The Demon’s Bride

Elise looked at the houses from beside the carriage. Frank, who was the coachman of the carriage saw her, "Elise, you could go inside if you want to. You look a little ill."

She turned to where Frank was, shaking her head, "I'm fine, I will wait for Master Ian before entering the carriage." and Frank nodded. 

Sitting inside the carriage would only make the thoughts inside her mind spinning over and over, making her feel restless and she chose to stand outside the cage, trying to pull her mind from what were revolving inside her mind.

Elena died nine years ago, she recalled everything to the point she was locked in the shed, but who did she go to the forest and why? Elise remembered how scared she was to go to the forest with her ability to see ghost. She wouldn't go there. Yet her little self did go there and she was found with blood. Whose blood was it?

It wasn't a lie if Elise doesn't feel scared of her own power as she had turned a person to ash. It was defensive but then she wondered if she had killed someone before, because somewhere turning the Relic to ash doesn't feel like her first time. 

Elise now was sure she had lost a chunk of her memories. The reason was unknown but coming to Saltige did answer a few of her question although she didn't find anything about her parents yet.

"Is the cold not bothering, lady?" The question came beside her and Elise shifted her eyes, breaking her eye contact from the sky to Oliver.

Elise recalled the man at the funeral held in Lipton's manor. The man didn't look at Ian well, thought Elise and somewhere she felt as if the man was suspecting Ian. "I am bundled up with coats, I am fine, thank you for your worry, sir."

"It's our duty to worry about civilian. People think to work as a Church Member is the easiest, but you know we have to be ready to loss our lives every day with every cases we handle. Not most of them are good, and if I have to be honest, every cases are filled with dangers, like this one. It must have been a great ordeal to suddenly have dark sorcerers be at the village you are visiting of."

"Sometimes things don't go the way one wish. I believe that this is not a great ordeal but a disaster for the village," answered Elise, being careful as the man didn't seem to come and talk to her with a casual intention. Elise knew because of the way the man had showed some of his animosity towards Ian in their previous meeting. "Is it alright for you to be here, sir? I hope you are not busy."

"I am not if busy is your worries. It's a little unsettling how if one stay for too long with the Lord they would die, no offense but I have seen many massacre started by the Lord," Elise turned her head at Oliver who said this, her eyes narrowed but she didn't let her emotions get the best of her. "By all means I do not condemn or suspect the Lord for the occasions, I just think it is unfortunate for him. To walk on blood steps, I don't think anyone can do that."

Which was correct, Elise thought. But then this was Ian they talked of, like he said, he was different than anyone. He was a special person like diamond, thought Elise. However, diamond could also get chipped with their surroundings. Like how Ian want to protect her, Elise shared the same emotion. She want to protect him and herself. But Oliver had spoken for Ian not out of sentiments. The man was trying to allude things to her. 

"The Lord is special, but that doesn't mean the misfortunes follow him. When I was a child I was told the same," she said, thinking that perhaps it was time for her to go back to the carriage. "You must spent a busy day, Mister Oliver," Elise said when Oliver interjected her, 

"Yes I did, actually in a village that is far from here, there was another horrible case I had to pick up. It was a case about a single woman found dead as the body was nailed to a tree with stakes. We are still currently searching for the culprit," Oliver said the words slowly and he stared at Elise. She didn't felt odd with how the man had stared her intently as the man had gazed at her with the same intense stare since they first met.

"It must be horrible," she didn't ask why the woman had died as doing so would mean spending more time with Oliver, "Well then, I will take my excuse."

"Please do not be in a hurry, Miss Scott, I still have something to told you."

She raised her brows, why her? She knew she wasn't important and yet rather then searching for Ian, Oliver had spend more time talking with her. The man continued by asking, "Do you know someone close to you who had died?"

Elise was cautious not to reply or change her expression, "Why do you ask sir?"

"It's a personal question, just a question that I wanted to inquire," replied Oliver and she knows he was lying.

"There isn't anyone," Elise didn't know if she managed to lie well. She wasn't used to lying since before. "May I ask you a question?"

"Go on," Oliver offered, wondering what the maid had to ask her.

"Why do you interrogate me, Mister Oliver? Are you suspicious of Lord Ian?" Oliver narrowed his eyes and Elise kept her voice cool, "It's a personal question of mine that I wish to ask. Whether if you hate the Lord or not."

"I do not hate the Lord, and to be suspicious would be a great evil intention of mine which is punishable by law. That is if I am suspicious to him without an evidence of accuse him of what he doesn't do," the man made sure his last words were heard to Elise.

"Do you mean that you have found an evidence?" questioned Elise and the man pulled a smile.

"If I did, the Lord wouldn't be here, Miss Scott," Oliver laughed as if it was a joke but she didn't join the laughter. "But I wonder until when this statement stands. It would help if you could tell me anything you found weird happening in the castle before..." the man let the word hanged before covering his face with a smile. "You know where to find the Church," He then bowed as he left, leaving Elise uncomfortable with the words the man let her to fill on her own.

She wondered to what point Oliver knows about Ian and what the man was planning for.

Oliver, who had left Elise's side then went to meet Reinhard, his subordinates, "Did you get the words of agreement to investigate Warine Lord's castle from Kyle?"

Reinhard shook his head, bringing the news with a sigh, "Kyle wants a concerted proof. He would not budge if there is not enough reason for us to investigate the castle."

"The old man is too cautious for himself. He is afraid that the Church would get on the Lord's bad side if we upset him," clicking his tongue, Oliver bring out his cigar, lighting it up with the help from Reinhard before blowing a gray smoke. "The time is running out which we don't have much. We can't use a proper method. We only have to gain that approval letter by ourselves. It's time to use that method. I'm sure something will surface underneath the castle's ground. We should dig it up and bring a light to the Lord's misdeed before bringing him under the guillotine. Do you find any clue about the maid that was killed?"

"No, the report said that the Lord has a solid alibi the time when the maid was killed. I do think the Lord have known about the news by now."

"Which mean it would not be soon for him to know that we are on his tail." Oliver dropped the cigar, extinguishing the fire by stepping on it before he dust off his hands. No matter what Ian need to die even if there was nothing underneath the castle's ground he would create a mistake enough for the Lord to be killed.

"Since the beginning Demons should never mingle with humans. He should not be here in this world when our plan is on move. A hindrance that we would need to get rid of. Proceed with our plan," raising his hand, Oliver dismissed Reinhard who went to follow the order Oliver made.

Meanwhile, Oliver then left when he saw a body being brought. The man then stopped the people from dragging the body. Taking the end of the fabric that covered the body, Oliver then pulled to see a body burnt black that the skeleton could be seen, "Whose body is this?" he asked.

"I-It is the body found in the culprit's basement, apparently this is a body of a woman who was killed by the the dark sorceress who lived in hiding."

Oliver took a better look before he raised his hand, telling the subordinate to move. A line of frown then added on his forehead that was wrinkled. That was a body of Relic and although it was faint, he could also smell a scent of a Demon. Just what happened in this village?

Curious of what happened, Oliver then left to Angelica's house, and there he saw Ian who was standing with both hand on his pocket. Noticing Oliver, Ian's smile twisted, "Oliver, how I miss you."

Oliver narrowed his eyes at Ian's friendly greeting, wondering to himself why did Ian's words sounded as if he knew he would come and had been waiting for him.

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A/N: Don't forget to vote to 2000 powerstone! Let's go!~

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