment the second question Ian asked brought an apprehensive expression from Oliver who didn't continue to speak but turn quiet. "There could be many reason. Some for example to erase proof," Oliver then shifted his gaze at Elise who had been watching them in silence. "Is this lady over here, a friend of yours, milord?"

"She is more special than a friend," Ian replied without a hesitation, his boldness had Elise's lips to raise.

"Milord!" came another excited voice from behind. Ian turned his face to see that it was the magistrate.

"Milo," called Ian, he raised his brows when noticing Milo's eyes turning back and forward from Oliver to him.

Milo was unnerved for gaining Ian's gaze despite doing nothing wrong. "Could you please share a second for me, milord. It is something urgent."

Elise wondered what could be important and who the man was when Ian turned his eyes to met hers, "I'll come back." and she nodded in reply to his statement. 

Elise saw Ian left not too far from her and when she thought of standing somewhere else, Oliver spoke to her, "May I know your name, miss?"

Elise thought it was rude not to answer, "Elise Scott, sir."

"My name is Oliver Smith, and this is my subordinate Renhald," he introduced the man beside him whose eyes smiled at her. 

Elise returned the smile. It felt odd that the people greeted her as she knew church member don't usually greet people unless it is related to their work or someone they know. Her feeling told her that her case was the former one.

"I feel like I have heard your name before but never seen you, do you know the Lord well?" Oliver didn't seem to hold back to interrogate her. 

"I work in White Mansion, as a maid," she answered to see Oliver and Renhald looking startled. She knew the reason, the two men would never expect the Lord to bring a maid with him to attend a funeral which somewhere Elise had expected for the people to give such a reaction. Being a little blunt, Elise asked, "Do you have other question to ask, sir?"

Oliver whose face looked strict without a smile finally let out a smile which wasn't sincere but impressed, "Do all maids working in the Lord's castle all are as clever as you?"

Elise only smiled in return to the man's words. She could tell that the two men were somewhere searching for Ian's fault. Why would they though?

"Then," Oliver said, "Have you ever seen or might have seen some of your friends in the castle suddenly disappear? Or perhaps died?"

Elise looked surprised but she managed to let her expression schooled. Only a day passed after she saw Carmen died. It was not possible that the Church know this. "I don't think I have."

She saw Oliver's brown eyes scrutinizing her as if not believing her words, and Renhald the man beside Oliver spared only little look at her. 

"If there are anyone who disappeared, I believe the Church would be the first to know," added Elise and this had Oliver to pull his eyes away from peering at her.

"Then do you might know Miss Tracey?" Elise felt her fingers squeezed as she felt startled by the name. "She was a maid who worked under the Lord. She was told to have been fired from the castle and had come back to her family's house. Yet for some reason she never came back home."

"I'm sorry but I don't know," said Elise. She knew she couldn't mask her emotion well which why she had looked down before turning her face to Ian who came back at time, as if knowing she was in a pickle. "Please excuse me," Elise bowed, leaving to Ian's side.

Oliver didn't press further, letting her leave while his eyes still stared at her. Coming back to Ian's side, Elise let out a mouthful of relieved breath, "You did well, sweetheart," Ian whispered the words only for Elise to hear.

As much as Elise had appeared courageous in the spur of moment where Oliver interrogated and brought up Tracey's name, she had bluffed and lied, something which she wasn't use to do. She could still feel her heart thundering, and she was grateful between Oliver and Renhald, both of them couldn't discern heartbeat which strengthened her lies.

"I think they saw through my lies," replied Elise. She wasn't an expert in lying or to put an expression in contrast to her feeling like Ian.

"Don't worry, you did great. Even if they knew your lies, they have no proof against me," Ian answered which was correct. Elise felt thankful for Ian. Tracey's death wasn't his mistake as Ian had killed the woman to protect her. She was well aware of this. 

"But why would they asked me this question?" Elise asked when they had left further from the place to the carriage as the funeral had ended. "It's as if they know Tracey had died." But that was not possible, she thought. The only witness was the maids. The maids in the castle knows not to speak outside, and this had been going on to many years. Yet suddenly the two men brought Tracey's name.

"There might be a rat in the castle of perhaps an nose who sniffed at us," Ian saw the concern reaching Elise's face and he tilted his head for his face to block everything from her eyes so she would only look at him, "Don't worry, Ive killed thousands but no one have ever found out about it. This would continue to go so. No matter what they have sniffed in the end, they don't know anything."

Curiously Elise asked, "Have the Church ever put an interrogation to you?"

"They did," he nodded, "About four hundred or maybe more than that."

"What happened?" Ian was a careful person, this would never happen which Elise found weird.

"I helped Maroon to kill the people who bought, raped, and killed his fiancée. At that time I didn't have enough time to clean the evidence. Though I manage to clear all suspicions against us," Ian had spoken in a way where he didn't hide things from her. It sounded crude and cruel, but it helped Elise to be shed from the obliviousness she had always been covered by others. 

Sadness came in her face for Lilith, Maroon's fiancée even though she hadn't met the woman before. Leaving the manor, Elise then suddenly stop she felt someone watching her. Turning her head she search to the direction where she felt the gaze to see that there was no one. Lots of things happen to her which made her on edge, thought Elise. Shaking her head to clear her mind, she entered the carriage.