The Demon’s Bride

This is two chapters in one so it might be long~

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Angelica took her hand to rest on her laps. Her eyes carefully moved to the window that was right on her left side which she had left open so she would be able to use them to escape or scream for help. Although the villagers couldn't help much, they would work well to chase both the vampire and Elise. 

"That's because I am a Demon," replied Ian but Angelica instead laughed at his words.

"I wonder if Demon would speak like you, confirming they are Demons without any fear."

"You speak as if you know Demons," Ian said when Angelica's lips twist further. "I don't think it's strange for Demons to boldly announce they are what they are when they have no one to fear."

"Isn't that all you needed to speak of?" Angelica pushed herself from the chair abruptly, "If you don't have anything to do with me, I demand you to leave my house or you will be sorry."

Ian raised both hands a pure curious expression settled on his face, "How sorry?"

"I will scream," threatened the woman, and Ian laughed in response. Elise saw her aunt giving a tighter frown when seeing how Ian had laughed at her words. "There are many villagers in this village, vampire. You will be sorry if you don't leave here. Most people are humans in this village but with numbers, we are capable enough to chase one vampire and a human," her aunt shot a disgusted look at her which didn't affect Elise.

Ian saw how Angelica seemed almost as if she had forgotten how he had strangled her neck a minute ago. Doing that should be enough to send people running on their tail, but Angelica didn't. She appeared unaffected and seeing how courageous she was, Ian could sense there was something more than what he was seeing now. "If you think that there is anyone who could hear you, try then."

Angelica didn't refuse. She immediately runs to the window to scream, "HELP ME! The vampire is assaulting me!" She then turns to look at the door, waiting for people to come but no one did. What was going on?! She was about to scream again by opening the window fully while making a run for it when the window shut close and lock itself. 

Surprised, Angelica turned her head to Ian, understanding that he was the one who had locked the window. Now, a weary expression came on her face. "W-Who are you?" It was unheard of vampires bearing the power to move things as Ian did now. And she could sense that locking the window without using his hands wasn't the extent of his power. Then was he a sorcerer? Yet he didn't appear to look like one.

Angelica glared at Elise, "What did you bring to my house!"

"Now, now, what's the panic, Angelica? You've been looking very relaxed a moment ago," standing up Ian saw the woman running to the table before picking the knife that was laying there. Elise frowned at how drastic her aunt had reacted. 

Angelica swing her knife dangerously toward Ian, she could tell if the man strangles her neck again, she had to use drastic measures, or dead would be her future. "What do you two want from me?! You should leave while I am being nice."

Ian pushed his hand to one of the cupboards and when he pick his finger, he saw how thick the dust he had picked. "We only wish to know about Elise's parents. You are their relatives so you must know a few things about them, don't you?"

Angelica frowned she sent a deadly glare at Elise, cursing inside for what she had brought to her house, "I don't. I don't even know their names."

"Are you saying that you took Elise in without knowing her parents?" Ian asked and Elise also wondered the same. They might be distant relatives but how could Aunt Angelica don't know her parent's name? 

"Her mother died and her father abandoned her, what else other than that I have to know? And at that time I took her from her uncle, he took her in for a brief time, and know lesser about her than me."

That was as if no one knew about her past or her parents, thought Elise, and her body shivered at the thought which she couldn't understand why. 

"You should be grateful that I took you in and fed you without abusing you like your other relatives, but you came here bringing this blood-sucking monster with you. I knew that one day you will kill someone. Since the past, you have always been strange. Everyone would find you alone with an animal's body beside you."

Elise shook her head, "You don't know anything. At that time I saw their ghosts, asking me to help them give the burial that they wanted. But you wouldn't hear me, and it's because since the beginning you have planned to sell me, don't you?" Although it was subtle, there was a change in Angelica's expression which confirmed her guess.

Angelica instead of feeling guilty shrug her shoulders, "Even if I did, now you are the one enjoying your life, living in luxury by spreading your legs to this man, shouldn't you be thankful to me even more?"

"Now, words lady," Ian warned.

Angelic clenched her jaw but Elise calmly replied, "I am thankful for you auntie. Because you sold me, I was able to meet people who treasure me as much as I treasure them. However, to you who was perfectly conscious of what I had to go through in the slave market have no right to think that you are correct. What you did is lesser than an animal, because they wouldn't sell their own relatives for the sake of their own living like you did."

It was Angelica's first time to have Elise reprimanding her as she did now, and the woman was t happy, "You rude girl-"

Elise didn't let her aunt finish her words, knowing what she would say, she replied, "Unlike what you thought, I didn't come today for revenge. In the past I have hated you but seeing you now, I could only feel pity. I see you as a person who doesn't know what is right and wrong; a sick person who thinks they are right despite what they had done. It might be too late for you to repent."

"Is that so? I don't want to repent either. Don't think your smart mouth make you anything better, Elise. You are still a slave," Angelica glared and Elise didn't correct her aunt by saying she wasn't a slave. Simply because she didn't see the need to. It was sometimes easy to feel nothing to a person than hate, thought Elise. Feeling nothing to her aunt, help her to not care about Angelica, and perhaps after another six months, she wouldn't remember her anymore.

"I have answered all your questions, now I demand you to leave!" Angelica pointed her hand to the door. 

Because of both the vampire and Elise, she had gotten too much attention from the villagers than she needed to. Killing the vampire who seemed to be having a hidden ability wouldn't be too hard, thought Angelica. She was confident that if they fight, it would be easy to kill the vampire and Elise. However, if she kills them now, the Church's attention would be on her and they would begin to investigate her which she cannot afford.

Until now, Angelica wasn't aware of Ian being a demon or Elise being a Demon's Bride, and the power they both held which powerful. 

Ian had fun watching Elise being brave and telling her aunt off because that was what the woman deserves. "I was wondering about a few coffins in this village that 'vanish'. I thought you would know their positions or maybe the person who took the coffins."

"Why would I know of such things?" Angelica snapped, "If you are here to investigate about the missing coffin it shouldn't be me who you ask for but the magistrate. If you are not going to leave I will have to call the Church."

"How?" Ian questioned, "And as the Lord of Warine, I doubt the Church would stop me from doing an investigation. I don't think it has realized it yet, Miss Herney but you stink."

Elise would have raised an eyebrow with the abrupt remark Ian dropped if not for the way his gaze had turned serious. "You and this house stink of corpses since we entered."

Angelica looked at Ian with all expression on her face falling. She stood there, eyes fixed at Ian. "I made sure to make no smell of corpse to be in this room. What are you talking about?"

"Maybe you could hide the smell by all the plants and herb there is that could hide the rotten smell, but your entire body reek of a rot. In this state, dipping your body to a bath of million roses wouldn't help you get rid of that stink scent." 

Angelica gritted her teeth with how Ian keep jabbing her in every chance he had, "You are stupid."

"Enlighten me, Angelica. While you are at it, also tell me why you stole the coffins."

Elise saw how Angelica had stepped forward looking braver than the time her facade wasn't noticed. "Why not guess? You seem to have a good head on your shoulders but seeing that you don't run even after noticing the smell of bodies around me. You are no different than other vampires who don't know their pride is what will bring them death!" Angelica saw how Ian still smiling but worse, the man had laughed in front of her, turning her anger to twist further on her face. "What are you laughing about!"

Ian, who always bear the all-knowing smile and laughter could put people on edge and this was no exception to Angelica as it appeared to her as though Ian was anticipating all of this to happen— as if since the beginning he had known that she was the person who had stolen the coffins from the cemetery when no one was able to.

"I was laughing at your stupidity that I wonder how stupid others must be to never notice the culprit for the coffins vanishing. Let me tell you where you are wrong. You mistook our position. Have you ever seen a predator running from a prey?" Ian said nonchalantly and Elise saw how Angelica's face fell for a fierce glare to take cover.

"You will wish you die." The knife dropped from Angelica's hand, falling to clutter on the ground.

Ian raised his hand to Elise and she saw him reaching out her hand as if telling her to stand. "Take distance, Elise, and watch. People learn from watching and as for you my fast learner, this should be a good experience for you."

At the same time, Angelica raised her hand, the crowds that gathered outside waited curiously near the gate when they heard something vibrating. It appeared that the sound came from the windows. One man was curious enough to try and enter the gate when all windows in the house shattered as if the house was blown by pressure from the inside and a shard of the glass came straight near the man's face to graze his cheeks. If he was a step closer, his head would have been smitten by the shard piece.

This was enough to send all villagers running from the house in a panic.