The Demon’s Bride

The snowy sky turn the morning to cloudy blue. The room was filled with warmth that came from the fireplace and Elise, who was asleep woke up drowsily. Her eyes first stare at the ceiling before she pushed herself to sit on the bed. She felt haggard. Did she fall asleep in the carriage? It must have been because she used her power, as after fainting once, she felt all her energy disappearing. 

It took her a few moments to realize how dark the bed she was sleeping at. Was it still nighttime? Then Elise turned to notice that it was the curtain of the bed that covered all light. Pulling the curtain, she looked at the room that wasn't her. Once again, she had slept in Ian's room, thought Elise. But she couldn't find Ian anywhere.

Standing up from her place, Elise pulled open the curtain, her eyes squint as the light came to blind her view for a moment before she saw the wide spread of white on the backyard.

It looked cold, thought Elise. Then she realized that she was late for work. When Elise thought of leaving to her room, she stopped by a mirror and saw herself dressed in a night gown. Who dressed her? Was it Ian? Elise turned shy when she thought that last night Ian had changed her clothes, but then they were going to be husband and wife soon, this little thing would happen soon and she slowly calm her giddiness by thinking so.

Deciding to leave the room and go back to her room, Elise opened the door to be surprised at Maroon who stood before the door as if knowing she would head off from the room, "The coat," Maroon passed her the coat which she take.

"Thank you," and the man bowed, "How long have I've been asleep?"

"Eight hours," answered Maroon, "The Lord is currently leaving to visit the Church for a report of what took place in Saltige. Would you be having breakfast?"

It still somewhere felt weird to Elise with how she was treated like a Lady as she is still a maid, "I think I am late for work, I will skip breakfast."

As if knowing this would be her reply, the butler replied, "The Lord had kept a word for me that I have to follow and that is for you to eat breakfast. He told me that you had lost energy and working in empty stomach would only make you sick. The rest of your day have been mark as a weekend. You don't have to do anything for now."

Elise thought that her body do feel and not wanting herself to get ill, she decided to take the day rest. "Please bring the breakfast to my room, I will be eating there, thank you."

Maroon didn't reply but nod. He then left the place as Elise took her time to walk on the third floor of the castle. No maid was on the highest story of White Mansion which make her to breathe easily while taking a stroll. 

She looked at the window, her eyes not watching anything in particular. Remembering what happened yesterday, Elise didn't want to think over of how she killed someone. She had come in term with it and doing so, make it easy for her to go through after killing the Relic. 

Elise didn't immediately walk to staircase and leave to her room. She stopped when she realized she had come to the Gallery. Wanting to walk some more, Elise pushed the door open and she lighted the lantern to walk around the gallery.

She saw the painting, there was the village she and Ian had looked at before. Some other drawings were there but she focused on a single drawing of wings painted in black that seemed to had just been placed here.

Was this Ian's wings? asked Elise to herself. Knowing he was the one who painted most of the paintings here, she guessed this was also his painting as it had his touches and colors.

Elise was about to take a better look of it as she noticed something when she heard a whisper beside her ears, "Elise." The whisper was low but the voice that had called her used a chilling tone that made her goosebump.

Elise turned her face to where she heard the voice but there was nothing. Did she imagined the voice? she wondered but staying at the gallery where there were only her and mostly shadows, she felt uncomfortable. Reaching out to the door, Elise stepped out when she heard a soft song being sang. 

Elise knew the song, it was the song that belonged to the maid who she dreamt in her nightmare. The same song was being sang, and it had her to walk down the stairs to follow the melody and find the singer. But the moment Elise passed by the hallways the song disappear.

"Oh, Elise," Mila called her from behind and she turned her head, "I was about to bring your breakfast," the woman looked at her, "What's wrong?"

"Did you heard someone singing?" asked Elise, she looked left and right. The last time she heard the melody ended here, but there was no one who seemed to be singing.

"I don't think I saw anyone who sing around here, I had been walking here for more than five minutes if there was anyone, I should be the one to know first," Mila answered, and Elise knew she didn't imagine the song to play on her ears again.

"I see," Elise whispered. At first she asked if the singer was a ghost, however, with the explanation Ian gave her, there should be no ghosts in White Mansion. The singer that sang in her nightmare must have been a person too. Elise wanted to find the person as if she was able to sing her dream to bring her out of her room that would mean the person helped Tracey to cast the voodoo curse on her. Which could mean that there were still someone inside this castle who want to harm her.

"Is it important to find who was singing? Did they bother you?" Mila asked as they both left the hallway to the staircase, and went to walk toward her room.

Elise didn't know if she should reply honestly, but that would take a long time to explain and she decided to reply otherwise, "I wanted to ask the person because I think I have heard the song once before."

Mila hummed when they entered Elise took the tray of food from her thanking, but then a maid came toward the room, the girl first look at Elise before looking at Mila, "Miss, I cannot find the head butler anywhere. It is something that I think to be very urgent."

"What is it?" asked Mila, and Elise who was curious stated there to hear more of what the maid had to say.

"It is Lady Monica, she had come with her brother Sir Elijah. The two request to meet the Lord for an urgent case," said the maid and Elise raised her brows in question.