The Demon’s Bride

When Elise was ready, she stepped out of her room. Before she did, she turned her eyes to look at Hallow's bed that she crafted. The chick wasn't there. Had he gotten used to playing outside? wondered Elise as she left the room.

Pulling the red cloak she received from Ian, Elise tied her ribbon to a bow. She looked outside the window, seeing snow falling and recalling the death of Carmen as two days had passed. Elise had cried on her bed. To lose someone was not easy for her, especially to people who she had thought of as a friend. Carmen tried to kill her, but Elise knew from the expression Carmen showed her before her death, that she felt apologetic and sorry to her. 

Regardless of the attack, Elise can't help but sympathize with Carmen. She wondered if she was in Carmen's shoes if someone offered to bring her family back to live in exchange for her to kill people. Would she be able to do that? Elise shook her head, thinking that she couldn't which set her choice and Carmen's to be different.

She was reminded to the early day before the week started. In the evening, Carmen knocked on the door, she came with the knitting sticks in her hands along with the red yarn. Elise looked at the yarn, wondering why Carmen would be here as she had told her and Vella that she would be doing chores she forgot to do in the evening.

'Carmen, why are you here? Do you need help?' asked Elise, thinking that she could offer help as she had finished her work for the day. 

Carmen shook her head, 'Could I ask you for help? I want to try a new pattern.'

Elise smiled agreeing, 'Of course,' but then she tilted her head, 'You know you could have asked me earlier this afternoon.' Did Carmen hesitate to ask her?

'Actually, can you keep this a secret? I want to knit Vella a scarf. You know she had been helping me for a long time,' Carmen then proceeded to pull something from her pocket, 'I also want to give this for you. A token of our friendship.'

Back to the present, Elise pulled out from her pocket a bracelet in white color. Taking it, a small smile appear on Elise before she attached the bracelet to her wrist. Elise asked herself, reflecting on the past she shared with Carmen. Did she really think of killing her? It didn't seem so for Elise. There was plenty of chance for Carmen to kill her earlier, but she didn't. It gave the feeling that Carmen struggled to make a choice.

This had her wondered how was Carmen's ghost not appear here? Was it perhaps Ian's magic? 

Elise noticed how there was no ghost in the castle which was perhaps weird as ghosts were everywhere in all houses. She also took note of how ghosts rarely appear when she was with Ian as if they were avoiding her which was rare.

Passing by the hallways, Elise walked to see that her path had crossed to another man whose hair was a dull red. His eyes were as dull as his hair, colored in gray. When looking at her, there came a strict gaze but the gaze was lowered when Maroon bowed at her. 

Honestly, it was weird to see Maroon bowing to Elise. He was the head butler of the house, the person second to Ian when it comes to handling the matters of the castle. He might not look the part with his presence barely known, but Elise knows that the man was stronger than he appeared to be.

Elise returned the bow, "Good morning, Maroon," she then saw how the man's eyes slightly narrowed when she greeted him. Maroon seemed to not want to reply to her greeting which Elise didn't take offense to as she knew Maroon seems to not like her at all. This poses more question to Elise's mind as the man had bowed for her before she did to him. "Sir, Maroon could I ask why would you bow for me?" Elise then asked.

"Are you asking because you don't know, Miss Elise?" questioned Maroon back, his lips were not smiling like his gloomy eyes which were enough to set people to fear his strict self.

Elise knew he was being sarcastic but she smiled and nodded, "Yes, I don't know."

Maroon somewhere applauded Elise for replying to him as most people by now would have continued on their way. He knew his strict expression and cold demeanor always work to push people from him, which he had done deliberately.

Maroon straightened his poise, bringing both of his hands in front of him, "My work is to service Lord Ian; to follow his order as his servant, and to protect him with my life as it has been given by him. In order to do that, it's my task to eliminate the danger shrouding him, so there wouldn't be a risk to be taken." Does Maroon mean she was the risk? "Miss if I have to be blunt," Maroon let the words hanging to wait for her words.

"Please go on," Elise offered the butler, she could feel that his eyes grew more menacing but that wasn't going to make Elise back down in fear. 

"From the myth about Demon's brides, the rumors, whether it is true or false. I find you to be dangerous. You have power, a great power but at the same time dangerous," Maroon stated, his voice calm like a surface of a lake, but his eyes told the opposite story. 

Elise didn't ask how could Maroon knew about her power. Being Ian's trusted aide, he had heard all of her power from Ian himself. After all, the man sometimes acts as Ian's eyes and hand to where he couldn't reach.

Maroon continued, "If there come a day when you prove to follow the myth, I would have no choice-"

"But to cut me down," Elise continued his words without a hint of fear that earned another commendable point to Maroon. Before he could speak more, Elise asked, "Do you dislike me?"

"It is not a matter of like or dislike. I owe the Lord my life. It might be me crossing the line, but to me his life as my benefactor is precious. It is alright right for me to sacrifice my life to protect him to repay what he did for me; and I believe, it's not only I who thought Lord Ian to be a man who doesn't deserve to die. There are many who feared him, envied him, and also admired him to one's opposite expectation," said Maroon. His eyes express how serious he was and Elise could feel the immense respect the man had for the Lord. It might have been not only respect but indebted as Ian had saved him in the past which Elise could understand.

"And I am one part of them," Elise answered to Maroon. "I also understand your reasoning and agree with it. I wouldn't want Ian to get hurt. Which why if a day comes when I turn harmful for Ian or worse kill him, please do stop me, even if it means killing me," she said to see the surprise in Maroon's eyes. He did not expect the frail little human girl who seemed to could only run when facing danger to be saying the words in ease without a hint of hesitation.

"Like you, Maroon, I have been saved by him and if not for Ian saving me, I would have died sooner. I wouldn't be here, at this place without him, and this doesn't happen only to me," she said while looking at Maroon. He was too saved by Ian just like her.

From her words, Maroon learned that Ian had told her of his past. "I thought you would fear death," he said, his eyes flickered from gray to red. It was no use hiding who he was now that Elise had heard his past.

She offered the man a smile, "I don't think there will come a day for me to not fear death, but more than death, I am scared to lose him." There were only a handful of people who had become her family. Even without the ties of blood, they were her family, people who she treasured. But with month passing by, she lost more people faster than she could take a breath, and she didn't want to lose even one more of them. And for that, Elise knew she had to be stronger.

"I think you know how it feels, to fear of losing someone very dear to you," she said to see for the first time Maroon smiled with a frown as if he couldn't decide whether to smile on her words or that he was trying not to smile on her.

"You know Miss Elise, I thought you reminded me of someone," for the first time, Maroon had been the one to start the conversation. Elise wondered if talking had helped Maroon to see her in a better light.

"Was I similar?" she questioned and the man shook his head.

"No, you are completely different," the butler then bowed deeply to her, this time it wasn't only for curtsey's sake but respect which Elise could tell. "I hope that day when I have to grant your wish will never come. I wish you all the luck, Lady Elise."

Elise returned Maroon's smile and bowed. She felt lighter after talking to Maroon. She left before Maroon, who stood in his place to watch Elise's back. He then pulled his necklace from his neck, his fingers feeling the shape of heart which he had always put under the collar of his shirt as it doesn't suit him. On the back of the heart pendant was the writing of 'Lilith'.

Maroon closed his eyes. Seeing Elise's back reminded him of the girl with long brown hair and blue eyes who always appeared whenever he closed his eyes, "They are not the least similar," he whispered.