The Demon’s Bride

Once the carriage arrived back at White Mansion, Elise stepped out to go back toward her room. Throughout her talk in the carriage, Beelzebub seemed to hold no ill intent from her or Ian. She wondered if he was their ally or foe. The man held something mysterious with him and it didn't seem like he would reveal his mission which became his reason to come from Hell to the mortal's world.

Passing by one hallway, Elise saw a maid who bowed at her that felt strange as she was still a maid like her. When Ian promised marriage to her, she didn't know that he had notified the rest of the maid how from now on and the rest Elise wouldn't be a maid but his bride. The maids now understood that if they treasure their life, the last thing they would do was to antagonize Elise. 

"Lady Elise," came the passive voice from behind, turning her face she saw it was Maroon. She offered the man a smile which was not returned like always and she looked down to see a small box wrapped with a blue ribbon and a card place in between the ribbon and the box. "Did you have a good time in the Church?"

It was somewhat unexpected for Maroon to ask what she was doing or how she felt. It was weird, but she took it as a positive response as the man was trying to put their strained relationship for the better, which mean the man knows that they both had nothing but Ian's best interest.

"I did, it was unexpected to have Mr. Beel to come with me," although that wasn't quite correct as the man suddenly appeared inside her carriage. She recalled the time when she stepped out from the carriage and how the coachman Frank's jaw turn slack when he saw Beelzebub stepped out from the carriage as he didn't see the man entered the carriage before.

"Mr. Beel is quite a unique person," Maroon kept his words brief as he wasn't a talkative person and he pulled the box he held to pass it for Elise to hold, "I came to give this package that came for you."

"For me?" Elise wondered who, but there were only a few people that could come to her mind who would give her a gift. Opening the card that was folded to two, she opened to see the name written 'Edward Harland'.

"It's from Mr. Harland," whispered Elise, confused with why the man had sent her the package. Opening the card she read the writings only halfway as it was long, deciding to take it to her room. "Thank you, Maroon." and when the man bowed to leave, she made her way to her room while the butler made his way to the Lord's room, notifying him of what he had passed to Elise.

Once Elise arrived in her room, she opened the card, her eyes slowly reading the words little by little, summarizing the writing, Edward had been generous enough to gift her a dress, saying that he would like her to wear the dress to the Winter Ball; and this had Elise to narrow her eyes. She didn't remember telling Mr. Harland that she would be attending the Winter Ball. Other than Ian and Maroon, there should be only limited people who know this. 

Elise opened the box, and her eyes stopped to see the blue dress which was folded neatly inside the box. Pulling the dress, she saw the dress which was made from a fabric that was soft to her touch. The skirt of the dress was long enough to touch the floor as Elise spread the dress. It was gorgeous, thought Elise.

With their days passing by fast, Elise forgot to question Ian about the attire she would be wearing, leaving her with almost nothing presentable enough to wear to the Ball. She only remembered the need for a dress last night, and spend the rest of the day thinking about what to wear to the Winter Ball. 

Elise recalled what transpired when she attended the Soiree held by Lady Monica's family with a simple dress wear for a commoner to the market, only to be seen as a person who had trespassed the manor, she didn't want that to happen again; especially when she would be coming to the Ball with Ian, the Lord beside her. Ian told her not to worry about how she looked, but today she will be attending the Ball with him, and even if it was only for once, she wants to look good in a beautiful dress.

Sitting on the bed, Elise stared at the dress again. This dress was what she needed, but somewhere she felt uncomfortable to wear the dress while not knowing how Edward was able to learn that she would be visiting the Ball. Yet, the dress was the only lovely dress which she could wear to the Ball.

Although she doesn't know the meaning or intention behind why Edward would gift her the dress, Elise chose to wear the dress. What worse could happen by wearing a dress? She had never heard of a person who died after wearing a dress and this was her only choice, thought Elise to herself. She could ask Ian for a dress but doubt that even with his magic he could create a dress in a snap of a second. 

After another round of think, Elise who chose to wear the dress stood up from her bed. She was about to pick the dress that was lying on the corner of her bed when she heard a knock lightly calling from her door. Who was here at this time? she wondered. Curious, she turned the doorknob only to have a tall man towering in front of her.

"Ian!" called Elise, surprised as she didn't know he had come back to the castle.

Ian looked at her, taking in her feature with the usual mischievous smirk that he always used. His crimson eyes trailing a little over her room and spotted the blue dress over her bed before shifting his eyes over to the woman in front of him. He stepped forward, entering the room to say, "Where did you acquire that dress?"

"Mr. Harland gave it to me," Elise replied, straining her neck to see Ian's brows knitted in its elegance. 

"Harland," he repeated, the vampire. He indeed moved fast like leech, Ian thought. "Aare you going to wear that dress, sweetheart?" Ian asked her, Elise couldn't tell why, but somewhere she could feel there was a taunt lurking beneath his words. 

"I think yes," Why did Ian seem angry? "I don't have any other dress-"

"I know," he whispered, reaching out his hand, the back of his finger trailed from her cheeks to her neck. His fingers were cold and felt like ice which sent shivers to her bone that make her skin tingle, but that wasn't all. His gaze that was tame felt like the silence before a storm. It was calm but it couldn't hide the fierceness it held. "Do you know why a man would love to give a woman a dress?" He gave the riddle that she always had to think twice before replying. But this time, she found no answer and instead shook her head. 

She could feel how his finger slowly rubbing the veins on her neck, and Ian felt her throat bobbed under his fingertips as she replies, "I-I don't know."

On her innocent reply, his grin grew bewitching as though something was stirring deep inside his scarlet eyes. Ian slowly slid his hand over the collar of her dress, sending another cold shiver that startled her for a moment due to its freezing temperature.

Elise's eyes were glued to his face as he drawled over the answer. 

After unbuttoning the first two buttons on the collar of her dress, Ian leaned his head down, whispering next to her ears, "In this world, my love, only men who have an interest in a woman would gift them a dress. It is because they want to be the only one to undress the cloth," Ian said with his voice deliberately low and slow, each intake of his breaths brushed her ears to feel her toes curl. They want to be the only person to unbutton the dress, to pull the string that caged your body, and uncover the skin under it. And once they have succeeded in getting on their way, undressing you... they would push you down to the bed, and took you down and wet, just like what I did four days ago, with something more that I promised not to do to you until marriage."

A soft quivering gasp came from Elise's lips who had become a subject to his naughty talk. She squeezed her hands together, feeling butterflies in her stomach, and her heart beat fast like a train.

Ian paused lightly and he kissed her neck to draw out a hitch of breath from her who was under his embrace. His lips slowly brushed to her neck and he bites on her skin lightly before kissing and turning the pale skin to red. When Ian had pulled from the side of her face, he looked at her, and Elise watched his red tongue licking his lips that he used to put a mark on her. 

"Unfortunately for that leech of a vampire, you will not be wearing the dress over there." Ian reached out his hand to take hers that turn lax on the side of her waist after his words to hold the box which he brought for her. "And the fortunate news is, I prepared a dress for you."