The Demon’s Bride

A/N: Thank you for everyone's best wishes! Your words is really a cure to my worries about the surgery ^^ Sorry I can't reply to all of the messages though but I appreciate every thoughts and have read them all. To update, currently I finished the first surgery, the surgery would take more than the five days and I expect more days for the healing part after the surgery but I think I will manage. At the moment, I'm still feeling drowsy so I resume writing for a moment, it doesn't mean I would stop updating, but I think I will update a single chapter worth of 1800 words (almost two chapter at one). That's all. Sorry for the rambling~

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Hearing the voice stopped, Elise wondered if the priest Redrick, who had been the one who she saw was speaking heard her footsteps. Hiding would only make it seem as if she had been hiding to eavesdrop on the conversation he had. Therefore, she walked forward bowing at the priest who made a deeper bow at her.

"Are you lost, Miss Elise?" questioned the man. He didn't call Elise as 'Lady' for the very reason that he had missed the statement Ian made in the Ballroom. 

"I was on my way to the powder room, I am sorry to intrude on your conversation," she looked to the person who was supposed to stand across Reinhard, only to see there was no one.

In time Redrick continued, "It is not an everyday occasion where two people meet again in such a short time. You look very beautiful tonight, miss Elise. Did you come with someone?"

It appeared that Redrick didn't notice her when they were inside the ballroom. But Elise saw him exiting the room earlier. When she saw him depart, she wanted to follow the man, to greet and speak with him but was faced with Lady Ellen and her friends that she lost him. 

Now in front of the man, she could feel how the air that started to stifle her turn calmer. Redrick had been the man who always held a gentle smile, his eyes bear no hatred that makes speaking with him easier, and Elise wasn't the only person who felt this. But more than his sereness, there was something from Redrick that made her felt nostalgic and she can't point out what it was as she had never seen the man before. 

"I came with Lord Ian," replied Elise for Redrick's eyes to give out a slip of an awed expression. But it didn't stay long that had Elise to think that the priest was surprised by the action that Ian had never taken in the past. "Can I ask how did you come here?"

"It is weird, isn't it?" asked the priest with a smile, "At Christmas Eve which is today, many think that the priests and nuns in the Church would be out of hand to prepare for the celebration. But in truth, Christmas also means for a family to gather together around the dining table, also for people with more wealth to celebrate the holiday by hosting a party or banquet. As I had quite a lot of free time, an old acquaintance of mine gave me the invitation."

"I see," Elise whispered when she looked at the moon that was nowhere to be found, "It's a moonless night tonight."

"It would be an enjoyable night if this was Hell," answered Redrick whose eyes turned slightly red as the flame from the nearest lantern shadowed over half of his right face.

Elise, who was caught by surprise by his words, turned her eyes, "Why would it be an enjoyable night in Hell?"

"A moonless night or full night is considered as good luck in Hell, I read about it from one of the books that I mentioned to you from the Church's library. About your question that you asked me before," Redrick turned his eyes briefly to look at her while she wondered about which question as she had asked him quite a lot of question in her last visit to the Church, "You questioned whether angels have golden eyes and I found many stories about angels having golden eyes. Oddly enough while searching, I heard about some angels who were said to possess horns."

Angels with golden eyes and horns? The features Redrick told her was very similar to that of her own reflection she saw during the time she fainted in her aunt's yard. Unable to hold curiosity that burnt in her mind, she asked, "Do that angel bear golden eyes too?" if they did, it was possible that she could be the same being as the angel Redrick describe, meaning she would be able to find her roots. 

"Unfortunately they do not. While some angels acquire golden eyes, these angels with horns are said to be tainted, and unlike other angels in Heaven they were said to be banished from there for the mistake they made."

Corrupted angels, thought Elise. The horned angel Father Redrick mentioned was in fact not her but corrupted angels. "Do you know what mistake the angel makes?" although Elise knew this part of the story and the answer, she thought to ask since gathering more information was better than having nothing.

"Something along the lines of escaping Heaven. But there were some other angels who were banished after committing a grave sin. The rest are not ascertained, and even if it was I don't think I can read it," the man responded with a faint smile on his lips as he pushed himself from the glassless window.

"Was the writing hard to read?" As most books were written using hands, Elise wondered if the book was written in difficult writing as it didn't seem to be written in a different language, seeing how Redrick could read the content of the book and understand what was written in it.

"I guess you could say that. I could understand a few words that were written there, but there were some words that I cannot recognize. Just words gathered together to make a word that has no meanings," said the priest who seemed to be in a thoughtful expression as if trying to remember things. "That reminds me, the book about the Demons was mostly written that way too which why I could barely make out a few words. If you have time, the Church is open for you to come and read the book."

"Thank you, that would be great," Elise said, taking the invitation. It seemed reading the book would be difficult and she wondered if the letters were written that way for only a specific group to read, such as demons. 

"If I may ask, why are you searching about Demons and Angels?" Reinhard asked when Elise was about to leave.

Now that Elise thought about it, she must have sounded weird to be curious about Demons, and she replied, "I was curious," she then thought it was time to leave but seeing Reinhard, she felt the need to say these words, "I find that talking with your father Redrick, makes me feel peaceful."

"I am glad if you think so," the priest replied and his smile widened, "I also find that talking with you bring me a sense of nostalgia, as though we have met before." and Elise agreed at his words because she felt the same. "But that must be not possible. I would have remembered if I talk to someone like you."

Likewise, that was what Elise thought. Somewhere she felt as though she knew Father Reinhard before this, but she would have remembered the man if they do, bit she was still doubtful as part of her memory was gone. Now that the man said he hadn't met her, perhaps the nostalgia came because this person reminded her of someone.

They talked a little more about the Demons book, and after a while, Elise, who remembered that she was told not to stray for too long excused herself.

After Elise had left, Reinhard who was alone leaned back to the glassless window which was right behind him when the voice came beside him, "She must be almost eighteen now. Time passes too quickly." 

Reinhard didn't turn around to see the person who he had been talking to until Elise came, "Eighteen is a small number for us, she is still nothing but a small child who needs help from people around her and you."

"If I could I would have gone and met her long before," was the answer the voice replied with. There was a hint of sadness lightly hinted under his breath. "But then she wouldn't want to know about me either. I know my mistake and how I am not a good person to enter her life."

Reinhard turned his face, his eyes which was brown in color then saw the small crow whose eyes were golden in color, "She is very similar to her, and she seemed to be very mature than others of her age."

"She does look nothing like me or them," agreed the crow, "Whether it is her look or her character and that is good. It would be a disaster if she follows our family's character. The world doesn't need another person like me," and Reinhard noticed how his eyes lingered long at the hallway where Elise had left to. Although the crow's expression barely changes, his friend Reinhard could sense the regret that flickered across the crow's eyes. "What did she seek you for?"

"About angels and demons, she seemed to be very curious about the corrupted angels. Do you think she has realized about her blood?"

"Maybe," the crow whispered not adding another word and immediately change the question, "Have you met Lucifer?"